Can I Quote You On That?

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I love quotes. Inspirational ones, sad ones, happy ones, funny ones, loving ones, even confusing ones.  They are great ways to express how you feel. It's also great to be able to relate to someone else's words. Here are some of my favorite quotes, and why I love them so much.

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3. This on give you an outlook on life that's shockingly true, yet hilarious at the same time. We all know that we will die someday, we are mortal after all. Some may take this as a grim and depressing quote, but I think it's quite the opposite. It means to enjoy life while you have it, because it won't be forever.

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2. This is so true! People need to realize that sometimes we need to follow what we feel instead of what we see. Even if we can't see or feel something, like emotions, they are real! Embrace the fact that you have a heart and a brain, and that you can use both.

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1. This is so incredibly true I can't even tell you. Having a friend who has known you for a while is amazing because they know who you are. You don't need to be careful about how you act around them, you can be yourself. Also, you can do dumb things with them and have a good laugh over it all.

If you have some free time, try looking up some quotes. They can be about anything, sports, love, happiness, sadness, anything. Save your favorite ones in a folder or on a document and use them when you can. Have fun quote hunting!

Color

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Color: the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, blue, yellow, and others. That's the technical definition at least. Yet, isn't color so much more than just a visual perception of the world? Different colors can make us feel different ways, color combinations can please us, and almost our entire way of describing things revolves around color.

First, different colors can create different emotions for us. Just looking at a color can make us feel a certain way. Warm colors, like red, orange, and yellow, can make us happy and optimistic. Yet another thing red can do is make us hungry. That's why red is used on so many fast food signs and logos. Such as:

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Other colors, such as blue, green, and purple, can be calming, but also sad. The way they are used and mixed in with brighter, warmer colors can affect how they are perceived.

Second, different color combinations are more pleasing than others. The most pleasing combinations are what people like to call "complementary colors." An easy way to explain the concept of complimentary colors is this. Find a color wheel. Now look at the colors that are across from each other on the wheel. Notice how well those two colors would go together? That's because they compliment each other, hence the term complementary colors.

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Lastly, our way of describing things primarily uses color. Grab an object, any object. It can be right next to you are halfway across your house, you choose. Now that you have the object, describe it. I'll bet that a color popped into your head just then. This is because color is an easy way to distinguish objects from other objects. Imagine if the entire world was just black and white. It could be hard to instantly distinguish one thing from another thing because the most striking physical difference isn't there. Yes, shape and size are also big physical factors, but I've found that the thing you notice first about two objects is the similarity/difference of their color(s).

So color isn't just something pretty to look at. It is something that can calm or enrage you, help you or hurt you, and definitely stands out to you. I don't believe that color is something that should be taken for granted, but something that should be wondered at and appreciated. Color is a way we can express personal feelings and thoughts, and can effect other's feelings and thoughts too. Love color for all it is and be happy that it's there. I'm sure that if you do, it will appreciate it.

The Loving Connection Between Books and Romance

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Pick up a book. Any book. Now, if you have read it, remember what happened. Was there some sort of romance going on between any characters? The answer is probably yes (with some exceptions, such as "The Cultural Landscape," my AP Geography textbook, which has no love in it whatsoever). I've found that if there isn't anything going down between zombies and aliens at the moment, or the characters have stopped being hunted down, the author still needs some way to keep the story going.
A largely popular way to do that is to create a romance between two characters. Since now every love is the same, I have found that there are three different types of novel romance...

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Number one: the love at first sight. These two characters fell in love the moment their eyes met! They are instantly physically and mentally attracted. There is usually a scene where the author describes, in great detail, every moment of their first meeting. They are shown to be perfect for each other, harmonizing in ways you never knew they could, and understanding each other about every hardship that they endure. The reader finds a satisfaction with this type of romance because it's the ideal relationship. Everyone wants someone who is simply perfect for them.

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Number two: the big secret. This one is a little more complicated to explain, but here goes. Okay, so he loves her, and she loves him, but he doesn't know that she loves him, and she doesn't know that he loves her. This one is more of a secret between the author and the reader where the author slips in scenes from each character's point of view showing how they feel about each other. At this point, the characters are still in their own little worlds. As the book goes on, however, the author lets more and more of their feelings for each other show. Hopefully, the characters reach the ultimatum of knowing that they are in love and being together. This intrigues the reader and leaves you frustrated and screaming, "They need to be together!!! They just don't know it yet," to your mother at three o'clock in the morning because those two need to get their lives together and be in love already (not that I've ever done that.....)!

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Number three: the meant to be. This is only slightly different from the love at first sight, but enough so that I thought I would recognize it. These characters also fall in love at first sight, the difference is they don't know it yet. Instead of knowing that they love the other character (like in "the big secret"), they don't even know their own feelings. Sometimes the author lets us see little moments that they have, like locking eyes with the other person and feeling their heart beat just a little bit faster. Or when they see the other character with someone else, they feel jealous and don't know why. Eventually we hope that they will discover their love, and that's usually what happens. I have yet to come across a book where they never realize their feelings, and if I did then it would be a very stressful read. The reader seems to be able to relate to this kind of love, and they like slowly watching the characters become knowing of their own emotions.

Romance is incorporated in a lot of books, and is a way to keep both the story moving and the reader interested. It gives us another layer of the story that makes the story itself more plausible. Whether the characters are in a huge arena fighting for their lives, or in a society that's trying to kill everyone who is special, romance brings the story back down to earth. Readers just seem to love love, and authors everywhere know it.