Culture of the Year

Yes, I know this is kind-of a 'duh,' 'well, of course she would do that' post, but this year's 'culture' is Star Trek. Not a specific series or season or episode in general, but just Star Trek in it's entirety. When you look at the impact that it's had and how much it's grown since the original episodes aired in '66, it's a wonder. There are still old fans that watched the originals growing up, and new fans like me and my cousins that love them and hope for new series!

So, good job, and we hope to see a new series soon!!

Happy Birthday Jesse!

Alright, it's a day late, but be glad I'm posting at all! Yesterday was Jesse's 16th birthday, and many happy returns!!

Quote of the Year

While 2008 was a crazy year, and I have many, MANY hilarious quotes, I thought that they best one to describe this year was:

TRUFFALDINO!!!!!!

Quote of the Week

Yes, I am a Lord Of The Rings freak, and I'm proud to admit it! My whole family is, and we were able to watch the first two movies with my cousin for the first time this week. My entire family is totally devoted to Sam, and quite often his quotes are the best. We were watching The Two Towers last night, and so this week's quote comes from there.

Frodo: I can't do this, Sam.

Sam: I know. It's all wrong. By rights we shouldn't even be here. But we are. It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.

Frodo: What are we holding onto, Sam?

Sam: That there's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo... and it's worth fighting for.

Culture of the Week

I found these on my friend's facebook, and absolutely love them. All credits and props to Rio, they're hilarious. A few of my favorites:

There once was a man named Bertold
Who drank beer when the weather grew cold
As he reached for his cup...
"NEEEEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP!!!"
Oh, snap! You just got limerickrolled!

There once was a girl named Lenore
And a bird and a bust and a door
And a guy with depression
And a whole lot of questions
And the bird always says "Nevermore."

There was a young woman named Bright
Whose speed was much faster than light.
She set out one day
In a relative way,
And returned on the previous night.

There is a young poet named Herman.
He's not very good, but he's learnin',
Though he often offends
Because he so often ends
Alle sein Limericks auf Deutsch.

There was a zookeep from Nantucket
Who was struck by a fish -- couldn't duck it
He was thrown from the cage
By a pinniped's rage.
Quoth the walrus, "You can't has mah bukkit!"

Among all these poems, a few
of the best recite old jokes anew.
But there's one I don't see,
And the reason must be:
In Russia, the limerick writes you.

A friend of mine -- Charlie by name
Is a strategist with deadly aim.
He wants you to know
(So I'll say 'ere I go)
That you, friend, have just Lost The Game.

A certified poet from Slough
Whose methods of rhyming were rough
Retorted, "I see
That the letters agree,
And if that's not sufficient, I'm through."

There once was a girl named Jude,
Who's skirt by the wind was strewed.
A man came along,
And unless I'm quite wrong,
You expected this last line to be lewd.

Santa Tracker

My grandpa showed me this this morning and I've been tracking him all day- it's quite fun, and the videos are hilarious.

Check it out!

Flying

Alright, I'll admit it. I am a total princess when it comes to traveling. I love to travel, and frequently do....but I'm downright nasty until I get from point a to point b!! I really hate flying any other airline than JetBlue, and I really hate non-direct flights....because, like yesterday, your pilot can be 1 1/2 late and you'll miss your connecting flight by 10 minutes and then be stuck in Dallas FOR. EIGHT. HOURS. We actually would have been stuck until Tuesday morning, but luckily our names moved up on the standby list and we only spent a day there- especially good, because our luggage was already in Utah!! So in reality, it all worked out in the end...but I always feel really bad for the people around me, because I think the rage just seeps off!

Culture of the Week

Alright, I know Ma will be pleased with this, but I liked it a lot too. It's a video that students at BYU made for Christmas, and I thought it was sweet, despite my misgivings and emotional nuances regarding this time of year!

aqui

Quote Of The Week

"Why do you have a spoon on-"
>"Dan Khun."
"Oh. Well, that's really all that needs to be said."

Quote of the Week

This week's isn't a funny, out-of-context joke, but I'm not feeling very light-hearted, so this is something my Spanish teacher said to us (and considering my mom also almost killed him this morning), and I really like it.

"The day you totally grow up, you die. You have to understand that."

Famous Last Words

Okay, so I know that technically this would be a 'culture of the week,' but I figured what the hell- it's my blog, after all. I'll do what I want. =)

As some of you may know (and all of you now do), the last song on My Chemical Romance's third album, The Black Parade, is called Famous Last Words- it's all about hanging on, keeping strong(or at least appearing to) and enduring until life gets better. The chorus goes like this-

"I am not afraid to keep on living,
I am not afraid to walk this world alone
Honey, if you stay, I'll be forgiven
Nothing you can say can stop me going home."

Whenever I'm feeling really lost, confused, emotional or panicked, I like to curl up under a huge pile of blankets and blast it on my iPod. After 3 or 4 times through, I feel a lot better. All of MCR's songs do that, to be honest, but this one really hits home- and the video is SICK.

Thanks boys!!!

Culture of the Week

I watched season 6 of TNG this week, and so it's my culture of the week- while still being 'old school' in the sense of graphics and color scheme, it gives a more sophisticated air to the Star Trek universe. There's ALWAYS hidden metaphors, mysterious symbolism and really, really deep, complex themes- sometimes you can't even wrap your mind around it!

But here's to a job well done, and another 26 hours of confounding my brain!

Quote of the Week

"When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.

Then find someone whose life handed them vodka and have a party."

Movies I Want To See

Any takers?

Quantum Of Solace
Australia (yes, again)
The Day The Earth Stood Still
Seven Pounds
Milk
Star Trek
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Bedtime Stories
Last Chance Harvey

Australia

Okay, I'll admit it. I really enjoy movies, and there aren't a lot that I don't like, so when I say a movie was amazing, people tend to not take me seriously.

BUT THIS MOVIE WAS AMAZING.

I actually cried- and teared up several more times. I am (and always have been) VERY proud to be an Aussie, and whenever I see the beauty of my country my soul sings, lost in the untamed familiarity of the Outback, the Bush- everything. And it wasn't just the scenery- the story, the acting, the script, the music- all fantastic. A really, really good love story, where the love isn't the ONLY aspect, is hard to find these days. It was a very long movie, but it didn't feel too long- the story needed to be told, and so it was. (After all, it does take place between a few years.)

The sense of karma, I thought, was very strong in the movie- everybody got what was coming to them. What people sent out, people got back. It made me regain a little faith in the world.

But really, go see it, even if, at least, for the scenery.

Culture of the Week

Alright, the new Star Trek movie counts. See earlier post. =)

Quote of the Week

In honor of show ending this week, I chose the Player's Club mantra:

"We rock. We will rock. Forevermore."
-Tom O'Connell

I CAN'T WAIT!

Okay, so I was transformed into a total Trekkie by my grandfather this last spring, who is the only one in our family (prior to me) who was one. He's thrilled to have another of his kind, and we keep each other frequently updated on Trek updates.

I called him the other day, screaming, about this.

I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!! It looks SO awesome, and the special effects are going to be amazing. Not to mention that Spock is played by Zachary Quinto, who's one of my favorite actors and plays Sylar/Gabriel on Heroes. (Does anyone else get the joke about 'Spock's Brain'?.....probably not)

My friends and I are going to see it at midnight.

Post Show Sydrome

As (gasp!) the show is now over, a warning to many of my companions- you may see the members of the Player's Club wandering around with glazed eyes, hunched shoulders, and a gloomy, depressed demeanor.

DO NOT BE ALARMED!

We have not been transformed into zombies. We're all suffering from the rare, twice annual disorder known as Post-Show Syndrome (PSS), which affects the entire theatre group for a week or two after the end of a show, although in significant cases it can last much longer (coughLIZDEVITOcough-<3 ya girl) and may cause feelings of despair. Never fear. The musical will be here soon enough.

Culture of the Week

Another weekly promise- songs, books, plays, etc. =)

This week it's Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card-
I read it in eight grade, but a friend of mine was telling me all about how they're his favorite books (there's a whole plethora of them) and so I'm re-reading it before I start the others.

It's a really good book- very futuristic (although written in the 70's) still holds true to a future that we could forsee- unlike some "futuristic" literature from the past that's really just ridiculous. It's about a 6 year old boy, Ender, who is taken into Battle School with other boys his age in order to prepare them for Earth's defense against then next attack by the 'buggers,' an insect-like race who've attacked Earth before. A short narration before every chapter of Ender's superiors show they ulterior motives of the adults in the novel (who are the true enemies) attempting to better Earth's odds by isolating Ender and making him into a skilled, powerful leader- by age 8.

All in all, a very good read though. Can't wait to get to the others.



Slight update- I also saw online today that there's a movie 'in production'- but the writer's doing the screenplay (as it should be!) so hopefully it'll all work out!!

Quote of the Week

I'm going to have a quote from the show this week in order to celebrate- and practice. =)

"I prefer you without pants."

I Believe In Superheroes

I love superheroes.
Like, I really love superheroes.
And I'm not entirely sure why.

I was reflecting on it today [I've had Superman on my mind lately-or, to be more precise, his human counterpart(s)] and I was wondering what exactly about it it is that makes me love 'em so much.

I think part of it is that (especially with the more 'recent' superheroes like Iron Man/Tony Stark, Superman/Clark Kent and Batman/Bruce Wayne) is that they're all so deeply flawed, and yet at the same time are out fighting for the good in the world. But all deeply, deeply flawed.

In Iron Man, for instance, Tony Stark is a high roller who doesn't care to much for image- just having a good time. After he's abducted by a terrorist group, he comes back even more scarred than before- because he got in touch with his humanity, only to have seen it wrested away from him.

Superman (especially in Superman Returns) has heavy emotional issues- having to become a savior for humanity while still trying to help them make their own, coming to terms with the fact that he's the last of his kind, and the utter desperation of being destitutly unique. And yet, despite all of this, he's still a 'perfect' man- tall, strong (mentally and physically) and completely immovable from his morals. He's vastly superior to humans, yet treats them as equals, or even superiors, rather than subordinates. Ah! I love him.

And Batman. Okay, if any of you have even seen previews for the Dark Knight you know what I'm about to talk about. While Batman is constantly saving the world and purging Gotham's underworld, and, (no matter how violent,) always doing the Right Thing, he is, essentially, a villain- not afraid of hurting people or destruction, in order to get his way. He, also, has to deal with the problems of being "more than just a man-" and of dealing with all of the whackadoos whose influence and remarks are clearly felt.

So what makes a superhero a superhero? Is it wealth to spend on cool gadgets? Abnormal powers?

Or, maybe, is it being more genuinely human than the rest of us?

THE HUNGRY OTTER'S COMING!

As many of you know(and others have noticed my increased hyperventilation), the show, (as John puts it,) "is coming at us faster than a hungry otter, and I've had a hungry otter come at me before, and it was FAST!"

So, basically, I'm terrified- I also spent 5 hours today helping paint the set (which does look fabulous.) and I feel that I must now blatantly advertise in the blog sphere.


COME TO SEE THE SHOW! IT'S FANTASTIC! WE'RE AMAZING! IT'S SOOOOOOO WORTH IT!!!!


November 21st and 22nd, at 7:30 (but the improv begins at 7!) and you should come at least half an hour early for tickets.

I PROMISE I'll do a good job, but only if YOU come!!!!!


Yes, you too.

And you.

Quote of the Week

"¿Donde está mis pantalones?"
>"Sorry, I don't speak German."

Quote of the Week

Hey guys
I've decided I have so many funny moments in my life I'm going to start posting them here. I'll try to aim for once a week minimum, but I'll try to do it sooner!

"They should [fight it out] in a giant thing of strawberry Jell-o!!"

Master Storyteller

This weekend we went to Legend Weekend, an annual event I greatly enjoy, mostly because I love Halloween like nothing else, and also because of my love of folklore and legends- and storytelling. There's this one storyteller(he actually does it for a living, I think it's amazing) who's there every year, and I would happily sit in the cold (anyone who knows me knows how much I LOATHE the cold) for hours just to listen to him. He's INCREDIBLE!


link here!

Transformers

So the jury's finally back in, and I've made my decision- Transformers is now officially my favorite movie. Oh, believe me, there were a lot of close seconds(and thirds!) but this one won.

For one, the premise is that there are alien robots who come to Earth looking for their version of a savior, and then duke it out with other robots in a "giant, robotic, death match!"

Not only that, but they've got some pretty sweet names too.
Autobots: Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Jazz, Ratchet, and Ironhide
Decepticons: Megatron, Starscream, Bonecrusher(my favorite), Blackout, Barricade, and Devestator/Brawl.

I mean, tell me those aren't totally awesome 80's names.

And the graphics, the music, the writing, the characters....all excellent. I can, (and have, believe me) watch this movie over and over again.


Runners up:
The Illusionist
Star Wars (Original Trilogy)
Saints and Soldiers
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
National Treasure
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Casino Royale
Batman Begins
The Dark Knight
Iron Man(another giant robotic death match)
Superman 1, 2, and Returns
The Scarlet Pimpernel
10 Things I Hate About You
The Phantom of the Opera
RENT
I Am Legend
Cloverfield

"The Art Of The Brick"

I seriously think that Legos are the best toy ever invented- hands down. You can make anything with them- and I think one Nathan Sawaya has really gone above and beyond with this. His site is here, and these are some of my favorites:

Celine Dion Concert

Last Tuesday Mum and I were invited to a Celine Dion concert by Margaret McManus and her mother- who, I must say, is one of the sweetest, nicest, most honest people I've ever met! And Margaret is just like her. I've also "adopted" her as my little sister- since she's only got an older and younger brother, I figured she needed one- and we had a great time. =D

The concert was really cool, lots of lights and costume changes and the stage never stopped moving!






There were these really, really cool dancers the whole time too.

It's bAAAAAAAAAck!!!!

On Tuesday (Mom wouldn't let me stay up on Monday night) I finally got to spend two GLORIOUS hours engrossed in the season premiere of Heroes.

All I have to say, is....

YESSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(in a very Napoleon Dynamite voice)

It was sooo awesome, everything I could have hoped for. There are some things I could have lived without- like Nathan's "religious revalation," which bothers me quite a bit, because his character was so anti-religious that it was the last thing I expected.

And what's with Nicki/Jessica/Tracey(etc)? How on earth did she survive, how does she have powers? And where's her son and niece?! And Linderman's randomly back- although only God-obsessed Nathan can see him, which makes me think that he's finally cracked under the pressure.

Peter shooting Nathan, as well, really suprised me, even if it is future Peter. The Petrelli brothers' loyalty to each other in the past two seasons just made this seem like a complete shock.

And Sylar/Gabriel is a Petrelli?! I mean, I really hope Angela's talking metaphorically, because THAT one seems REALLY out there, even for Heroes.

Although Mohinder(my one and only love!!!!) has had so many random, seemingly pointless character changes and developments that I really don't even know who he is anymore. And the fact that he injected himself with an unknown, possible fatal 'power-giving' serum seems a little far-fetched for a doctor of his capacity. Although I'm pretty sure he's about to learn his lesson the hard way, and we did get to see him playing at Spiderman for a while...shirtless.

WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG?!

Coming Soon

Epic Amazingness

I finally got a chance to watch The Fellowship of the Ring today, (I decided it was the weekend, I've worked hard this week, and I try not to go too long without watching them, as my entire family has deemed them "Classic-" and when my family deems something classic, you know it's special. =)

Every time I watch these I am struck by how much I love them- every line, actor, special effect- Peter Jackson did an absolutely fantastic job with these. Too many directors stray so far from the books their movies are based on that they become something else entirely- Jackson captured the richness and texture of Tolkein's books, and it's not painful to watch the movies.

So, I'll be back in about 11 hours. =D

Happy Birthday!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHOUT-OUT TO MY FAVORITE TECHIE, CHRISTINA!




love you.


(oh btw, you're adopted. =D)

YATA! Q'PLAH! AND ALL OTHER SUCCESS YELLS!

I DID IT! I'm so excited- after two long, anxious days of auditions, I've got the (female) lead in the Fall Comedy, A Servant of Two Masters! I'm SO excited, and thought I'd prepare a list of things I get to do in this one:

• cross dress as my dead brother in order to find my lover, who killed him
• wear a beautiful gown(people in the show will get this one)
  
• scream at another actor
• beat another actor
• almost drown in an attempted suicide, then save myself
• and the person next to me, who is also attempting suicide
• accidentally get engaged to another woman

and, of course........

SWORDFIGHT, BABY!

.........needless to say, it will be awesome.

Stay Awake

They finally did it....MCR finally wrote a love song. And, since MCR does things right,

it's the sweetest love song I've EVER. HEARD.

It even beats I Caught Fire, which is, like, the GOD of love songs. It's really that good. I can't get over listening to it, and I've been singing it for about five days now. There's no audio track, only a live video, so I've been listening to that over and over!

And don't worry, it'll be on Art From The Backseat soon enough.
=)

Video on YouTube here.

Love ya boys, good job!!!!

Player's Club Comfort

As Player's Club "devotants", we will spend most of our lives in the auditorium. As it is, we must then combat the problem of the seats, which are seperated from each other by a wooden, unmovable armrest. If we seek some comfort at all from these seats, we must adjust, as seen below by the amazing Jess.




And, of course, Max, on the risers in the Chorus room.
The Great (Sophmore) Class Treasurer was sleeping in a semblance of the fetal position on the risers too, but I respect his privacy...mostly.


But, you see what we learn to live with. Does anyone ever really wonder why actors are so adaptable?

A Message From The Queen

My Grandfather posted this on his blog and I found it hilarious- but mostly because I'm 1/4 British- enjoy!

I got a kick out of this, which circulated on the Internet around Independence Day.

To the citizens of the United States of America from Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

In light of your failure in recent years to nominate competent candidates for President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately.

Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except Kansas , which she does not fancy).

Your new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, will appoint a Governor for America without the need for further elections.

Congress and the Senate will be disbanded.

A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

(You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary.)

1. Then look up aluminum, and check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it.

2. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as "colour", "favour", "labour" and "neighbour." Likewise, you will learn to spell "doughnut" without skipping half the letters, and the suffix '-ize' will be replaced by the suffix '-ise'. Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (look up "vocabulary").

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3. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. There is no such thing as US English. We will let M*crosoft know on your behalf. The M*crosoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take into account the reinstated letter "u" and the elimination of -ize.

-------------------

4. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.

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5. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not quite ready to be independent. Guns should only be used for shooting grouse. If you can't sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not ready to shoot grouse.

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6. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. Although a permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.

----------------------

7. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left side with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables.

Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.

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8. The Former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline) of roughly $10/US gallon. Get used to it.

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9. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.

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10. The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. South African beer is also acceptable as they are pound for pound the greatest sporting Nation on earth and it can only be due to the beer. They are also part of British Commonwealth - see what it did for them. American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.

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11. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie Macdowell attempt English dialogue in

Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.

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12. You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body Armour like a bunch of nancies). Don't try Rugby - the South Africans and Kiwis will thrash you, like they regularly thrash us.

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13. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America . Since only 2.1% of you are aware there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable. You will learn cricket, and we will let you face the South Africans first to take the sting out of their deliveries.

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14. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.

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15. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).

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16. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 pm with proper cups, with saucers, and never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; plus strawberries (with clotted cream) when in season.

God Save the Queen!

Yet Another Welcome Message

Hello! As you all know, 'Captain's Blog' is over, and (believe it or not) was really hard to keep up. As it is, I get to attempt normalcy once again!