Vegging

I want a Twinkie so badly right now I'd probably try to eat the desk if it had a picture of one pasted to it. I will not put up a photo of one on this blog, for fear I would try to eat the computer.

I just realized how incredibly spoiled I am (we are) -I've been eating only raw fruits and vegetables for two days now (evidently this is good for the colon) and while generally it hasn't been too bad, there are moments (like right now and the past half hour) where I have been craving ANYTHING and EVERYTHING else. I had to put a book down because the characters were in a restaurant and started talking about food. I'd probably go ballistic in a theater if I were watching Julie and Julia. I am SO BORED with fruits and vegetables!!!! (This is the spoiled part.) How is that possible? I've eaten at least nine different kinds of fruit today, and seven different veggies. I enjoyed them all. It's only for three days, and I am not only aware of this but consciously decided (eight veggies! I thought of another one!) to try this out. And yet I would quite possibly gouge someone else's eye out for their fatty/sugary baked goods. (Note to self: MUST go to bakery on Saturday).

What's next? A bean and rice diet, just to teach me some perspective and gratitude? (Er, maybe not - that would require even more Gas-X than I'm currently using.)

On the plus side, I've dropped at least two pounds in the first two days, and I've been stuffing myself. Time for a cup of herbal (peppermint is a natural appetite suppressant, did you know?) tea and off to bed... most likely to dream of Twinkies.

Week In Review

26 hours driving a mini-van by oneself sounds like:

- Daughtry - Leave This Town
- Notre Dame de Paris (Euro Musical Cast)
- The Scarlet Pimpernel (Original Cast)
- Hairspray (Movie Soundtrack)
- Emerson Drive - What If?
- Brian Regan LIVE
- "All Star Christmas" Mix
- Aly & AJ - Into the Rush
- Kelly Clarkson - All I Ever Wanted
- Teen Witch: The Musical (Original Cast)
- Sky High (Movie Soundtrack)
- Dragonsong by Anne McCaffery (I am SO glad I figured out how to load that onto my Ipod Shuffle!)

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Achievement Day for 9 - 11 yr. old girls. "Vinyl lettering on tile" is evidently the new tole painting. Pink vinyl is the worst, FYI.

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It was a really great tent, made even greater by the fact that it came equipped with a basic queen-sized mattress for the visiting oldster, yours truly. Loved the star-gazing-friendly mesh window, having the sprinklers turned off and the train decide not to drive by in the middle of the night. This tent was not so great in the heating department. In the tent's defense, it wasn't SUPPOSED to get that cold that night...

PRO: Nobody wet their sleeping bag.
CON: The train did visit after all, at 6 AM. No walls to mute the rattle.

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Why do I always start to feel sick when I visit Oregon? I'm not allergic to anything, I usually get in at least one day of exercise... Is it the sea level? Delayed travel lag? Crappy guest-room mattress? (Sorry, K. At least the food is always good!) Speaking of...

No one is ever to sick for:

Seriously. Could eat there every day. My sister actually has (well, three days in a row, anyhow).

Also, made the kids watch Hairspray this afternoon. They liked it, but my oldest nephew thought it was "weird".

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In theory, I'm a fan of weddings. In practice, I'd just as soon not be there - thanks in large part to the tendency of elderly family members to do things like grabbing my left hand and loudly asking, "Aren't you married yet?!?", always in public settings and usually during a lull in other conversation. My cousin's wedding on Thursday was very nice - got held up for about 45 minutes since another cousin hadn't realized her temple recommend had expired and the temple workers were scrambling to find enough people to vouch for her and get her in. She was cleared, but had hied off to parts unknown. Her bishop speculated: "She's probably in a bar." Generally speaking, you don't often laugh that hard in a temple sealing room.

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An excellent new series:


Silent in the Grave, Silent in the Sanctuary, and Silent on the Moor - all excellent Victorian-era mysteries with just a dash of romance thrown in. And I'm serious about that "dash" - ignore the covers, because these book are not in any way the Harlequin-esque "bodice rippers" they would appear to be. (Pity, that.) (Sort of kidding, there.)

* * * * *

As a rule, I don't like wedding receptions. I've been to a LOT of them, and at least half the time end up working in some capacity or other - cutting and serving cake, arranging decorations, cleaning up, etc... Also, I have an embarrasingly large collection of bouquets that I've caught in the bridal toss, in spite of my long-standing policy to hide in a closet during that activity. I was fully prepared to not like this reception either - I was working hard to get tables set and decorations up and fluffed, and had been asked to sit at the guest book and welcome people once things started. Bleh.

Even my reception gloom could not withstand the nuptial glow, however - my cousin and his new wife were so brilliantly happy you couldn't help but feel good when you were around them. She's absolutely darling, and the two of them are a wonderful match. The food was good, the people sitting at our table were friendly and funny, and the cheesecake production line I helped to organize was a work of art and marvel of efficiency. (My sister is REALLY good at that kind of thing. We were awesome.) Also, my parents got into a fight in the garage over the proper way to serve the dinner buffet, and my sister's retelling of the story is hilarious. We were able to duck out early on the excuse that I had to start a 13-hour drive at 5 AM the next day, so I missed the bouquet toss altogether. Score!

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I managed to squeeze in a visit to one of my favorite places, Silver Falls State Park. I know. A place that highlights hiking is one that I love most. What can I say - I'm complex!


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Thank goodness a former fellow employee put me onto her "iguana" or Guarana pills - the "natural stimulant" may in fact be cartloads of caffeine, but they got me and four coolers full of Oregon blueberries and raspberries home safely after 13 extremely boring hours on the road. I really don't remember anymore why I volunteered for that part. Complex... or just an idiot?

Don't answer that.

* * * * *

The dedication today was lovely.

I've got a lot to do if I want to visit all the temples in the area before I leave for England (which I do).

I've got even more to do if I want to leave for England!

Arrested Development Revisited (The Condition, Not the TV Show)

Interesting.

I didn't plan to see the movie, and that plan hasn't changed - and I'm more interested now in asking the same question the reviewer does. Retro is for fashion and design influences, not gender attitudes and perceptions. I can think of a few favorite books where the heroine becomes the person she wants to be AND gets the guy, and doesn't do what she does in order to get the guy. I can think of a lot of movies where the girl gives up everything to get the guy - are there any out there that illustrate the point the reviewer is talking about? In Legally Blonde, the fact that Elle ends up dating Emmett is something of an afterthought - she doesn't sacrifice for him, or compromise her goals or change her vision of who she can be in order to be with him.

Illustrate, discuss - is there hope for Hollywood and the Happily Ever After?

Gettin' Schooled

I would just like to take a moment to mention here that IT IS NOT EASY TO GET A STUDENT VISA TO THE UK. URGH. There is probably some website out there that walks you through every step and includes a timeline of exactly when you should be jumping through which hoop, much like really organized wedding planning - and if there isn't, there should be. Granted, me getting into grad school in England is on a much closer par to, well, not a Vegas hitching, but at least a last-minute elopement with delusions of the full three-ring circus extravaganza.

Evidently, I have to present a letter I can only receive after paying a deposit and sending in a notarized transcript of an interview with the local police department, along with that original affirmation of good conduct, yet another school transcript, evidence that the full price of a couple of VERY nice cars has been living in my bank account for at least a month; and then only when I've made an appointment to present that letter/plus application/plus full physical and "biometrics" during the full moon and following a ritual rain dance. The problem? I still haven't gotten that letter. I did what I was supposed to to get it (I didn't know a body cavity search would be part of that "good conduct" interview) and the letter I got I thought was right turned out to be the opposite of. (Insert own dating joke here.)

On the plus side, the rain dance seemed to be a success.

5 for 5

It's movie review time again, people! I averaged out at just under a movie a day this week, so obviously, it's time to talk about them.

Let me start off by saying: this was a very good week for movies.

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1 - One of my favorite classes to teach while I was subbing a few months back was Drama II. The kids were terrific, and we really had a good time. There were also lots of class inside jokes: one, in particular, presumed that a certain girl had a huge crush on Zac Efron when, in fact, she couldn't stand him. She was a great sport about it and it kept coming up, even to the point of becoming a plot (and set) piece in their group movie. Anyway, one day in the midst of some usual ribbing, one of the boys in class spoke up. This kid is the poster child for emo-rock, and definitely more inclined towards horror, psychedelic "drama", and gross-out humor than anything Disney-related. Imagine our collective shock then, when he calmly (and more than a touch defiantly) proclaimed that not only had he been to see "17 Again" (starring Zac Efron) but he really really liked it, AND intended to see it again, AND he didn't care what anyone else thought. Shock and awe all around.

And even this event was not enough to get me into a theater to see the movie...

... which I can now see is somewhat unfortunate, since I saw the movie for the first time on Monday, and thoroughly enjoyed it. A couple of friends came over, and we laughed ourselves silly over it, in the best possible way. There was the occasional startled sideways glance, followed by a whispered, "who would have though ZAC EFRON could ACT?!?" and then back to the action. One girl's part is not as fleshed-out or motivated as I would have liked, but Efron really was excellent (and funny! Comic timing wow!) and Matthew Perry was even more endearing than I remembered. As my friend put it, the movie also has one of the best/most hilarious secondary couples EVER. I have no qualms about seeing this one again. Thanks, DVD! (And Tara, for bringing it over! And Greg, for being there! Here's to the sweater!)

2 - Wednesday I did some cleanup at the theater (yay to the show being open, though!) and then took myself to a matinee of "G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra". Now, look - I am a child of the eighties. I may be a girl, but G.I. Joe was one of my favorite shows - heck, we even used it as the theme for one of my EFY groups just a couple of years ago (we were the "G.I. Josephats" - the other counselor and I even pulled out cammo pants, hats, and makeup. We were INTENSE). It's not like I was ever NOT going to see this movie. Plus, I've always had a soft spot for Channing Tatum (A friend: "I can't stand him. Also, he has two girl names!") and I was delighted to discover (because I am weird) that Joseph Gordon-Levitt had a part as a *SPOILER* villian. (See review below, and mentions in previous posts *ahem*.) I knew the reviews hadn't been great, so my expectations were fairly low. I read another review that talked about long stretches of boredom.

Silly reviewer people, silly ADD article author... the movie was just fine. Yes, it was fluff and action. Yes, there's not much going on besides pretty people blowing things up and being special-effected and saving the world and stuff. What else did they expect? In fact, there was also some attempt at character development and an actual plot, there was relatively decent script work, there were some great design concepts, and there was Dennis Quaid playing a tough-as-nails hands-on General. All bonuses, as far as I was concerned. I liked it MUCH more than Transformers 2, to which it is being regularly compared. No, it won't be winning any acting/directing/philosophy awards any time soon, but it was fun and the occasional references to the cartoon sprinkled through the show kept me very happy. You can't always trust reviewers, after all - you have to know for yourself, because (*wait for it* *sorry, I just HAVE to*) Knowing Is Half The Battle.

In all honesty, that line really is as cheesy as ever, even when Dennis Quaid is the one saying it.

3 - Thursday it was time for the completely delightful "Julie & Julia". I feel very comfortable saying that if you like Meryl Streep, and/or Amy Adams, and /or food, you'll like (quite possibly love) this movie. Wonderful performances all around, fantastic cinematography (Paris! All the food!) - it's charming, touching, and funny. There are all sorts of metaphors one could make here about the "recipe for a winning film" or this being the way to "serve up a tasty bite of life" or some other such type of drivel (sorry to all the official reviewers out there who have already taken this cliched road!) but I won't. I'll just stick with: I liked it, it was calorie-free, and did not make me want to learn to cook French food. For as good as the movie was, that last is a relief.

4 - Friday got busy, so today I took myself out for a double-feature. Okay, remember the preface (above) to "17 Again"? My response to Vanessa Hudgens is quite similar to the class's reactions to Zac Efron. NOT a fan. And yet... I completely loved "BandSlam". I'm not kidding. It was hilarious, and edgy, with some really excellent music, and VH doing this completely weird near-goth-emo-vocally-impaired chick that very much surprised me. It's not a Disney-fied movie, it's really not. Yes, there are a couple of Disney stars in it. Yes, it has a Disney moment or two - but not where you'd expect, and there are a few other plot points and twists that haven't ever seen the light of a Disney day before. And the set-up! "Strange, odd loner-kid gets hooked up (not "hooks up") with two very different, also odd (for various reasons) pretty girls and very interesting sorts of character things start to happen!" It's FUN. It's also high school, so it's painful. But it's FUN! I'm really hoping to go again with friends, because this time I want to laugh about it with people that I know... I liked it that much.

5 - And then I moved to another auditorium at the same movie theatre for part 2 of today's outing (which also happened to be the second time I saw this last movie, so I'm cheating here a little)... "(500) Days of Summer". Still brilliant. Still starmaking, for Joseph Gordon-Levitt at least, though Zooey Deschanel was perfectly cast IMO and will probably help start a new retro fashion trend. It's absolutely a fascinating piece of work in itself - it's non-linear, so it doesn't follow the story straight through. (Incidentally, it reminds me a little of the book The Time-Traveler's Wife, which is amazing, even though the reviews for that movie adaptation have not been very good. If this team had done T-TW, I think it could have been wonderful.) It jumps around to different days in the relationship of the boy and girl, and keeps the audience on track with a counter that starts off each scene. That way, the audience sees things that they think they understand, but come to realize later actually meant something completely different than what they thought. And if that isn't a perfect visualization right there of the complexities of boy/girl relationships, I don't know what is. You're told right off that the movie is not a love story. It's not. It is a story about love, and life, and figuring out who you are and what you want. It doesn't have the ending we've been programmed to expect, but the one it's got is even more satisfying. Also, JG-L is beyond adorable... I may have mentioned that before.

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I say with some confidence that I am not likely to cram this many movies into one week again, not unless I'm getting paid to do it (and I'd like to mention to the Universe that I certainly wouldn't mind getting paid to do it!). There is, after all, a life of some kind trying to go on over here too! More on that later!

Meanwhile, Back At The Ranch...

FINALLY. The show is open. I tried a while ago to put up a "Pony Painting in Progress Post", but the blog REALLY did not like all the pictures. Here, I have simplified.


First up, we start in pony rehab. The five carousel horses were all different colors, and this poor guy actually had a broken leg. Instead of putting him down, though, we brought out the "theater magic"...



Do not adjust your screen - this is the angle Rehab Patient Number 2 was hoisted to in order to repair some cracks and holes. These ponies have really been through it! (Also, they all got a base coat of white spray paint.)

While rehab was going on, we got to work on the "healthy" crew - color, gold paint galore...

... then glitter, rhinestones, jewels, and even more gold. These are Pretty Ponies! (Very popular, too. Everyone wanted to visit, and one employee wants to keep one in his office when the show is over.)

They currently make their home onstage, in the pretty-close-to-full-size carousel (it's one heck of an opening number) - the Carousel is now decked out with mirrors, flowers, drapery, more flowers, and actors dressed as French (fully clothed - and wigged) Cupids. The bows and arrows are a whole 'nother story.

This entire process actually started with four miniature horses that are now the pre-show set on stage, and under which the stage lifts to reveal the Carousel - TODAY, the boss decides that the "baby ponies" also need a carousel. This is what was finished five minutes before the house opened.

Damn, we're good.

Bonus: The Super-Sekrit Scarlet Pimpernel Escape Plan, currently living on the wall of the Hideaway! (When I say I am ALL OVER this set, I am very much not kidding.)

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People. Tonight I found out Zac Efron can act. Guh.

So In Love

I adored Joseph Gordon-Leavitt in "500 Days of Summer" (see it! You will be delighted!) and I'm giddy over him here. He can DANCE!!! (Okay, so it's dorky dancing, but still.... *sigh*)

Friends