From time to time, I feel like it's necessary to share my views on the movie spectrum. But I'm so happy to say that it's FINALLY the start of the summer blockbuster season, which is my favorite season all year!
There are many movies to look forward too this summer and something to fit even the most pickiest of movie critics. I am not overly picky when it comes to movies. Of course my favorite genre are musicals, especially anything filmed before the 1970s. While I truly believe that Hollywood has lost most of its originality, I still find most of today's movies enjoyable, although not memorable. Long gone are the days of Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn and Cary Grant.
Today, Hollywood is run by media conglomerates like Disney and Turner, who as one friend put it are "more interested in the merchandising opportunities." But I do believe that despite the loss of creativity over the past 50+ years that new classics can be made. Movies that my children will someday look back on and be like, "Mom, look at those awful special effects."
I am of the opinion that Pirates of the Caribbean is one of those classics. However, let me make very clear that I mean only the very first one. I recently saw the 4th one in theaters and although I believe Johnny Depp cannot make a bad movie, the movie was definitely lacking in certain areas. Mostly the plot. However, I will not ramble on. Let's just say, that Johnny Depp did a fabulous job as Captain Jack Sparrow (let us not forget that he is a captain... he mentions it only 1,000 times in the movie). However, the movie is not worth the $10 I paid, which disappointed me, but it's better than 2 and 3 (both of which were terrible).
However, the original POTC is a fun, campy pirate movie that most audiences and critics loved. Johnny Depp catapulted himself into the legend books as the crazy but brilliant Captain Jack Sparrow. His character was so outrageous and original that you couldn't help but like him. You spend half the movie believing he's drunk all the time and the other half believing he's a brilliant mastermind who despite claiming to be a pirate is truly good-hearted. Johnny Depp earned himself an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his role as Jack and I must add I was very sad he didn't win. His performance remains one of the finest that I have ever seen.
The thing I believe that makes POTC a true Hollywood classic is the simplicity of the plot line. Depp runs around in the Caribbean trying to get back his beloved ship from his traitorous first mate and crew. He's helped by the innocent and smitten Orlando Bloom, who's only motivation is to save the girl of his dreams. Nothing more, nothing less. Keira Knightley plays the girl who must choose between her status and love. And Geoffrey Rush plays a gnarly and sinister villian, who is surprisingly human. He just wants to eat his apple.
The acting of Knightley and Bloom is a little over the top occasionally but they are supported by the outstanding performances by the rest of the cast. Also at the time, no one had really come out with a memorable pirate movie. Pirate movies are incredibly difficult to pull off because we have immortalized them as being free spirits who are only motivated by greed. But the writers at Disney looked at that and change the whole model. You actually sat down and rooted for them to win against the evil British Empire.
You wanted Bloom to give in to the "dark" side. You wanted Knightley to run off with the him after he embraced it. And like any classic Hollywood movie, you sympathized with the bad guys (i.e. Darth Vader). And you truly believed that Jack knew what he was doing the whole time.
I am very sad that they came back and ruined the sequels. They could have done so well but the writers made the plot lines too complicated with too many back stories. By the end of the 3rd movie, I was seriously hoping that either Knightley and Bloom would just get married or one of them would die. That plot line was so weighted down by their mediocre performances and bad plot lines that it dragged the movies down with them.
Oh and before I forget... POTC has one other thing that makes it a classic. Great music. Look at what we now consider classics... Star Wars, The Godfather, Psycho, even the Wizard of Oz all have memorable music. Making the music memorable, makes the movie memorable. A catchy melody is going to stick with movie-goers for a long time. And that's why I believe it's a pirates life for me...
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
High School Musical... Who says we have to let it go?
At this point in my life I feel I can hardly say... Wow that was a blast from the past. However, tonight was my sister's Honors Convocation at my old high school. She won a scholarship and got to on stage and get recognized for it. It was very cool and I'm very proud of her. But I couldn't help but think about my 4 years at James B. Conant.
I was actually nervous going into my high school because I haven't stepped foot inside the building for almost 5 years. I've picked up my sister a few times and attended like 2 football games but I haven't actually been INSIDE for a long time. I wasn't sure how it would feel roaming the halls. They've done 2 additions since I've left, moving all the departments around except for P.E.
But as I entered the school, it felt the same. Like my high school had been locked in a time warp for all these years and the only thing that had really changed was me. The carpet was still the same ugly blue color that they put in my senior year and then the school flooded 2 weeks later. We had soggy shoes and socks for weeks. The lockers were still this odd off-white color that my sophomore year replaced the nasty green color that had plagued the school since the 1980s.
And I saw my old orchestra director still as poised as always but always teaching his students even minutes before a performance. By the way, my mom still hasn't forgiven him (long story) 5 years later.
I almost expected to turn a corner and see old friends and classmates laughing about some remark my socially awkward senior survey teacher had made. I expected my German teacher to walk down the hall and say in a perfect German accent, "Ah Alison, wie geht's?" Or my P.E. teacher that I had all 4 years to pop out of no where (like she often did) and yell, "Alison, walk faster!"
It was almost hard to accept that it wasn't my school anymore. That I didn't roam these halls and I didn't have to worry about smelling like chlorine the whole day if I even walked through the pool wing. Only 5 years out of high school, I feel like it was a lifetime ago. Entering the high school was like enveloping myself in my favorite sweatshirt. It was comfortable and oddly reassuring.
I thoroughly enjoyed high school. I think I was one of the lucky few who really enjoyed it. I liked the teachers, the classes, and my friends. I avoided most of the drama of boys and backstabbing friends. I was friends with the good kids, many of our classmates probably thought we were the "goodie-to-shoes." In my group of friends, only 1 of us had our first boyfriend by the time we graduated in June 2006.
Instead of going to prom our junior year, we had a swimming party at my friend's house and her parents grilled for us. We took pictures and laughed and had a great time. We never did anything irrational and were always in the good graces of the administration and our teachers. We did our homework and most of us ended up in the top 25% of our class. By the time I graduated, I ranked like 60 out of 650. I still hang out with most of my friends from high school. We're even going to party on Saturday and we're still all level headed "good kids." We are all either college graduates or will be in the next 6 months.
It's funny... one of the teacher's at the honor's convocation said, "You may leave CHS but it never truly leaves you." And she's right. Whether you were lucky like me and loved high school or you were like many who hated it, you never do forget those 4 years. I have many wonderful memories of high school but my favorites are those sitting with my friends before school in the back hallway by the science department, either catching up on homework, studying or just chatting. That's when I formed those bonds that still stick with me today.
I was actually nervous going into my high school because I haven't stepped foot inside the building for almost 5 years. I've picked up my sister a few times and attended like 2 football games but I haven't actually been INSIDE for a long time. I wasn't sure how it would feel roaming the halls. They've done 2 additions since I've left, moving all the departments around except for P.E.
But as I entered the school, it felt the same. Like my high school had been locked in a time warp for all these years and the only thing that had really changed was me. The carpet was still the same ugly blue color that they put in my senior year and then the school flooded 2 weeks later. We had soggy shoes and socks for weeks. The lockers were still this odd off-white color that my sophomore year replaced the nasty green color that had plagued the school since the 1980s.
And I saw my old orchestra director still as poised as always but always teaching his students even minutes before a performance. By the way, my mom still hasn't forgiven him (long story) 5 years later.
I almost expected to turn a corner and see old friends and classmates laughing about some remark my socially awkward senior survey teacher had made. I expected my German teacher to walk down the hall and say in a perfect German accent, "Ah Alison, wie geht's?" Or my P.E. teacher that I had all 4 years to pop out of no where (like she often did) and yell, "Alison, walk faster!"
It was almost hard to accept that it wasn't my school anymore. That I didn't roam these halls and I didn't have to worry about smelling like chlorine the whole day if I even walked through the pool wing. Only 5 years out of high school, I feel like it was a lifetime ago. Entering the high school was like enveloping myself in my favorite sweatshirt. It was comfortable and oddly reassuring.
I thoroughly enjoyed high school. I think I was one of the lucky few who really enjoyed it. I liked the teachers, the classes, and my friends. I avoided most of the drama of boys and backstabbing friends. I was friends with the good kids, many of our classmates probably thought we were the "goodie-to-shoes." In my group of friends, only 1 of us had our first boyfriend by the time we graduated in June 2006.
Instead of going to prom our junior year, we had a swimming party at my friend's house and her parents grilled for us. We took pictures and laughed and had a great time. We never did anything irrational and were always in the good graces of the administration and our teachers. We did our homework and most of us ended up in the top 25% of our class. By the time I graduated, I ranked like 60 out of 650. I still hang out with most of my friends from high school. We're even going to party on Saturday and we're still all level headed "good kids." We are all either college graduates or will be in the next 6 months.
It's funny... one of the teacher's at the honor's convocation said, "You may leave CHS but it never truly leaves you." And she's right. Whether you were lucky like me and loved high school or you were like many who hated it, you never do forget those 4 years. I have many wonderful memories of high school but my favorites are those sitting with my friends before school in the back hallway by the science department, either catching up on homework, studying or just chatting. That's when I formed those bonds that still stick with me today.
Friday, May 13, 2011
This is why I'm not proud to be an American... occasionally.
So here's my wrap up some of stories I thought were interesting as I was reading the news recently. Sadly, there's no been no really EXCITING news since the Royal Wedding except for the speculation of Prince Harry proposing to his girlfriend. However, I still found something interesting.
This is in relation to a boy who got barred from his senior prom in Shelton, CT, for the way he asked his girlfriend to prom. His name is James Tate, a honors student, who attends Shelton High School. Now I have to give him major props for creativity. He cut out 12-inch cardboard letters to spell out:
"Sonali Rodrigues, Will you go to the prom with me? HMU -Tate." HMU means hit me up, or call me.
That takes some major dedication to cut out all those letters and then tape them to the side of the school. That's right... he put it on the front of the school so everyone could see it.
School officials apparently decided to make an example of Mr. Tate by suspending him from his senior prom. Their reasoning? Trespassing! And to top it all off, the administration has said very little about this but the issues quickly made national headlines as more and more powerful players got involved.
The mayor of Shelton has said that the crime was too harsh... The governor of Connecticut has weighed in with the same sentiment! James Tate was even invited to talk about this whole ordeal on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Connecticut lawmakers are trying to pass a bill that would make it difficult for schools to ban students from after school events because of discipline issues. Their reasoning actually makes some semblance of sense. By banning students from after school activities, your putting them at risk to be involved in other potentially dangerous actions.
People are campaigning right and left to get this boy to his senior prom but the school administration won't budge. The students took it into their own hands starting protests, wearing t-shirts and even doing a sit-in in the school gymnasium. There's even talk of hosting an alternative prom away from the school. There is even a Facebook page for this kid with over 100,000 supporters.
Making an example of an honors student who is going to an Ivy League school in the fall is crazy! He doesn't deserve special treatment but barring him from prom because he asked a girl out in a creative way is absolutely ridiculous! What does this teach our students about free speech?
They teach us in history class about the bill of rights but apparently that only applies to adults. I believe every American, no matter what age, has the right to speak what's on their mind. People may get hurt by the words but you still have that freedom. There was been court cases about this kind of stuff. The Supreme Court ruled that students have the freedom of speech... even at school. It's freakin' CONSTITUTIONAL!
All the punishment does is crush creativity, which is always a sad story. Crushing creativity in kids and teens is terrible. Nothing good comes from it. Conforming is never good. He tries to stand out and is told to get back in line.
He came before school and posted the letters not causing a disruption during classes or even harming the BRICK school building. He put them up and took them down. Nobody was harmed in the process.
Personally, I don't see what was wrong about any of this. He was simply asking a girl to prom. I bet that most of the teachers got a kick out of it. The students thought it was adorable and romantic.
When I was in high school, half of our football team got caught at a party doing drugs. Their punishment? Suspended for 2 football games. That crime was much worse and the punishment a slap on the wrist. I bet you if it had been an all-star athlete instead the school braniac, they would still be going to prom. All it really does is force these kids into accepting those stupid high school stereotypes. So BOO ON YOU Shelton high school administrators for killing creativity and forcing your kids into stereotypes. This also makes me wonder about our educational system.
Also, when the governor and state politicians start stepping in... maybe it's time to reconsider? Especially if they're siding with the boy. I support you James Tate. The school board hasn't proven you guilty of anything except romantic creativity. Besides, if guys can't ask girls to prom in creative ways, what's the point of having prom?
Here's a clip from a local news station about the whole ordeal.
This is in relation to a boy who got barred from his senior prom in Shelton, CT, for the way he asked his girlfriend to prom. His name is James Tate, a honors student, who attends Shelton High School. Now I have to give him major props for creativity. He cut out 12-inch cardboard letters to spell out:
"Sonali Rodrigues, Will you go to the prom with me? HMU -Tate." HMU means hit me up, or call me.
That takes some major dedication to cut out all those letters and then tape them to the side of the school. That's right... he put it on the front of the school so everyone could see it.
School officials apparently decided to make an example of Mr. Tate by suspending him from his senior prom. Their reasoning? Trespassing! And to top it all off, the administration has said very little about this but the issues quickly made national headlines as more and more powerful players got involved.
The mayor of Shelton has said that the crime was too harsh... The governor of Connecticut has weighed in with the same sentiment! James Tate was even invited to talk about this whole ordeal on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Connecticut lawmakers are trying to pass a bill that would make it difficult for schools to ban students from after school events because of discipline issues. Their reasoning actually makes some semblance of sense. By banning students from after school activities, your putting them at risk to be involved in other potentially dangerous actions.
People are campaigning right and left to get this boy to his senior prom but the school administration won't budge. The students took it into their own hands starting protests, wearing t-shirts and even doing a sit-in in the school gymnasium. There's even talk of hosting an alternative prom away from the school. There is even a Facebook page for this kid with over 100,000 supporters.
Making an example of an honors student who is going to an Ivy League school in the fall is crazy! He doesn't deserve special treatment but barring him from prom because he asked a girl out in a creative way is absolutely ridiculous! What does this teach our students about free speech?
They teach us in history class about the bill of rights but apparently that only applies to adults. I believe every American, no matter what age, has the right to speak what's on their mind. People may get hurt by the words but you still have that freedom. There was been court cases about this kind of stuff. The Supreme Court ruled that students have the freedom of speech... even at school. It's freakin' CONSTITUTIONAL!
All the punishment does is crush creativity, which is always a sad story. Crushing creativity in kids and teens is terrible. Nothing good comes from it. Conforming is never good. He tries to stand out and is told to get back in line.
He came before school and posted the letters not causing a disruption during classes or even harming the BRICK school building. He put them up and took them down. Nobody was harmed in the process.
Personally, I don't see what was wrong about any of this. He was simply asking a girl to prom. I bet that most of the teachers got a kick out of it. The students thought it was adorable and romantic.
When I was in high school, half of our football team got caught at a party doing drugs. Their punishment? Suspended for 2 football games. That crime was much worse and the punishment a slap on the wrist. I bet you if it had been an all-star athlete instead the school braniac, they would still be going to prom. All it really does is force these kids into accepting those stupid high school stereotypes. So BOO ON YOU Shelton high school administrators for killing creativity and forcing your kids into stereotypes. This also makes me wonder about our educational system.
Also, when the governor and state politicians start stepping in... maybe it's time to reconsider? Especially if they're siding with the boy. I support you James Tate. The school board hasn't proven you guilty of anything except romantic creativity. Besides, if guys can't ask girls to prom in creative ways, what's the point of having prom?
Here's a clip from a local news station about the whole ordeal.
And let us not forget my useless Youtube video... dedicated to all the coffee lovers in the world! Kristin Chenoweth singing an arousing version of "Taylor the Latte Boy."
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
My Boggart
Let me first say that the weather today was marvelous. If my lawn was mowed, I would have gone and sat outside for copious amounts of time but I haven't gotten around to pulling the good ol' lawn mower out yet.
I had a long incoherent rant about discrimination that I wanted to write tonight but that will come at a later date. Probably later this week... For those of you who read Harry Potter (and yes... I will say LOUD AND PROUD.. I'm a Potterophile), that's where my title comes from.
For those of you who don't know, here's a short explanation. A boggart is a shape-shift like creature (lives mainly in wardrobes or drawers) who changes to your worse nightmare when released from their chamber. Ron Weasley's boggart was a spider. Harry Potter's was a dementor. So it's different for everyone.
I was feeling rather down today (which sadly is becoming a more common occurrence) and began to feel rather philosophical. Upon further evaluation of my mood, I determined 2 things. 1. I really like being productive and 2. I haven't felt productive in a VERY long time. And then I really started to worry about the one thing I fear most in the world: disappointing others. My boggart would be someone important to me (my family, boyfriend or even close friends) hopping out and yelling, "Alison! I'm so disappointed in you!"
I've always had this fear too. When I was 10, I decided to play the violin because I was afraid if I didn't, I would disappoint my dad. I wish I could say in recent years it's gotten better but really it hasn't. After I returned home from college, I took the first full-time job I was offered because I was afraid I would disappoint everyone if I didn't.
I wish I could change it. I wish I could find my Riddikulus spell and turn my fear into something funny. But sadly, if life was that easy I would be basking in the sun on the island of Fiji waiting to give my next tour. And my hope is that writing about it will help improve it. I've never actually openly admitted that but if you know me well, you understand approval is important to me.
Truth be told... Few of the decisions in my life have ever truly been for me. And luckily, some of the important ones worked out. Like playing the violin or choosing where to go to college. But most don't. Like one of the jobs I decided to take. The reason I hate disappointing people is simple. I like making people happy and disappointment = unhappiness = unhappy Alison.
For a while (especially during college), I had it to a point where it wasn't something I was worrying about because I knew that I could do anything. However, the last couple of months have really shaken up an already shaky foundation. Unfortunately, that makes it a constant worry for me. I can't get past this nagging fear that I'm disappointing everyone else. When really, I've been disappointing myself this WHOLE TIME!
I wrote about this mainly so I work on changing it. For the last 9 months, I've been miserable mostly because I was so afraid of disappointing other people. I've been trying to keep my world from falling apart and hoping that no one would see how close I was to cracking. I lost weight (went from a size 12 to a size 8) and spent most nights on the phone crying to my boyfriend (he's a saint).
I've decided to change my lame, miserable existence. It won't be easy but when is life easy? But this is my decision... for me. Step one: Be selfish. If you give me a lecture, I swear I will defriend you from Facebook. I've spent too many years of my life letting other people use me, abuse me, and then leave me for the next person.
My first act of selfishness: I'm going to take a WHOLE week at the end of May and help my best friend move to South Dakota. Am I being helpful? Yes. But who says you can't be helpful for selfish reasons? Second act: I'm going to Europe for 3 weeks and plan to enjoy 3 weeks of gluttony. And for once, I refuse to be practical.
Plans for selfishness after I return from Europe: Buy myself the most pimpin' car ever AND then to top it all off... I'm moving. I LOVE Chicago but college changed home for me. I've been back 9 months and I haven't felt at home at all. So I'm leaving... I don't know where or how but I'm going.
And I've found a way to help make people happy that I'm seriously excited about! I am a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant and I LOVE giving free facials. I am cordially inviting YOU ALL to my first Mary Kay party on May 21. You get free facials and possibly a free prize! I know this sounds completely backwards from the rest of my blog but it's my way of making people happy without making myself unhappy.
So here begins my attempt to perform my Riddikulus spell... Tata!
I had a long incoherent rant about discrimination that I wanted to write tonight but that will come at a later date. Probably later this week... For those of you who read Harry Potter (and yes... I will say LOUD AND PROUD.. I'm a Potterophile), that's where my title comes from.
For those of you who don't know, here's a short explanation. A boggart is a shape-shift like creature (lives mainly in wardrobes or drawers) who changes to your worse nightmare when released from their chamber. Ron Weasley's boggart was a spider. Harry Potter's was a dementor. So it's different for everyone.
I was feeling rather down today (which sadly is becoming a more common occurrence) and began to feel rather philosophical. Upon further evaluation of my mood, I determined 2 things. 1. I really like being productive and 2. I haven't felt productive in a VERY long time. And then I really started to worry about the one thing I fear most in the world: disappointing others. My boggart would be someone important to me (my family, boyfriend or even close friends) hopping out and yelling, "Alison! I'm so disappointed in you!"
I've always had this fear too. When I was 10, I decided to play the violin because I was afraid if I didn't, I would disappoint my dad. I wish I could say in recent years it's gotten better but really it hasn't. After I returned home from college, I took the first full-time job I was offered because I was afraid I would disappoint everyone if I didn't.
I wish I could change it. I wish I could find my Riddikulus spell and turn my fear into something funny. But sadly, if life was that easy I would be basking in the sun on the island of Fiji waiting to give my next tour. And my hope is that writing about it will help improve it. I've never actually openly admitted that but if you know me well, you understand approval is important to me.
Truth be told... Few of the decisions in my life have ever truly been for me. And luckily, some of the important ones worked out. Like playing the violin or choosing where to go to college. But most don't. Like one of the jobs I decided to take. The reason I hate disappointing people is simple. I like making people happy and disappointment = unhappiness = unhappy Alison.
For a while (especially during college), I had it to a point where it wasn't something I was worrying about because I knew that I could do anything. However, the last couple of months have really shaken up an already shaky foundation. Unfortunately, that makes it a constant worry for me. I can't get past this nagging fear that I'm disappointing everyone else. When really, I've been disappointing myself this WHOLE TIME!
I wrote about this mainly so I work on changing it. For the last 9 months, I've been miserable mostly because I was so afraid of disappointing other people. I've been trying to keep my world from falling apart and hoping that no one would see how close I was to cracking. I lost weight (went from a size 12 to a size 8) and spent most nights on the phone crying to my boyfriend (he's a saint).
I've decided to change my lame, miserable existence. It won't be easy but when is life easy? But this is my decision... for me. Step one: Be selfish. If you give me a lecture, I swear I will defriend you from Facebook. I've spent too many years of my life letting other people use me, abuse me, and then leave me for the next person.
My first act of selfishness: I'm going to take a WHOLE week at the end of May and help my best friend move to South Dakota. Am I being helpful? Yes. But who says you can't be helpful for selfish reasons? Second act: I'm going to Europe for 3 weeks and plan to enjoy 3 weeks of gluttony. And for once, I refuse to be practical.
Plans for selfishness after I return from Europe: Buy myself the most pimpin' car ever AND then to top it all off... I'm moving. I LOVE Chicago but college changed home for me. I've been back 9 months and I haven't felt at home at all. So I'm leaving... I don't know where or how but I'm going.
And I've found a way to help make people happy that I'm seriously excited about! I am a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant and I LOVE giving free facials. I am cordially inviting YOU ALL to my first Mary Kay party on May 21. You get free facials and possibly a free prize! I know this sounds completely backwards from the rest of my blog but it's my way of making people happy without making myself unhappy.
So here begins my attempt to perform my Riddikulus spell... Tata!
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Today isn't just for mom's... Happy Wonderful Women Day!!!!
It is now officially 12 am on May 8, 2011 and I have to give a shout out to all mom's everywhere. Now I know my mom is the best but that's because she's MY mom and from a journalistic standpoint, I'm completely biased. I had a journalism teacher who once said to question everything even when your mom says, "I love you."
I may not be a mom but I will never question a mother's love... ever. My mom is probably the least selfish person I know. If you think I'm generous, it's because my mom is ten times more generous. I will NEVER be as generous as her. Now she's not just generous with her money but generous with her love, time and everything else. So today's blog, fittingly... is about the important women in my life. These ladies are my heroes and are not all necessarily mom's but they still deserve recognition because I love them all and have made a huge impact on my life. So be prepared... it could be slightly emotional.
1. My mother: Obvious, I hope, but she is a very strong woman and much stronger than she truly realizes. She's battled depression her whole life and I've seen the ups and downs but when I was a kid she always fought to keep a strong face. She also raised 3 daughters (I swear I'm not bragging... ok maybe a little) who are awesome while working odd part-time jobs, keeping the house clean, and eventually going back to school full-time to become a nurse. She's been a RN for 3 years now and the day she graduated was one of the proudest moments of my life. My mom... the college graduate. So now both my parents are college grads and I know it makes my mom happy that she can provide for us in a way she couldn't before. The most important thing I learned from my mom is her generosity. She truly taught me you can never be too generous.
2. My grandmother: Again, obvious but my grandma is AWESOME!!!!!! I don't know her whole life story but from the odds and ends I put together, she is one TOUGH cookie. She's battled TB, age discrimination, a spinal fusion, a broken back, knee replacement surgery, and even a removal of her gall bladder. She is also the most kind-hearted person I know, who truly loves her family more than anything else and is willing to do anything for them. She is also a killer cook. She didn't graduate from college but she is one of the smartest people I know. She's even on Facebook! The one thing I admire about my grandma is the relationship she has with my grandfather. He's not related by blood but rather love and that's a bonder that can truly be stronger than blood. But they've been married almost 50 years (in June... holla!) and they still love each other. So I've learned from her how to love unconditionally even through the bad times (which can get pretty bad).
3. My Aunts: All wonderful, wonderful women! I will start with my Aunt Shari (since she's the youngest). My Aunt Shari was the biggest blessing during my four years at EIU. I definitely grew much closer to her spending time with her, my Uncle Terry and my two cousins during lazy weekends at her house. She shares a lot of the same traits as my grandma and is also EXTREMELY generous. She has the biggest heart of anyone I know and is probably the greatest math teacher ever. She let me come to work with her one day and her students really admire and respect her. She even lets the kids throw Barbies down the stairwell all in the name of math! She is also the best hostess I know. If she ever gets tired of letting people stay at her house, she doesn't show it. What I really admire is how much fun she has with her kids. She gets on the floor and plays with them and lets them be boys. She's very easy-going and mild mannered and I've never seen her angry (although I think it would be scary). So I've also learned how be to generous from her but that kids are supposed to be fun (and also challenging).
Next I shall talk about my Aunt Michelle. I consider my Aunt Michelle to be probably the most normal person in my entire family (which is a great thing). She's very practical but also likes to have fun like the rest of us. Like my mom, she also went back to school and got her bachelors and is now an elementary school teacher. Her and my mom went through school at the same time and talked a lot about their classes. I definitely admire her hard work and all the effort she put into getting her degree. I know it wasn't easy returning to school but she did it! She is also a fabulous hostess and helps out anyway she can. My Aunt Michelle is also very easy-going! From Aunt Michelle, I learned that structure isn't a bad thing and hard work really does pay off.
Last, I will talk about my Aunt Sandy. Now she's not a mom but she's a very strong, independent woman and deserves recognition. My Aunt Sandy is the MOST supportive person I know and perhaps one of the craziest (in a good way). My favorite memory of her is when we were young she was playing Little People with us and laughed insanely when one of us flew the airplane into the school house. I know I get my love for travel from her. She goes on awesome vacations every year and always told us stories at Christmas or 4th of July. I also kept every postcard she's ever sent me. It was (and still is) my goal to travel as much as she does. She's always been cheering for my sisters and I... telling us to pursue our dreams no matter what. The women in my family are very independent but perhaps Aunt Sandy most of all. She fought her own way to her dream and she is SO passionate about the work she does. If Aunt Sandy is going to do something, she doesn't let ANYONE stand in her way. From Aunt Sandy I learned to embrace independence (and I hope I have), don't be afraid to be your own person and don't let anyone tell you no.
There are so many other wonderful women in my life that I have to mention.
My aunts Jean, Judy and Caroline. There all so vibrant, full of joy and have wonderful senses of humor. I can't even begin to imagine life without them. From them, I learned that family is the most important thing.
My adopted moms: Liz Steber and Kathy Bradford. The saddest day of my college career was the day Kathy left Panther Dining. She is so bright and vivacious and probably the only reason I kept my sanity during my shifts at Taylor. She is incredibly hard working and ALWAYS smiling! She always made me smile and still does (via Facebook). Liz Steber is my best friend's mom and is always so welcoming when I come to visit! She also keeps inviting me back (which worries me a little) so she must like me! I truly appreciate her unending hospitality and her ability to laugh at me because she has seen me at my worst (although she probably considers it my funniest).
I also have to give a shout out to my old bosses, Sheila and Susan. I miss them both very much! Sheila is a very proud grandmother, I might add. And Susan is so amazingly sweet and cool. You can't work with Susan and not like her. You'd seriously be crazy not to like Susan.
So to all the strong, indepedent, totally AWESOME women in my life... thank you! Thank you for supporting/loving me and being seriously awesome! So instead of Mother's Day... I say Happy Wonderful Women Day to you all!
I may not be a mom but I will never question a mother's love... ever. My mom is probably the least selfish person I know. If you think I'm generous, it's because my mom is ten times more generous. I will NEVER be as generous as her. Now she's not just generous with her money but generous with her love, time and everything else. So today's blog, fittingly... is about the important women in my life. These ladies are my heroes and are not all necessarily mom's but they still deserve recognition because I love them all and have made a huge impact on my life. So be prepared... it could be slightly emotional.
1. My mother: Obvious, I hope, but she is a very strong woman and much stronger than she truly realizes. She's battled depression her whole life and I've seen the ups and downs but when I was a kid she always fought to keep a strong face. She also raised 3 daughters (I swear I'm not bragging... ok maybe a little) who are awesome while working odd part-time jobs, keeping the house clean, and eventually going back to school full-time to become a nurse. She's been a RN for 3 years now and the day she graduated was one of the proudest moments of my life. My mom... the college graduate. So now both my parents are college grads and I know it makes my mom happy that she can provide for us in a way she couldn't before. The most important thing I learned from my mom is her generosity. She truly taught me you can never be too generous.
2. My grandmother: Again, obvious but my grandma is AWESOME!!!!!! I don't know her whole life story but from the odds and ends I put together, she is one TOUGH cookie. She's battled TB, age discrimination, a spinal fusion, a broken back, knee replacement surgery, and even a removal of her gall bladder. She is also the most kind-hearted person I know, who truly loves her family more than anything else and is willing to do anything for them. She is also a killer cook. She didn't graduate from college but she is one of the smartest people I know. She's even on Facebook! The one thing I admire about my grandma is the relationship she has with my grandfather. He's not related by blood but rather love and that's a bonder that can truly be stronger than blood. But they've been married almost 50 years (in June... holla!) and they still love each other. So I've learned from her how to love unconditionally even through the bad times (which can get pretty bad).
3. My Aunts: All wonderful, wonderful women! I will start with my Aunt Shari (since she's the youngest). My Aunt Shari was the biggest blessing during my four years at EIU. I definitely grew much closer to her spending time with her, my Uncle Terry and my two cousins during lazy weekends at her house. She shares a lot of the same traits as my grandma and is also EXTREMELY generous. She has the biggest heart of anyone I know and is probably the greatest math teacher ever. She let me come to work with her one day and her students really admire and respect her. She even lets the kids throw Barbies down the stairwell all in the name of math! She is also the best hostess I know. If she ever gets tired of letting people stay at her house, she doesn't show it. What I really admire is how much fun she has with her kids. She gets on the floor and plays with them and lets them be boys. She's very easy-going and mild mannered and I've never seen her angry (although I think it would be scary). So I've also learned how be to generous from her but that kids are supposed to be fun (and also challenging).
Next I shall talk about my Aunt Michelle. I consider my Aunt Michelle to be probably the most normal person in my entire family (which is a great thing). She's very practical but also likes to have fun like the rest of us. Like my mom, she also went back to school and got her bachelors and is now an elementary school teacher. Her and my mom went through school at the same time and talked a lot about their classes. I definitely admire her hard work and all the effort she put into getting her degree. I know it wasn't easy returning to school but she did it! She is also a fabulous hostess and helps out anyway she can. My Aunt Michelle is also very easy-going! From Aunt Michelle, I learned that structure isn't a bad thing and hard work really does pay off.
Last, I will talk about my Aunt Sandy. Now she's not a mom but she's a very strong, independent woman and deserves recognition. My Aunt Sandy is the MOST supportive person I know and perhaps one of the craziest (in a good way). My favorite memory of her is when we were young she was playing Little People with us and laughed insanely when one of us flew the airplane into the school house. I know I get my love for travel from her. She goes on awesome vacations every year and always told us stories at Christmas or 4th of July. I also kept every postcard she's ever sent me. It was (and still is) my goal to travel as much as she does. She's always been cheering for my sisters and I... telling us to pursue our dreams no matter what. The women in my family are very independent but perhaps Aunt Sandy most of all. She fought her own way to her dream and she is SO passionate about the work she does. If Aunt Sandy is going to do something, she doesn't let ANYONE stand in her way. From Aunt Sandy I learned to embrace independence (and I hope I have), don't be afraid to be your own person and don't let anyone tell you no.
There are so many other wonderful women in my life that I have to mention.
My aunts Jean, Judy and Caroline. There all so vibrant, full of joy and have wonderful senses of humor. I can't even begin to imagine life without them. From them, I learned that family is the most important thing.
My adopted moms: Liz Steber and Kathy Bradford. The saddest day of my college career was the day Kathy left Panther Dining. She is so bright and vivacious and probably the only reason I kept my sanity during my shifts at Taylor. She is incredibly hard working and ALWAYS smiling! She always made me smile and still does (via Facebook). Liz Steber is my best friend's mom and is always so welcoming when I come to visit! She also keeps inviting me back (which worries me a little) so she must like me! I truly appreciate her unending hospitality and her ability to laugh at me because she has seen me at my worst (although she probably considers it my funniest).
I also have to give a shout out to my old bosses, Sheila and Susan. I miss them both very much! Sheila is a very proud grandmother, I might add. And Susan is so amazingly sweet and cool. You can't work with Susan and not like her. You'd seriously be crazy not to like Susan.
So to all the strong, indepedent, totally AWESOME women in my life... thank you! Thank you for supporting/loving me and being seriously awesome! So instead of Mother's Day... I say Happy Wonderful Women Day to you all!
Friday, May 6, 2011
Gaga, ooh la la
Before I start anything else, I will give this warning, I do talk about sex. I hope I do it tastefully and I promise it's not graphic. So my blog for this evening is about none other than the Lady Gaga. For those of you who don't know who Lady Gaga is, she made a huge splash in the music scene in 2008 with her song, Just Dance. According to The Ellen Show, she has won 5 Grammys since her big debut. Most singers can't even expect to win that in their lifetime... let alone the first two years of their careers. There are a couple of reasons I'm writing about her tonight. Mostly because I can't her latest song, Judas, out of my head and I think she is absolutely fascinating. I also happen to be a big fan of her music. Some people think she's crazy and I agree. Wearing a meat suit to the VMA's was very drastic and I don't recommend doing it. But at least she made a statement.
Lady Gaga has made more of an impression on pop culture in the last two years than Usher, Justin Bieber or even Snooki. She's not your typical pop queen like Britney Spears or Beyonce but she makes hits. I'm the first to admit I'm a sucker for any song with a catchy beat I can dance too. And I love me some Gaga. She dances but her dances moves are often jerky and extraordinarily simple. Watch her music videos. I have no dance experience and I'm pretty sure I could choreograph a Lady Gaga music video. I will caution that her music videos are not for people with prudish demeanors. She and most of her dancers are scantily clad and there are a LOT of sexual undertones. The one thing she may have in common with her other pop stars is embracing her sexuality. However, her songs are not explicitly sexual but the music videos definitely are. Let's compare shall we:
Rihanna's song S&M is currently sitting at #6 on the Billboard charts. The chorus says "Sex in the air, I don't care, I love the smell of it, Sticks and stones may break my bones, But chains and whips excite me."
Lady Gaga's current hit, Born this Way, the chorus says, "I'm beautiful in my way, 'Cause God makes no mistakes, I'm on the right track baby, I was born this way."
She makes no reference to sex anywhere in the entire song unlike Rihanna's song (which I don't like at all). You can look at the lyrics here. In fact, the song in pretty inspirational by telling you to embrace who you are and love yourself. However, the music video suggests sex. The most obvious being she runs, in typical Gaga fashion, around in her underwear. The second being a scene towards the end of the music video where she is lying amongst a group of dancers (also in their underwear) and they're rolling around in some black oily stuff. I didn't mean to talk so long about the sexuality in her music videos. But I might as well just continue of my tangent.
My point with the whole sex thing was Lady Gaga really embraces something the rest of society seems to shy from. And now that I'm older, I have to appreciate it. Even as a Christian. No one really ever talked about embracing your sexuality when I was younger. Some times I wonder if teaching kids about embracing their own sexuality would help them understand it better and maybe help reduce teen pregnancies, STI's and lots of broken hearts. Because by golly, what we have now isn't working.
I'm going to be honest... Abstinence education doesn't necessarily work. For me it did, I'm still a virgin and plan to be until my wedding night. However, it doesn't work for everyone. Teaching kids what they shouldn't do only makes them want to do it more. I'm going to be perfectly honest... about 90% of the reason I haven't had sex yet is due to my relationship with Jesus. The other 10% is because of learning about birth control and the fact it isn't fool proof. And no one at church told me that. I learned it from public schools. I didn't want to risk having sex and getting pregnant. I don't want to have a child that I can't even provide for.
Even as a 22-year-old woman, there is still a LOT I don't know about sex. Try and make a sex joke around me and there is a 95% chance I won't have a clue what you're talking about. There are a lot of questions I still have and I'm tired of trying to dance around a taboo subject.
Yes, we live in a sexual world but news flash... we always have! People have always had sex and partaken in sexuality immorality.
The problem we have is, as technology changed our world and brought sex more to the forefront, we didn't know how to adapt to that change. We tried desperately to push it under the rug and hope it would stay there. It's not working and we're trying to push it further under the rug. And I think it's making things worse. We need to stop pushing sex away and embrace it. How do you embrace your sexuality? Talk about it openly.
If I want to know what S&M is, don't dismiss the question because that's when I go do my own research and that's where the problem starts. If I'm a kid, how am I supposed to react to sex if there's no one to explain it to me? Make your kids comfortable talking about sex and I bet you that the risks of teen pregnancies, STI's and broken hearts would drop significantly. It's not easy but that's because we've made it that way.
So here's how my opinions translate to my life. I decided to embrace my sexuality. I'm not afraid to talk about it openly. Someday I will have sex and it will be great! Now granted, I can't say much now because I've never had sex but ask me a question and I will give you an answer.
And yes, Zack and I do try to talk about sex openly. There is only one thing you need to know about that: We've made it clear that if we have sex, it won't be until after we're married. Talking about sex with Zack isn't easy, I will admit, but it's made our relationship that much stronger.
I will talk to my kids openly about it. Again, not easy but I don't want them to face the insecurities I faced regarding my sexuality. I don't want them to have to go through life thinking sex is a sin all the time. Because that's what I thought until I turned about 17. So yea, Lady Gaga's sexuality is a little extreme but at least she isn't afraid to talk about it.
Lady Gaga has made more of an impression on pop culture in the last two years than Usher, Justin Bieber or even Snooki. She's not your typical pop queen like Britney Spears or Beyonce but she makes hits. I'm the first to admit I'm a sucker for any song with a catchy beat I can dance too. And I love me some Gaga. She dances but her dances moves are often jerky and extraordinarily simple. Watch her music videos. I have no dance experience and I'm pretty sure I could choreograph a Lady Gaga music video. I will caution that her music videos are not for people with prudish demeanors. She and most of her dancers are scantily clad and there are a LOT of sexual undertones. The one thing she may have in common with her other pop stars is embracing her sexuality. However, her songs are not explicitly sexual but the music videos definitely are. Let's compare shall we:
Rihanna's song S&M is currently sitting at #6 on the Billboard charts. The chorus says "Sex in the air, I don't care, I love the smell of it, Sticks and stones may break my bones, But chains and whips excite me."
Lady Gaga's current hit, Born this Way, the chorus says, "I'm beautiful in my way, 'Cause God makes no mistakes, I'm on the right track baby, I was born this way."
She makes no reference to sex anywhere in the entire song unlike Rihanna's song (which I don't like at all). You can look at the lyrics here. In fact, the song in pretty inspirational by telling you to embrace who you are and love yourself. However, the music video suggests sex. The most obvious being she runs, in typical Gaga fashion, around in her underwear. The second being a scene towards the end of the music video where she is lying amongst a group of dancers (also in their underwear) and they're rolling around in some black oily stuff. I didn't mean to talk so long about the sexuality in her music videos. But I might as well just continue of my tangent.
My point with the whole sex thing was Lady Gaga really embraces something the rest of society seems to shy from. And now that I'm older, I have to appreciate it. Even as a Christian. No one really ever talked about embracing your sexuality when I was younger. Some times I wonder if teaching kids about embracing their own sexuality would help them understand it better and maybe help reduce teen pregnancies, STI's and lots of broken hearts. Because by golly, what we have now isn't working.
I'm going to be honest... Abstinence education doesn't necessarily work. For me it did, I'm still a virgin and plan to be until my wedding night. However, it doesn't work for everyone. Teaching kids what they shouldn't do only makes them want to do it more. I'm going to be perfectly honest... about 90% of the reason I haven't had sex yet is due to my relationship with Jesus. The other 10% is because of learning about birth control and the fact it isn't fool proof. And no one at church told me that. I learned it from public schools. I didn't want to risk having sex and getting pregnant. I don't want to have a child that I can't even provide for.
Even as a 22-year-old woman, there is still a LOT I don't know about sex. Try and make a sex joke around me and there is a 95% chance I won't have a clue what you're talking about. There are a lot of questions I still have and I'm tired of trying to dance around a taboo subject.
Yes, we live in a sexual world but news flash... we always have! People have always had sex and partaken in sexuality immorality.
The problem we have is, as technology changed our world and brought sex more to the forefront, we didn't know how to adapt to that change. We tried desperately to push it under the rug and hope it would stay there. It's not working and we're trying to push it further under the rug. And I think it's making things worse. We need to stop pushing sex away and embrace it. How do you embrace your sexuality? Talk about it openly.
If I want to know what S&M is, don't dismiss the question because that's when I go do my own research and that's where the problem starts. If I'm a kid, how am I supposed to react to sex if there's no one to explain it to me? Make your kids comfortable talking about sex and I bet you that the risks of teen pregnancies, STI's and broken hearts would drop significantly. It's not easy but that's because we've made it that way.
So here's how my opinions translate to my life. I decided to embrace my sexuality. I'm not afraid to talk about it openly. Someday I will have sex and it will be great! Now granted, I can't say much now because I've never had sex but ask me a question and I will give you an answer.
And yes, Zack and I do try to talk about sex openly. There is only one thing you need to know about that: We've made it clear that if we have sex, it won't be until after we're married. Talking about sex with Zack isn't easy, I will admit, but it's made our relationship that much stronger.
I will talk to my kids openly about it. Again, not easy but I don't want them to face the insecurities I faced regarding my sexuality. I don't want them to have to go through life thinking sex is a sin all the time. Because that's what I thought until I turned about 17. So yea, Lady Gaga's sexuality is a little extreme but at least she isn't afraid to talk about it.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
NEWS!
Journalists have been pretty busy the last couple of weeks with a buttload of natural disasters, the biggest death of the 21st century and the Royal Wedding.
The catalyst of all this was the HUGE earthquake in Japan. The earthquake hit the tiny island all the way back on March 11 (which is ironically my sisters birthday). While being hit with 9.0 magnitude earthquake isn't something to be thrilled about, Japan is a global power and they will jump back from this faster than other places. The only reason I argue this point is because they are a global power and therefore, are more likely to have access to the resources that will help them rebuild faster. By comparison, Haiti got hit with a 7.0 earthquake more than a year ago and the chances of the country rebuilding are slim. Let me put this in perspective for you.
Haiti's GDP for 2010 was $6.593 billion, which means the average person will make only $1,200 a year. That means the average Haitian is only making $100 a month. However, most Haitians probably don't see that much because of the corruption. In 2009, the country received debt-forgiveness of $1 billion.
Japan's GDP for 2010 was $5.391 trillion! The average person in Japan made over $30,000! That's almost 300 times as much.
But don't misunderstand me. The catastrophe in Japan was terrible and it will take them many years to recover fully. The loss of any life due to a natural disaster is horrible. I just think in the scheme of things Japan is in a very good position to recover and move on.
Next in my timeline of notable journalistic events would be the royal wedding but I'll save that for last and talk about bin Laden.
I really have mixed feelings about his death. Was he a bad man who led to the death of thousands of people? Yes. Am I glad that all the people affected by 9/11 and the following conflicts got closure? Yes. Lots of people died because of this man but I can't find in my soul to celebrate his death. I don't know what his punishment should have been but he was essentially murdered. And I truly believe that murder, even if it's the bad guys, is wrong. It's not me or any of us that he has to answer too. And there's one person who will decide the appropriate punishment, it's God. I will say this much, I doubt he's enjoying his time in the afterlife.
And last but certainly not least: THE ROYAL WEDDING!!!!! I didn't watch the nuptials because I was too lazy to get out of bed. However, I do have to give congrats to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. I wish you the best and I hope you have lots of cute children. And yes, maybe covering the wedding is a bunch of fluff reporting and maybe the press did forget the bigger issues but think about this: What's so wrong with finding joy in the marriage of royalty when the rest of the world is falling apart at the seams? At least the British gave us something to truly celebrate. So if you disapprove of all the coverage, I hope you enjoy sulking in all the miserable news of the world, I'm going to enjoy the momentary ray of sunshine.
And my video of the day doesn't come from Youtube but rather CNN. If I was at the wedding, I would be doing this: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2011/04/29/vo.royal.verger.cartwheel.itn?iref=allsearch
The catalyst of all this was the HUGE earthquake in Japan. The earthquake hit the tiny island all the way back on March 11 (which is ironically my sisters birthday). While being hit with 9.0 magnitude earthquake isn't something to be thrilled about, Japan is a global power and they will jump back from this faster than other places. The only reason I argue this point is because they are a global power and therefore, are more likely to have access to the resources that will help them rebuild faster. By comparison, Haiti got hit with a 7.0 earthquake more than a year ago and the chances of the country rebuilding are slim. Let me put this in perspective for you.
Haiti's GDP for 2010 was $6.593 billion, which means the average person will make only $1,200 a year. That means the average Haitian is only making $100 a month. However, most Haitians probably don't see that much because of the corruption. In 2009, the country received debt-forgiveness of $1 billion.
Japan's GDP for 2010 was $5.391 trillion! The average person in Japan made over $30,000! That's almost 300 times as much.
But don't misunderstand me. The catastrophe in Japan was terrible and it will take them many years to recover fully. The loss of any life due to a natural disaster is horrible. I just think in the scheme of things Japan is in a very good position to recover and move on.
Next in my timeline of notable journalistic events would be the royal wedding but I'll save that for last and talk about bin Laden.
I really have mixed feelings about his death. Was he a bad man who led to the death of thousands of people? Yes. Am I glad that all the people affected by 9/11 and the following conflicts got closure? Yes. Lots of people died because of this man but I can't find in my soul to celebrate his death. I don't know what his punishment should have been but he was essentially murdered. And I truly believe that murder, even if it's the bad guys, is wrong. It's not me or any of us that he has to answer too. And there's one person who will decide the appropriate punishment, it's God. I will say this much, I doubt he's enjoying his time in the afterlife.
And last but certainly not least: THE ROYAL WEDDING!!!!! I didn't watch the nuptials because I was too lazy to get out of bed. However, I do have to give congrats to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. I wish you the best and I hope you have lots of cute children. And yes, maybe covering the wedding is a bunch of fluff reporting and maybe the press did forget the bigger issues but think about this: What's so wrong with finding joy in the marriage of royalty when the rest of the world is falling apart at the seams? At least the British gave us something to truly celebrate. So if you disapprove of all the coverage, I hope you enjoy sulking in all the miserable news of the world, I'm going to enjoy the momentary ray of sunshine.
And my video of the day doesn't come from Youtube but rather CNN. If I was at the wedding, I would be doing this: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2011/04/29/vo.royal.verger.cartwheel.itn?iref=allsearch
It's been a while...
I'm starting a blog. You don't need to read it... unless you want too. I think I have some interesting stuff to say and we'll see how this turns out. The only other time I ever wrote a blog was for my Advanced Editing class. I created the most awesome activities blog ever for Charleston, Illinois and it was titled, "Proving there is more to do in Charleston than Wal-Mart." I still think that statement is true and I may do a blog on that topic later. However, today's topic will be my goals for this blog. Now I understand that reading goals is boring but I'm a practical person and as such, I need to have goals. I'd do a song and dance video if I were that talented but unfortunately, I'm not. So here are my goals listed in the most entertaining way possible.
1. To start writing again.
Watch the best version of Chopsticks ever!
1. To start writing again.
- Once upon a time, I was a journalism major who loved to write. Then I graduated and in a very horrible plot twist, I joined corporate America and stopped writing. I am now out of corporate America and wanting to write. The end.
- Just not right this second.
- Which will waste your time but always make you smile.
- And yes, if she jumped off a cliff, I would too (I've always wanted to jump off a cliff)
Watch the best version of Chopsticks ever!
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