Words

O Canada

I'm watching the Opening Ceremony (apparently it's just one ceremony) and I'm kind of loving it. Yes, the China Spectacular was amazing, there's no doubt about it, but I love how Canada is just...rocking being Canadian.

I kind of wish Bob Costas and Matt Lauer would quit talking about how the goal for the show is to be intimate and personal. Whatevs. Just let Canada be unapologetically Canadian.

Anyway, so far I think everything has been beautiful. If anything, it's helped me appreciate the Canadian treasures we enjoy here in the U.S.

• Nelly Fertado
• Bryan Adams
• Donald Southerland (just watch the second to last scene in Pride and Prejudice, and pretty much anything else he's been in).
• Sarah McLachlan
• Joni Mitchell

Mostly, I just love the Olympics. I love the excitement, and I love looking at the athletes' faces, especially the ones who are just in awe of being there. Also, I think the Georgian team was so brave for marching.

Anyway, here's to you Canada. Thanks for keeping our northern borders warm.

Why I love Movie Monday...

How do I choose my movies for Mondays? Generally speaking, the video must make me tear up, laugh out loud, drop my jaw in awe, or simply make me smile until the muscles in my cheeks get sore.

Today's video did the latter, and was brought to you by friend David.

Hee.

BBC One has my unswerving devotion.

Every now and then I go through an Austen Renaissance of sorts. Something or someone will remind me how much I love Jane Austen.

This time the someone was my old roommate Alicia, who posted a link on my facebook wall, introducing me to the newest addition to the BBC One literary adaptation library.

Feast your eyes, lovelies:

Now, I will forever love the Gwyneth Paltrow version from my teenage years, but seriously folks, there are no words.

It doesn't hurt that the three potential suitors--Mr. Knightly, Mr. Elton, and Frank Churchill are all glorious to behold.

I just can't wait until they show it on Masterpiece Theater, because then it will be available on Yankee-friendly DVD, and I will buy it.

Also? Happy birthday, Mom!

No, I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.

But I HAVE moved to Springville to a lovely new apartment really close to work. My books are unpacked and shelved according to spine color, and I've shaved an hour and fifteen minutes off of my commute.

The only downside: we don't have internet yet! As one might imagine, this cuts deeply into my blogging time, and I miss it deeply. I have videos I want to share, treats I want to show you, pictures I want to feature and food I want you to be jealous of. But no, we might have to wait longer for any of these things to happen.

Best ever.

Okay, for today's Movie Monday, we're going to take a little field trip.

All aboard, everyone, and head on over to my sister's blog. There's a fantastic video where my little nephew is Living Up his birthday. I mean, really, it's all kinds of cute and all kinds of awesome.

A look at a classic

Comedy doesn't come better than this.

Ukraine's got talent (and isn't at all weak)

Today's Movie Monday is brought to you by Mom (and is wicked, crazy, out of control).

Happy first day of work!

Today's movie is brought to you by Mallory, and it was brought to her by Aunt Debi.



I love grammar. And I love Al.

Me and Lorelei or, the BBC 100 Books Meme

I spent far too much time trying to rip a clip from the episode of Gilmore Girls that aired today. Lorelei pretends to be a book editor while making small talk with some guests at the world's most heinous bed and breakfast. So here's what they say:

Lorelai: I published Good Night Spoon... and the Horse that wanted to Bark.

Guest: Oh, I've read to my grandson! The horse really wanted to bark, and it finally does, and... (to Lorelai) How does it end?


Lorelai: It dies.


Rory: But... the horse learned to bark and achieved its goal, so it was really a happy ending!


Well, Lorelei Gilmore is merely a pretend person who pretended to be a book editor. I, on the other hand, am a real person who really is a book editor! This week I was offered a position at a tiny little publisher down in Springville, Utah. I'm so excited, and I feel so blessed to be able to work in my chosen profession.

However, since it is Thoughts for Thursday and I feel like I ought to prove to the world that I do more than watch Gilmore Girls, I will now try and prove that I am worth my salt as a reader.

I lifted this from a friend's blog, who in turn lifted it from a friend's blog. Also, my sister also did this on facebook.

"The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books here. How do your reading habits stack up?”
1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen X (So many times. Sooooo many times.)
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien X
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte X
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling X
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee X
6 The Bible X (I'm pretty sure I've read it all. I took Bible as Lit and went to seminary.)
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte X
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell X (I'm really surprised that you haven't read this, Rachel.)
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman X
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens X
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott X
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy X
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien X
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot X
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell X
22 The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald (My cousin's favorite book. I own it and it's on my list.)
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams X
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis X
34 Emma - Jane Austen X
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen X (Right now, it's tied with P&P for my favorite story.)
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis X
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini X
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden X
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown X
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery X
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding X (One of my least favorite books that I had to read every year from 8th to 10th grade.)
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan X
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel (I've borrowed it from one of my sisters. It is swimming in the sea of books next to my bed.)
52 Dune - Frank Herbert (I remember that one of my sisters used to LOVE this book.)
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen X
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens X (I think I did. I may of fudged my way through it in high school.)
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley X
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens X
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett X
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Inferno – Dante
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - EB White X
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery X
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare X
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory X
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
TOTAL: 35. Now, I have a degree in English, but last I heard, 35 was more than 6. I think I'm in possession of at least 5 more, so I'll keep on going.

Movie Monday, part II (i.e. no video)

This weekend has been a bit of a whirlwind. Applying/interviewing for a job I really want, having my computer (in other words, my entire life) potentially crap out on me, preparing/teaching a Relief Society lesson, and a lot of back-and-forthing among Salt Lake City, Provo, Springville and Lehi.

However, there were great things that happened:

• Watching North & South with roommates (and might-as-well-have-been roommates) past, all while drinking delicious teas and eating scones, salads, cold sandwiches, sorbets and every good thing. Seriously. If you or someone you love has a Netflix account, steal the password and watch it On Demand. Right now.
• Watching Julie and Julia. I already blogged about it. In fact, it was so recent, I'm not even going to take the trouble of linking to the post.
• Watching Psych while eating delicious pineapple salsa and Pineapple Punch Bowl Surprise. You know, the kind where you mix pineapple juice and a soda of some sort and then dump pineapple sherbet in and then it all foams up and melts together? It was very popular on the LDS Wedding Reception Circuit circa 1990-1998. Anyway, fabulous.

Did you watch anything worthwhile this weekend?

Her Morning Elegance

I'll admit it: when I first thought of Movie Mondays, this was the video that came to mind. I don't remember if I've posted it on this blog, but I just think it's glorious.



P.S. The interview process for the book editor position is going well. So, those of you in support of me, keep doing what you're doing! Thank you!!

Foodie Fridays

Paul: What is it that you really love to do?
Julia: Eat!
Paul: And you are so good at it!
Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci, Julie and Julia.
I was actually going to talk about something entirely different today, but when good ol' Mallory offered to treat me to a post-interview celebratory movie watch (I think the interview went really well), how could I talk about anything else on this, the First Foodie Friday?



Aside from the fact that watching Meryl Streep act is like looking at fine art, and that this movie also featured Stanley Tucci, Amy Adams, and a delightful cameo by Jane Lynch, the unsung character in the movie was all the delectable food. And Paris. I want to go to there.

Now, I don't know a lot about Julia Child, but the woman portrayed in the movie was one who finds joy in food, family, people, and life, and it was wonderful to see. Now, I'm trying to decide what I can go cook in three cubes of butter.

Answer? Anything.

What now?

A month ago, I went to work, because I had a job. Before the day was out, I didn't have a job. It happened just that fast.

And now a month has literally flown by. I've been writing cover letters and filling out applications like it's going out of style. I know I'm not alone in this situation, and I take comfort in the fact that people can honestly say they know how I feel. I would feel even better if we all were going out to our celebratory "WE FOUND JOBS" dinner.

Granted, it's easy to get cabin fever, or to spend the day watching tween shows on Disney Channel, or to sleep in much too late, or do similar less than worthwhile things.

Some days are harder than others.

Some days, I just ask, "What now?"

So, I decided I need a creative outlet. My mother tells me that I'm a passionate person. I truly love all sorts of different things: movies, treasures/trinkets (think anything damask), beautiful artwork, learning, food, the Gospel, people, etc. And until I find a livelihood that incorporates some or all of these things, I'm just going to use this blog. From now on, not only will I be posting EVERY DAY (and sometimes even twice!) I will be instituting themes for every day.

For example: Movie Mondays. I find that I post a lot of video on this blog. Movie trailers, TV clips, something viral that I saw on my Google Reader, etc. Now I will be posting these movies on Mondays.

Ahem.

I was catching up on one of my favorite blogs, Pop Candy, which led me to this article, which basically says that British people are funny, and here are ten British movies you ought to see.

One such movie is Son of Rambow, which is worth adding to your Netflix queue.



And there you have it. Movie Monday.

The secret to world peace!

I only said "4"

A note about the following video: If you're short on time, start at about 2:00 for the purposes of this blog. (Although the entire thing is hilarious.)



This weekend was interesting to say the least. After a sleep-deprived, yet wonderful time at Women's Conference with my mom, aunt and cousins, I decided to stay the rest of the weekend at home to spend time with Little Brother before he left on his internship in Arizona, and to basically relax. I also had plans to visit Miss Nesbit in Provo, shop for cellos, and maybe even see Wolverine.

Well, you know what they say about the best laid plans...

After a wonderful morning at the temple with the family, we decided to go to Walmart on the way home to pick up some things for Mom and Chris's trip to Arizona on Monday. Also? It was raining. So, Dad, being the living proof of chivalry, let the rest of us out of the car curbside so we don't have to walk as far in the aforementioned rain. I was hurrying ahead, careful not to slip on the cobblestone. (It's a really ritzy Walmart.) I made it to the automatic doors, then proceeded to take a spectacular dive on the small, but extremely slippery tile just inside the door.

A side note: I have what we call "broken Barbie doll knees." In medical circles, we call this severe hyperextension. Next time you see me in person, ask me to show you. I usually break it out at parties or for an icebreaker. Anyway, this cool trick means that I have poor support around the knee joint, with extra elastic-y tendons and ligaments.

Back to the dive: I fell and felt a "click out" of the knee as I fell. Painful. I then felt a "click in." Gross, but the pain is less. Also? I was in a dress when this happened, so a little worried about modesty. Anyway, Little Brother managed to seize the opportunity to find me a motorized scooter. That Chris, always thinking of others.

Anyway, I thought I was fine, but apparently my mother caught the bit about me writhing in pain so she insisted I go to the Emergency Room. I couldn't complain too much, since I have medical coverage and stuff.

After an emotionally tumultuous wait at triage (my brother is a funny, funny guy, who made me do that whole laugh/cry thing) I told them I was about a 4 in the pain scale. I went back, had some x-rays and talked to the doctor, who told me that everything was structurally normal, but that I should see an orthopedic surgeon in a few days to make sure I didn't damage any cartilage. She also gave me a knee immobilizer that prevents me from moving my leg in such a way as to cause pain, and also insures some amount of sympathy after going through this whole ordeal.

Anyway, long story short: I'm a klutz who hopes there will be no lasting effects due to my klutziness.

And now for an extra bonus:

POP TARTS!

The hills (and depots) are alive!

I first saw this last weekend, and then, when while we channel surfing, my roommate and I caught a quick spot CNN did on the same thing.

If you can manage to watch this without smiling, I'm going to go ahead and say you might not have a soul.

Quarter Life Crisis

Author's Note: First of all, let's have a big shout out to Maren for letting me use her computer to post this while I wait for a new charger to arrive in the mail. Also, thanks for the Frosty.

There's nothing quite like revisiting an old favorite movie from teenagehood. Back in those days, we called them chick flicks instead of rom-coms. I think in those days fro-yo was frozen yogurt as well. Times, how they have changed.

Anyway back when I was 16 watching Never Been Kissed I pretty much thought two things:

1. I hope I get kissed before I'm 25.
2. Michael Vartan is hot.

Well, now that I'm almost 26 watching Never Been Kissed I thought some more things:

1. 25 isn't that old. (As far as the kissing thing goes, I've found it's often more trouble than it's worth. Of course, Michael Vartain, nor anyone resembling him, has met me on a pitcher's mound before a high school baseball game. I think that's probably what I'm missing.)
2. I enjoy being 25 much more than being 16.
3. Life isn't like a movie, but it can be close if you know how to tell the story well enough.
4. Michael Vartan is still hot (related thought: how did it take me that long to discover Alias?). If he, or anyone resembling him, wants to meet me on a pitcher's mound before a high school baseball game, I would be amenable to that.

To tide you over while waiting for the Post of Wonder

Mallory got this from her friend Michelle. I can't tell you how happy it made me.



Please enjoy it while I compile a post I've been meaning to write for quite some time.

For auld lang syne...

Well, 2008 has past, and I've taken to perusing the blogs of friends and family for an account of all the excitement of the year. At Christmastime, my dad asked my brother and me what the high point of the year was. For me it was a close race among my birthday fortnight, graduation, getting a job, buying a car, and finding my enchanting new Avenues home. (I know some of you are wondering where American Idol auditions rank. I'll let you ponder that quandary.) It truly is miraculous that everything ended up the way it did, and trust me, I give credit where credit is due.

During the month of December, I spent a lot of time pondering my 2009 New Year's Resolutions. I generally am of the mind that if I make a ton of resolutions, one of them ought to take, right? I've looked at my friends' blogs about this too, and I'm impressed by their resolve, and I hope that some of them don't mind if I borrow some of that resolve.

Mind

• My friend Ben is going to write for a half hour every day. I think I will join him.
• Write a novel
• Write a screenplay
• Read 36 books I've never read (3 a month)
• Enroll in an independent study British History course
• Learn Adobe Flash and make a short cartoon

Body

• Continue on the weight-loss journey
• Go to the doctor
• Swim in the Deer Creek Open Water Swim
• Establish a regular sleep schedule

Spirit

• My friend Jenna is going to read an Article from the Ensign magazine each week. I think I will join her.
• Study Conference talks
• Enroll in Institute
• Increase my temple attendance
• Go visiting teaching in the first half of the month

So there you have it folks. I really think 2009 is going to be a banner year. In January I'm always excited to see what the year will hold, and by December am always awed and grateful at all of the blessings. So here's to you and here's to the new year.