Throwback Thursday: Hot For Teacher

[Note: It was really fun to do a Throwback Thursday post so I decided to do another one! I stumbled across this post and I thought it was so funny. I still remember the professor I was talking about. That was one of my favorite classes that semester too.]

Originally posted on 3/25/11

Sometimes I find myself attracted to certain traits I normally don't find all that attractive. Not that I think they're ugly or anything, just not what I usually go for. I'm in a History class this semester. I've been enjoying it. It's all about anti-semitism in modern European history. It's quite fascinating... but that's not the point.

The point is... the professor. We shall call him... Professor L. Prof. L is youngish, probably in his late twenties or early thirties. He hails from east of the Mississippi and his accent is quite noticeable. I wouldn't call him classically attractive. He has brown hair and blue eyes. He's small in stature but not petite or anything. He's just... rather ordinary actually.

The first day of class, I though Prof. L was weird. As the semester went by something changed. Suddenly, I noticed the thick rimmed glasses. The stubble. The professor-y (in an attractive way- not unkempt) clothing. I found myself looking at him in a different way. As I said, he's not what you'd call classically attractive or handsome. He's more... intellectually attractive. You can tell that he's smart and that he knows a lot. Add in the stubble and the glasses (See The Clark Kent Affect) and suddenly, I enjoyed class just a little more.

Of course, Prof. L's attractiveness ebbs every now and then. When he shows up clean shaved without his glasses, suddenly he's not exactly as appealing. And recently his hair had gotten really long, on the verge of becoming the unkempt professor we often think about. And then he got it cut, which is what drove me to write about him. He calls it his Ben Stiller haircut. I think it looks really nice. And it makes him look even more intellectually attractive.

I think that if you take away the glasses and the clothes and the professorness, there would be nothing left but a nerdy, small of stature guy who likes comic books (yes, he has professed to this) and is a history geek. So maybe the whole appeal of him isn't just his looks but the fact that his looks combined with the fact that he is intelligent and a professor, appeal to me. What is it about professors anyway?

I was sitting on the bus on my way to campus when someone sat down next to me. I didn't look over mostly because I didn't want to seem like a weirdo. They said, "You're familiar." I finally glanced up and lo and behold! It was Prof. L. (No, my heart didn't skip a beat or anything- this is purely a classroom affect) I greeted him. And all the way to campus we discussed his class. He was polite. I was polite. I realized that if he wasn't my professor, I'd think he was weird.

There is such thing as a Hot for Teacher Effect. I'm going to keep enjoying the attractiveness of my history professor, Prof. L, until the end of the semester. It adds to the classroom experience, in my opinion. Hurray for learning... and attractive professors.

[I don't even remember this professor's real name. I enjoyed reading this post again because it took me back to being in college. I remember the classroom and the building we met in and I still have all the books from that class. It was a good semester. And he was a great professor.]

Smile Always,

Chuck

On Being a Writer Who Never Writes

"Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas everyday. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don't see any." -Orson Scott Card

I call myself a writer. I consider myself a writer. But lately I've been wondering if that's true. For claiming to be a writer, I haven't done very much writing. I think about it all the time. I even get ideas for topics to write about or stories to create. However, I rarely sit down and actually write. And that's kind of depressing.

This has been on my mind for awhile now. How can I consider myself a writer if I'm never writing? Is that hypocrisy? Or a lie? Or just delusional?

We're always told that we have certain talents. Some people have lots of talents. Some have a few. And some only have one or two. I've always considered myself in the last category. I've always considered writing one of my few talents.

What if writing isn't really my talent? What if I'm not even a good writer? Shouldn't a good writer always be writing and improving? I know I went on a mission for 18 months and I had to set aside the writing thing for awhile. I'm rusty. Seriously, I didn't realize how bad it was until recently. I just don't write like I used to. Instead of spending time trying to fix that and write a lot, I've kind of reverted to doing nothing about it. Even this new blog doesn't get a lot of action. I look at my old blog and I have 182 post over three years. There were times that I posted 3 to 4 times a week! Nowadays, I'm lucky if I make it twice a month on here. And that makes me really sad.

I'm reminded of the Parable of the Talents shared in the New Testament (Matthew 25: 14-30). One man is given five talents and he goes and invests wisely and ends up with 10 talents. A second man is given two talents and he goes and invests wisely and receives four talents. A third man receives one talent and goes and buries it in the dirt. Because he doesn't do anything with the talent he is given, the third man has to relinquish his one dirt covered talent to the first man with 10 talents. The moral of the story is: even if you only have one talent you have to use or you lose it. This scares me because I feel like I've taken my writing talent and let it get rusty and dirt covered instead of investing it wisely. I don't want to lose my few few talents because I was too lazy or busy to cultivate and use them for good.

"Keep a small can of WD-40 on your desk- away from any open flames- to remind yourself that if you don't write daily, you will get rusty." -George Singleton

I've been thinking lately of things I could do to improve upon my writing. The lists includes: blogging more, writing in a journal (I was very diligent in this on my mission up until the last 6 weeks), writing an article for the Ensign (how cool would that be to be in the Ensign?!), writing freelance articles for one of those website things, and just finally spending time working on one of my many starts to a novel. My dream is to one day have a publish novel out there but so far it hasn't happened.

I guess part of my problem is my priorities. I don't put writing at the top. I'd say it's after eating, reading, watching TV, watching movies, Pinterest, and doing nothing productive after I get home from a long day at work. So how do I make it a bigger priority? Looking at the list I can see four things that I could put writing in front of and they are listed after reading. (Reading will always be my first love. I was a reader before I ever became a writer- thanks to a wonderful librarian at McKinley Elementary school who let me check out books even when it wasn't my class's turn to be at the library. She's also the same one who lent Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to me even though it was the newest book in the library.)

I love to hear the sounds of my fingers tapping the keys on the keyboard. There's something musical about it to me. It's like I'm creating something with my hands and my mind at the same time. I've always wished I was an artist. The kind of artist that works with paint. In my mind, they have something they want to create and with purposeful strokes of the brush and color they can make something happen. That's how I feel about the computer keyboard. My fingers can tap a on the keys and make something happen on the screen. It's kind of a magical thing to me. I know that the sound can drive other people crazy but I love it.

"Writing is an exploration. You start from nothing and learn as you go." - E.L. Doctorow

Doubt can cause a lot of problems. I like to think that I'm a good writer. But when it comes down to it, I'm terrified that I'm actually a really bad writer. Understand that I recognize that you have to cultivate your talents. Some have "natural" talent that allows them to do really well without practice. Most of us have to work at it to get it any good. I took piano lessons until I was 15. I never practiced. I was a horrible student. My poor piano teacher. My poor mother who paid for the lessons that I never let myself really learn. Hindsight is 20/20. (Yes Mom! You were right, I do regret not sticking with the piano!) I wonder now, if I'd stayed with the piano and actually practiced, would I have been any good? Even if my skills were mostly in the church hymn area? Was that a potential talent that I could have had if I'd just applied myself? Instead I stuck it in the dirt and left it there for someone else to pick up- like an old penny on the side of the road.

"Writing is an act of faith, not a trick of grammar." -E.B. White

Even writing about not writing has been very cathartic for me. I feel that I express myself best through the written word. It's always been a very magical thing for me. When asked to write a short essay about a particular subject in which I have a lot interest in, I would always exceed the limitations. Even if I wasn't really interested in the subject I would exceed the set limitations. Sometimes, in person, I don't say a whole lot. But get me writing and it can be hard to get me to shut up. As evident in this post that I never intended to be this long. I'll be surprised if anyone actually reads to this point.

There is magic in the written word- whether I'm reading it or writing it. It's something I've been drawn to since about the second grade. And I would hate to lose that magic because, in my mind, without that magic there is nothing that makes me special. (Despite what the Lego movie says about being 'The Special'.)

"You fail only if you stop writing." - Ray Bradbury

Failure comes when you stop trying or doing. Failure is not an option. I'm too stubborn to let my mistakes in the past keep me from improving my writing. I'm beginning to realize in life that sometimes you have to learn the same lesson a few times before it finally sticks. It's taken me a long time to learn that if I want to consider myself a writer and if I want to be a good writer then I have to write.

Whether I feel if I am a good writer or not, the fact remains that there is something inside of me that yearns to create something in the form of words. Something inside of me craves and needs to express myself through the written word. It's like being thirsty for water. It sits in the back of my mind. Sometimes I'm so busy that I don't notice that it's there. But then there will be a moment when I am still and I realize how much I need that drink of water. I need to write.

"The Lord made it clear that it is not good enough for us to simply return to Him with the talents He has given us. We are to improve upon and add to our talents. He has promised that if we multiply our talents we will receive eternal joy." - Elder Ronald A. Rasband

In conclusion, in order to claim myself as a writer I need to actually write. So I've made some goals to help me do better, including blogging more often. Even if it's a short post or a really long post like this.

My name is Chuck and I'm a writer.

Smile Always,

Chuck

THROWBACK THURSDAY: Harry Potter and the Love Story of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger

[NOTE: This last weekend on TV there was a Potterhead weekend thing so all the movies were on ABCFamily. Because of the Harry Potter marathon, I thought it would be a ton of fun to share this old post from my former blog "The Life of a Hopeless Romantic" as a Throwback Thursday kind of thing.]

Originally posted on 3/25/12.

I watched, for the first time, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part Two, a few weeks ago. This, in turn, caused me to spiral out of control and have a Harry Potter movie marathon. You know me, I have an obsessive personality... at least when it comes to fiction.

Just a couple of my thoughts about Deathly Hallows Part Two [SPOILER ALERT FOR THOSE WHO HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE OR READ THE BOOK]:

1. I confess to crying when Professor Snape died. And even more so when Harry saw Snape's memories in the penseive. We finally learn that Snape actually came to care for Harry even when treating him horribly. Even more, he protected Harry all through out Harry's life. And the only one who knew was Dumbledore!
2. I absolutely loved that Neville (the boy who turned into a hottie) Longbottom was the one to kill Nagini (the snake). Harry killed Voldemort but Neville is the one to kill the snake with the Sword of Gryfindor. Go Neville!
3. And just because I can't resist...

Moving on!

My discussion today will come directly from the movies as I don't really remember the exact details from the book. (Been awhile since I've read them.)

Alright, here we go.

After watching all eight movies pretty much in the span of five days, I came to realize something very interesting. Poor Harry has a tough life but he's surrounded by fantastic friends who love him and he loves them. Speaking of Ron and Hermione... their relationship is full of sparks from the beginning.

And that, my friends, is my focus. Ron and Hermione. (Come on, did you really think that this was going to be about Harry Potter. The boy already has a big head from being "the Chosen One". Besides, I'm the Hopeless Romantic. I focus on the gooey love stuff.)

Freshly Mowed Grass, New Parchment, and Spearmint... Toothpaste. 

"It's the most powerful love potion in the world. It's takes the scent of that which the user finds attractive. For example, I smell freshly mowed grass, new parchment and spearmint... toothpaste." (Hermione in The Half-Blood Prince) 

This is the moment, I think, that Hermione finally acknowledges that she has deeper feelings for Ron than just friendship. As a girl, she is predisposed to being more aware of her emotions. However, before now, she was young and unfamiliar with the world of love and relationship. (I know that there are other instances where we, the audience, can see that Ron and Hermione are mad about each other. I will address them at a later point.)

I have heard The Half-Blood Prince (movie #6) referred to as The Young and the Restless, the teenage years. I laugh at this comment because isn't that how teenagers are... dramatic and caught up in relationships and feelings of love? Just because Harry, Ron, and Hermione have had their fair share of dangerous adventures doesn't mean they're not immune to being teenagers with hormones.

We see that Harry and Hermione grow closer, but just as friends- despite Professor Dumbledore's query to Harry about his relationship with "Miss Granger", due to their unrequited love for other people. Hermione likes Ron who is now in a snogging relationship with Lavender. Harry suddenly realizes the attractiveness of Ron's sister, Ginny. (Pretty brave of Harry to go after his best friend's younger sister. But after all, Harry is the Chosen One...)

Hermione doesn't seem in a hurry to embrace or act upon her new-found feelings for one of her best friends. Maybe she's not entirely aware of her feelings? Or she just doesn't know what to do? She seems pretty content on remaining friends for the time being... until Lavender enters the picture. (Snogging ho!) It's a pretty common formula: person of interest + new romantic interest = realization of hidden feelings/jealousy.

And who does Hermione turn to in her time of broken hearted-ness? None other than the Chosen One himself, Harry Potter. I think this is when Harry and Hermione's relationship goes into something deeper than just "best friends". I don't know of a word that describes friends who are past just friends but in a non-romantic way. That's how I see Harry and Hermione's friendship though. It's more than just friends... in a non-romantic way. Hermione confesses to Harry that she feels something for Ron and confesses that she now understands how Harry feels.

As Charlie Brown says, "Nothing takes the taste out of Peanut Butter quite like unrequited love." I'm not sure if they have peanut butter in the wizarding world but unrequited love can put quite a strain on a friendship. Harry and Hermione grow together and Ron snogs with Lavender.

And then Ron gets poisoned... Apparently the best way to break up with a now unwanted girlfriend is to mumble another girl's name in the midst of a drug induced slumber. That's the end of Lavender. And Hermione got to stay at Ron's side. As Ginny tells to Harry, "It's about time." (Ron has no memory of this later which throws poor Hermione off. Also, I love how she tells him that he broke up with Lavender- so funny.) However, that is not the end of the line for our star crossed would-be-lovers.

But it certainly is a huge step forward.

Good Skin

I think there has always been a current of awareness flowing between Ron and Hermione. In the beginning, they were just too young to know what it was. As they got older, they pushed each other into the Friend Zone because they didn't know what else to do. Then Hermione finally realized that she had deeper feelings for Ron than just friends. (Hopefully you've read the previous section.)

So now Harry knows and Hermione knows. The only one missing it is Ron. Which is to be expected. He is a boy after all. They tend to not notice important things like when one of their best friends (Hermione obviously) is in love with them. However, Ron does have feelings for Hermione as well.

Evidence is found when he has a conversation with Harry about good skin. Apparently Ginny has good skin, according to Harry. Ron doesn't get the good skin thing... until he applies it to someone other than his baby sister. "Hermione has good skin."

It turns out that Ron is the jealous type. And jealous of a girl he doesn't even claim for his own. There's the Yule Ball incident in Goblet of Fire. Hermione shows up looking beautiful with a very attractive date and Ron is not happy. But I betcha, he doesn't know why he's unhappy. His reason to Hermione is that she's "fraternizing with the enemy." Well, Ron if you want her, you gotta ask her yourself. Hermione pretty much tells him the same thing. I think she should have slugged him in the face... boys can be pretty dense.

In Deathly Hallows part one, we see a darker side to Ron's jealousy. As I said before, Harry and Hermione have a deeper relationship than just best friends in a very platonic way. I think outsiders often misconstrued the relationship for something romantic. Ron did. It didn't help that the Horcrux around his neck affected him like the Ring did Gollum, Bilbo Baggins, and Frodo Baggins.

Ron confronts his friends and ends up leaving despite Hermione's desperate pleas that he stays. If he weren't out of his head, I think he would have realized then that Hermione felt something infinitely more romantic for him then for Harry. (Or maybe that's me wishing.)

After Ron leaves, Hermione is miserable. Something that Harry understands. And when Ron comes back, Hermione is just mad. Understandably so. Stupid boy broke her heart and made her worry. Grr! Don't worry, she forgives him eventually. Ron knows that he screwed up and starts grovelling to get back to her good side.

So now Hermione knows that she loves Ron. And Ron knows that he loves Hermione. And Harry knows that Hermione loves Ron and Ron loves Hermione but neither have told each other. So he's stuck between them... as per usual. But at this point, they have other things to worry about. Such as getting all the Horcruxes and defeating Voldemort.

That doesn't necessarily make them, Ron and Hermione, forget about the sparks between them. Unlike most teenagers, they aren't able to spend time working on their romantic relationship. They're too busy trying to stay alive and kill an evil wizard. Besides, Ron and Hermione's relationship has always been different. They're the kind of couple that isn't all cute and flirty. Rather they are cute and bickery. Always on each others case. It's just reeks of UST (Unresolved Sexual Tension). Their whole relationship drips with bickery UST. I personally love relationships like that: Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett from Pride and Prejudice; Booth and Brennan from BONES; Castle and Beckett from CASTLE; Veronica Mars and Logan Echolls from Veronica Mars; Han Solo and Princess Leia from Star Wars. (To name a few.)

In the conclusion of the movies, Deathly Hallows part two, comes the culmination of Ron and Hermione's relationship. They finally acknowledge that they love each other in the form of a kiss after a particularly harrowing near death experience in the Chamber of Secrets. FINALLY! We don't really get to see what their new relationship status ends up being like because it's the last movie, the end of an era. I like to think that it's pretty much the same as before. Bickery with more snogging and hand-holding. I don't think they change just because they're finally together. But that's just me. :)

Always the Tone of Surprise

Some signs that Ron and Hermione are destined to be together...

• Ron's instant dislike of Hermione (Sorcerer's Stone)
• Discomfort touching each other- Hugging in Chamber of Secrets, Hand touching in Prisoner of Azkaban
• Hermione turning to Ron and not Harry when Buckbeak dies (Prisoner of Azkaban)
• Fight at Yule Ball about "fraternizing with the enemy" (Goblet of Fire)
• Hermione confesses to Harry about Ron/Expresses Jealousy (Half-Blood Prince)
• Ron likes Hermione's skin (Half-Blood Prince)
• Ron touching Hermione's face to "wipe something off" (Half-Blood Prince & Deathly Hallows part 1)
• Hermione's desperation to keep Ron with them when searching for Horcruxes (Deathly Hallows part 1)
• Ron's jealousy about Harry and Hermione's relationship (Deathly Hallows part 1)
• Constant "Brilliants" exchanged between the two (Deathly Hallows parts 1 & 2)
• Hermione's constant worry over Ron's well-being- especially at the beginning of Deathly Hallows part 1 when Ron pretends to be Harry. (Deathly Hallows part 1 & 2)
• "Always the tone of surprise." Flirting between them. (Deathly Hallows part 1)
• Constant bickering (Sorcerer's Stone through Deathly Hallows part 2)
• Kiss exchanged after a near death experience in the Chamber of Secrets (Deathly Hallows part 2)

These are just a few examples. I know I missed a lot of Ron and Hermoine moments but I think you get the gist. [Upon reading this again, I have thought of other moments such as when Hermoine is being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange and Ron is literally FREAKING out. Whoa dude. Breathe.]

Harry and Ginny

I watched a portion of Half-Blood Prince with my younger brother who has not read any of the books and he made a comment that made me think. He told me that he didn't like the romantic relationship between Harry and Ginny because it came out of nowhere. One minute they're sort of friends- more like Ginny is Harry's best friend's little sister- and the next they're snogging in the Room of Requirement.

In the books, it's not quite so sudden. I feel like they didn't do an effective job in the movies making it seem natural for Harry and Ginny to be romantical. I understand that when making movies, you have to change things and cut things out but seriously!

Also, their relationship is SO awkward. Shoe-tying. Weird, awkward hugs. Random chasing after Death Eaters together. Zipping up dresses. It's just so awkward. Maybe the actors didn't have good chemistry and it showed on screen. Whatever it is, the relationship between Harry and Ginny isn't as near as tantalizing as it is with Ron and Hermione.

But maybe that's just my own opinion.

Sorry about the length of the post but I had a lot to say on the subject of Ron and Hermione.

[And that is the Throwback Thursday post from The Life of a Hopeless Romantic. I kind of enjoyed going back and reading some of my old stuff. Who knows: maybe I'll make Throwback Thursdays a weekly thing. I hope you enjoyed reading about my analysis/commentary on Ron and Hermoine from way back when.]

Smile Always,

Chuck

6 Foot 2

Do you ever run across a song that just sums up what you are feeling? I was driving to my parent's house this weekend when one such song came on. I was smitten instantly. So of course I made my mom listen to it. And then any friend I ran across over the long weekend. And even though they maybe didn't appreciate it as much I did, I'm thankful they let me show them the song.

I've been thinking a lot about love lately. I am single and in my mid twenties and I can honestly say that I've never really been in love before. I've been infatuated. I've been in deep like with someone before. I've even fancied myself in love but the truth is simply that I've never been in love. The kind of love that last forever. The kind of love that makes people want to change for the better. And the kind of love that leads a man and a woman to marry, not only for this life but for the rest of eternity.

Eternity is a long time. You don't want to hitch your star with just anyone, right?

I also don't believe in love at first sight. Which is strange considering what a hopeless romantic I claim to be. I believe you can be attracted to someone when you first see them. But how can you be in love with them when you don't even know them. I'm talking romantic kind of love by the way.

But for the romantic love, I just don't think it happens at first sight. Love doesn't just happen it has to grow. It's life faith. It's a little seed that when planted (at first sight) then nourished (through dating, courtship, spending time together) it will grow into something that can last forever. Once it's a plant, it needs to continue to be nourished. A piece of advice my parents have given me about marriage is to continue to date your spouse after your married. Just because you're married doesn't mean that you can't still get to know each your spouse and do things together. Here I am talking as if I know anything about marriage. This is all my own opinions formed through observation and other people's counsel.

Now back to songs that fit my life.

Can he have blue eyes just like the sky?

Blonde hair, wavy and light?

And 6 foot 2 is my favorite height. 

...I'm not particular... 

I'm willing to wait this one out. 

Whatever you want is whatever I want. 

I don't care what he looks like.

I love this song because I totally relate to it. I'm always saying that I'm not particular but then I also have an idea in my head of what is my "type". My type leads me to rule out any guy that doesn't fit the idea I have in my head. I used to be REALLY bad about this before I grew up on my mission. I feel that I'm better at giving people a chance.

And to be quite honest: 6 foot 2 is my favorite height... because that's how tall Tom Hiddleston is. Hahaha.

But seriously, I'm learning how to not be so particular and give people a chance. And I'm learning to not give up on love. The Lord knows what's best for me and He is taking His "sweet, sweet time." When the time is right, it'll happen.

In the meantime, I've got Tom Hiddleston to ogle and good music to enjoy.

You can't hurry love, right? So Mr. 6 foot 2 (even if you're not really 6 foot 2) I'm ready when you are.

Smile Always,

Chuck