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The Best Things About Mean Girls

by R. Petty

You know them, or you have been one. Maybe you still are. It doesn’t matter though because at some point, most women have been a mean girl.

Photo from : meangirls-confessions.tumblr.com

Photo from : meangirls-confessions.tumblr.com

As I’ve admitted, I have a weakness for good teen movies. And I LOVE this movie. I have seen it so many times I can quote it, and even though she’s somewhat crazy now, I still have a soft spot for old-school Lindsay Lohan.

Mean Girls (2004) is dead-on when it shows how girls – and oftentimes women – treat each other. That is the primary reason I hang out with guys. I never have to worry about guys gossiping behind my back or trying to secretly sabotage me while acting like my best friend. I have been a mean girl though, so I don’t blame anyone for not liking me either.

The movie truly tells the story of a group of high school friends who are obsessed with body image, their social and sexual lives, and terrorizing each other to look good and gain popularity. Mean Girls confronts trends, cliques, and all the horrible things teen girls do to each other, and why it shouldn’t be that way.

Aside from the movie’s obvious themes of forgiveness, girl power, support, and unity, I take a lot of other things (some silly) from the movie:

  • I know, right? Thank you, Rachel McAdams (Regina George). I didn’t realize I picked up this phrase from the movie, but I know I did. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing though.
  • Plastics. I’m not sure if the term derived from the movie, but it’s a great word for the high-fashion, fully made-up types. E.g.: The ones who look like Barbie dolls.
  • Amanda Seyfried. According to IMDB, this was her first movie. I want to personally thank the casting director for picking Seyfried to play the stereotypical really dumb blonde. Who knew she’d turn into the young star she is now?
  • School faculty. This movie reminds us that teachers and principals have real lives and problems. The ones in this movie seem to say what you know every faculty member wants to. Two of my favorite quotes, “I cannot tell you how happy I am this year is over,” and “Oh, hell no. I did not leave the South side for this!” Tim Meadows (Mr. Duvall) says.
  • Girl-on-girl crime is self-destructive. Not only does Mean Girls teach you that you can ruin your best friend’s life, it proves you can ruin your own. You will be exposed, and people will hate you.
  • People you torture will have the last laugh. Lizzy Caplan (Janis Ian) delivers a fantastic speech in the end where she simply confesses trying to destroy McAdams’ life. She falls into the crowd as they chant her name. Be careful who you’re mean to; they often find a way to retaliate.

Do you have a mean-girl related story? Feel free to share below!

Lay vs. Lie: Which One Should You Use?

by R. Petty

GrammarTips

Grammar rules are sometimes difficult to remember. I try little tips to remember how to correctly use a word, and in the case of lay vs. lie, I sing U2′s Love and Peace.

Lay down/Lay down/Lay your sweet lovely on the ground/Lay your love on the track…

The song triggers the correct usage of lay, and the rest comes naturally to me. I admit, even though it is listed correctly below, I have never used the word ‘lain’. I imagine I would get some strange looks if I said, “I have lain down every afternoon this week.” If you are speaking and use laid, I doubt anyone would correct you, but make sure you use the correct word while writing. No matter how awkward it seems ;)

Note: The usage of these lay vs. lie depends on the tense in which you are speaking.

Common terms used in this post:

Verb: an action (what something is doing)

Object: the thing (object) that is doing the action or affected by the action (verb)

Tense: when something is happening

a. present – it is happening at this moment

b. past – it happened before this moment

Participle: a word that acts as an adjective and verb (a form of have in this instance)

Rule 1: To recline (think of a person)

Present: lie, lying

Past: lay

Participle: has/have/had lain

Examples:

I lie down every day at 5 o’clock for a power nap.

She was lying on the ground when I found her.

Rule 2: To put or place something (think of verb+object)

Present: lay, laying

Past: laid

Participle: has/have/had laid

Examples:

The birds lay eggs.

The child laid the book on the table.

Rule 3: To say something that is not true (notice the spelling differences)

Present: lie, lying

Past: lied

Participle: has/have/have lied

Examples:

Sometimes it’s hard not to tell a lie.

I lied to her.

If you’d like to quiz yourself, try the lay vs. lie quiz. And feel free to share your tips in the comments below!

 

Sources: The Bluebook of Grammar, Webster’s, my brain

New Hobby: Tarot Card Reading

by R. Petty

Thanks to TV and movies, I always thought Tarot card reading was a special skill or belief. I assumed it was frowned upon unless you were or wanted to be a psychic or someone else seeking supernatural guidance. It never occurred to me that I could pick up Tarot card reading as a hobby. Until now…

Recently, while reading the Beautiful Creatures quadrilogy (or quadruply as I like to call them), it dawned on me I could order a pack and learn to read. In the series Amma, a Seer, uses cards to see the future outcome of events. This character triggered a curiosity in me that I buried as a child because I thought Tarot cards were wrong in some way.

So, I ordered a pack. My friends and family thought I was a little crazy, but they embraced the idea, and I received a Zombie Tarot pack as well (thanks, James)!

The Cards and What It All Means

Tarot reading does not insinuate worshiping Satan or not believing in God. It’s about symbolism, and as an English major, I was trained to look for symbolism in everything I see and do. It’s all about interpretation. The cards represent human emotions and situations, and although some look into them for prophetic reasons, I am more interested in picking up a new hobby to entertain myself and friends.

There are multiple ways to lay out the cards depending on what you want to know. Each card represents specific emotions and can have different interpretations. For example, the death card does not necessarily mean death – it could mean the end of something or change. The lovers card does not mean sex, it represents youth, innocence, and true love “before it is corrupted by material possessions.”

Photo from learntarot.com

Photo from learntarot.com

The Rider Waite pack designed by Pamela Coleman Smith in 1903 is gorgeous; each card is a work of art. They are simple and effective, almost mystifying you as you shuffle them. My Zombie cards are somewhat bizarre and modernized, but they are very fun and zombie-apocalypse specific. I recommend either deck and encourage you to look for ones that may interest you; there are also angel, Steampunk, vampyre, and witch designs, to name a few.

The lovers card from Zombie Tarot

Photo from manplat.wordpress.com

The few readings I’ve done were lots of fun and full of laughs. Finding new hobbies can be a great stress release, rejuvenate you, and teach you something – especially about yourself. Sometimes a new hobby pulls me out of a funk or opens my mind to more possibilities, and often times, my hobbies help me focus more on things work, family, and goals.

Do you have any unusual hobbies you recommend? Feel free to share below!