ashley

Tiny Giraffes

2011-03-23T20:59:00.003-06:00

I love these commercials... I wish there was such a thing as tiny giraffes! How awesome would that be? AND a mini treadmill?!

I guess my new thing is babbling.

2010-11-16T21:26:00.004-07:00

I started the new job today.. It was interesting and boring at the same time. Typical first day. :)

I made some delicious spaghetti and garlic bread.. I must say I love cooking lately. I need to do it more. I loved doing it while I was living out of my parents house.. I've made some good breakfast food as of late. I used to be really bad at breakfast food.. but I'm going pro. Ha. I'd like to take some cooking classes. There's a lot of recipes I want to try to make.. Now to the grocery store..

I had a fun night tonight with my mom. We went shopping to buy Rihanna's new album and bought some other stuff of course.. I'm really enjoying her new music. I also got Nelly's new album. Its great too because I didn't have to pay anything since I had a Target gift card. :) My mom bought some other stuff, mostly for Thanksgiving. I can't believe its going to be here already next week! Its crazy how fast time goes during the Holidays. We also went to Harmon's and the deli dude.. He started talking and I was not expecting that English accent to come outta his mouth. lol.

Lakers won. Again. That makes them 9-2. This makes me happy.

I sketched last night.. Well.. More like colored my sketchbook with abstract pastels. I forgot how relaxing it is for me to just lose my mind in the movement of my hands. Even if the end result isn't amazing, it does its job.

My Dad's second cousin died yesterday of a heart attack. She was younger than my Dad.. This scares me. And now I'm going to be depressing and say it feels like death season correlates with the Holiday season. :( RIP Stephanie.

I want to thank Lindsay and Sarah for responding to my religious post and for Lindsay's message on Facebook that had even more information in it.

OH, and I bought my Linkin Park tickets yesterday.. PreSale! I'm so excited.. February 25th. I haven't seen them in six long years because I missed them in '08. So I'm ecstatic about it.

I also saw these Bob Marley glasses at Target that I want...

I'll leave you with some Rihanna Complicated lyrics off her new Loud album..

Why is everything, with you so complicated?
Why do you make it hard to love you-
Why I hate it?
Cause if you really wanna be alone, I
Would throw my hands up cause baby I tried
But everything with you is so complicated,
Oh, why (Oh why)?

Naiveté...?

2010-11-15T09:00:00.002-07:00

**First off, I don't mean any offense to anyone. I'm just curious and my mind thinks of these things.

Maybe I'm just incredibly naive and a wishful thinker.. but I really don't see how God can judge people so harshly..

THE DOCTRINE AND COVENANTS OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS, SECTION 76

(Concerning Outer Darkness)

32 They are they who are the ^asons of ^bperdition, of whom I say that it had been better for them never to have been born;

33 For they are ^avessels of wrath, doomed to suffer the wrath of God, with the devil and his angels in eternity;

34 Concerning whom I have said there is ^ano ^bforgiveness in this world nor in the world to come—
35 Having denied the Holy Spirit after having received it, and having denied the Only Begotten Son of the Father, having crucified him unto themselves and put him to an open shame.
36 These are they who shall go away into the lake of fire and brimstone, with the devil and his angels-

Can someone explain this to me? Do we really believe this? I don't. So, people who don't accept Jesus as their Savior, will suffer in Hell for their sins for 1,000 years during the millennial reign of Christ? Really? That seems like a really long time. And after, they will be resurrected and receive an immortal physical body and go to the Telestial Kingdom? Interesting.. My question is, can we mingle with the other people in all three kingdoms? Are we allowed to see those people? I've asked a missionary this before, and was asked "Why would you want to? There's a reason why there are three different kingdoms." OH. Yeah, okay.. Your thoughts?

"If you judge people, you have no time to love them." - Mother Teresa of Calcutta

"Judgements prevent us from seeing the good that lies beyond appearances." - Wayne Dyer

"We can never judge the lives of others, because each person knows only their own pain and renunciation. It's one thing to feel that you are on the right path, but it's another to think that your's is the only path." - Paulo Coelho

"The tendency to turn human judgments into divine commands makes religion one of the most dangerous forces in the world." - Georgia Harkness

Shoutout

2010-11-12T09:00:00.000-07:00

To my friend, Cheri. SHOUTOUT! :)

At the 30 Seconds to Mars Concert, September 2010

You're awesome. You listen to my bullshit everyday and tell me off when I need to be told off. Thanks muchly. :D

"What am I, chopped liver?" - Cheri Robinson

Knockout

2010-11-10T13:53:00.002-07:00

So.. I got a new permanent job. I start next week. I'm happy about it. I'm thinking about getting a second job but I can't decide if I should or not. It would be nice to have the extra money with the Holidays coming up and everything. But then, the Holidays are coming up. So do I want one right now? I don't know..

I found this video last night.. I've never seen it before. I like it. It makes me laugh.

Yay for Lil Wayne getting out of jail.. now only if T.I. could stay out of jail for once..

"Hiphop ain’t dead it just had a heart attack." - Weezy

Banter

2010-11-08T23:19:00.003-07:00

I've been told that I need to blog again.. I don't see the appeal anymore. I don't have much to say. When I do, I tweet about it, for the most part. I'm really not one of those people that lays everything out on the table for everyone to read. I'm a private person when it comes to the drama. Usually.

I'll give a short update..

I'm still living at home. I can't wait to get a permanent job that pays well so I can finally move out on my own again. It gives me such freedom. I am thankful I have my parents I can stay with and have a roof over my head, I am. I just love living on my own, I feel more like an adult that way I guess. I've been having interviews (while working a temp job) but no bites yet. I'm still going to school.. I've been looking at transferring though.. I don't know what I want to do. I'm always changing my mind and that's why its taking me so long to graduate or get anywhere. I was working towards a degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography aka Ultrasound Technician.. but now I'm leaning towards Surgical Tech.. I think it'd be cooler.

I've been going to free movie screenings. That's really been fun. I love free stuff AND movies. Conviction starring Hilary Swank was pretty good. I liked it. Tonight I saw Morning Glory starring Rachel McAdams. It was a cheesy chick flick, not my cup o' tea. But it wasn't bad. Next week I get to see 127 hours starring James Franco. I'm excited about it.

There's still a lot of family drama surrounding my Grandma and her situation.. We're trying to get her into an assisted living facility. For those of you who need a reminder, she was given the wrong pills in her previous nursing home and almost died. We're working on a lawsuit and she's in a different nursing home currently. The family drama is really taking a toll on me. I wish I could fix it with the snap of my fingers. I wish it would go back to the way it was, actually better. The Holidays are coming up and its not going to be the same. It makes me sad.

I've made some new friends and reconnected with old friends and its been really good to me. Its helped me out a lot. I've been going out to new restaurants with them to try new things. We went to the Greenhouse Effect in SLC and they have delicious crepes but not so good coffee. Their service also sucks. We also went to Himalayan Kitchen downtown SLC and it was the best Indian food I've ever had. I need to go back there already. Its delectable.

I've been to a lot of concerts this year.. And I'm not finished yet.. I've lost count. Oh, and sports. Lakers are 7-0, still undefeated! 3 Peat. Raiders are doing better than they have in a long time. I'm proud of my Raiders license plate. haha.

I guess that's it for now. I don't know when I'll blog again. If ever. Follow me on twitter or facebook. :)

"A real friend is one who walks in when others walk out."

happy birthday to me!

2010-07-08T09:00:00.000-06:00

That's right! Its my birthday! I am 22 years old.. crazy!

“Last week the candle factory burned down. Everyone just stood around and sang Happy Birthday.” - Stephen Wright

happy birthday jacob!

2010-07-06T09:00:00.003-06:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JACOB!! Its his 3rd birthday today..

He's my cousin's little boy. Awe. He's so cute!

"Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional." - Chili Davis

happy birthday grandpa boyd

2010-07-05T09:00:00.001-06:00

My Grandma Jean and Grandpa Boyd

My Grandpa Boyd would be 79 years old today! He was amazing. I was only 7 years old when he died. But I remember he loved to joke around. He would always be playing with us kids and he'd always be the adult that would volunteer to go out and watch all us cousins jump on their trampoline in the backyard. He also taught me how to shuffle cards.. the easy way. I thought I was so cool cos I shuffled like Grandpa. I also remember gathering up paper to put in the fireplace and he'd build a fire for us. He loved to eat vanilla ice cream late at night too!

One of my favorite pictures ever, Grandpa Boyd as a cowboy

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA!! :)

"No cowboy was ever faster on the draw than a granddad pulling a baby picture out of a wallet." - Author Unknown

"Freedom is nothing else but a chance to be better." - Albert Camus

2010-07-04T09:00:00.000-06:00

Happy 4th of July!!!

Too bad I have to work.... at least we are having a potluck.. and maybe we'll do some sparklers or something!

"Democracy is the government of the people, by the people, for the people." - Abraham Lincoln

"Liberty is the right to choose. Freedom is the result of the right choice." - Author Unknown

birthday wish list

2010-07-03T09:00:00.002-06:00

My birthday is in just 5 days. Its Thursday, July 8. It has arrived so fast this year. I don't really want much. I have a list of things I'd like to acquire over the years to come but I don't necessarily HAVE to have them or anything. I guess I'm getting old.

So here's the list..

Tattoo
Horseback Riding
Royal Bliss CD (local)
New Tragedy CD (local)
Broke City CD (local)
Michael Jackson's This is It DVD
Dear John DVD
Supernatural Seasons (I have the 3rd)
Coupling Seasons (I have the 1st and 2nd)
Eminem's new album: Recovery
The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe by Randy Taraborrelli
East of Eden by John Steinbeck paperback October 1992 edition
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck paperback February 1994 edition
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee paperback November 1988 edition
Betrayed by P.C. Cast
Chosen by P.C. Cast
Intermission DVD
A Thing Called Love DVD

Yes, mom. I want a tattoo. :) Don't kill me.

I'd also love to have a marble bundt cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes.. YUM! or even just a marble bundtlet.. I love it.

Don't forget to donate to WWF on the right side of my page!! Click on the gorillas. :)

"All the world is birthday cake, so take a piece, but not too much." - George Harrison of the Beatles

live and local

2010-07-02T09:00:00.000-06:00

About six years ago, I would always listen to X96 Live & Local in my car when I was working for Marriott. I never blogged about some of my favorite bands that I heard.. So I thought I would because I have a love for them once again.

Broke City formerly named Broken from Salt Lake City, Utah
New Tragedy from Vernal, Utah
Royal Bliss from Salt Lake City, Utah
The Trademark from Pleasant Grove, Utah
Neon Trees from Provo, Utah - they put on an AMAZING show

Go check out their music! NOW!

Royal Bliss By & By lyrics

"If you wanna fly, then I'll meet you there.." - Royal Bliss, By and By

a birthday wish..

2010-07-01T12:51:00.004-06:00

So facebook suggested I donate my birthday to a worthy cause. So I am! Of course I'd love presents for my birthday. BUT I decided to set up a Birthday Wish page on Facebook for my friends to donate to World Wildlife Fund so if you'd like to help out (PLEASE DO!) you can click here to donate whatever you can.

I thank you in advance!!! My birthday is on July 8 so there's only 7 days to donate! I'll also post the link on my sidebar. :)

"Look deep into nature, and then you will have a better understanding of everything." - Albert Einstein

purple and gold

2010-07-01T09:00:00.003-06:00

Lakers won the Championship!!! Yeah.. I'm a little late, I realize that. That seventh game was freaking amazing. I love it. I knew they'd win. I can't decide what jersey to get though.... I've been debating for about a year now.. Kobe.. or Fisher.. hmmm..

and I thought it was hilarious that Ron Artest thanked his psych. LOVE it. :)

Q. You’ve been involved in one of Phil Jackson’s threepeats. What are you going to say to him to convince him to come back?

KOBE BRYANT: He knows how bad I want him back. I’ve told him that. I’ve been openly blunt about that. Let’s go for it again.

i love you grandma jeaner

2010-06-29T13:32:00.008-06:00

So I went on hiatus again.. Not really on purpose..

My Grandma had a big scare two Saturdays ago.. Her nursing home gave her the wrong pills. They gave her 250 mg of extended release morphine tablets - that's a HUGE dose and she's not even taking those. They also gave her two different kinds of anti seizure drugs and she doesn't have seizures. These pills were supposed to go to another lady with the same name. My Grandma was wondering where her pills were because the nursing home hadn't given them to her yet so she went and asked. Then, the stupid nurse gave her the wrong pills. So frustrating!

She was on an antinarc drip and on oxygen for a few days. She was really out of it. Now, she's doing so much better. She was released and now she's rehabilitating at this other care center that seems really great. Its super clean and she has her own room. Hopefully after she's all better and back to herself, she can come home and live with us (my family) or assisted living. She's not bad enough to be in a nursing home right now. She has Parkinson's but she's doing really great. I love that lady so much.

My Grandma at The Old Spaghetti Factory for her birthday 2010

Here are a few more blogs about her.. One and Two and Three and Four and here are some from my sister's blog.

I have a few blogs set up for this week. But I think my blogging will be less than it was before. Just because its not as fun as it was before. Peace.

"Grandma serves kisses, counsel and cookies daily." - Author Unknown

music, futbol, work, car, fast cars, spider bites, lakers, and cats

2010-06-14T00:01:00.004-06:00

I have been M.I.A. the past week. My apologies. I've been bored with blogging and really just didn't want to do it. Last Wednesday, me, Nic, and Tim (my sister and brother) went to the Real Salt Lake (soccer/futbol) game. After, David Cook performed. I love that man. I saw him about 7 months ago in Idaho in a little high school auditorium and loved it. He is amazing. It was a lot of fun. I'll post pictures soon, hopefully.

I love my job. I really do. When there's work of course, mostly.. I love the people there. It sucks that I'll probably never see most of those people again after August. I love doing the quality work, its so much better than being on the phones talking to the irate customers. My boss is pretty awesome too. Oh, the census is still hiring by the way. If anyone is interested. I love the downtime though too.. when there's work - it goes by a lot faster. But when there's not, we have a great time bullshitting. I love it. I'm beginning to look for another job though since this is over in a few months. I think I'll apply at Overstock.com because they are hiring for Quality Assurance people... but Convergys, I hear, will be having two projects in August... so who knows. I would just rather not go back to Macy's.. I'm sick of retail. But I'll go back if I have to..

Two Fridays ago, my car started acting up really bad. The clutch was going out. On Monday, I was taking it to the shop to get it looked at. My car decided it was only going to go less than 5 mph. So with only 2.4 miles left to go, it had to be towed. A few days later, a new clutch was put in. Now she drives amazing. Just like new... almost. Only $840 later.. haha. I'm just so thankful that I have this job with the census where I'm getting paid really well that I actually had the money to fix my car. Cos, I freakin' need my vehicle.

I have some new favorites now.. My favorite car used to be a Ferrari 360 Modena.. Now its a Ferrari F430 Black Miracle.. Its beautiful. I'm also quite fond of the new Dodge Challenger RT - I customized one online and it ended up being $37,500.. not bad.. hahaha. Right.

Ferrari 360 Modena

Dodge Challenger RT

Dodge Challenger RT

Ferrari F430 Black Miracle

I woke up today with two spider bites on my back.. Gross! I've never had a spider bite ever before. They itch. I do not enjoy it.

One of my cats, Simba, was beginning to show cold symptoms a few weeks ago so we took her to the vet. She had to get a shot. :( And she's been having to take medicine until it is gone, and she doesn't like it one bit. She growled a few times. haha. But she's getting better so I'm really glad! :)

OH. And I'm incredibly upset Boston won tonight and they are up by one.. UGH! Come on Lakers!!!!!

I think that's enough updating and babble right now. I'll try to blog more. I am just really tired of it. Its getting sort of monotonous and I'm not sure I really want to do favorite movie mondays or wondrous art wednesdays anymore. Let me know your opinion. If anyone really reads this anymore.

“The truth is you don't know what is going to happen tomorrow. Life is a crazy ride, and nothing is guaranteed.” - Eminem

dandelion fluff

2010-06-04T09:00:00.002-06:00

The Dandelion.. It is french "dent de lion" and it means "lion's tooth". There are so many different names for it in different languages and they all mean different things. Its pretty cool.. The other day I was outside jumping on the trampoline. I got off and decided I wanted to go back in time to my childhood when I saw a dandelion fluff.. Who hasn't picked one of these and blown the seeds all over to make a wish? If you're one of those few who haven't, I insist you do! You are missing out. Or at least kick it to spread the seeds and make a wish like most boys do.

There's even a facebook group for it -- Making a Wish on a Dandelion Seed.

Or you can buy a t-shirt with that design on it here. How cool is that? There are also magnets.

So make a wish! :)

Will to Live

I think of all things that show a zest
For life, the dandelion beats the rest.
The little winged seeds from its white fluff ball
Settle and grow with no urging at all.
Settle in most unlikely places
And soon there's a crop of dandelion faces.

They are man's worst pest, but a child's playthings.
Sometimes I wish I had light down wings
Like a dandelion seed, and could settle at will
On a velvety lawn or a sun-spread hill,
And live with the eagerness and zest
Of the wanton little dandelion pest.

- MARY TRIPLETT

THE DANDELION CLOCK

I picked a dandelion clock
And I held it near my nose
I blew the pretty fluff away
And counted up my blows

"It's one o'clock, it's two o'clock
I gave a great big puff -
"It's three o'clock, it's four o'clock"
Away went all the fluff

My dandelion clock was right
For mother called to me
"Come in and wash your grubby hands
It's nearly time for tea"

- Ivy Russell

discussion of dem religion

2010-06-03T01:19:00.005-06:00

Yeah.. no art on wednesday.. My apologies.. I just get so bored with doing the same thing and blogging in itself. I'm not even sure if many people read this. I feel like a lot of people don't.. Just some family members and a few friends. (Oh.. Lakers gonna WIN tonight!!!!)

I'm loving my new job with the Census as a Service Quality Assurance Monitor. I don't necessarily love the job itself - but when there is work, it goes by super fast. But I love the people I work with. We have so much fun. Too bad its only a temporary job until the middle of August and I'll probably never see those people again.

Some of my new friends and I were in a deep discussion about all things religion.. Mostly the LDS - Mormon religion which I am a part of.. sort of. If you can call it that. The thing is, I was baptized in the church so I am technically a member. I'm not active, meaning I don't ever go to church hardly ever. Maybe once in a blue moon and most likely because my brother will be talking in church. Or something. I'm not active because of many reasons..

I thought maybe if anyone does read this.. I could get some of your views on it. LDS members and non-members. I welcome all opinions. I was never hugely active in the church.. I guess I was the most active when I was in Young Women's when I was a teenager.. mostly because my friends were. I hardly ever went to actual class on Sundays, but I did go to the activities during the week. And I went to camp. It was fun. It really was. There was a point where I believed in all of it. I believed in it without even delving into the scriptures as much as I should have. I just believed it I think because I was a part of it and wanted to be included. If that makes sense..

SO. First discussion.. who knows if there will be any more after this..

But what is everyone's view on drinking (alcohol, coffee, and tea), drugs, tattoos, and sex before marriage? Are people going to Hell for it? What's your view?

"Religion? This is not religion, this is life." - Bob Marley

happy birthday norma jeane!

2010-06-01T12:11:00.003-06:00

For those of you who don't know who Norma Jeane is.. well shame on you! haha. She's better known as Marilyn Monroe. Her given name was Norma Jeane Mortenson and then it was changed to Norma Jeane Baker (after her mother's last name). She had a crazy life. I love her biography -- its called My Story by Marilyn Monroe. It takes excerpts from her actual journal. Its really cool. Today, is her birthday. She would be 84 years old! You can learn more about her from her website.

I've done a few posts that include something about Marilyn Monroe, here they are if you'd like to read them.

To a reporter: "Please don't make me a joke." - Marilyn Monroe

--One of my favorite quotes and its really just heart breaking that she has to plead for that.

"There was my name up in lights. I said, 'God, somebody's made a mistake.' But there it was, in lights. And I sat there and said, 'Remember, you're not a star.' Yet there it was up in lights." - Marilyn Monroe

favorite movie monday

2010-05-31T12:57:00.002-06:00

Aladdin starring Robin Williams

I used to watch this all the time! I have all of the movies on VHS and the first one on DVD. I liked all three of them in the series.

Aladdin: Wish fulfillment?
Genie: Three wishes, to be exact. And ixnay on the wishing for more wishes. That's all. Three. Uno, dos, tres. No substitutions, exchanges or refunds.

"jody doesn't like george...."

2010-05-27T09:00:00.000-06:00

Amityville Horror film (1979)

Oh.. I remember the first time I saw the (original) Amityville Horror movie. It was scary! I love it though. James Brolin was awesome in it. Now, the legendary house is up for sale once again and going for $1.15 million dollars! There's been a lot of renovating done to it though so it doesn't completely look the same. Here is the classified listing for the house.

Very eerie part from the film

Here's what it looks like now

Sgt. Gionfriddo: Maybe I am just chasing shadows.

wondrous art wednesday

2010-05-26T09:00:00.001-06:00

Nefertiti.. of course! I saw her in Berlin 2 years ago! She was in this beautiful room with her own massive glass case around her. She was amazing.

She was Queen Nefertiti. Married to crazy but brilliant Pharaoh Akhenaten (Amenhotep IV). Look at the details of her necklace, of her crown, look how prominent she looks with the way she holds her head up. I LOVE Ancient Egyptian history. love. love. loooove.

"I will reveal the secrets behind these doors." - Zahi Hawass, Egyptologist

"It makes the heart to tremble when you open an undiscovered tomb." - Zahi Hawass, Egyptologist

favorite movie monday

2010-05-24T12:31:00.002-06:00

I missed it yesterday.. I ran out of time! So here's to a favorite movie monday on a tuesday. :)

The Fox and the Hound starring Mickey Rooney and Kurt Russell

I freakin' love this movie. Its a sad one. But its a classic Disney movie. I had it on VHS and I remember one day I wanted to watch it.. and it had been RECORDED OVER!! I was really, really upset. My mom had recorded some "dumb" show on it. Of course I don't remember what show was recorded over it, but I was devastated. haha. I was probably 7 or something.

Young Tod: Copper, you're my best friend.
Young Copper: And you're mine too, Tod.
Young Tod: And we'll always be friends forever. Won't we?
Young Copper: Yeah, forever.

get well bret michaels

2010-05-20T17:53:00.002-06:00

I love Bret Michaels.. I watched him on Oprah yesterday. Now he's back in some trouble with a stroke and a hole in his heart. But he's up walking and talking. He just can't catch a break. :( Read the story here.

GET WELL Bret!!!!!!

“I’m just appreciative to be here...and thank the good Lord or guardian angel or whoever’s watching over me that it didn’t take me out.” - Bret Michaels on Oprah

my love for jared effing leto

2010-05-20T09:00:00.002-06:00

I had sooo much fun at the concert two Saturdays ago! 30STM was amazing! I love Jared Leto. He was so entertaining. He performs so well, I love how he dances, and what I love is that he makes jokes. He took song requests. He was a little sick but if he hadn't told you, you would hardly notice. I'm definitely going to another one of their concerts in the future. He completely involved everyone. I loved him and his pomegranate mohawk with blonde roots.

There was a contest for high schools to open for them. So there were 3 high school bands that performed one or two songs. They were okay. And then it was on to the highly energetic Neon Trees. They were pretty amazing. They're from Provo and I loved the lead singer's energy. He was hilarious. Then, it was Mute Math, which I didn't enjoy much. They bored me. They didn't involve the audience at all. Here are some photos from the concert, there's also some from the previous concert I went to (Cavo, Lifehouse, and Daughtry):

I also took some incredible videos. There are 7 of them.. Some from Daughtry.

And last but definitely not least, performing my FAVORITE song off their new album, This is War, called Hurricane.

"Let's get dark and sexy." - Jared Leto

wondrous art wednesdasy

2010-05-19T09:00:00.000-06:00

Ooh, the Romans.. This is Augustus of Prima Porta, Italy. Its a copy of a bronze original, its made of marble and dates clear back to 20 BC! Its in the Vatican Museum.. I wanna go see it!

Augustus Prima Porta

This beautiful man is 6 foot 8 inches tall. He's got Cupid by his side, and people thought Augustus was a God himself. It was sculpted to "commemorate Augustus's diplomatic victory over the Parthians in 20 BC, which meant the return of the military standards which had been captured from the Roman general Crassus in 53 BC." (Hubpages) I love this sculpture because it has so much detailing, especially in his outfit and hair. I love it. There's a copy at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.

"Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures." - Henry Ward Beecher

favorite movie monday

2010-05-17T09:00:00.001-06:00

Now and Then starring Christina Ricci, Demi Moore, Rosie O'Donnell, Thora Birch, Melanie Griffith, Gaby Hoffman, Rita Wilson, Ashley Aston-Moore, Devon Sawa and many more..

Oh.. Now and Then. A movie from my childhood. I LOVE this movie! Roberta was always my favorite - played by Christina Ricci. Sadly enough, I don't own this movie. :(

"In every woman there is the girl she left behind." - Now and Then Tagline

And GO Lakers tonight!!!!! :)

wondrous art wednesday

2010-05-13T13:45:00.004-06:00

A day late, yes. But worth the wait? Absolutely. I love, love, love this sculpture. Its sooo awesome. And while I was in my AP Art History class learning about it, I was listening to one of my new CDs as well (in my car of course).. And every time this song came on, it made me think of this sculpture.

Head of a Roman Patrician (aristocrat)

I love this because the sculptor made note of each intricate detail, each rise and fall, bulge, and fold. It looks so realistic, its amazing. The song that makes me think of this art, every time? From Yesterday by 30 Seconds to Mars. The video is great too. :) The bust is made of marble and its definitely one of my favorite works of art. It dates 75-50 BC.

He's a stranger to some and a vision to none
He can never get enough, get enough of the one
For a fortune, he'd quit but it's hard to admit
How it ends and begins on his face is a map of the world
A map of the world, on his face is a map of the world
A map of the world

- From Yesterday lyrics, 30 Seconds to Mars

may 9 2010

2010-05-11T09:00:00.000-06:00

Sunday, all the family got together for Mother's Day. It was fun. It was also my Mom's birthday. My Uncle Brent is in town from Alaska, so its awesome having him here. :) Here are some photos from Sunday. Enjoy!

"To the lover of wilderness, Alaska is one of the most wonderful countries in the world." - John Muir

favorite movie monday

2010-05-10T13:21:00.003-06:00

Pretty Woman starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere

A classic. Its so 90s. I love it. Julia Roberts and Richard Gere are beyond fantastic in it. I don't know who hasn't seen this... Or at least knows of it. I love her laugh and that he doesn't know how to drive a stick. Haha.

Edward Lewis: I told you not to pick up the phone.
Vivian: Then stop calling me.

Oh, and Phoenix swept the Spurs last night! That was awesome. I'm hoping the Lakers can do the same tonight with the Jazz!! :)

"Sleeping is no mean art: for its sake one must stay awake all day." - Friedrich Nietzsche

2010-05-07T17:25:00.004-06:00

No fill in the blank friday today. I'm not sure if I want to do it anymore. I'm getting a bit bored with it. Tomorrow is my last day of Census training. YAY!! M-Th, I had a much more fun class. Today, and tomorrow, its very boring. Its all so serious and sleepy. Not a lot of pep. Plus, it doesn't help that I got home last night from training around 11 PM and had to be there at 7 AM this morning for more training. Well.. I didn't get to sleep very fast, and didn't sleep very well. So my eyes sting.. and what am I doing? Blogging. haha. Smart.

Lakers play tomorrow night! Wooo! AND I get to go see 30 Seconds to Mars!!!! I AM EXCITED!! :) PLUS, my Uncle Brent from Alaska, is coming to visit.

"The playoffs are the playoffs. You just play who is put in front of you." - Steve Nash

attitude and gratitude award

2010-05-06T11:31:00.003-06:00

I got an award today from no one other than Nicole, at Laugh Outloud. Thank you very, very much!

And now I have the pleasure of passing it on to some really awesome people! So here we go!

Congratulations!!

You received the Sisterhood Award, now what? Here's what you do:

1. Put the logo on your blog or post

2. Nominate up to 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!

3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

CONGRATS!!

"The test of any man's character is how he takes his praise." - Anonymous

speedy gonzalez and sylvester

2010-05-06T09:00:00.000-06:00

Its time for a cartoon! :) I got this from my friend Mari, on facebook. I absolutely love it! Its about Immigration...

I laughed at the el gringo pussycat! Don't you love it?

"98% of the people who get the magazine say they read the cartoons first - and the other 2% are lying." - David Remnick

wondrous art wednesday

2010-05-05T09:00:00.000-06:00

I thought I'd pick this painting since it was the third of may just a couple days ago.

The Third of May by Francisco de Goya

Goya makes some incredible works of art. Some disturbing yes, like Saturn Eating His Children (below). But some amazing ones as well like The Third of May. This painting commemorates the Spanish resistance to the great Napoleon and his armies during the occupation of 1808.

Saturn Eating His Children by Francisco de Goya

"The dream of reason, produces monsters." - Francisco de Goya

battle in the west

2010-05-04T13:36:00.001-06:00

GOOOOOOO LAKERS!!!! :)

favorite movie monday

2010-05-03T10:43:00.003-06:00

Iron Man starring Robert Downey, Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrence Howard, and Jeff Bridges

I love this movie. I love the comedy of it with Robert Downey, Jr. I can't wait to see Iron Man 2 that comes out this Friday!!! Who's going to see it??

Tony Stark: [to Jimmy, who's raising his hand] You're kidding me with the hand up, right?
Jimmy: Is it cool if I take a picture with you?
Tony Stark: Yes, it's very cool.
[Jimmy hands Pratt his camera and poses with a peace sign]
Tony Stark: I don't want to see this on your myspace page. Please no gang signs.
[Jimmy lowers hand]
Tony Stark: No, throw it up. I'm kidding. Yeah, peace. I love peace. I'd be out of a job for peace.

i knew i had to knock it down

2010-05-02T13:37:00.003-06:00

That's right. Its the playoffs. I haven't done a playoff post yet, so here I go. Lakers beat Ok City in the first round with Pau's game winning rebound and bucket. Now they face off the Jazz. Yeah, I'm from Utah, in Utah, used to love the Jazz in the mid 90s when they faced the Bulls and MJ. But I secretly loved MJ, Rodman, and Pippen. What can I say? haha. Well, since 2000, I've absolutely loved the Lakers. So they're going to beat them Jazz.

Really, what's not to love?

Oh, Jack. Mr. Nicholson. So loyal.

Lamar and Phil. Such a funny picture!

Let's get some more rings!

WHERE AMAZING HAPPENS. :)

“What I'm doing right now, I'm chasing perfection.” - Kobe Bryant

fill in the blank friday and my two hundredth!

2010-04-30T09:00:00.001-06:00

Can you believe this will be my 200th blog post? I think its quite an achievement. Here's to many more! Don't you love this picture? haha.

Onto fill in the blank friday from the little things we do! :)

1. My absolute favorite movie of all time is That’s so hard! I’ll pick my top 4, how’s that? How to Marry a Millionaire, East of Eden, American Outlaws, and The Lion King.

2. My favorite movie as a child was All the Disney movies, but especially Lion King. I still love that show. Its so real. Disney actually knows dying is a part of life. I hate when Mufasa dies though.

3. The best movie quote ever is there’s way too many! But I do love a Johnny Depp quote from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory:

Willy Wonka: Do you like my meadow? Try some of my grass! Please have a blade, please do, it's so delectable and so darn good looking!
Charlie Bucket: You can eat the grass?
Willy Wonka: Of course you can! Everything in this room is eatable, even *I'm* eatable! But that is called "cannibalism," my dear children, and is in fact frowned upon in most societies.

4. My favorite actress is Marilyn Monroe by far! My favorite actor is I’ve got two. James Dean of course, and the amazing Johnny Depp.

5. The movie I could watch over and over is Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl

6. My favorite movie genre is action, definitely. I love movies! But action first, then some drama, and it has to have some comedy in it. But I love scary movies too!

7. A movie I'd like to watch this weekend is Iron Man 2. It comes out next Friday and I really want to go see it. Yeah, so what if I’m a comic book movie loving girl? I know I can't watchit this weekend.. but I could next! :) haha

"Me? I'm dishonest, and a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly... stupid." - Captain Jack Sparrow

out with the old and in with the new

2010-04-29T15:17:00.005-06:00

So. I have orientation tonight for my new job with the census. Wooohoo. I'm excited. I start Monday! And my last day at Macy's is this Saturday. Only one more day of working there! I just hope I can find something else by August, because that's when the census ends. I'm also excited that I don't have to wear 90% black all of the time now. I can actually wear some jeans! And COLOR!!

Tonight is Thursday. Thursday is pretty much my favorite day of the week. Why? One word. Supernatural. I absolutely love that TV show, there's only 3 episodes left this season. Which is saddening. And of course, Grey's Anatomy and Project Runway. Grey's is finally new tonight. Project Runway got over last week. :( BUT the designer I wanted to win, won! Seth Aaron! Yay! :)

I babysat adorable Sam this morning. He was so cute. He loves to make all these weird faces and noises and he laughs at himself. Today, I sat him on my lap and made him go upside down and tickled him. He absolutely loved it! He made me laugh. Charlie went to pre-school, but before that, he showed me his awesome new sword. Then, his mom got home and she was crying. I felt really horrible for her. I just found out she was 8 weeks pregnant and when she went to the Doctor's this morning, they couldn't find a heartbeat. :( So she'll have a miscarriage, which totally sucks. I feel so bad for her. She's such an awesome lady. When I got in my car to drive home, my 30STM CD was playing song #10, Alibi. And it just fit when he sang "I fell apart" I love how his voice reveals so much emotion when he sings. The last minute or so is when it is the best, so listen to all of it. :) Here is a video with the song and lyrics:

I apologize that I started this post with such excitement and ended on such a low note. Its snowing here in Utah. And I'm hating it. I wish it would just be Spring already, and stay Spring.

"In the spring I have counted one hundred and thirty-six different kinds of weather inside of four and twenty hours." - Mark Twain

wondrous art wednesday

2010-04-28T09:00:00.000-06:00

The Thinker by Auguste Rodin, 1902

There are over 20 castings of this sculpture. They are all over the world. Rodin is awesome! He's pretty much the best sculptor since Michelangelo! I love his work. His, The Thinker, is what he is best known for. Its a classic. I love it.

"The artist must create a spark before he can make a fire and before art is born, the artist must be ready to be consumed by the fire of his own creation." - Auguste Rodin

bounce bounce

2010-04-27T17:36:00.005-06:00

Here is a slideshow of some Spring fun on the tramp! Woohoo. Yes, some pictures look so weird.. My apologies. :)

"Life is a cement trampoline." - Howard Nordberg

favorite movie monday

2010-04-26T09:00:00.000-06:00

Law Abiding Citizen starring Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler, and Leslie Bibb

This movie really makes you think about our judicial system. It reveals the loopholes in our system and what makes it not work so well. Butler is amazing at playing a creepy guy that has been devasted by his family being murdered and is driven to get revenge on the men who did it. He is so focused on fixing the system that failed him so many years ago.

"Well, how carefully should I tread? Because apparently I just killed two people, and you were about to let me walk right out that door! How MISGUIDED are you? I feed you a couple of bullshit legal precedents, and there you go - you jump on it like a bitch in heat. Folks, you all hang out..." - Clyde Shelton speaking to his judge, played by Gerard Butler

"Donald Trump, I'm not afraid of you." - Maria Kanellis

2010-04-25T09:00:00.004-06:00

Celebrity Apprentice. I love this show. I think this season has some pretty cool people on it. My favorites are:

Bret Michaels

He's from the band, Poison, if you didn't know. He's so funny. He's creative, he's pretty much the only guy that has a ton of creativity on his team. He won the very first challenge when he was Project Manager - that's got to say something. And I love that he cares so much about his kids and that he cries sometimes. He just had an emergency appendectomy and a brain hemorrhage. He is in critical condition. :( GET WELL BRET!!!

Sharon Osbourne

It sucks she's been sick the past few weeks (swine flu). I hope she feels better. I love her accent and her attitude. She's smart, funny, and witty. She'll definitely go far in the competition. Who doesn't love her?

Those are my two favorites. I do like Curtis Stone, the chef. I mostly just adore his accent. But he's smart too and has some good ideas. I didn't like most of the guys. I also like Maria Kanellis, the former WWE Diva - she's a badass. I love that about her and that she gets upset when people (Cyndi Lauper) treat her like a child. I hate that about people. But without Cyndi, the show wouldn't be as funny. She's nuts, that woman (Cyndi).

Its on tonight and they're switching up the teams! So its Cyndi Lauper, Holly Robinson Peete, and Summer Sanders on Tenacity. Its Bret Michaels, Curtis Stone, Sharon Osbourne, and Maria Kanellis on RockSolid. I definitely think RockSolid has a huge advantage. But then again, they have to make a workout challenge - Summer may be good at that. We will see.. Go RockSolid!

"I don't play well with other women, and I can be the nastiest bitch in the world." - Sharon Osbourne

"If you're going to freak out, have a rock star freak out." - Bret Michaels

fill in the blank friday

2010-04-23T14:11:00.007-06:00

First off, the concert last night was freakin' amazing!!! Daughtry was awesome! I love, love, loved it! AND Lifehouse = beautiful awesomeness as well! I loved the end where Daughtry came back out to do an encore and he invited Jason Wade (lead singer of Lifehouse) on stage to sing with him the song, "Home". I absolutely loved that. I didn't know exactly who Cavo was, but I had heard of them. Well they were pretty cool! I do remember loving this song on the radio awhile back, they sang it last night, it just so happens its their single. haha. "Coulda been the champagne, the champagne. Coulda been the cocaine, the cocaine.." Yeah.. Definitely worth the money to see them last night. Plus, it was my little brother's first ever concert, that was a fun experience. :) Onto Fill in the Blank Friday from The Little Things We Do!

1. One song that always takes me back to my youth is Man.. "Our house in the middle of the street" or any Space Jam song. haha. Or Michael Jackson.

2. My first concert ever was 3 Doors Down with Seether and Shinedown. My sister took me when I was oh, 16, I think. It was so much fun! I loooooved it.

3. If I could create my dream music festival I'd want these bands to be there: Bob Marley, of course! Linkin Park, David Cook, Bon Jovi, Alicia Keys, U2, and more and more and more!!!

4. The best make-out/"boot knocking" song ever is hahaha. umm.. The only thing I can think of is "Let's Get it On" hahahaha.

5. The best concert I've ever been to was that's a hard one. I've been to quite a few amazing ones. I loved my first concert, 3 doors down. But I loved my second concert even more--Linkin Park with opening acts P.O.D., Hoobastank. And I really loved seeing David Cook. And of course U2 with Black Eyed Peas.. So hard to choose!

6. A memorable musical moment for me was When Hoobastank sang a cover of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun". That was HILARIOUS, he went so high. I laughed so hard!

7. The song on my iPod that's getting the most play these days is Don't have an iPod, sadly. But the CD I just had in my car was always on "Radiate" by Puddle of Mudd and "Lullaby" by Lit.. But now I have changed it to 30 seconds to mars to gear up for May 8th's concert! :)

"A painter paints pictures on canvas. But musicians paint their pictures on silence." ~Leopold Stokowski

earth day and good music

2010-04-22T11:47:00.006-06:00

Yes, on my previous post, I was a bit pissed! But this post is happier, don't worry, be happy now! :) Happy Earth Day!! Celebrate and give back! :) I love that Starbucks is having a conference to help them figure out a way to have all of their plastic and paper cups reusable and recyclable. Yay Starbucks! And BIG props to Sun Chips, have you seen that commercial? They've made their bags from plants so they are now compostable! How awesome is that!?!

I have an interview today at IHC, they changed it to today instead of yesterday. Wish me luck! Yesterday, I did a bunch of stuff for my new job with Convergys, I did fingerprints, and even a mugshot! That was weird.. Tonight, I get to go out and party with some awesome people! My sister, my brother, DAUGHTRY and LIFEHOUSE! I'm super ecstatic about it! I wonder if Daughtry will come out and sign autographs.. That'd be exciting! :)

Oh, Happy 2 year blogoversary to me! :) I can't believe I've blogged that long.. To many more!

"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children." - Native American Proverb

tick, tick, tick

2010-04-22T09:00:00.002-06:00

So I came across a blog the other day that really disturbed me. It disturbs me in the way of what goes through her mind. I can't believe there are people out there that think such strange, outlandish things! I went to high school with her and I don't remember ever really talking to her. BUT Facebook makes people do crazy things and she added me, and I politely accepted it. I just had to share because, frankly, I'm appalled. What makes me tick, is that she's wrong and doesn't know it. %@*&@$%*@%*!!! haha. Wow.

Lance and Kayla

I think what pisses me off the most is, she put a scripture in there that prophesies and she thinks its saying its about right now with Obama in office! Also, that she doesn't know the Utah Gun Laws.. look it up. You DO have the right to bear arms on your own property. And its regulated by each state, so its different. Its not controlled entirely by Obama, just some federal laws. And then, the abortion thing. MY HELL, seriously?? They made amendments to it.. And seriously who would not want to pay some money to help a mother at risk for her life, or a child that was raped? Some horrible person is who.

"When you're young you believe it when people tell you how good you are. And that's the danger, you inhale. Everyone will tell you you're a genius, which you are not, and if you understand that, you win." - George Clooney

wondrous art wednesday

2010-04-21T09:00:00.000-06:00

A Bar at the Folies-Bergère by Édouard Manet 1882

So awesome. Manet is pretty cool. I love how in this painting there is a mirror and you can see who the lady is waiting on and the people in the bar. I love the clothing. The painting is done so amazingly, all the light reflections. Love it.

"It is not enough to know your craft - you have to have feeling. Science is all very well, but for us imagination is worth far more." - Édouard Manet

110th day of the year is BIG

2010-04-20T09:00:00.000-06:00

To add to NaBloPoMo's blog theme this month of BIG.. I've decided to blog about BIG events that happened today in history. Its a very important day. There are so many things that happen every single day. I highlighted the ones that I thought were really interesting. What I always think of is, Hitler's birthday, and Columbine. Here they are:

1303 – The University of Rome La Sapienza is instituted by Pope Boniface VIII.
1453 – The last naval battle in Byzantine history occurs, as three Genoese galleys escorting a Byzantine transport fight their way through the huge Ottoman blockade fleet and into the Golden Horn.
1534 – Jacques Cartier begins the voyage during which he discovers Canada and Labrador.
1535 – The Sun Dog phenomenon observed over Stockholm and depicted in the famous painting "Vädersolstavlan"
1653 – Oliver Cromwell dissolves the Rump Parliament.
1657 – Admiral Robert Blake destroys a Spanish silver fleet under heavy fire at Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
1657 – Freedom of religion is granted to the Jews of New Amsterdam (later New York City).
1689 – The former King James II of England, now deposed, lays siege to Derry.
1775 – American Revolutionary War: the Siege of Boston begins, following the battles at Lexington and Concord.
1792 – France declares war on Austria, the beginning of French Revolutionary Wars.
1809 – Two Austrian army corps in Bavaria are defeated by a First French Empire army led by Napoleon I of France at the Battle of Abensberg on the second day of a four day campaign which ended in a French victory.
1810 – The Governor of Caracas declares independence from Spain.
1818 – The case of Ashford v Thornton was concluded, with Abraham Thornton allowed to go free rather than face a retrial for murder, after his demand for trial by battle was upheld.
1828 – René Caillié becomes the first non-Muslim to enter Timbouctou.
1836 – U.S. Congress passes an act creating the Wisconsin Territory.
1861 – American Civil War: Robert E. Lee resigns his commission in the United States Army in order to command the forces of the state of Virginia.
1862 – Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard complete the first pasteurization tests.
1871 – The Civil Rights Act of 1871 becomes law.
1884 – Pope Leo XIII publishes the encyclical Humanum Genus.
1902 – Pierre and Marie Curie refine radium chloride.
1908 – Opening day of competition of the New South Wales Rugby League.
1912 – Opening day for baseball stadiums Tiger Stadium in Detroit, Michigan, and Fenway Park in Boston, Massachusetts.
1914 – Forty-five men, women, and children die in the Ludlow Massacre during a Colorado coal-miner's strike.
1916 – The Chicago Cubs play their first game at Weeghman Park (currently Wrigley Field), defeating the Cincinnati Reds 7-6 in 11 innings
1918 – Manfred von Richthofen, aka The Red Baron, shoots down his 79th and 80th victims marking his final victories before his death the following day.
1926 – Western Electric and Warner Bros. announce Vitaphone, a process to add sound to film.
1939 – Billie Holiday records the first Civil Rights song "Strange Fruit".
1945 – World War II: US troops capture Leipzig, Germany, only to later cede the city to the Soviet Union.
1945 – World War II: Fuehrerbunker: Adolf Hitler makes his last trip to the surface to award Iron Crosses to boy soldiers of the Hitler Youth.
1961 – Failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion of US-backed troops against Cuba.
1964 – BBC Two launches with the power cut because of the fire at Battersea Power Station.
1968 – English politician Enoch Powell makes his controversial Rivers of Blood speech.
1972 – Apollo 16 landed on the moon commanded by John Young.
1978 – Korean Air Flight 902 is shot down by Soviets.
1980 – Climax of Berber Spring in Algeria as hundreds of Berber political activists are arrested.
1984 – The Good Friday Massacre, an extremely violent ice hockey playoff game, is played in Montreal, Canada.
1985 – ATF raid on The Covenant, The Sword, and the Arm of the Lord compound in northern Arkansas.
1986 – Pianist Vladimir Horowitz performs in his native Russia for the first time in 61 years.
1986 – Professional basketball player Michael Jordan sets all-time record for points in an NBA playoff game with 63 against the Boston Celtics.
1998 – German terrorist group Red Army Faction announces their dissolution after 28 years.
1999 – Columbine High School massacre: Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold kill 13 people and injure 24 others before committing suicide at Columbine High School in Jefferson County, Colorado.
2007 – Johnson Space Center Shooting: A man with a handgun barricades himself in NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas before killing a male hostage and himself.
2008 – Danica Patrick wins the Indy Japan 300 becoming the first female driver in history to win an Indy car race.

Births

571 – Muhammad, (traditional date) Prophet and founder of Islam (d. 632)=
1889 – Adolf Hitler, German Nazi dictator (d. 1945)
1893 – Joan Miró, Spanish painter (d. 1983)

I didn't know Muhammad's birthday was the same day. Interesting. I remember that Columbine day so well. It was my first experience in watching the violence unfold of a school shooting. I was 11 years old. That was 11 years ago! Crazy how time flies.

favorite movie monday

2010-04-19T18:42:00.004-06:00

Stop-Loss starring Channing Tatum, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ryan Phillippe, Timothy Olyphant and Abbie Cornish

I LOVE this movie. Its so touching. Yes, another war story. I rented this a couple years ago - I still need to buy it. I didn't know much about what a stop-loss was and how often it was happening. Its insane how many times it happens. Its horribly sad. We let these kids go fight our wars and we still want more from them. These men are heroes and have been through great trials. If you didn't catch what a stop-loss is from the movie trailer, its like a backdoor draft. Its been used since the Persian Gulf War (1990). And who doesn't love Mr. Channing Tatum? hmm? Amazing, heart-breaking story. Plus, Snow Patrol's music is lovely.

Roy King: Listen to me, if you're spooked, it's o.k. There's no shame in that.
Brandon King: I ain't scared, I'm pissed off!

two weeks

2010-04-17T18:44:00.004-06:00

So.. I put in my two weeks today! It makes me excited. My manager was like, "Yeah, I knew it was coming.." haha. Well, yeah. I just wish it affected my former manager, Kelli, than my new one. Because Jenn is pretty good, at least to me she is. SO.. I feel a little bad, but oh well. Gotta move on. Soooooo excited for Lagoon tomorrow!

And one of my cats, Simba, is feeling MUCH better today. She was jumping all around, going all spastic, wanting me to pet her. She is a cutie. And my cat, Gigi, she's sitting normal, and then I go to pet her and she knows its coming, and she sprawls all out and wants me to rub her belly. haha. LOVE it.

These next quotes are SO TRUE.

"A catless writer is almost inconceivable. It's a perverse taste, really, since it would be easier to write with a herd of buffalo in the room than even one cat; they make nests in the notes and bite the end of the pen and walk on the typewriter keys." - Barbara Holland

"People that hate cats will come back as mice in their next life" - Faith Resnick

"It always gives me a shiver when I see a cat seeing what I can't see." - Eleanor Farjeon

and we laugh till we cry

2010-04-17T09:00:00.002-06:00

A little update: IHC called me again yesterday and its for the on-call position for their call center. I have an interview Wednesday, wish me luck! I really want a regular position, not on-call.. BUT at least they finally called me and I'm actually getting an interview. Yay me!

My kitties were fixed Tuesday. Gigi and Simba were spayed and they are in some pain. They are finally feeling better though and playing. And Oliver was neutered and he's doing great. Hopefully when they are all healed up, they'll be able to play with each other more. Giving them their medicine is a bit of a hassle. Simba is the worst. I have to drag her out from under my bed to get her to take it.. And she growled at me a couple times. haha. She's never growled before. Their medicine is stinky!

Oliver Gigi Gigi and Simba

Gigi's incision Gigi and Simba

I also figured out I can be debt free within 2 years, if I stick to my plan! I may need to do some editing for some fun adventures.. But this makes me excited. 2 years! Woot!

Lately, I've been jumping on the tramp with my brother and sister. Its actually made me a little sore. But I love it. I love doing flips on the tramp. Its so much fun. And I love this weather! Thank you to my Aunt Julie and Uncle Scott and my cousins, for letting us use their tramp while they have nowhere to put it. :)

Lagoon's White Rollercoaster

I'm really looking forward to this Sunday for Lagoon with my bro and sis. I hope its pretty warm. I'm so excited for rollercoasters! And yes, I bought a season pass to Lagoon again this year! (For those that don't know what Lagoon is, it is an amusement park in Utah.)

I'm excited for summer. Looking up at the clouds, jumping on the tramp, seeing beautiful flowers (I really want to plant some right now), delicious fruit, swimming, a golden tan, Lagoon.. LOVE Summer. Oh, and my birthday. :) I also really want to go camping, or at least have breakfast in the mountains. Horseback riding and concerts..

I LOVE this song, "Last Summer" by the Welsh band, Lostprophets. And they are amazing Live.

The Friday sun bears down again
As we drive without friends
And on these longest days we spend
All the time trying to pretend
That our stories could be true
Our chance to be cool
The setting sunset says the day is through
If only we knew...
And we all sit around here in our home town
Listen to the waves as they all crash down
And watch the fire as it slowly burns away
Glowing embers fly across the sky

Here by my side, in my summer, our last summer
The world passes by in my summer, our last summer
The light makes shadows fall, surrounded by each other
Alive to watch it all, the view from our last summer
The view from our last summer...
We trace the sun across the sky

And we laugh till we cry
Always so hard to say goodbye (good bye)
And we all sit round here in our home town
It's so good like this, these are times we'll miss
The memories, I hope they'll never fade
Glowing embers lie across the sky

Here by my side, in my summer, our last summer
The world passes by in my summer, our last summer
The light makes shadows fall, surrounded by each other
Alive to watch it all, the view through our last summer
The view from our last summer...

I would stop time to stay with you
I would stop time so we don't move
I would stop time
I would stop time
I would stop time to keep you

Here by my side, in my summer, our last summer
The world passes by in my summer, our last summer
The light makes shadows fall, surrounded by each other
Alive to watch it all, the view from our last summer

"Rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass on a summer day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is hardly a waste of time." - John Lubbock

fill in the blank friday

2010-04-16T14:12:00.004-06:00

Thanks to Lauren at the little things we do for Fill in the Blank Friday!

1. The first thing I do in the morning is fumble to hit the snooze button and look at where my cats are sleeping beside me.

2. Every night before bed I brush my teeth, wash my face, brush my hair, check my email and facebook on my phone, and ya know, pet Gigi and Simba.

3. My favorite thing to do when I'm having a bad day is doing anything fun! I agree with my sister, retail therapy works!

4. Something that makes me cringe is creepy crawly things, and people that don't know things that they SHOULD know, or people that spell the most common words wrong, and bad drivers of course.

5. Social situations are usually fun. It depends on who it is with.

6. I like to collect photos, travel keychains.. I used to collect straws when I was little haha.

7. Weekends are for.. work usually. Retail sucks. haha. I hope I get a lot of weekends off at my next job. I love summer weekends. I'm really looking forward to it always being warm outside!

"As we look deeply within, we understand out perfect balance. There is no fear of the cycle of birth, life and death. For when you stand in the present moment, you are timeless." - Rodney Yee

new opportunities

2010-04-15T10:44:00.004-06:00

I got a new job! No more Macy's retail anymore! YES!! I interviewed last week for a job with the Census with Convergys. I'll be a Quality Evaluator -- someone who monitors the phone calls and scores them. Whilst I was working for Marriott, I wanted to be on the other side monitoring the calls instead of taking them.

Since it is with the census, its only temporary. But I will take it! To get out of Macy's, oh yes, I will take it. So its from May until August. Not bad. Especially when the pay is so amaz-za-zing! $16.58 per hour. Hallelujah! And its Full Time. I'm excited. Hopefully I'll be able to save half of my earnings this way! Since its pretty much double what I'm getting at Macy's.

I also received a call from IHC (Intermountain Healthcare), who I have been applying at for forever and ever. I would absolutely LOVE to work with them. It'll help me with my Ultrasound Tech program too. Whoop. SO I called her back yesterday and got her voicemail, left a message. I haven't heard anything yet. But I'm really hoping I do. Because that is THE job I want the most. So wish me luck, luck, luck!! :)

Off to Macy's I go! For about another 2 1/2 weeks!

"The freedom to move forward to new opportunities and to produce results comes from living in the present not the past." - Brian Koslow

wondrous art wednesday

2010-04-14T09:00:00.002-06:00

Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh 1889 = amazing. period. This is also hanging in my bedroom. I love it. I love all the swirls of color in the sky showing the gusts of wind and the shining moon and stars. I once colored a black and white paper print of this for AP Art History. I wish I had gotten it back because I think I did a pretty awesome replica with my colored pencils and crayons. :)

Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh 1889

I also like all the little buildings. And the story behind this painting is even better. "The painting depicts the view outside his sanatorium room window at night, although it was painted from memory during the day." He stayed in an asylum in France and the painting is of the village of Saint-Rémy. How can you not like this painting? Eh?

"In all this batch I think nothing at all good save the field of wheat, the mountain, the orchard, the olives with the blue hills and the portrait and the entrance to the Quarry, and the rest says nothing to me, because it lacks individual intention and feeling in the lines. Where these lines are close and deliberate it begins to be a picture, even if it is exaggerated. That is a little what Bernard and Gauguin feel, they do not ask the correct shape of a tree at all, but they insist absolutely that one can say if the shape is round or square - and my word, they are right, exasperated as they are by certain people's photographic and empty perfection. Certainly they will not ask the correct tone of the mountains, but they will say: In the Name of God, the mountains were blue, were they? Then chuck on some blue and don't go telling me that it was a blue rather like this or that, it was blue, wasn't it? Good - make them blue and it's enough! Gauguin is sometimes like a genius when he explains this, but as for the genius Gauguin has, he is very timid about showing it, and it is touching the way he likes to say something really useful to the young. How strange he is all the same." - Vincent van Gogh

big...

2010-04-13T09:00:00.000-06:00

NaBloPoMo has a blog theme for each month. I recently joined because my sister suggested it to me. This month for April, the theme is BIG. So I've conjured up a few ideas for BIG month posts. We'll see how it works out. :)

BIG Class! BIG Giving!

I thought I'd give a shout out to those celebrities (like they need any shout outs, am I right?) that give, give, give. Not only do they give money but they give their time. I definitely need to do much more of that. These celebrities I already adore, but now that they have such giving hearts, I admire them even more. Who are they?

Angelina Jolie

She. is. awesome. I don't care what your opinion is of her, you have to admit she's damn full of giving. I do like some of her movies, yes, among them? Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Wanted, etc.. I really want to see The Tourist (with Johnny Depp) and Salt. She donates ONE THIRD of her income to charity. Her and Pitt have adopted 3 children, Maddox from Cambodia, Zahara from Ethiopia, and Pax from Vietnam. They have 3 biological children, Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne. She's a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.) That's pretty awesome.

Brad Pitt

Not only is he good-looking and a great actor, he has a BIG heart. He supports many charities - the ONE Campaign (Bono is a co-founder), Yéle Haïti (founded by Wyclef Jean, Black Eyed Peas), he is one of the founders of Not on our Watch (prevents genocides ie. Darfur), he also founded Make it Right Foundation (New Orleans), him and Jolie founded the Jolie-Pitt Foundation (humanitarian aid around the world).

Oprah

Who doesn't like Oprah? She has a ton of money and she does a lot of good with it! She has the Oprah's Angel Network, Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa, she's donated at least $303 million dollars, she's helped 250 African-American men continue or complete their college education. She's also generous to her employees. She paid for her 1065 employees and their families to go vacation in Hawaii in 2006. Wow!

Bono

Lead singer of the amazing band, U2. He's the co-founder of The One Campaign to stop poverty, the organization DATA (Debt, Aids, Trade, Africa), and Product Red. He is well known for all of his activism and trying to rally support and donations for charities around the world. He is awesome.

Some other awesome celebrities that give: Don Cheadle (Darfur and Rwanda), Alicia Keys (Keep a Child Alive), Wyclef Jean (Yéle Haiti), Leonardo DiCaprio (environmentalism and humanitarianism), and Bill Gates (Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation).

"As a rock star, I have two instincts, I want to have fun, and I want to change the world. I have a chance to do both." - Bono

favorite movie monday

2010-04-12T09:00:00.001-06:00

Donnie Brasco starring Johnny Depp and Al Pacino.

LOVE Johnny Depp. LOVE Al Pacino. Johnny Depp is an FBI agent undercover that infiltrates a mob. He begins to identify more with the mafia life than is real life. Dun Dun Dun. haha. I love it. Its also based on a true story - which makes it more intriguing, as always. Gotta dig the accents.

FBI Technician: What's forget about it?
Donnie Brasco: Forget about it is like if you agree with someone, you know, like Raquel Welch is one great piece of ass, forget about it. But then, if you disagree, like A Lincoln is better than a Cadillac? Forget about it! you know? But then, it's also like if something's the greatest thing in the world, like mingia those peppers, forget about it. But it's also like saying Go to hell! too. Like, you know, like "Hey Paulie, you got a one inch pecker?" and Paulie says "Forget about it!" Sometimes it just means forget about it.

fill in the blank friday

2010-04-09T21:28:00.005-06:00

Fill in the Blank Fridays.. I got this from my sister who got it from this lady at http://thelittlethingswedo.blogspot.com/ that does it every Friday. So enjoy! :)

1. The strangest thing I've ever eaten was I don't really know.. I'm a very picky eater anyway, so I don't like a lot of things. I remember my Grandpa's wife made some "killer" lasagna with tons of crap in it and it was disgusting...

2. My best friend is My brother and sister. They are the best ever. I love having fun with them.

3. If I could live in a different era it would be The 1950s or 1960s. I love those eras. Marilyn Monroe, James Dean.. what could go wrong? Plus the 60s had some cool hippies.

4. I like kids. Today at work, a mom had a stroller with her so she had to go in the elevator but her 4 yr old son wanted to go down the escalator. I was about to get on the escalator and she told him to watch how I got on. So I got on slowly and then he did and he lost his balance for a minute and plopped down. He rode the escalator sitting down. It was cute. Then I got off and told him to stand up so he could get off. So he did and then he just sat down right next to the escalator. So I told him hey your mom's going to be over here, do you want to come over here? So he followed me and he was all excited to meet his mom down there. haha. SO cute.

5. If you only know one thing about me it should be that I'm passionate about a lot of things. I love kids and animals. haha.

6. My favorite book of all time is My Story by Marilyn Monroe.. this is hard. Its that one and Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. So many good books out there!

7. The one beauty product I couldn't live without is definitely eye liner. I look so so so young and/or tired without it! eek!

8. Blogging is something I enjoy doing.. But need to do more of. I need to try to be much more consistent in doing it. I'm a huge procrastinator.

9. If I could star in a movie with any actor/actress I would want to work with Johnny Depp! OF COURSE. He is my favorite. I love him. He's such an amazing actor, and a genuinely nice guy, and funny. Plus he's quite handsome. I would also love to work with Will Smith. Oh baby. hahaha Speaking of, Men in Black was on last night on my TV. oooh man.

10. One of the best feelings in the world is knowing you helped someone, especially when its just a random act of kindness. Or just being happy is pretty freaking awesome too.

"You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life." - Albert Camus

sundance twentyten

2010-04-09T09:00:00.003-06:00

It has taken me forever to post this, I am so sorry! But here's the sum up of Sundance 2010 and some photos.

So I went to Sundance again this year. It was fun, but cold! We went up to Park City 3 times for Sundance this year. We went and walked around to see some celebrities. We went to the Snowboarding Olympic Qualifiers and saw Shaun White, Hannah Teter, and a lot of other awesome snowboarders. Thursday, my sister and I saw the film, The Dryland. It had Wilmer Valderrama, America Ferrera, and Jason Ritter in it. It was interesting. Not my favorite film and I wouldn't buy it but I can understand why it was at Sundance. It definitely held my interest throughout the movie though.

The celebrities we saw.. LaVar Burton - he was on one of the shuttle buses with us within a foot of me! He was a really nice guy and talked and talked and talked. For those of you who don't know who that is, its the guy from Reading Rainbow and Star Trek. Paul Johannson - Dan on One Tree Hill. Shane West! Robert Redford! Jon Gosselin, Paris Hilton's ex - name?, and Carlton from Fresh Prince! haha. I had a lot of fun with my brother and sister!

My sister and I saw the film, Bhutto, in SLC. Its about Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan who was assassinated in 2007. It was an awesome movie! I loved it. It was done so well, it was sad, and really interesting. I didn't know a lot about her and I really feel I learned a lot just from that documentary. I recommend this movie to anyone and I would absolutely buy it and see it again!

Benazir Bhutto

The Producer, Director, and Editor did a Q&A at the end of the film. That was really cool. One guy asked a question that really perturbed me. He asked, "Do you think that Democracy is the way to fight terrorism instead of having a dictator? It seems like Dictatorship would work better than Democracy." Something along those lines. It really bothered me! For those of you who don't know, Pakistan is military-ruled with a dictator and has been for forever! So obviously, that's not working. So yes, I'm for Democracy there as for everywhere.

There came a question from a man from one of the back rows (we were sitting in the second row so we had to turn around).. He said something like this, "I wasn't going to say anything but I'm the son of Former Head of State Musharraf. I wanted to know if you think that the current President is well liked in Pakistan?" So the Producer answered he thinks that he is and he went into more detail. Then this guy just says, "Well I think he is very much hated there and I don't think he will be successful." And the Producer says, "Well why did you ask me when you were going to answer your own question?" It was really strange! And creepy! Pervez Musharraf was the former Head of State of Pakistan and he lives in exile in London. He is also accused of assassinating Benazir Bhutto; that's why it was so creepy. The current President is Benazir Bhutto's husband, Asif Ali Zardari. Him and her son, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari are the Chairmans of the Pakistan People's Party. :)

Here are some photos!

"Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway." - Unknown

precious movie review

2010-04-08T09:00:00.001-06:00

***Spoilers***

I finally watched the film, Precious, Based on the novel by Sapphire, on Sunday night. It was good. I can absolutely tell why they won so many awards. Its a beautiful story and there were some horrible parts in it that I absolutely hated.

Sometimes, for me, it was really hard to understand what Precious was saying. So I would have to rewind it a few times to actually hear those lines. The same with Mo'Nique. They did not do well in the Sound Editing Department that is for sure. I also didn't like when Precious would daydream. It was just too much daydreaming and the music with her daydreams was so loud. I had to keep fiddling with the volume control. So that was really annoying.

Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, Mariah Carey, and Sherri Shepherd all gave great performances. Especially Mo'Nique - she was a very angry mother, insane and angry. Paula Patton was Ms. Rain, Precious' Each One, Teach One teacher -- I thought she was really good. And Mariah Carey definitely surprised me.

Another scene I absolutely hated was when Precious comes home with her second child, Abdul, and her mom asks to hold him. Precious allows her to hold him and begins to fix her mother a drink. All of the sudden, her mother completely drops Abdul on the floor and throws stuff at Precious. She's horrible! Then Precious grabs her baby boy and flees downstairs and ends up falling down the stairs. It looks like when she lands, Abdul's head hits the floor really hard. I thought he was dead. They never took him to the hospital, which I find really strange. That was definitely the climax of the story. It ended pretty happily, which is good because she should definitely have a better life.

I could go on and on about this movie. There's a lot to say about it. But I don't think I would buy it, or watch it again. Once is enough. Here's the trailer if you're one of the very few who haven't glimpsed it.

"I'm gonna break through or somebody gonna break through to me." - Clareece 'Precious' Jones

wondrous art wednesday

2010-04-07T09:00:00.001-06:00

Blue Dancers by Edgar Degas in 1899. I have this up hanging in my bedroom. I absolutely love it. What's really cool about it is how Degas painted little dancers inside of the blue dresses the dancers are wearing. If you look closely, they look like tiny blue dancers in the material.

Blue Dancers by Edgar Degas

Do you like it?

"Art is not what you see, but what you make others see." - Edgar Degas

the stoning of soraya m

2010-04-06T09:00:00.002-06:00

The Stoning of Soraya M. I had never heard of this movie before that I can remember.. The trailer has been on a few movies I have watched in the past 2 weeks. I really want to see it. It looks like an incredible story. There's a book too. I just might read it. Here's the trailer:

Jim Caviezel with a huge nose and accent, I didn't know it was him! I'll definitely be renting this soon. Has anyone seen this?

Don't act like the hypocrite, who thinks he can conceal his wiles while loudly quoting the Koran. - Hafez, 14th Century Iranian Poet

favorite movie monday

2010-04-05T13:52:00.004-06:00

Brothers starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire, and Natalie Portman.

This movie is amazing. It has a great storyline, actors, and everything! I think its definitely one of Tobey Maguire's absolute best films. I normally don't really like his movies, but this one--he does really, really well. And I loved Jake and Natalie in it. I only watched this two weekends ago and its among my favorites.

"There are two sides to every family." - Brothers Tagline

"Where man sees but withered leaves, God sees sweet flowers growing." - Albert Laighton

2010-04-04T07:00:00.001-06:00

Happy Easter! I had a lot of fun colouring eggs last night with my brother and sister. I'm so glad I have the day off today. Yay! I'm definitely making some delicious blueberry muffins this morning. MMMmm.. I hope everyone enjoys their Easter. I hope to watch Precious and The Blind Side today.. or at least one of them! :) More blogs to come this week with much more babble, I promise.

I still want to attempt to decorate eggs like this.. This picture I found last Easter. I will have to remember for 2011. haha. They are so cool!

I think of the garden after the rain;
And hope to my heart comes singing,
"At morn the cherry-blooms will be white,
And the Easter bells be ringing!"
- Edna Dean Procter

my short hiatus

2010-04-02T23:40:00.004-06:00

So I took a week or so hiatus. So sorry. Thank you if you're still reading. I've been sick with a horrible cold and not motivated at all to blog this week. BUT that will change beginning next week. I'll definitely have a blog on Monday. I hope to have a lot more the next couple of weeks because I do have lots of ideas.. just not motivated to put in the time to actually blog.. Because really, blogging takes a lot more time than I initially thought. So there ya go. I will be back by Monday definitely! I rented Precious and The Blind Side tonight so hopefully I'll be able to watch them this weekend. While I've been sick, I also watched the movie Brothers and Up in the Air. SO I'll absolutely tell you how I feel about them next week. The two posts below are from a website I joined today called FormSpringme. Ask me anything you want if you feel bored, anonymous or whatever.

Have a good weekend! Happy Easter!!! :)

"Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life." - S.D. Gordon

What would be the best thing about being a vampire?

2010-04-02T23:03:00.001-06:00

I think the best and worst thing would be to live forever. It'd be awesome to have known a lot of people that lived in the past. But it would also be the worst thing to live forever.

Ask me anything

If your house was on fire and you could only grab three things, what would they be?

2010-04-02T23:01:00.001-06:00

1 - My cats
2 - My camera and memory cards
3 - My computer

I think.. Definitely number 1 for sure. :)

Ask me anything

breaktime

2010-03-29T18:47:00.003-06:00

I'm taking a short break. I'm sick with a cold but I'll be back in a couple days. Sorry for no favorite movie monday! I'll have an update soon. :)

wondrous art wednesday

2010-03-24T18:51:00.003-06:00

The Third-Class Carriage by Honoré Daumier is so awesome. Its from 1860-63 where trains just came into the world. This is in Paris and it shows the effects of industrialization. Its at the MET and it was so cool to see this. LOVE it.

Third-Class Carriage by Honoré Daumier

Definitely makes me want to take art history again.

favorite movie monday

2010-03-22T09:00:00.001-06:00

Pocahontas starring Mel Gibson and Christian Bale.

I guess I never realized Christian Bale was the voice of Thomas.. Interesting. I love this movie even if the story is completely wrong. I still like it. I love the songs in it too. I think I love it because I've always loved learning about Native Americans and have always been pissed at my stupid White Ancestors that took over. Maybe the following lyric is why I like wolves. haha. Who knows.

"Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon..." - Colors of the Wind, Pocahontas

my long love to tlc

2010-03-19T09:00:00.001-06:00

TLC. I like a lot of the series on this network. You must think I watch a ton of TV. Yeah, sometimes I do. Ooops. It all started with Trading Spaces - which I don't watch anymore. I liked it at the beginning with most the original people and Paige Davis. Then, it was What Not to Wear - which I still watch! But I really don't like the new hairdresser.. I miss Nick Arrojo. He was cool. And I watched Jon & Kate Plus 8 all the time. Those kids are so cute.

Now, my new favorites are Cake Boss and Say Yes to the Dress. I'm loving all the cake shows. Even Ultimate Cake Off. Those cakes are bad ass! And Say Yes to the Dress, I just like looking at all the dresses and how some of them just look horrible on some people. And some of those ladies are bitchy! haha.

"They say that ninety percent of TV is junk. But, ninety percent of everything is junk." - Gene Roddenberry

wondrous art wednesday

2010-03-17T09:00:00.004-06:00

First and foremost, HAPPY SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!!! I love Patty's Day. Orange and Green everyone! :) I love Ireland its so beautiful and I would absolutely love to go there someday soon. Especially to Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland. LOVE it! Follow the leprechaun to find your pot o' gold at the end of the rainbow! hehe

Giant's Causeway

The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli. It was painted around 1482. This is my favorite version of the birth of Venus. I love the colors and the whimsical artistry. Its as if you can see the wind blowing the flowers around her.

The Birth of Venus, Sandro Botticelli, 1482

I also like her coming out of the seashell out of the sea foam. I think its a classic.

"If Botticelli were alive today he'd be working for Vogue." - Peter Ustinov

favorite movie monday

2010-03-15T09:00:00.001-06:00

G.I. Jane starring Demi Moore and Viggo Mortensen.

I like this movie because one, its based on something that really happened; two, it shows the story of this brave, strong woman that overcame such difficult hurdles to become a Navy SEAL. She is super tough and works really hard. Its definitely my favorite Demi Moore film. Her character impressed me so much that she made me want to go into the military when I was 9 years old. haha. I always wanted to be someone of that kind of strength.

"Failure is not an option."

my somewhat recent love of hgtv

2010-03-12T09:00:00.001-07:00

Awhile ago, for some reason, I got addicted to HGTV. I'm not addicted anymore but I was. I would watch any series. They all interested me. I was hooked.

Now.. My favorite series on there are Color Splash and Holmes on Homes. Color Splash is hosted by David Bromstad. He goes into homes and completely makes tired rooms into amazing spaces of color and creativity. He also makes his own piece of art for the room that's pretty cool.

And Holmes on Homes. This guy, Mike Holmes is super cool. He goes to homes where people have hired a contractor and everything to redo their home and something goes awry a long the way. The clients end up with a house that is not finished or done completely wrong. Mike Holmes comes along and fixes everything for free. He tells you what's wrong with it. I think its awesome.

The other shows are okay. But those two are definitely my favorites. Have you guys seen these shows?

"You get what you pay for." - Mike Holmes

wondrous art wednesday

2010-03-10T09:00:00.011-07:00

So I've looked up some blog topics to get me to be more creative in my writing. Because I really suck lately. I don't know what to write about. So I found around 30 ideas. Wahoo! :) I'm thinking about doing another weekly blog post about Art. I'll still do my Favorite Movie Mondays. But I'm going to try out a weekly art post.

I took Art History in High School and I loved it. I love learning about art, I love looking at it, I love making art. My teacher was awesome. She was so eccentric and fun. We went on a class trip to New York City to about 5 museums. It was awesome. New York is definitely one of my favorite places to be. There's so much culture there. The Met is amazing. And the MOMA is awesome too. So my first art piece I'd like to show you is The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali. Dali is one of my favorites. I would love to go to his museum.

The Persistence of Memory, Salvador Dali, 1931

Take a look. What do you see? Look again. I love how he bends the clocks as if he's bending time. Do you see the ants?

"Surrealism is destructive, but it destroys only what it considers to be shackles limiting our vision." "I don't do drugs. I am drugs." - Salvador Dali

movie filled weekend

2010-03-09T09:00:00.004-07:00

I definitely had a movie-filled weekend. Thursday night, I saw Alice in Wonderland with my sister and brother. It was pretty good, I liked it. I didn't love it but I think I would still buy it. I loved all the wonderful colors, the humor, the cinematography, Johnny Depp, and Helena Bonham Carter. Tim Burton is amazing.

Friday, I saw The Princess and the Frog at the theatres I used to go to as a kid that was pretty hoppin' back in the day. Now its not so great but it could be awesome if some money was put into it again. It only costs $1.25 per movie. So it was cheap which is nice. But I felt like I went back into my childhood. I went with my sister. It was a good Disney princess film. I don't think I would buy it. It was funny and cute though.

Later, I rented a few redbox movies. Julie & Julia and The Hurt Locker. I was attempting to see as many Oscar noms as I could before Oscar night. I did pretty well actually. I usually suck at seeing most of the nominated films before award night. My mom and I went to Papa Murphy's to order some pizza. A lady in the back was cutting up onions and all of us customers were almost in tears, the smell was so strong! We had to go outside to wait for our order. My mom, sister, and I watched Julie & Julia. It seemed long. It was a good story and it was okay. I wouldn't buy it. And I know I may be one of the few that does not like Meryl Streep. But it did make me want to learn how to cook more and challenge myself.

Saturday, my sister and I watched The Hurt Locker - the one that beat Avatar and won all the awards. It was good. It was definitely a film people should see to understand some aspects of the war. It was really intense. I loved Jeremy Renner in it. I'm not sure if I would see it again, but I can totally understand why it won so many awards. Its intense, touching, sad, real, etc. My mom was watching it today and I could hear it in the background. I noticed that the music is really good. I looked it up and its by Ministry. So check it out.

As you can see, I created a signature. Do you like? My next few posts won't have it since they're already scheduled though. Oh well.

"There's enough bang in there to blow us all to Jesus. If I'm gonna die, I want to die comfortable." - Staff Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner in The Hurt Locker)

Favorite Movie Monday

2010-03-08T09:00:00.001-07:00

The Prestige starring Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, and Scarlett Johansson.

I love this movie. Its so intense and has some confusing twists. Its really creative. Yes, it can be a bit graphic or disturbing -- this is why my mom doesn't like it. But I tend to like more of those movies that are action packed or really make your mind think. Plus, who doesn't love Bale or Jackman? Come on.

"Are you watching closely?" - Alfred Borden

Updates Shmupdates

2010-03-05T09:00:00.001-07:00

Well. This post could be very boring because its just an update. Who knows, maybe that's what more people want. I still don't know. There are a lot of changes going on at my work right now. They'll be in effect beginning March 7th. My current manager is being laid off - her position was temporary anyway. I'm happy about it. She was not a good manager at all. I'm getting a new manager and supervisor.. This lady from HR is going to be the Juniors Sales Supervisor and this other manager, Sharon will be over her. I'm not sure about this HR lady, Jenn. But Sharon seems to be on the ball and structured at least. She's hard to read sometimes but I hope its a good change.

A lot of other things are happening with all the other managers too and the Merchandising Start Team's hours are getting cut. So that sucks for them. And I'm expecting some people to be quitting soon because of some of these manager changes. We'll see. I need to quit. I need to find a better job and soon. I'm stuck in this rut and I need some help out. So ya know, if you know of any awesome jobs in the Salt Lake area, let me know! :)

I'm not going to school this semester because frankly, I don't have the money. At all. It sucks. Hopefully I'll be able to return this Fall. I really need to finish school. My Diagnostic Medical Sonography program should only take me two years.. Once I get that, I'll have a career and be paid great! So I really need to work hard for that goal. I think that's all the updates I got. This year is going by so fast, I can't believe St Patrick's Day is almost here already! Maybe it'll bring me some good luck, eh?

Cheers!

"May good luck be your friend in whatever you do and may trouble be always a stranger to you." - Irish Blessing

Alice, you're back!

2010-03-04T10:39:00.003-07:00

I am sooooo excited to see Alice in Wonderland tonight at midnight! I'm going with my awesome brother and sister. I hope its really good! I love some Johnny Depp and Tim Burton does amazing films.

Probably my favorite line of the movie so far:

"I need a pig here! I love a warm pig belly for my aching feet." - The Red Queen

We stole our new lives through blood and pain

2010-03-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

Wow. It seems like I blog about music and movies a lot lately. I need some new topics. Any suggestions?

I found out about another band coming to SLC! 30 Seconds to Mars! They come here a lot and I've never been able to see them live. And I really would love to go this time. Tickets go on sale March 6th and they are playing at the Rail Events Center on May 8th! I'm going to quite a few concerts already this year, and I really would like to see this one too. It'd be cool if I got a new job that paid me more, then I could do fun stuff like this all the time. Any job help? :)

Gotta love some Jared Leto. Haha.

"I've always had an understanding and a connection and a good relationship with gay men and women. And I don't want to censor myself about the fucking subject because I don't have a problem with gay or straight or any of that." - Jared Leto

"Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out." - Anton Chekhov

2010-03-02T09:00:00.002-07:00

I have a new layout! Do you like it? Its still blue.. But I like the shapes and scrapbook-ish feel of it. I found it off of Shabby Princess. You just download the kit and you can put it together yourself. It took quite a bit of work, I must say. But I think it turned out well. And I did my Gandhi quote and Monroe quote as pictures on the sidebar if you scroll down. :)

The Olympics are over. Sadness. They were fun while they lasted. London 2012 next! Woot! Back to work today after two days off. Blah, Blah, and Blah. And I'm sure you're sick of hearing that, so I'll try be upbeat about it. Less than a week and I get to find out if my new supervisor and manager are better than my last one. Hopefully so.

I'm excited for Thursday night! I get to see Alice in Wonderland at midnight! I hope its good. But there's not really a movie I hate with Johnny Depp. So let's keep that streak going!

In other film news, there are whisperings of another Fast and Furious movie in the mix. Its called "Fast Five." Universal Studios has greenlighted the film with Vin Diesel and Paul Walker in the cast; along with Director Justin Lin. I think it has the potential of being great. I just don't want the series to be ruined by another bad sequel ie. 2 Fast 2 Furious. Chris Morgan has handed out scripts for a 5th and 6th sequel. I guess we'll have to see how this 5th sequel does. It will be disappointing without Letty in it. I still think they should bring Vince back. Here are four different links about the upcoming sequel forecasted to be released in theatres 2011.

One, Two, Three, & Four

I've recently found some new blogs that I like and they've been fun to read.

Enjoy! :)

Favorite Movie Monday

2010-03-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

Dances with Wolves starring and directed by Kevin Costner.

This is an amazing story. I love it. I think its one of the best movies out there, its so well done and has a great story to it. And I love learning about Native Americans and I always get really pissed off at my White ancestors for their complete stupidity. If you haven't seen this movie, you need to.

"Nothing I have been told about these people is correct. They are not thieves or beggars. They are not the bogeymen they are made out to be. On the contrary, they are polite guest and I enjoy their humor." - John Dunbar

Orange Shoes, Clothespins, and Pins

2010-02-26T17:44:00.005-07:00

So I found this blog through a couple of different blogs. And I thought I would share it. Its a cute little blog. I liked this particular post because honestly, my favorite color is orange. And I just love her orange shoes!

And I like the creativity of the wedding -- specifically, the clothespins seating arrangement and the custom made pins. I thought they were cool. What do you think?

Happy Friday everyone!

"Orange is the happiest color." - Frank Sinatra

Can't Slow Down

2010-02-24T09:00:00.004-07:00

So! I didn't know Foreigner was coming out with a brand new album! I just went to their website to see if they were going on tour again.. Well they are but not here. Mostly back East and Europe. :( But I had a few different windows open and this music came on.. I liked it. I didn't know who it was because I was looking at different band websites. So I was a little confused where it was coming from.

Their album comes out 3.1.2010. That's super soon! I would love to hear it. I like their single, "Can't Slow Down" its very modern. At least I think. I actually thought they sounded like Daughtry when I didn't know who it was at first.. I think that's a compliment to both bands. I don't know, I like Foreigner.. Juke Box Hero is my all-time favorite. They haven't had a new single in FIFTEEN YEARS. How crazy is that? Maybe they will make a comeback, eh? Of course they have new band members. What do you expect? Here's a vid:

You like? I like. I also found these songs on youtube: I can't give up & Angel Tonight

"He heard one guitar, just blew him away
He saw stars in his eyes, and the very next day" - Foreigner, Juke Box Hero

Favorite Movie Monday

2010-02-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Wedding Date starring Debra Messing, Dermot Mulroney, and Amy Adams.

I love this movie. Total chick flick romance. Normally not my cup of tea, but every now and then, I love them. I saw this with my sister for the first time in the theatre when it came out. Messing is hilarious and Dermot Mulroney is very charming. Watch it. :)

"Love doesn't come cheap."

I'm going to.......

2010-02-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

DAUGHTRY!!! I'm ecstatic! Lifehouse is touring with him so that'll be cool too! My sister, brother, and I are going! Its April 22 and I can't wait!

A HUGE Concert Announcement happened this last week! U2 IS COMING! June 3rd at Rice Eccles! I'm so going to go see them again. They were amazing in Phoenix with the Black Eyed Peas. Tix go on sale this Monday! Woot! :)

I just had to share some awesome news with you. haha.

I'll be seeing another concert July 30th.... Who? TIM MCGRAW!!! I've never seen him in concert before but have always wanted to. He's pretty much the only country singer I would absolutely love to see! Don't get me wrong, Kenny Chesney was a lot of fun. But Tim McGraw is my favorite. And it looks like his concerts are amazing. SO I'm excited.

"Without music life would be a mistake." ~ Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche

There will be blood in the water, and the sharks will come...

2010-02-18T14:34:00.008-07:00

I.am.so.excited.for.this! Along with other movies coming out! (Alice in Wonderland - 3/5/10, Toy Story 3 - 6/18/10, Salt - 7/23/10, HP & the Deathly Hallows Part I - 11/19/10, etc) But Iron Man 2 looks like its gonna be good. I liked the first. But I really like Robert Downey, Jr. I love the comedy in it.

I didn't know Mickey Rourke was in it though. He looks like he's going to be good in it. And I didn't know Scarlett Johansson was in it either. Hmm.. I'm excited! May 7th, 2010! :)

"Every man is guilty of all the good he didn't do." - Voltaire

O is for Oscars

2010-02-17T09:00:00.001-07:00

You'd think I like movies or something.. :) This always happens to me. I want to see all of these movies and never have enough money to see them all. It is sad. So when the Oscars come, I feel like I have to see as many as I can before Oscar night and I never succeed very well... At least I have a few weeks before they air on March 7th so it gives me some time.

Here are the movies that are nominated that I want :

	The Blind Side
	Coraline
	Crazy Heart
	Fantastic Mr. Fox
	The Hurt Locker
	The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
	Invictus
	Julie & Julia
	The Lovely Bones
	Nine
	Precious
	The Princess and the Frog
	Sherlock Holmes
	Star Trek
	Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
	Up in the Air
	The Young Victoria

	Avatar
	District 9
	Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
	Inglourious Basterds
	Up

So I have my work cut out for me. Has anyone seen any of these movies and how did you like them? :)

"The only way to find the best actor would be to let everybody play Hamlet and let the best man win." - Humphrey Bogart, 1951 Academy Awards

Favorite Movie Monday

2010-02-15T09:00:00.003-07:00

Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl starring Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, and Geoffrey Rush

I LOVE this movie. This is classic. Captain Jack Sparrow is hilarious. I like the series, but the first one is always the best, and then the third and the second usually comes in last. At least for me. They are making a fourth one. I hope its good. The Release Date right now is May 20, 2011 but the movie is only in pre-production so who knows. Its called Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Also, Disney's Head of Production, Oren Aviv, has said that the fourth movie will hopefully be the beginning of a new trilogy; which could be cool. I think.

Pintel: You're supposed to be dead!
Jack Sparrow: Am I not?

Revamped Short Update

2010-02-14T22:56:00.005-07:00

So I've revamped my blog just a bit. I just made small tweaks; I removed some stuff, cleaned it up, added some stuff. The snowy mountains are only for the Olympics so that will be changed Feb 28 or so. Hopefully. Do you like? I think I like the blue. I had a three day weekend this week so that was really nice. I wish it was longer, as always, but life must go on.

Yesterday, I went to my cousin's baby shower. That was fun. We had good food which is not normal for showers. They always have food I hate. But she had taco salads and they were delicious. Then, I went to my brother's basketball game. I never get to go to any of them because I work in retail and I always work Saturdays. So I'm glad I got to see a game. Next week I'll see his last game because Jean was so nice to switch with me. And then, I went babysitting. I babysat little Sam. He was adorable, he just loves playing with the light switches.

I'm back to Twitter. I was gone for 4 months and now I'm back. Today. We'll see how long it lasts. :)

I'm loving the Olympics! Yay for Apolo! :) I'm glad Canada finally won a Gold medal on their home soil for the first time ever by Bilodeau for Men's Moguls. And on a very sad note, my heart goes out to the Luger that died on Friday in training. RIP Nodar Kumaritashvili of Georgia.

Have a good week everyone.

"Gaily I lived as ease and nature taught,
And spent my little life without a thought,
And am amazed that Death, that tyrant grim,
Should think of me, who never thought of him."
- René Francois Regnier

With Glowing Hearts

2010-02-12T09:00:00.003-07:00

2010 Vancouver Olympic Games begin today! I'm excited. I love the Olympics. I can never decide if I like Summer or Winter Olympics more. I always lean toward Summer until I watch the Winter Olympics. What's your favorite, Summer or Winter?

Some of my favorite events for Winter are the Speed Skating - Apolo Anton Ohno! Figure Skating, Snowboarding, Freestyle Skiing, Ski Jumping, and the Luge and Bobsleigh are pretty cool too. What's your favorite?

Apolo Ohno

Shaun White Hannah Teter

And I love the Opening Ceremonies. :)

"The Olympics are a wonderful metaphor for world cooperation, the kind of international competition that's wholesome and healthy, an interplay between countries that represents the best in all of us." - John Williams

Я учусь говорить на русском языке

2010-02-10T09:00:00.003-07:00

The title of this post is, "I am learning to speak Russian" in Russian. They have awesome letters. Its a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. I've only learned a few words and phrases. Its always fun to learn another language. How am I learning Russian? My coworker, Lana. She is Russian. She is a funny lady. She has to say the words in Russian a few times before I actually understand how to pronounce it. haha. Here is what I've learned so far:

привет - Hello, You pronounce it like prih vee ette
как - Вы - How are you? pronounced kak dela
хороший - Good, pronounced harasho
и Вы? - And you? pronounced owtibya
мое название - My name is, pronounced men yaza voot
как ваше имя - What's your name? kak tibyaza voot
прощайте - Bye, paka
доброй ночи - Good night, spakoni noche
да - Yes, da
нет - No, niet
сука - Bitch, suka
сделайте Вы говорите на русском языке - Do you speak Russian? Ti gavariche pa Russki?
Я говорю на русском языке - I speak Russian, Ya gavaru pa Russki
немного - A little bit, niem noga
я также - Me too, ya toja (the j is very soft like an sh with a j sound)
спасибо - Thank you, spa sea bah
пожалуйста - You're welcome, Pojowvusta (the j is soft again)
не хороший - Not good, nie ochen harasho
замечательный - Wonderful, pikrasna

I'm not sure on the Russian letters because we haven't learned our letters yet. haha. So I just used Free Translation, and sometimes that site is off. I would love to go to Russia someday. I've always wanted one of those awesome hats and a Matryoshka doll. And their architecture is amazing. I want to see some of those onion domes! :)

“The fall of a leaf is a whisper to the living." - Russian Proverb

Favorite Movie Monday

2010-02-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Matrix Trilogy featuring Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Laurence Fishburne from the Wachowski brothers.

I absolutely love this series! Its so out there but believable at the same time. And the fight sequences are pretty awesome too. The first Matrix is my favorite though. The first is always the best.

"Free Your Mind."

I find the map and draw a straight line

2010-02-05T09:00:00.002-07:00

There are so many movies I really want to see but the lack of green paper is holding me back. :( The most recent movie I'm excited to see and hopefully will see asap!

Dear John starring Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried

Its based on the book by Nicholas Sparks. Every time the trailer comes on the TV, I get excited and have to watch it. Even when I'm watching a show I've recorded. I stop to watch it. I even really like the song that plays on it. Am I crazy? It comes out today, Friday, February 5th. :)

I'm miles from where you are,
I lay down on the cold ground
I, I pray that something picks me up
And sets me down in your warm arms

-Set the Fire to the Third Bar by Snow Patrol featuring Martha Wainwright

Favorite Movie Monday

2010-02-01T09:00:00.001-07:00

West Side Story featuring Natalie Wood.

This is one of the best musicals ever. Its an old movie, which is good. Its a classic. It won 10 Academy Awards so it has to be good right? :)

Ice: [singing] Play it cool boy, real cool.

Year of the Saiga

2010-01-29T15:43:00.005-07:00

Its been awhile since I wrote a blog about something that really mattered to me. The other night I was watching Animal Planet. I do like that channel, ever since I was in elementary school. I used to watch it everyday after school when I was a wee lass.

It was an episode from the Wild Russia series. It was about the Caucasus region, it was really interesting. The part that really caught my eye and made my blood boil was a segment on the Saiga Antelope. They are different looking antelopes.. Their snout is unique. Its over-sized and flexible. It looks similar to an aardvark. Their nose warms up the air in the Winter and filters out dust in the Summer so that's cool. See?

Saiga Antelope

I think they are awesome. But their numbers have PLUMMETED! Now, you can only find them in parts of Russia, Kazakhstan, and western Mongolia. During the Ice Age, they ranged from the British Isles to Central Asia, the Bering Strait into Alaska, and the Yukon! They were almost exterminated into extinction in the 1920s. They recovered in 1950 to have 2 million in the USSR but now there are only approximately 50,000 left! The Saiga are Critically Endangered. For those of you that aren't aware, there are levels of the Conservation Status of a species.

This is what it looks like for the Saiga.

I haven't told you why their numbers are dwindling so fast.. Take a guess. Its the same reason why Tigers numbers are falling. They are being poached for traditional Chinese medicine for what else? Their horns. Also, their loss of habitat. And if you like facts and figures.. The Saiga's numbers have dropped by 95% in 15 YEARS! That's horrible!

The main threats to the saiga antelope are hunting and habitat loss. The break up of the former USSR led to uncontrolled hunting. Increased rural poverty means the saiga is hunted for its meat. Demand for the horn used in traditional Chinese medicine skewed the sex ratio so dramatically leading to a catastrophic drop in birth rates. - WWF

Some links for you:
Saiga Conservation Alliance and WWF Saiga Antelope

President of Russia's Kalmykia Republic Kirsan Ilyumzhinov announced year of 2010 in Kalmykia as Year of Saiga

Its the Year of Saiga! So show your support! :) Have a nice weekend. I'm seeing the film Bhutto tonight downtown for Sundance. I am excited!

"I think the environment should be put in the category of our national security. Defense of our resources is just as important as defense abroad. Otherwise what is there to defend?" ~ Robert Redford, Yosemite National Park dedication, 1985

Favorite Movie Monday

2010-01-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

The Incredibles.

I love this movie. Its one of my favorite new Disney movies. Its funny and creative.

Bob: Want to catch a robber?
Lucius: No. To tell you the truth, I'd rather go bowling. Look, what if we actually did what our wives think we're doing... just to shake things up?

Favorite Movie Monday

2010-01-21T10:25:00.004-07:00

Failed. again. Favorite Movie Thursday today. :)

Avatar starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Michelle Rodriguez, Sigourney Weaver

I saw this movie last weekend and it was so amazing! I love it! I'm definitely going to have to buy it when it comes out. Its a beautiful movie not only in its images but the story as well. It does remind me a bit of Pocahontas and Dances with Wolves on another planet in the modern world. I saw it in 3D and that was cool. James Cameron is awesome. :)

"I see you."

Favorite Movie Monday

2010-01-11T09:00:00.001-07:00

Public Enemies starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, and Marion Cotillard

So I watched this about a week ago for the first time and I really enjoyed it. I don't think I would have liked it as much if Johnny Depp was not in it. :) I think the story was portrayed very well and Christian Bale's accent was pretty great--although I prefer his own accent. But you know, I love these kind of movies.

"I like baseball, movies, good clothes, whiskey, fast cars... and you. What else you need to know?" - John Dillinger

Favorite Movie Monday

2010-01-07T18:38:00.002-07:00

I missed it again. Oops. I suck. Which movie will make the list today...?

Grease starring John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, and Stockard Channing

My sister and I used to watch this show so many times when we were younger. And my cousin Josh would hate it because he would be over at our house while we were watching it. We knew every word, it drove him nuts. Its a classic. And I really do not like Grease 2 - that has been on TV lately, which especially influenced Grease to make the cut today. :)

"Grease is the word."

Favorite Movie Monday

2009-12-28T09:00:00.001-07:00

This is the last Monday for December and there are so many Christmas movies I like. Some of my favorites that didn't get a spot are: The Santa Clause, Miracle on 34th Street, Step Mom, and A Christmas Story.

While You Were Sleeping starring Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, Peter Gallagher, and Peter Boyle

I like this movie even when its not around the holidays. The "Leaning" scene is one of my favorites! My family and I bring it up in normal conversation once in awhile anyway. haha.

"These mashed potatoes are so creamy. These mashed potatoes are so creamy." - Midge Callahan