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Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Big, Fun, Scary List!

So, since I failed NaNo this year even more horribly than last.. haha. I decided I would still try to participate in the Big, Fun, Scary goals that lots of Wrimos are doing for 2011. The idea is to do somethig big, fun, and scary... obviously. I've heard of people getting new jobs they actually liked, or learning to dance, or traveling to China... wow. I don't think I'll do anything expensive.. haha. But, I do have some ideas rattling around in this college-kid brain of mine that I'd like to write down and see how far I get.

BFS List
  1. Take swing-dancing lessons. (Found a place 15 min away where the first lesson is FREE and every lesson after that is $7! Talk about cheap! :P)
  2. Finish reading ALL of Jane Austen's books as well as Gulliver's Travels & Alice in Wonderland. (Well, they ARE all laying around my house. I'm halfway through Travels and have 1.5 of Austen's down..)
  3. Run 3 times a week, every week, no exceptions. Unless I have a fever.
  4. Finish at least all the scrapbook blank pages/refills I have this (2011) year.
  5. Write on my NaNoNovel a little bit each week. Even if its crap. And even if its just 50 words.
  6. Be more disciplined about writing in my prayer journal.

Aaaaand, there you have it. I don't know if any of these things by themselves are scary, or big. But altogether, at the same time, that is a HUGE, scary list to tackle. But I suppose once it becomes habit, it will be very, very fun. :-) Especially to look back and see how far I've come..

Anyone wanna do a BFS list with me?

Friday, November 19, 2010

Deathly Hallows, Part 1

Well, I only have 10 minutes until I have to leave for class, so here is my "quick and dirty" HPDH1 review! haha. My Rating: 8.5/10 I have a smaller list of disappointments this time! Woohoo! My 2 disappointments: **I wasn't too ecstatic about the soundtrack. I dunno, I guess I could have been distracted by the actual action in the movie to hear any variations of Hedwig's theme, but it just doesn't seem like a complete HP movie if I don't hear/notice some arrangement of that score the first time I see it. **Kreacher didn't "accept" Harry! Kreacher and Harry need to become friends. They MUST become friends. How else will Kreacher and the other elves coming to the trio's defense with kitchen utensils if Kreacher doesn't even LIKE or RESPECT Harry in Part One? They have to rectify this pretty soon into Part Two for me to be happy about this one... LOVELOVELOVED: **Word-for-word dialogue from the book. I was recently re-reading DH, so I recognized quite a few word-for-word conversations! That made for a very happy Tina. **George, with the toothbrush where his ear used to be, catching Harry & Ginny kissing. The only thing I can say to this is.... Pahahahaha! **The Harry/Hermione dance. Awww! **The Ministry scenes! They were great! I was on the edge of my seat (even though I knew what was going to happen), laughing, and cringing all within a couple of minutes. **The 7 Potters! The twins (heehee. Word-for-word!)... Fleur (baha.)... **Malfoy Manor. Creepy and perfect! **Bathilda Bagshot! Okay, I'll admit. I jumped a little bit. But at least I didn't scream and almost hit the roof like Kate did. Paha. Love you, Kate.

Monday, November 1, 2010

NaNoWriMo Time!

Well... National Novel Writing Month has come around once again... This year it is going to be even more difficult for me to make time!

As evidenced by the fact that it took me three tries to complete those two sentences without stopping in the middle to do something else. As of right now, I'm a day and a half behind (I only got 425 words in on the first day), but I'm not done writing for today. My fingers are sore from pounding on my keyboard, and half of what I've written already is crap. (But only half! woohoo! haha.)
Being a college student is exhausting. If NaNoWriMo was in December, then we'd be in business. Finals week ends the 10th, and I could easily write two times the needed amount every day for 10 days if all I had to do was go to work 3 times a week and decorate the house with Christmas-y stuff.

Anyway... getting ready to leave my dorm and go home for some free, non-cafeteria food, accounting help, and to hunt down my novel outline book! (I've already written over 2,900 words that I'm not sure were in line with my plan! Oh no! That's probably why I'm convinced they are crap. But its NaNo time, where perfectionists force themselves to fly by the seat of their pants and not delete anything! Auggghh!

I'm going to be SO happy when December hits!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

Straight No Chaser!

Sooo, it took me for-freaking-ever to get this post typed up. But I couldn't just let it sit here unfinished. This concert was even better than the May 8th SNC concert! ^_________^

I met up with SJ for the Meet & Greet before the show, and also met Tina G, Pati and Esther! Since I'm writing this almost a month after the fact, I'm so sorry if I forgot anyone! :/
Anyway. Meet and Greet! The M&G beforehand really made my night. Really, EVERYTHING individually would have made my night, so I guess this made my month. :P I met SJ at the door to the theater after being in town for a couple of hours. We wandered awkwardly into the room, and had some lovely conversation before the guys showed up sitting at a little table in our library voices. :P haha. There was a big veggie tray set out, as well as cookies and rolls, and pretty much no one was eating from it. There were also little bowls of candy on the individual tables where people were sitting, and few people were eating out of those. Then the guys all come in, and swarm the food table. I think it was Ryan that made a joke about being starved, and then Walt picked up the veggie tray and started circulating it around the room.

SJ & I were sitting in amazing front row seats.. the only problem was the gigantic speaker sitting right in front of me. I remember sitting all the way back in my chair, then leaning forward and stretching my arm out to touch the stage. THAT is how close we were! It was fun. I was able to take pictures and video without even zooming in! I was so happy I was able to catch facial expressions, since when they came to Tulsa my tickets were so far back the zoom on my camera could only catch blurs of tan suits. :-P
Video links!
Billie Jean/Poison: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q01-N--7ZyE
Chicken Fried: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rd5zOVYYtkE
Lion Sleeps Tonight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oMnoqFVuyY
Miss You (a new favorite!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eqe9KuhNAss
Come Together: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eV0LN234-Q
Hi-De-Ho: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtXQwNOqeZ0 *****My favorite video of the night. ^____^
12 Days: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFS7uo1uOfE
In the Still of the Night (no mics): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akwIKF2FO9o
GAGA MEDLEY (!!): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6_VuYvBFKA
Okay, I can't go through the whole concert, but I have highlights that especially stood out!
Gaga medley -SOOOOOOOOOOO much more amazing in person! It was absolutely hilarious, the choreography was genius, and of course their voices were perfect as always.
Rolling Stones' Miss You - It was the first time I'd heard it, and it was fantastic. Of course, I was feeling the #basslove during this song, but that's not the ONLY reason I loved it. :-P I really wish they would record this one and put it on an album!
Hi-De-Ho - Being five feet in front of Charlie, Walt, and Tyler while they sang it was amazing. A-maze-ing. Dude, its even more of my favorite song now. I could barely fit just the three of them in the shot, and my camera wasn't zoomed in at all. Listening to this song from five feet away = #basslove HEAVEN! And the tenor training wheels did a fantastic job as well!
Chicken Fried - A country song! haha. I have to enjoy it, if nothing else then for the fact that it is country, and it helps other people appreciate country just a little bit more. ^___^ But I did really, really like the arrangement! (So thanks for that, Tyler! Didn't he arrange it?) Though I still think Charlie would kill a Josh Turner song. Any Josh Turner song.
Also, I FINALLY got to see 12 Days in person! The first time I saw the 12 Days video was when it was FIRST going viral. In the Still of the Night was pure magic without mics, and everything else was just perfect! (I'm running out of adjectives...)

Waiting for the M&G line afterwards was hilarious with all the chasers... Especially Mila! When the line went down and we finally got to the table, Mila actually got up on it. haha. Watching the guys with her was adorable. I helped Mila down off the table and then started distributing my gifts... (http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs124.ash2/39522_1472503659734_1447920356_31228462_830865_n.jpg) The ornaments with penguins on them! And 5 Snickerdoodles for each guy. I loved Charlie's reaction when he realized the ornaments (which had been wrapped around the bags of cookies) were actually Christmas ornaments. And I got my winter tour shirt signed! Haha. The shirt made it down the table before I did. I felt kind of scatterbrained while I was going through the line, especially when 2-3 of the guys are asking you different questions at the same time. But then most of them came up to me after they got out from behind the table and thanked me for the ornaments/cookies again and I got lots of hugs! (I LOVE hugs. haha.) I got an individual picture with Randy & then a big group picture. Now I need to go back to another concert and get more individual pictures!

Its been sooo long since this happened, I wish I could recall actual conversations, but I can't. :-( Anyway, it was a lovely, lovely night and I began uploading pictures and videos immediately when I returned to the hotel room where I was staying with my parents. I had so much fun with all my subsequent notifications and such. haha.
Well, it seems like an abrupt and/or awkward spot to end this post, but that's all folks! haha. :-)

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Well, at least they tried..

So, ORU tried and failed to help me out on this one. haha. We had to take this personality-type test (yes, it was required) so that we could write a "Whole Person Assessment paper." Since it can be NO longer than two pages, double spaced... it is a joke. Also, I've already exhausted every personality test I could find, because I'm cool like that, and so I didn't really care about this one. haha. Yeah... I just went through it as fast as possible, so my results were only about 80% correct.


Although, my "personality strengths and weaknesses" really cracked me up. Partly because I don't 100% agree with the strengths, and partly because the weaknesses were spot-on and the way the results were worded just made me laugh. So I thought I would share.

Strengths
* Relies on logic more than emotions and enthusiasm.
* Focused and succinct in speaking.
* Comfortable operating alone rather than depending on group support.
* Likes to be thorough and precise; good with details.
* Quick minded; able to grasp abstract concepts.
*Clever in crafting solutions and responses to problems.


Weaknesses
* Can come across as being too serious and unenthusiastic.
* Stressed by having to make small talk with strangers.
* Uncomfortable in group social activities; can appear unfriendly.
* Can have unreasonable expectations for self and others.
* May have an attitude of superiority.



Actually, it just hit me why the weaknesses make me laugh. It sounds like they're trying to describe the downside to the personalities of certain breeds of dogs...

Also... I HATE small talk (Hit that nail on the head..). Unless its about certain things I know a lot about. Additionally, I've been told that apparently I'm intimidating to talk to because I do appear unfriendly when I become uncomfortable in large group situations. And, I always have unreasonable expectations for everyone, myself included. That's what having a 4.2 GPA throughout most of middle/high school will do to you. People used to call that optimism, though. :P I used to hyperventilate when I got B's on my report card.



I was also told that "balance is key" for me to be happy in my "when I'm all grown up" work environment. ahaha. I wish they could see me in my work environment NOW...





And apparently I would be very fulfilled if I picked up the career of being a rabbi.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Road Trip!

Yay! Today is going to be my first college road trip! Can you guess where its to? haha. BRANSON! Two girls on my wing, Sarah and Kali (kay-lee... yeah, it confuzzled me too at first) are coming with me. We have two free nights at the Hampton Inn on the strip! Going to see the Cat's Pajamas on Saturday... Who else would we go see? haha.

I was wanting to see Jeerk, but they had a scheduling FAIL and are not having any shows that match up with our schedule.

Sorry in advance, Jason, for not staying on a Sunday night! This was a last minute trip and Sunday night just didn't fit in. I was thinking either during December or in May, when I'm going back for my birthday for sure! :)

Anyway... expect fun updates! ^_____^ Kali just now got off of work, so I'm just waiting on my mom with my car, fresh out of the shop.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

COLLEGE!

Ahhh! This is my first college post! I moved in to my dorm, the Claudius Roberts Hall [aka, Claudius] on the 7th! I'm now a student at Oral Roberts University! It is insane. Today was my fourth day of classes. I'm faring better than some of the other girls on my hall in the homework area, and have only had accounting homework so far.

Even though accounting is absolutely kicking my butt.... I love ORU. :-) I love my wing, too! Yeah, Standard! All the girls have been super easy to get to know, and my roommate is a soccer player. Apparently she was flipping out and trying to stalk me on facebook because she was the only player without another player as a roommate. They were all afraid I was weird. :-P

I have a feeling I'm going to get really close to a lot of the girls on Standard, especially after soccer season ends and the soccer girls are actually on the floor half the time. haha. The only thing that would make it better would be my bestest friend EVER, Kate, living on Standard with me.
Oh, and our brother wing rocks, too. haha. Their name is Fred Creek. And a lot of the mens soccer team is on Fred Creek, so we're making shirts that say Fred Creek raises the Standard to wear to their games. I'm really getting into dorm life. haha. :P

Anyway, yeah. I've been meeting a zillion new people, and I've actually been okay with it. Even though I'm going home to crash without people around tomorrow night. haha.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

I'm such a girl.

I have major crushes on fictional characters. No, NOT on Edward Cullen. I like Emmett better anyway. But already, I digress.
I realize that I like fictional characters so much because they are fictional, and written to be perfect. Nevertheless, there are still four fictional characters I cannot get over! At all! And I would marry them in a heartbeat if they asked [and if they had stronger morals, of course. The one area where fictional characters are NEVER perfect].

4. Seeley Booth. [seasons 1-3 of Bones.] FBI agent. Ex-sniper. Threatens to kill gang leaders for the safety of his crime-fighting partner.
3. Ty. The Heartland book series. He was Amy's boyfriend, and worked on Amy's equine rescue facility. I read those books when I was in 5th - 7th grade.
2. Mr. Darcy. P&P. Of course.
1. Andrew Paxton. The Proposal. Played by Ryan Reynolds. Give the man [Andrew] some Christian morals and I would hang a "perfect" sign around his fictional neck.

Yes, I realize how sad this post is. haha. :P And still, I wrote it anyway...

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

The Cat's Pajamas

Oh. My. Goodness.
This is my new favorite Branson show, hands down. :)

Lovelovelovelovelovelove them!

Me: Can I give an 11 out of 10? :-)
Favorite Songs: Some Kind of Wonderful, I Can Live with That, Pretty Woman, Hooked on a Feeling, Radio/Video Medley, The Joker, You've Lost that Loving Feeling

Kate: 9
And, I didn't ask what her favorite songs were. Oops. But if I had to guess, I'd say Love Potion Number 9. ;)

Anyway. I had been telling mom that I wanted to see them for a good couple weeks in advance of our Branson trip. I had heard Jason, Rose, and Kim saying great things. And since my Straight No Chaser kick, I've always been up for finding really good a cappella groups. Well, Monday when Kate and I were getting ready for the 12 Irish Tenors, The Cat's Pajamas came to our hotel to sing a couple of songs. Mom fell in love. Grant pulled her up to dance with her and sang Pretty Woman to her. Then she got pictures, and they held her sideways! Mom said it was their idea, too. But of course, if a group of performers is good looking and my mom or grandma gets to participate... the performers usually love them. :P
Mom and dad got tickets to go while Kate and I were with Jason at the tenors. Grant pulled her up on stage again for Pretty Woman. So mom fell in love all over again and got a free CD out of it. Mom's favorite is Grant now, of course. She told me that night that she just knew I'd fall in love with the bass singer.

Kate and I got to go Wednesday night. :) We were in the front row, which was awesome. And mom was right. I LOVE the bass singer, Brian Skinner. The other guys in the group are Grant, Nate, Marcus, and Chris. They all have FANTASTIC voices. And a great stage presence. They're all supremely energetic and entertaining. The first song was Some Kind of Wonderful. I fell in love with the Cat's Pajamas with that first song. This is definitely my kind of show. And I'm not gonna lie... I cheered. A lot. Loudly. :) The crowd wasn't too big so I felt that they deserved a bit more cheering. Plus, mom has really started rubbing off on me lately and that is just what we do in situations like that. :P

The second song was I Can Live with That. I think its one of my top 2 songs. I just love it to pieces. :D It really shows off their personalities and their different musical style. I really like them because they're such an obviously amazing a cappella group, but they still have their own sound. Also, they can dance! haha. If you've been following my other Branson posts... they have MUCH better choreography than the 12 Irish Tenors. And it looks much more natural. You can tell they're having fun with it!
The one thing that made me laugh was that their version of adding a country song to the show was Uncle Kracker. When the Sun Goes Down. It was very well done, but I just had to laugh because I don't consider Kenny Chesney, especially with Uncle Kracker, very country.

During intermission I bought a t-shirt and made the rounds to get it signed. I also got individual pictures. Mom would have killed me if I hadn't introduced myself as the daughter of "the woman from the Colonnade & monday night's show..." So I did. Of course, they remembered her! We stuck around again afterwards for the group picture opportunity and we talked with them again. I was actually surprised at how much they remembered from the obviously long conversations with my mother. She told them I was 19, about to go off to college... and single. Of course. [Dad told me Monday night that she offered me up as the sacrificial lamb to any of the Cats that would take me.] Marcus said, "Guys, this is CINDY'S daughter! Oh, she told us to embarrass her!" They all seemed upset that they had forgotten to do that during the show. But I just told them, "I've lived with my mom for so long its pretty hard to embarrass me now." Really, I would love if they had tried to embarrass me from the stage. I find that kind of thing fun now. :P

And, if you have been looking at the pictures along with this blog post.... those are all from the SECOND night we went to see the Cat's Pajamas! Yes sir, we went Wednesday night AND Friday night! They remembered us, of course, and by the end of Friday night they even remembered our names! [Not that Tina & Kate are hard to remember... when one of us has flaming red hair. :P] I love them even more now, though. They're very nice to the fans and make an effort to be personable.

Anyway... I had been thinking about mom's fun picture since Monday night. And it took me those few conversations during Wednesday night for me to kind of warm up to them... so by Friday morning, I had a plan. We took mom's camera to the show, which gives better quality pictures than my camera. We got more individual pictures during intermission and talked with them all some more. Marcus told me he had tried to convince Grant to take me up for Pretty Woman, but you know how Branson works. It was one of the not-so-young women from the audience that night. Even though FOUR women had denied Grant when he tried to pull them up, and I think if any more had said no he might have come back to me. :P haha. Hey, we WERE on the front row.

Speaking of the front row... they sang to me! haha. It was after intermission on Friday, and when they sang the last half of The Joker, they were all looking at me. They all made eye contact, actually, as they crouched at the edge of the stage right in front of my chair. It was fun. Kate got excited on my behalf. haha.

Anyways, after Friday's show we waited until most of the group pictures with other people had been over.... and I went up and said, "So, you guys did a really fun picture with mom, and picked her up. Can you help me one-up her? I want a better picture!" They said, "sure!"
I turned to face Kate with the camera, and without warning I'm picked up to about Grant's shoulder height. His shoulders are definitely taller than I am when I'm flat-footed on the ground. So I grab onto Grant's and Nate's necks, trying to not flail. Then the rest of them grab me and turn me sideways. It was fun! Another reason I like this group. :P I hear Brian say, "I guess I get the feet," and then when I look at the camera screen... it looks like he's biting me. haha. And Marcus' face makes me laugh too. I think its safe to say that this is the best group picture I've ever had taken with a singing group I like. :P

So, I made sure to push Kate into all the pictures because I KNEW she wanted pictures, but she's still to shy to speak up for them. I had to threaten her, actually. And I hit jackpot with my threat, because I could have sworn I was almost on the receiving end of a full-body tackle before she almost literally jumped into several individual pictures. ^_______^ I love you, Kate!

And so, with a last goodbye, [I could almost hear Kate thinking, hoping they didn't think we were stalkers. I said pssssh. They remember you better if you're a nuisance. :P That's mom's philosophy.] we promised to come back again, and rode the really-really-really-great-show high all the way back to the hotel. Not getting caught in 76 traffic by using the back roads helped keep our spirits up too.
And mom and I are planning on getting away from dad's parents' house during one of the days following Thanksgiving to go back and see them! ^___^ And since my freshman college classes will be completely over by May 1st or so, I'll be able to go see them for my birthday on May 9th! Or one of the days around there, since my birthday will probably fall on a day that they aren't performing...



Anyway... if you made it through that WHOLE ramble then you are either 1. very, very bored, 2. my new best friend for life, or 3. as big of a fan of the Cat's Pajamas as I am. So good for you. :D Closing statement:
You MUST go see them if you're ever in Branson.

Buckets n' Boards

Wednesday morning we went to see Buckets n' Boards. It was hilarious! Both of the guys are really, extremely talented! I had to sit on one of my legs to see over the people in front of me [there wasn't anyone directly behind me, so I felt alright doing that. haha.]

Me: 9.5
Kate: 9

They were drumming on buckets, empty propane tanks, and squeaky toy turtles. They could also tap and play the guitar. Oh, and sing. I was really surprised at how well they could sing! I loved it.

I was highly entertained throughout the whole show. It seemed to pass by too quickly. Some of my favorite parts were when they were playing with the squeaky toys and of course the buckets. And when they were tapping, at one point they sang "Singing in the Rain," with thunder and rain sound effects and a frilly umbrella included.

After the show, I bought a Buckets n' Boards t-shirt and had them sign it. That day if you bought a shirt you got a free, pre-signed poster so I have that as well now! And it was VERY crowded where they were selling their stuff and taking pictures, so I got a very nice mom to take a picture of us with my camera, instead of taking two individual ones. It was just as well, because my camera literally died about 2 minutes after the picture was taken.

I would definitely recommend going to see this show! Its awesome, hilarious, and there's never a dull moment. The two of them play off of each other and the crowd so well, its fun to watch.

Branson, Day 3

Wednesday!
We woke up for a morning show. It was Buckets n' Boards, and we met up with Jason & his friend at the theater. It was really good! [Another review is coming!]

Thennn... we went to the Landing again.
And got rained on. Again.
The third day we tried, we finally got to Charlotte Russe! haha. Never mind that there's several in Tulsa. Kate got a pretty sweater and new jeans! I got a pretty necklace that reminds me of my old locket necklace I can't wear anymore... the silver turned. :/ And it reminded me of the locket from Harry Potter, so I was excited to find another one.
We ate at the San Francisco Oven... It was really good! If we had one of those in Tulsa, I would never go to Starbucks again, whether or not I really like my normal barista. That Chocolate Hazelnut blended coffee was AMAZING. I think Kate had Raspberry Mocha. That was mind-blowing too... we switched cups to try each others. :P

Then we went to see The Cat's Pajamas! Finally. :)
It is my new favorite Branson show, hands down! The review for that is coming as well! And its going to be a long one... haha.

Branson, Day 2

Tuesday!
We slept in a little bit since... you know... we'd been up at 6:45 am the morning before. :P We actually slept in so long that when we got up and dressed it was time to go to the Landing to meet Jason and Rose at Shorty Small's for lunch.

Office lunch with After Dark Live is fun! I was bummed I wouldn't be able to stay long enough to be on the show. I promised that I would stay on a Sunday night next time I came into town.
Kate introduced Jason to Miley Cyrus' "Can't Be Tamed" music video, and I have no clue why I didn't get out my camera to take a picture of the look on his face while he watched. We also helped him come up with the next buzzword punishment [which was Nemo inspired! "Fish are friends, not food."], which is already in line to being used by both Jason and Rose, apparently. :P heehee. Two buzzwords in one night! We got an 'exclusive sneak peek' of Rose's Singing in the Rain video at the restaurant as well. haha.

This was followed by more wandering around the Landing. Then we went to Silver Dollar City with mom and dad! I was disappointed that the first vendor once you walk through the entrance wasn't selling my most favorite cream cheese filled pretzels any more. But we rode all of the dry rides [plus Fire in the Hole], except for Powder Keg. I love that ride, but the line was so long we didn't feel like waiting. And one of my favorite conversations from SDC was about Fire in the Hole.
Mom: "Lets go on FITH!"
Me: "But I don't want to get wet!"
Kate: "Come on, I've NEVER gotten wet on FITH!"
......one ride later.

......walking out definitely wet.
Kate: "I swear, I've NEVER gotten wet BEFORE!"

haha. I think I'm a water magnet. It rained every day we were there except for the day we left.


Anyway... fun day. We had dinner at Olive Garden after that. And then I introduced Kate to the first act of A Very Potter Musical. Her reaction to the opening song was, "Genius!"


Underneath these stairs
I hear the sneers and feel glares of
my cousin, my uncle and my aunt.

Can't believe how cruel they are
and it stings my lighting scar
to know that they'll never ever give me what I want.

I know I don't deserve these
stupid rules made by the Dursleys
here on Privet drive.

Can't take all of these muggles,
but despite all of my struggles,
I'm still alive.

Im sick of summer and this waiting around.
Man, its September, and Im skipping this town
Hey Its no mystery, theres nothing here for me now

I gotta get back to Hogwarts,
I gotta get back to school.
Gotta get myself to Hogwarts,
where everybody knows I'm cool.

12 Irish Tenors

Me: 7.5
Favorite song: Glen Miller/Sinatra sections &
Scarborough Fair

Kate 7.5
Favorite song:
Scarborough Fair

Overall, I liked it a lot. I would probably want to wait a couple months before going back to see it again [as opposed to seeing the same show twice in one week... *cough*]. I wasn't disappointed.

The show started out a bit rough. While I know that shows are scripted, the good ones make you feel like you're seeing something completely natural for the first time. The first 15 minutes felt a bit stiff to me. And the choreography in the first few songs made me bite my lip to keep from laughing. Granted, I came to hear singing instead of see dancing, but they had choreographed putting their hands on their microphones at the same time... in a very dramatic way.
One of the tenors had long blonde hair, and the first thing that came to mind was...
If the Weasley twins ever went blonde, this is exactly what they would look like! I told this to Kate & Jason and they agreed.
I could definitely tell that there were some tracks in the show, and I'm not the greatest at picking up on those things. But it didn't detract from the experience for me that much.

Kate and I loved
Scarborough Fair! They sat on the steps of the stage and I'm pretty sure they sang it a cappella, with the exception of one drum played by one of the guys. It was very pretty. This is a good accomplishment for me, because when listening to slow songs live I have a tendency to get bored unless the vocals are really good. I wasn't bored with it! So good job, 12 Irish Tenors for that one.
My other favorite sections were the Glen Miller & Sinatra sections. I adore Frank Sinatra. I really do. So as long as you don't royally mess up a Sinatra song, I will enjoy it. :P haha. The choreography for these two sections were much improved as well.
Oh, and I did actually burst out laughing when they announced they would be singing some "West Side Story" songs. hahaha. It would have been impossible for me to not laugh. :P

So, overall it was really entertaining and enjoyable, even if it isn't necessarily the best show I've seen yet.

Branson! Day 1.

We woke up at 6:45 am to drive into Branson! It took us exactly 2.5 hours from the lake, which was nice since it usually takes around 4 to drive from Tulsa. Then again, Mom adds on a good 30 minutes with all the stops she likes to take, so it probably would have only taken Kate & I an extra hour from home.

Anyway. We got to the hotel at 10:30 am. I think that was a record for me for the earliest time arriving in Branson... ever. haha. We dropped our luggage off at the Colonnade [where we had a HUGE king-sized bed! ^___^] and went to the Landing for lunch. We wandered around the Landing for a couple more hours [we seriously went to the Landing EVERY SINGLE day we were there, except for Saturday when we left].

OH! And we got an old time photo taken! :D Kate and I went tourist. It was fun!
Thennn.. we got ready for the 12 Irish Tenors!

We met Jason at the theater [which was literally 60 whole seconds from our hotel. How convenient!] and Kate was introduced. We had a really awkward picture taken before we walked to our seats. That I didn't go look at after the show.
It was pretty good. Kate & I both gave it a 7.5 out of 10. I'm going to have a separate post for my show review. :-)

The rest of our night after the show was filled with waiting on angry IHOP employees to feed us and then falling into bed. Our nice, comfy king-sized bed!

Lake Weekend!

So, my big travel week started off with a bang. Kate and I went up to her lake house on Friday night. The rest of her family had already made it up there, but we had to wait until I got off of work.

I love the way Kate & Grace have their room decorated! Most of it is a Paris theme, and then around Grace's bed are tons and tons of COWS. This picture is my favorite of her cows. ^___^

It rained while we were there. A lot.

But we had fun going around in the golf cart, taking random pictures, and meeting WALTER. Walter is the CUTEST bulldog ever. We love his little nose wrinkle. I have more pictures up on facebook.

Kate's cousins came over and we all played apples to apples and balderdash. And walked down to the dock in the rain.
We also went into Vinita to see Eclipse at the theater there. It only had 3 screens. And parallel parking in the front of the theater. I think it took us three minutes to explore 3/4 of the town. We found a 'park' consisting of two see-saws and two swings.

Then Kate & I woke up at 6:45 am on Monday morning to head to Branson. :)

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Sunday Top 10: Star Trek

Since I've been REALLY over-the-top with Doctor Who recently [one of the side effects of jumping on a bandwagon late in the game. I have to catch up on 4 seasons all at once, then follow the 5th season real time, which only lasts 3 months, all boiling down to me having to wait for the second half of the season finale just like everyone else after I'd basically had a marathon of 4 seasons jammed into two months.] I figured I'd give my readers [hah. I think I have about... 2. Sporadically.] a break.

A break from Doctor Who, but not science fiction. haha. I'm still geeking out, so I have to stay within my geek-frame of mind.
Anyway. I've been falling down on the job with my Sunday Top 10's, so I figured I'd do one this week.

My Top Ten Favorite Star Trek Episodes! [TOS & TNG smashed together.]
And yes, these ARE in order of favoritism this time! [Ascending order. So, my favorite of the favorites is number 1!]


10. The Pegasus. Next Generation. Season 7. Riker gets to kick butt! There is sufficient ethical dilemma and risk of bodily harm to even it out and keep me happy. Though at this point I was banging my head on my desk, asking WHY IN THE NAME OF Q HAVE RIKER AND TROI NOT GOTTEN BACK TOGETHER?! I loved Worf, but Worf and Troi together? No. Nuh-uh. Not gonna cut it for me. Sorry, but the romantic in me must come out and slap Riker and Troi both upside the head for their stupidity. Or maybe just slap the writers. Anyway, this episode has always just stuck with me since I first saw it. Definitely a great start to my top ten list!

9. Court Martial. Original Series, season 1. Kirk is court martial-ed, accused of violating procedure and being responsible for a crew member's death. His ex- whatever she was is lawyer for the other side, and she's good. Really good. No space travel or adventures in this one, but its still great. Loyalties are questioned, trust is shattered, and the conclusion comes with an awww-moment. Nine out of ten stars!

8. The Inner Light. Next Generation. Season 5. Picard lapses into a coma, and lives out a whole lifetime on another planet. He has cute little Picardlets [aka, kids. Doesn't work as well with Picard as it does Gibbs. Sorry.] running around who eventually grow up to be smart, smart adults. He has an adorable, quite understanding wife. He tries to save the planet, only realizing that he was brought there after the planet had died so that the people wouldn't be forgotten. Sir Patrick Stewart gets to show us his crazy acting skills and we get to see Picard have the family he's always secretly longed for, deep deep [deep, deep, deep] down.

7. Plato's Stepchildren. Original Series, season 3. Spock laughed. Spock cried. Spock DANCED. There was an ethical dilemma [though really, most of the Trek dilemmas are ethical] because the gods of some faraway planet made everyone else their personal playthings. The Enterprise crew were humiliated, there was a checkered floor, and the whole planet was designed around classical Greece. If those things can't make a great ep, I don't know what can. Plus, Bones was the head honcho in this one instead of Kirk. He had to make all the ethical-dilemma-y decisions. Poor McCoy. He's a doctor, d*****, not a miracle worker!

6. The Measure of a Man. Next Generation. Season 2. Data is reassigned, and told he will be disassembled. Basically, he sues for his right to have rights as a sentient life form. Riker is forced to put together a case against Data. Picard's old flame is the JAG officer and is the one deciding Data's fate. Oddly reminiscent of Court Martial, only this one has ethical dilemmas exploding everywhere like the sky on 4th of July. We discover how much our mental pathways have become accustomed to Data's neural input, or something like that. Tugs at your heartstrings.

5. Shore Leave. Original Series, season 1. For some reason, this episode just stuck with me. There's people "dying" right and left. People's fantasies come to life on a planet that was literally designed to be a playground. The costumes are giggle-inducing, as well as Kirk's ex-girlfriend. I like it because they can't immediately find the bad guy, and don't even know if there is one. This one is full of mind games! Plus, the effects are so bad you just have to laugh and love it. Okay, you might not. But I do.

4. The Trouble with Tribbles. Original Series, season 2. Probably one of the most-recognized Original Series episodes ever. Briefly thought of changing my username to tinalovestribbles, but I didn't. Anyway, the reason this ep gets the fourth spot is because of the cute little fuzzballs that breed asexually and take over the Enterprise. And the way they got rid of them was the most physically snarky solution they could have come up with. I loved it!

3. Elementary, Dear Data. Next Generation. Season 2. Because I adore Data. Add in some Sherlock Holmes, and I'm loving it! Data is so smart, he has to program the holodeck to endanger the rest of the crew to give him a game challenging enough to not be boring. What ISN'T to love about this episode? Also, Data dressed as Holmes is amazing.

2. Chain of Command, parts I, II. Next Generation. Season 6. Picard is replaced. The crew is close to mutiny. Picard is captured and tortured, physically and psychologically. THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS. For me, no other episode could fill this number two spot. Just excellent. Sir Patrick Stewart really gets to show off his acting chops! And Picard picks himself up and comes out on top. If I could have a third grandpa, I would want it to be Stewart. Which is totally unrelated, but I had to throw that out. :P

1. A Piece of the Action, Original Series, season 2. Yes! This is my favorite Star Trek episode EVER, hands down. What could be better than Kirk and Spock landing on a gangster planet, dressing up in suits and fedoras, and out-mobbing the mob? Nothing, as far as Trek is concerned! Or maybe that should be, as far as I'm concerned... Also, Kirk unsuccessfully attempts to drive a stick shift. Assuming that was just for audience giggles, because that was the effect on me! :P I have watched this ep over and over... the only thing missing from it is more Bones! Also, Scotty on the bridge is a plus.


[Also, please ignore the fact that it is technically Monday now. Thanks. :) haha.]

Saturday, June 26, 2010

SPOILERS! Wait... isn't that River's line..?

ahahaha. So.
Doctor Who. Season 5 finale. The Big Bang.
I think my head exploded from the epicness. And yes, epicness is a word.
Beware the spoilers! Even though we STILL have no clue WHO the heck River Song is. But I'm okay with that. For now.


The Big Bang is my favorite. Who. finale. ever. Ever. [Even better than the worst. rescue. ever!] I managed to find a live stream online and got to watch it at the same time everyone in the UK was! I felt special. And I was bouncing up and down on my bed with my laptop like a giddy schoolgirl through the whole thing, squee-ing and biting my hand [yes, I really did... not exaggerating!] because of the awesomeness. Expect to see LOTS of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey schtuff going on. And fezzes! [Is that how you spell the plural of a fez? Hope so. :P] Fezzes are cool. Like bowties!

So, the things that made this so FANTASTIC:
Rory came back in "The Pandorica Opens" as an auton, part of the Nestene Consciousness. The Doctor is tricked and locked into the Pandorica.Then.... Future Doctor gives past auton Rory his sonic screwdriver whilst wearing a fez and holding a mop. Past Doctor gets out of the Pandorica via auton Rory and puts mostly-dead [I geeked out at this & had Princess Bride moment] past Amy in the Pandorica instead to heal her from auton Rory's gunshot. Little Amelia touches the Pandorica, it opens, and out pops now-all-alive Amy in the present/past. Doctor now acquires fez and mop. He goes back and steals past-Amelia's drink to give to future-Amelia and leave past-Amelia a note. Future-future Doctor, sans fez, dies in front of Doctor with the fez. The TARDIS is exploding everywhere, and there are no more stars. Fez-Doctor rescues River Song from a time loop at the heart of the explosion, she shoots his fez with help from Amy. Then River Song kicks Dalek a** and what we thought was the dead future-future Doctor has wired the vortex manipulator to the Pandorica, transporting him and the box [MADMAN WITH A BOX! AHH!] to the middle of the explosion, healing the cracks in time, mostly.

*deep breath* The Doctor's life span starts to rewind. He mourns the fez, for a moment ["Eh, I can buy another fez," or something along those lines.], then realizes Amy can hear him but not see him. [Audience realizes there was an amusing space-beach adventure we missed out on.] He rewinds TO THE TIME OF THE ANGELS episode. I KNEWKNEWKNEW that the jacket-Doctor was from the finale episode. ^___^ Yay. Anyways, fangirling aside, he urges eyes-closed-because-of-the-weeping-angel-in-her-head-Amy to remember what he told her when she was seven. Then we rewind to when she was seven, and he tells her to remember his old, new, borrowed, blue box while she is asleep. He 'skips' the rest of the rewind, and goes to the other side of the void to completely seal the cracks. Future/Current/Alternate Amy wakes up on her wedding day, realizes she has parents, and Rory is scared of her. They have their wedding, go to the reception, River's journal is spoiler-free [AKA, empty], River walks by the window, Amy cries and tells her dad to shut up. Amy loudly tells the reception hall that she remembers her raggedy doctor, the TARDIS appears, and Matt Smith gives a whole new meaning to "The Doctor Dances." [I love references! Anyway.] River gives us more questions than answers, the Doctor unwittingly sort-of-proposes, and the newlyweds go off with the Doctor again making me squee with happiness because I think the Doctor should be done with companion-romances for now. I mean, River Song is bad enough. Rose was my ONLY Doctor ship. :P

And, wow.
That was the episode. Epic. Awesome. Mind blowing.

There were no slow parts to the episode, at least for me. I LOVED when the Doctor got ahold of River's vortex manipulator and kept popping in and out. I laughed the whole way through that. And of course, I loved the fez. Obviously.
What I also ADORED was Amy and Rory actually getting married! Eleven, Amy, and Rory are tied for my favorite trio along with Nine, Rose, and Jack. [Sorry, but Ten, Martha, and Jack wasn't anywhere close.] I may be a fangirl, but I'm ready for the Doctor to be done with companion romances. There's River, I know, but still. I LOVED Tennant for season 2 and whenever else Rose was there, making him happy. And Tennant was one of the best Doctor's I've seen. [Even though Nine/Eccleston was my first, and will always be MY Doctor. Eleven/Smith is currently trying to push Eccleston out of the way for that one but I'm being stubborn & loyal. :P] Howeverrr... For seasons 3 & 4, I really got tired of the mopey, heartbroken Doctor. It just made me depressed and made me miss Rose more. Actually, it made me miss Eccleston because if he hadn't left the show after just a year, they probably would have gotten more romantically involved. And RosexDoctor is the ONLY Doctor ship I am willing to commit to, unless River does something amazing. And even then I'll still be upset with her for awhile. But back to Amy and Rory. THAT WAS ONE OF THE BEST FREAKING LOVE STORIES EVER. He guarded the Pandorica for her for TWO THOUSAND YEARS. As an auton! Rory is so adorable. I just want to hug him. And then smack Amy upside the head for flirting with the Doctor all the time. I mean, Matt Smith is good looking and all, but he had Rose in his previous two regenerations. And he wouldn't sit around for two thousand years waiting for someone. True, Rory was plastic so it made that part easier, but still. My point stands. You don't throw away love and devotion like that! You just don't! So now, I literally cannot wait for the Christmas special with that trio. If they EVER kill off Rory again, I'm going to throw something at a wall. Not my screen, because I can't afford to get a new one. :P


And WOW, this was long. I ramble waaay too much. So, recap:

The Big Bang was fast paced, hilarious at points, exciting, sad, and epic. I was literally on the edge of my seat, biting my knuckles. There was no emo Doctor, and the timelines were all wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey. The best since The Parting of the Ways. And that one made me mad at the end with Eccleston's regeneration. So I think this goes to the top of my list as number one finale! Woohoo!

Ohhh, Christmas. Now I have ANOTHER reason for you to come quickly!

Friday, June 25, 2010

Gallagher Girls! [Freshman flashback time.]

So, as I'm waiting for my pre-ordered copy of "Only the Good Spy Young" by Ally Carter to arrive at my house, I got to thinking. There's a possibility that the Gallagher Girls series, which started with "I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You," could be turned into a movie. Its a book series about a super secret boarding school for GENIUS SPY GIRLS. I know, right? haha. I love young adult fiction. I started reading when it had only been the first book out, and now I'm waiting for the fourth. ^___^ I believe I read it in my HS freshman year. [Whoa. This is weird. I have to specify with HS since I'm technically a college freshman now.] And I still love this series. Who wouldn't want to enroll in a boarding school for spies?! Of course, you have to be a genius, but still...

Since I didn't have ANYTHING else to do, *coughcough* I decided I'd make up my dream cast list for the movies.


Cammie: Willa Holland [http://www.buddytv.com/articles/the_oc/Images/willa-holland-1.jpg - Although they would have to glam her down. Cam is supposed to be 'ordinary' looking. ]
Bex: Tristan Mays [http://images.tvrage.com/people/18/52506.jpg]
Liz: AnnaSophia Robb [http://www.youngteenidols.com/modules/gallery/cat-annasophia-robb-image-gallery-50.htm]
Macey: Kristin Herrera [http://www.youngteenidols.com/modules/gallery/cat-kristin-herrera-image-gallery-24.htm]

Rachel Morgan: Sandra Bullock
Solomon: Chris Hemsworth [took me forever to think of this one. He was George Kirk, Jim Kirk's dad in the new 2009 Trek movie. Lots of girls want Brad Pitt for this one. Ew, no. Please. Just... no.]
Abby Cameron: Elizabeth Hurley

Josh: Logan Lerman
Zach: Drew Roy


A lot of people went through the WHOLE ENTIRE cast. But I mostly pretty much just care about the main crew. And I'm aware that the previous sentence would make the grammar police cringe. Deal with it. :P haha. My mind is fried at the moment after a long day.


So, yes.
I just had to get this off my chest. It was burning a whole in my brain. ^_____^

Monday, May 10, 2010

Sunday Top 10: Straight No Chaser!

Okay, so this is Monday. Whatever. I only felt like one blog post Sunday, and it was understandably about the Straight No Chaser concert! :D

So, since I'm still on that amazing-concert-high, sort of, I'm still going to make this about SNC. This top 10 list is about my top 10 favorite songs of theirs. However, keep in mind that I could never just pick a top 3, let alone 5, and top 10 is still even pushing it. So these are in no particular order, because all of their songs are fantastic! :) Yes, its a cop out. No, I don't care.

10. Ghost Train [though they only play it on the credits of one of their college DVDs]
9. Poison / Billie Jean [they haven't recorded this, I've only heard it live. But its amazing. And Jerome did some MJ moves for us. :P]
8. Joy to the World / Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog
7. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
6. You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch [I think I'm in love with Charlie's solo.]
5. Wonderwall
4. Tainted Love
3. Insomniac
2. Africa
1. Hi-De-Ho [especially live! Listening to this live will seriously blow you away!]

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Birthday Concert: Straight No Chaser!

So, I've been following Straight No Chaser ever since their '12 Days of Christmas' youtube video became popular. I ordered their DVD and some of the CDs they made in college, and went and bought 'Holiday Spirits' the day it was available in stores. Same for 'Christmas Cheers.' I think I had to wait for my payday and bought 'With a Twist' just about 3-4 days or so after it came out.

So, understandably, I was really psyched when I heard that they would be coming to Tulsa on May 8, the day before my 19th birthday. Actually, I was more excited about the concert than my birthday. :P I turned my mother into a fan around the time of their first Christmas CD, so she was excited to go. My grandma fell in love when I sat her down to listen to a CD right before we bought the tickets. And Kate, my best friend, had heard me play them before and so I brought her along for the fun.

I knew the concert was going to be fantastic. [The only downside was the fact that I am 5'3 tall, and the people sitting in front of me were at least 5'10.] But they blew me away! I loveloveloved listening to Straight No Chaser live! They went way above and beyond my already high expectations. It was the best concert I've ever been to.

I could listen to these guys all day long! Could have listened all night long. :) And afterward they were so nice in the autograph line. I talked with several of them, and ended up having to take two pictures with Jerome because I blinked in the first one. I got my little mini-poster from inside the CD autographed. And then the next time I checked my facebook, I had a notification from Randy wishing me a happy birthday and saying it was nice to meet me. That was an unexpected surprise and it was nice to meet all of you guys too. :) And it was great to hear happy birthday from all of them going through the line.

I knew Kate had become a fan when she searched out the SNC music on my iPod when we went on our traditional Sonic run for slushes. I think we made it there five minutes before they closed. haha. Most of the people that ride in my car have heard Straight No Chaser, and it is obvious how amazing they are when people say, "wow... they ARE good!"

So, if you haven't heard of them... you must look them up on youtube immediately and then go buy their newest album, With a Twist! :D Some of the best music ever! And then if you ever get the chance, see them live. It is a million times better than listening to a CD. Plus, they're really funny and I love watching them dance. I was trying to pick a favorite song of the night, but I just couldn't. Some of the ones that were tied for first were Hi-De-Ho [SOOO amazing live!], Joy to the World, Poison/Billie Jean [loved the MJ dancing], Africa [so beautiful when they sing it!], Fix You, and Lion Sleeps Tonight. The TV theme songs were especially good, and I really enjoyed Charlie singing the Beverly Hillbillies theme.

They also knew how to make the crowd happy with OU/OSU mentions. And the very last song without mics was gorgeous! The original song that I believe Dan wrote was fantastic. I loved it.

I was a very happy birthday girl! :D

Sunday, May 2, 2010

My Sunday Top 10

Just because I need another reason to procrastinate... I am going to post a top 10 list every Sunday... if I don't forget. So this Sunday is my top 10 quotes from random things that I've seen recently, not necessarily my top 10 quotes of all time.


10. Women like to get flowers. But they LOVE to get flowers in front of other women. - Steven Furtick. [Pastor of Elevation Church.]

9. You’re going to see church after church after church. Methodists, Baptists, Pentecostals, all coming to the same table. And the Baptists are eating all the food and the Methodists organized it all and the Pentecostals kicked the table over and ran a lap. - Pastor Steven Furtick [talking about who's going to be in Heaven. haha. I'm laughing because I'm Pentecostal & I just see my church members doing that in my head.]

8. Hotch: "There's lots of ways for sons to defeat their fathers."
Reid: "I just keep getting PhD's." [haha. Criminal Minds!]

7. Doctor 10: "Oh, and I met a horse."
Mickey: "What's a horse doing on a spaceship?!"
Doctor 10: "What's Pre-Revolutionary France doing on a spaceship? Get some perspective!!" [:P Doctor Who! David Tennant's Doctor, to be precise.]

6. "I am a servant of the secret fire, wielder of the flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun! Go back to the shadow, YOU SHALL NOT PASSSS!" [Gandalf. :D To the Balrog.]

5. Doctor 10: "Tracked you down with this. This is my timey-wimey detector. It goes ding when there's stuff. Also, it can boil an egg at 30 paces, whether you want it to or not, actually, so I've learned to stay away from hens. It's not pretty when they blow." [From Blink, the CREEPIEST episode ever. I love it.]

4. Doctor 10: "People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but *actually* from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint - it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly... time-y wimey... stuff. " [Again, from Doctor Who Blink episode..]

3. Amy: "Can you get me back by tomorrow morning?"
Doctor 11: "Its a time machine. I can get you back to five minutes ago."

2. Doctor 11: "Found a crack in the wall and told them it was the end of the universe."
Amy: "What was it?"
Doctor 11: "The end of the universe." [the Matt Smith Doctor, from Flesh and Stone episode. He's saying how he wasn't killed by the weeping angels.]

aaaaand...

1. Doctor 10: "Don't blink. Blink and you're dead. Don't turn your back. Don't look away. And don't blink. Good Luck. " [Ahhh! From the Blink episode!]


Yes, its mostly Doctor Who. But that's what I've been mostly watching the past two weeks. haha. Its my new favorite show, as I've already said.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Doctor Who

Yaaay. I have a new favorite show. Doctor Who. And sort of Torchwood, the spinoff. I love BBC America shows. They had Robin Hood, Doctor Who, Cash in the Attic [haha], Skins [though that was more of Kate's show but I still watched it], Torchwood, AND they show Star Trek: The Next Generation reruns! And they also had the Brit version of Whose Line. Which was always funnier. :P

Anyway. Doctor Who. It all started.... last Saturday? Possibly the Saturday before that. I was bored, and thought I'd watch Doctor Who just to see what it was all about. I started with the revamped series, with the 9th Doctor. See, instead of dying, the doctor regenerates. :D So, the 9th was my "first" Doctor. Christopher Eccleston. He was instantly my favorite just on "first" doctor loyalty grounds. I wished his contract had been for more than a year because I thought he was a great doctor. He loved to say fantastic. Since I watched an entire season in about a week, I've kind of picked up the habit of saying fantastic with a British accent in my head.
My "second" doctor was David Tennant. I'd seen bits and pieces of Tennant's 10th doctor on BBC America from time to time [before we didn't have that channel any more... sad!] but never really got interested. I liked him this time around. I was so mad at what he did to Rose at the end though. And then I was sad for him. And his last line, "I don't want to go," almost made me tear up. I loved all of his babbling. He loved to say allonsy. I believe its French for "lets go." He was so excited when he found someone named Alonso so he could say "allonsy Alonso!" If I ever find someone named Alonso, I think I'll do the same. hahaha.
My "third" doctor is the current one. The newest season ["series 5"] started on BBC1 in the UK on Easter this year. Matt Smith is the 11th doctor, the youngest ever actor at 27 to play the Doctor. I think he's going to end up being my favorite. He has the right blend of quirk and genius and he can rock a bow tie and suspenders. :P He's the only person I have ever seen to make a bow tie B.A. haha. I saw on a Doctor Who messageboard that a fan said he was "strangely attractive." She was right. He isn't really my type, but I find myself strangely attracted to him. A lot. :P haha. He reminds me of a blend of the Chamber of Secrets' Tom Riddle and a youngyoungyoung Patrick Swayze. With really great hair. And his accent is fantastic. :D Oh, he also has a new sonic screwdriver.

Just like Star Trek has phasers, Robin Hood has a bow and arrow, and Blues Clues has the handy dandy notebook.... Doctor Who has his sonic screwdriver. :P It isn't really a weapon, but it can do pretty much anything. I love it.

By the way... this series is HILARIOUS. Apparently it was made to be targeted at kids, specifically to scare the crap out of kids. haha. But I love it. And lots of other adults love it. And even if they didn't... I'd still love it. :P

Captain Jack: Who has a sonic screwdriver?
Doctor 9: I DO!
Captain Jack: Who looks at a SCREWDRIVER and thinks oh, this could be a little more sonic!
Doctor9: What, you've never been bored? Never had a lot of cabinets to put up?

Sunday, April 18, 2010

New Weekly Exercise Plan!

Woo. Excitement.
Not really.
But it's good for me, and once I actually start exercising I love all the endorphins and schtuff. Yay runner's highs! haha.

So. I'm just going to have a set thing to do each day of the week.

MONDAY: Wake up. Stretch. Go a mile on the treadmill after getting back home from feeding.

TUESDAY: Wake up. Stretch. Find a random 10 minute cardio workout online.

WEDNESDAY: Wake up. Stretch. [see a trend here? I want my splits back!] Go a mile on the treadmill after getting back home from feeding/teaching Phoebe.

THURSDAY: Wake up. Stretch. Find a different 10 minute cardio workout online.

FRIDAY: Wake up. Stretch. Stretch some more. Friday is super stretching day. Then do some lunges and planks.

SATURDAY: Wake up. Stretch. Clean my room/car out. Play around with my dad's exercise equipment. Ride. Practice our teen talent dance.

SUNDAY: Wake up. Stretch. Drama/Dance practice shall be my workout.


I am going to have to kick myself to do this every morning. But if I don't do it right when I wake up, then I'll never find the time to do it. I can't exercise at night either, because then I'd never be able to get to sleep. And besides, I feel better afterwords. I'm going to try my darndest to not skip a SINGLE day for at least three weeks. After the second week, everything is easier. After the third week, its a habit. So yeah. The fourth week will be my reward because it will just seem normal then.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Favorite Pastor Quotes

haha. So, I listen to several different pastors via their itunes podcasts. My favorite pastors ever are Mark Gungor and Steven Furtick. Sadly, I would have to go to Greenbay, Wisconsin to listen to Gungor and Charlotte, South Carolina to listen to Furtick. Praise the Lord for technology. Both of these pastors have multi-campus churches that are just amazing. Well, from what I've heard of the sermons they are amazing. I actually discovered Mark Gungor because my mom thought he was hilarious on the Jim Bakker show one day. I discovered Steven Furtick when I heard him speak in person at our 2009 IPHC Youth Convention in Greensboro, NC.
So, I compile some of my favorite quotes if I'm listening while on my laptop. And I thought some should be shared. :-)

Saying that religion is a matter of personal preference stops when a guy that was lame gets up and walks! Because it wasn’t his preference that got him up off that cripple bed. Saying that religion is a matter of personal preference stops when a man walks out of a grave. - Pastor J.D. Greear

We’re not saying that we are smarter. We know that you guys have got more degrees on your wall than a thermometer. We’re just saying that a guy got out of a grave! And no offense, when a guy gets out of the grave we feel like he gets to make the rules. - Pastor J.D. Greear [He's paraphrasing what Peter said to the Pharisees.]

The gospel, when interpreted correctly, leads not to exclusion and arrogance, but to inclusion, and humility, and radically pouring out yourself for others. - Pastor J.D. Greear

Scattered, awkward applause. I love it. It means I’m preaching good. Shoot, I’ll be preaching if you all walk out on me! - Steven Furtick.

Sacrifice is about giving up something good, for something BETTER that God has for you. - Holly Furtick

We know about Solomon - that he was the wisest man that ever lived. And, um, we also know that he had over 700 wives. Which also qualifies him as the dumbest man who ever lived. - Steven Furtick.

Women like to get flowers. But they LOVE to get flowers in front of other women. - Steven Furtick. [hah! So true. :P]

Cats aren’t even animals. They are demons in an animal form. So, she’s petting a demon…. - Steven Furtick

If you brought your grandmother to church today, I am so sorry. I will refund your tithe. - Furtick.

Some of you are thinking, “I don’t want to let him get away with it.” You don’t let him get away with it. You sic God on him! - Furtick. [talking about forgiving people.]

You’re going to see church after church after church. Methodists, Baptists, Pentecostals, all coming to the same table. And the Baptists are eating all the food and the Methodists organized it all and the Pentecostals kicked the table over and ran a lap. - Furtick. [talking about Heaven, I believe.]

Smokin’ won’t send ya to hell, but it’ll sure make ya smell like ya been there. - Furtick.

I’m more concerned about connecting with lost people for the sake of the Gospel than coddling Christians for the sake of their preferences. - Furtick. [agreed!]

So, I won't overload you with a million quotes, these are just some of the ones I already had written down. :)

New Goals.

So, since awhile back Jason said that he was going to start being more disciplined in his life, I figured it would be a good idea for me to start as well. After all, if he can do it, surely I can too! :P Because I realize that I have had very little discipline lately. Ugh. And it is going to be tough, but if I make a blog post about it, and annoy several people on twitter with it, I think I'll be able to keep up with it. Well, at least I'll have more accountability than if I just wrote it in my diary. Because I do have a diary. Its a pretty diary. Handmade leather, with a very artistic horse sketch on it, in fact. But I digress... I just started listing these things as they came to me. These are all things that I used to actually do at some point or another, but I only did them one or two at a time. The ultimate test will be to combine all of these things into an organized life of awesome discipline-ness. And it will all start on Saturday, because tonight I must stay up late to watch Jimmy Fallon since Straight No Chaser is his musical guest. :-)

  1. I will have some sort of devotional every single morning. Every morning. And if I will not be sleeping in my own bed, then I will do two devotionals the day before or after. I have neglected my prayer journal and feel really bad about it.
  2. I actually need to fall asleep by 11:00. Not just be in bed with a book. If I have to use Tylenol pm for a week straight to get on a schedule, I will. Because I need to be up and out of bed by 7:30. Every morning. So maybe get in bed by 10:15 every night. That's probably good.
  3. I will designate Saturday as my car and room cleaning days. Car cleaning will involve windex and possibly a hand held vacuum. Room cleaning will involve making sure that I can actually see my carpet. Seriously, I SWEAR I only put one book on the floor, then it multiplies to five in the night. My books and papers that end up on the floor transform into tribbles in the night.
  4. I will check my email only three times per day, maximum. In the morning, around lunchtime, and before I start getting ready for bed.
  5. Same goes for facebook. Oh, the horrors.
  6. Exercise: I will make an exercise calendar. And keep to it this time. Really. My cardio is horrible, and I almost have a lung collapse every time I run out to grab a horse from turnout. My next blog post will be said exercise calendar.
  7. I will do what I say, and only say what I will be able to do. I'm horrible at not being able to say no. I feel guilty denying people. But then I can't do it, so that's worse than saying no.
  8. I will pretend like I do not have a debit card in my wallet at all times, unless I have planned to buy something in advance. Starbucks is ONLY for when I have a gift card. Sonic is ONLY for when I have cash. End of story. And no buying anything until I write my tithe check either.
  9. And lastly, I must make a conscious effort to be more friendly and keep up with those friends. Just because I am an introvert doesn't mean I can forget that I do have to actually interact with people. I have the worst habit of forgetting about people that I shouldn't, and tend to go a month or more without replying to an email or message. Ugh.
Actually, that was not the last. The very last is keeping up with my blog so I can inform my... 3+ readers of my progress. I give you all the right to comment on my posts to call me out if you think I'm slipping. Yes, even Jason, even though he just made fun of me on his blog. :P haha. Oh, and if you want to read an awesome creative writing assignment I did on the topic of wisdom, scroll down some. I even quote Spock and Captain Picard in it. I think it is the best paper on wisdom ever. [Should being humble be in my list? hmm... naah. ;) ]

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Wisdom from the Bible, Plato, and Spock

So. I wrote a paper today on wisdom. It is around 750-ish words. I think it is pretty awesome because I quote the Bible, Plato, Norman Cousins [whoever that is!], CAPTAIN PICARD, and SPOCK. I adore Jean-Luc Picard, Spock, Data, Riker, Bones, and James T. Kirk. It delighted me to no end that I could have quotes from characters from The Original Series AND The Next Generation.

Someone help me. As in my tweet earlier... #nerdalert! Haha. I also used the #bestpaperever hashtag. :D Which makes me even more of a nerd, I think. Anyway... here is the paper!







Wisdom is regarded as a positive and even ideal trait to have by most people. It can be used or ignored in every situation. When someone makes a bad decision, their friends or parents often tell them that it wasn't very wise. Many people spend years trying to gain wisdom, and others seem to be born with it. The many writings and quotes on wisdom show us how valuable it has been to societies for many years. Well known writers, philosophers, and religious experts have all had sayings or phrases about wisdom attributed to them. Plato wrote that, "Wise men talk because they have something to say, fools talk because they must say something."

Religion has been a major part of wisdom's background. In Christianity, the Bible story of King Solomon asking for wisdom is one of the more well known mentions of the subject. Many people say that he was the wisest man on Earth. King Solomon was believed to have written most of the book of Proverbs. The great saying, "A soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up anger," can be found in Proverbs 15:1. Books upon books can be found on the subject of wisdom. My mother owns one entitled Wisdom for the Way: Wise Words for the Busy Soul by Charles Swindoll. It is a fairly new book that was published in 2002, but it contains older excerpts from the Bible to strengthen its claims. It quotes from the New Testament as well as the Old Testament, showing that wisdom is deeply rooted in the foundations of Christianity.

Other religions such as Islam and Buddhism greatly value wisdom. The Qur'an states that wisdom is one of the best gifts that humans can have, and that Allah gives wisdom to who he will. In Buddhism, wisdom is described as a person who has good bodily, verbal, and mental conduct. Taoism describes wisdom as knowing when the right time is to say the right things.

The opposite of wisdom is acting stupidly. Wisdom is not foolishness. People who are wise do not make decisions without thinking and discerning which course of action is appropriate. It is never wise to make rash decisions. Some people call this going off half-cocked, especially when you are angry. There are even rare situations where it is not wise to obey an authority figure. In Star Trek: The Next Generation Captain Picard once said, "There are times, sir, when men of good conscience cannot blindly follow orders." In that situation, Picard had been ordered to forcefully displace a whole race of people from their planet similar to when the American Indians had been forced on the Trail of Tears.

The more people that you ask, the more definitions you will hear about wisdom. While they might not all be correct, wisdom has many different facets. Another word for it could be discernment. Wisdom is being faced with a decision, and discerning which is the best course of action based on the choices you have in front of you. I also agree with Norman Cousins, who said, "Wisdom consists of the anticipation of consequences." If you know that the consequence of speeding in your car is potentially crashing or getting pulled over by a cop, then you should use wisdom and drive the speed limit. Wisdom, for Christians, is also about our morals. It could be defined as making decisions that line up with our moral convictions. It is also defined as putting your knowledge to use. As Spock said in Star Trek VI, "Logic is the beginning of wisdom, not the end."

I use wisdom in my everyday life, especially while I'm working. My job is teaching people, especially younger kids, to ride horses. I have to use wisdom to keep my students safe. For example, it is wise if I use mellow, well-trained school horses for my beginner riders, especially the smaller ones. It is also wise to require my students to wear helmets and teach them safety precautions. Another every day, simple way to use wisdom is getting dressed after watching the weather report. If it is cold and snowy outside, it is wise to wear a heavy coat and several layers of clothing to keep warm. Likewise, if it is rainy it is wise to wear a raincoat or carry an umbrella. From ancient history to modern times, and even into the imagined future, wisdom is an ideal trait to have and we should all be constantly striving for it.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

"I Did Lots of Things My Parents Didn't Know About...."

Haha. Hi, all. Yes, it's been awhile. But I believe the readers of this blog only look about once a month anyway, so I probably could have posted this two weeks from now and it wouldn't have made a difference. Anyway.
I was just thinking back to one of my favorite conversations with my parents this winter. We had been snowed in for a day and a half, and when we finally went outside, it was for dad and I to take brooms to the tops of the cars and uncover them from about 6 inches of snow. And we also had to spend a good 30 minutes defrosting/de-icing the windshields.
When that was done, dad wanted to "see what the roads were like." He just randomly likes to go on drives. He's a big fan of "seeing where the roads will take him." So, while we were out on this little drive [he had me behind the wheel because he didn't feel like going to get his wallet/license] he asks me, "Do you have any experience getting out of skids?"
My immediate reaction could be summed up like this: "??????"
So I said, "Where would I practice getting out of skids? I know you steer into them. I fishtail and get into skids on purpose on the four-wheeler. Does that count?"
"Yeah, as long as you know what it feels like you have an advantage." So he was happy with that. But I just had to know something.
"Seriously, what did you think my answer would be?"
His answer to that question? "Well, I did lots of things my parents didn't know about. We used to to donuts in my truck when I was a kid." Uh-huh. Because that would go over REAL well with him. [Listen, dad. I know you want me to be safe on the roads when they're icy, so I got in some practice just messing around in my car in that abandoned parking lot over there! We did donuts, then we hit the open road to go drifting! Aren't you proud of me? Oh, wait... was this part of the stuff that you DIDN'T want to know about?]
Anyways... just thought I'd share a funny little convo with my dad with you all. haha. Personally, I think part of that conversation was just daring me to go do something dangerous on an empty patch of pavement, but maybe that's just me....

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Potter, you rotter.

haha. I was bored. So I decided to pick out one of my favorite quotes from each Harry Potter book. I'll actually start that in a second, but I thought that these three quotes deserve good mention outside of my list:
"Oh, Potter, you rotter, oh, what have you done, You're killing off students, you think it's good fun." - Peeves
"Of course I know Dumbledore, who doesn't know Dumbledore?" - Mrs. Figg
"I am a wizard, not a baboon brandishing a stick." - Professor Flitwick
haha. Okay. Here we go!

Philosopher's Stone.
"There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them (Chapter 10)"

Chamber of Secrets
"Now, Harry you must know all about Muggles, tell me, what exactly is the function of a rubber duck? " - Arthur Weasley [yes.. I got a rubber duck quote from the whole book.]

Prisoner of Azkaban
"You look in excellent health to me, Potter, so you will excuse me if I don't let you off homework today. I assure you that if you die, you need not hand it in." - McGonagall
AND. " Harry and Ron both made furious moves toward Malfoy, but Hermione got there first--SMACK! She had slapped Malfoy across the face with all the strength she could muster. "

Goblet of Fire
"Colin, I fell in!" he [Dennis Creevey] said shrilly, throwing himself into an empty seat. "It was brilliant! And something in the water grabbed me and pushed me back in the boat!"
"Cool!" said Colin, just as excitedly. "It was probably the giant squid, Dennis!"
"Wow!" said Dennis, as though nobody in their wildest dreams could hope for more than being thrown into a storm-tossed, fathoms-deep lake, and pushed out of it again by a giant sea monster.
"

Order of the Phoenix
"A week after Fred and George's departure, Harry witnessed Professor McGonagall walking right past Peeves, who was determinedly loosening a crystal chandelier, and could have sworn he heard her tell the poltergeist out of the corner of her mouth, "It unscrews the other way." "
AND.. "(After Lupin goes through a list of all the things they've done to discredit Dumbledore) "But Dumbledore says he doesn't care what they do as long as they don't take him off the Chocolate Frog Cards," said Bill, grinning. "
And since this is my favorite book as well as movie, I must add this favorite movie quote: "I'm sorry Professor, I must not tell lies." - Harry Potter!

Half-Blood Prince
"And that's Smith of Hufflepuff with the Quaffle," said a dreamy voice, echoing over the grounds. "He did the commentary last time, of course, and Ginny Weasley flew into him, I think probably on purpose, it looked like it. Smith was being quite rude about Gryffindor, I expect he regrets that now he's playing them - oh, look, he's lost the Quaffle. Ginny took it from him. I do like her, she's very nice..." -Luna Lovegood

Deathly Hallows
"Somewhere in the distance they could hear Peeves zooming through the corridors singing a victory song of his own composition:

We did it, we bashed them, wee Potter’s the one, And Voldy’s gone moldy, so now let’s have fun!

“Really gives a feeling for the scope and tragedy of the thing, doesn’t it?” said Ron. "

Woo! :D haha.