Themed Movie Nights

Ladies and gentlemen, I have discovered a great injustice on the internet. Last year, a few of my friends and I started monthly (for the most part) movie nights. All our movie nights have a theme, and if possible, we try to match food to said theme. Anyway, I was looking for a new movie theme last night, and guess what? I couldn't find theme nights anywhere. Whenever I typed in themed movie nights, all that popped up were movie decorations. Lame right? So anyway, I thought I'm not the only one that might appreciate some themed movie night inspiration! Here ya go:

Greek:                                                            Italian:
   My Big Fat Greek Wedding                           Letters to Juliet
   My Life in ruins                                             Eat, Pray, Love
Teenage Masterminds:                                   Southern:
    Ferris Bueller's Day Off                                Steel Magnolias
    Catch Me If You Can                                     The Help
                                                                           Fried Green Tomatoes
Classics:                                                          80's Chick Flick:
     Back to the Future                                         Pretty in Pink
     Young Frankenstein                                      Sixteen Candles
     Blues Brothers                                               Breakfast Club
Pets:                                                                Marvel Comics:
    Air Bud                                                           Hulk, Captain America
    Flicka                                                              Thor, Iron Man
    Dreamer                                                          Avengers
Baseball:                                                         Independent Film:
     Sandlot 1 and 2                                              Juno
     Field of Dreams                                             Little Miss Sunshine
     Angels in the Outfield                                   The Way, Way Back
     Million Dollar Arm
Wedding:                                                         Food Junkie:
     Bridesmaids                                                   Ratatouille
     Bride Wars                                                     No Reservations
     You Again                                                      Julie and Julia
Sci-fy:                                                             British Lit:
     Star Trek 1&2                                                 Romeo & Juliet
     Aliens                                                              Hamlet
     Men in Black                                                  Much Ado About Nothing
     Independence
Jason Bourne:                                                 Mythology
    Bourne Identity                                                Percy Jackson 1 & 2
    Bourne Supremacy                                          Hercules
    Bourne Ultimatum                                           Troy
    Bourne Legacy
American History:                                          Law:
    Lincoln                                                            Legally Blonde
    Gettysburg                                                       To Kill a Mockingbird
                                                                             A Time to Kill
Music:                                                             Band:
    August Rush                                                    Almost Famous
    Mr. Holland's Opus                                          School of Rock
    The Soloist
90's Teen:                                                        Halloween:
    10 Things I Hate About You                            Addams Family and Values
    She's All That                                                   Edward Scissor Hands
    Boys and Girls                                                  Hocus Pocus
Bruce Willis:                                                   Sandra Bullock:
    Die Hard                                                           Miss Congeniality
    RED                                                                  Miss Congeniality 2
    Armageddon                                                     The Heat
Vince Vaughn:
    The Internship
    Delivery Man
We're doing the Indie Movie Night Next week :) Have fun and enjoy!

How to Write a Novel While Successfully Surviving School

High school is no slice of cake. No matter what classes you're in, what type of student you are, or how many activities you're involved in. It's four long years of hard work. Let us count the countless activities you must partake in whilst in these four years:
       1. Waking up early five out of seven days (sometimes more if you work)
       2. Going to school between 7:30 and 8 am
       3. Sitting through seven hours of classes and teachers talking mostly about things that you really             don't care about but have to pay attention to to be successful.
       4. Partaking in after school activities (A.K.A. Marching band, clubs, private lessons, tutoring, community service, jobs)
       5. Completing several hours of homework (sometimes all nighters depending on your previous record of procrastination)
       6. Having friends and a social life (although that's not the most important thing in life, FYI)
       7. Catching up on recent movies and good TV
       8. Reading the best books (because to be a good writer, you have to read and read more)

And that's just a very short summary. Now add writing a decent sized, thoughtful, interesting novel into all that. You need about ten more hours in the day right? Well, here's the thing... Multitasking is your BEST friend. You know, maybe do a little homework, take a break and write. Turn on your favorite TV show, pull out your laptop or journal. Believe me, unless it's a show like Sherlock, TV does not need your full attention. Weekends are also you're best friend. Get your weekend homework done early so that you have the entire two days to just relax and write your little heart out. If you finish your class work early, pull out your journal and write and page or two.

The key to being a high school novelist is knowing how to utilize every minute of your day. Spare moments are crucial. Just know when to steal them. It's okay if you don't write the entire novel in a couple times. Take your time. Make sure every word counts. This is something you love to do, right? I know I love it. Don't make it into work, or else you won't love it anymore. Don't force anything, and don't tire yourself out to where your work is just meaningless words scribbled onto a page.

But remember...high school is your first priority. I know it seems overrated, but without a high school diploma, life will be hard. And I don't mean, the TV's not working; I can't find a pen hard. I mean real life hard. So study up, make good grades, and graduate! And...go to college. I'm not kidding. Just keep your priorities in mind, and always remember to love your writing!

Goodbye, America!

Can I be more excited? Tomorrow afternoon at this time I will be on a plane to Germany! From there, I will zigzag to Austria and Switzerland! This is my first time out of the country, and I cannot wait. I've been packed for a week and have looked up all my destinations. I'm going to try to blog, but it just depends on my level of exhaustion and if I have access to Wi-fi. However, stay in tuned. There will be pictures and a recap of my amazing adventures!!

I'm sitting here watching Pretty In Pink. I love 80s movies, but I have a confession. I wouldn't love them if it weren't for one of my favorite people in the whole wide world.
Three years ago, I had major surgery on my wrist that involved cadaver bone, screws, a plate, and rotating the bone 360 degrees...just to give you an idea. Sounds like fun, right? Well, in a full armed splint for three weeks and quieted by the drugs, I didn't really have anywhere to go. My best friend had just moved away, and I mean, it was summer...no one was really in town. But then there was my youth pastor--a woman that had become like an older sister to me. Being an only child and living a significant ways away from any family, you kind of make your own local family. But anyway, I digress.
My youth pastor, a mirror image of myself in some odd years, came over for a movie marathon. My mom naturally needed a break from being my caretaker. So with Mom gone and a couple movies, an 80's marathon was definitely what I needed. For the life of me, I cannot remember the first movie we watched...all I remember was that it had Freddie Prinze Jr. in it. But then we watched Pretty in Pink. She was astounded that I'd never seen this apparently monumental movie! I mean, come on--it's Pretty in Pink!! So we watched it and I loved it. We talked, but I still watched it and fell in love. Then I watched it again after she left. And I watched it again that night when I had restless leg. I watched it again the next night when I had restless leg yet again.
To her, it was just a movie night. I'm sure she remembers it, but it's no bright memory in her past. But to me, it meant and still means so much. I mean, sure she introduced me to one of John Hughes' best films. But she sat with me for maybe five hours...talked to me in my drugged state, laughed with me at Duckie and mourned with me when Blane started acting like a jerk.
Now, she's leaving. I mean, it's not far...30 minutes at most. But I'm going to college an hour and a half a way which means it's more like two hours. No more movie nights or afternoon pedicures or just hanging out in her office that could possibly be the place where all missing items in the world end up. (Missing some shoes? They might be under her desk.)
I leave for Europe in a week, and when I return, she won't be preaching in the pulpit. Her office will be filled by a new pastor. I won't have anymore Wednesday Bible Studies at my favorite coffee shop with her. Life's changing so fast, and I'm not quite sure how to deal with it. I know she's the one leaving, but don't they say sometimes it's harder for the people that are left behind? Maybe it will be easier once I'm at college, experiencing new things, making new friends, gaining new knowledge. But for now, I'm gonna miss her. And I don't care what anybody says, I'm still gonna call her.

But now I can't watch Pretty in Pink without thinking of that rainy July day, talking, being introduced to the brilliance that is John Hughes' mind. I challenge everyone to think of their Pretty in Pink moment and remember it for always. You never know when that memory will be all you have.

Bullied

Here is my first short short story to be posted. I hope you enjoy! Let me know what you think!

Bullied: By Hannah Rials

Suddenly, Marie was in a corner, portfolio clasped tightly against her chest as she glanced furtively from left to right. Had they followed her? Was she safe? She could see her art classroom, just a few feet away—a sanctuary in a school of torture. When no one appeared around the corner, she allowed herself to relax, to take a deep breath. Instead of sucking in her flabby stomach, she let the muscles go, her shoulders falling with them. The knots in her back uncoiled, and she slowly loosened her tight fists.

She could feel heavy tears weighing down in the corners of her eyes. She blinked away the forming drops and bit her quivering bottom lip. She could still feel the spot on her head that no longer has hair. They’d torn it right out. Quick as a prowling cat, she only realized what had happened when she looked down and saw a chunk of her greasy, unwashed hair in the girl’s hand.

“Try showering,” they’d hissed, giggling as they threw her hair into the trash.

They’d circled her like a flock of vultures, waiting for her to cry, to crack like she had countless times before. Marie had continued walking through the crowded halls, her eyes down, staring at the spotted floor tiles. A jab to the back. A nail clawing into her arm. Someone stepping on the back of her worn in converse. Then her portfolio was gone , pulled right out of her callused hands. She heard their piercing giggles high above the chatter of the hall. Then the one sound she dreaded most—“RIPPPPPP!” Then another, another, and another…

…She looked down into the portfolio—only one painting left. How to explain this to her teacher?…

…They’d danced through the crowd of students, pulling her hair, whispering names in her ear, names she dare not remember. Her ruddy face grew even redder—red as the blood on her scalp…

…She gently touched the hairless spot, now coated in dried blood, covered by the rest of her greasy, dirt-brown hair…

…Then she’d walked right into them, waiting for her, cruel girlish smiles on their perfectly plastic faces. She couldn’t go back, and she couldn’t go forward. So she stopped, parting the sea of students like Moses, except they weren’t opening her escape; they were opening her to torture.

The girls took slow, calculated steps. Marie tensed, ready to sprint if they touched her, except she didn’t get the chance. All at once, they converged on her, knocking her to the ground, ripping at her hand-me-down clothes, scratching her bare skin, calling her those horrible names, giggling all the while, .

They were prepared for her tears and her futile attempts at escape. However, they never once expected her to scream. Why would they? For all they knew, she was mute. So when she did—when she let that terrible, unparalleled scream rip through the empty hallway—they leapt back in fear, not of her, but of the awful sound. 

This gave her a window of opportunity. She snatched her nearly empty portfolio out of one hand then sprinted down the hall, not turning back to see if they’d followed…

…She glanced down at her now broken watch just as they turned the corner, their piercing sights set on her. No one else was in the hallway. They were closer to the art room than she was. She was a deer in headlights, frozen in place and time. One girl giggled. The others just stared silently like sirens, willing Marie to crumble and fall to her demise. She sunk her teeth into her bottom lip and closed her eyes waiting for what was sure to come.

Then…the bell rang. The sound of their high-heeled footsteps stopped. Her eyes remained closed. When the heels clicked again, she cringed, except, she realized, they were growing fainter until they disappeared all together. Only then did she open her eyes, warily glancing down the hall, the sound of their giggles echoing in her ears. 

The door to the art room opened and her teacher stepped out, looking at Marie ignorantly, waving her into the room. Once, just once, she looked back over her shoulder after the girls.

She was safe…for now. 

Happy Memorial Day!

I know you've probably had your ears gnawed off about this, but remember the reason for the day. In this day and age, we sometimes forget the true meanings for our out-of-school/off-work holidays. We buy presents or sleep in really late, or, in today's case, barbecue then barbecue some more...with a little swimming thrown in, weather permitting. But I cannot see how we overlook the meaning of this day. I guarantee every person in this country knows a veteran or an active serviceman in the military. Did you thank them today--thank them for their service to our country, to their fellow Americans, and to you? They take great risk every day of their lives to ensure our safety as a nation. Thank them!

Many of us have stories of ancestors that fought in past wars. I'm proud to say that both my grandfathers fought in World War II. My maternal grandfather fought in the Battle of the Bulge and at one point was trapped in a barn shootout. For most of his life, he suffered from PTSD and relived his service through nightmares. He was an amazing man who taught me loyalty to my family, how to love unconditionally and that true love actually does exist--you just have to be brave enough to find it. And he taught me that all roads lead to home. He was a man that loved backroads...longgggggg back roads. But his detours always ended up as a gorgeous site-seeing trip and before we knew it, we were back safe in our homes. No matter where we were, he always got us home. And he was lucky--he came home from World War II. Millions did not. Take a minute to remember the soldiers who have lost their lives protecting us.

Happy Memorial Day, God Bless!

Make an adventure

A few years back, my Mawmaw and I were flying back down to her hometown in Mississippi. I was younger and not trusted to fly solo through the Big-Scary Atlanta airport. Except this time, instead of flying through Atlanta as per usual, we flew through Memphis. So, we arrive at the Memphis airport with no problems. We come to our gate early, eager to get home. Then the announcement: "Ladies and Gentlemen, our flight to Baton Rouge has been delayed for an hour. We will keep you updated." Okay, no problem. Mawmaw and I had our books. We could hunker down for an hour. Then the next announcement thirty minutes later: "Ladies and Gentlemen, our flight to Baton Rouge has been delayed for three hours." Can you hear me groaning? You're groaning too, aren't you? I call my parents, give them the update, then hunker down for the next three hours until the final announcement came over the intercom: "Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm sorry to say that our flight to Baton Rouge has been rescheduled for 9:00 AM tomorrow morning. Please see the desk for hotel arrangements." More groans. But you don't understand...I was with my Mawmaw, the amazing woman who can turn any bad situation into an adventure.
We head over to our hotel and settle in for the night. Without car and unfamiliar with the city, we decided to dine in the hotel restaurant, and there we had the best burgers of our lives. The bun was buttery and the burger perfectly seasoned. We walked around exploring the hotel and just talking. Then we hunkered in for the night and prepared for our flight the next morning.
We could've become grumpy and irate about the cancellation. We could've remained trapped in our hotel, but we made our misfortune into an adventure. Four years later, I have never had a boring summer with my grandmother. She has no cable, which means no TV or internet. Her town doesn't have a movie theater or a zoo or even that great of shopping mall. But it doesn't matter. I meet the most interesting people in this country. Through my new acquaintances I've heard stories about African Safaries, published authors, and the craziest animal lovers you've ever met. Last year, I held a chicken wearing a hat while I sipped sweet tea in their hen house. This year, a donkey gave me a kiss on the lips. I cannot wait to see what next summer has in store.
But there's an obvious lesson to take out of this, especially during the summer season. If things don't go your way: a flight cancellation, rain, or plans just go wrong--don't mope about it! Turn that frown upside down, and make your misfortune into an adventure that you'll remember for a lifetime. I know I'll never forget the world's best burger in a hotel restaurant. Go find your burger, hold your chicken, and kiss your donkey. Have the summer to remember!