I know what you're thinking... "Oh great, here she goes listing off a bunch of excuses on why she hasn't updated in forever!!!" And, well, you're partly right. But first, a story:

Last night I stayed up until 5 a.m. with one of my housemates to support him in writing a paper. He had a 12 page research paper on leadership (which he had started earlier that day) due today between 3 and 4 today, and he had a meeting in Columbus (hour and or so away from Wooster) at 9:30 or 10 a.m. I helped him stay awake during his paper writing process and had some thoughts on  procrastination -- something that I do on a regular basis -- which lead me here: My podcast.

This past summer I worked my butt off at Kmart (and almost got fired), went to Wrockstock, a Convention, visited family in Arkansas, and worked on the HPA podcast (Andrew if you're reading this, I can't log into my HPA email address which is why I haven't responded in a long time). School started and I had to juggle pipe band with my school work, started my Junior IS (thesis paper for my major) and had my grandmother's worsening health to worry about. Needless to say Wizard Rock and this podcast took a back seat on my drive through life. I haven't really listened to it, except the once or twice I listened to the latest shipment of the EP of the Month club, or the live albums I bought at the Whompy concert I went to last month. I feel rather disconnected from things, and I know it's my fault. Only problem is I sort of dread the amount of time and effort it takes to get back into the know with this kind of stuff. That doesn't mean I don't want to do it, I just keep putting it off. Procrastinating, if you will.

But, I have started the return to Wizard Rock. Today I started going through my gmail inbox and have already replied to those who sent me messages here on myspace. Last week I preordered Jingle Spells 2 (go do so if you haven't already), and today I purchased Siriusly Smiling on iTunes (again, go do so if you haven't). I will slowly begin responding to my emails over the next week, and might (that's a huge might) begin working on another show, but no promises. It's exam week.

Most importantly I want you guys to know that I do want to do another full length show. I miss you guys terribly, and I miss listening to new music and uncovering those hidden gems of talent. I haven't forgotten you, don't worry, I'll never forget you guys! But sometimes I get sidetracked along the way.

So I don't know if you would call this a real update or not, just know that I'm at thinking about you loyal listeners out there. I am very sorry you haven't heard from me in so long, but sometimes you have put off the things you love most when you don't want to.

In other news, my 20 page Junior IS I had to write was about Harry Potter. I explored how J.K. Rowling took creatures from mythology and made them her own in order to further the plot and develop the characters. It kind of sucks because I procrastinated throughout the whole thing, and wrote most of it in the wee hours of the morning over two separate all-nighters, but if anyone is interested in reading it let me know. I hope to update it, and add more to it over winter break because I'm not 100% happy with it. But I am pretty proud of it, and proud of myself for finishing it. Next year's big ass Senior IS project is already being thought up so hopefully it'll be a bit more put together...

Anywho, I've gotta go do the dishes and clean the kitchen so I can cook dinner for my boy. It's my Christmas gift to him since we're poor college students and he'll be in another state during the month long break. As for his gift to me, he's taking me to see Twilight. Something he's not overly thrilled about, but I still haven't seen it (and it gets me out of the house while my room mate throws a party for her fellow physics majors....).

Questions? Comments? Leave 'em here or send me an email and I'll get back to you (hopefully sooner rather than later)!

Live, Laugh, Love,
~Ashley

P.S. It is snowing like crazy outside and my housemates and I are going to make a mini-snowman for the drunks to knock over tonight. Yay college!

Episode 12: Mischief Managed

Because I tried posting this last night and was up until 5 am trying to get it to work (alas the server was being slow), here is the long awaited for Episode 12 of the Podcast of Awesome!

Common Room Rock
Gred and Forge

Why Won't You Shake My Hand?
Draco and the Malfoys

Myspace

Follow the Red Sparks
The Weasel King
Myspace

The Weasley Way
The Butterbeer Experience

Origin
The Remus Lupins
Myspace

Voldemort Made Me Crap My Pants
Blibbering Humdingers
Camelot Treasures

Tapdancing
Snuffles and the Furry Little Problem

A Wizard in the Kitchen
Tom Riddle and Friends (TRAFF!)

The Tour Song
The Whomping Willows

I Found Love in Wizard Rock
Catchlove

Baby We Should Snog
Nimbus 9Million

Krum
Justin Finch-Fletchley and the Sugar Quills (JFF)

Don't Wanna Be a Deatheater
The Brothers Black

My Boyfriend is a Deatheater
The House of Black

Already Dead
The Weasel King
Myspace

Save the Quibbler
Gred and Forge

Other links mentioned throughout the show (in order that they were mentioned):
Guys Who Wrock on YouTube
Accio Bodyguard!
Hawthorne and Holly
Camelot Treasures
Shoebox_Project

Flight of the Conchords
Flight o the Conchords on Myspace
Wrockstock
Wrockstock on Myspace
Wrockstock Forums
Wrock Chicago
Terminus
Ugly Fish Graphics
The Wizard Rock EP of the Month Club
Rocking Out Against Voldemedia


A big thank you goes out to Jarrod of Gred and Forge for co-hosting this one with me. I had a blast!

See you at Wrockstock!
~Ashley

My fellow members of hp-ohio made the news this past weekend when we hosted our season opener. The Columbus Cruciatus took on the Daytonatti Dementors for a grueling game of Quidditch!

Check it out!


Why yes, that was my hand they showed launching the snitch...!

Once again that site is www.hp-ohio.com, an 18+ group for Harry Potter fans.

In Podcast of Awesome news, I finally started editing the 12th episode with Jarrod of Gred and Forge. Sorry it's taking so long to get it out there, it's the last week of classes and I have exams next week. Hang tight wizard kids, it is on the way!

~Ashley
~Ashley

Here's a special treat. Have you ever wondered what happend at the 2007 hp-ohio Crystal Ball? Well, Bradley's violin playing skillz debuted for the first time when Matt played "Arbor Day." For the first time you can witness that historical event.



What does this have to do with anything? Matt of The Whomping Willows and hp-ohio teamed up with the Arbor Day Foundation to spread the love of music, trees, Harry Potter and all that other goodness. Check out the special page the fine folks at the Arbor Day Foundation agreed to put up for us by clicking here.

As an extra special treat I also uploaded a video of Matt playing "Arbor Day" at Monica's Whomp The House Party. The members of hp-ohio laugh and cry as they sit around watching him sing "our song."


Hug a Tree,
~Ashley

In the wee hours of the morning this morning I finished editing and posted  a new mini show.

Here are the links and websites mentioned in the show.

The Arbor Day Foundation

Ohio Wizard Rock Promotions

hp-ohio:
Site
Boards
Myspace

H.I.S.S./Pureblood Princess

Wizard Rock EP of the Month Club

Sorry this would be more detailed if I hadn't slept in and need to run off to breakfast. (I was up til 4 am give me a break!)

If the Wizard Rock is too loud, then you're a Muggle!
~Ashley

Cross posted on my LJ and Facebook:

It occurred to me the other day that tomorrow, April 9th is the one year anniversary since I released the first episode of the Podcast of Awesome. Granted the idea was born before that, but that was when I dove head first into Wizard Rock and never looked back. I am so grateful to Brian of Draco and the Malfoys for co-hosting that first episode, and for putting up with my lack of experience. Honestly, if it hadn’t been for you Brian, my show would not have gotten the attention it has or gained the popularity that it and I take advantage of at times.

There are a couple of other people I would like to thank that have been with me since the beginning or that I have watched grow and blossom in the past year. First of all, there’s Our New Celebrity. They co-hosted the second episode and have since then added members, played multiple shows, and expanded their list of tunes. Girls, I’m so proud of you and everything you’ve accomplished in the past year. I will always be there to fangirl obnoxiously over you.

Kelly of Enchanted Ceiling Productions,  where would I be without you? My myspace would look as dull and boring as the day I created it if it hadn’t been for you. You also introduced me to Jace and Christian’s music. You were basically my first friend in this community. You were the first I told about the Podcast of Awesome, and I cannot wait to finally meet you in person. Those late night (for me at least) AIM conversations were fun and kept me encouraged when things weren’t going as smooth as I had hoped in the beginning.

Amy Snow of Romilda Vane and the Chocolate Cauldrons...You are so sweet! And I know you’ve been active in the community longer than I have, but I’m still glad to know you. Thank you for not hating me. I didn’t know your podcast existed, otherwise I wouldn’t have started this one in the first place. You are a wonderful, talented young woman, and it makes me smile to see what you’ve accomplished in the past year. Your album is beautiful.

Jace of Catchlove, as mentioned above, I heard of your music through Kelly. I remember when you only had three songs or so on your Myspace. Now look at you, three EPs, a full length album, and contributions to two compilations, touring with Matt and Justin, your work to bring awareness to the Wizard Rock community of the crisis in Darfur.... A year ago could you have predicted all this?

And last but not least I have to thank Alex of The Remus Lupins. If you hadn’t pointed Rory in my direction we’d have never met. We are more than friends, we’ve become sisters over this past year. Rory, because of you I had the best summer imaginable last year. The people I’ve met, and the friendships I’ve forged because of you have enriched my life, and made it worth living. If I could go back and talk to my 16 year-old self, I wouldn’t recognize myself. I’m no longer that depressed, quiet, uncertain girl who hated nearly everything about myself. I’m so much happier now, I’ve become drastically out going. I forced myself to take a step out of my comfort zone and never looked back. Sure, there are still some uncertainties going on in my head, but I don’t let them affect me the way that I used to, they’re nowhere near to the dilapidating depression I suffered in High School. Sometimes in the spur of the moment when I do something so beyond me, even I don’t recognize myself sometimes! Rory, I couldn’t ask for a better friend, and I’m proud to call you my big sister. Plus you’re fun to pick on sometimes :-P

Of course, there are those that have co-hosted. Thank you for taking two hours (sometimes more) out of your day to talk with this Wizard Rock crazed person, and I’m sorry for interrupting you. It’s a bad habit I’ve been trying to break myself of for a while now...

And of course, to the fans. Where would I be without your continued support despite the lack of updates? Seriously, you guys wrock!

Which brings me to my special announcement. I am going to start doing some mini shows between full length episodes. There will be no more co-hostless full length episodes. I hate doing them by myself, and that’s partially the reason there hasn’t been one for the last four months. So, to avoid down time (and to not put my server subscription to waste) I’ll be posting these mini shows. Although I have not worked out all the details, I’m thinking about putting 2-4 songs in each mini show and making it about 20 minutes long (compared to the 16 songs and hour+ long full length episodes). They’ll be released on the current RSS feed in iTunes so you won’t have to subscribe to anything new, and if you’re subscribed they’ll just download automatically when updated. As for formating, I’m thinking about playing a song, talking about life, reviewing an album, telling a story, and just my usual ramblings. I’m open to suggestions if you want to suggest a segment. I figure I need to make up on lost time here folks!

How frequent will these mini episodes be? No idea. Will you settle for more regular than I have been lately?

Let’s just run with it and see where it takes us.

Live, Laugh, Love,
~Ashley

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe holiday.

Yes, I know...I missed another deadline. I did not release the special Christmas episode on Christmas eve like I originally intended. KMart has eaten up my entire existence for the last 6 days. And I'm working tonight as well. Bleh. However I wanted to rant a bit because I have something on my mind and I just want to get it off my chest.

On Sunday I ate lunch with a co-worker. He hasn't been there very long and was just looking to make friends, the conversation went somewhat like this.

Guy: "I can't go more than 5 minutes into a conversation with someone I've just met without revealing how much I love Jesus."
Me: "Really? I'm the same way about Harry Potter."

Now, I may or may not have had a smirk on my face when I said this, because this wouldn't be the first time I've gotten into a religious debate with someone. Now, let me make this perfectly clear, I have nothing against religion, Christians or what have you. I am a very tolerant person, except where there is intolerance. I could care less if you're black, white, Asian, Mexican, Christian, Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, Wiccian, gay, straight, whatever. I don't care. You're you and that's awesome.

So we got into that age old discussion/argument, of is Harry Potter the devil's work. He even began quoting scripture at me. I really, really wish I had said "How can you make a strong argument without ever having read the books?" but of course, as all good comebacks go, I didn't think of it until later. When I 'dragged' Wizard Rock into the argument he seemed even more horrified then before. I used the Hungarian Horntails as an example. Here are these bright, young kids that are only going to improve and he was appalled. "You agree with this? You think it's alright to let young children get involved like this?" Yes. I do.

Music is a big influence on my life, and I'm sure many of yours as well. And Wizard Rock is the first (and only to my knowledge) genre where bands like the Hungarian Horntails can make it "big." I am a very strong supporter of the arts, and as a musician himself, I thought he'd understand how wonderful it is for children to want to get involved. But no.

I've been burned by religion in the past, which is why I will usually avoid the topic. But when he appeared sickened by the thought that these two young boys were promoting the devil's work I couldn't help but get riled up. I would like to note, however, that it was a friendly debate, and he gave up when I started using examples from other religions. He never went to college, and admitted to being in over his head a bit once I started bringing in examples. Of course, it didn't hurt that I've had this debate more than once in the past, and I read a lot and have explored various religions without practicing them.

And I guess Squiby's recent blog just made me think about it more. I can't seem to get our little debate out of my head. I wish we could continue it really, which is very unusual for me. I hate confrontation, and I usually dread this debate to the point that I get physically sick.

Point of this rant? Just wanted to get it off my chest somewhere other than my LJ, and I promise to keep my rants to confined to my LJ in the future... I just thought some of you might find it interesting, especially his apparent horror at the idea of children singing about the Harry Potter series.

Have a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Years! I work the midnight shift tonight, however I'm off Wednesday and Thursday and will get that episode out to you as soon as possible...Although, it would help if MATT would send me his audio files. There's my Christmas gift to you...Matt Maggacimo of the Whomping Willows is my co-host for the special Christmas edition of the Podcast of Awesome!

Wrock, Wroll, Wread,
~Ashley

I appologize, I tried uploading this last night when I finished editing, but my (borrowed) internet was acting up and I couldn't get the file uploaded to the server. Several tries and much frustration later, here we are! There's a lot going on in this one to so let's get down to it.

The Yule Ball
Harry and the Potters
Myspace
Wizard Rock EP of the Month Club

Cho Chang
The MudBloods

P is for Patil... and Padma... and Parvati (and now Pattie?)
Tom Riddle and Friends

Maybe Tomorrow
The Remus Lupins
Myspace

Face the Dragon
Marked as His Equal

I Went With Draco to the Yule Ball (Pansy's Song)
The Parselmouths

Pansy (You Are The Girl Of My Dreams)
Draco and the Malfoys
Myspace

Luna
The Weasel King
Myspace

Accio Love
Ministry of Magic
featuring the Moaning Myrtles

Myspace

The Missing Arm of Victor Krum
Harry and the Potters
Myspace
Wizard Rock EP of the Month Club

Dress Robes Don't Lie
The Secret Owls

Krum and the Mighty Ocean
Catchlove

Slytherin Don't Dance
The Remus Lupins
Myspace

Xmas for the Cold and Lonely
The Owl Post

My Mirror is My Best Friend
Roonil Wazlib

Wrocking Around The Bathroom Stall
The Moaning Myrtles

Myspace
Remixed by Ministry of Magic

And now for the many, awesome links that were mentioned and you should check out all of them!

Harry Potter Clubs/Area Related Links:
HP-Ohio
HP-Ohio's Myspace
Ohio Wizard Rock Promotions
Orlando Harry Potter Club
Potterdelphia
Have more? Let me know!

Erin's Info:
Marauders' Worst Memory
Mary Sue Video
email:  thehouseofblack at comcast dot net

Events/Gatherings:
Wrock the Boat
Wrockstock
Wrockstock Forums
Portus
Terminus

Other:
Stop Big Media
H.I.S.S./Pureblood Princess
Potter Puppet Pals
Alex as Scooby Doo
Wizrocklopedia
I can't seem to find the Harry Potter Tattoo community on Live Journal but if you have the link send it in or post in the comments below!

Thanks for listening and remember, if the Wizard Rock is too loud, then you're a Muggle!
~Ashley and Erin

Two blogs in two days? There must be somthing wrong with me!!!

Nope, still as crazy as ever! :)

Today at my bagpipe lesson, before I could even get started he informed me he was re-listening to the book series and found an inconsistency between books 2 and 3. Of course he wouldn't tell me and made me guess, his hint "It's a living but non-breathing being." Of course Whompy came to mind ("Castle!") Think about it, the whomping willow tree was planted when Remus came to Hogwarts, however in the second book when Snape is punishing Harry and Ron for crashing their flying car (tee hee, "flying" car) into it he calls the tree ancient. Which again is funny to me because of the joke my mom made to Matt when he was here in Wooster, the video of which can be found on my facebook or by clicking here.

So, the whomping willow, ancient or just old?

Whomp on,
~Ashley

It's time for another little update.... People have been wondering when the next episode is due so I figured it was time to tell ya! But first, a bit of blogging...

This past weekend was HP-Ohio's Crystal Ball, which was fan-freaking-tastic! That was, without a doubt the best Whoming Willow and Draco and the Malfoys performance I've ever seen. Yes, it even beats out Prophecy!!! First off, it was in a castle! (I can still hear Matt's battle cry..."Castle!!!!")



Secondly, it was an 18+ show and it was put on by HP-Ohio, so you know it was awesome! I won't go into too many details but...there was dinner, dancing, drinking, swearing and a whole lotta fun! Oh, and check out the cake!



At the end of the night the guys were presented with very special gifts made by Manda and James... (of course we photographicly assaulted them upon presenting their pressies)





Sorry but I will not be posting any video from that night... If you were there you understand why!

Now for the news I promised. Just this Sunday I moved into my new dorm, the new room mate is awesome and a HP fan. When she saw my autographed Maruader's Map she got excited... and after asking if she'd heard of wizard rock she said "Oh like Harry and the Potters, Draco and the Malfoys and the Whomping Willows?" My response..."You haven't seen the Picture of Awesome!!!" I then proceded to minimize the open windows on my computer and show off my desktop background... She then had a fangirl moment. It was great. If you haven't seen the Picture of Awesome....



Moving on... So, this is my final week of classes. Out of 7 papers I had to write last week and this, I have 3 left. Next week, exams. I'm going to e-mail my potential co-host and try to record December 15th at the earliest. I would like to put out a Yule Ball themed show, and then try and release a Christmas Themed show shortly after. Hopefully both my potential co-hosts will have time to record with little ol me. Now that you've read what you wanted to read I'll just leave you with this parting picture from the Crystal Ball....

Draco year 15 and Lucius during "My Dad is Rich"


Have a fun and safe start to your holidays!
~Ashley