Fiction Is My Friend: Part IV

Allons-Y!
(This post is bigger on the inside)

Currently I'm obsessing over Doctor Who. Obsesses is an understatement.
The aliens can be kind of dumb (they remind me of the idiot bad guys on Power Rangers) and the graphics aren't that great, but I love the idea of a time traveler that goes around making all of the wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff work out the way its supposed to.

I think the big reason that I love the show so much is because of all the figuring out that has to happen. Its a constant mystery of what is going on. Everything is always changing. And its not just in the story that has twists and turns. The show has been on for 32 seasons and I only started watching it on the 27th. But it works. Ok, well I'm not here to rattle on about how the show itself works, but more to proclaim my love of it. And what better way than with things I've collected on Pinterest.

"There's a plan?"-River Song
"I don't know yet. I haven't finished talking."-Doctor

"That's a fairytale"-Doctor
"Aren't we all?"-River Song

Eccleston was a good intro Doctor, but it was really David Tennant that made the show fun. He's a ball of energy that just feeds off of ridiculous situations. Regeneration is a great part of the show because it's about self discovery. Tennants entrance was 

"An amalgam of the races they've conquered"
Yay! Use of the word amalgam!

"Go sit in the back of the class with the safety scissors and glitter"-Mickey Smith

"Expelliarmus! Good old JK!" (silly doctor going ahead in in time to read book 7)

The 11th Doctor has my favorite fashion sense. But I'm sick of all of the hipster crap about him. Except that Matt Smith is totally a hipster.

This genius kicking around in a Cyberman swimming cap. 

DELETE!

Remember what I was saying about Tennant? It's necessary to enjoy his silliness and the evolution of the show. I'm really soaking up how Series 5 has a distinct plotline, but its kind of like Smallville, how you have to enjoy some of the stupid nemesis episodes of seasons 1-3 before the serious stuff kicks in and ruins the fun. Oh wait. What TV doesn't do that? Chuck sure has. Getting off topic.

When the new theme song plays it makes me want to dance like this. I LOVE the updated theme song!

But Matt Smith your Doctor is just so picky and hilarious!

Can you see my internal struggle yet?

Trust me. If you start you'll never want to stop. 

[Insert the rest of these quotes now]

Fiction Is My Friend: Part III

Harry Potter was a majorly influential chunk of my childhood

We must have been about 9 and 10 (and 10) on a visit to Charly's parents in Eugene. Read: 6 hour drive to hang out in the chilly mold spore infested basement with The Jetsons and a dollhouse with no dolls.  Ok it wasn't really that bad but the cold basement will always be a vivid memory.  Grandma and Grandpa Van gave us each a book in a series that was getting popular fast. Since there were 3 books and 3 kids, we each got the one that matched our birth order, meaning I was thrown right into the action of Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets.

I was in the middle of a world I had never imagined. It helped me conquer ridiculous fears. I was afraid of everything as a little girl and I felt brave if I was able to read about giant serpents who turned people to stone and werewolves with no self control. (How cool is that comic??)
I have heard some people say that they don't like how "dark" the story gets as it progresses.  When watching the first half of the 7th movie I realized that I'd honestly forgotten that Harry even lived in the cupboard under the stairs. Although the plot thickens, becomes complicated, and in the end seems nothing like the simple book that it all began with, isn't that like life? As we read along with Harry and Co. growing up his challenges must get deeper and complex. And just how boring would 7 years of same old school get?
Perhaps it is because I grew up with Harry and had to wait for each book release that the story became age appropriate with me. My 10 year old sister read the whole series within a month and I think although she may have enjoyed them and the thrill of such an accomplishment she missed so much material that will make more sense in 10 years.

We didn't just read the books though, we lived them.  Kristin and I made spell books and school uniforms (although they were nothing as cute as that apron), wrote editions of The Daily Prophet, and even made our own concoctions of butterbeer.
Summer of 2007 I was working at Border's when The Deathly Hallows was released and the party was a lovely moment of my summer. We all dressed up as Hogwarts students and other characters. I fancied myself a Luna Lovegood dopleganger, radish earrings and all! Wouldn't you know it that the pictures from that night also died in the computer crash of 2010? Hopefully I can dig up all of these nerdalicious goodies that have disappeared.

I truly believe that a tiny idea sparked in JK Rowling's head has changed a generation. And it won't stop with us. Her writing is exquisite and captivating, a true piece of literature that will be classic and relevant years to come.  As this little poster says, Harry Potter is a gateway drug to hard literature. It teaches those who find no enjoyment in reading that it can be an adventure and a lifelong journey that will become a necessary addiction.

Now for a little joy that I found on the interwebs:

If a man proposed to me like this I would undoubtedly say yes. 

Seriously. Beyond awesome.  

(click through for 18 more!)

Fiction Is My Friend

Intro:
I am a Sci-fi and fantasy nerd.

♥

It was actually made official when I was four years old and I would curl up on the couch with my grandpa to watch Star Trek. I'm going to do a little series of posts on this obsession featuring books and movies that have fueled my imagination and development.

The first little thing I want to cover though is the difference between science fiction and fantasy.
(I did a whole presentation on the subject in YA Literature but of course that's missing)

When in doubt of a book or movie's genre use this simple rule to decide;

♥

Rivets and Planets=Science Fiction
Generally sci-fi is fiction that is about space, aliens, and scientific progress

Roots and Trees=Fantasy
Fantasy literature is typically magic based rather than science and most settings are somewhat historical

Keep in mind that these are my generalizations, and personally, I don't care much about genre when I'm choosing something to read (although I will admit that I pick ones with interesting looking covers). 

I mostly want to write these posts so that I have a record of why I love make-believe and imaginary worlds but I would love feedback and suggestions of other shows and books to discover!

I'd like to add that I've never read Dune. I just really liked that picture of it and it conveys my point. 

Some day I may get around to watching the movie with the giant sandworm and all.

But probably only because Chuck and Morgan dressed up as one...

Egg Salad.

I want it in my belly. And it's 1:30 am. So naturally there is a big old pot of boiling eggs on the stove right now while I've got Step Up 3 playing for ..cough cough...the 3rd time today. Whoa. Did I just admit that on the interwebs? Yes. And I'm really not ashamed of it in the slightest!

BREAK for favorite scene


The fantastic dancing in Step Up 2 and 3 just keeps me coming back for more.  And honestly, I think the stories are pretty good too, even if they are cliche and completely predictable.

But back to the sandwiches.  The eggs are all donezo and here is a link to the recipe I'm going to use: YUMMO!  I'll probably be too wrapped up in delicious to post about how it just fixes the craving for me so let me tell you now, I'm excited. Very excited.

Update:

The recipe had way too much dill in it, so I'd tone that down a lot and I wouldn't put the dry onion flakes in it, but rather chop up a little fresh onion.  Other than that it was so delicious and my craving has been satisfied!

Movie Night

I wish I had an imaginary friend as faithful as Captain Excellent. Over 40 years of dedication. 


I never even had an imaginary friend that I can remember. The closest thing was a horse that I tied to a pear tree when it was time to come in for dinner.  That horse didn't even have a name. 

Isn't this the kind of thing that every imaginative person is supposed to look back on and laugh about? The adventures they had with the companion that was always there when we needed them? I didn't even have siblings until I was 7, but I guess my own personality must have been enough for myself to handle. 

Now I don't think I'm even lamenting the lack of an imaginary friend right now, but more of a character connection.  I rented the movie Paper Man because I've had this undying amount of fandom for Emma Stone since House Bunny.  And Ryan Reynolds is never a bad thing on screen either.  I was extremely surprised with how much I liked this film, especially since it has a terrible rating on Rotten Tomatoes (but then again, since when has the general public ever had good taste?).  It is more than a story of a weird man with social issues and his unorthodox friendship with a teenage girl (don't worry, there is no funny business).  I think it really shows what it means to be a friend and care about a person, no matter what.  The relationship that Richard and Abby form helps them both to combat serious mental blocks that they can't face without support.

So in a way I guess it's a good thing that I never had an imaginary friend, at least in the way that this movie portrays them.  Then again, I think that it is healthy to have another side to ourselves that we can only understand, something personal, something safe.

Also, this is becoming a trend.

Movie Night

Everything is Illuminated

Holy goodness this movie is strange. It begins with a slow and kind of hard to follow account of a family. I wasn't really paying much attention so it might have been more interesting. I really started liking it at the point at the well, diner? restaurant? table with meat that only comes with potatoes.

Sammy Davis Jr. Jr. even turns out to be a pretty nice idiot of a dog. I love that the guy uses the word "premium" to describe anything cool, or spectacular.

Elijah Wood's character Johnathan is so ridiculously awkward that it is almost painful but it's an interesting comparison of the culture clash. Howerver I don't really think of Ukrainians as extremely outgoing people.  Though I could be mistaken by that. I have only met 2 Ukrainians and they were teenage girls that had a lot of attitude. They would not be in the extrovert category. 

As I'm watching it I'm trying to understand the pices of the grandfather's past, both the tour guide grandfather and the one whose past is being searched for.  It sems that the living grandfather is coming to terms with his side of WWII and what his anti-semitism has stemmed from.

As the movie progressed I liked it more and more. It is a story of history and putting together the pieces.  There is always more hidden than we see on the surface, and if we search hard enough, everything will be illuminated.
(awkwardly working in...the movie title)

The end. Oh the end.

I Am A Procraftinator

I should be working right now. Or sleeping. Or working on my final design project. 

But no. I made this refashioned scarf! 

Well, not this one literally. I haven't taken pictures of it yet but I got the idea from Disney's blog Ruffles and Stuff. It was super super easy and I can't wait to wear it tomorrow! I'll hunt someone down that's good with a camera and get it up as soon as I can. I dare you to make one yourself!

For another moment of procraftination I'm planning on making these Regency Silhouette ornaments from The Magic Bean. They are so adorable and I'm a huge fan of silhouettes.

I haven't decided completely where they will be going after I make the ornaments. Some will be for my family and a few for friends, but I'm also participating in this great craft swap

Ornaments for everyone!!! If you would like to participate the deadline is tomorrow, November 19th.

Well Erika has fallen asleep on my couch watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas, but she's probably just avoiding the fact that I've been reciting the whole thing! Brent is watching it for the first time and I bet he wants to shove a pillow in my face. "WHAT's HAPPENING TO ME? I'm all toasty inside. And I'm LEAKING!!!"

I'm super proud of the effort that I put in at work today. I'm the designated seamstress for apparel in our fabric department so I reorganized our little girl patterns and made a nice display. I also wrote a little tutorial for making fabric roses but I'll share that in a separate post. I'm really getting into the handmade Christmas spirit so with all of the new projects for work, as well as my top secret project (that will be finished on Saturday) and gifts it's a wonder that I find time to breath! But I'm managing somehow. Five weeks until California!!!

The photo challenge today is a photo from one of your classes and I'm not in any right now (technically I am, but it's independent study) and I'm not using my computer right now. If I find one later I'll add it but I think I'm just going to skip this one. Boring.

Decisions Are Hard

Like choosing a favorite movie. Ok, lets go with THIS one!

11. Your Favorite Movie

"What is that a THROWING STAR??" 

"Uh huh!"

Oh gosh. Hot Rod is going to fuel my children's lives. And Newsies. But I limited myself to only putting up one picture. Because that's what makes it a challenge!

The first time I saw this movie I hated it. Probably because I was in a pissy mood and I was with boys I didn't like (not that I don't like them now, I was just frustrated with them then) and I think I was heartbroken at the time too. I did have some of my best friends Ben and Jerry there and I think they suggested to me that I watch it again some time. I've never looked back. Thank you Brandilyn for telling me that my t-shirt collection sounds like something that Dave would wear. It's truely inspiring. I'll be putting pictures of those up soon and be making a check list of what animals I'd like to collect.

Erika and I are driving out to San Fransisco in April and we're planning a massive takeover of all thrift shops along the way. Let us know if there are any you'd suggest we hit up!

The Sadder But Wiser Boy For Me

Musicals. They get me. Deep. And when I get a craving for one it won't go away until it has been thoroughly satisfied.

For the past two or so months its been The Music Man. My love for Meredith Wilson's spectacular spectacular goes back to childhood. For a long road trip my grandma made a copy of the soundtrack on a tape for me so that I could listen to it on my Walkman (Whoa. Remember cassette tape days?) and that thing was played and replayed until the tape wore out. One year for summer school choir we did a staged version of "The Well's Fargo Wagon" and I reveled in mocking the hilarious voices of the actors. Oh man oh man. I love that this musical is about real people! The character's and actors aren't glossed up doll faces that sing in perfect harmony. Except for the school board barbershop quartet. Mmm!!! Their voices are like melty warm sugar.

So an interesting fact about The Music Man is that it is President Monson's favorite musical! That justifies my fascination right? I adore the fact that his sense of humor is so great. I don't need to go into detail about how great the musical is or why its ok that I love it, I just want to share my obsession. Some people drive down Main blasting their Top 40 hits radio with the windows down to get attention. I prefer Robert Preston telling the absolute truth about my dating life. I'd rather have the boy that's been around the block. One who isn't a pushover. It's the sadder, but wiser, boy for me. Really, "I hope and I pray that Hester will win just one more A" is probably my favorite literary reference in the whole thing, and that's saying something since the names Balzac and Shakespeare are thrown around like rice at a wedding through the whole thing.

Now stop reading and head out to Grecian Urn rehearsal! You're going to be late!

"SIT DOWN EULALIA!"

Turning Over New Pages

I've been reconnecting with a lot of old friends in the past few months and I can't begin to describe what a joy it is to have them back. Moving around a lot makes it tricky to keep everyone connected and caught up and its so dissapointing to lose contact with great people.
My good friend Hannah is a talented cake decorator and she always has something delicious lingering, waiting to fall right to our hips. She invited some of us over for cake munching one night and I caught up with Kimberly, anther friend from our days at Royal Crest. She invited me to join an online book club with some of our other friends who have moved away. Isn't that just the greatest idea? I'm usually working on some novel in my "spare" time so now I have people to discuss them with! The first book I'm joining in on is Mitch Albom's Have A Little Faith. It's been ordered from Borders.com and should be here in 3-5 buisness days. Hooray! And who can pass up free shipping? I sure can't. So the movie And Ideal Husband, you know, based on the play by Oscar Wilde, starring Rupert Everett, my secret Victorianesque acting crush, is on it's way too!!!

Merry Christmas!

This was our roommate attempt at a Christmas picture in front of our kitchsy $20 Wal-Mart tree (yes we decorated it with paper airplanes and a nametag from Applebees).


Hooray for the holiday season! I'm at home lazying away and just as the clock hit midnight Charly popped in "It's A Wonderful Life" and I'd never seen it, but now I have! I'm a sucker for anything filmed in black and white. At Costco the other day I was sucked into the boxed movie collections they have on sale. Golly gee a girl could spend so much precious time in front of the TV screen! And you can see how small that screen is in our picture! Ha ha! Well who needs boxed movie sets for 50 bucks a pop when you get TCM? Make me up some taco popcorn, check the guide channel and let the snow block the door in!

(Oh wait, we tried that one night but the power went out for 3 hours! Erika and I took a dark walk to Main Street and then played cards with the boys by candle light. Much more fun than movies actually) (But I still really love movies)

Tall, Dark, and Loathsome

"I gave him my heart, and he took and pinched it to death; and flung it back to me"

Dang that Heathcliff is just getting to me! Last post I was what, 3 chapters in? Well I'm just past halfway now and sucked in more than ever! What an interesting story. The only thing I'd heard from friends was "Why are you wasting your time on that book" "Oh what a downer I couldn't finish it" and "It seemed like things just kept going on and on and it never ended". Well, I don't really pick up on the "Its so slow that I can't keep going" vibe at all. This is the most interesting story I've picked up in a long time. It's unpredictable. All I knew about the book previously was the name Heathcliff. Ok, is this boring. Yes. I should shut up about what I think. I like it. Its unique. Its a slow read so I get to enjoy it for even longer. And Ed Westwick is playing the dark brooding grump in the newest film version. LOOOOOOOOVE him! And he'll be perfect for the part!

Slippin' Into The Lava

Camp Rock, the Jonas Brothers new Disney Channel movie came out on friday night, but of course I was working.
My friend Sarah tivo'd it (yes that is now a verb) and we're having a Camp Rock bash tomorrow! Delight in the cheesiness please!
I love those boys with most of my summer of 2008 heart.
A small part goes to Hannie Montanie too.
Of course.
So, I'll talk about the party later if I remember to.
Here's some Bonus Jonas for ya!

"I can't grow a moustache."