"Watching Disney movies is such a Go-Co thing to do." Yes, it's been said to me. And I won't pretend it isn't true. This campus seems to have an almost inordinate love for all things Disney. At one time I would've rather done anything else on a Saturday night, but apparently part of me falling back in love with this place (which is a story unto itself) is being willing - no, eager - to spend "party night" in front of a TV watching movies intended for children half my age.
Last night's pick was Ratatouille, which I had never seen. It was cute. I laughed. I cheered when the bad guys got miraculously and outrageously owned. But I didn't feel the same sympathy I usually do for movie characters, regardless of species or intended audience, and I couldn't figure out why. I worried I was growing up and losing my ability to suspend disbelief. Yet as a writer and reader I know I'm still capable of investing in a story.
Then I realized the problem.
The movie is all about rats. My literature class just finished reading The Plague. So some little part of my brain cringed every time a rat scampered across a kitchen counter, subconsciously crying out "BLACK DEAAAAAATH!!!"
So not only was watching this movie "a Go-Co thing to do," it was also edumacational!
But other than that it was a pretty good movie. I especially liked that the awkward skinny hero's name was Linguini.
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
The dream you don't want to end
I keep having these dreams about walking outside in a t-shirt. The air is balmy and pleasant and as I walk down the street all the trees unfold their leaves and flowers against the big blue bowl of sunlight overhead. That's about all there is to the dream. It's very simple... but waking up from it SUCKS.
I made my mom go see Avatar last night. I would watch that movie every day for the rest of my life. I don't care if the plot is predictable (and really, there ARE twists and turns that you wouldn't expect; I was shocked the first time I saw it when the sky people took out Hometree because I thought for sure the "good guys" would win).
But the thing that starts me drooling is that giant green phosphorescent jungle, with that huge planet all lit up in the sky behind it. It's impossible. Impossible. But you believe it in the movie, and I wish I could believe in it for real. And those bizarre pterodactyl creatures they ride, and the floating mountains (without valleys, I might add; yes Descartes, a mountain CAN be conceived without one).
Look, I'm already halfway to being a Na'vi. I've got the height and the tree-hugging thing down. Now I just need to make my skin turn blue (easily remedied by drowning) and make my soul grow out of my hair (I'm not sure about that one yet but Brian Glenney might be able to help me).
The CGI is only half the reason this world is extraordinary. The other half is the culture. It's so beautiful and intricate. To think that sprang from somebody's imagination! Do I have a world like that tucked away in my mind? I can only hope that as I continue to craft Myriad, it will grow into something this complex and significant. Something a reader will believe and invest in.
The first time I saw Avatar, my friend Shark was with us, and as soon as the credits rolled she said, "Did you get it, guys? Or do we need to watch it again?" I honestly didn't realize she meant the environmental message. Sure, it's obvious, but what knocked me off my feet was the redemptive message. The movie ends with Jake Sully being reborn. I mean, how Christian is that? To use Christianese, think of it this way: he willingly chooses to die to his old self - a weak and broken body - and is born a second time ("without entering his mother's womb again") into a new and perfect body. How Christian is that? Who puts that in a movie these days? I'm actually...... inspired.
What movie moves you like that? What world would you live in if you got the chance? What movie is the dream you wish you never had to wake up from?
I made my mom go see Avatar last night. I would watch that movie every day for the rest of my life. I don't care if the plot is predictable (and really, there ARE twists and turns that you wouldn't expect; I was shocked the first time I saw it when the sky people took out Hometree because I thought for sure the "good guys" would win).
But the thing that starts me drooling is that giant green phosphorescent jungle, with that huge planet all lit up in the sky behind it. It's impossible. Impossible. But you believe it in the movie, and I wish I could believe in it for real. And those bizarre pterodactyl creatures they ride, and the floating mountains (without valleys, I might add; yes Descartes, a mountain CAN be conceived without one).
Look, I'm already halfway to being a Na'vi. I've got the height and the tree-hugging thing down. Now I just need to make my skin turn blue (easily remedied by drowning) and make my soul grow out of my hair (I'm not sure about that one yet but Brian Glenney might be able to help me).
The CGI is only half the reason this world is extraordinary. The other half is the culture. It's so beautiful and intricate. To think that sprang from somebody's imagination! Do I have a world like that tucked away in my mind? I can only hope that as I continue to craft Myriad, it will grow into something this complex and significant. Something a reader will believe and invest in.
The first time I saw Avatar, my friend Shark was with us, and as soon as the credits rolled she said, "Did you get it, guys? Or do we need to watch it again?" I honestly didn't realize she meant the environmental message. Sure, it's obvious, but what knocked me off my feet was the redemptive message. The movie ends with Jake Sully being reborn. I mean, how Christian is that? To use Christianese, think of it this way: he willingly chooses to die to his old self - a weak and broken body - and is born a second time ("without entering his mother's womb again") into a new and perfect body. How Christian is that? Who puts that in a movie these days? I'm actually...... inspired.
What movie moves you like that? What world would you live in if you got the chance? What movie is the dream you wish you never had to wake up from?
Scatterday: Things that are NOT on my Christmas list
Last week's Scatterday post featured things that don't exist but should. This week we're going to look at a few items that exist but definitely shouldn't.
You know your dedication to wearing Crocs year-round has gone too far when you need to buy these:
Crocs suck because:
5. They feel like they're made of condensed packing peanuts.
4. They therefore have no support at all...
3. ...yet somehow also fail to have flex.
2. They may be waterproof, but your feet will STILL get wet because your DUMB SHOES are full of HOLES.
1. They look like effing clown shoes - that is, if someone with a machine gun took offense at the feet of an impractically-shod clown.
Crocs are not winter shoes. Your dumb faux fur lining will do you no good in NEW ENGLAND, where the ground is almost perpetually covered in some degree or form of liquid, because YOUR DUMB SHOES STILL HAVE HOLES IN THEM.
Okay, moving right along. This next segment is dedicated to the most outrageous of all outrageous Twilight paraphernalia. My bottom three are:
3. The Mr. Cullen shower curtain (so you can start every day with getting naked in front of your favorite vampire):
2. Plush Bella's womb - I kid you not. Made with *real* felt and... is that... steel wool?! If not, it should be. Then you could use this item for what it really deserves to be used for: scrubbing the toilet bowl.
1. Last and least, we have the *SPARKLE DILDO!* You're supposed to put it in the fridge before you use it for an authentic experience. o_O
If you want to see more disturbing Twilight products, I just dare you to click that hyperlink....
Oh, and we mustn't forget this:
You see that? "ALL areas accessed!" Just in case you want to get more, ah, intimate than sticking his character's ice cold, glittery you-know-what, you-know-where.
If you're as visual a person as me, I'm sure you now have a very uncomfortable scene playing in your brain. And with that scene, I bid you adieu.
Adieu.
You know your dedication to wearing Crocs year-round has gone too far when you need to buy these:
Crocs suck because:
5. They feel like they're made of condensed packing peanuts.
4. They therefore have no support at all...
3. ...yet somehow also fail to have flex.
2. They may be waterproof, but your feet will STILL get wet because your DUMB SHOES are full of HOLES.
1. They look like effing clown shoes - that is, if someone with a machine gun took offense at the feet of an impractically-shod clown.
Crocs are not winter shoes. Your dumb faux fur lining will do you no good in NEW ENGLAND, where the ground is almost perpetually covered in some degree or form of liquid, because YOUR DUMB SHOES STILL HAVE HOLES IN THEM.
Okay, moving right along. This next segment is dedicated to the most outrageous of all outrageous Twilight paraphernalia. My bottom three are:
3. The Mr. Cullen shower curtain (so you can start every day with getting naked in front of your favorite vampire):
2. Plush Bella's womb - I kid you not. Made with *real* felt and... is that... steel wool?! If not, it should be. Then you could use this item for what it really deserves to be used for: scrubbing the toilet bowl.
1. Last and least, we have the *SPARKLE DILDO!* You're supposed to put it in the fridge before you use it for an authentic experience. o_O
If you want to see more disturbing Twilight products, I just dare you to click that hyperlink....
Oh, and we mustn't forget this:
You see that? "ALL areas accessed!" Just in case you want to get more, ah, intimate than sticking his character's ice cold, glittery you-know-what, you-know-where.If you're as visual a person as me, I'm sure you now have a very uncomfortable scene playing in your brain. And with that scene, I bid you adieu.
Adieu.
A person's a person, no matter how...
I just got back from seeing District 9 with Boyfriend, and I must say - WOW. This is the first original storyline I've seen in ages, and for that I salute writers Neill Blomkamp (who also directed it) and Terri Tatchell. Not too many people bother making up their own story these days.
Without spoiling anything, here's the scoop: an alien spacecraft has been stationed over South Africa for two decades, and the sickly aliens found inside it were placed in "district 9," which became a slum and a center for inter-species hate and crime. Wikus Van De Merwe, while trying to evict the aliens so they could be relocated somewhere farther from humans, stupidly gets himself covered with a fluid the aliens have spent 20 years developing to fuel their mini-ship back to the mothership so they could get the heck out of here. This causes our hero to turn into an alien, and he's consequently rejected by his own species. So, Wikus teams up with one of the extraterrestrials, promising to help him return to the mothership in exchange for the antidote that will make him human again.
The best part about this movie is that it pushes the audience into the situation. What WOULD we do if a slum of aliens suddenly abutted our city? How should they be treated? Surely not as humans, for they are not humans. Yet in my opinion, and this has nothing to do with my actual review of the movie but I shall subject you to it anyway, they should be treated with the same respect as humans because there is something inwardly the same. Throughout the story we see that they care for their families, they have formed a functional society, they are incredibly intelligent beyond our scope of understanding, and that they are capable of acceptance and loyalty to others, even those who are not of their kind. None of these things are possible without a soul, and it must be the Christian in me speaking when I say that anything with a soul deserves the same respect as a human being. Of course, the characters in "District 9" felt differently, shooting at the aliens before trying to understand them - but it was done out of fear, and we all know that's exactly how the government would react if this really happened. So props for realism.
I was also impressed with the appearance of the aliens. Technology just keeps getting more amazing. The really impressive thing, though, is that they're a far cry from the standard model of an alien. Think skeleton meets a double lobster meets Davy Jones from the second installment of Pirates. Sick, right?
The marketing strategy for this movie was freaking brilliant. You've probably seen signs around your city saying things like "humans only bathroom." The theater we went to was marked "humans only theater." The ad campaign caught my attention way before I ever had interest in the movie itself, or even knew what the signs were for.
The downside to "District 9" is the sheer amount of graphic violence. Kiddos, this movie is rated "R" for a reason. Granted, unlike many modern movies that depict violence for dumb reasons like "because we can," this violence actually seems necessary to the plot, as the hero will die if he doesn't blow people up with nuclear blasters stolen from the aliens. But it's still. Gross. Even though my boy's taste in movies has desensitized me more than I realized until I walked out of the theater tonight.
Like so many trendy movies, "District 9" used footage shot with a handheld camera. That is my pet peeve about action flicks. It's impossible to follow events when the camera's all over the place and not even pointing at the action. This is no reason to miss out on the experience; the Bourne movies are way worse. It was just a little too much of a good thing. If they'd chilled out on the shake it would have been a nice touch, considering that they tried to pass the film off as a documentary.
I won't give away the ending, but the movie definitely sets itself up for a sequel. There was a time I would've said "just give me the whole story. I need closure before I leave this theater." However, considering that EVERYTHING gets a sequel these days whether it needs one or not, it's nice to know that there are still some issues to be resolved in the inevitable "District 10."
Without spoiling anything, here's the scoop: an alien spacecraft has been stationed over South Africa for two decades, and the sickly aliens found inside it were placed in "district 9," which became a slum and a center for inter-species hate and crime. Wikus Van De Merwe, while trying to evict the aliens so they could be relocated somewhere farther from humans, stupidly gets himself covered with a fluid the aliens have spent 20 years developing to fuel their mini-ship back to the mothership so they could get the heck out of here. This causes our hero to turn into an alien, and he's consequently rejected by his own species. So, Wikus teams up with one of the extraterrestrials, promising to help him return to the mothership in exchange for the antidote that will make him human again.
The best part about this movie is that it pushes the audience into the situation. What WOULD we do if a slum of aliens suddenly abutted our city? How should they be treated? Surely not as humans, for they are not humans. Yet in my opinion, and this has nothing to do with my actual review of the movie but I shall subject you to it anyway, they should be treated with the same respect as humans because there is something inwardly the same. Throughout the story we see that they care for their families, they have formed a functional society, they are incredibly intelligent beyond our scope of understanding, and that they are capable of acceptance and loyalty to others, even those who are not of their kind. None of these things are possible without a soul, and it must be the Christian in me speaking when I say that anything with a soul deserves the same respect as a human being. Of course, the characters in "District 9" felt differently, shooting at the aliens before trying to understand them - but it was done out of fear, and we all know that's exactly how the government would react if this really happened. So props for realism.
I was also impressed with the appearance of the aliens. Technology just keeps getting more amazing. The really impressive thing, though, is that they're a far cry from the standard model of an alien. Think skeleton meets a double lobster meets Davy Jones from the second installment of Pirates. Sick, right?
The marketing strategy for this movie was freaking brilliant. You've probably seen signs around your city saying things like "humans only bathroom." The theater we went to was marked "humans only theater." The ad campaign caught my attention way before I ever had interest in the movie itself, or even knew what the signs were for.
The downside to "District 9" is the sheer amount of graphic violence. Kiddos, this movie is rated "R" for a reason. Granted, unlike many modern movies that depict violence for dumb reasons like "because we can," this violence actually seems necessary to the plot, as the hero will die if he doesn't blow people up with nuclear blasters stolen from the aliens. But it's still. Gross. Even though my boy's taste in movies has desensitized me more than I realized until I walked out of the theater tonight.
Like so many trendy movies, "District 9" used footage shot with a handheld camera. That is my pet peeve about action flicks. It's impossible to follow events when the camera's all over the place and not even pointing at the action. This is no reason to miss out on the experience; the Bourne movies are way worse. It was just a little too much of a good thing. If they'd chilled out on the shake it would have been a nice touch, considering that they tried to pass the film off as a documentary.
I won't give away the ending, but the movie definitely sets itself up for a sequel. There was a time I would've said "just give me the whole story. I need closure before I leave this theater." However, considering that EVERYTHING gets a sequel these days whether it needs one or not, it's nice to know that there are still some issues to be resolved in the inevitable "District 10."
Econopalooza!
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Econopalooza!
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Econopalooza!
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Happy Days
In continuation of my epic story of the epic past two weeks of my life:
Bear came to visit from Ohio the day after the Reel Big Fish show and so naturally everyone wanted to hang out that day. Ravin and Bear came to my house, soon to be joined by Boyfriend and then Ash. We watched Ranma 1/2, this preposterous show about a guy and his dad who fell into magic ponds that caused them to turn into a girl and a panda, respectively, every time they touched cold water for the rest of their lives (but luckily, warm water could turn them back).
My mom got us pizza and then we all went to the playground at Derby again, where those of us who were so inclined proceeded to act like five year olds. We were pirates and fought over the crow's nest. We were farmers and planted corn in the sandbox. We were artists and made sand sculptures (Ash naturally made a Caterpie). Then we went down to the water, where I risked life and limb climbing out on a fallen tree, and followed the trail up again to the sports field, where I rolled down the grassy hill yelling "AS YOU WISH!!!" like in The Princess Bride.
Then we went back to my house to watch some horribly violent anime that Boyfriend chose, which was an all right movie except for some reason I really couldn't keep up with what was going on. Maybe I was too distracted by all the blood and sex. Ugh, anime sex. That's an experience I'd rather not repeat thank you. Then we left my house just as The Pantsless One and Shark got there, because the fam needed to go to bed, but my mom and I had a falling out first. I hadn't planned on going anywhere because I was tired, but then I was mad and didn't want to get yelled at just then so I left anyway. I accidentally passed out at Ravin's house and got home later than I should've, but I'd texted saying I'd be home so I had to go back. I got yelled at the next day and then apologized to because apparently my one responsible act of the night, texting that I'd be home, was never seen. =/
I was pretty tired the next day, but things at work were going all right. We took the kids to the music circus, which means we have to walk with them down the street and keep track of them at the show. Everything went smoothly until we were leaving. Coming out of the tent, I had all my kids and then Ian started crying again. It had been like a week and a half of this - he literally hadn't stopped crying since the fourth of July. So I was trying to console him, and the next thing I knew, two of my girls were nowhere to be found. I searched the whole place and couldn't find them. But when I got back to the group, they were back. Aaah. I do not envy parents; that's a freaky experience, and I can only imagine how bad it is if the kid's your own.
My boss said I handled it well and stayed very calm (this alleged calm was actually exhaustion but shh). She wasn't even mad that I lost them to begin with and had only good things to say to me at the end of the day. Ummkay.
Then I joined up with Ravin, TPO and Bear and we went to the beach. We drove to like five different ones before settling somewhere, and the one we finally picked had bacteria-infested water, so we couldn't go swimming, and was roped off for like half a mile because of endangered birds in the dunes. That night we were going to go dancing, but Ravin had to go home for dinner and I passed out at Boyfriend's house after that so obviously I didn't go. I guess it turned out the others didn't either.
Friday Boyfriend and I went to the beach with Ravin, TPO and Bear. We didn't stay long, but long enough for me to convince Boyfriend to get in the water, which was actually quite nice for ocean water. I didn't even have goosebumps. My dorkburger of a boyfriend was wearing scrubs instead of a proper bathing suit and we made fun of him. Or rather I did, I think the others actually had very little to say on the topic.
We left pretty soon. Boyfriend, Bear and I walked to Scoops, ate ice cream, and walked back while waiting for Ravin and TPO to be done with.... whatever it is they do when nobody sees them for hours on end. Getting dressed, I guess. XD
Later The Cuddle Rapist and his friend Spaz showed up and we all went swimming in Ravin's pool. We'd already been in the ocean so the pool felt especially warm after that. And the heater had been on all day. It was practically like taking a bath.
Saturday: same time, same place, same people. TPO made delicious gooey brownies and Spaz serenaded us all with Ravin's guitar. Then everyone went swimming again, but by this time I was so tired that even the warm pool water would have felt chilly. I react to exhaustion by getting cold. My body just doesn't have the energy to warm itself up. Since Boyfriend didn't feel like swimming either, we went downstairs and he played video games while I slept AGAIN. I need to work on my sleeping patterns. I just kept not catching up at nights and involuntarily trying to catch up at all manner of inconvenient times.
Sunday night, I went to hang out and swim with people again. Ravin and TPO's new buddies Gerry and Alex came and we swam for a little bit. After that, someone started playing video games and before I knew it I was asleep again. In my sleep I recruited Bear as a space heater since Ravin's basement is frigid at all times of the year. Everyone else went on some adventure, probably to Wal*Mart, but I was dead to the world. And didn't feel much better when I had to get up for work the next day. Ughhhh.
Tuesday night, Bear's last night here, we all went to see the new Harry Potter movie at midnight. I got Boyfriend to come even though he's not into Harry Potter at all. What a good sport. But yet again, since I still hadn't caught up on all the sleep I'd been trying to catch up on all week, I was brutally tired. Unlike Bear I managed to stay awake for the car ride there, but I kept nodding off for the first half of the movie. Then it got funnier and laughing helped me wake up a little.
That was the strongest point of this movie, I think - the humor. Because it's really just a set-up movie for the last one (or two, since I think that's what they're doing with the last book). Romance was a big factor in the story but the actors made it hugely awkward. I think the director must have realized that and purposely made things even more ridiculous so it wouldn't be as painful for the rest of us.
I definitely passed out for the entire ride home, and when we got back to Ravin's house, Boyfriend had to drive us back in my car because I couldn't even walk in a straight line, let alone drive in one. We bid Bear farewell and drove back to Boyfriend's. The sun was already coming up by the time we got home and crashed.
Work really sucked on Wednesday. This one kid who's always causing trouble kicked someone and I was told to bring him to the boss (she's the highest order threat we can pull on these kids), but he refused to move so I just dragged him down the hall. In hindsight I'm sure that was a terrible idea. I figured that after a couple feet worth of dirt and embarrassment, he'd realize he was being ridiculous and get up, but he made me drag him all the way across the school. W
e walked by this random guy about my age or a little younger, I don't know why he was there because he definitely wasn't with the rec program, but anyway he laughed at us and said he wanted a turn, which I'm sure didn't encourage the kid to get off his behind. So the moral of the story is, try to sleep when you have a job that involves working with children, because they will push you to your limits even if you're well rested and lord only knows what you'll do to them if you're not. XD
Things only got worse later that day because I had to get a shot, which is a bad enough ordeal when I've slept because my body passes out when foreign substances enter my blood stream. I've developed a terrible phobia of needles because of the reaction I have to them. I knew I couldn't drive myself home after that, so I got Boyfriend to take me (long story short, I was absolutely justified in doing so rather than having my mom bring me) and he handled it really well, even when I saw the needle and started bawling and shaking, all while curled up in the fetal position. Unfortunately I exaggerate not.
I managed to stay conscious while we were at the doctor's office and all the way out to the car but I passed out on the way home, and I mean actually passed out, not like I just fell asleep again. I hate the feeling because first I get really nauseous. Then I start sweating. Then I get this ringing in my ears, which gets louder until I can't even hear myself speak (but I knew that I was telling Boyfriend I was going to faint, I just couldn't hear it or feel my lips saying it). My vision goes black around the edges and I get this aura in the middle, which would be really pretty if it didn't feel like crap. And then I go out. But I always come to, and we got home all right and then at long last I got to go to sleep for real, for the first time in over a week, uninterrupted sleep alone in my own bed with my blankie and my beary. Mmm yay
Well that was really long and I don't blame you if you didn't read it all. Haha Bear, you thought you were special to get a mention in my blog? How about a novel, here ya go XD
Bear came to visit from Ohio the day after the Reel Big Fish show and so naturally everyone wanted to hang out that day. Ravin and Bear came to my house, soon to be joined by Boyfriend and then Ash. We watched Ranma 1/2, this preposterous show about a guy and his dad who fell into magic ponds that caused them to turn into a girl and a panda, respectively, every time they touched cold water for the rest of their lives (but luckily, warm water could turn them back).
My mom got us pizza and then we all went to the playground at Derby again, where those of us who were so inclined proceeded to act like five year olds. We were pirates and fought over the crow's nest. We were farmers and planted corn in the sandbox. We were artists and made sand sculptures (Ash naturally made a Caterpie). Then we went down to the water, where I risked life and limb climbing out on a fallen tree, and followed the trail up again to the sports field, where I rolled down the grassy hill yelling "AS YOU WISH!!!" like in The Princess Bride.
Then we went back to my house to watch some horribly violent anime that Boyfriend chose, which was an all right movie except for some reason I really couldn't keep up with what was going on. Maybe I was too distracted by all the blood and sex. Ugh, anime sex. That's an experience I'd rather not repeat thank you. Then we left my house just as The Pantsless One and Shark got there, because the fam needed to go to bed, but my mom and I had a falling out first. I hadn't planned on going anywhere because I was tired, but then I was mad and didn't want to get yelled at just then so I left anyway. I accidentally passed out at Ravin's house and got home later than I should've, but I'd texted saying I'd be home so I had to go back. I got yelled at the next day and then apologized to because apparently my one responsible act of the night, texting that I'd be home, was never seen. =/
I was pretty tired the next day, but things at work were going all right. We took the kids to the music circus, which means we have to walk with them down the street and keep track of them at the show. Everything went smoothly until we were leaving. Coming out of the tent, I had all my kids and then Ian started crying again. It had been like a week and a half of this - he literally hadn't stopped crying since the fourth of July. So I was trying to console him, and the next thing I knew, two of my girls were nowhere to be found. I searched the whole place and couldn't find them. But when I got back to the group, they were back. Aaah. I do not envy parents; that's a freaky experience, and I can only imagine how bad it is if the kid's your own.
My boss said I handled it well and stayed very calm (this alleged calm was actually exhaustion but shh). She wasn't even mad that I lost them to begin with and had only good things to say to me at the end of the day. Ummkay.
Then I joined up with Ravin, TPO and Bear and we went to the beach. We drove to like five different ones before settling somewhere, and the one we finally picked had bacteria-infested water, so we couldn't go swimming, and was roped off for like half a mile because of endangered birds in the dunes. That night we were going to go dancing, but Ravin had to go home for dinner and I passed out at Boyfriend's house after that so obviously I didn't go. I guess it turned out the others didn't either.
Friday Boyfriend and I went to the beach with Ravin, TPO and Bear. We didn't stay long, but long enough for me to convince Boyfriend to get in the water, which was actually quite nice for ocean water. I didn't even have goosebumps. My dorkburger of a boyfriend was wearing scrubs instead of a proper bathing suit and we made fun of him. Or rather I did, I think the others actually had very little to say on the topic.
We left pretty soon. Boyfriend, Bear and I walked to Scoops, ate ice cream, and walked back while waiting for Ravin and TPO to be done with.... whatever it is they do when nobody sees them for hours on end. Getting dressed, I guess. XD
Later The Cuddle Rapist and his friend Spaz showed up and we all went swimming in Ravin's pool. We'd already been in the ocean so the pool felt especially warm after that. And the heater had been on all day. It was practically like taking a bath.
Saturday: same time, same place, same people. TPO made delicious gooey brownies and Spaz serenaded us all with Ravin's guitar. Then everyone went swimming again, but by this time I was so tired that even the warm pool water would have felt chilly. I react to exhaustion by getting cold. My body just doesn't have the energy to warm itself up. Since Boyfriend didn't feel like swimming either, we went downstairs and he played video games while I slept AGAIN. I need to work on my sleeping patterns. I just kept not catching up at nights and involuntarily trying to catch up at all manner of inconvenient times.
Sunday night, I went to hang out and swim with people again. Ravin and TPO's new buddies Gerry and Alex came and we swam for a little bit. After that, someone started playing video games and before I knew it I was asleep again. In my sleep I recruited Bear as a space heater since Ravin's basement is frigid at all times of the year. Everyone else went on some adventure, probably to Wal*Mart, but I was dead to the world. And didn't feel much better when I had to get up for work the next day. Ughhhh.
Tuesday night, Bear's last night here, we all went to see the new Harry Potter movie at midnight. I got Boyfriend to come even though he's not into Harry Potter at all. What a good sport. But yet again, since I still hadn't caught up on all the sleep I'd been trying to catch up on all week, I was brutally tired. Unlike Bear I managed to stay awake for the car ride there, but I kept nodding off for the first half of the movie. Then it got funnier and laughing helped me wake up a little.
That was the strongest point of this movie, I think - the humor. Because it's really just a set-up movie for the last one (or two, since I think that's what they're doing with the last book). Romance was a big factor in the story but the actors made it hugely awkward. I think the director must have realized that and purposely made things even more ridiculous so it wouldn't be as painful for the rest of us.
I definitely passed out for the entire ride home, and when we got back to Ravin's house, Boyfriend had to drive us back in my car because I couldn't even walk in a straight line, let alone drive in one. We bid Bear farewell and drove back to Boyfriend's. The sun was already coming up by the time we got home and crashed.
Work really sucked on Wednesday. This one kid who's always causing trouble kicked someone and I was told to bring him to the boss (she's the highest order threat we can pull on these kids), but he refused to move so I just dragged him down the hall. In hindsight I'm sure that was a terrible idea. I figured that after a couple feet worth of dirt and embarrassment, he'd realize he was being ridiculous and get up, but he made me drag him all the way across the school. W
e walked by this random guy about my age or a little younger, I don't know why he was there because he definitely wasn't with the rec program, but anyway he laughed at us and said he wanted a turn, which I'm sure didn't encourage the kid to get off his behind. So the moral of the story is, try to sleep when you have a job that involves working with children, because they will push you to your limits even if you're well rested and lord only knows what you'll do to them if you're not. XD
Things only got worse later that day because I had to get a shot, which is a bad enough ordeal when I've slept because my body passes out when foreign substances enter my blood stream. I've developed a terrible phobia of needles because of the reaction I have to them. I knew I couldn't drive myself home after that, so I got Boyfriend to take me (long story short, I was absolutely justified in doing so rather than having my mom bring me) and he handled it really well, even when I saw the needle and started bawling and shaking, all while curled up in the fetal position. Unfortunately I exaggerate not.
I managed to stay conscious while we were at the doctor's office and all the way out to the car but I passed out on the way home, and I mean actually passed out, not like I just fell asleep again. I hate the feeling because first I get really nauseous. Then I start sweating. Then I get this ringing in my ears, which gets louder until I can't even hear myself speak (but I knew that I was telling Boyfriend I was going to faint, I just couldn't hear it or feel my lips saying it). My vision goes black around the edges and I get this aura in the middle, which would be really pretty if it didn't feel like crap. And then I go out. But I always come to, and we got home all right and then at long last I got to go to sleep for real, for the first time in over a week, uninterrupted sleep alone in my own bed with my blankie and my beary. Mmm yay
Well that was really long and I don't blame you if you didn't read it all. Haha Bear, you thought you were special to get a mention in my blog? How about a novel, here ya go XD
Everything you do makes it easy to fall in love with you.
Boyfriend and I had a lovely 6-month anniversary celebration this weekend. Boyfriend will call it a victory celebration, and I can't really argue that: six months marks the longest relationship I've had, and still no qualms!
He surprised me with flowers. Now, as a guy, you can never go wrong with flowers, especially red roses. See how pretty they look in my kitchen? I smile every time I walk by them. ^_^
(I love that the chalkboard in the background says "Happy B-Day Julia.")
For dinner we went to my favorite restaurant, the one my family often went for special occasions and celebrations when I was younger. Boyfriend hadn't been there before but he enjoyed it as much as I did. It's such a cute, quirky little place; what's not to love? It's out of place on the busiest intersection in town, surrounded by the likes of Taco Bell, Mickey D's, Chili's and a car dealership. You'd think it was someone's cheery little yellow house. Out back is this tiny little dirt lot. You wouldn't suspect a thing - but surprise! It's a restaurant. The walls are decorated with strawberry-themed antiques and the tables and chairs are all mismatched. It feels like a little, very eclectic country kitchen. And the food is SO GOOD. We both ate way more than our stomachs could actually fit.
That, of course, meant we had to go walk it off at the reservoir when we got back to my house. Dusk was just turning to night and the fireflies were out in the canyon by the dam. Unfortunately, so were the mosquitos, so we soon walked back home and usurped the family room to watch Toy Story 2. Boyfriend's idea, not mine, I'll have you know. Not that I would ever complain about watching Toy Story. I just thought it was worth mentioning since I generally complain about him choosing terrible movies. So, on top of being the reigning champion of my love life, Boyfriend must also be congratulated for doing absolutely everything right on our anniversary. ^_^
And now it's tangent time! Because what would my blog be without random drivel peppering every post? Has anyone else noticed that Woody looks an awful lot like Gabe Saporta? It's his eyes and mouth, I think, and the general way his face moves.
My new theory is that Pixar is wholly responsible for Cobra Starship. How else could that band possibly be as amazing as they are? Okay, that's all I have to say about that.
He surprised me with flowers. Now, as a guy, you can never go wrong with flowers, especially red roses. See how pretty they look in my kitchen? I smile every time I walk by them. ^_^
(I love that the chalkboard in the background says "Happy B-Day Julia.")
For dinner we went to my favorite restaurant, the one my family often went for special occasions and celebrations when I was younger. Boyfriend hadn't been there before but he enjoyed it as much as I did. It's such a cute, quirky little place; what's not to love? It's out of place on the busiest intersection in town, surrounded by the likes of Taco Bell, Mickey D's, Chili's and a car dealership. You'd think it was someone's cheery little yellow house. Out back is this tiny little dirt lot. You wouldn't suspect a thing - but surprise! It's a restaurant. The walls are decorated with strawberry-themed antiques and the tables and chairs are all mismatched. It feels like a little, very eclectic country kitchen. And the food is SO GOOD. We both ate way more than our stomachs could actually fit.
That, of course, meant we had to go walk it off at the reservoir when we got back to my house. Dusk was just turning to night and the fireflies were out in the canyon by the dam. Unfortunately, so were the mosquitos, so we soon walked back home and usurped the family room to watch Toy Story 2. Boyfriend's idea, not mine, I'll have you know. Not that I would ever complain about watching Toy Story. I just thought it was worth mentioning since I generally complain about him choosing terrible movies. So, on top of being the reigning champion of my love life, Boyfriend must also be congratulated for doing absolutely everything right on our anniversary. ^_^
And now it's tangent time! Because what would my blog be without random drivel peppering every post? Has anyone else noticed that Woody looks an awful lot like Gabe Saporta? It's his eyes and mouth, I think, and the general way his face moves.
My new theory is that Pixar is wholly responsible for Cobra Starship. How else could that band possibly be as amazing as they are? Okay, that's all I have to say about that.
The Pictures
Last night, finding myself unable to fall asleep in spite of how sick and exhausted I was, I decided to turn on a movie. One familiar enough that I could just listen to it and not have to keep my eyes open to follow the plot. One without a ton of action or suspense. Something G or PG rated, fun, cute, something I could fall asleep to. And then I realized that my DVD collection is sorely, sorely lacking. I have the first Batman movie (the Bale version), Castle in the Sky (but only in Japanese, Korean, and four versions of Chinese), LotR 1 and 2 (but not 3), Narnia, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Shrek, and Pleasantville. Oh, and Kiki's Delivery Service, but the VHS wouldn't fit in my computer. I tried.
In the end I settled on the obscure, infinitely corny "Whisper of the Heart," which my friend Kurisuchu lent me like a year ago (sorry Kurisuchu! D= ) It's clear to me that this movie selection problem must be remedied! So, I am going to make a list of DVDs I intend to buy at the soonest possible date and at the cheapest possible price. To be amended.
Spirited Away
Howl's Moving Castle
My Neighbor Totoro
A Beautiful Mind
The Wizard of Oz
The Lakehouse
Some Disney classics that I'm too lazy to think of right now
Wall-E, Monsters Inc., both of which I can possibly steal from my family without anyone noticing.
In the end I settled on the obscure, infinitely corny "Whisper of the Heart," which my friend Kurisuchu lent me like a year ago (sorry Kurisuchu! D= ) It's clear to me that this movie selection problem must be remedied! So, I am going to make a list of DVDs I intend to buy at the soonest possible date and at the cheapest possible price. To be amended.
Spirited Away
Howl's Moving Castle
My Neighbor Totoro
A Beautiful Mind
The Wizard of Oz
The Lakehouse
Some Disney classics that I'm too lazy to think of right now
Wall-E, Monsters Inc., both of which I can possibly steal from my family without anyone noticing.
Explosion 3: Light in the dark as I search for the resolution.
Good grief, it is nearly impossible to find TX400 film anymore. I went to THREE Ritz Cameras and NONE of them had any. I understand that Ritz filed chapter 11, but that does not seem like a legitimate excuse for a CAMERA store to stop stocking FILM. Well I finally found a place that had the right speed and the right number of exposures and bought them out. Unfortunately that means I've only got enough rolls to last me another week, or two if I stretch it, and it cost me $3 more a roll than I used to pay for the same stuff at Ritz. Grr.
I'm back at school and not hating it quite yet. I've got three classes now (not counting PE). This doesn't mean I will have zero stress this quad, but it DOES mean I won't have to write any more papers this year! Woo! I've decided not to read any more of the astronomy text. It's a waste of time as he says the exact same thing in class. So really, it's down to my photography and production projects... and the disgusting amount of production reading I neglected to finish last quad and over break. But things are better, and I'm sure not complaining. Plus, Global Ed is giving me back my $30 from the Italy seminar I applied for since the trip isn't happening. Not enough applicants. Tragic, eh? But now I have $30!! Time to go blow it on a concert.... XD
So I just found this post I started a while back and figured I ought to finish it. That's right, more of my life story. Hooray!...? It's gonna be long. I really want to suck the marrow out of some of the best and worst moments of 2008.
--------------------------------------
1/16/09
I am not comfortable with the recent development of a "hottie potty" in our communal bathroom. I understand that decorating the bathroom is fun and makes dorm life a more personal and memorable experience; that is not my objection. However I can no longer use the middle stall due to the pictures of men sticky tacked to the stall door and walls. I feel particularly uncomfortable with a Nikon ad featuring Ashton Kutcher pointing a D60 DIRECTLY AT ME WHILE I PEE.
---------------------------------------
Last time on The Life of Mandii Explodes All Over The Internet, we had arrived at November, which was a stressful month for our heroine....
I was angsty about the Spontaneous Concert Enthusiast scandal and trying to create space between us without coming out and saying anything, because that's just how girls play the game of life. Silly, I know. I don't know why we do it. Meanwhile, I got to know this other friend of the male persuasion and was sort of hoping our friendship would give me the leverage I craved. Isn't that a rotten thing to hope for? Well, now I've made it sound like I was using him, but I wasn't. I don't think I would know how to use someone even if I wanted to; and if I did, surely the guilt would kill me before I could actually cause any damage. So me and this friend got along pretty well; we had some common interests and mutual friends and shared some good laughs over things like metal and Miyazaki films and skanking. We'll call him Angry Frodo because it takes a lot less time to type than something like "Spontaneous Concert Enthusiast."
I don't handle drama well since I don't usually have a whole lot of it in my life, and really, like I said, the only way I know how to handle it is to avoid it. So I ran away a whole lot that month. I visited Wanda at Northeastern a couple of times (randomly going into Boston is not a financially sustainable option for a college student. Take note). Especially when I started feeling cramped by Angry Frodo, all I wanted to do was be somewhere, anywhere, else. I remember working out until I couldn't move one night, and going to TAI... stoked to shove people around because I was so damn PISSED. He wasn't being a jerk or anything. He just seemed to be demanding an inordinate amount of my time and attention - again, more than appropriate for mere friends - and I couldn't seem to distance myself in the ordinary ways, so I pulled my usual disappearing act, coward that I am, and hoped the problem would go away by itself. Generally when you don't pay attention to someone, that communicates that you're not interested in them, romantically or otherwise. Am I wrong about this? Sounds like common sense, right? Because sadly, it got to the point where I really DIDN'T want anything to do with him, period.
Sorry, no dice. Because hey, this is my life we're talking about; nothing could ever go down the NORMAL way. So in the end, Angry Frodo wasn't a source of resolution between me and SCE, but rather developed into a problem of his own. As far as SCE goes, straight-up honesty took the prize. He had the courage I didn't and asked if there was any chance of us getting together, and I had to tell him there really wasn't. I said we can never know what the future holds, but for the time being I couldn't see it, and he shouldn't pass up other opportunities waiting for me. I hated saying it. I worried we wouldn't be able to stay friends. But I couldn't lie to him, and it sure lifted a heavy burden off my shoulders.
Still, Thanksgiving couldn't come fast enough for my liking. I needed respite from the drama. I needed respite from Angry Frodo constantly asking me where I was and what I was doing and why I wasn't answering his text messages. Really, I just needed respite from men in general.
Isn't it funny the way we give up on things, only to have life drop something perfect right into our lap? You see, that weekend was the weekend I met Boyfriend. Technically I'd met him before, but only for a few short hours at one of Ravin's pool parties over a year ago and for about two seconds at Blockbuster even before that. Oh, and that one time I was with Ravin and Shark and we went to see him at his mom's place and he was working on a music video in his boxers, and I was like AAHHH THE HORROR!!! So yeah, if you'd come up to me after any one of those encounters and been like, "So guess what. That guy there with the long hair, yeah, he's gonna be the best thing that ever happens to you," I would've said you were on crack. Likewise, Boyfriend thought I was this crazy prudey girl based on the time at Ravin's when we all walked to the beach and everybody else wanted to go skinny dipping and I was HORRIFIED.
Needless to say, I'm not exactly sure how things fell into place. All I know is, it was Saturday night. Ravin, The Pantsless One and I were making the rounds, trying to see everyone we needed to see. For some reason, I was very insistent that Ravin give not-yet-Boyfriend a call, and when he'd agreed to let us kidnap him, I drove us to his mom's place. He thought we were going to make him drive and mocked us for being the worst kidnappers ever.
We all got back to my house and I was like, "Oh yeah, by the way, you're stuck here because I'm not allowed out after 12:30" (this was back when my curfew was still in effect). I don't really remember what we did all night. Took dumb pictures, maybe played some video games, watched a sucky movie on my laptop during which we ALL tried to fit on the pull-out bed in the family room and just ended up spooning. You'd think I would've been wary after the SCE scandal. Yet even as the wee hours of the morning wore on and I started to notice this unprecedented, inexplicable chemistry going on between me and still-not-yet-Boyfriend, I wasn't bothered. In fact, I was downright happy about it.
It was getting late (read: early... say about 3 or 4), and not-yet-Boyfriend and I were both dozing off. Ravin and TPO have more practice pulling all-nighters and weren't tired, so they went downstairs to let us sleep; but of course, there was no chance of me actually falling asleep because not-yet-Boyfriend and I were snuggling, and by then I had this feeling that something really good was happening and I didn't want to miss a second of it. My head was on his chest and I remember listening to his heartbeat, trying to tell if he felt it, too.
I turned my face just enough to see whether his eyes were open or if he was asleep, and suddenly we were kissing. I was and wasn't surprised when it happened. I have to say there wasn't a whole lot going through my head, at least nothing particularly coherent, except that, unlike the mess with SCE, this actually felt right. That, unabashedly, I'd never had a kiss as good as that. That if I could have stopped the sun from rising and kept us in that moment for the rest of my life, I would've been the happiest person alive.
I think that's a good note to end on. Tune in next time to find out.... Will Amandasaurus and not-Boyfriend get together? (All right, we all know that one's a moot point... three months and counting! ^_^) Will our heroine and the SCE get along? Will Angry Frodo get a clue? Find out next time on The Life of Mandii Explodes All Over the Internet!!!
P.S. I am still accepting bribes for the not-so-anxiously-awaited excerpt..... If anybody actually cares. Sorry, no double-bribes. Schneckleface and Jenniferin, you're out on this one. But thanks for the love.
P.P.S. The Dead Poets Society is a FANTASTIC movie! Everyone should see it! It's basically about these boys at a boarding school, which is really academically rigid and discourages free thinking even more than the average educational institution, who get a new English teacher named John Keating. Mr. Keating (or "Captain, my Captain" as the students call him) is most definitely a free thinker and an unconventional teacher with a passion for poetry. The students find out that when he was a student at their school, he founded the Dead Poets Society, a group of boys that wanted to "suck the marrow out of life" and whose motto was my favorite adage, "Carpe Diem!" So the boys decide to resurrect the society (heh... resurrect the dead poets society... =3.) It was a very inspiring movie with really beautiful cinematography. And no, Boyfriend, it wasn't gay.
I'm back at school and not hating it quite yet. I've got three classes now (not counting PE). This doesn't mean I will have zero stress this quad, but it DOES mean I won't have to write any more papers this year! Woo! I've decided not to read any more of the astronomy text. It's a waste of time as he says the exact same thing in class. So really, it's down to my photography and production projects... and the disgusting amount of production reading I neglected to finish last quad and over break. But things are better, and I'm sure not complaining. Plus, Global Ed is giving me back my $30 from the Italy seminar I applied for since the trip isn't happening. Not enough applicants. Tragic, eh? But now I have $30!! Time to go blow it on a concert.... XD
So I just found this post I started a while back and figured I ought to finish it. That's right, more of my life story. Hooray!...? It's gonna be long. I really want to suck the marrow out of some of the best and worst moments of 2008.
--------------------------------------
1/16/09
I am not comfortable with the recent development of a "hottie potty" in our communal bathroom. I understand that decorating the bathroom is fun and makes dorm life a more personal and memorable experience; that is not my objection. However I can no longer use the middle stall due to the pictures of men sticky tacked to the stall door and walls. I feel particularly uncomfortable with a Nikon ad featuring Ashton Kutcher pointing a D60 DIRECTLY AT ME WHILE I PEE.
---------------------------------------
Last time on The Life of Mandii Explodes All Over The Internet, we had arrived at November, which was a stressful month for our heroine....
I was angsty about the Spontaneous Concert Enthusiast scandal and trying to create space between us without coming out and saying anything, because that's just how girls play the game of life. Silly, I know. I don't know why we do it. Meanwhile, I got to know this other friend of the male persuasion and was sort of hoping our friendship would give me the leverage I craved. Isn't that a rotten thing to hope for? Well, now I've made it sound like I was using him, but I wasn't. I don't think I would know how to use someone even if I wanted to; and if I did, surely the guilt would kill me before I could actually cause any damage. So me and this friend got along pretty well; we had some common interests and mutual friends and shared some good laughs over things like metal and Miyazaki films and skanking. We'll call him Angry Frodo because it takes a lot less time to type than something like "Spontaneous Concert Enthusiast."
I don't handle drama well since I don't usually have a whole lot of it in my life, and really, like I said, the only way I know how to handle it is to avoid it. So I ran away a whole lot that month. I visited Wanda at Northeastern a couple of times (randomly going into Boston is not a financially sustainable option for a college student. Take note). Especially when I started feeling cramped by Angry Frodo, all I wanted to do was be somewhere, anywhere, else. I remember working out until I couldn't move one night, and going to TAI... stoked to shove people around because I was so damn PISSED. He wasn't being a jerk or anything. He just seemed to be demanding an inordinate amount of my time and attention - again, more than appropriate for mere friends - and I couldn't seem to distance myself in the ordinary ways, so I pulled my usual disappearing act, coward that I am, and hoped the problem would go away by itself. Generally when you don't pay attention to someone, that communicates that you're not interested in them, romantically or otherwise. Am I wrong about this? Sounds like common sense, right? Because sadly, it got to the point where I really DIDN'T want anything to do with him, period.
Sorry, no dice. Because hey, this is my life we're talking about; nothing could ever go down the NORMAL way. So in the end, Angry Frodo wasn't a source of resolution between me and SCE, but rather developed into a problem of his own. As far as SCE goes, straight-up honesty took the prize. He had the courage I didn't and asked if there was any chance of us getting together, and I had to tell him there really wasn't. I said we can never know what the future holds, but for the time being I couldn't see it, and he shouldn't pass up other opportunities waiting for me. I hated saying it. I worried we wouldn't be able to stay friends. But I couldn't lie to him, and it sure lifted a heavy burden off my shoulders.
Still, Thanksgiving couldn't come fast enough for my liking. I needed respite from the drama. I needed respite from Angry Frodo constantly asking me where I was and what I was doing and why I wasn't answering his text messages. Really, I just needed respite from men in general.
Isn't it funny the way we give up on things, only to have life drop something perfect right into our lap? You see, that weekend was the weekend I met Boyfriend. Technically I'd met him before, but only for a few short hours at one of Ravin's pool parties over a year ago and for about two seconds at Blockbuster even before that. Oh, and that one time I was with Ravin and Shark and we went to see him at his mom's place and he was working on a music video in his boxers, and I was like AAHHH THE HORROR!!! So yeah, if you'd come up to me after any one of those encounters and been like, "So guess what. That guy there with the long hair, yeah, he's gonna be the best thing that ever happens to you," I would've said you were on crack. Likewise, Boyfriend thought I was this crazy prudey girl based on the time at Ravin's when we all walked to the beach and everybody else wanted to go skinny dipping and I was HORRIFIED.
Needless to say, I'm not exactly sure how things fell into place. All I know is, it was Saturday night. Ravin, The Pantsless One and I were making the rounds, trying to see everyone we needed to see. For some reason, I was very insistent that Ravin give not-yet-Boyfriend a call, and when he'd agreed to let us kidnap him, I drove us to his mom's place. He thought we were going to make him drive and mocked us for being the worst kidnappers ever.
We all got back to my house and I was like, "Oh yeah, by the way, you're stuck here because I'm not allowed out after 12:30" (this was back when my curfew was still in effect). I don't really remember what we did all night. Took dumb pictures, maybe played some video games, watched a sucky movie on my laptop during which we ALL tried to fit on the pull-out bed in the family room and just ended up spooning. You'd think I would've been wary after the SCE scandal. Yet even as the wee hours of the morning wore on and I started to notice this unprecedented, inexplicable chemistry going on between me and still-not-yet-Boyfriend, I wasn't bothered. In fact, I was downright happy about it.
It was getting late (read: early... say about 3 or 4), and not-yet-Boyfriend and I were both dozing off. Ravin and TPO have more practice pulling all-nighters and weren't tired, so they went downstairs to let us sleep; but of course, there was no chance of me actually falling asleep because not-yet-Boyfriend and I were snuggling, and by then I had this feeling that something really good was happening and I didn't want to miss a second of it. My head was on his chest and I remember listening to his heartbeat, trying to tell if he felt it, too.
I turned my face just enough to see whether his eyes were open or if he was asleep, and suddenly we were kissing. I was and wasn't surprised when it happened. I have to say there wasn't a whole lot going through my head, at least nothing particularly coherent, except that, unlike the mess with SCE, this actually felt right. That, unabashedly, I'd never had a kiss as good as that. That if I could have stopped the sun from rising and kept us in that moment for the rest of my life, I would've been the happiest person alive.
I think that's a good note to end on. Tune in next time to find out.... Will Amandasaurus and not-Boyfriend get together? (All right, we all know that one's a moot point... three months and counting! ^_^) Will our heroine and the SCE get along? Will Angry Frodo get a clue? Find out next time on The Life of Mandii Explodes All Over the Internet!!!
P.S. I am still accepting bribes for the not-so-anxiously-awaited excerpt..... If anybody actually cares. Sorry, no double-bribes. Schneckleface and Jenniferin, you're out on this one. But thanks for the love.
P.P.S. The Dead Poets Society is a FANTASTIC movie! Everyone should see it! It's basically about these boys at a boarding school, which is really academically rigid and discourages free thinking even more than the average educational institution, who get a new English teacher named John Keating. Mr. Keating (or "Captain, my Captain" as the students call him) is most definitely a free thinker and an unconventional teacher with a passion for poetry. The students find out that when he was a student at their school, he founded the Dead Poets Society, a group of boys that wanted to "suck the marrow out of life" and whose motto was my favorite adage, "Carpe Diem!" So the boys decide to resurrect the society (heh... resurrect the dead poets society... =3.) It was a very inspiring movie with really beautiful cinematography. And no, Boyfriend, it wasn't gay.
Blather
Hello all. I don't have anything exciting to say so just move right along. I'm chillin at Boyfriend's, singing along to the All American Rejects to the immense enjoyment of anyone able to hear, I'm sure.
But we're gonna talk about not-the-All-American-Rejects now. As usual, Relient K has proved to be a very appropriate soundtrack to my life. This song has been thematic for me more than once, but never more so than now. Enjoy =)
I have an astronomy exam on Wednesday and I know I'm screwed, which makes it really difficult to motivate myself to study. I've heard the prof scales the tests by like, 40 points. I say he should just give easier tests. Or more of them covering less material. Because the one coming up covers 20 pages of class notes, 7 chapters of the textbook, aaaaaand MATH. Yep, I'm screwed. I don't know what I expected from this class but I know I'm not getting it.
No, that's a lie. I'll tell you what I expected. I thought we would have regular classes that taught us principles of astronomy and then meet up in the middle of the night to observe the heavens.... sort of Harry Potter style. I want to study the sky the way the original astronomers did - that is, through OBSERVATION. There are just some things that shouldn't be taught in a classroom, and astronomy is one of them. But then, I am very much against structured education in the form it takes today, particularly at this point in time, so I suppose I'm too biased for my opinion to matter much.
On the bright side, I've only got 19 more days before spring break. HUZZAH! Let's make it even more epic than last year.
Oh, so Boyfriend and I watched this movie last night, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. When I read about it in AP, it sounded really fantastic, and the premise was good. They spent the movie searching for this band that was having a secret concert, and they were supposed to follow clues to figure out where the show was happening. Sounds brilliant, right? Like don't you wish you knew of a band like that? Music suddenly becomes this magnificent adventure, right?
But the movie was more about dumb high school drama, and in the end, they finally found the venue and (SPOILER ALERT) THEY DIDN'T EVEN GO TO THE DAMN SHOW. They were all "are you sad we missed it?" "No, I'm not, are you?" And I'm just like "WHAT ABOUT ME? I WANTED YOU TO GO THE SHOW. Idiots." The soundtrack was okay I guess. Nothing fantastic. Like Boyfriend said, the whole movie was trying too hard to be like Juno, and it didn't help that Michael Cera co-starred in it. So the moral of the story is don't waste your time watching this movie. Go follow a band around the city instead, and when you find 'em, watch their show. The end.
But we're gonna talk about not-the-All-American-Rejects now. As usual, Relient K has proved to be a very appropriate soundtrack to my life. This song has been thematic for me more than once, but never more so than now. Enjoy =)
I have an astronomy exam on Wednesday and I know I'm screwed, which makes it really difficult to motivate myself to study. I've heard the prof scales the tests by like, 40 points. I say he should just give easier tests. Or more of them covering less material. Because the one coming up covers 20 pages of class notes, 7 chapters of the textbook, aaaaaand MATH. Yep, I'm screwed. I don't know what I expected from this class but I know I'm not getting it.
No, that's a lie. I'll tell you what I expected. I thought we would have regular classes that taught us principles of astronomy and then meet up in the middle of the night to observe the heavens.... sort of Harry Potter style. I want to study the sky the way the original astronomers did - that is, through OBSERVATION. There are just some things that shouldn't be taught in a classroom, and astronomy is one of them. But then, I am very much against structured education in the form it takes today, particularly at this point in time, so I suppose I'm too biased for my opinion to matter much.
On the bright side, I've only got 19 more days before spring break. HUZZAH! Let's make it even more epic than last year.
Oh, so Boyfriend and I watched this movie last night, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. When I read about it in AP, it sounded really fantastic, and the premise was good. They spent the movie searching for this band that was having a secret concert, and they were supposed to follow clues to figure out where the show was happening. Sounds brilliant, right? Like don't you wish you knew of a band like that? Music suddenly becomes this magnificent adventure, right?
But the movie was more about dumb high school drama, and in the end, they finally found the venue and (SPOILER ALERT) THEY DIDN'T EVEN GO TO THE DAMN SHOW. They were all "are you sad we missed it?" "No, I'm not, are you?" And I'm just like "WHAT ABOUT ME? I WANTED YOU TO GO THE SHOW. Idiots." The soundtrack was okay I guess. Nothing fantastic. Like Boyfriend said, the whole movie was trying too hard to be like Juno, and it didn't help that Michael Cera co-starred in it. So the moral of the story is don't waste your time watching this movie. Go follow a band around the city instead, and when you find 'em, watch their show. The end.
Sweetbitter
An overwhelming number of my favorite people bundled into a single track:
"Bittersweet" sort of embodies how I'm feeling about a few things right now. Snow. My family. Life... and its lack of talking animals and epic clashes of good vs. evil. The usual.
It snowed so bad today that it took us at least half an hour to make it home from Marshall's (it should've been half that), and when we got to the road that my street branches off of, there were some guys pushing cars up the little slope because none of them could make it up. So far at least eight inches of cold, white fairy dust have collected on the tree branches and wrought iron furniture outside.
I am starting to see some of the reasons adults dislike snow. Aside from the perilous roads, there's the issue of shoveling. I don't think I'd mind so much except we have a long, gravel driveway and, oh yeah, I have spaghetti for arm muscles. There's nothing like manual labor to make you resent one of nature's most beautiful mood swings.
For now, though, I'm hunkering down in my chilly little cave of a bedroom after watching two of my favorite movies with two of my favorite people. Horton Hears a Who, if you haven't seen it, is SO not "just for kids." It's got drugs - I mean, fuzzy dandelions - and emo kids in it. Really, with those factors, you can't go wrong.
After that we watched Prince Caspian. I adore fantasy movies like that, but I felt really bad for my sister because she couldn't understand why a little girl coming back to a magical world where trees and animals used to be her friends would try to talk to a bear. I said she just needed to read more fantasy books and use her imagination a little, which for some reason made her kind of mad at me.
Then, when the movie ended, I got all melancholy as I always do at the end of fantasy movies and said to my mom, "I always hate when the adventure has to end and everything has to go back to normal." She looked at me the way she used to when she wanted to talk me out of believing in fairies in sixth grade and said, "Fantasy isn't real, darling."
Well, yeah, but are you saying you don't get sucked into the story? Are you saying you don't suspend your disbelief and start to believe lions really talk? How can you not want that to be real? Le sigh. Apparently I am the only one in this household with a taste for high fantasy. Tragic.
But I am trying to highlight the sweet. Snow is magical. I can't wait to go walking in the fresh, clean, black and white world tomorrow. I should buy film and take pictures. We have storytellers to make up for the things that are impossible in real life, and hey, real life isn't so bad, anyway. In fact, right now it's kind of...
Sweet.
"Bittersweet" sort of embodies how I'm feeling about a few things right now. Snow. My family. Life... and its lack of talking animals and epic clashes of good vs. evil. The usual.
It snowed so bad today that it took us at least half an hour to make it home from Marshall's (it should've been half that), and when we got to the road that my street branches off of, there were some guys pushing cars up the little slope because none of them could make it up. So far at least eight inches of cold, white fairy dust have collected on the tree branches and wrought iron furniture outside.
I am starting to see some of the reasons adults dislike snow. Aside from the perilous roads, there's the issue of shoveling. I don't think I'd mind so much except we have a long, gravel driveway and, oh yeah, I have spaghetti for arm muscles. There's nothing like manual labor to make you resent one of nature's most beautiful mood swings.
For now, though, I'm hunkering down in my chilly little cave of a bedroom after watching two of my favorite movies with two of my favorite people. Horton Hears a Who, if you haven't seen it, is SO not "just for kids." It's got drugs - I mean, fuzzy dandelions - and emo kids in it. Really, with those factors, you can't go wrong.
After that we watched Prince Caspian. I adore fantasy movies like that, but I felt really bad for my sister because she couldn't understand why a little girl coming back to a magical world where trees and animals used to be her friends would try to talk to a bear. I said she just needed to read more fantasy books and use her imagination a little, which for some reason made her kind of mad at me.
Then, when the movie ended, I got all melancholy as I always do at the end of fantasy movies and said to my mom, "I always hate when the adventure has to end and everything has to go back to normal." She looked at me the way she used to when she wanted to talk me out of believing in fairies in sixth grade and said, "Fantasy isn't real, darling."
Well, yeah, but are you saying you don't get sucked into the story? Are you saying you don't suspend your disbelief and start to believe lions really talk? How can you not want that to be real? Le sigh. Apparently I am the only one in this household with a taste for high fantasy. Tragic.
But I am trying to highlight the sweet. Snow is magical. I can't wait to go walking in the fresh, clean, black and white world tomorrow. I should buy film and take pictures. We have storytellers to make up for the things that are impossible in real life, and hey, real life isn't so bad, anyway. In fact, right now it's kind of...
Sweet.
Snowy with a high of 32
"It's funny how you find you enjoy your life when you're happy to be alive."
Reasons I am happy to be alive:
- I had a fantastic time on my date last night. For the record, though, Twilight is a pretty awful movie. Awful acting, plus some of the camera work really aggravated me/made me dizzy. And as Not-Yet-Boyfriend pointed out, the special effects left a lot to be desired. Anyway, let's get back to reasons I'm happy.
- Driving around, all the houses have Christmas lights twinkling on the trees. And I'm sure that I've not seen the Christmas lights this bright before.
- I woke up this morning and the skylight was blanketed with snow! I call it the white window test. It's how I know the snow is sticking. It's always nice to look out the window and see those very first few flakes of snow. Later on, we can go outside and create the impression of an angel that just fell from the sky.
- The bare trees don't look so naked now in their robes of white.
- Now that it's snowed and we have a beautiful evergreen sparkling in our living room, I feel that it is totally acceptable for me to blast my holiday playlist in the car.
- The only thing that makes me happier than Relient K's old-skool punk-rock Christmas album, "Deck the Halls, Bruise Your Hand," is their cover of "Sleigh Ride." When Megs and I saw them last year, they played that song and some random guys we'd befriended and started a mosh pit with insisted that we "slow mosh" to it. Soooo imagine a slow-motion mosh pit to this:
- I also feel that it is totally acceptable for me to laugh my head off listening to "Sleigh Ride" alone in my car while all the drivers around me wonder if I'm completely nuts. The answer is yes; yes I am.
And you know what?
I am okay with that. ^_^
Reasons I am happy to be alive:
- I had a fantastic time on my date last night. For the record, though, Twilight is a pretty awful movie. Awful acting, plus some of the camera work really aggravated me/made me dizzy. And as Not-Yet-Boyfriend pointed out, the special effects left a lot to be desired. Anyway, let's get back to reasons I'm happy.
- Driving around, all the houses have Christmas lights twinkling on the trees. And I'm sure that I've not seen the Christmas lights this bright before.
- I woke up this morning and the skylight was blanketed with snow! I call it the white window test. It's how I know the snow is sticking. It's always nice to look out the window and see those very first few flakes of snow. Later on, we can go outside and create the impression of an angel that just fell from the sky.
- The bare trees don't look so naked now in their robes of white.
- Now that it's snowed and we have a beautiful evergreen sparkling in our living room, I feel that it is totally acceptable for me to blast my holiday playlist in the car.
- The only thing that makes me happier than Relient K's old-skool punk-rock Christmas album, "Deck the Halls, Bruise Your Hand," is their cover of "Sleigh Ride." When Megs and I saw them last year, they played that song and some random guys we'd befriended and started a mosh pit with insisted that we "slow mosh" to it. Soooo imagine a slow-motion mosh pit to this:
- I also feel that it is totally acceptable for me to laugh my head off listening to "Sleigh Ride" alone in my car while all the drivers around me wonder if I'm completely nuts. The answer is yes; yes I am.
And you know what?
I am okay with that. ^_^
Spoonage?!
Why is my room so effing cold??? I'd get as much warmth sleeping out in my car... with the heater off. Anybody up for spooning...?
I went to brunch with Wanda today and afterward we went in search of a cafe that served steamers. We found one downtown and I got the best mint chocolate steamer I've ever had. Then we jammed a little and watched some Lovely Complex, which is pretty much the most adorable show ever except for maybe My Neighbor Totoro (but that's a movie, not a show). I've been playing my bass a lot lately. I wish I was in a band so I'd have more motivation to practice. Oh, and so I'd have a good excuse to travel across the country in a van. ^_^
Then my mom made me come home to see my sister and then go visit my grandpa. I figured we were supposed to spend quality time or something but we just watched Oprah for like an hour, which was painfully boring and I wished I'd stuck around at Wanda's and played bass some more. I painted my nails fluorescent pink and worked on my string project to pass the time. But then my mommy made me grilled cheese with tomato in it, and the cheese was the right color (i.e. not orange like the stuff in Lane), and all was forgiven.
I watched Wall-E with Ash and his family tonight. Cutest movie ever!! Especially from the perspective of a comm major who's gone through the process of telling a story without dialog. Not that Wall-E had NO dialog, but the parts that didn't have it, didn't need it, and even the parts that had it told the story very visually. I guess once you get into film this is how you start to think about all movies without even trying. Haha.
Then Ash and I went to visit Chaaz, who didn't say much because he was busy slaying zombies. I'm pretty sure the only information we actually exchanged was that I do not, in fact, have a boyfriend at school, thank you very much for asking. Now I'm listening to some lovely acoustic music to try and purge my mind of the rather gruesome thought of zombies spawning and eating people. And still working on not freezing. I think I'll try and sleep now; it's probably my warmest option. If I start having zombie nightmares... I just have to remember to count my fingers.....
I went to brunch with Wanda today and afterward we went in search of a cafe that served steamers. We found one downtown and I got the best mint chocolate steamer I've ever had. Then we jammed a little and watched some Lovely Complex, which is pretty much the most adorable show ever except for maybe My Neighbor Totoro (but that's a movie, not a show). I've been playing my bass a lot lately. I wish I was in a band so I'd have more motivation to practice. Oh, and so I'd have a good excuse to travel across the country in a van. ^_^
Then my mom made me come home to see my sister and then go visit my grandpa. I figured we were supposed to spend quality time or something but we just watched Oprah for like an hour, which was painfully boring and I wished I'd stuck around at Wanda's and played bass some more. I painted my nails fluorescent pink and worked on my string project to pass the time. But then my mommy made me grilled cheese with tomato in it, and the cheese was the right color (i.e. not orange like the stuff in Lane), and all was forgiven.
I watched Wall-E with Ash and his family tonight. Cutest movie ever!! Especially from the perspective of a comm major who's gone through the process of telling a story without dialog. Not that Wall-E had NO dialog, but the parts that didn't have it, didn't need it, and even the parts that had it told the story very visually. I guess once you get into film this is how you start to think about all movies without even trying. Haha.
Then Ash and I went to visit Chaaz, who didn't say much because he was busy slaying zombies. I'm pretty sure the only information we actually exchanged was that I do not, in fact, have a boyfriend at school, thank you very much for asking. Now I'm listening to some lovely acoustic music to try and purge my mind of the rather gruesome thought of zombies spawning and eating people. And still working on not freezing. I think I'll try and sleep now; it's probably my warmest option. If I start having zombie nightmares... I just have to remember to count my fingers.....
