Application
1. Name: Katherine
2. Age: 20
3. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose?
Paris. I've always felt drawn towards Europe, and I've never really had the experience of being in another country. I mean, I was in Canada once, but it was about five miles from the country line and it didn't really count. I like the idea of living in a city where you can just sit at a cafe and people watch all day long. I also have a really big appreciation for history and antiques. I try to fill my apartment with things that look Victorian. I like being around that sort of thing, it makes me feel like I'm back in that century. In a city like Paris, it's hard to go anywhere and not be in the middle of something historical. I think it's absolutely amazing.
4. What would your Room of Requirement look like?
I've thought about this before! I think that it would have a lot of satiny pillows with roses on them, a large collection of books that I could read all day, a blazing fire, little kittens, and a quilt that I could wrap up with. Also...my laptop. I can't really live without the INTERNET. People aren't really necessary, I don't get lonely very easily. Though it'd be nice to have personal hygiene products, shampoo, and perfume appear on command. Even if I'm not seeing anyone, I like to take care of myself and be up to par appearance-wise. I know that must sound vain and unimportant, it's just always been stressed in my family to look your best at all times. (Blame the old-South. I'm trying to get away from it, I swear!)
5. Who is your least favorite Harry Potter character?
This is hard, because I don't like to offend anyone and it's always risky to insult a character. I think that I would have to say that I don't care for Hagrid. I know that he has a good heart, and I did like him an awful lot at first, but something happened and his characterization just went downhill. I'm not sure when he started to become simply annoying, but now I don't even want to read him anymore. I admit that he was better in the sixth book, though maybe that's just because he wasn't in it so much. I don't know, I just end up feeling bad for him because he's so blatantly ignorant about things, and the pity just makes me upset. It's hard to like a character that you feel sorry for all the time. I don't hate him or anything, but I can say that he's my least favorite. I had a hard time thinking of someone who isn't created to be hated--there aren't many ambiguous characters!
6. Is the glass half empty or half full?
It depends on who I'm talking to. I know that sounds strange, but if someone comes to me with a problem and says that their glass is half-empty, I'll say it's half-full and try to get them to see the brighter side of things. If someone comes with me with optimism and absolute certainty that something will work, I try to bring them down to earth with possible outcomes. I think that it's best to hope for the best and prepare for the worst... BUT...since you asked... personally, I tend to go for half-full.
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.
"A decision a day keeps the dependence away."
If I was to explain why this quote explains my personality, it would be because... I have a hard time making decisions. I tend to procrastinate until the very last minute in the hopes that someone else will take the decision away from me. Sometimes I'm afraid of being wrong to the point where I won't make a decision at all--and in the end it hurts me more. If a friend or a boyfriend asks things like: "What do you want to do today?" I'll respond with: "Oh I don't know..." "Whatever you want." "I don't care." "It doesn't matter." I think that I fear being wrong to the point where I'll let anyone else take it off my back, because then I can tell myself that they decided all along and I took no real part in it.
8. In your life, who comes first: family or friends?
This... is possibly the most difficult question so far. I don't think that I can answer it, because my friends ARE my family. If I think of my family, I don't picture it without my friends. Some of them have been there for me just as long as my family has. They've helped me through difficult times and laughed with me. Some things I can talk about with my friends that I can't talk about with my family, and the same thing is true the other way around. If someone becomes my friend, they should be prepared to be part of my family too. Once you're in, you're in...and it takes a lot for me to let a friend go.
I seriously can't choose in this question, because I think of them as one and the same. I'm very dependent off both my friends and family...but I like them to be dependent off of me too.
9. What is your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory involves going to the Grand Canyon when I was ten. Particularly one part stands out in mind, though. We were at the hotel, and I went outside because I was curious and always enjoy exploring for-no-real-reason... and there were two deer standing there. It was scary and yet...not...at the same time. Then they ran away, and I (for some reason) decided that I was going to follow them. I have no idea what I planned to do if I came across said deer, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. So I followed them into the woods. Eventually the novelty of chasing deer wore off, and I found myself completely lost.
My parents are a bit overprotective though, and had bought me a whistle after watching Barney one night with my little brother. In the TV show one of the kids had gotten lost, but don't worry! "If you're lost," says Barney, "just hug a tree--and blow your whistle!" So after being influenced by that...my parents bought my brother and I whistles.
No. I didn't hug a tree. I was cold and I didn't want to get sap all over my clothes. But I DID blow my whistle--and! ...no one found me. So I sat and thought about that. And then I started blowing it again. I did that for about ten minutes. Then the little whistle made a funny rattling noise and whatever makes a whistle whistle...flew out. So my whistle was broke, and here I was... sitting in the middle of the woods.
WHY is this my favorite memory, do you ask? Because while I was sitting there, I had an epiphany. Parents aren't always going to be able to find you and help you... I couldn't rely on my parents for everything, and I was going to have to do something on my own eventually. After muling this over for several minutes, I got back up and found my way back. It took me a while...but it didn't matter in the long run ANYWAY, because my parents were sleeping and didn't even notice that their poor little helpless daughter was GONE.
10. What would you say is your biggest flaw?
I'm very critical. The more I care about someone, the more critical I am towards them. I have unrealistically high expectations of my friends and family, and when they don't reach these expectations I tend to feel deceived. I judge them without realizing that I'm doing it, and when they fall short it makes me angry at them. I also expect too much of my friends and take it too personally when they do something to disappoint me. I know that this isn't the right thing to do and I'm trying to work on it--ultimate acceptance is best for friendships, but I have a hard time following through with that sometimes. I'm getting better, though.
11. If you had been at Hogwarts during Harry’s fifth year, do you think that you would have joined the D.A.?
Yes. What is right is very important to me. I've never understood why people do things that they do, especially when they know that it's wrong. I've never understood bullying, crime, cheating, anything like that...because people have to know that what they're doing hurts others, and I can't understand why they still do it. To me, right and wrong is very clear and obvious, and it's something that I try to do at all times. Though everyone has their flaws and I do slip up a lot--I'm only human. But I'd never make fun of someone at their own expense or intentionally hurt another person. It makes me angry when that happens... I tend to like those type of "underdog" stories.
12. Describe how you react to difficult or stressful situations.
I try to keep my stress quietly inside. This works for the most part...until something small happens and it breaks all restraint. Then I either get angry at the wrong person, or burst into tears over something as trivial as an Unsolved Mysteries episode (those families reuniting are sad, don't judge). I tend to hold all my stress and anger to myself, but it pays when I do it for too long. Then the wrong person gets the wrath and I feel really guilty afterwards, because usually they have nothing to do with why I was upset to begin with.
13. Which do you value more: compassion or justice?
This is really...really hard. I want to say both again, but I've done that twice already and I don't want to be indecisive. I'm going to have to say compassion. Justice is a big deal to me, but if you seek justice without compassion you're doing it for the wrong reasons. Compassion is something that every human being needs, even people like Voldemort or Wormtail. You have to feel for someone to understand them, and to ultimately defeat them. Compassion is also harder to find. You can find anyone willing to work for justice, and compassion is something that few people have, and it's even rarer for someone to have it for just anyone.
14. Would you say that you’re a child at heart, or that you have an old soul?
A child at heart, I think. Little things that shouldn't matter make me excited. I LOVE Christmas. Something about the holiday and the warmth it brings really gets to me. I can also be immature in some ways (particularly dealing with fights or bad situations). It took me a long time to not have complete faith in my parents and to realize how "bad" the world can be, so I guess you can say that I was very sheltered. At the moment my soul might be aging a bit, but it's still a child. Maybe around five!
15. Which Hogwarts House do you think that the Sorting Hat would place you in?
Well, in sorting_elite I was put in Hufflepuff... I always felt like that was accurate, though Gryffindor was close too in the voting. So maybe I'm a Gryffinpuff. I don't know.
16. If you have a picture of yourself and feel comfortable posting it, please do so! Pictures are fun!
Yay for shows!
2. Age: 20
3. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you choose?
Paris. I've always felt drawn towards Europe, and I've never really had the experience of being in another country. I mean, I was in Canada once, but it was about five miles from the country line and it didn't really count. I like the idea of living in a city where you can just sit at a cafe and people watch all day long. I also have a really big appreciation for history and antiques. I try to fill my apartment with things that look Victorian. I like being around that sort of thing, it makes me feel like I'm back in that century. In a city like Paris, it's hard to go anywhere and not be in the middle of something historical. I think it's absolutely amazing.
4. What would your Room of Requirement look like?
I've thought about this before! I think that it would have a lot of satiny pillows with roses on them, a large collection of books that I could read all day, a blazing fire, little kittens, and a quilt that I could wrap up with. Also...my laptop. I can't really live without the INTERNET. People aren't really necessary, I don't get lonely very easily. Though it'd be nice to have personal hygiene products, shampoo, and perfume appear on command. Even if I'm not seeing anyone, I like to take care of myself and be up to par appearance-wise. I know that must sound vain and unimportant, it's just always been stressed in my family to look your best at all times. (Blame the old-South. I'm trying to get away from it, I swear!)
5. Who is your least favorite Harry Potter character?
This is hard, because I don't like to offend anyone and it's always risky to insult a character. I think that I would have to say that I don't care for Hagrid. I know that he has a good heart, and I did like him an awful lot at first, but something happened and his characterization just went downhill. I'm not sure when he started to become simply annoying, but now I don't even want to read him anymore. I admit that he was better in the sixth book, though maybe that's just because he wasn't in it so much. I don't know, I just end up feeling bad for him because he's so blatantly ignorant about things, and the pity just makes me upset. It's hard to like a character that you feel sorry for all the time. I don't hate him or anything, but I can say that he's my least favorite. I had a hard time thinking of someone who isn't created to be hated--there aren't many ambiguous characters!
6. Is the glass half empty or half full?
It depends on who I'm talking to. I know that sounds strange, but if someone comes to me with a problem and says that their glass is half-empty, I'll say it's half-full and try to get them to see the brighter side of things. If someone comes with me with optimism and absolute certainty that something will work, I try to bring them down to earth with possible outcomes. I think that it's best to hope for the best and prepare for the worst... BUT...since you asked... personally, I tend to go for half-full.
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.
"A decision a day keeps the dependence away."
If I was to explain why this quote explains my personality, it would be because... I have a hard time making decisions. I tend to procrastinate until the very last minute in the hopes that someone else will take the decision away from me. Sometimes I'm afraid of being wrong to the point where I won't make a decision at all--and in the end it hurts me more. If a friend or a boyfriend asks things like: "What do you want to do today?" I'll respond with: "Oh I don't know..." "Whatever you want." "I don't care." "It doesn't matter." I think that I fear being wrong to the point where I'll let anyone else take it off my back, because then I can tell myself that they decided all along and I took no real part in it.
8. In your life, who comes first: family or friends?
This... is possibly the most difficult question so far. I don't think that I can answer it, because my friends ARE my family. If I think of my family, I don't picture it without my friends. Some of them have been there for me just as long as my family has. They've helped me through difficult times and laughed with me. Some things I can talk about with my friends that I can't talk about with my family, and the same thing is true the other way around. If someone becomes my friend, they should be prepared to be part of my family too. Once you're in, you're in...and it takes a lot for me to let a friend go.
I seriously can't choose in this question, because I think of them as one and the same. I'm very dependent off both my friends and family...but I like them to be dependent off of me too.
9. What is your favorite childhood memory?
My favorite childhood memory involves going to the Grand Canyon when I was ten. Particularly one part stands out in mind, though. We were at the hotel, and I went outside because I was curious and always enjoy exploring for-no-real-reason... and there were two deer standing there. It was scary and yet...not...at the same time. Then they ran away, and I (for some reason) decided that I was going to follow them. I have no idea what I planned to do if I came across said deer, but it seemed like a good idea at the time. So I followed them into the woods. Eventually the novelty of chasing deer wore off, and I found myself completely lost.
My parents are a bit overprotective though, and had bought me a whistle after watching Barney one night with my little brother. In the TV show one of the kids had gotten lost, but don't worry! "If you're lost," says Barney, "just hug a tree--and blow your whistle!" So after being influenced by that...my parents bought my brother and I whistles.
No. I didn't hug a tree. I was cold and I didn't want to get sap all over my clothes. But I DID blow my whistle--and! ...no one found me. So I sat and thought about that. And then I started blowing it again. I did that for about ten minutes. Then the little whistle made a funny rattling noise and whatever makes a whistle whistle...flew out. So my whistle was broke, and here I was... sitting in the middle of the woods.
WHY is this my favorite memory, do you ask? Because while I was sitting there, I had an epiphany. Parents aren't always going to be able to find you and help you... I couldn't rely on my parents for everything, and I was going to have to do something on my own eventually. After muling this over for several minutes, I got back up and found my way back. It took me a while...but it didn't matter in the long run ANYWAY, because my parents were sleeping and didn't even notice that their poor little helpless daughter was GONE.
10. What would you say is your biggest flaw?
I'm very critical. The more I care about someone, the more critical I am towards them. I have unrealistically high expectations of my friends and family, and when they don't reach these expectations I tend to feel deceived. I judge them without realizing that I'm doing it, and when they fall short it makes me angry at them. I also expect too much of my friends and take it too personally when they do something to disappoint me. I know that this isn't the right thing to do and I'm trying to work on it--ultimate acceptance is best for friendships, but I have a hard time following through with that sometimes. I'm getting better, though.
11. If you had been at Hogwarts during Harry’s fifth year, do you think that you would have joined the D.A.?
Yes. What is right is very important to me. I've never understood why people do things that they do, especially when they know that it's wrong. I've never understood bullying, crime, cheating, anything like that...because people have to know that what they're doing hurts others, and I can't understand why they still do it. To me, right and wrong is very clear and obvious, and it's something that I try to do at all times. Though everyone has their flaws and I do slip up a lot--I'm only human. But I'd never make fun of someone at their own expense or intentionally hurt another person. It makes me angry when that happens... I tend to like those type of "underdog" stories.
12. Describe how you react to difficult or stressful situations.
I try to keep my stress quietly inside. This works for the most part...until something small happens and it breaks all restraint. Then I either get angry at the wrong person, or burst into tears over something as trivial as an Unsolved Mysteries episode (those families reuniting are sad, don't judge). I tend to hold all my stress and anger to myself, but it pays when I do it for too long. Then the wrong person gets the wrath and I feel really guilty afterwards, because usually they have nothing to do with why I was upset to begin with.
13. Which do you value more: compassion or justice?
This is really...really hard. I want to say both again, but I've done that twice already and I don't want to be indecisive. I'm going to have to say compassion. Justice is a big deal to me, but if you seek justice without compassion you're doing it for the wrong reasons. Compassion is something that every human being needs, even people like Voldemort or Wormtail. You have to feel for someone to understand them, and to ultimately defeat them. Compassion is also harder to find. You can find anyone willing to work for justice, and compassion is something that few people have, and it's even rarer for someone to have it for just anyone.
14. Would you say that you’re a child at heart, or that you have an old soul?
A child at heart, I think. Little things that shouldn't matter make me excited. I LOVE Christmas. Something about the holiday and the warmth it brings really gets to me. I can also be immature in some ways (particularly dealing with fights or bad situations). It took me a long time to not have complete faith in my parents and to realize how "bad" the world can be, so I guess you can say that I was very sheltered. At the moment my soul might be aging a bit, but it's still a child. Maybe around five!
15. Which Hogwarts House do you think that the Sorting Hat would place you in?
Well, in sorting_elite I was put in Hufflepuff... I always felt like that was accurate, though Gryffindor was close too in the voting. So maybe I'm a Gryffinpuff. I don't know.
16. If you have a picture of yourself and feel comfortable posting it, please do so! Pictures are fun!
Yay for shows!