I just KNOW you are dying to find out my thoughts about the Royal Wedding. Sorry. This isn't about the Royal Wedding. I have some thoughts about Dancing with the Stars. Or, more specifically, this past week's episode. It was guilty pleasures week. Not as dirty as it sounds, I swear. Except Kendra's samba, of course, but when you put a stripper in a tiny outfit and tell her to shimmy it's bound to be a bit, um, adult. It was songs you're ashamed to admit you love. And every single song is on my iPod. I know, I'm that awesome. But I digress. Here's what on my mind:
1. Ralph Macchio is a class act. I swear, this season has had more mishaps than ever, and it's only half over. But usually those mishaps happen to the celeb. (Marie Osmond fainting, Jennie Garth slipping on her dress, Kirstie Allie's shoe falling off.) You never really get to see the pros try to recover after they've hit the pavement. It was clear Karina wasn't used to falling down. Ralph helped her up, counted her back in, and got her where she was supposed to go. He was super cool under pressure. Mr. Miyagi would have been proud.
2. I had forgotten the song "Mmm...Bop." It was nice to see the Hansen boys all grown up and well-groomed.
3. I thought it was HILARIOUS that the Backstreet Boys sounded like poop, and New Kids on the Block (or Old Middle-Aged Guys on the Block) sounded decent. And New Kids' moves were WAY better. And Joey and that other guy did a little ballroom at the end of their number. Apparently Backstreet Boys need 10 more years of retirement before they sound okay. Sidenote: I missed the 5 minutes New Kids on the Block were all the rage here. I was living out of the country and went I got back to Utah all I heard about was this boy band that was super lame. I didn't know what a boy band was, and when I heard "The Right Stuff" I didn't get why everyone hated them. Go figure.
That's it for now.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Exciting news
Remember this guy?
Now imagine him as Thorin, leader of the dwarves in next year's "The Hobbit," directed by Peter Jackson. Yeah, I'm having a hard time with it, too. Here's what theonering.net came up with on Photoshop and with a little imagination:
December 2012. Who's coming with me?
Friday, April 8, 2011
Disappeared
The first trimester of pregnancy is tricky, because you're excited and you want to start shopping for baby stuff and new maternity clothes right away, but if you get spotted in Motherhood, people know your secret and the word gets out. So I spent the last 3 months anticipating buying some new cute maternity clothes to freshen up my stale and overworn wardrobe. I spent Monday going from one store to another, only to find that it is impossible to find anything for pregnant women anywhere. This is in the land of babies. The places I found clothes in the past no longer carry maternity clothes: Old Navy, The Gap, TJ Maxx, JC Penney (unless you count one rack of horrid giant panel pants), and Walmart. Some of these stores carry their maternity clothes online, which is great if you're 5'7" and have the perfectly proportioned waist, even while pregnant. I have to actually try clothes on. And yes, there is the Motherhood store in the mall, which has a wide selection of clothing for expectant mothers. If you want to pay out a gazillion bucks for a pair of shorts. I am annoyed. Ross carries maternity clothes, which is fantastic, since the clothes there are inexpensive. But I don't understand why most clothing stores have excluded an entire clientele type. Especially here in Utah where pregnant women are EVERYWHERE. Boo on them.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
A nugget of news
Gimme a P!
Gimme an R!
Gimme an E!
Gimme a G!
Gimme an O!
What does that spell? The reason my brain juices are flowing directly to my stomach and I can't come up with a sentence that sounds anywhere near intelligent!
Gimme an R!
Gimme an E!
Gimme a G!
Gimme an O!
What does that spell? The reason my brain juices are flowing directly to my stomach and I can't come up with a sentence that sounds anywhere near intelligent!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Catching up...again
Three things:
The Trouble with Trilogies:
Just about everyone has read The Hunger Games trilogy. The main complaint people seemed to have about it was that, while the first book was fantastic and creative, and the second and third books were poorer versions of the same story. The hero ends up in some version of the games and overcomes near-impossible odds. I have found myself stuck in the same cycle while reading Scott Westerfeld's "Uglies" trilogy. I enjoyed the creativity of the first book, "Uglies." It was a fascinating premise, with the idea that, after the destruction of our civilization (we are Rusties), people developed a system where everyone becomes equally beautiful at the age of 16. The point is that biologically, people are drawn to beautiful people, which gives pretty people an edge in being hired, being elected, and in overall success. But something (of course) is wrong with the Pretties, and a group of Uglies are out to solve the problem. There are actually 4 books, but only three involve the main characters: "Uglies," "Pretties," and "Specials." Like I said, "Uglies" is fascinating. The hero goes on a journey out into the wild, meets some new, interesting people, finds herself, and returns to her home with the intent to help improve the world. And "Pretties" is about the same girl, escaping into the wild, meeting a new group of people, finding out more things to change in her world, and returns to save civilization again. And "Specials" is about the same girl, finding her true self again, heading out into the wild again, and ending up with yet another group of people who have an agenda, realizes she needs to save the world, and heads back to her home town to make big changes. It's a little familiar. I stuck with the books, and now I'm reading the fourth book of the "trilogy." It's already looking like the new hero is going to head out to the wild and meet some new people. It seems that the purpose of trilogies these days is just that the author wants three times the moola. Authors, please take a note from J.R.R. Tolkien. A trilogy could be different parts of the same story told in three parts. Just a thought.
He's not just good at the crane kick
Can I tell you how excited I am that Ralph Macchio is on Dancing With the Stars? So excited. And he was fantastic last night. Super light on his feet. And I was stunned when he admitted his age to be 49. What? The man looks like he's 25. And honorable mention goes to Kirstie Alley, who was also super fantastic. I think I'll be watching this season.
Guilty Pleasure
Okay mom. You can stop reading now. Has anyone else watched the first 6 seasons of Desperate Housewives? I have spent a lot of the last month watching it on Netflix streaming. Let me tell you what I love about the show. 1. Four neighbor friends that have different personalities, yet manage to love and support each other through all their trials. It's heart-warming. 2. Lynette, a mother of four, is not a perfect mom. She yells at her kids sometimes, she gets mad at her husband sometimes, and she loves her family more than anything in the whole world. Plus, she's hilarious. 3. It's totally over the top, and I love over the top. ("Lost", anyone?) For example, a tornado heading right down the center of Wisteria Lane. Also, the usual soapy stories (babies switched at birth, mysterious murderous neighbors, affairs with gardeners), which, you have to admit, can be kind of exciting. I'm just saying, it's a fun show. 4. Despite its soapy tendencies, there are also a lot of situations found in the show that are very relatable: a friend with cancer whose friends gather around her, a miscarriage, a husband and wife who struggle to make ends meet and end up bickering over it, and motherhood in general. I have really enjoyed the show. I'm now stuck waiting for Season 7 to come out on DVD and streaming. I hear Vanessa Williams has joined the Lane. Should be fascinating.
That's what's on my mind, peeps.
The Trouble with Trilogies:
Just about everyone has read The Hunger Games trilogy. The main complaint people seemed to have about it was that, while the first book was fantastic and creative, and the second and third books were poorer versions of the same story. The hero ends up in some version of the games and overcomes near-impossible odds. I have found myself stuck in the same cycle while reading Scott Westerfeld's "Uglies" trilogy. I enjoyed the creativity of the first book, "Uglies." It was a fascinating premise, with the idea that, after the destruction of our civilization (we are Rusties), people developed a system where everyone becomes equally beautiful at the age of 16. The point is that biologically, people are drawn to beautiful people, which gives pretty people an edge in being hired, being elected, and in overall success. But something (of course) is wrong with the Pretties, and a group of Uglies are out to solve the problem. There are actually 4 books, but only three involve the main characters: "Uglies," "Pretties," and "Specials." Like I said, "Uglies" is fascinating. The hero goes on a journey out into the wild, meets some new, interesting people, finds herself, and returns to her home with the intent to help improve the world. And "Pretties" is about the same girl, escaping into the wild, meeting a new group of people, finding out more things to change in her world, and returns to save civilization again. And "Specials" is about the same girl, finding her true self again, heading out into the wild again, and ending up with yet another group of people who have an agenda, realizes she needs to save the world, and heads back to her home town to make big changes. It's a little familiar. I stuck with the books, and now I'm reading the fourth book of the "trilogy." It's already looking like the new hero is going to head out to the wild and meet some new people. It seems that the purpose of trilogies these days is just that the author wants three times the moola. Authors, please take a note from J.R.R. Tolkien. A trilogy could be different parts of the same story told in three parts. Just a thought.
He's not just good at the crane kick
Can I tell you how excited I am that Ralph Macchio is on Dancing With the Stars? So excited. And he was fantastic last night. Super light on his feet. And I was stunned when he admitted his age to be 49. What? The man looks like he's 25. And honorable mention goes to Kirstie Alley, who was also super fantastic. I think I'll be watching this season.
Guilty Pleasure
Okay mom. You can stop reading now. Has anyone else watched the first 6 seasons of Desperate Housewives? I have spent a lot of the last month watching it on Netflix streaming. Let me tell you what I love about the show. 1. Four neighbor friends that have different personalities, yet manage to love and support each other through all their trials. It's heart-warming. 2. Lynette, a mother of four, is not a perfect mom. She yells at her kids sometimes, she gets mad at her husband sometimes, and she loves her family more than anything in the whole world. Plus, she's hilarious. 3. It's totally over the top, and I love over the top. ("Lost", anyone?) For example, a tornado heading right down the center of Wisteria Lane. Also, the usual soapy stories (babies switched at birth, mysterious murderous neighbors, affairs with gardeners), which, you have to admit, can be kind of exciting. I'm just saying, it's a fun show. 4. Despite its soapy tendencies, there are also a lot of situations found in the show that are very relatable: a friend with cancer whose friends gather around her, a miscarriage, a husband and wife who struggle to make ends meet and end up bickering over it, and motherhood in general. I have really enjoyed the show. I'm now stuck waiting for Season 7 to come out on DVD and streaming. I hear Vanessa Williams has joined the Lane. Should be fascinating.
That's what's on my mind, peeps.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
A shout out
I don't have a whole lot of time to blog today, but I just finished a fantastic book and wanted to recommend it. It's called "Peace Like a River" by Leif Enger. I'm not going to give you a summary of the book for two reasons. First, because I think sometimes it's nice to start a book not knowing anything. Discovery is one of the gifts of reading a new book. Second, because I don't even know how to sum it up. Instead, I will just give the book an enthusiastic double thumbs up and beg you to read it. We are having a book group on that very book on March 29th, 8:15pm at my house. Please read it and come on over.
Friday, February 11, 2011
A Pleasant Break
I have read a lot of good books lately. I enjoyed the Hunger Games trilogy, "These is my Words," "The Help," "Unbearable Lightness," and many other books of substance. It's fantastic to read so much recently written literature. I've learned so much about the Civil Rights era, the struggles in the Arizona territories in the mid to late 1800s, eating disorders, and the horrors of being a teenager in post-apocolyptic America. I've also slipped in some fluff here and there, of course.
I got a Nook at Christmas, and a month ago I found all of the Anne of Green Gables books for 99 cents, and bought them. About a week ago I started reading them for the first time that I can remember. My mom probably read them to me when I was in elementary school, but things went in one ear and out the other back then. So this is really the first time for me. I have seen the movies hundreds of times (like, every other Saturday in college when it wasn't Pride and Prejudice Saturday). I LOVE the movies. Who doesn't adore Gilbert and his floppy hair? But I had no idea how much more there is in the books. The only word I can come up with is delightful. There is no horrible tragedy or social commentary, war or depression. Just a spunky orphan finding beauty in her surroundings. One of the joys of reading is the ability you have to see inside the characters' minds. Marilla's thoughts add so much depth to her character. Rachel Lynde is even more amusing. I am currently about halfway through "Anne of the Island." If you need something to brighten up your February, I suggest you give Anne a try. It is such a pleasure to read these books.
I got a Nook at Christmas, and a month ago I found all of the Anne of Green Gables books for 99 cents, and bought them. About a week ago I started reading them for the first time that I can remember. My mom probably read them to me when I was in elementary school, but things went in one ear and out the other back then. So this is really the first time for me. I have seen the movies hundreds of times (like, every other Saturday in college when it wasn't Pride and Prejudice Saturday). I LOVE the movies. Who doesn't adore Gilbert and his floppy hair? But I had no idea how much more there is in the books. The only word I can come up with is delightful. There is no horrible tragedy or social commentary, war or depression. Just a spunky orphan finding beauty in her surroundings. One of the joys of reading is the ability you have to see inside the characters' minds. Marilla's thoughts add so much depth to her character. Rachel Lynde is even more amusing. I am currently about halfway through "Anne of the Island." If you need something to brighten up your February, I suggest you give Anne a try. It is such a pleasure to read these books.
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