Booked

Road Rage?

2009-05-11T00:36:00.002-05:00

Cure for Road Rage ShticksAwesome or awful? I think I need these. :D

Library Movie Quest

2009-03-03T00:29:00.001-06:00

Starting now:A-Z.#1) American Flyers. Fairly old, Kevin Costner and a bunch of nobodies. I could tell you the whole movie in two sentences. Eh.I'll continue the quest.

HOPS

2008-10-12T18:12:00.001-05:00

At the gardens. Who knew so much about beer?~Gena

The Women

2008-10-01T00:28:00.001-05:00

To top off the weekend, I decided to see a third. "The Women" it was. Apparently, as we figured out in the end there were no men in the entire movie. Interesting. An all star female cast -- focused around Meg Ryan who finds herself married to a cheating husband, with a daughter who prefers an ex-friend to mother her (and ask advice from)... and that's the premise. Typical, in all senses, but

Burn After Reading

2008-10-01T00:25:00.001-05:00

Ah. One of the weirdest movies of my life. Seriously. They have outdone themselves this time (the Cohen brothers), creating a movie that was totally bizarre, yet was something you couldn't take your eyes off of. About a ex-CIA man who has his memoir found by two idiots... and it results in a lot of messes. Add a sex crazed George Clooney and you've got your movie. Not sure it's

Bottle Shock

2008-10-01T00:21:00.001-05:00

Not the poster I remember seeing when I was dying to watch this movie, but still. The movie was fantastic. If you love Alan Rickman, and I do, then the movie is great. He's a British wine snob, living in Paris, and arranges a tasting between California wines (Napa Valley) and french wines. Ab fab, although a bit slow. A great cast, with some famous people here and there, and a great

The sweet smell of... shampoo?

2008-06-19T14:03:00.001-05:00

Does the smell of shampoo drive you wild? Every time I smell the original herbal essences, I'm brought back to the summer before sixth grade. I can smell it now although it's nowhere nearby. The herbal essences straight one reminds me of last summer. The memories absolutely come flooding back and not just the mental picture of the shower stall itself. Amazing. I assume other smells do this as

Enjoying the sunshine

2008-06-14T14:05:00.000-05:00

Ever think about SAD (the seasonal disorder)? I think I'm so much happier in the sunshine it's amazing. Beaches are a godsend to mankind,, especially in the sun.

Costa Rica

2008-06-12T22:15:00.001-05:00

Don't really feel like a full on post about it until I've got pictures ready to go. But it was fabulous and I loved every minute (even in the rain). Having fun in the city and the beach before venturing towards the end of the vacation and into work...

Double Feature

2008-05-21T21:25:00.002-05:00

What do I do these days? Movies, a double feature to be exact.Made of Honor: Funny, and Patrick Dempsey is some star.What Happens in Vegas: Less funny, but still enjoyable.

Continuation...

2008-05-19T01:56:00.002-05:00

Oh my. Graduation today. To all those who graduated themselves, I wish you all the best in the future! Either way, although M may say I'm nostalgic, I'd prefer to just use the word -- sad. It's really the end of an era, and I do think that the sooner I get to the next stage of life, the happier I'll be. But here is not the time nor the place to go about blabbering on and on about everything.

The Darjeeling Limited

2008-03-30T01:26:00.001-05:00

Interesting movie that was about… nothing really. Famous actors and actresses, and discusses the travels of three brothers on a so called spiritual journey. Nice cute camerawork and goings on, but I cannot really say anything happened. And the end was a bit of shock, since it wasn't what I expected to happen. Do not get too excited about the end though. Watch it if you feel like watching a

Bake-off

2008-03-29T19:04:00.001-05:00

Tada. HMC is getting tired; or perhaps I'm getting tired [and of it]. It's a good thing that graduation isn't that far away, and I'm looking ahead into the future. Bake-off happened today and we made caramel popcorn (which is baked, believe it or not) and something we're now calling "blue-cheese cheesecake" which is what it sounds like, with toffee pears and sugar sauce. Delicious. Pictures

stickk.com

2008-02-19T11:17:00.002-06:00

An interesting website. Apparently studies have shown that having something on the table when you don't follow through (punishment/reward system) makes it more effective. Example if you "sign" the contract, and don't accomplish it, then it'll debit your account for a donation to some foundation - or money to a friend, etc. It's a good idea, and although I signed up (and opted for the no money

Back on?

2008-02-16T16:13:00.000-06:00

To write again. A catharsis for my soul. To express myself with almost no one listening. An opportunity to start once again.

Daily Lit

2007-06-19T15:04:00.000-05:00

Link is here: DailyLitThis website is very interesting and will email you a section each day or however you specify until the book is finished. They've got those books that are now "classics" meaning that the copyright has long gone, but there's plenty I've always wanted to read and thought were too long. I suppose in a year I could finish a long one, and I've started just today. Just thought

Art Institute of Chicago

2007-06-18T23:14:00.000-05:00

A really wonderful museum with a fabulous collection. Turns out they're doing construction and closed a tiny bit of the museum, and are currently rotating some of my favorite art into storage (figures). She said to come back in 2009 when the new part opens and they'll have more room for art from what the museum already owns, which is probably currently in the basement somewhere gathering dust..

Once

2007-06-18T20:22:00.000-05:00

This movie is a real keeper -- or see-it type movie. Apparently they're real musicians in life and have an album out besides the soundtrack for this movie. His voice reminds me of Damien Rice, but I'm sure some music-phile could say better who he (and she actually) remind you of. Either way, they meet in the street as he's a street musician and become fast friends. I'll leave the rest for you

Annapolis

2007-06-18T20:20:00.000-05:00

A navy movie this time, with James Franco. No one thinks he'll make it, but of course he does. Hope I didn't spoil it for you... but not really worth your time or mine either. Just an update.

Rain

2007-06-16T17:40:00.000-05:00

What lovely rain my city has. I woke up from my nap to hear the sound of the rain, real rain pouring down complete with thunder. I felt some drops outside earlier and it was cold rain, pure pleasure for the summer. Guess I can't go out now and take pictures of Lincoln Ave. covered with motorcycles from the Mods vs. Rockers thing; I suppose they'd all go for cover.

Firewall

2007-06-15T18:08:00.001-05:00

Another Harrison Ford movie, although I do have to say he's aging well.The gist: He works for this bank, and a few men want some money (typical) so they take hostage of his family. Not too thrilling I must say, and halfway through I was sure the movie was over, but no.Honestly, don't bother.

Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

2007-06-12T22:18:00.001-05:00

This 1988 film featuring a ton of famous people (Christopher Lloyd, and so on) was acted out and then the cartoons were drawn in. Essentially the question was about who framed him for the murder of Mr. ACME. Plenty of drawn in characters you'll recognize, and I finally understand that stuffed animal I had years ago. You pulled the string and he spoke, just like Roger Rabbit in the film. This

RV and Fun With Dick and Jane

2007-06-12T22:16:00.001-05:00

Don't know why I waste my time really, but some days you just need a good laugh. RV is with Robin Williams, as he takes his family on an RV vacation. Personally, I always thought an RV would be great... could drive anywhere and really sleep and cook inside. It's like a home on wheels. Anyway. Fun with Dick and Jane is about Jim Carey, being his usual face-making self, who loses his job after

FoxTrot, and the best comic strip...

2007-06-10T22:07:00.001-05:00

Kingdom of Hearts

2007-06-10T19:55:00.003-05:00

Don't know why I even bothered. The fighting, not too superb. The love story? Not too thrilling. It's about a blacksmith who finds out his father is a knight and a lord, and later fights to defend Jerusalem. One of the longest movies I've watched where I kept thinking I should turn it off. Why you should watch it? Just don't.

Invincible

2007-06-10T19:55:00.001-05:00

The short of it? A sports movie featuring Mark Wahlberg. It's a biographical movie based on Vince Papale who became a star player on the Philly Eagles in the 1970s. Drafted from the general public, he rose to become a great football player. Why you should see it? Only if you're a sport movie lover.

A Hard Day's Night

2007-06-09T21:20:00.000-05:00

If you can't recognize this poster, you're missing out. It's been hanging on my wall for ages :D. Either way, decided to rewatch the movie today, and I got my Dad watching and singing along with me. Oh, what a British day. It's so much more enjoyable this time around, perhaps since I can finally understand them clearly. Turning on the closed captioning helps out too. The Beatles are a crazy

Hot Fuzz

2007-06-09T21:13:00.000-05:00

A superior movie, that was all fun. This movie actually made me laugh out loud, something that hasn't happened in a movie theatre for a long time. And it happened more than once. OK, a bit gruesome, and bloody, but it was all in good fun. It was a British day all around. (See the next post), and I enjoyed every second of it, and all the slang too. The movie was about a cop sent from London

Take The Lead

2007-06-08T22:23:00.000-05:00

Another one of those teach dance to public school students. This was done up with Antonio Banderas and was more of a reenactment in comparison with a movie like Mad Hot Ballroom. The students turned out to be really good at dancing, and as it said at the end, it eventually lead to a larger program in NYC, perhaps fueling the other movie I mentioned. It was cute, and well done, and I do love

The Lake House

2007-06-07T22:07:00.001-05:00

An interesting movie. Haven't seen either Sandra Bullock or Keanu Reeves for a very long time in any picture. Don't know if I like these love stories across the boundaries of time type, but I feel like I've watched something comparable before. Either way, it was a nice relaxing film to watch filmed in a suburb of Chicago, since it's all around Chicago, and the house itself was pretty neat, at

Who Killed the Electric Car

2007-06-06T17:05:00.000-05:00

This is a wonderful documentary that everyone should go and watch this instant. It's not about our environment, but rather why we can't even change our cars to use electricity rather than oil. Absolutely enlightening. It brings to mind the idea about how much these documentaries influence us -- think about that one about McDonalds, remember that? Did you eat at McDonalds after watching the

Running With Scissors (movie)

2007-06-05T17:48:00.001-05:00

Oh my! If the book wasn't messed up, the movie certainly was. Instead of imagining his drugged up mother, we got to see her firsthand. A lot of the book was left out, thank goodness, and there was a lot of expression showed on faces where they did not show the actual horrific items mentioned. Not to spoil it or anything, but I think they ended differently as well, I'm not certain though,

Lord of War

2007-06-04T13:18:00.001-05:00

This may very well have been the best movie I've seen in months. Very well done and it was very on the spot. I mean, it is a movie about Nicholas Cage as an arms dealer, but it's much more than that. Well filmed, a good narrative and voice over, and a plot that was just grabbing considering much of the same was being done over and over. There was a love element, a family element, and a small

Marie Antoinette

2007-06-04T10:13:00.001-05:00

Well, I suppose my own thoughts are my own. Even if she was glorified and humanized (thanks to Martin for bringing this all up) I thought the movie was a bit touching. In case you don't know, she was once the Queen of France and apparently loved sweets and purchasing things. Either way, it was sweet, or at least I thought so, and the cinematography was excellent - and the music and visualness

Love Is All There Is

2007-06-01T21:27:00.001-05:00

Oh boy. The absolutely cheesiest, sappiest, stupid movie I've ever seen. With a bunch of famous people (including Angelina Jolie real young) it's about two rivalry families and their respective son and daughter reliving Romeo and Juliet. After they play in it together. But it's hilarious, really, and I wanted to turn it off the whole time but couldn't stop myself. My suggestion... turn the

Two for the Money

2007-05-31T23:18:00.001-05:00

So, another night, yet another movie. At this rate, I'll either finish all the movies on my hard drive, or stop watching cause I'll get to the depressing ones... either way, this one was not depressing, but rather one of the sport type movies I'm so fond of. The main guy is a sports lover, and becomes a picker for some kind of 900 number system, but he picks and sells. So, he's got this nice

Inside Man

2007-05-31T23:15:00.001-05:00

Wowsa. I think this type of movie is my favorite, where it is absolutely completely unpredictable. Ok, so he kept saying he'd walk right out the front door, but still. It had a wonderful ending, and when I say that I don't necessarily mean a happy one, but just one written and acted out well enough that satisfies the movie in itself. Definitely watch it or put it on your list to watch, and

Little Manhattan

2007-05-30T22:20:00.001-05:00

The movie? The cutest thing I've ever seen, and sweet as all else. Watched late at night, as usual, but it was worth all the extra time and the sleeping in the next morning. About a boy and girl aged 11, who fall in love, or at least the boy who does. They are fantastic in this movie and it seems so real. About the true first love where boys and girls aren't seperated any longer. Watch it.

Happy Feet

2007-05-30T22:10:00.001-05:00

So, I watched this movie after falling asleep watching it on an airplane before. My grandfather has poor vision, so any movie with a light colored background makes the cut, and he admitted that it was the first movie that he actually saw for a long time. He didn't hear a word they said, but that's besides the point. I never thought I'd actually watch it, much less enjoy it, but it was cute

Slacking

2007-05-29T21:29:00.000-05:00

Wow. I've been slacking on my blog in the year 2007, but that stops now. My media update has been finished and that's what was really holding me back in a sense. It's summer and I'm waiting to hear from a job or two, and then I'll leave Ft Lauderdale and move on to some other place. It's warm here, and sunny, which is a nice change from California (but only in one sense or two) and my

Big Media Update

2007-05-29T21:13:00.000-05:00

Shrek 3: Not worth your money. Typical sequel to the first two, with less laughter than it should have had.Spiderman 3: Go see only only if you LOVED the first two, otherwise, skip this one too.Pirates 3: Oh so long, I fell asleep. I know, I do that a lot, but never in the movies! It dragged on, the fighting especially and there were some loose ends that were not very clear.Lucky You:

Life: hectic... Stress: all my fault...

2007-03-05T17:20:00.000-06:00

From Healthbolt:1. Embrace the number one truth about stress: Only you create it. Stress isn’t defined as a large workload, a difficult child, or a rise in terrorism. Stress is your physical and mental reaction to these external stimuli. Remember the truism about alcoholism? The one that says admitting you are an alcoholic is more than 50 percent of the cure? The same is true for stress:

The Queen

2007-02-25T13:09:00.000-06:00

A fantastic movie, really well done, portraying a side of the English Queen (Elizabeth II) that I'd never known before, especially with regards to the Princess Diana issue, but maybe only since I was young when it all occured. The movie ended with the end of the Diana issue (or really the beginning part of the issue) and didn't deal with later contraversies with Blair and the Queen.*And here I

Honest Tea/Ade

2007-02-20T17:21:00.000-06:00

So Margie has been ranting and raving about these Honest Tea drinks she ended up buying at Jay's Place, and finally I gave in and tried them. Not so bad, and quite healthy. I didn't see it on the last one I drank, but on the inside label of this one was a good quote..."Be like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there." -Josh Billings

Take off your shoes?

2007-02-19T21:08:00.000-06:00

http://healthbolt.net/2007/02/19/easy-health-tip-36-take-off-your-shoes/It’s something that a lot of families think is a good idea, but I always figured it had to do with keeping the house clean. But it’s not something I’ve ever taken upon myself to do at school. Perhaps this medical reason is a good one. Plus, it’s easier to sit cross-legged in my chair without shoes (which I like). :D.

Overheard in New York

2007-02-19T20:39:00.000-06:00

Link hereOh, it has great great lines that people have overheard and typed up to share... here's some: Four-year-old girl: Mommy, is this avant-garde?Mom: Yes.Four-year-old girl: Mommy, I like avant-garde.--MoMAFrat boyfriend: Wait, 525,600 what? What was that about?Girlfriend: Minutes, baby. It's, like, how many minutes we have in our lives.Frat boyfriend: Oh. [Two blocks later] Wait, 525,600

Best American Short Stories 2005, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, False Impresion

2007-01-12T01:30:00.000-06:00

Three books. The first was a compilation with heavy themes in terms of content and writing style, filled with true stories collected which were almost all fabulous. A good read (but I bet any year will do you good). The second book, a fictional piece from the 50s that takes place in Brooklyn of course, and was a touching story of a girl growing up and the hardships. The last was a quick read,

Illusionist and The Last Kiss

2007-01-12T01:28:00.000-06:00

The Illusionist was a fabulous movie with Edward Norton, one of my favourites. About a man who seems to have supernatural powers and does magic, and eventually tracks down his long lost love.The Last Kiss was a movie with Zach Braff about a man who eventually decides not to leave his pregnant girlfriend for a younger girl. An alright movie with a fab soundtrack. Which I'll get soon enough.

Travels

2007-01-12T01:27:00.000-06:00

Magnificent!Scotland (Glasgow and Edinburgh)Italy (Venice, Florence, Rome)France (Paris)Traveling was a great experience, and I'd love to go back everywhere and do everything and see everything again. As they say... 'leave things for later' which was done, but more so because we ran out of time. Ask if you want to know more.

Wicked

2006-12-16T09:34:00.000-06:00

So, I've loved the music for ages (I used to blast it in the car when it was just me and the car for a drive...) and I loved the book. I had told myself that I was going to wait until returning to HMC and see it in LA with friend when it opened there in February. However, apparently I couldn't wait. Idina Menzel, the Tony award winner for Wicked, was absolutely wonderful; and the audience

Playing Mind Games

2006-12-06T09:11:00.001-06:00

BBC NEWS | Magazine | Playing mind games A very interesting article on the BBC about the wonderousness of magic. When I was little I always wanted to learn, but I think I had so little patience for the constant practice needed. But I do agree that slight-of-hand and distriction techniques can come into handy in dozens of scenarios. Read the article and rethink the power of magic for yourself.

Flapjacks

2006-12-05T14:09:00.001-06:00

A comment on Brits and their food, at least a quick one. Ever had a flapjack? It's butter, oats and golden syrup (similar to the American Maple syrup)... and heavy as anything you've ever had. This product is a dessert type snack, and after going to the Butler Christmas Tea (which was lacking tea, actually) they had me take home a buckets worth. I had just better not eat them all real quick.

Charity Clicks

2006-12-04T20:14:00.001-06:00

You know those websites people always send you saying: click here to make a free donation... well I'm still not sure if it's true/false and what exactly happens, but here's a link to do a bunch at once. http://www.charityclickdonation.com/free_donation_clicks.html.

A Very Long Engagement

2006-12-03T11:34:00.000-06:00

Wow. A really beautiful movie that reminds me a lot of Amelie. Not just because of the actress but since I think the director is the same. She investigates the disappearance of her fiance after he had left for war. I think I had expected the movie to be about something else, so perhaps read up a tidbit of info before watching if it sounds interesting. She was gorgeous in the movie, and he

Casino Royale

2006-12-03T08:50:00.000-06:00

A fabulous new James Bond. I tended to like that it was more emotional and less violent overall. Yes, things blowing up are all well and good in the movies, but this movie just didn't need it. Apparently this is the movie they say is most like the books, and I'm excited to read it. So I've put it on my list. It seemed like this was the first book, for he had just been promoted to his

NPR and its podcasts

2006-11-20T08:08:00.001-06:00

I've been listening to NPR podcasts, don't get too excited... they've been the more light-hearted ones. Includes Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me (recorded in front of a live audience in Chicago, no less); and NPR: Sunday Puzzle. This week's 'Wait Wait' featured Harry Shearer (Wikipedia link here), a man who has done Spinal Tap, a lot of Christopher Guest films which I love, and a bunch of voices on the

Reinstate the Draft?

2006-11-19T17:01:00.001-06:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061119/ap_on_go_co/military_draftDoes a military draft make you nervous? Apparently 7 out of 10 Americans oppose such a reinstatement of the draft, but the representative putting it into the spotlight brings up a good point. That perhaps people feel far from the war because they don't have sons and daughters fighting, and if they did, then they might hesitate before

Pelosi makes history as female speaker

2006-11-16T17:35:00.000-06:00

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061116/ap_on_go_co/congress_leaders_55The first woman house speaker, and a democratic majority. Good news for America, I say.Oh... and if you care, soon I'll post something about my reading week trip, or at least an email to some. Or perhaps pictures up on my picasa web album... soon, I promise.

America, and the vote

2006-11-01T11:36:00.000-06:00

Unmarried women targeted in electionBesides my telling whoever reads to vote... which they should be doing anyway if they are of the legal age, the article just goes to show how many females don't do it. I remember voting for the president in the 2004 election, even though the outcome wasn't as nice as I'd hoped. Guess next time I should skip the rallies... or perhaps I should try harder.

Flatmates + Monopoly

2006-11-01T05:29:00.000-06:00

Oh yes. We play monopoly.

The Motorcycle Diaries

2006-10-29T12:51:00.000-06:00

If I said Crash was an art-y movie, then I spoke too soon, because Motorcycle Diaries takes the cake. The movie is about Che Guevara and his friend Alberto who undertake a motorcycle journey of South America, with a long stop at a leprosy site. The movie, although it may not be true -- even though I think it is based off his actual writings, is very realistic. The movie shows how they were

Crash

2006-10-28T15:47:00.000-05:00

Wow. My reaction all through the movie was just: "wow." It's quite astonishing, well done, and it touches on a lot of issues. Crash is a movie made up of several storylines: policemen, both racist and not, men who are car thieves, a married couple, a family with a little girl, etc. They're really well interwoven and the themes that the movie touches on are mainly racial. Although I know it

Illness, Canterbury, Adventure Weekend

2006-10-25T05:49:00.000-05:00

So, I've been busy. At least retrospectively. I've gotten some kind of illness that's no good for me and won't go away even after two weeks. But even so, I went on a bus trip to Canterbury, spent time in the city with my aunt and our family friends, and went on the "adventure" weekend trip organized by Butler. It was really lovely in the country even though it took 10 hours to get there in a

Awards Around the World

2006-10-12T08:45:00.000-05:00

So, the past week has been full of announcements of winners. The winner of the Booker Prize was Kiran Desai. The winner of the Nobel Literature Prize was Orhan Pamuk. People who've written about issues that involved around their cultural lives -- in the case of the first, her heritage, the latter author going against the Turkish government and writing about Armenian/Turkish relations (and

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

2006-10-09T05:06:00.000-05:00

I loved the movie, and now I can say I loved the real live musical. The dance numbers were big and colorful and showy (with lots of jumping splits by the guys) and surprisingly carried out perfectly. Thirty people dancing on a small stage in a coordinated manner is a serious spectacular feat. It was truly fantastic. Plus American accents by British people, and southern/mountain accents at

Exciting Weekend

2006-10-02T16:11:00.000-05:00

A friday spent doing karaoke (although we were all too chicken till the very end before they closed). A saturday spent at Hampton and Windsor, see the picture above, as that is a picture of beautiful Windsor. Sunday was spent at Spitalfields Market, (the rain), then a quiz at night with two of my flatmates -- not as dorky as it sounds, and much harder than expected. Especially since I'm not up

The Producers

2006-09-28T18:50:00.000-05:00

Well, although I've been in London so far, I haven't actually gone to see a musical till tonight. Butler, the program I'm studying here through, took us to see "See how they run" which was a very comical play set during WWII. I had never seen the producers (although the movie is rampant, and I did want to) because my grandmother said that the live production was so much better, so I've waited,

A Million Little Pieces

2006-09-24T10:57:00.000-05:00

I know I said I'd never read it, but I finally caved after taking it from my Grandparents (who couldn't make it past the start) and hearing some good reviews of it from others. The book is about a man who makes it through rehab after years of horrible drug/alcohol use in his life, and his realization that he has two choices: rehab or death. People have said that it seems fictional when you read

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind

2006-09-24T10:52:00.000-05:00

A japanese animated movie by Miyazaki, which was quite good. This one had more of a point than the last one I watched, the name of which I can't recally. Essentially, Nausicaa is the princess of a region and she tries to get the other regions to stop fighting each other, the earth, and the insects so that they can all overcome the poison that is spreading through the world. It held my

Pomegranate, Nutella, Yellow Lights

2006-09-22T16:42:00.000-05:00

Ah, the wonders of London. Things are different here, but really ever so slightly. A few interesting things I'd like to point out for my own amusement really. When the traffic light is about to turn red, it goes from green to yellow and to red. When it's going to turn green, it stays red -- adds yellow, and then becomes green. Very neat indeed. And a good reason for cars to get rip roaring

Speed Reading

2006-09-20T06:43:00.000-05:00

I found something awesome on the internet once again. Or that I believe to be neat. SpreederYes, it sounds odd, but you paste text in there from the internet and the words flash by real quick and times it all out. I tried an article from BBC and it only took me 2 minutes to read through, but I'm not sure how long it would have taken reading it the old fashioned way in huge chunks. They

London at last!

2006-09-19T11:40:00.000-05:00

So, the lack of posts has been due to the fact that I've been in London. First we had Orientation with the Butler students, from all school with a start similar to my own, including schools semi-far like in Leeds. Then we had a short homestay for a weekend, and then off to Queen Mary. Finally the internet is all set up and working properly and my pictures are up.Click here for the pictures.The

Detective Shows

2006-09-07T22:07:00.000-05:00

Being at home, and having cable, alerts me to the fact that Law and Order can be found on television almost at any hour of the day. Not to mention there are now three different types of the show on NBC during the week airing new episodes, and I think it still hits the list of most watched shows and holds its own. Perhaps because it's of a different breed then all those reality shows now on

The Interpreter

2006-09-07T14:19:00.000-05:00

A movie about Nicole Kidman who overhears a threat to a president of an African country. She reports this threat, and the movie is about following it through to see who is going to be the cause. Sean Penn plays a member of the secret service, who first want to protect the president, then protect Nicole Kidman as well. In doing so, her past is revealed as a member of a rebel group, and her path

Clay Aiken and Bush!?

2006-09-07T00:52:00.000-05:00

Newsvine reports it here.Clay Aiken is to be named to the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities. Ridiculousness must be surrounding the president of the U.S., because this is just unreal. Do people actually get appointed to such positions who are regular-type people? I thought that politics was for the politicians. (Not to mention in my fair state, a past Governor

Blogger Beta

2006-09-07T00:26:00.000-05:00

The new blogger beta causes me to change my template, create labels, enter specific HTML code in little boxes, all because I don't feel like looking into the new way Blogger does things. But it was quite simple, and the color scheme is easy to change if I get tired of the simple white and gray. It's all new and unique, and updates quickly without the loading clock. I approve.Speaking of new

Late Night Television

2006-09-06T23:21:00.000-05:00

So, after deciding I was tiring of the computer and sitting in front of it, I changed directions and headed downstairs for the tv. Now, I'm don't mean Prime-Time, but I mean the after-the-news type of television. Yes, yes, there is all that junk (think infomercials and bad reruns), but I like the David Letterman, Jay Leno, and Conan O'Brien shows. Watching tonight just brought laughter to the

Shopping, Suburbs, and soon-to-be London

2006-09-05T22:18:00.000-05:00

I'm super shopped out. After having to drive to some far away suburb (or sort of far) to get new tires for the car, I decided to hit up all the stores out there in search of some boots. Yes, crazy me, but the roads out there are terrible and I ended up going around blocks and making turns in abandoned parking lots and waiting in long lines to turn left. It's definitely a trade off between that

Indiana Jones

2006-09-05T09:05:00.000-05:00

Now I've seen the whole trilogy, in a row too. I'd really only seen the second (something of Doom), but I liked the last one best. The last Indiana Jones movie had Sean Connery as the father of Indiana Jones, and he was just fabulous as the indifferent, not paying attention father-type. Quite a chuckle. If you haven't seen them, it's a time investment, but it's a good investment, because even

Flavor Fest

2006-08-30T23:49:00.000-05:00

This is a "festival" that took place in the park down the block near my home, which was sponsored by Whole Foods. Not too crowded, since when we went it was raining or misting... but the idea of this was to try organic, natural foods. Essentially it was a sample bonanza, where I got to taste lots of chips, yogurt, drinks, and even a hot dog that were all made from organic, non-___ (fill in the

Brick

2006-08-27T22:35:00.000-05:00

Another indie-type movie. This one won some Sundance film festival awards, and was raved about of course in the following. I had wanted to see it ever since I saw the trailer, however again, due to the hype around the movie, I was disappointed. The movie is about a boy who firstly investigates the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend, and then the cause of her death. He gets involved with

Mistress of Spices & Friends with Money & Clerks

2006-08-26T23:05:00.000-05:00

A super movie marathon. Also known as my life. Mistress of Spices is a movie I found through Margie, who didn't really like it and compared it to magical realism, whereas I found the movie cute enough - and her having a sixth sense rather than it being Marquez-esque. I liked it well enough.Friends with Money was very strange, with three married couples and Jennifer Aniston who are all friends

Pluto, the non-planet

2006-08-24T13:58:00.000-05:00

ArticleThe article above, from Wired, is similar to many others that just got posted up today in the news after the International Astronomical Union voted Pluto to not be considered as a planet anymore (it had been so-called since 1930) and is now to be called a "dwarf-planet." It's all quite disappointing even though the astronomers are happy -- I'll need a new acronym for remembering the 8 "

Rear Window Sign

2006-08-23T12:36:00.000-05:00

DrivemocionThis contraption has an LED display that you place in the rear window of a car to communicate with other drivers... but think of the uses! I have a feeling that if I got one, it'd be trained to say not so nice things, but perhaps only because I'm a semi-agressive driver. But it makes happy faces, and prints out a Thanks! sign, which is all well and good and nice. Very cool

Good Night, and Good Luck & Moonstruck

2006-08-23T12:19:00.000-05:00

Two fabulous movies. I was dying to see Good Night and Good Luck ever since it came out, but I put it off since it is a serious movie. It's about Ed Murrow (a journalist) who has a television show about current happenings, and he takes down Sen McCarthy. It's about the news-team, the problems they begin to have as they get crusaded against, and how real the times were then. Watched it with my

Friday Night Lights

2006-08-22T09:33:00.000-05:00

The end of the sports movies? No, there still exists one more... and I'm sure they'll make more. Not to spoil the movie or anything, but my brother asked me after it ended if I was surprised. Nothing in these sports movies ever surprises me, and of course they always end well. This movie is about Billy Bob Thorton who becomes the coach of a high school football team in a town where football

Little Miss Sunshine

2006-08-16T20:53:00.000-05:00

Ah the cast of Little Miss Sunshine, the movie, is in the picture. The movie is really about this dysfunctional family, their problems with each other and their problems in life. It has it's moments of sadness, but is quite funny and full of laughter nonetheless. And the end is fabulous. A great movie, and a must see if you like these types, and are not too easily weirded out.

nsf.gov - SRS What Do People Do After Earning an S&E Bachelor's Degree? - US National Science Foundation (NSF)

2006-08-15T21:21:00.000-05:00

http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/infbrief/nsf06324/This article is very interesting about what people in the sciences (undergrad) end up going to do. Apparently ~41% of engineers go on to get additional degrees, one of the lowest of all the sciences (with Math/CS following at 39%). Also Engineers seem more likely to go into business than any of the other fields, or at least get degrees in Business

OK Go: Here It Goes Again

2006-08-15T21:13:00.000-05:00

The OK Go music video was something I saw a few days ago on Elaine's blog, and contemplated posting it up... but figured too much copying wouldn't be good for the world. But it is indeed very cool, and has them dancing on treadmills. Awesome! It was brought to my attention today when someone emailed it to summer-l (the email list for the school that is present over the summer), meaning it must

Scoop and Wordplay

2006-08-12T22:54:00.002-05:00

So, Anna and I hit up a double header on Friday, at the AMC, which has movies before noon for an astonishing 5 dollars. So we got to see two movies. Scoop, the Woody Allen movie with the story of Scarlett as a investigative reporter who falls for a man who may or may not be the "tarot card killer." It's about her and Woody Allen trying to solve the mystery with help from a ghost from the past,

Flock, Round 2

2006-08-12T19:09:00.004-05:00

So I've decided I do love flock the browser. It's really similar to Firefox, loads with the same speed, etc. (probably becuase it is based almost entirely off the other), but the drag and drop feature and built in blogging are quite nice too. See for yourself!

BookMooch

2006-08-10T01:45:00.000-05:00

The idea of this websites, like many others, is to offer your library up online and mail out books when others request, which gives you the ability to request them from even more others on the site. BookMooch, is a new site, which I just happened across that does things similar to Zunafish, which Margie uses. I used to like the idea of BookCrossing, which says to leave your books behind in

DIY Planner

2006-08-10T00:25:00.000-05:00

I've been checking out this website, who knows how it was found, but it allows you to print your own planner, which seems real useful as you can have only the pages you want, and offers a index card version. The downloads are all free, and the website itself is blog based and has additions and information about planning life.And there are these notebooks I've found that are

Home, Chicago

2006-08-09T22:28:00.001-05:00

So, finally home. After an early day at the airport and a day off flying... I finally am home. Or what is home? Being here reminds me of a lot of things, including those that I don't wish to be reminded of. The movie Seven Brides for Seven Brothers was on television tonight, as I browsed on by all the channels, and I remember that being one of my mom's favorite movies and watching it with her.

American Beauty

2006-08-09T00:53:00.000-05:00

This movie is just sort of messed up. Everyone in the movie is harboring secret ideas, feelings, and actions from each other, and it revolves mostly around two families who are neighbors. If I explain much more, the movie will just give itself away, but I think it's important to watch it from the beginning and catch everything (cause that is what makes the movie after all). Janet mentioned

Dropping off the Car

2006-08-09T00:23:00.000-05:00

Ah. So before leaving sunny (and warm) California, I was sure to take care of the car, and I left it in the garage of some family friends we have that live in L.A. I was going to take an earlier train back to Claremont, but since I hit traffic, I ended up on the later Metrolink. I took a walk to Little Tokyo and bought myself some snacks. It is really nice there, and I'm kind of sorry that I

A picture from the Fair

2006-08-01T23:28:00.000-05:00

Martin and Jason are examining the dairy goats I believe. They had large animals and small animals and a lot of them looked really groomed, which surprised me. There were cows in a barn, and chickens, and mice too, but not altogether. And no one wanted to pet the little chicks, which were in the petting area. Instead, we spent longer examining the odd fruits and vegetables, including the

A tisket, A tasket

2006-08-01T23:14:00.000-05:00

Saturday was spent at the O.C. County Fair -- and since I'd never been to one, it really was quite fun. Martin, Jason, and I got to see all the prize winning animals -- goats, pigs, cows, bunnies... and the winning fruits and vegetables. This was much different from the Taste of Chicago. There was a chair-lift that went over the whole fair, and which we rode, which allowed us to see

The Research Wave begins to end

2006-07-29T11:05:00.000-05:00

As people begin to leave, and I finally did buy an airplane ticket home, it's come to the time when I realize I really am going to leave too. Studying abroad will be great, I know it, yet I also know I'll be excited to come back. Only one week left of research for me, and a bunch of people leaving at the end of this weekend here, leaving only a few left. Wow. Better start packing!Been

San Diego for Research, and a Weekend Sunday

2006-07-27T01:16:00.000-05:00

Ah. This past Sunday, I went hiking at Griffith Park, which was really nice, and I look forward to when the observatory opens and I can actually visit. Hopefully it'll be sooner rather than later and by the time I get back from abroad. The hike wasn't too bad and Prof Lape suggested a few more trails in the area, that I'll look into when I return from abroad.Went to San Diego on Monday and