Tag Archives: Movie

Don’t Boo Me Off the Stage, Please!

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Today’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  I’d love to write a post about it, but my brain’s not just up for it.  The kiddies have worn me out. (I’m writing this Sunday night, knowing full-well that I won’t have a spare second tomorrow to write a blog post.)

I generally consider myself up-to-date with pop culture.  That said, I’ve hardly seen any recent movies because they simply haven’t appealled to me.  Ever since the summer of Ocean’s, Pirates, and Bourne, there’s only been 2 movies that have really captured my attention (Enchanted and 27 Dresses).  So, tonight, when my 10- to 12-year-old girls started talking about movies, I just didn’t know what to say.

They talked about Twilight and The Dark Knight, y’all.

One of the main reasons why I enjoy working with this age of girl is because we have a lot in common.  In many ways, I still feel like a 12-year-old girl.  Those were awkward, formative years in between childhood and adulthood, and since I still don’t feel quite grown-up, I totally relate.  I also like pink, pens, and talking, things that are big hits with the preteen crowd.  In general, I probably even like many of the same movies as they do.

But there is not one thing about Twilight or The Dark Knight that appeals to me in the slightest, but here are some of my favorite girls going on and on about what they loved about the movies.  Now I don’t want to alienate you Twilighters as I know there are a ton of you, but I JUST. DON’T. GET. IT.   And comic book movies?  The only ones I’ve seen are the Spiderman ones, and even those I have to take with a grain of salt.  (And, really, Toby Maguire may have had a lot to do with the reason for seeing those movies)

So, I guess if these girls are getting into them, it couldn’t hurt for me to give them a try.  I guess.  At least I should look into it…

Can Today Just Be Normal?

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I’ve enjoyed every day of celebration, but I am now thoroughly exhausted. If every day is special, I suppose no day is, right? My birthday was by no means bad (really), but it didn’t have the usual “special” feel, either because now I’m an adult or because the last few days have been all about me, too.
This was my first birthday that I did not stay up to see it come. My 11:15 bedtime Sunday night was just fine…I was tired after having to get up way early Sunday morning to take my parents the airport.
After waking up yesterday and reading my birthday cards, I went off to a normal day of work. I always try to wait to open my cards until the big day to make it feel more special. One of the cards almost made me cry, too.
After work, I went home to three crazy friends. We ordered Chinese and played the 1996 version of Compatibility, roommates vs. roommates (we lost and now have to cook them dinner). Then it was time for cake…ice cream cake! I always wanted to have ice cream cake on my birthday, but my mom told me no one would want it in the winter so I never had it. My brother, whose birthday is in July, often had ice cream cake for his birthday. That was definitely a special treat!

Speaking of deprived in childhood (okay, I was never really deprived), we then went to the movie store to rent a movie. Nothing really stood out (except HSM 2…but my friends had not seen the first one yet, so I just rented it to see later in the week), but then I saw Clueless. Perfect. I’m not sure how this happened, but I never saw Clueless. Until now.
After the movie, I of course crashed as it was past midnight and I’m old. Thus, the end of my birthday.
If you haven’t left a comment on my last post, feel free to do so. I’ll answer some questions about you!

An Individual with Problematic Emotions

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You all blessed me. I did not write yesterday’s post to solicit compliments or receive encouragement, but you all delivered. I hadn’t even realized that people would comment the way they did. God knew I needed it. This week is an emotional one, that’s for sure. School is starting and I’m reconnecting with a couple good friends. Another good friend is gone for the week, and that adds to the emotions. On more than one occassion I’ve almost forgotten my schedule (who needs to remember that class starts tomorrow anyway?) and what I need to do, which is not like me. That scares me. I sometimes surprise myself with how emotional I can be. I can’t believe I spent all those years denying that I was an emotional person!

For all those concerned that I need this rest, know that I did rest yesterday. I came home from work and immediately popped in 27 Dresses. Probably not a help to the whole emotion thing, but it was a good break. I also arranged to get together with a couple different friends later this week which will be nice.

Anyway, in the past I haven’t always been so aware of my emotions. Not that I think that I’m all that aware now, but I’m better than I used to be. To me, it’s important to understand what I’m feeling and why I’m feeling in order to not let them take control of me. I had the tendency to keep the feelings inside and would lie to myself and to others saying I wasn’t emotional. But then it would get too much and I would explode. One infamous time (just ask my parents!) was when I bawled about not remembering my shoes when going home for Christmas. Umm, yeah, that’s worth crying over.

Breaks like this keep me from letting the emotion and stress get too much for me. Thanks for encouraging me and reminding me to enjoy the rest! Oh, and I can’t help but notice the irony in that my first class that starts tomorrow is “Counseling Individuals with Problematic Emotions.” Comes just in time, don’t you think?

Go, Go, Go and Do, Do, Do

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I live a busy life. I like it that way. You know those montages in chick flicks where the main character is working hard at a goal? Think Legally Blonde when Elle finally gets serious about law school, Center Stage when Jody is striving to be the best dancer she can be, or even She’s the Man when Viola is working on her soccer game, albeit dressed as a boy. I love those scenes, put to a good song, and wish that was my life.

Another thing that I’ve always wanted is my life to be like those day-in-the-life interviews they do with driven famous people where they get up at 5 AM, workout, practice whatever they are famous for, have lunch with another famous person, workout again, get back to what they’re famous for, etc. I’ve always thought that that would be the life. Except for the working out part, of course.

It seems that our American culture convinces us that all these things: work (working less than 60 hours a week is for sissies), play (several hobbies), sports (watching and playing), and family are not only good, but required. Of course, I do think that family should be a priority, and work and enjoyment are all well and good. But none of these things are THE priority. None of these things will ultimately satisfy.

It would be one thing if that was simply the culture we live in, but that we Christians were different. But how often do we in the church buy into the same ideal? Of course, we add church to the list, but that only makes the list longer, not different. I’ve certainly not been immune to all this. I’m a full-time student, an almost-full-time worker, a babysitter, a Sunday School teacher, an Awana teacher, an active church member, a blogger, a friend, a roommate.

Why am I obsessed with being busy? Why have I bought the lie that I can “have it all?” I’m not super(wo)man, I’m just a human. A sinful, lazy, prideful one at that. All those things on my to-do list? They might be well and good, but that doesn’t mean that that’s what God has for my life. Chances are, I’ll never get to do one of those day-in-the-life, look-at-me-I’m-so-busy-and-dedicated, famous people interviews. That shouldn’t be my goal, anyway.

Sometimes, rather than go, go, go and do, do, do, God wants me to sit and rest at His feet. Reminds you of anyone? When Martha had the same problem, He lifted up the example of her sister, Mary, who was sitting at His feet and said, “only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42 NASU) I know that this passage is overused, but it’s a helpful reminder that what our culture thinks is a good thing (doing it all) isn’t necessarily what is on God’s agenda for us!

Most of the activities that I want to fill my day with aren’t inherently bad. I do need to consider my motivation for doing them, but more importantly I need to consider what might be God’s plan for my day. It’s much harder to self-indulge in what I want to do when I’m constantly thinking of my selfless Savior!

This is something that will take some lifelong work. I’ll always struggle with filling my days with stuff rather than considering the Lord first in my planning. I think I’ll commit anew today to work on this. Would you join me?

Coming Soon…In Blonde

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This past weekend I visited Dana in Texas, but we didn’t stay in Texas. We crossed the border into the great state of Oklahoma on Sunday to visit her family in her hometown. It’s a small town too, and just as unfamiliar to me as the Texas towns she lives in now. Except I’ve now been there four times, and sorta know my way around. (I had to help her find her brother’s house!)

As we were driving past the movie theatre in this small town, we looked to see if they were showing Horton Hears a Who, a movie I had wanted to see. Though we had already seen two movies over the weekend, we felt we could afford the $3.50 each to see a first-run movie (yes, it was that cheap). Sure enough, they were showing it and Dana agreed to see it with me (though she had never read the book!).

This theatre is unlike any I’ve ever been to. The ticket counter doubles as the concession stand, separated by a half-wall. After I had already put the $3.50 on my card for the ticket, I realized that I probably should have paid for my chocolate-covered cookie dough bites at the same time (I had to pay the same guy for each, and they only had one credit card machine).

As I said something about not realizing it, he said what might have been the most offensive-but-not, untrue put-down I’ve ever received. He told me, “That’s okay, it’s just the blonde effect.” Take a look at my picture up there in the header. Do I look like a blonde? No. He wasn’t actually referring to my hair color. He was calling me a ditz. What?

I know I can act ditzy sometimes, but it’s usually late at night with Dr. Pepper coursing through my vains laughing with friends. This, however, was just a normal happening in life. Yes, we were laughing at my ignorance along with him, but let me tell you…I’ve never been to a theatre like this! I’m clearly from out of town (as I had stated I’d never been to a place like that), so he should have expected no less.

After that, Dana and I went to find seats in the theatre. You get what you paid for, so it took us four tries to find two seats together that weren’t broken. Once we found them, the floor there was so sticky we were afraid if our purses fell down that we wouldn’t be able to retrieve them intact. Then I visited the bathroom where I was entertained with reading material on the wall and trying to pump the soap dispenser for just a little soap to wash my hands.

Like I said, this theatre was certainly an experience, and one I’m glad that I had, even if I am a ditz.

“I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. An elephant is faithful one hundred percent!” (I love this quote, even if it is actually from Horton Hatches an Egg)

Updated: Who Said That? Movie Quotes!

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**Looks like I stumped you all on 6, 8, and 20! All the answers are now below…thanks for playing!**

I’m nothing if not a follower. When Debra posted quotes from her favorite movies and asked us to guess, I knew I had to do the same. I had planned on listing favorite movie quotes anyway, but this way just makes it fun.

How well do you know your movies? Some of them I know are easy (especially if you like the same movies as me!) and some are hard. Leave a comment with your guesses/answers. Don’t look them up, just guess! I’ll give you hints if you ask. Let’s see how well you do!

1. “I know you can be overwhelmed, and you can be underwhelmed, but can you ever just be whelmed?”
“I think you can in Europe.”
- 10 Things I Hate About You

2. “Where’s Elizabeth?”
“She’s safe, just like I promised. She’s all set to marry Norrington, just like she promised. And you get to die for her, just like you promised. So we’re all men of our word, really. Except Elizabeth, who is in fact, a woman.”
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

3. “If I were Hitler you’d give me my father. If I were Hitler, you’d give me your country!”
- Forget Paris

4. “Ain’t nobody gonna pick up three filthy, unshaved hitchhikers and one of them a know-it-all that can’t keep his trap shut.”
“Pete, the personal rancor reflected in that remark I don’t intend to dignify with comment. But I would like to address your general attitude of hopeless negativism.”
- O Brother, Where Art Thou?

5. “You called everyone but Slurpee Heaven.”
“That’s not true. I did call Slurpee Heaven. They didn’t want you. Heard you had attitude. Said you weren’t Slurpee material.”
- Two Weeks Notice

6. “My mom never hid the fact that my dad chose his career over us. What was it she always said?”
“Once a carnie, always a carnie.”
“Mom still cries every time she sees a tilt-a-whirl or a fat lady in a tube top.”
- Drop Dead Gorgeous

7. “I’m making you taller. Don’t you want to be taller? You’re a midget in 34 states.”
“Yeah, well, I’m an animal in the other 34…24…22.”
- Ocean’s 13

8. [in a letter to a woman who loves him] “She is the only woman in the world whom I could ever think of as a wife.”
- Mansfield Park

9. “I cannot remember a time before you started telling that story.”
“I was asked to provide a detailed explanation of the evening.”
“And you did, Rosie, you really did. I really felt like I was there…sort of against my will.”
- Win a Date with Tad Hamilton

10. “It’s my choice not to go. I could have gone. He would have supported it.”
“But you don’t have to choose.”
“No, I have to. I want a home; I want a family, that’s just not something I’ll sacrifice.”
- Mona Lisa Smile

11. “Laws don’t touch men like Thaddeus Rains. Only justice does.”
“Whose justice, yours or God’s?”
- American Outlaws

12. “I have great insight. I’d use it on myself, only I don’t have any problems.”
- Music and Lyrics

13. “Do we have to use that term?”
“What term?”
” ‘Freak.’ The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that…percent of adults develop agraphoraphobia.”
“Agoraphobia.”
“Whatever. I’m just saying, I mean, do we need to be an organization that labels people?”
“Now we’re an organization?”
“You’d call Emily Dickinson a freak?”
“Are you hosting a telethon I don’t know about?”
“Who’s Emily Dickinson?”
“Am I the only one who feels funny about stealing from a handicapped guy?”
- Ocean’s 12

14. “To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose both looks like carelessness.”
- The Importance of Being Earnest

15. “Do you have an ethical problem with rifling through a woman’s purse?”
“Uhh, yeah, I guess I do.”
“Well, it’s hardly a purse. Dude, it’s more like a clutch or something.”
“Guys, a woman’s purse, alright, it’s her secret source of power. Alright? There are many dark and dangerous things in there, that we, the male species, should know nothing about.”
- How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days

16. “It’s been many years since I’ve had such an exemplary vegetable.”
- Pride and Prejudice

17. “I just don’t think that Brooke could’ve done this. Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don’t shoot their husbands, they just don’t.”
- Legally Blonde

18. “A flower is good for nothing. You can’t eat a flower, a flower can’t keep you warm…”
“And a rose never knocked a man off a horse either.”
“You’re just a silly girl aren’t you?”
“Better a silly girl with a flower than a silly man with a horse and a stick.”
- A Knight’s Tale

19. “So, uh, who told you?”
“Uh, who told me what?”
“You found out, didn’t you?”
“We still have time for one more interview…”
“It’s called leukemia…and yeah, I would like to come with you, but are you just asking me because you feel sorry for me?”
“I don’t know…maybe.”
“Okay.”
- Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

20. “Aren’t you going to congratulate me?”
“Congratulations.”
“Aren’t you going to ask what for?”
“What for?”
“I’ve made a great decision. I’ve decided to get married.”
“My! Who to?”
“That part is yet to be decided.”
- An Ideal Husband

Valentine’s Day Meme

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I don’t have time to think about what to write on my blog, as I should be focusing on how to compare and contrast the 2nd London Confession and the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message. I know, riveting. I bet you want me to post that instead, right? Too bad for all you boring-essay-lovers, you get a meme instead! It just might be more insight in to a single woman’s mind than you might like to have!

In honor of Valentine’s Day:

answer the following….
1. If you could have any Celebrity Valentine, who would it be?

Topher Grace. I’m not sure why he was the first person to jump into my head, but he did. I actually had a hard time rooting against him as a bad guy in Spiderman 3.

2. What is your idea of a romantic date?

Beats me, I’ve never been on one. I guess it would be romantic if the guy had thought to write me something special or took the time to really listen to me.

3. Do you prefer chocolates or flowers on Valentine’s Day?

I’m actually not a fan of (dead) flowers. I’d prefer them to stay on the bush, or whatever they came from. I don’t like the smell/look that water always gets after a week or so. Chocolates, on the other hand, smell great (and taste pretty good too).

4. What is your favorite romantic movie? romantic book?

Movie: Mansfield Park. My heart breaks every time Fanny reads the letter from Edmund, who she loves, and he writes, “She’s the only person that I could think of as a wife” about someone else. Oh, and I love the comeback she has to Henry’s profession of love, “No man dies of love but on the stage.”
But the high point is at the end when Fanny and Edmund are simply enjoying each other’s company and he finally professes his true love for her: “Fanny, I’ve loved you my whole life….I’ve loved you as a man loves a woman. As a hero loves a heroine. As I have never loved anyone.”
Sorry I got carried away, I think maybe I should watch it again soon.
Book: Pride and Prejudice (though the movie is great too). I’m a Jane Austen fan, if you haven’t noticed.

5. Do you like those ‘conversation hearts’ or do you think they taste gross?

Oh, they’re totally gross. I have great respect for the author to include this question, since they clearly understand that they are simply for reading, not eating. The reading is not as enjoyable anymore, either, as the start going downhill: “TXT ME,” “UR HOT,” “BILLY GOAT.” You get the picture.
6. Who is your Valentine this year?
If your Valentine is the person you’re spending Valentine’s Day with, then it would be three of my favorite kids (though I have a lot of favorites). I spent last Valentine’s Day with them too, so you might say we’re going steady.
If your Valentine is the person that you send a Valentine to, than I have more than can be mentioned here. I love to share the love, so to speak.

Extra word association:
I say…you think…

1. Valentine - Heart
2. Cute - Boy (no, I couldn’t me more middle school)
3. Romantic - Cupid (umm, I don’t know why…)
4. Red - Bull (ha, I don’t think that’s what they’re going for)
5. Flowers - Daisies
6. Candy - Chocolate (the only good candy)
7. Cupid - Bow and arrow

meme courtesy of: randomness…feed your mind and your blog

I Wish I Had a Picture to Share

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Now that I have expressed my desire to take at least one picture every day, let me tell you about a few times recently that I wish that I DID take a picture. I guess in both instances I had my camera phone, but I haven’t yet figured out how to upload them anyway.

When I was home for the holidays, I went to the movies with my parents (National Treasure 2…it’s pretty good, but nothing spectacular). A man and his date (early to mid 60s I would guess) walked in and started sitting down in the row in front of us. He looked normal from the front, but from the side…oh my! He had THE WORST COMB OVER I have ever seen!

It wasn’t the comb over that was so horrible (it was a reasonable job if you accept the comb over as an appropriate hairstyle, which I don’t), it was what the weather and gravity did to it. The hair that was combed over in the back had fallen so it was sticking out several inches from his head and kinda resembled a rooster’s tail.
He was with someone, which makes it all the worse. She followed him into the theater, so she must have seen it. They were pretty comfortable together, so I assume she was his wife. Even if she wasn’t, wouldn’t she want to fix his hair? Sure, she might not be able to convince him to get rid of the comb over in the first place, but at least she could convince him to tame the rooster tail.
The second time I wish I took a picture was when I was visiting the local Lifeway Christian bookstore to pick up some birthday cards and postcards to send out. As I was walking into the store, I noticed that the vehicle parked right in front of the door was a small pickup truck with a HUGE bumper sticker that said, “pastor.” That’s just tacky to me. I’m glad that he likes his job, but how arrogant is that? Is it intended to make the person who tailgates him feel guilty? On second glance, I also noticed several cross stickers and a glittery “minister” sign in the back window (oh, and the T was a cross…how clever).
That repulses me, and I happen to like (most) pastors and Christians. I can’t imagine how a non-Christian would take it! If you had seen this car, what would you have thought?
Okay, so all the more reason to take my camera with me wherever I go. I need to get a new camera case too, so that I can protect it wherever I go. I’ve already worn out 2 cameras, I want to keep this one snappy!

Resolution Lite

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I’ve not had time to sit down and consider resolutions (and honestly cannot think of a time when I actually had New Year’s resolutions), but I have a few ideas of things I want to work on in 2008. Consider them Resolutions Lite. I’m a committed individual (usually), so if I say I HAVE to do something I WILL. This is almost like that, but I’m tyring to allow myself a little grace just in case.
Anyway, one of my Resolutions Lite is to take at least one picture every day. It’s inspired by Project 365 and its sequel Project 366 on the Duckabush Blog.

I thought this would be an excellent way to improve my photography skills with my brand new camera. I’ve already learned more about what it can do. One things cool is I can set it to take pictures continuously while I’m holding down the button rather than wait for it to reset. That’s just cool. I’ve also been playing around with the lighting settings.
I hope to post the best pictures on here for each day from time to time. I won’t be able to post all pictures (as per my no-posting-non-related-children’s-pictures-without-permission policy), but I’ll post what I will. Maybe they’ll inspire you to take more pictures yourself!
I’ve included the pictures from the 1st, 2nd, and 4th. The picture from the 3rd is below. The first is a picture of just a fraction of the birthday and Christmas cards I’ve received. I’m a “words of encouragement” gal, so they’re special to me.
Also, notice how confident I was in OU before they lost. I took a similar picture on the 3rd in KU gear and a grimace on my face, but I’m not going to post it cuz I have a double chin. Seriously don’t need to see that here. Besides, KU won.
I’ll give you one guess to the movie that I saw last night. The latest in one of my favorite trilogies!

Happily Ever After, You Sure Have Changed

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Last night for my birthday, my roommates and I went out for Turkish food and to see the movie Enchanted. We went to the 9:55 showing so I assumed that it would be pretty empty, but I was surprised by who else was in the movie theatre.

Besides the 3 of us, there were only 3 other people there: two guys in their mid-twenties who came together (though they didn’t seem like they were a couple) and a guy in his early-thirties who came by himself. What about this movie appeals to guys? Did they go to the 9:55 showing because they didn’t want anyone to see them?

We all enjoyed the movie which was clearly written for girls like us who grew up with Disney fairy tales: Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and The Little Mermaid (I can’t think of any other allusions, though I certainly might have missed them). Don’t be fooled, this movie is definitely written for adults though the “adult” content is quite mild, it is still there. Moving on.

***Spoiler alert*** (though who doesn’t know how a Disney movie will end?)

As we were leaving the theatre (and after we got done laughing about our fellow audience members), my roommates and I started to discuss the “happily ever after” that Giselle (from the fairy tale land) has. Despite the marriage of their former beaus, Giselle and Robert (from reality) aren’t showed getting married. Maybe it’s supposed to be assumed, but I specifically looked to see if either had a wedding band in the final scene and I couldn’t tell. I think it was intentially overlooked.

Giselle’s “happily ever after” scene consisted of a family (of one child) and running her own design business (of little girls’ princess dresses). (Update: Andie reminded me that she also saved her man from the dragon which is another part of the modern “happily ever after,” minus the dragon of course) What my roommates and I reflected on is that marriage is no longer what our generation dreams of. Sure we want the man, but we want the family and the successful career just as much (if not more so). Getting married to Prince Charming is not enough and not necessarily required for our dreams to come true. Living together is a perfectly legitimate substitute for marriage. In fact, they are interchangable.

I could get mad at Disney about this, but they are merely reflecting our culture. It’s sad, but God’s ideal of marriage is not deemed “necessary” to have a family.

What do you think? If you’ve seen the movie, do you think I’ve painted an accurate picture of it?