Things I Love: Aa

Adele

This woman.  I want her to sing at every major event of my life.  Rolling in the Deep is popular and deservedly so, but Someone Like You will always be my favorite.  Luckily, she just sang it at the VMAs, so I've got a nifty little video to prove how much soul she pours into her songs.

 Animals

I've only found one person in the world who share my belief that it is far sadder (in movies, at least) when animals die than people.  In fact, I refuse point blank to watch "animal" movies.  This might sound like a counter-argument to loving animals, but those stupid animal movies always kill off one or more!  STOP IT.  I want to see cute animals frolicking and living!  No deaths.

You know the way some women get around babies?  Where they lose their command of the English language and instead just mumble nonsense words?  That's me with animals.  I'm pretty sure I tell my dog I love her more than I tell any humans.

So why are animals so awesome?  Because they are innocents!  They just live life, loving simple pleasures, not overthinking their existence or relationships.  They can be beautiful, ugly, completely strange, or huggly adorable.

Anthropologie

In 2009, my mom and I visited Roy and had an epic roadtrip down the West Coast.  We parked in Portland, walked on to the street, and turned left.  I shrieked, out loud, in public.  Why?  Because my all time favorite clothing store was right there, and I'd never been to one before.  It might seem strange that it was my favorite store before ever going to one, but that's because you've forgotten about the internet.

However, I've never bought anything from Anthropologie, because their prices are ridiculous, yo.

Alex Day

If I asked you what my greatest weakness is, what might you say?  Unless you answered "snarky British boys," I'm afraid you are incorrect.  And that is why Alex Day, the snarkiest of British boys, is my Youtube True Love.  I first discovered him because of his series of videos reading Twilight and intelligently ripping it to shreds.

"Now, this is a normal person glare.  The only way I could imagine a bizarre glare would be this."

"It's a bit like a subplot, except I don't care at all."

"I could reach out meaning to touch your face...and crush your skull by mistake?!  If that isn't a warning sign to leave this relationship, I don't know what is."

But he doesn't just read Twilight!  That was ages ago.  I just got distracted with the quoting.  He updates his vlog about weekly, and every single time I end up cracking up.  Also loving him.  I may or may not have had more than two dreams in which we hang out and he loves me.  This...might be a problem.

Anime

I don't think I was terribly into cartoons when I was a kid.  I mean, I loved Disney movies (still do).  But Saturday morning cartoons?  I was mostly into those real people shows, like Saved by the Bell and Hang Time.  Except for one.  I was obsessed with Digimon, and absolutely horrified by the fact that I loved it so.  I used to lock myself in my parent's room when it came on, because obviously they would find nothing strange about that.  It blew my mind, and I'm pretty sure it made me cry at one point.

But I went the entirety of my first 20 years never admitting to myself or definitely to others that I liked anime.  Until, for one semester, this girl moved into my dorm.  The only thing I remember about her is that she was dating a 50-year-old man, and also she introduced me to the wonder of anime.

We watched Studio Ghibli movies, which made me go, "Oh yes, I see the awesomeness, *zzzzzzzz*"  (I will say that in Senegal I watched more of his movies with Yayoi, and I liked them a lot more.)  And then she brought out Fruits Basket.  Not only did this show convince me to become an out and proud anime lover, it even got my nerd-phobic roommates to watch and love it.  The three of us even got into a fight when we got to the end of the season (after three days of non-stop watching it after classes) and couldn't agree whether to finish it through midnight or save it for the next day.

Tohru is this bright light of humanity who wanders into a cursed family and makes them all better.  Sounds cheesy, and it is for awhile.  But then the show really delves into how their curse affects their lives, and like other things in this list, this show made me laugh and cry.  Oh, and Kyo is the funniest, most outrageous character ever, and I love him.

From there, I just kind of took off into the world of anime and manga.  Some is too graphically violent for my tastes, and I tend to gravitate toward the ridiculous shojo romantic sop, but whatever.  It's so much fun!