Halloween

This last weekend my friends and I decided to visit our local theme park for some halloween-themed fun. This of course involved the occasional screaming as people dressed up in scary costumes and makeup jumped out  at us, the usual going on rides, and them (not me) visiting one of the haunted houses. Now, you should know that I do like some scary things but I am definitely not the type of person who is obsessed with being scared and who watches fright films all the time. 

While I was waiting for my friends who went inside the haunted house, I started thinking. I started to wonder exactly why some people love to be scared. Is it the rush of adrenaline that comes with it? Do they love the elevated heart beat that happens when they get surprised? Or is it something more deep set in us as human beings, maybe some people love to be occasionally frightened because our ancestors used to live in fear of the many natural disasters or problems that threatened ancient societies. Maybe people feel like like something is missing because they are comfortable enough in their own lives and the only thing that can fill that gap is fear. Who knows, it could be that we, as human beings, have to keep a balance in our lives as compared to our ancestors, that even though people live very differently now than they did back then maybe we still have to have the foundation of our lives the same. 

Then of course there are always adrenaline junkies. I know some people who watch horror films almost religiously, in some ways these people are addicted to the feeling they get when they watch a scary movie. They crave the feeling of adrenaline rushing throughout their body, and watching these types of movies satisfies their needs. I know I can love the feeling I get when I'm sitting on the edge of my seat, waiting to find out if one of the characters in a book or movie will live or not. It keeps me motivated to keep watching or reading, it's hard to look away when there is so much tension in a story. 

Of course most thriller films are fake, and according to a lot of people getting haunted by an evil spirit or getting murdered by a serial killer "could never happen." But why do we think it's "fun" to sometimes watch actors get killed on the big screen. Do we all have an instinctual urge to kill that has become buried over that last who-knows-how-many years, is watching scary movies, going to haunted houses or reading spooky stories the only thing that satisfies it? These are a few of the many questions that haunt me. 

On that note, have a happy Halloween! 

The new remake of Carrie.

One of the Chucky movies, and in my opinion still one
 of the creepiest dolls ever. 

  

(I am in no way an expert in psychology or the way the human brain works. I am only very interested in it and love to think about the puzzling ways that humans think, please excuse any drastic mistakes in this.)

Book Review: Over Europe

One of the perks of working in a book store is that you get introduced to so many different books. It can open your mind to the world and be a very fun learning experience. However, I tend to fall in love with every other book I see, so I need to choose carefully which ones I really want because if I don't be careful it will be very hard on my wallet. But when I saw this book I knew before I even opened it that it was going to be amazing. It is completely full of aerial-view pictures of Europe, and they are all completely gorgeous. The pictures that I took of the book do not do them very much justice but they do capture the idea of the book in general.

This would be a very good book for anybody interested in photography or anyone who is a Europe-fanatic (like myself). It contains pictures and information of Italy, France, England, Scotland, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and so much more. I know that I am constantly looking for more books that have anything to do with Europe and this one fit the bill, and in a beautiful way too. I would definitely recommend it.

The wind decided that it wanted to have some fun.

Maybe it became impatient and wanted to view a different page.

Some of the pages do have writing (as shown above), I haven't read it all yet but the text is mostly informative. It corresponds to the pictures either on the previous page or the picture above or below. Just like a textbook, but a beautiful textbook at that. 

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to this book nor did I take part in any production of "Over Europe" by Jan Morris.

If you are interested in purchasing: Buy "Over Europe" on amazon

Life Goals

Everyone has goals. We all have dreams and aspirations, some we have kept from when we are young and some were made just last week. In my experience, both have importance. One of my life goals, that I've had since I was in elementary school, is to write a novel. I've been throwing around ideas in my head on what to write about for years (literally). Yet I still can't decide on if I am going to write a mystery, romance, thriller, science-fiction or even a teen book. I've had ideas for every single one of those topics, now if I could only narrow it down! That would make things so much easier. Some days I want to just sit down and start it, but other days I want to wait until I have attained more of an education, and I cannot decide. It would probably be better if I waited, but sometimes I am not a very patient person.

Pictures like this one inspire me to write. I stay motivated,
knowing that stories can have very strong effects on people. For me, this is a perfect illustration of that concept.  (disclaimer: not my illustration)

Honestly I do not know the first thing about getting a book published. Do you write it first, then try and find a company to see if they will publish it? Or do you present an idea to a company and see if they would be willing to publish if, then write it? But either way I would still need to figure out what I am going to write about. There is one thing I know for sure. That is: I will write a novel in my lifetime. There is no question about that. I have seen too many people give up on their childhood dreams, and I cannot let that happen to me. Sure, some kid dreams are obviously unobtainable, but that doesn't mean that they all are! I know that I gave up some of my dreams (it was a sad goodbye to the possibility of being a fairy). If everyone gave up on all of their dreams, whether they are old or new, what would they have to live for?

Autumn

The Fall has always been my favorite time of year. I love the way the weather is changing, so it's just a tad chilly. I love that you get to dress in cable knit sweaters and boots, and I love the way the leaves change color. Unfortunately, where I live most of the leaves do not change nor do the trees lose their leaves like they do in a lot of places. So I thought it would be a good idea to put together a few of my favorite autumn pictures to embrace the fall time, even if it doesn't look fully like it outside my window.

(I do not own any of these pictures) 

Movies and TV Shows

It is no secret to my friends and family that I love watching movies and TV shows. I love getting attached to the characters and knowing their stories just like they were a close friend of mine. It is for me, just like many others, and escape from my daily monotonous life to live in a different world for some time. However, even though my friends and family know that I love to do this, not all of them approve.

Many people see following a TV show or a  movie series to be something a typical lazy person or "couch potato" would do. I'm here to say that is not always the case. I know that some shows out there are mind numbing in their ability to let the viewer shut off their mind and become fully absorbed in the show, while not having to think. But that is not how every show is. It seems to me that some people group all shows and movies together in to one category, not allowing them to have any difference from each other. I know from experience that that is not true.

Some programs really can make you think. Well-made ones can envelope the viewer into the storyline and have them have guessed multiple outcomes by the time the final scene comes around. The ones that make people think the most are, your typical crime scene drama where the main characters do not figure out "who did it" until the end of the show, or a show that starts out normal but then has a huge plot twist in the middle(catching us all by surprise), and then there are always the mystery shows, like Sherlock (a personal favorite of mine). These all involve the viewer to almost become part of the story, maybe one of the investigators in a crime, or even a friend to the main character.

Movies can go along the same lines, just not usually over such drawn out periods of time that are offered by TV shows. I like to think of them as mini-escapes, only allowing you be leave your world for a few hours (or more if it is a series). Movies can be a way for someone to rest after a long work day, or sometimes a way for a one to open their mind to new ideas or stimulate their thoughts in a new way. There are so many things a movie can do, it is sad that in todays society it is considered bad to like to watch a lot of movies but not considered wrong to like to watch a lot of sports. Sure, watching sports can make one want to play more sports, but movies can do that and even more. Some could argue that sports films are not the same as it being played live on the television, but either way people are getting inspired, just in a different setting.

Now, sorry about the tangent, what I want the readers to take away from this is only this; do not close you mind to movies, TV shows (or anything) just because it is sometimes considered bad by society. It could open your mind to things you would have never expected.

Harry Potter?

So I have been debating with myself over what I should post this time and I've decided on this: Harry Potter. Yes. It is a topic that I think actually plays a large part in how I think about myself. Let me explain.

Harry Potter isn't just a book series or a collection of movies. He isn't just an imaginary boy in a fantasy book, no, I grew up with him. I grew up with all of those characters. Ever since I was little I have read these wonderful stories over and over again. I basically had a withdrawal when there were no more books or movies set to come out to the public, and I know of a lot of other people that went though the same thing as myself. But I know that there are a lot of people out there that do not understand or feel the same way about this that I do, and it will honestly be hard for me to try to put this into words but I am going to try.

This isn't just another children's book series. It contains so many adult elements and themes that I never really got around to analyzing until the last few years. First, lets just think about the first book for a few seconds, one of the first scenes is a mother trying to protect her child from getting murdered by a man. That is some pretty dark stuff if you ask me. I know that when I was younger I was actually terrified of the idea of "He Who Must Not Be Named" or "Voldemort" (which, on a side note, roughly translated means "flight of death," which I find extremely smart). Second, these books and films contain amazing moral lessons for children and adults alike. It teaches us to stand up for ourselves, that women can be strong just as easily as men , and that good can always conquer over evil. The stories contain prejudice and racism, and it teaches how to stand up to that and fight back to that. They teach people some of the very best morals without people realizing. And that, that is great writing.

J.K Rowling is an amazing woman. She came from nothing to being one of the most recognized authors around the world. She is an inspiration to me and one of my favorite role models. And for those who did not know she recently announced that she is going to be writing the screenplay for a new Harry Potter related movie coming out soon based off of the book "Fantastic Beats and Where to Find Them" which I am ecstatic about. 

I could go on and on talking about all the things that I love about the Harry Potter series, but that could get a bit boring for you, so I am just going to state (at the rick of sounding cliched) a few more things which I love about it. It is a series which opens up peoples imaginations, it is so different from our day to day lives that it makes us wonder if things such as magic, dragons and hippogriffs could actually exist in our world. It inspires people to be who they are and to not let anyone tell them that they have to change. And last but not least, it encourages people to never, ever give up.

Welcome!

Hello to anyone who is reading this!
Welcome to my brand new blog. My name is Katelyn and here is where I plan to write down my thoughts, ideas, or just anything that I find remotely interesting. My hope is that some people will find this blog and that my posts will interest them as well. Here are a few things that I am planning on posting about:

• Anything that I find interesting that I have learned about in school, which will most likely be related to: English, Writing, Literature, art and photography
• Stort and book reviews
• TV show and movie reviews
• Anything related to psychology and how the human brain works
• Some short stories of mine if I am feeling brave 
• And honestly.... I will probably sometimes post pictures that I find pretty and a joke here or there just for the fun of it!

If any of these things sound interesting to you in any way please stay tuned!