Substantive Contributions

Shameless self plug

2009-10-16T08:48:00.000-07:00

I just recently started a new blog. Head on over to Literasaurus if you have the chance!

Bakerella

2009-08-30T22:32:00.000-07:00

I totally promised this a long time ago, but here is a really awesome cupcake and dessert blog. It has recipes, secrets, tricks, and ideas that you can take! It's Bakerella and I'm totally loving it! I recently-ish made her fast food cupcakes and they were a huge success!!

She makes everything super easy by giving you step by step instructions with excellent photos, as well as ideas for getting creative on your own! Some of my favorites that I want to test out are:

Easy as Pie
Candy Cup Caps
Easter Cake Pops
Fourteen Layer Cake
Yellow Cake
Chocolate Souffle

Enjoy!

I'm on a roll and I can't stop now!

2009-08-30T22:26:00.000-07:00

Last one of the night, but here is Web Site Story, a parody of West Side Story on College Humor.

All RA Floor

2009-08-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

Wow. That was totally my life for a year. Ew. I hope I wasn't that bad. But I'm sure I was. :(

Star Wars...sorta...

2009-08-30T22:00:00.000-07:00

Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it) from Joe Nicolosi on Vimeo.

Wedding Processional

2009-08-30T21:54:00.000-07:00

I totally want to do this when I get married. It is SO cute!

What a plan for our future!

2009-08-30T02:03:00.001-07:00

MJ tribute

2009-07-10T19:56:00.001-07:00

So, if there is one thing I have learned in the past few weeks, it's that EVERYONE takes Michael Jackson's death very seriously. If it's not the people who think he was the greatest performer of all times, it's the people who firmly believe that he was a creepy child molester. Everyone is very firm on their stand of who MJ was.

I actually in the middle. I think he was a great pop star, but I think people are remembering what they want to remember because you're not supposed to speak ill of the dead.

However, this is one tribute page that I think EVERYONE can get behind. It focuses on the most important aspect of MJ's time in the spotlight - something everyone will remember him by. I can't stop watching it.

Michael Jackson Tribute

Don't hate me!!!

2009-06-22T23:42:00.000-07:00

Three reasons not to hate me:

1) I'm posting a new blog!

2) I found a new cupcake website that I'm going to talk about tomorrow (It's super-cute!)

and

3) I only want to see this movie because it's summer and I've unplugged my brain and I'm not thinking.

...and it looks really freaking funny!

What's the movie, you ask? Well, it's Zombieland.

Yeah...anyways, trailer is below, imdb is here, and official site is here.

Sorry guys...

2009-05-18T10:47:00.000-07:00

see more Fail Blog

New favorite website!

2009-04-30T19:26:00.000-07:00

I found this site today, and it is great! It searches flickr photos for a specific color palette that you choose. I love seeing what crazy colors people use in their photos. One of my favorite color examples is this one.

Multicolor Search Lab

Being prepared is overrated.

2009-04-14T15:02:00.000-07:00

So, it's the end of my last year in college. Wow. I wish I could say that I have been full of sadness at leaving this institution, but really, I just want to get out. I am very excited to leave, and I don't think I ever want to come back. Is that sad? I don't know. I have my last band and orchestra concerts of my career here coming up in the next few weeks. I'm looking forward to that. They are going to be really good, and you should come see them if you want to.

Anyways...yeah. That's all that's up with me. Wanting to leave and working on my senior project. And goofing off while I'm supposed to be working on my senior project.

For example, watching old episodes of Jeeves and Wooster (The picture is of Hugh Laurie as Bertie Wooster, and Stephen Fry as Jeeves). My new favorite part of the series is at about 7:35 until about 8:15 of this video. Gussie shows Bertie (Hugh Laurie, yes the guy who plays House) what the male newt does to propose marriage to the female. And then at about 0:26 until about 0:31 of this video. I don't really know why, but it made me laugh so hard that I had to pause the show. I (obviously) recommend that you watch the entire series, starting with this one. There is a person on youtube who has every single episode and many videos from the show "A Bit of Fry and Laurie." They are very fun, you should check them out.

So, now back to work...

*sigh*

I wish I wrote this

2009-04-02T15:37:00.000-07:00

Excerpts from:

Ten Surprisingly Common Causes Of Death In TV Hospitals

by Linda Holmes

Tonight is the end of ER. The end of an era, the end of the machine that made George Clooney famous, and the end of a fifteen-season run that was good for at least seven seasons. The show is presumably dying of pure fatigue, but how do the patients die? Let's take a look at the ways TV-hospital patients die that other people usually don't.

Heroism. Countless television hospital patients die of heroism every year. One minute, they are valiantly trying to save a cat, dog, old person, flower bed, bicycle, or lottery ticket, and the next, they are lying in a hospital bed while the monitors sing their mournful "eeeeeeeep" in the background. Worse yet, heroism often results in a slow expiration one hospital bed over from someone who is unafflicted with heroism -- say, a terrible bigot or someone unattractive -- who is going to live. These deaths are referred to in the literature as deaths by heroism with ironic complications.

Falling helicopters. As far as we know, there has been one death by falling helicopter in the history of hospital shows, and it took place on ER. But it would seem that, relative to the total number of casualties in ER history, even this likely overrepresents the prevalence of being crushed by a falling helicopter as a cause of death. The greater statistical anomaly, however, is that this happened to Dr. "Rocket" Romano, who had lost an arm to a helicopter blade only a season before he died of having an entire helicopter fall directly on him. You know how some people are unlucky at cards? He was unlucky at helicopters.

A terrible secret. Particularly on House, it is common for patients to die of A Terrible Secret. In many cases, the Terrible Secret is not life-threatening in itself, but the efforts to conceal the Terrible Secret cause the patient to die of something innocuous. For instance, if you conceal your penicillin allergy in the course of concealing the details of the way your penicillin allergy was discovered, you risk dying of A Terrible Secret.

Redemption. ER was particularly fond of having patients die of acute redemption. If you are admitted to the hospital as a wretched misanthrope but, during your stay, you meet a perky, freckled moppet who is keeping a sunny outlook on life, and if the moppet convinces you to become a better person, and you finally thank the hospital staff profusely for all they have done for you, you are showing telltale signs that you will soon die of redemption.

Career aspirations/creative differences. If you are a featured performer on a drama taking place in a TV hospital, your health may be endangered by your impending departure from the cast. This is how Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards) died of brain cancer on ER, and it is also what has given Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) metastatic melanoma on Grey's Anatomy. Beware the termination of your contract.

A physician who does not love life. Selecting your physician is an important part of anyone's care, and a TV-hospital patient must be careful not to choose a physician who is unappreciative of some aspect of his or her life, particularly a romantic partner. There is a good chance that you will wind up teaching the TV doctor something about all that he or she has to be grateful for, and you will probably do so by dying. And you will probably die alone, because the lesson is more effective that way.

Old age complicated by quirkiness. The old and colorful live short lives at the TV hospital. Senior citizens admitted thereto must beware of marching to the beats of their own drummers, extolling the virtues of drinking or cigars, or flirting with young doctors. This kind of upbeat attitude combined with years of experience out in the world most often leads to dying peacefully in your sleep.

Sad montages. TV-hospital patients must learn to advocate for themselves, and should protest if they discover that surgery is to be performed as part of a montage accompanied by a song where the string section is prominently featured or where the only instrument in evidence is the piano.

Found on NPR

Super Mario

2009-03-29T16:22:00.000-07:00

You know how I love Mario. I absolutely love this video! It blends old-school Mario with live action Chicago.

Warp Whistle
Uploaded by MatthewDominick

New things! Yay!

2009-03-19T15:40:00.000-07:00

I changed some links from my "blogs I visit" page elements and I wanted to give a couple explanations:

If I took it down it means that I don't visit that site anymore, making it totally lame.

New ones:
Better Zits (see below for explanation)
Pearls Before Swine (the official blog of Stephen Pastis, creator of Pearls)
PSYCHEDELAJAWEA (a band that my friend is in from Portland, OR)
Daily Comics Review (see below)
and
The New Adventures of Queen Victoria (also see below)

I hope you enjoy them!

Heeheehee

2009-03-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Lolcelebs.

New websites that I've stumbled upon

2009-03-11T10:51:00.000-07:00

I have found some really great new sites that I wanted to share with you.

The first one is Better Zits. Some guy takes zits comics and changes a line to make it more amusing than it was before. Well, some of the time it is. I love the comic, so any "leg up" on their jokes it ok with me.

The next one is another comic called New Adventures of Queen Victoria. It illustrates what the former queen of England would do in modern times. Some of her friends are featured in the comic, too. They include The Virgin Mary, The Queen's mother Anne (who's head is um...not attached...), The Queen's son Edward, and many many more!

And this post would never be complete without a website that critiques comics like these, the Daily Comics Review. Occasionally vulgar, but freaking hilarious.

Enjoy!

Post Secret Rejects

2009-02-24T15:31:00.001-08:00

I just found this site that is full of post-secret reject postcards. It was all started with one I think we can all relate to...

It just gets me every time.

But here are some more I can just really relate to. Especially the last one. I didn't think I'd ever stop crying...it just perfectly captured all my emotions lately.

You should check it out. It reminds me that I'm not alone in the world, you know?

PostRejects

(Ps. When you check out the website, read the VERY bottom of the page for the details.)

Make your own Star Trek Story Line

2009-02-06T16:41:00.000-08:00

(Click to enlarge)

Music Video of the Week

2009-02-06T16:33:00.000-08:00

I ran into this music video and I thought that it was one of the best ones I've seen visually in a very long time. It made me want to watch it over and over again.

Hello from London!

2009-01-17T05:05:00.000-08:00

Hey there! I'm in London right now, and having a great time!! I'll post some pics when I get back, but I've been seeing shows and plays every night and many afternoons, and I'm having so much fun. It's weird being here. I've never been out of the country except for Canada, and this is a great experience for me!

Yeah, got to go, but I've already taken over 250 pictures, and I've only been here a week. Heehee.

Commercial of the Week

2009-01-02T14:37:00.000-08:00

I have absolutely no clue if this is a real commercial. I'm really hoping it's not. I mean, wouldn't someone take one look at this and say "Wow. That's a bad idea"? But who knows. Sorry for the inappropriate content.

Website of the Week

2008-12-26T12:42:00.000-08:00

Cake Wrecks

I stumbled upon this website last night, and I was laughing so hard that I was afraid I was going to wake up the house. It is a website that shows cake decorating disasters. I couldn't believe how many grocery store cakes look that bad and people will still buy them.

Here are some of my favorites...

"The mind, it boggles. Is this a frilly white Santa caterpillar, crawling up a red boulder?"

"Sorry, you can't have any"

"We'll wish you luck, but we don't have to be happy about it."

"Disaster was narrowly avoided at the Smith household today, when 3-year-old Billy took the instructions on his birthday cake a little too literally."

"Ah, the traditional 'Snake in a Flamenco Dress' turkey - of course.
But where are the castanets?"

"The mom-to-be was having triplets, so they ordered a cake with 'congratulations' written on it three times:
...Nice."

Check it out!

Pushpin Mario

2008-12-25T16:49:00.000-08:00

This is absolutely amazing!! I really want to do something like this. Anyone up for helping?

Here are more photos on flickr, you should check them out. (This is a scene from Super Mario Brothers 3 on NES - First level in the first world. Don't ask how I know that.)

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T12:17:00.001-08:00

May you all have a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year!

Spoof of the Week

2008-12-20T20:15:00.000-08:00

I went and saw the Twilight movie a while ago, and I really enjoyed it. It wasn't the best movie in the world, but I thought it did a good job of capturing the essence of the book. But, this is the best trailer spoof of it that I've seen.

And here's the original trailer in case you haven't watched it a million times like me.

Muppets/Julie Andrews clips of the week

2008-12-19T22:43:00.000-08:00

This is a song from The Sound of Music. Done a little...off pitch. But still good.

This is a song from The King and I. Julie Andrews gets attacked by monsters, but still whistles a happy tune...

Gypsy Jazz Guitar Song of the Week

2008-12-18T20:46:00.000-08:00

I just stumbled upon this (ok, I found it on the awesomer, but I didn't want everyone thinking I do nothing but look at that website). This is an incredible Gypsy Jazz Guitar Song of a song in the Nintendo NES Mario 2 game. I hope you enjoy!

Song
Chords
Original Website

Website of the Week

2008-12-13T18:22:00.000-08:00

I stumbled upon this website from another website I frequent, though I really can't remember what. It's called "The Awesomer" and it totally lives up to its name. I've found t-shirts, games, cars, action figures, screen shots from upcoming games, shirts, lunch bags, sushi and a ton of other things that I can't even think of right now. Some of my favorite things (besides the spoiler shirt below) are:
Incredibots
Marshall Alexander paper toys
40 Inspirational Speeches (totally worth watching. I wanted to do something great after I watched it)
Silent Film Star Wars
and of course, German Star Trek Commercials

I hope you all enjoy!

spoiler shirt

2008-12-08T13:32:00.000-08:00

And here's a shirt that has all of the spoilers from well-known movies. Check it out if you dare!

Spoilt t-shirt

Proposition 8 - The Musical

2008-12-08T13:29:00.001-08:00

This is amazing!!

Spring Awakening!!!

2008-10-26T22:21:00.000-07:00

Let me just say that when my friend started talking to me about getting student rush tickets for a musical I had never heard of, I was a bit indifferent about going. I didn't really care because I'm hoping to see more musicals and plays soon.

Now, I can't imagine my life without seeing this play. My friends and I got tickets ON STAGE!! They were the cheap seats!!!! I couldn't believe it. We were literally sitting with the cast around us. We could touch them (though we were told we would get thrown out if we talked to, touched, or poked the actors). To let you see where I was, here is a picture of the stage and where I was:

WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yeah. You're jealous.

Here's some more pics, because it was so awesome!

Completely and totally one of the best performances I have ever seen. Now, I haven't seen all that many musicals, but I have seen enough plays, symphony concerts, and band concerts to choke a horse, and I have never seen actors as young as this perform as well as they did. Completely professional, completely prepared, they were better than many seasoned acting troupes that I have seen. Some were still in high school, and some were in their twenties, but all were amazing. Tonight was closing night in Portland, but they will be in California for 6 weeks I think, and if you can see it, GO! And ask for the tickets on the stage - it is completely worth it!!

Singer of the Week

2008-10-20T23:29:00.000-07:00

Ximena Sariñana is one of my new favorite artists. I've been trying to find her new album, Mediocre, at Everyday Music for forever now, but they are on backorder for it. She just got nominated for a Latin Grammy, and she better win!!! I describe her as a Latin Norah Jones, but better. I hope you guys like this song, the classic jazz song Volare.

Her official Website is here. Though her website is in Spanish, so you might have better luck with the NPR website, who did a really nice article on her this month.

Jesus Dubs

2008-10-14T18:33:00.000-07:00

There is a series of four short videos that show an old bible movie with clever dubs. This is my favorite one, but you should check them all out!

I wish I had a sing-along blog!

2008-09-12T17:31:00.000-07:00

My friend showed me thing blog/video thing this week, and it is so freaking amazing!!

It's in three acts and runs about 42 minutes, but it is hilarious, and very very very well done! You really should watch it. It can be a little dull at the beginning, but once the songs start, you won't be able to stop watching!!!

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

blogs come in threes

2008-08-07T23:33:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the vulgarity. I just couldn't resist.

Rock

2008-08-07T23:17:00.000-07:00

A year ago, I wrote this on my myspace blog:

"Right now I'm going through some things that I've needed to face and deal with for a while, but that doesn't make them any easier, in fact it makes them harder. And there isn't a day that goes by that I don't second guess myself about everything I'm doing. Well, maybe one day, maybe even two, but I always wonder. Some days it feels like all this is behind me and I can move on, and others I just feel like crawling into a hole and crying. Thankfully, I don't have as many of those days as I used to, but they are still around. Days where I think I need an emotional "quick fix", but know it will only make the problem worse.

Today was one of those days.

I feel like I'm under some sort of rock. Every time I look up, it's the same stuff that I'm trying to get out of. It never ends. The rock is too big to move, so I just chip away at the courners, but I never feel like I'm accomplishing something.

However, I am accomplishing something.

And that is really good.

But it also sucks...

...kinda"

I read it again today as a total fluke and realized that I wrote it exactly one year ago (August 7th, 2007). Is it possible for a whole year to have gone by and to have nothing change at all? I can't believe that this still describes the exact feelings I felt today. I couldn't even put it into words until I read this.

The only difference is that I think the rock is a tiny bit smaller, and I'm more determined to break it away bit by bit. Maybe I'll feel vastly different in a year, but somehow I kind of doubt it.

Book of the Week

2008-08-07T23:12:00.000-07:00

Once again, I found myself counting down the minutes until a book released. I stood in line for a couple hours, met new people, and screamed with everyone else when they announced "15 more minutes!"

Yes, I was one of the suckers who stood in line for the new Twilight book, Breaking Dawn. And you know what? It was TOTALLY worth it!!! I haven't enjoyed a book this much in a long time. When I finished it, I couldn't stop smiling. It was the perfect ending to the book. And I slept for 15 hours straight with a smile on my face.

READ IT!!!

heehee

2008-08-06T08:23:00.001-07:00

more comics here

Website of the Week

2008-07-30T23:00:00.000-07:00

The Knights of Malt Merchandise Mart is hilarious. It goes along with the Caledonian Conclave, a website dedicated to the musing of the Brothers who look after the holy peat bogs and partake in the spirits.

My only qualm is that it is updated rarely. But definitely worth a look. Here is the post about their new product, Maltoids®...

MALTOIDS!®

The officially sanctioned pastille of the Knights of Malt, the Caledonian Conclave and the Monks of St. Ardbeg's

Now you too can savor the flavor that guides the faithful! Direct from the peat bogs of St. Ardbeg's, Maltoids® are here.

Just slip one of these mighty lozenges in your mouth and feel the full fury of the Spirit. Infused with malt, peat and the purest water from the bog springs of St. Ardbeg's, Maltoids® can make a mundane mouth feel fully filled by the Spirit.

A vulgar joke passed amongst the Monks goes something like this: "Is that a tin of Maltoids in your femoralia or are you just committing a venial sin?" Seriously though, no monk would be caught out without a tin of our little tablets blessed by the abbott himself. And now you can have the exquisite experience of the Spirit even when the thing itself is unavailable. Try Maltoids® The Furiously Strong lozenge.

Individual tins or cases of 144 for the true believer!

The monks of St. Ardbeg's recommend that Maltoids® not be partaken of while operating heavy equipment, driving or speaking with an officer of the court.

WARNING! Ecstatic vision may occur if the recommended daily allowance of Maltoids® is exceeded. The brothers encourage everyone to partake responsibly.

My baby!!

2008-07-30T22:31:00.001-07:00

I got my baby back today. I really hope that we will never part again. Well, I just hope it doesn't die this year...it's my senior year! So, welcome back computer! I missed you.

Book of the Week

2008-07-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

I've read the book Ender's Game about 4 or 5 times by now, and I love it. Every time I read it I like it a little better, and I liked it a lot to begin with. The characters are so real, the action is enthralling, and though I'm not one for "war books" I couldn't put this down. However, this book of the week is not Ender's Game; It is the sequel, Speaker for the Dead.

I refused to read Speaker because I was angry that the author thought he could add to Ender's Game. How could he try and add to perfection? I didn't read it and I didn't want to. But this summer has been long and boring, so when I (finally) bought Ender's Game and read it again, I was out of things that I was really interested in reading. So I went and bought Speaker for the Dead and hoped that it would at least be entertaining, if it was going to be as bad as I thought.

I was completely and totally wrong. Speaker was better than Ender's Game. It is a very different style, it's deep and not full of action, it's absolutely fascinating. It starts out with a new planet, new characters, and I got mad because I couldn't see what it had to do with the first book. But Ender is called out to do a speaking for someone who has died, and ends up deeply entwined in the new characters and the new setting. I really wish I could tell you more, but I can't without giving away the rest of the book.

I began to wonder why I hadn't ever read at least part of this book before. And when I was reading the forward to another Orson Scott Card book, Ender's Shadow (Ender's Game from the point of view of Bean), the author answered my question:

"I have never found it surprising that the existing sequels never appealed as strongly to those younger readers. The obvious reason is that Ender's Game is centered around a child, while the sequels are about adults; perhaps more important, Ender's Game is, at least on the surface, a heroic, adventurous novel, while the sequels are a completely different kind of fiction, slower paced, more contemplative and idea-centered, and dealing with themes of less immediate import to younger readers."

Orson Scott Card also mentions that the three sequels to Ender's Game are more related, and the first book can stand on its own.

So, the moral of the blog is, go and read Ender's Game if you haven't, and then go read Speaker for the Dead. They are very well written, and very very very good books.

grungegate

2008-06-29T13:03:00.000-07:00

About 20 years ago, the New York Times decided to let its readers in on the world of Grunge music. They wrote an article about it, and called up Sub Pop Records in Seattle, the origin of most grunge music to add some "what these kids are saying" flair to their article. Unfortunately, when the author of the article called, they were put through to Megan Jasper, who had some fun at their expence. Too bad the New York Times didn't do any fact-checking...

"LEXICON OF GRUNGE: BREAKING THE CODE

All subcultures speak in code; grunge is no exception. Megan Jasper, a 25-year-old sales representative at Caroline Records in Seattle, provided this lexicon of grunge speak, coming soon to a high school or mall near you:

WACK SLACKS: Old ripped jeans

FUZZ: Heavy wool sweaters

PLATS: Platform shoes

KICKERS: Heavy boots

SWINGIN' ON THE FLIPPITY-FLOP: Hanging out

BOUND-AND-HAGGED: Staying home on Friday or Saturday night

SCORE: Great

HARSH REALM: Bummer

COB NOBBLER: Loser

DISH: Desirable guy

BLOATED, BIG BAG OF BLOATATION: Drunk

LAMESTAIN: Uncool person

TOM-TOM CLUB: Uncool outsiders

ROCK ON: A happy goodby"

The original New York Times article can be found here. I haven't read it all, because it was so lame and the writer was such a cob nobbler. You should let me know how good/bad it is if you can actually get through it.

And here is the npr website, where I first heard of this article. It was on their show "Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me!" and it is absolutely hilarious. Please, please listen if you can get a moment. It's the "Not my job" segment.

Thank you!

2008-06-18T22:40:00.000-07:00

Today, the last customer that I waited on was a man who spoke almost no english at all. I have to say that I was completely embarrassed that the little spanish I've retained over the many, many years. Nothing made much sense, on either side, and I'm sure I said something like "I can wants another like this?"

I seemed to have the worst luck with Spanish teachers growing up. The one I had in high school taught me nothing, and the professor I had in college taught me...well, next to nothing. Specifically, we were not taught the everyday words that I needed today. However, I must have picked something up because I was able to help that customer using phrases like "I'm sorry my spanish is so awful."

To my teachers: thank you so much for all your help. I'm sure being able to accurately ask where the big kitchen is, tell him I have one sister, or tell him that the color of my crayon was indeed red would've been helpful and made his day a bit better, had it come up in our conversation.

Oh well.

Something odd

2008-06-14T17:09:00.000-07:00

This week at work, it was Caitlin week. I swear, every other person had a kid named Caitlin, or was named Caitlin, or was yelling at their kid (named Caitlin) to stay in line or to not touch that. It was rather annoying because I kept jerking my head around trying to figure out why everyone was yelling at me.

the end.

Wii

2008-06-08T21:42:00.000-07:00

Well, the Wii Fit is out there now, and it is very very exciting. Watch this video to look at what this little white thing you stand on can do for you.

(I know I've posted this video before, but I wanted to watch it again, so I'm making you all watch it, too.)

Fun places to spend time

2008-06-08T02:35:00.000-07:00

More Punny Signs here

Yay.

And my all-time favorite blog ever...

Garfield Minus Garfield.

"Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life? Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against loneliness in a quiet American suburb."

Pink Martini

2008-06-07T23:22:00.000-07:00

I recently got the opportunity to hear one of my favorite bands ever, Pink Martini. I saw them at the Crystal Ballroom, and it was marvelous! This was my third time seeing them live, but I think this was my favorite concert. There was no seating, and my friends and I ended up standing directly in front of the stage. Everyone was singing and dancing, and it was so enjoyable.

Here's on of their songs, hang on little tomato, with a really lovely trombone solo to start it out. I wish it was from the concert I went to, but it isn't. Oh well. Enjoy!

New Potter Puppet Pals

2008-06-05T17:33:00.000-07:00

"The Vortex"

New Blog Yay!

2008-06-02T21:12:00.000-07:00

One of the things I have to do for my job is to work a checkout station like they do at a grocery store. It is quite the adventure, but there are a few things that get on my nerves. Now, I know that it is so easy to tell people how to raise their kids, especially because I don't have any and I don't know what it's like, but it seems that there are a few things parents do that really really bug me. Some of them are:

The "let's make you happy and hold this toy while we're in the store that we have NO INTENTION of buying for you, so that when we reach the checkout, you scream and cry and make the employees hate life." COME ON PEOPLE!! You give them something they want and then you take it away and are surprised when they're unhappy.

The "I'm going to buy you this toy, but you have to let go of it for 2 seconds so they can ring it up and we can buy it...oh, why are you screaming when I make you let go of it?" Now this one happens with pretty much ever other person with a kid. I'm not saying don't buy them toys, but my parent's policy was "if you throw a tantrum over it, I'm not going to give it to you, even if I wanted you to have it." Not that hard.

The "I'll give you anything you want and let you run around the store with very little or no supervision, and then I'll wonder why you don't listen to me." Oh? You want a thomas the tank engine? Ok! Oh what's that? You want 80 bags of goldfish crackers? Of course! Now, wait here while I sign for the card...no, over here by me. Please don't touch that. I'm sorry, we have to go now. Please stop crying, don't throw that, please be quiet...you get the picture.

Of course there are kids who are really tired and unhappy, and the babies who get fussy, and the parents who are doing a good job and everything, this rant is not about them. This rant is about those three groups of people that I want to whack upside the head and yell "DUH!"

On another note, I have been watching some funniest home videos compilations on youtube, and totally loving them! I have to admit now I have this irrational fear of falling down while someone films it so that in 20 years, bored college kids watch it and laugh...weird, right?

I have also been enjoying watching NCIS. I would totally let Mark Harmon interrogate me whenever he wanted/needed to!

John MaCain's running mate

2008-05-15T20:11:00.001-07:00

I actually considered voting Republican when I heard who John McCain's running mate is. I have since reconsidered, but wow. Watch to find out who.

PS sorry for the finale spoiler

Yayayay!

2008-05-15T13:34:00.000-07:00

I'm done with finals!!!!! And tonight is the season finale of The Office. It's called "Goodbye Toby" and I am totally excited for it!!!

Here is the cold open for the episode tonight. I think it's my favorite from this season.

(sorry for the commercial)

The girl I want to be

2008-05-11T21:16:00.001-07:00

I want to be able to wear black and brown without feeling uncoordinated
I want to walk with excellent posture
I want to laugh loudly and not feel annoying
I want to be closer to God
I want to hug perfect strangers
I want a job I love
I want to love my overly emotional-ness
I want to paint a masterpiece
I want to be loud all the time
I want to feel confident
I want to be me
I want to bake a cake and decorate it with rolled fondant
I want to be proud of me
I want to walk in the middle of the night and not feel scared
I want to sleep on the beach
I deserve to fall for a guy who makes me go weak at the knees
I want to be ok with being anti-social and hide in my room
I want to take great photos

I think I'm going to cry

2008-05-10T11:46:00.000-07:00

Here's an op ed article from the New York Times about our energy crisis and here's and article from CNN about stopping testing beef from mad cow disease.

HOW STUPID DO YOU HAVE TO BE???? President Bush said that he would veto any bill that took tax credits away from the oil industry and give them to the sustainable energy industry.

"But here’s what’s scary: our problem is so much worse than you think. We have no energy strategy. If you are going to use tax policy to shape energy strategy then you want to raise taxes on the things you want to discourage — gasoline consumption and gas-guzzling cars — and you want to lower taxes on the things you want to encourage — new, renewable energy technologies. We are doing just the opposite."

There have been 3 reported cases of mad cow disease in the US since 2003. It is fatal to humans, but has the same symptoms as Alzheimer's so who knows how many cases in humans we've missed. If you don't think that's scary, think about this: Less than 1% of slaughtered cows get tested for mad cow disease, and the government wants to stop increased testing because "The agency argues that more widespread testing does not guarantee food safety and could result in a false positive that scares consumers." I don't know about you, but I would rather have more testing than not know at all.

If you like The Office...

2008-05-08T14:23:00.000-07:00

In other news, CLASSES ARE OVER!!!

Now I just have finals... :(

But there is a new episode of the office tonight. YAY!

And I have my jury tomorrow, but I think I'm going to rock it so hard it's going to fall down! Whoot!

And this is also a good song.

Also...

2008-04-25T23:41:00.000-07:00

also, Lily's blog has changed wesites! Check it out, it's pretty neat!

Websites of the week

2008-04-25T18:35:00.000-07:00

Here are some websites I've been wasting an embarrassingly long amount of time on...

The "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks
It's about time I found "something" like this!

Photoshop Disasters
Found all over the place, but mostly in ads or magazines. It is embarrassing! Does no one look at what they've created?

Overheard in the Office
Those one-liners that make you tilt your head and go "huh?"

Fanny Pack Antics
The life of tourists as seen by non-tourists. Amazing!

The Comics Curmudgeon
Kudos for correctly using the word "curmudgeon."

Awful Plastic Surgery
This website it painful to look at. But very interesting, none the less.

Apostrophe Abuse
Seeing's how people abuse the english language make's me cringe.

Overheard Everywhere
"if it weren't for my horse..." and the like.

That's Punny!
No one likes puns except me, but this website is full of stuff to make even me groan.

snip snap snip snap snip snap...

2008-04-13T23:14:00.000-07:00

So, life has been crazy. Lots of concerts coming up, lots of extra work to get different time off. It's been very odd. If it wasn't for television I think my little head would pop.

There was a new episode of The Office this week, it was really really good, and made me insanely happy. In the show, Michael and Jan host a dinner party, and they force Jim and Pam to come. It is so awkward that it's painful to watch, and yet you can't look away.

Some quotes from the show:

Pam: I don't care what they say about me. I just want to eat. Which I realize is a lot to ask for... At a dinner party.

Jim: Michael and Jan seem to be playing their own separate game, and it's called, "Let's See How Uncomfortable We Can Make Our Guests." And they're both winning. So I am going to make a run for it.

Michael: (sipping wine) That was sort of an oaky afterbirth.

Michael: As you can smell, there’s a lot of different odors going on in here.

for the full episode, mosey on over here.

The Worst Movie of my Life.

2008-03-29T00:15:00.000-07:00

Spiderman 3 was an abomination of human endeavor. When I wasn't yawning, I felt like I was going to puke because it was SO AWFUL! The best part of the movie was the blooper reel, though even they were dumb. The other tolerable part was the Music Video by Snow Patrol.

Ugh. Don't bother.

Best Movie of my life.

2008-03-27T19:05:00.000-07:00

Enchanted is my all new favorite movie. It is a parody of all animated and princess stories ever written. Giselle is a princess who has fallen into a hole that leads her to New York right before her wedding to her prince charming. She wanders around until she finds McDreamy, who helps her despite her annoyingly positive outlook on life and love.

The songs are composed by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, who wrote songs together in other Disney movies like Pocahontas, Hercules, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Alan Menken wrote the music for other movies and musicals such as Aladdin, Little Shop of Horrors, The Little Mermaid, and Beauty and the Beast. Stephen Schwartz wrote the lyrics for some of my favorite musicals: Wicked, and Godspell.

I don't usually want to give away to best parts of the movie, but I will today. Here is my favorite part of the movie - Giselle starts singing about McDreamy's girlfriend, in the middle of a park, drawing a LOT of attention. And I really love her dress!!

"That's How You Know"

The next four posts...

2008-03-22T11:12:00.000-07:00

The next four posts are all songs performed by Hugh Laurie. As one youtube user said:

"I don't care that it's funny... the man has skills."

He does all his own singing and playing. He's pretty much a musical genius.

So I hope you enjoy Hugh and his...skills.

What I mind.

2008-03-22T10:58:00.000-07:00

"I don't mind being lonely
I don't mind being poor
What I mind is being misunderstood
I can't take it anymore..."

Sophisicated Song

2008-03-22T10:46:00.000-07:00

"I wear sophisticated clothes
I say sophisticated things
Everything about me says
I'm a sophistication king..."

:D

There Ain't But One Way

2008-03-22T10:40:00.000-07:00

"Well, the world is facing problems getting bigger every day,
They've got a greenhouse over Texas and recession's on the way..."

*this song does us some language, just fyi. Don't let small children watch or whatever*

Mystery

2008-03-22T10:37:00.000-07:00

"Mystery
All my life has been a mystery
You and I were never ever meant to be
That's why I call my love for you a mystery..."

Enjoy!

Movie of the Week

2008-03-21T16:52:00.000-07:00

I started my spring break by flopping down on the couch with a bag of chips, and watching the best movie ever:

Star Trek: First Contact

Need I say more? I'm a total trekkie, and I love all the next generation movies! This one is particularly incredible because they get to go to the past and help out James Cromwell - a reluctant visionary who changes the fate of the world.

Oh yeah...there's some stuff about borg in it, too.

Plans for Spring Break!

2008-03-19T00:10:00.000-07:00

So Spring Break (yes, capital letters are needed) is coming up, and I have a few things that I must do to remain a sane person for the rest of the semester. I leave it up to my friends and family to make it happen...

Sleep, play Nintendo with nice Idahoans who are stuck here, go to Eugene, go to the coast, sleep in a yurt (!!), frolic in the ocean, sleep, play more video games, visit mom and dad, sleep, read myself out of books, bake something exciting, clean the apartment (HA!!), watch some tv, and sleep.

Can I fit it all into one week? We'll find out...

Movie Time!!

2008-03-18T00:35:00.000-07:00

I've seen a few movies since I've written in my blog (not too many because I've been studying [I hope you're reading this mom]). Some of them are worth talking about...

Juno

This movie totally surprised me out of my anti-indie-movie kick. I thought it was a clever movie that told the story of a teen girl going through an unplanned pregnancy. I actually liked it, and I was pleasantly surprised.

Dan in Real Life

The new Steve Carrell movie is sweet, cheesy, brainless, and made me giggle. A single dad who's fallen in love with his brother's new girlfriend. It was better than I make it sound. It was worth seeing.

Becoming Jane

Not terrible, not terrific. I'd probable watch it again.

Hairspray

I've seen this before, but I just watched it again, and it hit me like a sack of potatoes: I really like this movie. Enough said.

Sydney White

Brainless brainless brainless brainless!! But I will always remember that it took Lily an hour into the movie to realize that it was the story of Snow White. It was classic!
It is the tale of a young college girl who tries to get into a sorority that her mother was in. When she is thrown out, she makes friends with 7 dorks (haha) and tries to change the way the school is run. I'll give you half a guess as to how it turns out.

Victory is Mine!

2008-03-18T00:17:00.000-07:00

"Victory is mine! Great day in the morning, victory is mine. I drink from the keg of glory. Bring me the finest muffins and bagels in all the land."

Oh how true those words are.

I totally rock!!!!

Gizoogle

2008-02-17T14:48:00.000-08:00

This website is rockin'. You can translate anything to jive. If you need help coming up with something to shizzle, try this:

"Thou art violently carried away from grace. There is a devil haunts thee in the likeness of an old fat man; a tun of a man is thy companion. Why dost thou converse with that trunk of humours, that bolting hutch of beastliness, that swoll'n parcel of dropsies, that huge bombard of sack, that stuff'd cloakbag of guts, that roasted Manningtree ox with the pudding in his belly, that reverend vice, that grey iniquity, that father ruffian, that vanity of years."
- Shakespeare

Gizoogle

Website of the week

2008-02-15T14:14:00.000-08:00

I can has cheezburger is totally stupid, pointless, grammatically incorrect, and often lame. But I spend lots of time on there, looking at pictures of cute animals. Don't ask me why, just check it out.

I can has cheezburger

WARNING! Time waster!!

2008-02-09T22:26:00.000-08:00

So, I have managed to waste an embarrassingly long amount of time looking at a website called weirdomatic. It sounds stupid, but it is distracting. Some of my favorites are: Strange Book Covers, Weird Annual Festivals, Tennis on the Helipad, Weird Bass Guitars, Bentley Snowflakes, and Free Spirit Spheres. I hope you like them!

The BEST movie ever!!!

2008-01-26T22:26:00.000-08:00

There is a movie out there perfect for anyone and everyone!!! It is A Midwinter's Tale and it's about a group of actors who decide to perform Shakespeare's Hamlet at Christmastime. I know it sounds totally lame, but it really is one of the best movies I've ever seen. Definitely one to really pay attention to because there are many jokes and punchlines that you will only hear if you are totally into the movie.

Still don't believe me? Watch the trailer.

A new one (finally)

2008-01-21T20:29:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been a while. I've been a slacker. Sorry. But I've been busy!!

I just got my computer back from being repaired, though it doesn't help all that much because I don't have wireless internet in the apartment I just moved to. So, I've been very cut off from the world :( ...how sad...no facebook, myspace, or tv shows online. I'm really at a loss of what to do! I sank so low that I actually read a book. You know, I think it was 2 books. It seems so long ago.

Thank the Lord I set up my sega as soon as I moved in!

Other than that, not much going on with me. I promise to write more often. I'm sure you've missed me as much as I missed you.

Movie of the Week

2008-01-01T11:15:00.000-08:00

How boring of me to bring in the new year with a movie, but alas, that is who I am.

I had the pleasure to see the new National Treasure movie last night, and I was really impressed. I thought it was as good if not better than the first. Now, when I say impressed, I'm not talking academy award winning movie, but rather a movie that I sat through without wondering how much longer it's going to go on. It was clever, witty, intriguing, and just a ton of fun! I loved the part where they get arrested by the palace guards at Buckingham palace.

This movie is worth it. I laughed out loud through the whole thing (something I don't do very often in theaters, sadly), and was throughly entertained. Go see it!!

Here is the trailer and official website.

How very un-PC of me.

2007-12-22T23:32:00.000-08:00

In this day and age, there is a lot of pressure placed on not offending people. I totally understand this, it comes from the spirit of acceptance and understanding of other people's feelings and cultures. However, is it just me, or is this taken too far? Instead of accepting and understanding, there is a feeling of intolerance, hostility, and misunderstanding. If I tell someone "Merry Christmas" and they get upset because they don't celebrate or believe in Christmas, isn't that going against acceptance? Why can't I wish someone a Merry Christmas, and they can wish me a Happy Hanukkah, or a Happy Winter Solstice, or a Happy Holiday, or a Happy Saturday?

I suppose it isn't that big of a deal, but it is frustrating to find myself at work, and unable to talk about Christmas shopping with customers unless they bring it up. And granted, this isn't a policy that has been implemented at my job (as far as I know), but it comes from my own experiences with ticking people off during the holidays.

Oh well. My rant is over...wait, no it's not!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Ok. Now it's over.

The Twelve Days of Christmas

2007-12-19T12:24:00.001-08:00

Ah, sweet boredom!

2007-12-18T00:37:00.000-08:00

Here's a youtube video that my friend David made before I knew him. It is a work of cinematic genius! The song is Creep by Radiohead.

Musical Artist of the week

2007-12-12T22:57:00.000-08:00

Michael Kaeshammer is the best jazz pianist I have ever had the pleasure of listening to (live and on CD). He is extraordinarily talented, and a nice guy to boot. His music is awesome, and I love it. He came out with a new album this year, and it is on my Christmas list.

Here's a song from his new album Days Like These, "Cinnamon Sun"

Michael Kaeshammer

My 100th Post! (for real this time)

2007-12-11T11:54:00.000-08:00

So, I have decided that I don't like apartment hunting. It sucks a lot, actually. I don't really know why, but I think it's the perils of choosing a place to live, being scared that it won't work out or that you'll hate it or whatever. But, I have triumphed! My friend Sarah and I found one that we want to move into, ans are going to fill out the paperwork. It is terribly exciting...or not.

On another note, this is my actual 100th post! Yay! (The other one was written to see if you would catch it...a shockingly few amount of people did - tisk tisk.) So, now that I've written a butt-load of entries, what am I going to do? Get a life, hopefully. But, until then, let's celebrate!

Ok, moving on. It is Christmas break (oh, sorry, I mean "winter break") and I am sitting in my bed, checking things online, and learning to play cribbage (I totally suck at it, by the way). This has been my last three days and it feels wonderful!! I have totally bonded with my bed (I'm sure that sleeping for 12 hours a day has totally helped) and I'm very content to sleep away my whole break!

But, alas, it is not meant to be. I really need to go back to work and deal with annoying, holiday-crazed weirdos. Whoot for that! Now I just have to wait for work to call me!

And that's all for my 100th post. I hope you all have a great Christmas! Happy Holidays!

Christmas Quotations!!

2007-12-03T21:44:00.000-08:00

Yay!! My dad has a Christmas tradition as old as time, he sends us all a Christmas quotation a day. This year, he is doing it a bit differently, he's posting it to a blog! So now he can annoy all of us on the internet all the time, not only with quotes, but comics, songs, pictures and, of course, his own commentary. Very worthwhile, I know you'll love it!!

Christmas Quotations

Christmas is the one time of year when people of all religions come together to worship Jesus Christ.

Bart Simpson

Just some things I found...

2007-12-03T21:43:00.000-08:00

Website of the week

2007-11-28T01:55:00.000-08:00

Found

A really cool site. I encourage you to look at random found objects on the site.

My 100th post!

2007-11-27T01:14:00.000-08:00

So, this is my 100th post, and I am going to commemorate it with something a little special...

...oh wait. No I'm not.

UGH. One week until finals.

And this is all my brain can handle.

...and

2007-11-15T18:13:00.000-08:00

And, if you keep up with Ray's blog, you'll see that there is another GROW thing up. I haven't figured it out yet, but I'm very close!

GROW Island

Rice is Nice

2007-11-15T18:09:00.000-08:00

So, I guess I have to admit that I do not posses the world's best vocabulary. That's no surprise to anyone who knows me. However, now I can use that to the advantage of hungry people all over the world! On FreeRice.com, they donate 10 grains of rice for every vocabulary question that you answer correctly. So, you get to solve world hunger and sound smarter, too! Yay! Win win win!

Free Rice

Feel free to let me know via comments what your vocabulary score is! I'd love to know!

Robot Guitar?? Drooooool...

2007-11-15T09:03:00.000-08:00

Yes, it has happened, Gibson has created a Robot guitar. No, it's not a ROBOT that plays guitar, but a guitar that has robotic technology to enhance it. It is self-tuning guitar. I am going to do a very crappy job explaining what it can do, but basically, you turn on the tuning device, strum the guitar twice, and off you go! Different tunings don't even phase it. It has to ability to tune to pretty much any other tuning you want it to, and it's really easy to do.

I really can't do this guitar justice, you just have to go to the website, read the stories, watch the instructional video, and check out all of the awesome features!

Anyone have a few thousand dollars to give me so I can buy one?

A little laugh for you

2007-11-06T16:46:00.001-08:00

(It's about Elizabeth Barret and Robert Browning. Well, based on their lives...)

Amazing? Yea... Magical? Pretty much...

2007-11-05T17:58:00.000-08:00

So, I had my conducting debut last Friday, and it was wonderful! I want to be a high school band teacher, and last week was something I really needed. Yes, it really freaked me out to be in front of a band, all expecting me to lead them, and with an audience sitting behind me, wanting me to do well. But, to be completely honest, once I got up on the podium, it was easy to completely tune out the audience and get immersed in the music. I was so nervous the entire week before; disaster scenarios running through my head, and I was shaking really badly right before I walked on stage.

However, let me tell you...conducting is magical. It is the best feeling in the world. There is nothing else in the room but the music, and the general area that a cue should be. There is no audience, no other distractions...just a bunch of nicely dressed musicians in front of you.

Yeah, great night! Go me!

(this is not the way you should conduct
...just FYI)

Well, well, well

2007-10-31T09:45:00.000-07:00

So, it's Halloween today. To be totally honest I have never really been a fan of Halloween. Well, I liked going around and getting candy and stuff, but making and wearing a costume hasn't really ever been my thing, though I always enjoy seeing what other people dress up as. Can't wait to see what people dress up as this year!

This week has been really really stressful. I just seem to have a ton of things to do, and no time to do it! Not only do I have projects due and tests to study for, but I'm conducting for the first time in front of an audience this week. I have never conducted before, and while this is only for one song and it's not that big a deal, I'm still freaking out.

The biggest bummer is that when I get stressed out, I get down because I can't focus on anything but what's coming up. Then I get grumpy, mostly at people I care about because they are the closest ones to me. Then I don't feel like I can talk to them about how I'm feeling or how stressed out I am because I feel bad about treating them badly and I'm afraid of being mean to them again...which just gets me more stressed out because now I don't have an outlet to let my stress out on, so it starts building up more...

It's quite the vicious cycle.

So, I guess I'm just saying that if you see me this week, just give me an extra big hug or something...chances are I could really use it, but I don't feel like I can ask for one.

TV Show of the week...

2007-10-25T23:06:00.000-07:00

Pushing Daisies!

This is a new show this year, and the first thing you'll notice as you watch it is the almost Tim Burton-esque filming, though that's hardly surprising because it is produced and directed by Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black, Men in Black II, The Addams Family). It stars some people that I've never heard of or seen before, but more importantly it has Kristin Chenoweth!! She is so lovely, and so cute.

So, the plot:
Ned is a kid when he finds out that he can touch something dead and make it come back to life, but touch it again and it dies forever. Also, he can only keep a person alive for one minute before either that person has to die again or someone (in a close proximity) will die. So, naturally, Ned has decided to make pies for a living! Also, he works with a private investigator to solve murders. Ned goes to the dead victim, touches him or her, asks who murdered them, and before one minute elapses touches them again, killing them forever.

Straightforward, right?

Anyways, a great show, great cast, and totally random plot line...

Watch it now

The joys and terrors of Jazz Improv

2007-10-22T14:47:00.000-07:00

I think I have done a silly thing. I have decided to sign up for another class next semester: Small Jazz Ensemble. It is basically jazz...and improvising, (cue scary music now, please). I am actually really looking forward to it, but it kinda freaks me out because I suck at improv, and usually have no desire whatsoever to do it. I must be on some kind of mind-altering drugs.

Other than that, there's nothing much going on. I went to a really good play last week, and it made me miss my yearly trips to the Ashland Shakespeare festival so much. The mother-daughter book club I was in would go to Ashland twice a year and go see between 3-6 plays each time we went. The acting company there is killer and I want to go right now. Anyone interested in a trip in May??

OSF 2008 Season

OSF 2007/2008 Multimedia
(This includes video highlights of the 2007 season!!!!!)

I should be napping...

2007-10-11T17:02:00.000-07:00

So, as I was flipping through radio stations on my way home, I found one that had a church sermon on it. Curious as to what this church/pastor was saying I stopped and listened to the station for about 10 in that ten minutes, the program was broken up into these sections:

2 minutes of sermon (it was at the end)
5 minutes or more of telling listeners their name, address, phone number, website, PO Box number, how to find their church in Vancouver, how to give, telling people that they should really give, reminding listeners of their phone number, name, address, website, how to give, and so on. (they made sure to end with "thank you for your prayers and gifts, you have made it possible")
3 minutes of commercials, (the two that stuck in my mind were: one that told women how they could looked SO MUCH better by using a face cream to make wrinkles "vanish" in twelve hours. The other one was from a pro-life clinic that is open right next to an abortion clinic - they needed $69,000 to keep their clinic open for two days a week, so that young girls can have the chance to save their baby's life. But if they didn't get enough money "soon" then they would have to close their doors.)

So, let me get this straight...out of a ten minute segment of this station, I got 2 minutes of God's word, and 8 minutes of getting money??? (remember, people pay to advertise)

What is wrong with this picture???

Brand New Radio

Movie of the Week

2007-10-06T10:59:00.000-07:00

This week's movie of the week is The Dish. It is an absolutely captivating movie about the big dish in Australia, and how they broadcasted the first lunar landing. At one point they lose the signal of the spacecraft, and at other times they are playing cricket on the dish itself. It puts this tiny town in Australia on the map...even though the dish is and was in the middle of a sheep paddock. Please go see this movie if you haven't...you won't regret it!

And that's the news of lake woebegon.

2007-10-06T10:52:00.000-07:00

So, I am experiencing a magnificent three day weekend as I type this. I'm lounging in bed and doing absolutely nothing productive. Doesn't that sound nice?? It is. I spent a couple days in Eugene, which was fun. I haven't been there in a long time, and it was great to see my old stomping grounds, (I lived in Eugene for 10 years).

Right now I'm getting ready (more mentally than actually going and doing something about it) to go to the coast! Even though it's supposed to be raining today, I think it's going to be so much fun. The best part is that there's not really a plan, it's just a trip, which is the best kind!!

Other than that I'm a pretty boring person and nothing has been going on. Just craziness at school, and I had my first ever voice lesson yesterday with the most amazing gal ever! I've never had a voice lesson before, and she is a great teacher. It does mean, though that now I'm taking more lessons, which just adds to my busy schedule. But you know what? I really don't mind!

...and also...

2007-10-01T19:35:00.001-07:00

I'm employed!! Yayayayayayayayay!!!

...and...

2007-09-29T19:03:00.000-07:00

I'm officially UNEMPLOYED!!!! YAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!!!

Back by poplular demand!

2007-09-28T08:18:00.001-07:00

So there haven't been any posts in a while, but it's just because I've been superbusy (yes, one word). In addition to taking a butt-load of credits, I've been trying to work 30 hours a week, start up a pep band (I had help from my friend David, though), not to fail any of my classes, take new private music lessons, sleep, grok the meaning of life, keep up on my netflix movies...goodness! I get tired just writing that list!

I have to say, though that pep band has been amazing. It has really validated my belief that I want to be a band teacher, something I'd been wondering about for a while now. There is nothing better than getting up in front of a band, and have them play music that I've picked out, where I've studied the score and know how I want the band to sound. I'd been worried that I didn't really want to be a band teacher because it's what I've always wanted to be. I know that seems somewhat paradoxical, but because it's what I've always wanted to do I don't have a plan B if I didn't like conducting. I'm so glad to know now that I love it!!!

Because I've been so busy I made the decision to quit my job. It is the best decision I've made this school year. I'm going to miss it a lot, but I just can't do everything, you know? Hopefully I'll be back for Christmas and next summer or something, but who knows. I feel so dang relieved to not be going to work anymore. That sounds horrible, but it's totally true. Oh well.

I hope this will satisfy all you curious minds out there, I was getting complaints that I never update my blog anymore...but it was from people who know what's going on in my life. I guess they aren't sick of hearing about me yet.

A blast from the past.

2007-09-15T17:32:00.000-07:00

Trick #1

2007-09-14T00:13:00.000-07:00

Best way to go home early from work: burst into tears when your boss asks you how your day was. But it should only be used when you're totally serious, when you don't mean to burst into tears, and then you turn bright red because you're crying in the middle of a crowded area, and your boss gets really panicky and tells you to go on a break or whatever (anything to get you to stop crying!), and then you're totally miserable for the rest of the evening, and feel like hugging your boss when he asks you if you want to go home.

...so I guess it's not a trick at all...

Never mind.