I still hate titles

Hey everyone,

I think I like this only posting once a month thing. It's kind of nice. Takes off the pressure and everything. I really miss the days when we wrote letters to each other every week and sent jam packed envelopes covered in scrawling, loopy written inside jokes all over, hopefully making the mail carriers wonder or laugh over us. And I miss when we had the time and energy to post every week on our very assigned days, and I especially miss when we could write fan-freaking-tastic round stories in November but since none of those things can happen right now (there is hope for the future), I'm happy with only posting once a month.
 So let's see. What have I been up to since last time I wrote, I hear you asking. Well, for starters, it's now 2016. In fact, January is almost over. Weird, but true. It's kind of awesome though because we've had only one real snow "storm" and we're almost into February which makes me believe in a winter as short as myself.

 But if your strife strikes at your sleep
Remember spring swaps snow for leaves
You'll be happy and wholesome again
When the city clears and sun ascends

Favorite song to listen to at this time of year. Obviously.

Which reminds me, I've been fighting January depression as best I can. All I do is work which is awesome because it keeps me busy and my mind preoccupied during the day, but it's when I get home and it's cold and I'm beyond tired and I lay down for a nap. Then I wake up and it's colder, and dark (most disorienting thing ever) and I have no motivation to move, and I lay in bed for hours, dreading going back to sleep because I know that I'll just have to wake up again to go back to work. It's a vicious cycle but I've been beating it (somewhat). 

One of my yearly New Years Resolutions is always "eat healthier" which I think everyone always says, but this year I didn't commit to that, and so, it's the only one I've been actually accomplishing. Life is weird like that. But I've been focusing on eating more nuts, seeds, vegetables, less red meat and I've been cutting out dairy altogether (almond milk ftw). So yeah, it's making me focus on something and giving me a sense of self worth, I guess. Sara and I are also considering going to the YMCA together, so Laura you should be proud that I might start working out.

Some of my other New Years resolutions were- 

read more. 

write more. 

draw more. 

play more piano and guitar. 

None of those things have happened yet, but that's okay. I knew they wouldn't but I desperately like making lists.  

Anyway. I feel like maybe I'm boring you. I'm boring myself. So goodnight from me and I can't wait to hear from y'all in February and you'll hear from me again in 4 weeks. 

<3 Grace

In which Rose roasts the presidential candidates, because she has nothing else better to do.

Okay so it's Tuesday.

I woke up early this morning at 7 and was craving poached eggs so bad that I couldn't get back to sleep so I got up and ate breakfast, and finished school super early and had some time on my hands so I decided to start my post. I'm not a person to do things on time or like, at all, but sometimes I get in really productive moods and I like just like can't stop doing things. It almost never happens and usually it's rare to see me in a vertical position at any given, so when these moods come around I try to make the most of them.
Long story short, I decided to start this post now.
Okay, so I'm supposed to be updating you guys on my life, right? I don't really do anything with my life...The Wife got me obsessed with Hamliton and I have done virtually nothing but listen t the soundtrack for the last week. It combines my 3 of my favorite things: history, politics, and underlying gay subplots. It's trifecta of awesomeness some would say. I of course wouldn't say that because I have class. Or I like to think that I do anyway.
I've done a lost of ranting about politics lately. I can hear people getting bored with me, but it just keeps coming out, like word vomit. I can't help myself. Every time I hear the name Trump I go on a verbal rampage about how The Don isn't actually a human being. He's a golden raisin with hair. He is a ignorant, racist, sexiest, idiot who does not need to be the president of the most diverse country in the whole entire world. I don't hate a lot of people actually that's a lie, I hate a lot of people. But I don't hate anyone quite as much as I hate Donald Trump.

The resemblance is striking 

Don't even get me started on Hillary. I mean, I would love, love, love a female president. But I don't think Hillary is the lady for the job. She changes her views every time a election rolls around and, even though she's just about the only candidate with foreign policy experience, I  think she would be a disaster on the worlds stage what with the whole Benghazi thing. Not to mention she has actually referred to the republicans as her enemies and I don't really think America needs a president who is unable to compromise their political agenda for the good of getting shit done.
Which brings me to Ted Cruz. Do you remember that time, maybe one or two years ago when the government shut down? Yeah, that was because of Ted Cruz. He would not compromise. He literally spent 21 hours on the senate floor filibustering because he didn't like Obamacare. I don't know about you, but these are not the qualities I look for in a president. Also, can we talk about the name people like Ted Cruz give evangelical cristians tians? No where in the bible does it give us the right to be arrogant and hateful. But people like Ted Cruz make it look like it does, and I don't like that.
Of course then there's Bernie Sanders. Now I will give Bernie that he has an awful lot of good ideas, (well kind of). However he is a self described socialist and, as history has proved time and again, socialism is a good idea that doesn't really work. Also, Bernie's foreign policy would, more likely than not, be an absolute disaster as he very, very liberal. And he looks like a Muppet.

But at least he's not a douche canoe like all the other candidates. He's a feminist and he supports Black Lives Matter so that's cool. Also he's promising free college tuition and since I'm looking at being in debt for the rest of my life, I'm willing to over look just anything he says or does because I really don't want to bear the weight of soul crushing debt until I can find myself a sugar daddy, ya know? I also don't want to have to find myself a sugar daddy.
Basically, I don't like any of the idiots who are ahead in the poles. Marco Rubio is okay? I didn't expect it to come to this, as I hated Marco Rubio just 2 months ago because he is very immature and a little too conservative for me, but honestly he's not as bad as Ted or The Don. He at least seems to have half a brain. He has basic republican points of view which, aren't so bad. He doesn't seem like such an idiot all the time, entirely.
There's always Jeb! but then again, there isn't Jeb! because this country doesn't really need another Bush this millennium.
There's Chris Christie, but honestly I don't really know any of his views because in every debate I've watched he's just complained about Obama.
Ben Carson blew his chances of becoming president because he's too quiet and logical, and let's be honest America does not want quiet and logical.
Is there anyone else really running for president?
I mean, there's Martin O'Malley. I just know the name and that he's the other democrat. But that's the extent of my knowledge.
There's also John Kasich, the governor of Ohio. Personally, I really like him and agree with the majority of his ideals, however no one knows who he is. He is, in my own personal opinion because of my own personal set of beliefs, the best choice. He's a more liberal republican, who could blur party lines and unite congress and the senate to actually get shit done, but again, no one knows who he is.
This is what I've been thinking about lately. I shit you not. I have spent so many hours in the last month thinking about politics. And talking about politics.

Anyway, that's enough for today.

     ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Okay so it's Saturday and I have nothing else to add to this post.
I know the purpose of these post is to update you guys on my life, but honestly I'm scotch tape: I'm so dang clear of anything I've got to do.
Rice, we'll hear from you next week?
Gurl please -Rose

and peggy

good evening gurls, it's Friday!! 

pretty much me (in my mind) all week

So the break was definitely worth it and I'm going to try and be better at posting this time around. I promise.

But today all I'm going to talk about it Hamilton and you're all going to just have to put up with that. 

SO THIS SHOW HAMILTON it's absolutely brilliant I'm in love with it and Lin-Manuel Miranda and Anthony Ramos and the whole cast in general oh my god and literally I've been listening to the soundtrack nonstop (ask anyone in my family) and I'm working on memorizing every song bc I have no life and that's what i do. 

first off, there's a squad of 4 in it so you know what that means....

So basically in my opinion, Grace is Laurens (the first one on the right in the line of 3) because he's literally so precious and adorable and a sweet cinnamon roll who needs to be protected.

I'm Lafayette because he's my favorite (the last one, far left) 

Rosie is Hercules Mulligan (the black dude in the middle) because he's a boss a** b*tch

and Laura is Hamilton (far right) because... well idk, he's the last one left. Although I could also see myself as Hamilton cuz he's outspoken and stubborn and has no self control (AHEM MARIAH AHEM) 

Then there's also the Schuyler Sisters

In which Grace would be Eliza (blue) bc she's literally so precious and adorable and a sweet cinnamon roll who needs to be protected.

Laura would be Angelica (center, orange) bc she's witty and sarcastic and the eldest. 

and Rosie and I would be And Peggy bc everybody forgets about her and she never shows up to anything (well idk if she never shows up but she's barely in the show at all) 

also can we just talk about how Aham was like, bi??? like actually??? all his letters to Laurens were so romantic, and historians tried to hide the fact that A.HAM WAS BI AND HIM AND JOHN LAURENS HAD A SECRET RELATIONSHIP okay i'm sorry but I ship Lams with everything that is in me and I've never had a ship actually be cannon before so this is a whole new set of feelings for me. 

but anyway yes I'm pretty much obsessed with this show, it has consumed me and I want to see it so bad but tickets are like $300??? at the cheapest??? MMMMMMFLSKJJDSFJLKFGLKAL"KJ anyway 

i love/hate Aaron Burr. his voice is magical honey but i hate him for killing A.ham

remember when Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton had a rap battle?? me too. 

this picture is literally so perfect i cannot deal and LOOK AT LAURENS HE'S SO PRECIOUS I WANT TO HUG HIM

I LOVE THEM ALL SO MUCH MMFKAJSHJ (when Washington is actually the only white person in the whole show. i approve)

Anyway yes, Laura and Grace you need to become invested in this show too because it's absolutely beautiful.. 

UM that's all. I'm almost out of time so i have to go, but honestly I already have a method for posting that's (hopefully) gonna work really well so by my next post I will hopefully have something much longer and more interesting! 

i love you all a lot. 

Rosie, I'll hear from you next week??

xoxo,

Mercy 

New year. Same blog. Different logistics.

And we're back! May the happy-dancing commence.

I looked up "we're back" in Google images and this majestic GIF popped up so of course I couldn't not post it.

    I think the abrupt hiatus was necessary. We all needed a break. Christmas and New Years came thundering down upon us, and I for one was definitely wrapped up in a tizzy of shopping and decorating and knitting presents while binge-watching Grey's Anatomy on Netflix, not to mention the onslaught of finals and saying goodbye to college friends as we went our separate ways for holiday break.
    Today is Friday, January 8th, and I -Laura- am posting. I don't believe I have ever posted on Our Thoughts Are Stars on a Friday. But here I am.
    We have established some new rules on this here blog. Rules that seem a little less like rules- more relaxed and achievable, tailored to The Foursome's busy schedules. Starting out this year, 2016, we have some new regulations for the members of OTAS:
1) posting is being reduced to one per week by one member of The Foursome. This is my week, since I always seem to go first, Next week, Mercy can post on any day- no more assigned days, since everyone can't always find time to post before their deadline. We don't want to force anyone to pull lukewarm blog posts out of their butts at 11:59PM on their assigned day, as we have all unfortunately been in the habit of doing for these past few months.
    The concept of posting every week was way more doable in 2013, when we were all in high school, unemployed, and relatively antisocial. Fast forward almost three years, and the story is entirely different. I'm almost halfway done with nursing school. Grace is working and taking college classes. Mercy is juggling performing arts, work, and the increasingly intense workload which comes along with junior year. Rose is handling her last two years of high school while leading middle school youth group students and attempting to read every Kurt Vonnegut novel possessed by the universe. I think it's better that we cut down on posting, giving us more opportunities to set aside time to write creative, meaningful posts which are less rushed and more thought out. I personally feel as though my writing style has changed since the conception of OTAS, like I'm simply blogging to give you a brief update on my crazy life, or as if I'm writing to the vast expanse of the Interweb instead of my three best friends. I have made it my New Year's Resolution to gain back that old sparkle I used to write with, to try to inspire and challenge and change things for the sake of my people, regardless of who might see this post.
2) if you miss a post, you're a cottonheaded ninnymuggins. How hard is it to post once every four weeks? Unless one of us is a werewolf (and didn't tell the other three so we could all become Animagi, how rude) it seems near impossible not to blog once a month. Only under the most dire of circumstances will no punishment be inflicted.
    What punishment, you may ask? I have not thought that far in advance. I'm trying to live one day at a time here, friends. Please bear with me.
3)

    This is a rule for two reasons: one, because this GIF is perfect and I/we just really wanted to use it. And two, because Sundays are for church and resting. We need some structure, and it doesn't hurt to have one day a week without the stress of blogging hanging over our heads, a day to spend napping and watching football and drinking coffee in sweatpants.

Indeed, Richard Griffiths, indeed.

    In conclusion:
    This is my post for this week. Mercy, you're posting between Monday and Saturday of next week, and then Rose, and then Grace.
    On Sundays:

   And until Mercy posts next week:

    I'm sorry, but I found all of these high quality Uncle Vernon GIFs/memes and I went a little overboard because they are all fantastic.
   Bye for now!
--Laura :)