Well, I guess this is it, Blog Buddies and casual readers. I guess it's time to tell you something that I've needed to say for a while. I hate snakes. I hate them on planes, I hate them on trains. I hate them in rocks, I hate them in lochs. I do not like them, Sam I am, I do not like them, and I never can.
Today while moving rocks about for dad and his rock wall, I found not one, not two, but three little snakes.
Oh, but snakes are neat! CR cried.
No. Snakes are not neat. Snakes are evil. Do you want proof? Read Genesis. God hates snakes.
The first was a little brown snake; I don't think it was a copperhead. When I moved the rock it was under, it looked at me with a look equivalent to a two year old about to have a tantrum, but then just slithered off. The second was a little ring-snake. Ring snakes are not poisonous, but unfortunately for it, it is a snake and thus guilty by association. The third was another brown one, but darker than the first with a wider head. I didn't stick around to figure out if it was a copperhead or not, I just sprinted away.
Oh, but you could have killed it!
No...see, my weapons were a three pronged rake used to move the rocks, a hose, and a pick ax. And while a normal person would have no problem using these as weapons against snakes, I am slightly more accident prone and lack any sense of direction or aim to really use these successfully. I have a video dramatization of my overall aim skills while swinging something over my head:
Anyways, as this is my last blog entry, I guess I should close it up by saying how much I'm going to miss you! 23 days of no contact with the states is going to be insane! But before I get to Athens, I have to survive 21 hours of travel. TWENTY-ONE HOURS!!!
My flight leaves from Charlotte at 6:20am and arrives in Newark, NJ at 8:12am. Then...I sit there for 10 hours. Luckily, I have a lot of reading material and am really amused by people in general. After that, I hop aboard a plane for a 10hr flight at 5:3opm, arriving in Athens at 10:30am the next day. But then I will be in ATHENS, GREECE!!!
Alright, well, I need to get back to packing. I hope you all have a great month and I'll talk to you after July 19th!!
So, I have FOUR days until I lose all contact with anyone stateside. ALL CONTACT!!! AHH!!! This means, no blogs, no facebook, no AIM, no phone calls (and all that goes with it), no Twitter....for 23 Days. This is insane!!!
So, I've been packing and cleaning and lawn mowing today and I can't believe that in less than a week I will not be in the United States of America. This is not my first time in a foreign country (I've been to Mexico a few times and Canada once), but see, unlike Mexico and Canada, there will be a giant OCEAN in between you all (except for Jack) and me.
A note to Jack- Yes. We will be on the same continent. I still crack up a little when I think of that.
For everyone else who is in the dark on that one, the convo basically went like this: Me-I'll be in Greece from June 26th until July 19. Jack- OMG! I'll be in London for part of that time! We'll be on the same continent! Me- Um, Jack? We're on the same continent now. Jack- Oh yea...
It was a great moment. But yeah...this will officially be the furthest away from home that I have ever been. I know I won't be able to update you at all while I'm in Greece, but I will be keeping a travel log and will post it here when I get back, which is kind of like a blog, just late. Oh, and expect a lot of pictures!!!
As you can probably tell, I'm really super excited. I even watched half of Mamma Mia with my grandmother (there is not review because honestly I couldn't stomach watching Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan try to sing...it was disasterous).
I wonder if they celebrate the Fourth of July in Crete...doubtful. Is anyone willing to TiVo the Boston Pops/ Washington Fourth of July Specials??? I'll bring popcorn and we can have a viewing party when I get back!
So, I forgot to bring my camera's laptop cable to Florida, explaining the delay in the pictures. The full story is below, so I don't find a need to really elaborate too extensively on what you are seeing. Enjoy!!! Image 1 and 2: Crowds on the bleachers. Look at all of us waiting for the exciting launch of the Atlas V carrying the LRO and LCROSS
Image 3: Rocket Pad 41 with the Atlas V rocket before liftoff.
Image 4: Launch Pad A where the shuttles launch from. Image 5: Launch Pad B- where shuttles used to be launched from, but is now being demolished due to the retirement of the shuttle program.
Image 6: Lift Off! Well, actually, a few seconds after lift-off. This is right before it disappeared behind the clouds and continued to the moon.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Cradlesong-Rob Thomas-2009 Soft Rock/Pop
I am a big Matchbox 20 fan, and really enjoyed RT's first solo album Something to Be, but I must say that this album combines a little bit of both Matchbox 20 and RT. The first song on the track and first single, "Her Diamonds" has a lot of things that one might look for in a good song- great lyrics, a good melody, and a gospel choir (alright, so maybe not everyone would like the choir, but I think it's rockin', and this is my review, yea?)
While the whole album can cleanly be put into the Pop/Rock category, the songs sound different enough from one another so the album doesn't get boring. They range from medium tempo to slow to quick. However, if you are familiar with Matchbox 20, you will hear a LOT of recycling of old tempos, rhythms, tunes, and even vocal patterns, which is fine, if you are a Matchbox 20 fan.
Also, some of the songs did seem to mimic the lyrics from previous Matchbox 20 songs, especially "Gasoline" which seemed to be a lyrical combination of "Last Beautiful Girl" and "All I Need," but is still alright as far as songs go. There is definitely a creative vacuum in some places...even though Matchbox 20 already released a song titled "Real World," Rob Thomas went ahead and used the title again on a new song (titled "Real World '09"...lame).
Really, with the exception of "Her Diamonds" and "Natural", none of these songs struck me as lyrically/musically profound or moving. It mostly sounded like filler, but you can't have an album of just filler.
Perhaps this is Rob Thomas' way of "going green," but someone might tell him that recycling music isn't the same as recycling paper.
Overall: B- Fans of Matchbox 20 will enjoy it, but don't expect anything new or exciting. Cradlesong drops June 30th, 2009.
Okay, okay...so maybe I was a little harsh on Kennedy Space Center and their (dis)ability to plan/ host anything, but they DID give out a plethora of free stuff:
1) Souvenir cup 2) Set of Rocket bookmarks 3) Set of planet postcards 4) Moon pies 5) Two pins- one with all the current rockets, and another of the Mars Rover (random, but still cool, I guess...)
So, the trilogy comes to a close. The rocket launched and everything was great. The end. Actually...
This third attempt to see something launch from NASA/ second trip over to Kennedy Space Center was actually not nearly as adventurous as the previous two trips. Things went pretty much exactly as planned.
I woke up at around 8:30, got ready, and left the house at approximately 10am. The launch was at 5:15, but KSC always seems to have a few tricks up their sleeves- this time, the last bus to go out to the viewing site left at 2:15. However, I decided to get their early because there was a 12:30pm IMAX showing of Star Trek, and if I had to be there early, I was at least going to take advantage of a 100ft. Zachary Quinto. But, because KSC seems to thrive on bad-decision making skills (note- Kennedy Space Center is NOT affiliated with NASA), they moved the afternoon showing from 12:30 until 4:30. I really wanted to ask the person who was responsible for this decision if they really expected anyone to choose Star Trek in IMAX over a rocket launch.
So, I get into the park at around 11:30 and now have about 6 horus to essentially kill before the launch- almost 3 hours before I got on the bus. At noon, however, there was a briefing about the LCROSS program, which was actually really neat. In his introduction, this guy was called a "real life Spock," at which point the man rolled his eyes- he must have been a Star Wars fan, or just tired of those analogies. The real-Spock's presentation was really interesting. He explained how the LRO and the LCROSS would separate and then the LCROSS would be propelled by this tin can known and the Centaur. After about four months in orbit (the target date is October 9th) , the LCROSS and the Centaur will separate, and the Centaur will then hurtle itself into the Moon's south pole at a very steep 85 degree angle at very high speeeds. This will allow the LCROSS to see if there is any ice or water on the moon somehow. Four minutes after the Centaur hits the surface, the LCROSS will also hit the surface, but no data will be able to be gathered from that impact because at that point NASA will have just hurled their $79 million computer into the Moon's surface. Well done. The whole point of this is to see if water is on the Moon and if so, can it be used to sustain life for astronauts who will hopefully someday return.
So, after Dr. Spock briefed us on the whole point, I wandered around a bit, got some lunch, and then, because I had already exhausted the activiites at the main complex the previous morning, decided to go ahead and get on the bus over to the Saturn V/Apollo Center viewing site.
So, at the Saturn V/ Apollo Center, there is a lot of stuff about traveling to the moon-an appropriate site for the viewing of this launch . Inside the building is the actual Saturn V rocket and you can walk right underneath it. It is pretty cool and very very large. There is a piece of Moon rock that you can touch (I highly recommend bringing your own Purell or Germ-X for after you touch it...hundreds of people touch it EACH DAY), a shop, and a bunch of little displays about astronauts and going to the moon and so on and so forth.
At around 2:30, I decide to take my seat in the bleachers outside. Yes, there was nearly 3 hours until the launch, but seeing as there were already a bunch of people seated, I didn't want to dally too much and miss the chance to see the launch from a good spot. I'd tried too hard to end up getting stuck in the grass with a poor view. So, upon the bleachers I sat. And sat. And sat some more. Occasionally, mission control would make an announcement, usually having to do with "well, there's this thunderstorm, so we're not sure if we are going to launch...we're sitll watching that storm...looks like the storm is just north of us..." to which the whole crowd responded with signs, glances to the north, and prayers. After about twenty minutes of sitting on the bleacher, a family from Canada came up and sat next to me. They were all very nice and were quite enjoying their time in Florida. They had the cutest little girl, too. She was about 2 or 3, and was just so facinated by my blue tank top and blue nail polish (her mom told Her grandmother told her to tell me who they were going to see tomorrow and she said "Mickey!" She was so precious. I wanted to keep her. Having people there to talk to was actually really nice and made the wait much shorter.
Finally, mission control gave the all clear on the weather and we began at T minus 4 minutes after a twenty minute hold. 10...9...8...everyone stood up...7...6...5...cameras begin rolling 4...3...2...here we go! 1...Lift off!
In the distance, we see this little speck of light and then we can kind of see something that might be a rocket shoot into the air, and then it disappeared behind the clouds. At this point, there was a general mood of "oh, that's it?" That was it. After a Three part chase, two trips to the cape, and waiting for over 3 hours that day, it was all over in about twelve seconds. Not to sound ungreatful for the whole experience, but that launch was seriously the most anti-climactic moment of the whole adventure.
I did get a good picture but I cannot upload it until I get back to Boone due to the fact that I left the cable at home...whoops. But it's a pretty awesome picture. You will like it, I promise.
After the high excitement of the launch, it took about 50 minutes to get back onto a bus and back to the parking lot. Even though we had been separated in the crowd, the little girl and her family found me on the bus and sat next to me. The little girl wanted to sit on my lap and look at the pictures of planets and the moon and the rockets they had handed out. She was so adorable.
So, off the bus and back in the car- I drove home and the adventure was over. On October 9th, people will be able to go outside and watch the impact if they have 10-12in telescopes. Hopefully I'll be able to watch that as I expect seeing something smash into the Moon will be quite exciting.
The first part is about Twitter/ how to support the Iranian protests. Twitter has suddenly become a great tool for Iranians to communicate, but unfortunately it is a very public tool. But, it is possible to help out if you so want, and it's pretty simple: go onto your Twitter account and in your settings, change your location to Tehran and change your time-zone to +3:30 Tehran. This will help conceal the activists' activities because the Iranian government will not know who to follow. This is really a quick and easy way to support the cause.
So...the Space Shuttle Endeavour Launch has been postponed again until July 11th at 7:39PM. Since I will be in Greece at that time (and because it will be nearly 2 in the morning, though that hasn't stopped me so far...), I will not see the launch in person and doubtful I will see it live via tv/internet/other communication medium.
But...just because the launch has been postponed does not mean that there was not an adventure tonight nor imply that I will not try (for the third time) to see SOMETHING launched into outer space. Because this video would be essentially the same thing as the last video (except with a different location), I'm just going to tell you all what happened this evening/ morning. It was pretty awesome anyways.
So, 7:51pm: I leave my grandparents' house in Kissimmee, Florida and begin my journey to the Kennedy Space Center. According to the Kennedy Space Center website and to two of the three semi-reliable sources via their toll free info line, the walk up tickets for visitor complex viewing would go on sale at 10pm. It takes approximately 1-1.25 hours to get to KSC from my grandparent's house in good driving conditions, but, in my uber-nerdiness, I wanted to make sure that I didn't drive all the way over for nothing so I left 45 minutes before I really needed to. This was the best decision I made the entire evening. Not that I made any bad decisions, but I digress... Just as I was pulling out of the driveway, the sky magically opened up and unleashed a massive thunderstorm that followed me all the way from Kissimmee to Cape Canavaral. At one point, I pulled off at an exit just to see if it might die down, but it didn't so onto the B-line I went with all the other nerds of Central Florida traveling at 20 miles an hour with flashers flashing. But, the weather cleared so in the end, the weather tacked on only about 30 minutes to the drive.
Approx. 9:30PM- I pull into the parking lot for the KSC Visitors Complex, got out of my car, and hurried up to the gate. There was already a mass of people (maybe 50-75) waiting for the tickets to go on sale.
10pm: An announcement is made that the storm had prevented fueling to begin (originally scheduled for 7pm), and a decision as to whether or not the launch would happed would be made. Meanwhile, they were not going to sell any tickets until the decision was made. So, we all got comfortable and began the process of casually making friends with the people around us and, most importantly, the people with the name tags and walkie talkies who would have the lastest breaking news on what was going on. Meanwhile, the lightning and rain continued.
10:30pm: A second announcement is made saying that the reason for the delay in the fueling was the lightning, and a decision would be made shortly. Ten seconds or so after this announcement was made, a bolt of lighting streaked across the sky and lit the whole place up like daylight. It was at this time that a large, universal sigh occured among everyone standing in line.
10:53pm: Another announcement is made saying that a decison concerning whether or not the launch would occur would be made at 11PM. Once again, the lightning sitmulated a crowd-wide bemoanment. As the elventh hour literally approached, people began to flock like moths to a light to anyone and everyone who had a name-tag and a radio.
11:00pm: No announcement made. 11:03pm: Still no announcement. The people with name tags and radios begin to shift nervously as the crowds around them thicken. 11:07pm: The crowd begins to ease back as they come to a realization that no matter how close they are to the radio people they are, when the announcement is made, they will eventually find out. 11:15pm: An announcement is made. Fueling has begun and the launch is a go. There is much rejoicing. People begin to enter and the mood is suddenly very different. Everyone seems full of energy and life. I get into the park and am quite excited to be there. I make my way to the different exhibits.
Let me just pause here and say how strange it is to be at any sort of amusement park/ visitor complex place when there is almost NO ONE there. The place was so completely diserted that it was actually a little eerie and uncomfortable. While everyone got their tickets around 11:30 or so, not everyone went immediately into the visior complex; most went back to their cars and slept. Anyways, back to the adventure:
Between 11:30 and about 12:30, I meander about the complex and go into the shop, where I buy a patch and a pin for the STS-127 Endeavour Mission (the one we were all there to see). I then get my hand stamped, go back to the car, drop off the new goodies, get my still camera and head back in, just in time to see the launch update and the Astronaut Encounter with Former Astronaut Jon McBride. I actually got a cool video of his presentation which I will post eventually, perhaps on YouTube. After his presentation, a few brave souls went up to him to talk to him and get pictures. Unfortunately, the picture I got with him did not come out at all (quite blury and dark...), but I did get a nice handshake, so that was pretty neat. It was at this time, after the Astronaut Encounter, they began to express some concern about a hydrogen gas leak in the same spot as the leak that scratched the first launch time, but there was no word about whether or not the mission would actually be postponed.
2:00AM-After a bit more meandering, I head over to the Shuttle Launch Experience, the one and only "ride" at the complex. It was pretty cool and supposedly fairly realistic. While standing on the dots outside the doors of the ride (you know...each dot represents a seat so everyone claim a dot type thing), there was a boy who was going to be sitting right in front of me crying. I figured he must have been scared, but then he made it known that he really had to go to the bathroom. At this moment, I became a bit concerned...this was NOT the child I wanted to be sitting behind at the moment. His family tried to convince him that he could hold it, but looking at his tears, he had a different idea about his personal bladder control. You have no idea how much I wanted to kindly but firmly suggest to his parents that they let the poor thing go to the bathroom before taking him on a semi-thrilling ride, but luckly, one of the ride attendants did that for me. As for the ride itself, it was pretty amazing. They jolted you around, leaned you back until you were verticle, and changed the pressure in the cabin to simulate going the speed of sound withing a space shuttle. I got a bit dizzy during it, actually, but nothing serious. It was a lot of fun and I highly recommend trying it if you are ever at KSC. When you exit the ride, you are a bit disoriented and dizzy, but to make the transition easier for you, they take you through this spiral walkway with all the space mission info on little placards. Walking in a somewhat tight circle after going on a dizzying shuttle simulation is fun.
2:10am- I walk out of the Shuttle Launch Experience when a voice echoes throughout the park: The STS-127 Space Shuttle Endeavour Mission scheduled for 5:40am has been scrubbed. A new launch date has not been announced.
It was so sad. Everyone had taken so much time (remember this: everyone who was going to be on site for the launch had to be within the visitor complex parking lot by 11pm) and already gone through so much. It was really, really sad. People began to move to the exit. I stayed for about fifteen minutes afterwards, seeing if I could get any answers like how long it would be before we had the leave and whether my ticket was still valid to come back Thursday for the LRO Rocket launch (it is!), and, at 2:36am, I got into my car and headed home.
I pulled into the driveway at 3:45am. Thus ends part deux of the NASA Launch Adventure.
But...will there be a Part Tres? Absolutely! Because my admission ticket is valid for re-entry within seven days, I can come back Thursday and watch the LRO and/or LCROSS rockets launch! While they are unmanned, they are still supposedly pretty spectacular to watch. Those go up at 5:12pm, so I will try for the third (and most likely last) time to see a launch during this vacation.
Alright, well, seeing that it is 5am now, I think I am going to head off and get some sleep, though I'm still pretty awake due to the night's excitement.
I think right now, the whole world needs to join up and be proud of the Iranians who are taking to the streets and demanding that their voices be heard and that their "democracy" actually be a democracy. What is going on in Tehran and all around the world is an incredible thing and we need to not only pay attention but to do what we can to support them. Think about what would happen if Iran had a somewhat pro-western, non-aggressive government? This could change the world, and I hope it does.
*Thus ends the quick political blurb*
So, Shuttle Launch Game-Plan: I'm going to post another video blog that hopefully will be exponentially more awesome than the last.
So...if you have seen the news, you know how this one ends, if not, well, enjoy!!
There's the LRO launch on Wednesday at 3:51PM so maybe I'll try to go to that. The good thing about that one is that there is no need to leave at 3:30am to get a ticket. I'm calling ahead and pre-ordering my ticket this time, and if something happens, then no worries because I'll still have admission to the whole center which will be cool. Once agian, I apologize for lack of epicness with the video. Hopefully Wednesday's video will make up for it. :D
This movie is so cute! A fun, modern day fairy tale about a cursed girl who has to find a Blue-blood to marry her to in order to get rid of a pig-nose. It's fun and whimsical in all the right parts and a perfect movie to watch with your grandmother.
The movie is pretty superficial- there really isn't much there that isn't explained. It's a big "love who you are" and "don't judge" movie. I loved Catherine O'Hara as the mother. She is absolutely hilarious.
This is not an award-winner by any lengths, but still a fun movie. Sorry that this is a short review- there really isn't much I can say because a) there isn't much there and b) I don't want to ruin the ending for anyone who is planning on seeing it.
But, this movie proves two things- James McAvoy is adorable and Christina Ricci should totally be in more movies.
...and I know I should be, because being in Florida is very relaxing. But see, I'm now relaxed. There is no more relaxation needed. Relaxation levels are at full capacity! Other than drive around and walk around Wal-Mart a lot (or occasionally Target), there isn't much I can really do down here. I think maybe I'll go over to Joann Fabrics or something and maybe pick up some craft stuff. I think I'm going to try cross-stitching. I've always wanted to try, and there are some pretty cool things that can be made. My grandpa is a big cross-stitcher and some of his stuff have won awards at state craft shows, which is pretty awesome. If I find something cool, it can go into the dorm room. RB has already painted a whole cabinet!! It's pretty awesome and I suggest everyone go look at the pictures on Facebook.
Okay...so that's what I'll do. I'll go to a craft store and do something crafty. Sorry for the boring blogposts...I have a really bad headach that I've had since around 7 this morning. I'll probably be away from the blogging for a few days.
I love Disney. I love the way it makes people smile. I love how it seems to bring out the best in people. I love watching the little kids who see everything and it is magic. I walked around Downtown Disney tonight and it was just nice to hang out in a place that has magic. I wish that the rest of the world had magic, which brings me to my point of this blog...Why can't the Disney Way be the Real World Way?
I understand that there can't be princesses (at least in America) or fairies, but there is more to the Disney Way than that. There is a magic there- people are nice and friendly-people do the right thing-people who are good overcome people who are bad. Why can't these principles apply to the real world? Maybe they could. Maybe we can bring some of that magic to our lives. Maybe we can dream and make our dreams come true. Maybe we can smile more. Maybe we can laugh. Maybe we can sing. Maybe we can have completely choreographed spontaneous musical numbers (okay, that might be a stretch... but you get my point). Maybe we can do little things for people for no reason except to make their day a little brighter. Let's be the sunshine when it's raining.
This is an optimistic way of looking at the world, I know, but optimists live longer, so even if you think that this is naive and silly, but optimists live longer so...jokes on you.
Okay, so I just have to admit that I am more than a little addicted to YouTube, so I just wanted to share some of the gems that I've found throughout the past while.
1) Barack Obama has visited 57 States! This remix version was pretty amazing and provided much needed entertainment during the election season.
2) Stealth Cat!
Magic Missile...God Bless Nerds.
Haha!!! Great prank!
Okay, Gunther and the Sunshine Girls are a "real" band who specialized in Eurotrash music. Please enjoy all the kinky innuendoes. NOT RECOMMENDED IF YOU ARE PRESENTLY EATING FRUIT!
Okay, well...enjoy those. I'll be back in a few days to tell you more about what I'm doing in life.
Okay, so I am totally addicted to award shows...who doesn't love watching people who make much more money than you totally waste it on expensive dresses that they'll never wear again (actually, don't most of them rent their clothes?) and jewelry that is worth more than most people's houses get together to celebrate how great they really are?
No, but in all seriousness, award shows are pretty fun, especially the Tony's. Broadway Shows are incredible and there is a lot of work that goes into them that no one really notices, and so it's nice to acknowledge things like Sound Design and so on. Although, keeping with the tradition that people don't pay much attention to Sound Design, those Tony's weren't given until 2008 and are now given at that little luncheon about a week before the actual show, but progress is being made for the sound designers!! You love your craft and that's what counts, right?
Anyways, I digress. For those of you who missed the show or want to reminisce over the splendor of last night, I have made a list of the Top Moments of the 2009 Tony Awards:
1) The Opening Number
Oh this was fantastic!! Snips from each play, starting out with Elton John and the Billy Elliot kids, leading into scenes from Shrek the Musical, which suddenly doesn't seem so bad as imagined, and including the revival of West Side Story (gag, but they picked a good song to use..."Tonight" was fitting and it was actually kind of cool); Liza was there and sounded like a dying cat as always, but everyone loved her because she is Liza and can do no wrong in the musical theatre world; Dolly Parton sang "9-5" from her show 9-5, based off the movie, and once again reminded people why this backwoods barbie is one of the most successful women in show biz. The Cast of Hair ran into the audience and got their Hippie on singing "Let the Sun Shine In" and it was fantastic. I downloaded the soundtrack immediately after the opening number. And then, for some strange reason, the band Poison was there, I guess related to Rock of Ages but it was a little weird. I guess they were the surprise in the opening number. Anyways, the opening this year was so good!
2) Neil Patrick Harris
This one pretty much speaks for itself. I love NPH and he did a great job hosting. He was hilarious and kept the show moving quickly and almost on time.
3) The Selected Scenes for Best Musical Performed Throughout the Show
With the exception of Next to Normal and West Side Story, I would like to see every one of the shows that were shown. They all look so good this year! The Billy Elliot bit was a bit odd...basically a boy was convulsing on the floor the whole scene. I got a bit concerned for him, but this brings us to...
4) The Billy Elliot Kids!
So, for the first time in Tony History, the Tony for Best Actor in a Musical was shared by three boys. They were so adorable when they got up there and stumbled a bit because they were in shock. They were just too cute...each one thanking their families, the first with one sister, the second, two sisters, and the third, three sisters. It got a good laugh. I think everyone knew they were going to win.
5) Alice Ripley's Acceptance Speech
Huh?? Dear Ms. Ripley- please do not shout into the microphone. And if you are going to shout, please be shouting something that makes sense and is useful. Instead of thanking people, she kinda went into this crazy trance like state and read (quite loudly...I was worried that she might blow a mic or a speaker) a JFK quote about how people will be remembered. It was a little strange because she freakin' SHOUTED it! I'm not sure the point she was trying to make, or why she thought that screaming would make the point any better than if she had just said it, but hey, I remember her speech from the masses, so maybe it worked.
6) Angela Lansbury Wins 5th Tony!
God Bless Angela Lansbury, the original Mrs. Lovett AND Mrs. Potts. She needed help to the stage but man, she's still got that charm and wit about her. She started going off on how surprised she was to win and my mom and I (we were both watching) rolled our eyes. No, Angela, this isn't a surprise. You're Angela Lansbury. Of course you are going to win. It's what you do. She's so cute. Dear Angela Lansbury- if you are reading this, will you be my new grandmother?
7) The Closing Song
Ohh...Neil Patrick Harris again stole the show with a great number wrapping up the night. Look it up on Youtube. Once again, he was hilairous and he proved that he's got the voice to stick around for a while. Please do a broadway musical, Mr. Harris! Perhaps Dr. Horrible goes to Broadway!!? Please?
So, I'm in sunny Florida right now and it is absolutely lovely. My grandpa is going to California to see my cousin's graduation so mom and I are down here to take care of grandma/ the house. Grandma just had foot surgery so she can't really travel very much anymore, but she's been walking around quite a bit so there are hopes of taking her to various activities such as shopping and maybe the LRO launch in a few weeks.
Yesterday was a long drive, but it actually was one of the most fun days I've had in a while with my mom. Car rides with her can either be extremely boring (she hates having the music on) or extremely epic. Luckily, yesterday tended towards the "epic" side. We spent pretty much the entire ten hour drive discussing a wide range of topics from dad and his most recent penny wise pound foolish endeavor to the shenanigans that go on at student stores to Liberty college's most recent attempt to literally ban liberalism from their campus. We made it down in about 10 hours, which was pretty good considering that there was a lot of rain and then a mild traffic hiccup near Jacksonville, Florida (oh yea...we drove to Florida from Boone in case you missed that).
If you are interested in knowing of Dad's most recent "penny wise/ pound foolish" endeavor, continue reading. If not, skip down a paragraph or so...but it's an entertaining story so I suggest you stay.
Dad likes saving money. This could possibly be the understatement of the century. He does not understand the concept of impulse buying and if it isn't sold at dollar general, we don't really need it (that was fun explaining to mom when we suddenly stopped having olive oil). Anyways, to save money on hand soap, he decided to water down the soap in the containers, making it something of a one part water, one part soap mixture. If you have ever had any experience with hand soap, you will know that this doesn't end well. The soap is now slightly lathery water with an orange tint which you can no longer just press down on the soap dispenser to get. If you were, it would squirt out everywhere except your hand. So you have to cup your hand carefully under the dispenser and squirt three or four extra times just to have enough soap in your hand to maybe wash your hands with; ultimately you have used more soap in the pricess than you would have if it had just been left alone. Dad still doesn't realize this and this makes me concerned that he's going to catch oink barf or something. Mom and I, on the other hand, have switched to bar soap. He can't water that down...can he?
Seeing as it is still eight in the morning, I'm not too sure what I'm going to do with myself today, though it will probably involve a combination of pool and hanging out with grandma and hanging out with grandpa.
PS- My grandparents are the cutest old couple ever. Grandma is a big talker and grandpa has the magical ability to turn off his hearing aid when he doesn't want to listen anymore. It's totally adorable. Ahh I love them.
List of Disney's Animated Features (That I have seen)
So... Disney has released nearly 50 movies, so here is my list (in my opinion) of the movies in order. This list is based on a) Their quality, b) How they have lasted the test of time, and c) How much I enjoyed them. I'll explain the top five.
1) The Hunchback of Notre Dame-1996
This movie is absolutely classic. It has amazing music and is just stunningly beautiful. As part of the "Disney Renaissance," this movie has everything wonderful of the old films: great, consistent style, and a strong base in classic literature. While the movie digresses greatly from Hugo's original novel, it makes sense that some of the themes and characters be toned down to make the film much more family friendly.
2) The Lion King-1994
Another classic that was part of the rebirth of Disney's greatness in the 1990's. Again, great look, great music, and a good, solid plot. This movie came at a time where Disney villains were also at their best. Scar is a classic, and that scene where he jumps out of the fire is one of the best overall scenes in any Disney film.
3) Peter Pan- 1954
You can fly! Oh...Peter Pan...who wouldn't want to visit Neverland? I think this movie has withstood the test of time, quite evidence by the fact that almost every time I've been to Magic Kingdom, the line for Peter Pan's Flight exceeds 50 minutes. The movie is simple and sweet and very very good.
4) Aladdin- 1992
\Oh, what girl didn't want someone like Aladdin? And I can imagine that most of you guys found Jasmine pretty interesting. I love the Geanie and Iago. The movie really wouldn't have been the same without these two characters.
5) Sleeping Beauty- 1959
So, for the first time, the prince wasn't some bumbling nameless idiot (or worse, named "Charming"). No- Prince Philip raised the bar for all aspiring princes. He fought off a dragon and saved the girl and it was wonderful. Aurora is also a really awesome princess because she is a little more than just damsel in distress. This movie has a particularly special place in my heart because when I was little, I would watch and shout "Pink!" "Bue!" (I couldn't say L's...my parents were nervous) when the dress changed color. This is the perfect princess/ fairy tale movie. And there's a freaking DRAGON! C'mon!!! Dragons make everything better.
Okay, so I'll just go ahead and start this off the way most of you are expecting: My hair has been a point of contention between me and my mom since the seventh grade. My hair has been various lengths, pretty much every color of the rainbow (okay, blonde, brown, blue, purple, and red): all to my mom's either shock, horror, anger, tears, or some mad combination of all four.
This summer, the battle over my hair has continued. "Get your hair cut!" she said..."I know this girl at cheap cuts and she does an excellent job! Get your hair cut! I'll pay! I'll take you! Get your hair cut!" But see... my hair is exactly the length that allows it to be put into a ponytail. Do you know how long I've waited for this to happen? It has only been this proper length for a couple of months now after I hacked it off the summer before sophomore year (actually, I think July 2nd, 2008). So, for almost a YEAR I have not been able to put my hair in a ponytail and it has been driving me crazy. For me to get it cut now, I wouldn't be able to put it in a ponytail. The thought of this drove me up the wall. But then, Mom got me. "We're not going to Florida until you get your hair cut."
I got my hair cut. My mom won the battle. But she hasn't won the war...at least not yet. My hair doesn't go into a ponytail all the way anymore. It's kinda half up, half down. Another month or so and it'll be back to the proper length.
Sigh. Sometimes, I wish my hair would be like Harry Potter's after a bad haircut- it would just grow back overnight. Oh well...going to Florida tomorrow!
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but this movie was not one of Pixar's finest. After seeing it with RT and CR, RT and I listed the 10 Pixar Movies in order, and Up was not in the top half of either of our lists (actually, the top five on both lists were exactly the same: Wall-E, Toy Story, Incredibles, Toy Story II, and Nemo).
Anyways, to Up: The movie had a lot of cute humor throughout, but a lot of times the jokes kinda fell flat or came off as a cheap laugh (especially the character Alpha). While the movie is barely an hour and half, it seems like a lot longer, but not in a good way. Also, there is a slow decline in entertainment as the movie progresses. The beginning is absolutely wonderful, but after the aging adventurer Carl and his unwanted sidekick Russell meet their archnemisis for the film, it feels like the plot has fallen over Paradise Falls. The main conflict takes too long to be introduced (It might be 45-50 minutes before you meet the archnemesis at all) and the conflict itself is a bit dumb, even by kids movie standards.
However, the movie did have its moments- they all seem to revolve around Dug, the talking dog. Dug is arguably the best part of the movie ("My master made me this collar so I could talk- SQUIRREL!- My master is very smart.") and is very sweet and entertaining. I like how they didn't do the talking dog in the typical talking dog style- his lips don't move because he's not actually talking- the collar is translating his thoughts. It is very much like when people narrate for their pets, which is really adorable.
Overall, the movie was alright. I would recommend seeing it, but maybe wait until you can rent it for $2 at Blockbuster.
So, I was going through my old drawers and cleaning them out when I came upon an old journal I had at the beginning of Senior Year. I stopped and started to go through it and was shocked at how differently I saw the world. Golf and getting into college were my life. I was such a better student way back when, I guess. I don't know what happened...
June 27th, 2006
We returned home yesterday after eight days on the road [in Boston]. Now the process of unpacking begins. I've unpacked my suitcase but my room is still a mess. I'm going to work on that; I want a spotless, organized room by the beginning of Senior year. I'm going to need organization with my class load. Here is my schedule:
0B-AP English 405
1A- AP Calculus AB
1B- AP European History
2A-AP US/Comp Government
2B- AP Stats
3rd Block-Anatomy/ Physiology
4A- Release
4B- Yearbook
I'm going to have so much fun! Plus golf, plus college applications!
July 24, 2006
We had a golf match today at Mimosa hills. EP and I played in a twosome and both birdied the first whole we played. I ended up with a 99. I jsut need to concentrate more when I'm out there. The coach from App State was there to watch Brooke D, who is playing for ASU next fall and Stephanie W, who is a junior this year. Eileen and I played in between their groups, so he saw us play too. he wrote my name down. The only problem with that is that I don't want to play college golf, EP does! Oh well, at least I'm doing something good. Dad was pretty furious with my game today because I wasn't concentrating.
August 10, 2006
Today was the first day of school and I am completely exhausted. Its only nine and I want to sleep...I beat EP at golf tonight.
~*~
Of course, some things haven't seemed to change...
August 18, 2006
I lost my AP Euro book a few days ago.
August 26, 2006
Its Saturday and I'm stressed. Big surprise, right? I don't have my anatomy book so I can't do my homework/ study for the test. Fantastic. I have so much to do this weekend...
MM invited EP and I to the beach for Labor Day weekend. I'd love to go but I don't have the time!
~*~
It's funny reading through this thing and seeing how worried I would get over the littlest things. I was convinced that I wouldn't get into a good college and that my golf game would go to hell, but to be honest, in the moment I didn't care about golf, really. There was a very bittersweet relationship there...
So, EH and I went to Tweetsie Railroad theme park today...it was a lot of fun and we got to pretend to be six years old again. We road the train, the Ferris Wheel, and the tilt-a-whirl. It was a great day. I remember it being a lot more exciting when I was little, but probably because then, the guns were real and the Indians and the Cowboys were really battling. Anyways, I got a lot of pictures from the big train show and all around the park.
EH and got sent to jail!
The Train
A cowboy! (Actually, an old friend from HS who is now working at Tweetsie)
