On House Affiliations

A couple weeks ago, a friend of mine asked me what I would do if I was sorted into a House other than Hufflepuff in Pottermore. My response at the time was, "I've always believed I had at least some of the other Houses in me as well. So nothing will stop me from feeling like a 'Puff. Not even if I end up in a different House on Pottermore. It'll just be another House to be associated with more strongly. To be frank, it's going to be the most accurate House quiz because it's from JKR, but it's not going to be a substitute for her knowing me and for me knowing myself. I am and will always be a Hufflepuff in my heart."

I finally got to spend enough time on Pottermore (without it being out of commision for once!) to get sorted. Here's the thing - I wasn't sorted into Hufflepuff. I have indeed been sorted into Gryffindor.

Trying to be More Active... How I'm Not Suceeding

The funny thing about making an effort to be more active is that when you miss just one opportunity to stay active, you lose almost all the motivation you've been building up. At least, that's how it works with me. I probably shouldn't admit this, but every now and then when I'm dedicated to some physical activity, I'll come up with some excuse to ditch it at the last minute so I can instead stay at home and watch a movie, TV show, or just sit around doing nothing. Perhaps recognizing this failing in myself is what will help motivate me to stop doing it.

There are two things in particular that I don't want to slack off on - yoga and soccer. I'm not going to lie, I'm not particularly flexible and I'm pretty crap at soccer. I'm the worst player on our team. Last game, I scored a goal for the first time. The problem is, it was against us by an accident of my foot being in just the wrong place at the wrong time. But it still happened.

Despite the fact that I really enjoy both soccer and yoga and feel the physical benefits of them afterwards, why is it that I have trouble motivating myself to go there in the first place when it's time to start? Even though I know how much better I feel physically, mentally, and even emotionally after engaging in these activities, I don't always go. And I don't always have a good reason for skipping the activity.

On Harry Potter Tattoos and a Call for Opinions!

When I got my first tattoo, everyone kept insisting that tattoos are addicting and once you get one, you won't be able to stop. I assured each person who gave me this piece of advice that I wasn't going to get more tattoos. I might get one more someday, but it wouldn't become an addiction where I end up with a sleeve. And hey, it looks like I was right! Of course, I currently have two tattoos and am planning my third. I have never gotten a tattoo without a minimum of 1 year of thought into it, so the third won't be emblazoned on my body anytime soon.

When I was back in high school, I never expected to get any tattoos at all. Anytime I ever thought of typical tattoo ideas, I instantly realized that if I got any of them, I would regret it someday. I like to make a point of living my life without regrets, so it was pretty easy to discount the idea of ever getting any tattoos. All of a sudden, I wasn't just a huge Harry Potter nerd, but had become integrated into something more than just a fandom. I had joined a real community. And not even with other regular fans, but I became more interested in and involved in the world of Wizard Rock. That's when I realized I wanted a way to show the world just how much this all meant to me. The thought of getting a tattoo was renewed in my mind and, for the first time, it actually sounded like an awesome idea. About 2-3 years later, I had my first tattoo.