Woo!!!!
Name: Sarah
2. Age: 21
3. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose? Well, I'm living there right now! Washington D.C. is my favorite city in the entire world. I'm very political, and will probably be working in Democratic politics for a long time to come. I also just love the history that surrounds this city-- all of the majestic buildings, gorgeous townhouses, and grand memorials. It really never gets old. Every time I walk by the Supreme Court or drive by the Jefferson Memorial on the basin, I can't help but smile. So, if I could live anywhere in the world, I would have to say that I would just want to have a different house: One of the townhouses over in the Dupont Circle area, in between the embassies.
4. What would your Room of Requirement look like? Well, firstly, there would be a huge picture window, which would look out on a beautiful snowy day. I hate cold weather, but I love to be inside when it's snowing and just watch it. There would be a fireplace, and a huge comfy couch with lots of blankets. I'd have to have a laptop there, and a stereo with tons of music selections: including every broadway soundtrack ever released. I'd want a giant TV with lots of movies, so that my friends could come in and watch with me: I couldn't be happy being alone for too long. Oh, we'd definitely need a fully stocked bar, too. When my friends weren't there, though, I'd want to cuddle up in front of the fire with a book (from the huge collection that would inevitably be there as well) and drink a cup of coffee with Baileys. Mmm.
5. Who is your least favorite Harry Potter character? Severus Snape, hands down. I know, I'm such a horrible person! I mean, what could I possibly be thinking, disliking someone who is arrogant, harbors childhood grudges against an old schoolmate's 11 year old son, makes fun of children, and has an enormous amount of self preservation but yet seems to take the deaths of others as something of a joke? I must be crazy. Seriously though, I can't stand him. The way Snape treated the kids when they were younger-- 11, 12, 13-- was completely outrageous. Now, I've heard people say that Harry "deserved" it. Ok, I don't believe that, but let's say that it's true, for argument's sake. Did Hermione deserve to be told that Snape "couldn't see a difference" when her teeth grew past her chin? Did Neville deserve to be berated and have his confidence beaten down every time he went to class? I'm incredibly passionate when it comes to children, and I think that because of his treatment towards them, Snape is the most immature character in the books. I get incredibly angry when people hate Sirius for his "immaturity" but then seem to worship Snape: Sirius was locked up for 13 years, what's Snape's excuse? Oh, that's right, he was picked on. Tragic. At least Sirius harbors his grudge in the right place, and doesn't take it out on innocent kids.
6. Is the glass half empty or half full? Half full, most definitely. I'm an eternal optimist, I really do believe that people are good at heart. However, that's not to say that I'm naive. I've had a lot of bad shit happen to me in my life, and there was a time when I let it get the best of me. However, I learned from those years, and realized that I didn't enjoy being sad. Crying all the time, feeling overcome by grief-- I realized that I was making a choice to be this way, and I chose to stop. Now I'm one of the least easy people to upset you'll ever meet. Any time something bad happens, I just make myself think about it rationally. I make myself realize that no matter how bad it may seem, I actually am incredibly lucky and fortunate compared to 99% of the rest of the world, and that in 10 years, I probably won't even remember the problem that I'm having today. I'm a very happy person because I choose to be, and I have little to no pity for people who choose to drown themselves in their sorrows.
7. Give us a quotation (Can be from a famous person, a song, or even a poem-whatever you want) you feel represents your life or personality.
"There is no future
There is no past
I live this moment as my last
There's only us
There only this
Forget regret
Or life is yours to miss
No other road
No other way
No day but today.
-RENT, Another Day
Not only does this song sum up my attitude toward life, but RENT also was a huge part of my life as I was growing up. I became a fan when I saw the cast on the Tony awards the year it came out. I was 13 years old and living in Iowa, and a total musical theater geek. I've seen the show 4 times on tour, and also camped out in the middle of October in Iowa to get $20 front row seats. I went to see the move last night, and it's AMAZING. GO SEE IT. NOW.
8. In your life, who comes first: family or friends? Hmm. Well, I'm very close to my mother, although I certainly wasn't growing up. My parents divorced when I was 5, and when I was 11, my mom and I moved to Iowa while my little brother stayed with my dad in CA. So there isn't one member of my family that I've lived with all of my life. I'd do anything for my family, but I don't feel the same connection to them as I do to my friends. I'm someone who has a lot of friends, and I don't always stay in contact with all of them, but I do try, and I never forget someone. Lost friendships is actually one of the things that makes incredibly sad. I guess you have a special connection with your best friends, because while family is loyal to you because you're tied by blood, a friend makes a conscious choice to want to be around you. That's a nice feeling.
9. What is your favorite childhood memory? This is actually really strange, because I can't seem to think of any. That's not to say I wasn't a happy kid, I'm sure that I was, but all the things that I seem to remember are the hard times. Hmm. I guess I'd have to say Christmas, in general. Christmas was on of those times that everyone seemed to get along. Waking up at 5am and sneaking down the hallway to see what Santa brought. I love the feeling of warmth inside a home at Christmas. Lots of lights, pretty colors, and good food! Christmas is my favorite time of the year, and I think it's because of the good feelings it brings back from childhood.
10. What would you say is your biggest flaw? Haha, well, the two that I can think of are kind of conflictual, and I suppose that I should probably say both. Firstly, I can often be too harsh with others. I don't mean to offend anyone, but I tell it like it is. I have little patience for being politically correct, and I absolutely can't tolerate incompetency. My friends have often said about me that I either hate or love people, there's not much of an in between. Next is my tendency to put blind trust in people. While I may be harsh, I am not a manipulator. I rarely lie, it's just not something that I ever really think to do. Therefore, I never think that other people might be lying to me. Since I have a tendency to think that people are naturally good, I can end up often disappointed on this front.
11. If you had been at Hogwarts during Harry’s fifth year, do you think that you would have joined the D.A.? Yep. I'm always joining in the fights for good causes. If I see an injustice being done (or if I feel like one is being done to me) I'm the first to jump in and try to fix it. Also, I have a bit of a thing for heroes, so I probably would have done it to get closer to Harry. ;-) Hehe.
12. Describe how you react to difficult or stressful situations. I'm actually very good under pressure. Since I try not to be very emotional, I handle problems in the most rational way possible. I have a huge thirst to prove myself, so I will tend to work as hard as possible to come out of a difficult situation on top. I absolutely hate to lose.
13. Which do you value more: compassion or justice? Well, I don't think that either can function properly without the other. Justice is important, although I think that things have to be looked at case by case, and always with an ounce of human compassion. For instance, I don't agree that the death penalty is an essential part of Justice. What good does an eye for an eye really do any of us? Murderers should be locked up for life where they can't harm anyone, to be sure, but killing them just brings us down to their level. Also, an inability to look past the rules at individual cases will end up with more injustice than justice in the end.
14. Would you say that you’re a child at heart, or that you have an old soul? I'm a child at heart. I'm very driven toward my career, and have always been a good student, but I'm a true adventurer. I love to travel, I love to do spontaneous things. I can't go to the store without making several new friends. I see life as one big adventure, and I take my responsibilities seriously, but believe that you should always be having fun along the way.
15. Which Hogwarts House do you think that the Sorting Hat would place you in? Oh, I'm such a Gryffindor, it hurts. I used to think of myself as a Ravenclaw, and I do have quite a few Hufflepuff traits, but I really am a lion through and through.
16. If you have a picture of yourself and feel comfortable posting it, please do so! Pictures are fun!
Our trip to Vegas this summer. :-D I'm on the right.