Saturday, February 27, 2010

I just saw the new Twilight...er..."Remember Me" Trailer.

Okay, so Robert Pattinson is right now the hottest actor around because he plays an effeminate sparkly vampire who is over 100 years old and is sleeping with an 18 year old. (GREAT message to send to young girls everywhere! Pedophilia is A-Okay!)

Anyways, in his latest movie, which should probably be more aptly called "Edward Cullen goes to College," we watch as Edward (though they keep calling him Tyler for some reason...) falls in love with a pretty girl who is strange and he can't understand her and omg....it's the SAME PLOT LINE!!!

Alright, JUST from the trailer (obviously the movie hasn't come out yet, but I will see and review it for you lovelies) here are the MAJOR Direct from Twilight Rips that this movie has.

1. In Twilight, Edward has his hands full saving the remarkably stupid Bella Swan from the perils of human life. In Edward Cullen Goes to College, Edward is seen rescuing a (blond) Bella Swan from the perils of some guys attacking her, while his voice over muses poetically about Ghandi.

2. In Twilight, Edward is odd and reclusive and doesn't go outside because he lives in a small town and is afraid the local community will kill him if he reveals that he is a fairy...er, sparkly vampire. In his new movie, after saving Blonde Bella's life, he goes all moody and depressed to a point where his best friend, Captain Obvious, has to mention it and threatens an intervention? Dude, just get him laid this weekend, it's not like he's some strange celibate creature of the night...oh, right.

3. In Twilight, Bella Swan's father is the local police chief. In the new movie, Blond Bella's father is...the local police chief? Okay, maybe not, but he's a cop which is close enough.

4. In Twilight, Edward can understand EVERYONE except Bella. In Remember Me, it looks like we've got the same idea going, except this time it's not because Bella doesn't have any thoughts in he head to read, its just that the girl is crazy and apparently doens't date sociology majors? Seriously, who doesn't date someone based on their major? Okay, so new Bella doesn't really do a good job at showing old Bella up on general common sense, but she is in college which means that she in theory is smart.

I know you should never judge a movie by it's trailer, but this one looks like it's got "rip off" written all over it. However, it does look like we are going to get several reprieves on this re-make: mainly, we don't have to endure Kristen Stewart's angst for another two hours and most likely once Edward actually starts dating new Bella, he'll stop being such an emo headcase.

I might do a video blog based on Twilight soon.

Friday, February 19, 2010

What Happened?!?

I don't understand how such a great day can be thrown into utter chaos and suckage. Everything was fantastic- after coffee I went grocery shopping and then went to Newman where I sat outside in the sun and it was amazing. I haven't really sat in the sun in such a long time (thanks, winter). I start making some quiche for CK's party tomorrow (I've never made it before, so I wanted to give it enough time to figure it out if I got it wrong). At 5:30 I stick them in the oven and set the timer for 30 minutes, just like the recipe says. I then go get my phone and there is a text message from a coworker, received at around 3:45: "...Just reminding you that you're supposed to come in at 4..."

WHAT?!?!?!

No.

No.

No, this is very wrong and just...no.

I call her back and ask if she's sure. She says my name is marked in for another boy and I am suddenly releived. Clearly, she is reading last week's schedule when I did take his shift. She says no, that it says "Feb. 19th" and my name is still marked in. I suddenly get that light-headed feeling whenever I get super stressed very quickly. So I did the only thing I could- turned the oven off, left my tray of quiche and hi-tailed it to work, trying to figure out exactly how I messed this up.

This wouldn't have been such a problem except I was supposed to hold auditions for my film project at seven, and the shift was to last until 8. I get to the desk and look at the schedule because I really still can't believe that I could have neglected this. Sure enough, my name was written in for the other boy's.....but in who's handwriting?????? It wasn't mine, which means that (obvious argument coming up) I didn't write it/ I didn't okay it. I sighed a little bit of relief, but I still had to talk to a manager to clear it up. Even though he said it was okay, I was still really really upset. I went back to my dorm and literally just sat on the floor in the dark for about twenty minutes before I had to get ready for the auditions.

The auditions. Okay, I had something to look forward to. I had a lot of responses and expected about 6-8 people to show up. Again, they were set to start at seven. At 7:05, I started to get nervous. At 7:10 I started to get anxious. At 7:15, I was really starting to panic. This was the last shot I had to raise this project from the ashes that it had been left in after last weekend's fiasco. Finally, one guy called and he came in and read for both of the male leads, but that was it. No one else showed up. It was finished. The project had died and I had failed. I sat in the basement of Swain for half an hour and just cried.

But the day did not end in saddness. In my own personal pity party, I remembered my abandoned quiche, still sitting in the oven (which I did turn off) at Newman. I eventually left Swain and went back to Newman, where I turned the oven on and proceeded to sit on the floor. While I have moved locations, I'm still a mess and I'm still crying. A lady walked in and she asked what was wrong. I just told her I had a bad day at work and she told me that sometimes it's best to put things in Jesus' hands. I appreciated the thought but at the time, I really didn't want to hear about how Jesus was going to fix all my problems because I learned a long time ago that He doesn't- He gives you the tools to fix them yourself, but He rarely just waves His hands and makes everything better- not when it comes to the stresses of day-to-day life.

Anyways, she invited me into the Newman library where there was a whole group of ladies and they were eating fondu and all sorts of other deliciousness. I had never had fondu and it was amazing. I went back into the kitchen and took out the quiches. Considering they had been left in an oven for about four hours, I had no great expectations for them, but they were pretty good for my first try. Good enough put me in better spirits, anyway.

So yes. The day dropped off a cliff around 5:30 but then with the help of Fondu and success in the kitchen made things a little better. I still have to e-mail my professor and figure out what I'm going to do with this project/ figure out the most gracious way to tell her I quit and I'm dropping the class completely. But I can deal with that on Sunday. Tomorrow is CK's 21st Birthday party and it will be a fantastic time, for sure (with my quiche!!!)





I need to get a haircut tomorrow, too.

Hipsters and Open Eye

So, I'm sitting here in Open Eye Cafe, surrounded by pretentious hipsters and I'm tyring very hard not to laugh, which I guess makes me pretentious...I guess its one of the super circular arguments aht leads to nowhere except admitting that you are what you try not to be and some great epiphany about life, the universe, and everything.

BUT this isn't what this blog post is about, so I'll stop being deep and start being superficial. Let's just look around the room and discuss these people. This can be a writing exercise on character, if you will.

1. Girl in large headphones, ziz-zag strpied pea coat, Mac Book, and short hair with great spike potential. She wants you to know that she is serious about her music- why else would she have spent $100+ on those big ass headphones? Her hair is in a pretty conservative style right now, though as I mentioned earlier, has great potential for being spiked out for a night on the town. Right now, it is that perfect mix between "I just rolled out of bed" casual and "I actually care about my appearance" styled. She's drinking a very small cup, which usually means that it has a lot of espresso in it. Whatever it is, she looks like she is in the know enough to know that it is very strong and therefore we can assume that she needed it.

2. Woman in oversize green long-sleeved shirt, long red hair, and flip flops (in FEBRUARY?!?!?!)
Okay, grow a brain, sweetie. It's February and it's cold outside. You took the time to find the perfect unmatching scarf to wear with your shirt, which was most likely from some Fun Run you took part in two years ago to benefit Darfur, so why couldn't you have completed the look with a nice pair of converses or some sort of closed toe shoe or something!!!! She's sitting at her MAc book (black- old school) and has a huge binder so she is most likely a grad student. I'm guessing she works either in anthropology or English literature...leaning more towards the ANTH, though. Most likely single.

3. Boys in suits??? What are you doing here? You're not hipster- you're conformists who believe in the man and corporations and...oh, you're in Business school? So...you're going to have a job? And make money? Well then...carry on.

4. Guy sitting by himself- cotton polo shirt, khakis, and a very large over-sized watch: Hipster alert! This post-grad is most likely still searching for what will be his career, though in the back of his head writing is what is his true calling. Sigh...if only some lit agent would pick him up. You might have better luck if you had glasses. As we speak, he is most likely looking up good programs around the southeast to get your MFA in creative writing. Sigh, I knew a guy who had one of those...he was pretty awesome.

5. Okay, Woman #2 has been joined by her much more stylish friend, who I really want to call Nancy for some reason. She seems like a Nancy. She's wearing a very adorable outfit that could be pulled from the pages of Vogue should they every do a spread on hipster wear. Shes' got the dark mustard cardigan, a gray shirt, shiney silmver purse, pleated navy skirt, opaque navy tights, and blue ankle boots with several gold zippers around the back of the heel- purely for decoration, of course. I'm actually in serious fashion envy of this woman.

6.Man in gray /orange argyle sweater with white collared shirt underneath, jeans, slouched position reading a book (he's writing in it so I assume it's for class). He has conservative, small
framed glasses and standard $3.50 earbuds, which shows that while he has an image to promote, he is nothing if not practical. Perhaps he is an Econ Major, with a poli sci minor. He, too, has a mac book, but like the rest of his appearance, it is minimalistic- the 13" one that you can get for under $1000 and comes with the iTouch (which he most likely gave to his younger sister for Christmas or sold it). He's not trying to fit a look or make a look fit him- he just is the look, which in this place of pure pretension, is refreshing.

7. Woman in red/black crocheted hat, large white scarf, short black hair, and dark jeans. She has moved tables several times since I've been here. Clearly a regular, she isn't even drinking anything- just using the free internet and doing work. She probably hates it when new people come and find her place (like me). Not necessarily afraid of change, but certainly content with letting well enough alone, I'm sure I'll see her again next week.

8. Boy in black shirt with black mesh undershirt and black spikey arm warmers. Now this is Gothic pretension at its most...er...pretentious? Even his cup is black. His skull candy earbuds are red and while he is on a PC, he secretly wishes it was a Mac. He should probably upgrade to Windows 7 because it is very Mac-like. Short, conservative hair which suggests that out in the real world, he makes a sincere attempt at being a productive member of society. This is clearly an escape from a reality of North Face fleeces and leggings under Nike running shorts. Aww...he's drumming along to his music. Rock on, Goth Boy. Rock on.

Monday, February 8, 2010

Internships Internships Internships Internships

So....I have a dream. It isn't as lofty as other dreams, but it is MY dream. My dream is to have my 21st birthday in New York City. There is only one way of making this dream a reality- get an internship in New York City for the summer! This is why I've applied to not one, not two, but 10 internships in the City. I really hope I get at least one. Please, please, please, God. This is what I really want and being in NYC would be the greatest birthday present from the universe since I don't know...

Of course, I want the internships for more than just being in the City for my birthday. I want the experience. I wan to get right in there and do things. I understand that I'll be doing a lot of secretarial stuff, I still really want the experience of existing within the industry. Which brings me to my next tangent:

I'm actually making an attempt to do better this semester- perhaps the thrills of not getting verbal lashings over Christmas break has inspired me, but in any case, I have made a huge move forward in my learning of what it is to be a student. I did my homework. All of it. This is the first time I have been completely caught up with my reading/ homework since.....I don't know, maybe kindergarten when homework was come in with the knowledge of your favorite color.

I'm a bad student. I always have been. Why they ever let me into a university, I'll never know. But I am thankful that they did. I also understand that my lack of ability at student-ing fits perfectly with my chosen course of study.

Yes- One must study in Media Production. Yes- one must work hard in Media Production. But do you know what "homework" is in Media Production? Watching movies, learning from those movies, and then teaching yourself how to do what those filmmakers did. There are of course books to read, but for the most part, you teach yourself. It's one of the most fantastic educational experiences I can imagine. While you all are studying your math and science and business and history, I hope you get to experience your education like I have.

Sunday, February 7, 2010

The Blog has Moved

So...the blog has officially been transferred to the proper account. I had to search around on some forums to figure it out, but in the end, I got it to work. No URL changes, no losing all my posts, just a nice, semi-easy transfer from one account to another.

Moving On.

A lot of things are going on, both internally and externally. Externally, there is confusion and change that I never saw coming, while change that I thought I saw coming never did. Internally, there is doubt. Doubt in a lot of things- and a lot of questions that I hate to have to ask myself on a semi-daily basis. I'm used to having questions- I'm a rather curious creature, but I'm not used to questioning so much in my life all at the same time. Everything from the choices I'm making in my classes to my friends to questions about God- the scariest being whether there really is a God or not. I absolutely hate myself for questioning all of these things, but right now, none of it makes sense.

Perhaps this is simply the entropy before things become clear.

Everything from nothing.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Blogger is Giving me Difficulties....Sparks of Brilliance may be moving.

So, I blog. I blog because I care, and because I want you to care. However, it seems that in it's infinite knowledge of life, the universe, and everything, Google, Supreme God of the Interwebs, has decided to make my life quite difficult.

Therefore, Sparks of Brilliance and Flashes of Insanity (the blog you're reading RIGHT NOW) may be moving in the near future, from one Google Account to another. So, how did I end up with multiple accounts and chaos everywhere? Well, I'll tell you.

See...once upon a time, there was this girl named S, and she wanted to share all of her adventures with the world, good and bad. So she created a blog, and used an e-mail address s******@*****.***.***, and all was well.

About a year later, S was tired of having multiple e-mail accounts- the one she had from high school (which was used primarily for Face-y Spaces) and her college e-mail (which was proving to be more and more glitchy each time the technology gurus decided to "improve" it) were simply too much for one girl to handle. So, she went back to the Google and requested a solution. The solution to her problems, the answers to her interweb prayers was to create a g-mail account- a magical place where all of her e-mails could be sent without having to go to everything and everyone and explain that consolidations had to be made (S's extended family did not prove to be really "up" with internets in general, so explaining a new e-mail to them would be difficult...she's sure her "pandasarecute2000@yahoo.com" account from 5th grade STILL gets messages from S's grandmother).

So this was done and S was happy...for a time. Until she tried to log back in to her blog. Because she had a g-mail account, blogger welcomed her not as her normal "TheRoamin'Catholic" profile, but as a new, unfamiliar profile. S was confused, but tried to work through it. She tried to change basically every setting she could find, only to discover that Google, in its infinite wisdom of the interwebs, did not allow such combination of accounts or any sort of account-to-account transfers.

This isn't such a big problem, but as S saw it, she is in the exact same multiple-accounts situation she was in before creating her new g-mail account, and she rolled her eyes accordingly.

So what is S to do? Okay, so in reality, she could just deal with it because hey, S is a smart and sassy 20-year-old geek-chic gal and signing out/signing in shouldn't be beyond her, but she is also wildly impatient and finds it quite annoying that she has to log out of her g-mail just to log back in to her blog, when she knows there is a better way. Which brings us up to date with the present- Sparks of Brilliance is moving. I'll keep you all posted when the domain name changes (if it does, we'll see....it might be salvagable).

Anyways, that is all for now!
-S