Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Gossip Girl 4x11 "The Townie"

I can't believe Gossip Girl last night. My friend texted me last night and said "that was set up  like a season finale episode!"

Which is kinda true, because the show doesn't come back until Jan. 24. FORTY NINE DAYS.

I LOVED the episode. It was epic. All season I've been "just a tad" dissapointed, but the storylines have kept me coming back every monday. First, it was Serena's new relationship with a hot, young rich guy who ended up being her teacher at Columbia. So, they agreed not to see each other until the class was over, and I hung onto every moment between the two of them. I loved Collin. But he's gone now.

Then there was the whole "Why does Juliet hate Serena so much? What could Serena have possibly done to Juliet's brother that caused him to go to jail and the two of them to hate her so much?"

Well, we found out everything last night, and it was very unexpected.

SPOILER ALERT.

Turns out, when Serena ran away from NYC and attended boarding school, she went to a school in Connecticut. At that school in Connecticut, she was her old self. Always partying, dancing, doing lines of coke, etc. But she got a long well with this young teacher who inspired her, believed in her, etc. Soon, they developed feelings for each other, but chose not to act on them. A series of rumors begin spreading behind the pair's back, while Lily, Serena's mother, was trying to get her accepted into a school in NYC so she could come back home. No school would accept her. When Lily heard the rumors about Serena and the teacher she went to the dean and used it as a bargaining device. She didn't think anything else would come of the situation, but it did.The dean alerted the authorities and soon the young teacher was arrested for statutory rape. He couldn't contest basically because Serena came from a powerful family. He went to jail for a crime he didn't commit. Serena never knew because after the teacher essentially turned her down, they never talked again. When Serena finds out the reason Ben and Juliet hate her and that Lily was the one to send him to jail for something he didn't do, she's through with her mother. Lily has screwed up major. I can appreciate her rationale. She was fighting for her daughter, but when an innocent man went to jail, she should've fessed up.


So, the entire season there's been a guy named Ben in jail who wants Serena to suffer and we've come to dislike him. But after seeing flashbacks of him talking with Serena, teaching Serena, being educated and caring....it painted him in a completely different light. I kind of forgot how mean (relative term) he was, because I felt so bad for him.

In one of the final scenes, Serena goes to the jail because she's going to do whatever she can to get Ben ("one of the sweetest guys she's ever known, and the only one to ever turn her down") out of  jail.

When she enters the room, Ben lights up. He's practically enamored with her.

This is the only clip I could find of it on Youtube. I'm DYING to see their confrontation after this..it looks like they both have some lingering feelings.




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This is what I thought was most important from the episode, but there was also an introduction of a future Blair and Dan relationship.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Must-see movie list

I'm sick of talking about common, everyday American movies to friends who haven't seen them. In honor of that, I'm making a completely random list of movies I've seen and enjoyed that I think all of my friends should watch. Majority of these will be chick flicks, because that's what I watch and own. Oops. I'm working on that though.

October Sky
For the Love of the Game
Frequency
You've Got Mail
Love, Actually
Ever After
The Santa Clause
Little Giants
Field of Dreams
My Best Friend's Wedding
Notting Hill
Runaway Bride
Stepmom
Conspiracy Theory
Ransom
What Women Want
Pretty Woman
While You Were Sleeping
Sweet Home Alabama
Two Weeks Notice
Clueless
Good Will Hunting
The Thomas Crown Affair
One Fine Day
Serendipity
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Mrs. Doubtfire
The Princess Bride
It Takes Two
Die Hard
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe
School of Rock
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Sense and Sensibility
Pride and Prejudice
Fool's Rush In
Bridget Jones's Diary
Taken

...more to come. If you haven't seen these, rent them!

The Young Victoria

Over Thanksgiving break, I watched The Young Victoria for the third time. Normally, I don't watch a movie more than twice, unless its one of my absolute favorites. Although it's not an absolute favorite, I still thoroughly enjoy this film and would recommend it to anyone.

This movie reminds me a lot of Pride and Prejudice, which I love. I like that it's historical and it centers on the royal family.

It follows Queen Victoria (Emily Blunt) through her late teen years and her refusal to grant her mother and her mother's power-thirsty companion, Sir Conroy, regency. Because she was under 18 while  in line for the throne, it was possible for Victoria to sign her power away to her mother and Sir Conroy. Luckily, King William IV dies after Victoria turns 18, and she assumes the throne. Her cousin Albert is forced to pursue her by King Leopold of Belgium for political power. But Albert  falls for her, and begins to act  on his own motivations and feelings, rather than the King's. The film also touches on Victoria and Albert's marriage.

Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend are superb in their roles of Victoria and Albert. The film also has a strong supporting cast that includes Jim Broadbent (Professor Slughorn in Harry Potter and Bridget's dad in Bridget Jones's Diary), Paul Bettany (A Knight's Tale, A Beautiful Mind), and Miranda Richardson (The Phantom of the Opera, Rita Skeeter in Harry Potter). All are films I love, mind you.

There is some amazing scenery, from inside palaces to carriage rides to strolls in the garden, including excellent shots of Buckingham Palace.


The story between Victoria and Albert is romantic and sweet, and the factual explanation provided at the end of the film, just before the credits roll, left me teary.




Great cast. Great scenery and costumes. Great romance. Great history.  ( A-)

The film was nominated for three Oscars, including Best Art Direction, Makeup, and Costumes. It won for costumes.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Thanks Amazon MP3

For those of you who haven't discovered the amazingness that is Amazon MP3, let me enlighten you. Just tonight, I told another friend about it, You know Itunes? Well Amazon MP3 is like the "new" Itunes.

I love it.  Here's how to get there.

1. Go to amazon.com
2. Along the side of the page, click the tab that says "digital downloads" and go to MP3 Downloads.



Each month, Amazon makes 100 albums of various genres $5. Albums I've seen in the past include,









For indie-ish lovers

      • The Weepies: Be My Thrill
      • Ratatat
      • She & Him
      • Vampire Weekend
      • Band of Horses
      • Broken Bells
      • Andrew Belle
      • Norah Jones
      • Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
      • John Mayer
      • Surfer Blood
Top 40
  • Britney Spears #1's
  • Maroon 5
  • Taio Cruz
  • David Guetta
  • Lady Gaga
  • Rihanna
  • Black-Eyed Peas
I could go on and further/more accurately divide these artists, but I'll stop there. Most of these albums are 12-13 songs, so by paying $5 for them, you are saving more than $7 per album. Many are current albums and the folks at Amazon always make sure there's something for everyone.

In addition to their $5 albums, Amazon MP3 offers up to 2,000 free songs at one time, compared to the 2-3 offered on Amazon. They also give credits to buy things as well. I've received at least $4 in credits to the site before. There was a $3 credit offered through Nov. 29 which made the $5 albums a mere $2. When you consider that most songs are $1.29 on iTunes now, and Amazon MP3 offers a whole album, you see how great they are!

The last really great deal Amazon MP3 offers is their "Deal of the Day." I've snagged these several times as well. Deal of the days are albums that range from 1.99-3.99, and a lot of times they are new ones.

I got A Fine Frenzy, Greg Laswell, and John Mayer's new albums for less than $4 bucks each.
I bought the new Taylor Swift album for 3.99, while my stepmom went to the store and spent $13.99.

So there's 
-deal of the day
-$5 monthly albums
-loads of free songs

On top of ALL that, Amazon MP3 just has better prices. They are involved with their customers  (they've tweeted me on more than one occasion).

On the first of each month I love browsing through the new crop of $5 albums. Check them out, but remember AMP3 is highly addicting..so many bargains!

Another great thing about the process is the songs are automatically downloaded into your iTunes. It's something you will definitely want to check out.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Thoughts on Gossip Girl Episode 10

Quick recap: Serena wakes up in a motel room and doesn't know where she is. There are prescription drugs and a bottle of vodka next to the bed. Disoriented, she calls 911 and tells them she doesn't know where she is or how she got there. In the meantime, Lily and Eric believe Serena is staying at Blair's and they are angry with her for dropping out of Yale (Juliet sent a text to the dean from Serena's phone). Blair's angry at Serena for turning the spotlight on her and Chuck at the Saints and Sinners Masquerade (was Juliet dressed to look like S). It is only when Blair drops off a pumpkin pie at the Van Der Woodsen house, that they all discover they have no idea where Serena is and if she's OK.

Soon, they are notified that Serena is in the hospital for drug overdose, and everyone believes Serena is the same girl she was 3+ years ago. They think she has a problem and wanted to harm herself. Lily decides to admit Serena (without talking with her first) to the Ostroff Center. Serena wakes up and no one believes her and she's being sent to rehab against her will. She tries to explain she didn't OD, that she doesn't remember anything and something is going on, but no one will have it.

Blair and Dan talking to Rufus at the hospital.

THOUGHTS:  First off, I have to say how much I LOVED Dan in this episode. Dan isn't exactly known for his overall likeability on the show, in fact, many GG fans can't stand him. He's never been my favorite person, but after this week's episode, he might as well be.

Dan telling Serena, "I believe you." What a sweetie.
Also, can I just say how completely frustrated I was during this episode? I. was. talking. to. the. TV. Or, in my case, the computer since I had to watch the episode Wednesday night. My roommate was in her bedroom while I was watching  the show in the living room, and at one point she came into the room and said,

 "Audrey,  are you always this vocal when you watch TV?"

Yeah, it was bad. I was like my brother when he watches a Mavs game. I was cursing, covering my eyes, etc. It drove me INSANE to see every member of the Van Der Woodsen clan--friends and family-- so adamant about Serena getting help, because she had "obviously" reverted to her old, party girl ways.

Side note: Dan busting Serena out of the hospital was a little reminiscent of Ryan and Marissa on The OC a la season one (another Josh Schwartz show). Check it:


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Here are some notes I have from the episode. Pretty funny.

The notes I took while watching GG.

I was NOT a fan of Blair's plaid dress. Team Serena on style, always. Eric's comment about Serena not responding to his "angry emoticons." Blair makes a comment to Chuck about being friends despite their past romantic relationship: "If Bruce and Demi can do it.."  Then,  I have what is quite possibly my favorite line on this sticky note... (dan,, goo dannnn!) Because he believes in Serena, despite what everyone else is shoving down his throat. And despite Nate's comment "This is how Serena gets what she wants." Dan, I love ya.













Jenny just stays quiet--This refers to the part in the episode where Vanessa betrays Jenny to her father. I mean, come on. If you were in on a scheme with a friend, and something went horribly wrong, and then that friend outed you to your dad who had a claim on the "thing that went horribly wrong," and then proceeded to be very dissapointed/pissed and banish you from spending time in NYC with him and his wife, then, don't you think you'd be a little more upset about the situation?? Right after Vanessa outs Jenny, she just stands there. She doesn't say, "SHE'S LYING. DAD LISTEN.." Nothing. I know it added drama before the cut to commercial, but WTF.
Rufus tells Jenny: "Go back to Brooklyn."


Then there's Lily's stance of "I know my daughter. She gets into bad things. I know how she is." Really Lily? I still remember one of my favorite jokes on GG where Serena and her brother Eric joke that Lily (their mother) was so absent in their lives that their ringtone for her was Kelly Clarkson's "Since You've Been Gone." Again I say, really Lily? Freakin' trust your daughter.  Hence the typing of *u don't know her better.* Never fear, Dan didn't let that statement go unpunished. He tells Lily, "Sound like I've clocked more hours by her side than you have." BAM!


Here we go again refers to the on again-off again nonsense that is C &B. I'm over it. Also, CB's voice is getting on my nerves. It seems like he's been trying to hard to get his seductive sound down. 

Can't wait for next week's... looks like we finally know more about why Juliet and her brother hate Serena so much!


Thursday, December 2, 2010

Holiday Gift Guide 2010

Well, it's that time of year again. Most of my friends have turned in their Christmas lists to their parents by now. My parents have always been last minute shoppers..buying a Christmas gift before December is completely foreign to them. Usually, my mom tries to focus on a couple "big" gifts for my brother, sister, and me so she doesn't have to bother with a lot of shopping.

I've had a wish list developing in my mind over the last few weeks. Being a poor college student means the wants and needs add up quickly, and that some of these items are really common/lame, but I've been too broke to by them myself.

With that, here are the gifts I'd like to have this season ranging from the  practical  to the I've-waited-too-long-for-this-and-can't-take-it-anymore gifts.


1. A floor heater.  
I LIVE in front of these during the winter. Seriously, I sleep sitting up or on the floor for a whole night, just so I can curl up in front of one of these bad boys. Plus, I don't have a fireplace in my apartment.

2. A subscription to People Style Watch Magazine
LOVE LOVE LOVE. Cannot stress how badly I want this. I refuse to pay four bucks for a magazine in the grocery store, and a subscription is only about $20..completely worth it.

3. An Itouch or an Iphone
I hate talking about my history (or lack thereof) with iPods, because it is crappy. I got a brand new one a couple of years ago and it worked for 3 months. I've used a couple rejects, but I want a touch or an iPhone of my own. I'm a huge music fan, but I haven't had an iPod in FOREVER. And by forever I mean 3 years. YEAH.


4. How I Met Your Mother  TV Seasons
Absolutely love this show. It's been on my "watch" list for forever, but I've seen many episodes in the last six months and it's the perfect show to have on DVD. It's one of a few shows (like Friends or Sex and the City) that I will willingly and continually rewatch episodes of.

5. Netflix
It just makes sense. It's so cheap, and I love movies. I just don't have the time.

6. Nice boots
They're warm. And cute. And versatile.


7. A new backpack
I found the backpack I'm currently using in the back of my closet. It's shabby to the point of embarrassment.

8. A nice winter coat
Oklahoma is freakin' cold, man.

9. Celine: Through the Eyes of the World Movie
A documentary-style film that follows Celine Dion on tour, in Africa, trying to get pregnant, etc.
Let's just say I cried in the movie trailer and have been dying to see it ever since. Go ahead and make fun of me, but I saw her in concert in Dallas in Jan. '09 and it was life-changing!

10. A black blazer and pencil skirt
My wardrobe needs a "professional dress" update, stat!

Other items: A Flip camera, Adobe Creative Suite or PhotoShop, to study abroad this Summer

Six Degrees of Awesomeness

 I  remember taking family trips and trying to think of games we could play with each other to pass the time on a long drive. This was before people had iTouches or iPhones or Words with Friends and Facebook.


So instead car rides and wait times we're filled with silly games.


There's the A-Z game where you start with  "A" and find words on billboards that start with that letter and every letter after until "Z." Sadly, I played this during more than one family vacation.


There's the age-old "I Spy" game...


Lucky for me, I found a lovely substitution to these games 3 years ago.
You see, unlike EVERY. OTHER. PERSON. I. KNOW (take note Mom), I don't have an iPhone or iTouch that I can peruse apps on or browse Facebook with like my peers.


Nope. It's just me and my LG touch screen phone --without internet--  which isn't a whole lot of fun when you're bored or have time to waste (something I fully experienced two weeks ago). 


Two weeks ago, I took part in one of the most epic events of my lifetime, aka the midnight premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I.


Here's what went down.
My friend Laura, my roomie Vanessa (Vdawg), and I arrived at the theatre at 8:40. Just as we reached the front of The Warren movie theatre, they opened the doors and let people in our theatre (7) head to their seats. This is something that's really awesome about The Warren. At other theatres, people have wait in line and sometimes they are even forced to wait OUTSIDE of the theatre for midnight premieres. But the last several I've attended  there (fangirl alert),  we've been allowed to sit and wait inside our theatre, which is AWESOME.


Fast forward to Vanessa, Laura and I waiting in our seats for the movie to start... 3 hours and 20 minutes of waiting, folks. I tried to be studious and bring  my laptop to work on homework, but one of the managers said I wasn't allowed to have it out and there wasn't an internet connection anyways.


Vanessa had her Itouch..but she could only play games that didn't need an internet connection. Laura's iPhone wasn't working. What to do with no working mobile devices? Play six degrees, of course!


I'd always heard of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon...but lack sufficient knowledge in Kevin Bacon filmology. I know of about 4 KB movies; I applaud you if you are any different.


Here's what you do: Players take turns thinking of the most random celebrity actors and actresses and try to connect them together through movies they've done with various costars. Generally, we try to connect them through less than six films, but for us its really about who can connect the two celebrities (through movies only) the fastest. 


We brought back the game while we were waiting at HP and it reaffirmed how much I love it. Never again will I sit waiting with friends and not have anything to do. Six Degrees is always on the back burner.


Here's some sample rounds we played at the Harry Potter premiere.




Cameron Diaz to Tom Hanks


CD   was in       The Holiday                            with     Jude Law
JL    was in       Closer                                       with     Julia Roberts
JR   was  in      Charlie Wilson's War          with     Tom Hanks






Susan Sarandon to Gerard Butler


SS   was in   Stepmom             with              Julia Roberts
JR  was in   Runaway Bride   with             Richard Gere
RG  was in   Amelia                 with             Hilary Swank
HS  was in   PS I Love You     with              Gerard Butler




Play it sometime!























Thursday, October 28, 2010

Find of the Day #2: A jewelry delivery truck in NYC? A Duke student makes a racy PowerPoint?

In continuing with this "find of the day" theme I started here, I have some really great stuff to share. I'll get to that in a minute.

I heard on the radio the other day that the average American watches four hours of TV a day. I started thinking about it and I hardly watch one hour a day, but the number of hours I spend on my computer is, as Rachel Zoe would say, UNREAL. I've been working on stuff in Gaylord College (journalism school at OU) since 8:30 and it's 1:15 AM. The WHOLE time I've been on my computer. This really showed tofay when we got into groups in my Intro to PR class (something we NEVER do in college!) and listed as many networking/two-way communication sites we could think of. I started listing off websites like StumbleUpon, Reddit, Delicious, etc. and none of these people knew what these sites were! At least I have a little something to show for my obsession.

One of the many things I've been wrestling with in the last week (yes, it's really minor but still worth mentioning), is how much I speak up in my PR class. It's a fairly good-sized lecture hall; there are around 100 people in my class. My professor is Russian and she always likes to ask questions (all of which are really easy, and she ALWAYS accepts your answer), and yet no one wants to speak up in the class. This is completely contradictory to one of my classes taught by a French professor (from France, accent and everything). I feel COMPLETELY inadequate in this class and even when I complete the reading I feel as if I have no idea what's going on. He asks all of these hypothetical, obscure questions and I want more than anything to be able to participate but I have no connection, no idea what to say on the material. It doesn't help that the professor is looking for a particular answer. Anyway, I literally spoke up in PR class for EVERY question our professor had and I don't know if my classmates are annoyed or not. I know firsthand what it's like to have a know it all speak up and answer EVERY question and I really don't want to be that person. But everything she asks seems so much more like a conversation than a professor giving a lecture. I mean we talked about Youtube today. I really don't want to be THAT girl.


OK, on to the cool stuff I looked at online.

Random, but cool.

First off, I found these TOMS shoes made specifically for the city of Austin. I'm jealous. It would be really, really rad if Norman could get some. But then, who wants a pair of shoes with the word Norman on them?

Second really awesome thing I looked at? Shenae Grimes, an actress on a TV show I watch, tweeted this picture when she was in NYC for Fashion week. Pretty sure I'm obsessed. Yes, this is an ice-cream truck for jewelry. As the last-minute, perfectionistic night-owl I am, I think it would be really cool to have delivery trucks for clothes and jewelry, especially in party cities. Can you imagine going to a drive-thru window or ordering clothes and accessories to your door before you go to a late night event? You heard it here first! ;)

The final discovery that's been occupying my time is reading about the Duke Sex Girl's escapades. I heard about the girl at Duke that wrote about sleeping with several players on the Lacrosse team in my Intro to PW class. Today while looking at a national online magazine for college women, I saw a post about this girl's PowerPoint and a link to it. A website had posted the PowerPoint, blacking out names and faces in photos. I read the girl's "report" and was amazed. It was a guilty pleasure that I even shared with several friends. I know it's wrong that she rated these guys sexually, that they are all embarrassed and going through a rough time as the media covers it, but it was still really interesting and entertaining.

She rates the guys based on physical appearance, performance, athletic talent, size, etc. If you are looking for something to do, take a peek at her ppt slideshow on Jezebel.com!

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

IMDB's 20th Anniversary

Twitter and Facebook are amazing, they really are. Millions upon millions of people all over the world use the sites every day (speaking of, if you haven't seen it, The Social Network is fabulous). I'll admit I'm addicted to them both, but I'll always have a deep and everlasting love for IMDB.com.

This love started early. When I was younger, I would watch TV shows and movies and wonder about the actresses and actors in them. I wanted to know and see more of them so I'd look up their name. This was before Googling was a verb, and there were other search engines like Dogpile and AskJeeves that competed with it. No matter what search engine I used, IMDB was always the first site suggested when I tried to look up a celebrity. 

Eventually, I created a username on the site, browsed through message boards and searched through Julia Roberts' movies I still needed to see. The site became my go-to guide to anything I wanted to know about pop culture. It's like a more reliable, more in-depth and accurate version of Wikipedia, but all the topics were related to pop culture. It's the ultimate pop-culture encyclopedia.

Using the site has become second nature for me. I don't even know what it'd be like not to have it.

Just this weekend, after seeing The Social Network, I went straight home and typed in the movie in the search bar on the site. I was in awe of the movie and wanted to relive the "zinger" quotes. Zinger quotes are what I call the most memorable quotes that viewers want to relive/revisit after leaving the theater, so we look them up online.



In honor of one of my top 5 favorite site's anniversary, I've listed what I love the most about it.

1. The Message Boards.
 Pop culture fans across the world unite in boards specified by need. If you can remember a scene from a movie but can't remember what it is, there's a board called "I need to know" for you to post your questions. My questions always get responses within 24 hours. There's also a message board that's dedicated to lists of movies related in some way. If you want to know the names of any movie made about dogs, or even as specific as Golden Retrievers for that matter, you can post your question on the message board and users will reply back with names of films that fit your inquiry.

2. My Movies.

It doesn't matter whether you're searching through old classics or upcoming releases, when you see information for the new Jon Hamm film, you want to write it down. IMDB gives you the choice to catalog your list of movies you want to see or absolutely love. On any IMDB page for a movie, there's the option to "Add Movie to My Movies." The My Movies feature keeps track of all the movies you've added and you're able to go back through the list and click the links for each title.

3. The Trivia pages.

This is probably my favorite feature of IMDB, and something a lot of people aren't familiar with. Every movie, TV show, actor and actress page has a link to a trivia page. Want to know how much the dresses Emily Blunt wore in The Young Victoria were insured for? Curious about the love affair between Cary Grant and Sophia Loren?  Didn't know Tom Hanks was once a hotel bellman for Cher?

4. The Quote pages.

This page is for anyone who's wanted to reread, requote, or relive a film's moment of greatness, but was scared they would remember or quote it wrong.



5. The purpose of the site (keeping record)

The fact that you can search someone's name and
see what movies they've been in, are filming, just finished filming, or are rumored to be in. GREATNESS.




Friday, October 8, 2010

Find of the Day #1

Among my friends and family, I'm known as The Girl Who's Obsessed With Her Computer. Since I spend a lot of time with my child, I mean computer, I tend to find really cool blogs or websites that none of my friends know about. Every day I find something new and interesting on the Internet that I'm excited about (almost always related to pop culture). It can be a funny Youtube video, a clever entertainment-news article or pictures of actors filming a new movie. I'm still developing the idea, but I'd like to incorporate these every-day discoveries into my blog. In an effort to blog more often, I'm considering posting ONE cool thing I looked at on the internet each day. It would be sort of an inside look on what I do when I'm on my computer for  long periods of time. For those of you wondering what I'm so fascinated by, you just may find out! Here are a couple things I've looked at in the last 24 hours.

Last night I found these really cool Harry Potter 7 promotional pics. They have them for many of the major characters..SO COOL!

  These are appropriate, because I have other related Harry Potter news from this week. OU just got its own Harry Potter club (Hogwarts on Campus). I went to the first meeting and it seems very exciting. It's a great group of people, kudos to the founders/executives for starting it up; they have a lot of great ideas.

 People who don't read these books: You just don't know what you're missing. SERIOUSLY. My brother used to make fun of me and now he's a huge fan. He went to midnight releases for books 5-7 with me! Book 7 is the love of my life, BTW.

Cool News about the Hogwarts on Campus Club: they're starting a Quidditch team for OU. Texas A&M, UT and Texas Tech (we Texans love our Harry Potter) all already have teams, so we could potentially play them in tournaments. Yay, Harry Potter! I can't believe this series has been a part of my life since fourth grade. No wonder I feel so emotionally attached to the characters. Did I just say that out loud??

Finally, you never know what kind of amazing surprises you'll find on Twitter. This person tweets from the perspective of Lord Voldermort and I absolutely LOL'ed at this tweet. See below.


It's true. Perez Hilton is a meanie. That's why I use Just Jared's website to read about upcoming movies or celebrity gossip. It's way less trashy and more professional. The site is justjared.buzznet.com. 

Monday, September 27, 2010

What's my future?

I've been thinking a lot this weekend about what I want to do after I graduate. Today, during my 6 hour shift at Bath and Body Works, I couldn't get the idea of being a teacher out of my mind.

When I was little, I wanted to be a teacher but I had HUGE temper problems and was scared I'd lash out at a student. I've gotten a lot better, but I'm still a little worried I don't have the patience for the job.

When we talked about why we deserve to be writers in class, it was really hard for me to come up with reasons why I should be. Don't get me wrong, I want to be a writer so bad, but it doesn't come naturally for me. I'm too much of a perfectionist and my mind is too ADD to stay on a topic for more than a sentence.

So, while standing behind the register at work this weekend, I once again found myself wondering what it'd be like if I was a teacher.

In elementary school, I used to give myself more assignments to do. Some kids played house growing up, I played teacher. I would think of fake assignments for students to do. All throughout middle and high school, I would think of ways I would assign things if I were the teacher. If I enjoyed a particular assignment or found an easier way to learn something I found myself making mental notes, like, "Too bad my teacher doesn't do an assignment like this. If I were a teacher I would."

I've also always had a natural curiosity about things. I can spend HOURS upon HOURS looking up things on the internet. Is there a job with this? Because I'm pretty sure I would rock it.

If you think I'm kidding about the hours on the computer, my friends joke that it is my child. The other day I went to a friends' house for dinner and she didn't have wifi and I was counting the minutes until I could go home and get on the internet.

I also love helping people out with things. I love showing people how to do things and helping them get it. I've always felt like I can make people understand things. Sometimes I feel like if I can understand it, then pretty much anyone can.

I've been going back and forth between an Advertising and Public Relations major, but I can't see myself  in these fields (unless I do something with a nonprofit.) I don't want to work at an agency, and I don't want to represent a company's communication department. I'm completely lost for what I want as a career, but I KNOW I would love to teach.

But I know I want to do more than teach, but I just don't know what.

What do I do now? How do I find the job I want?

Sunday, September 19, 2010

"The Town"

Besides seeing The Town at The Warren on Friday night, I had a pretty uneventful weekend. I don't see a whole lot of action movies, but my old roommate Ashley is obsessed with Jon Hamm, so seeing the movie opening night has been decided since we first found out it. Since we both have an unnatural obsession with movies and Imdb.com, we've known about this movie way before the average person, at least for several months. 

I wouldn't say The Town the best action/heist movie out there, but I will say I didn't leave the theatre feeling disappointed or like I wasted my money. I don't see a lot of action movies, so I don't have incredibly high standards.

Ben Affleck wrote and directed the film.  I found several similarities between it and Good Will Hunting, which Affleck also wrote with pal Matt Damon (set in Boston, a guy stuck with a life he doesn't want but destined to get out and do something better, a girl who's "better" and can help him leave his past behind, etc, etc.) 

 THE TOWN in five

1. I was impressed with Blake Lively's performance as the slutty drug addict in love with Affleck's character. I could still see some Serena Van Der Woodsen in her character. 

2. One of my favorite parts of the film is when Ben Affleck is brought in as a suspect and Jon Hamm interrogates him. The verbal exchange between them is great. 

3. Rebecca Hall plays Affleck's BEAUTIFUL  love interest in the film. I was also impressed with her performance. She is one of those actresses that is so naturally pretty you feel like you could see her on the street or in the grocery store and it'd be completely normal. I couldn't remember where I'd seen her before, so I looked her up on Imdb after the movie. She was also in Vicky Christina Barcelona, which I saw some of. And she was born on my birthday! Cool.

4. Ben Affleck is cute and his acting is legit. This is probably one of his five best performances. 

5. Victor Garber has a cameo. Yay Alias! 










Stand Up to Cancer Telethon

My roommates and I stumbled on the Stand Up To Cancer special a week ago and I'm so glad we  did. Normally I think telethons seem really boring to watch, but it was amazing to hear and see all the different people who've been affected by cancer.


I had no idea all the greats who've died from cancer. Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, John Wayne, Jack Lemmon, Mr. Rogers, Peter Jennings, Farah Fawcett, Dennis Hopper, Patrick Schwayze...


I had no idea that Katie Couric was a widow. Her husband AND sister both lost their lives to cancer, and she is doing great things for cancer awareness. She had both a colonoscopy and mammogram ON AIR to raise awareness about both cancers.


It was also terribly sad to hear stories of everyday people affected by cancer. They showed a woman who lost her husband on her wedding day and a curly haired boy who lost his fight with the disease.

Rob Lowe from Brothers and Sisters wore a shirt that said "In Memory of Mom."


 Denzel Washington said some powerful lines about what life would be like if no one stood up for moments in history like Valley Forge, Iwo Jima, A bridge in Selma (civil rights),...etc.  He said, "We're here because they did ((stand up)), because we know what's possible when enough of us stand together."


What got me the most is when Patrick Swayze's wife spoke during the telethon. Her husband spoke at the first SUTC telethon in 2008, and it was  his first network TV appearance after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. When she spoke on stage,  a video of Patrick's speech played on the big screen behind her. Patrick begins saying, "Tonight I stand here just another individual living with cancer." 


It was incredibly hard to watch Lisa Niemi (his wife) stand on stage as her Patrick's speech echoed throughout the auditorium. I can't imagine talking about my husband's death on national television, while a video of him speaking about the disease that would kill him played behind me. It was such a powerful moment in the telethon and I really admire her courage to speak about something so personal.

All of this inspired me to find out more about SUTC and see how I could help.

I decided to visit their website. This is what I saw when I went to the site.  It makes me happy.



I've always wondered how much you have to donate in order to talk to a celebrity for these things. It's something worth researching, that's for sure. Phone convo with George Clooney? Yes, please!

 Here's a guy who donated money to Stand Up To Cancer, and recorded his phone conversation with Aubrey Plaza, from NBC's show Parks and Recreation. He was genuinely surprised he got to talk to someone! Take a look.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

STRESSED OUT



Warning to readers: I swear I'm not always the cynical, negative person I may come across in this blog. (Or at least I don't think I am). Please excuse the fact that this post and many others may just seem like a whiny bitch whining. I'm hoping it will be therapeutic, and help to unload some of the stress I feel overloaded with.


I can't figure out why but the last two weeks have been overwhelmingly stressful for me. Every day my to-do list gets longer, and all of the  things I've listed to do for the day before carry onto the next day's list. I'm not exaggerating. Right now I'm only getting the bare minimum done. You know when you get behind on stuff and you can't catch up? Every day you try to catch up, but you end up neglecting something else. That combines with  the assignments and things  that continue to be assigned, leaving you stuck with too much to do and unable to move forward. I still have things I planned on doing last week that I need to get done.

I know; it's typical for me to stress out and sweat the small stuff. I know that I take 3 times as long as everyone else to get work done . My dad the psychiatrist (no he really is) says I'm ADD and need meds so that I can relax and focus. I'm thinking some Adderall sounds pretty great right about now.

I'd really just like to get out of this funk. I feel sick to my stomach and crave comfort food and christian music. Anything to make me feel upbeat and positive!

On Sunday, my roommate and I tried to go to church, especially because I was feeling overwhelmed/frustrated/insert negative word here. Of course, when we  finally got ourselves together, we were running late (a recurring theme in my life that I vow to fix this semester because I hate this about myself). So I sped and drove  all the way down I-35 to Tecumseh, just to pull into the parking lot and realize that the 5:30 service changed campuses. We were too late to drive all the way to the other campus so we just went home. I asked her to bring her iPod so we could scream and yell with the windows down on the way there. She said she could tell the stress was getting to me.

Then there's all the stuff that's happening to the people around me. My step-mom Liz turned 50 today. Today her daughter went into emergency surgery  what she thought was a pimple has caused her face to swell to something unrecognizable.  The doctors said they needed to drain the fluid in her face out. They think she has a staph infection.

Graphic pic below.