Olivia Anne Mantel

I am sooo happy to welcome into the world a new little addition to my life. Olivia Anne Mantel was born on December 9, 2005, weighing 7lbs 7oz. This means that I'm an aunt for the third time! I am so blessed.... she is simply beautiful!

God is amazing!

God has been so good to me. And I am thankful. So many things are happening in my life and it's really a comfort to me to know that His hand is over it all.
Hallelujah!

A little of this, a little of that

Wendy's is DONE. HALLELUJAH. Praise be.
I have 2 1/2 days left at the office.
And then: HOLIDAYS. Good times -- definately looking forward to some R and R.
I no longer like the radio station 96.7..... same music, every day. Seriously going insane.
Now onto movies, my favouritest topic of conversation...
Movies I've currently watched: (out of five)
Dear Frankie **** -- This movie dissappointed me, but I think if I were to watch it again I would really like it. I had high expectations for this one, and the trailers kind of portrayed the storyline differently then it actually was. But Gerard Butler and Emily Mortimer were very good. And it was set in Scotland --- you can't go wrong there. It was a really nice movie --- I think I will watch it again sometime so it can redeem itself.
Million Dollar Baby *** -- a little slow on the uptake with the million dollar baby craze. Not a fan of boxing, so it was a little difficult to get excited over this one. As well, I already knew the ending to this one so that didn't really help. Yep, this movie had alot of things going against it for me... but still, it was a good film. Morgan Freeman, Clint Eastwood and Hillary Swank did very well and I could see why it created some Oscar buzz. Probably won't see it again for a while though.
Shine ****1/2 --- My sister had been recommending this one for a while now, and I finally saw it last week. Such a good movie, wish I had seen it earlier. Geoffrey Rush is quickly moving up my "favourite actors" list. This story is gripping and entertaining and Rush does an incredible job (for which he won an Oscar I might add). The music is also quite beautiful and it's an Australian movie so there's Australian accents! :)
Quills **** --- Morally, this is not a good movie. Otherwise, it is a funny, bold, engaging, well acted movie. Geoffrey Rush, Micheal Cain, Joaquin Pheonix (also another of my favourites) and Kate Winslet put on wonderful performances and the movie poses some interesting questions. But I'm not sure if the final outcome is worth it for the Christian viewer. Really too bad.
The Five Obstructions ****1/2 --- this foreign film has a documentary feel to it. In it, director Lars Von Trier challenges director Jorgon Leth to remake his short "The Perfect Human" five different times, each with a different obstuction. What he comes up with is truly amazing, even if you don't really get it (I didn't). But what is just as interesting is watching these two men interact with each other. Being a huge fan of Lars Von Trier, this movie gave more insight into the way he works. It was thoroughly enjoyable to watch.
That's all for now. Cheers.

love stories not yet written -- by ryan weberling

there was once when i found a book whose main character had your name. i went through all 572 pages, tore out every place your name appeared, and put them in my pocket.

it snowed hard all night long. the next morning, i went to the biggest field i knew of and wrote our names together in the snow, secretly hoping that someone (maybe just the aliens) would see it.

we used to call each other late at night and press the telephones close against our skin, just so we could fall asleep to the sound of each other's breathing.

at the fair,
you won a goldfish and named it Cher.
when it died,
we sat beside the toilet and cried.

the first Valentine's Day i knew i loved you- i bought and brought you chocolates from a strange store in Chinatown. they made us so sick we couldn't eat for a week.

i was at the beach- you were not. so i wrote you a 10-page letter, pressed it into an empty root beer bottle, and threw it into the ocean as far as i could.

we took one piece of paper. you wrote the words "i love you" a hundred times. i turned the page over and wrote "i love you" a hundred times. then we held it between our faces and tried to kiss each other through the paper.

we danced
in the snow
in our underpants-
then we had to go
to the hospital
where we, uh,
dance our way (all
the way) outta pneumonia.

our car broke down in the middle of a huge state park. sure we had a cellular phone, but we just walked until our legs gave out and fell asleep on a blanket of pine needles, holding each other close to keep from getting cold.

i can't help but smile when rememberingthe time we signed up to singin the all-community Christmas choir-you dropped your candle and set my robe on fire.

i saw you glance at me. i tripped and fell over.

oh how much you hated mice. when we saw one run under the bed, i took you out the window and we slept on the roof.

you tricked me. i felt something wet and sticky when you grabbed my hand. "it's nothing," you said. well, it was actually super glue.

While I was standing at an intersection this morning, I was honked at repeatedly by a little red car carrying three young men, who then proceeded to hoot at me out the open window. I was wearing kind of a frumpy shirt and my hair was messy.

I will never understand the male sex.

Not another love song

Why does it seem like everyone and their uncle is hooking up? It seems like the latest news from everyone that I talk to is that they're now going out with someone or getting married to someone. I know that in my last blog I said I was satisfied with being single, but the truth of the matter is that it is very hard to stay satisfied under these conditions. Yes, I'm in a little of a love phase.. and I don't like it. I feel like I'm in grade 7 again, pining over boys who will never return my affections. I thought I was over this. It doesn't help that I seem to only attract guys with whom I have no romantic attraction (except for the only one who came the closest to dating me). I just want to find someone to laugh with, to pray with, to share with, and to lean on. Someone who can somehow find it in themselves to love little old impossible me for who I am. I know God already has someone for me (Lord willing) but I just want a little reassurance. I want to be able to hold someone and touch them and know that that touch means something unbelievably special to them. I don't need to be married any time soon (I have way to much learning to do before that), I just want to share life with someone and know that they want to share it with me too -- and at least see marriage as an OPTION in my future.
Lord, give me a little patience.

The Dreamer.

Dreams can mess with you head. On the one hand, I think dreams are just about the most wonderful and stounding gifts that God has given us. The fact that we can slip into unconsciousness and then witness a cacophany of wild and imaginative experiences, all while we're ASLEEP, is pretty darn amazing when you think about it. But how much stock should we put into dreams? Two nights ago, I dreamt that I was pregnant. It was pretty exciting, but also scary because it turns out I wasn't married. Like it so often happens in dreams, I knew that the baby was a boy (without any medical person having told me), but the best part was that I was going to name the baby..... Brink Sven. In all honesty. Who the HECK names their child BRINK SVEN???? I mean, I like some doozy of names (just ask my sister) but even that one way out my ballpark. Seriously. Now, obviously I'm taking too much stock into this dream. Actually, I don't usually. If I did, I'm sure that I'd be sending crap loads of love letters to JTT (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) because I dreamt about him for a week straight when I was younger so that MUST mean that we're going to get married. But the day before I had that dream, I was listening to a CD and I heard a song. And while the song was playing I had a flash picture of me dancing with my husband to this song at our wedding. It surprised me really, because I had heard this song many times before, and I hadn't even really liked it all that much. But I had never had that happen before. And yes, I saw my "husband". And in the dream I had, (in which I was pregnant) this same guy said that he would marry me. This is where I start to wonder how much stock we should put into dreams. Now my practical/rational side would tell me that my subconscious put him in both of those situations because I do like him right now and I'm rather confused as to what to do about it. So rationally, I have tried to dismiss the connection. But my romantic/non-rational side wants me to see this as a sign.
I was talking to a close friend the other day who is getting married, and she told me that the year before, she was walking down the aisle at another wedding, and she knew that the next time she walked down the aisle, her now fiance would be standing at the end (they weren't even going out at that time). And now they're getting married. Obviously they're not getting married because she just knew that they would, but who's to say that my little flash prophesy might actually have some truth in it? Maybe there is some merit in these 'feelings'. Okay I know this is a somewhat dangerous and stupid way to go about it. I mean, if I were to believe every premonition I have, who knows what could happen. But I'm kind of sick of not knowing what to do. Can you have the feeling that you've found 'the one' when you've never dated before, let alone this guy????
Not that I'm pining to get married or anything. I'm quite happy with my life right now and I'm somewhat satisfied being single. Not to mention that I really can't see myself getting married any time soon. This just has been bothering me for a little bit. Because I can also see myself completely and utterly happy with him. And it seems like everyone is finding a boyfriend or getting married. And, no, I'm not going to say who the guy is. No one knows. Except my sister. And she's in Australia.
Well, I guess that's about it. I was going to write more but I have more numbers just waiting to be typed in.
Cheers.

My life as a mastercard commercial.

Being a Wendy's girl: crummy. Being an office girl: nice. Being a Theate girl? Priceless.
Oh yeah -- life in the fast lane. Things have been.. busy. I've been working up a storm and not entirely disliking it. I like to feel busy. Course my free time has been rather diminished but really, my free time consisted of watching TV and movies so I can handle that. I don't get to see my friends as much so that rather sucks, but what can you do. Oh BLECH I just took a swig of very cold coffee. Talk about gross. My office job has been going great. I'm now indexing on the computer so my days consist of typing in numbers all day long. I know, it sounds horrible, but compared to Wendy's it's a dream. Ah Wendy's. Well, it continues to be horrible, despite the fact that I'm only working 3 hour shifts. Thursday the people just kept coming through those doors... for 3 hours straight! And I had to work with a manager that kind of grates on my nerves. But hey, it's money.
I'm also volunteering at Theatre Cambridge which takes up my friday evenings. And I don't mind one bit. I get to see the shows for free and I love the theatre atmosphere. It's good to be back in the theatre. The show playing right now is called "Five Guys Named Moe" and it's a jazz musical so it's ALOT of fun. One of the leads is quite attractive.. and was on "Instant Star" apparently. Who knew. So yeah, that makes all of my evenings full through out the week.
Thank goodness for free weekends. This past one was spent in Grand Rapids, Michigan celebrating the wedding of my cousin Michelle. Almost all of my cousins were there so that was awesome, especially seeing my cousins from South Dakota. We get to see them only on rare occasions so even if it's just a day and a half, it's still nice. The wedding was a fun time... it was my first outside wedding. Thank goodness it was under a tent though.. it was a wee warm. But the reception was inside -- in a musuem. It was so cool.. there was a carousel there so we all rode on the merry-go-round and there was interesting stuff to see. We were in the lobby of sorts but there was neat stuff all around. Very cool atmosphere. Oh and I also got a compliment on my black dress from a complete stranger -- a guy. A pretty good looking guy. That was fun.
Well, I suppose I should get back to work. It's very nice and air conditioned in here. :)
Cheers.

Movies seen recently: (rating out of five)
Ghostworld *** -- I bought this movie not having watched it. Not usually a rick I like to take. This movie is quirky. That's about the best description I have for it. It's about a girl who is trying to find her place in the world. There is alot of swearing but I enjoyed it. Not entirely sure I would have bought it had I had seen it before I had the option of buying it.
Frida **** -- interesting movie about painter.. a little more than a bit of nudity though.. go figure, it's a movie about painters.
Alex and Emma *** -- watched this one at the hotel. Very cute movie. I liked it as far as romantic comedies go. It made me laugh and it pokes fun at romance books a bit so that gave it some points in my books... but in the end, still a wee but cheesy.
The Aviator **** -- Leo Decrapio actually had me convinced in this movie. I think he did a really good job of this film and I was really impressed with his dedication to this movie. I don't know if we'll ever see this from him again.. but hey. The movie did have a crap load of swearing in it though.. most of which I thought was unnecessary. Still, four stars.
The Far Side of the Moon *** -- a French Canadian film. Pretty much enough said. The film techniques were rather interesting but I didn't really know where the film was going. Still, it wasn't time entirely wasted.

For Ireland

Liquid threads of colour
Pool across a palette of infinite dimension
Stretching the breadth of human emotion with its thundrous vitality
A canvas of serene sacredness and raw power:
Rolling fields slumber in tranquility, embraced by tangled bushes,
Frothing water of a laundered bed --
A masquerade of faeries shimmering in a wonderland of mist and spray.
Fierce strongholds boldy curse time's passing hand.
They whisper to me tales of their childhood
Of swords and magic and kings.
Standing in the recesses of your spirit
Nature and myth collide in waking dream
Reviving my senses from numb apathy.
I run my fingers along the rough Celtic legends
To suck the marrow of my paramour.
I will revel in the silken coolness of your breath
and forever rest in the arms of your ardent lullaby.
I am home.

It still needs some editing.. but I'll sit on it for a while. In the mean time, here's the first draft.

Acting angst.

So I watched the second half of “What a Girl Wants” the other night, because I was bored and it was on TV. Let me just say that I have great pity for anyone who loves that movie. After about 10 minutes every inch of me felt entirely compelled to change the channel. Amanda Byrnes CAN NOT ACT. Every time she spoke it sounded like she was reciting a script. If it’s good acting, you should never hear a script. “Why are you trying to fit in, when you were born to stand out?” Please excuse me while I throw up. So why did I keep watching it, you ask? Well, for one thing, my parents sat down and started watching it with me… but the main reason I started watching it in the first place is because Colin Firth is in it. And believe me, I am very disappointed in Colin Firth for doing this movie. I mean, he’s about the only thing that’s good in it, but even that doesn’t save it. Why does a really good actor do a movie with a crap actress who is only famous because she’s pretty and she did a kid TV show? The same thing goes for Lindsay Lohan and Hillary Duff. Blech. All these kids, who can not act to save their lives, get to work with these credible actors just because they’re pretty and marketable. There is no justice in this world. Then there’s Jim Carrey, who I am starting to have more respect for as an actor. I saw the Majestic over the weekend and it’s not a bad little film. I don’t particularly like him so much as a comedic actor (although I do have respect for his abilities in that area), but I think he does some good stuff as a dramatic actor (dramatic meaning ‘not comedic’ rather than soap opera, overdone acting), especially in “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”. I think Canada should be proud of him. It has taken some time for him to convince me of this conclusion so there it is. I’m sure he’s reading this now and jumping for joy because he now has my respect. I know I would if I were him.
I saw my friend Jenna two nights ago -- I haven't seen her since Christmas. That made me happy. It's always nice when you can see someone who you haven't seen in months and it feels like you last saw them a day ago. It makes you really appreciate your friendship. I think that's what having a best friend is all about. And it feels good.
Cheers.

*Scream*

I'M GOING TO SEE LES MISERABLES IN TORONTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Join me, as we all curse scanners.

I hate scanners. Stupid stupid machines. And along with the hatred of scanners, comes the hatred of thin wimpy paper. Normal paper? Scans like butter. Wimpy paper? Not so much like butter -- more like a porcupine in a patch of thistle bushes... Do thistle bushes even come in patches? And do thistles even come in bushes? Questions questions questions. Although, I must admit, when I have to de-staple, wimpy paper is easier then normal paper because you can feel the staples through all of the paper. Makes me feel like the Princess and the pea. Only instead of a pea under a matress.. I can feel a.. staple. Through.. wimpy paper. Okay, it's not quite as cool, but hey one has to stay entertained.
Well, I can now say that I officially own a sexy black dress. Really, a female must. And I've been depriving my feminity all these years because I never owned a sexy black number. But that's all behind me now. Yesterday, I bought a sexy black dress. At Le Chateau. Oh yeah. I feel good.
I just scanned in 162 papers at once. Booyah! And now my computer is uber slow because it can't handle my awesome scanning abilities. Stupid machines.
So I found out that Mariska Hargitay (from L&O SVU --- sorry ... I'm not really that addicted but I just recently checked out their website) is an rape crisis counsellor in real life. I think that's pretty cool. I think if I ever got raped (heaven forbid) I would probably go to New York (at least I'm assuming she's in NY becuase that's where they film the show) and get counselled by her. Now, I know what you're thinking.. Steph, you're only saying that because a) you love that show, b) she's pretty darn cool, c) she's famous, and d) she's a golden globe winner. And those are all valid statements my friends. But I wouldn't go to her becuase of that... more because I feel like I know her already. Granted, I feel like I know Dectective Olivia Bensen, not necessarily Mariska Hargitay, but I'm assuming that if she's doing rape counseling I'm sure the sympathy she shows on screen is not far off from the real person. And feeling like you know the person already would definately be helpful becuase then you wouldn't feel as inhibited to tell them things. So that's my reasoning. Here's hoping I will never have to use my reasoning.. but it would be kind of cool to meet her though. :)
I'm a sad sad human being.
Cheers.

Notable Quotables

I feel ugly today. Maybe it's the black hair and I'm just not used to it yet. Or maybe it's my clothes. I don't really know. I mean, what makes a person feel ugly? I'm sure the people we think are the most gorgeous people on the face of this planet feel ugly sometimes. Or all the time. Kind of weird if you think about it. Who's to dictate what's "pretty" and what's not? Why, when I looked in the mirror this morning, did I feel like I wanted to sink into the largest hole I could find because I was so disgusted with the way I looked? Now I know what you're thinking.. Oh boy, here it comes, she's going to come up with some big social philosophical thought here that might change the way we view ourselves.
But I'm not. I'm just rambling.
I don't really have that much to say today (besides letting everyone know that I feel ugly). I had a pretty crappy morning before work. I was pretty tired because I went to Guelph last night and partied it up. Oh yeah. So when I got up it seemed like I hadn't really slept at all.. kind of like I went to sleep and the next thing I remember is waking up. I don't have that very often so it was kind of odd. Then I didn't like what I was wearing so I changed a couple times (that wasn't that crappy, but my self-esteem didn't enjoy it too much), shockingly burned my tongue and lips (you know, when you're not expecting it and then wham! shit!) on my coffee and my mom got mad at me for something. Then on the way to work I spilled my coffee in the car and I almost got hit trying to salvage the ruins. Stupid, I know, but man, was I tired and therefore not really thinking straight. I've never confessed to being an excellent driver, but I'm not really that bad. So my morning got an overall rating of: SUCK.
I've been having lots of dreams lately though so that's kind of fun (obviously except for last night). Recently they've been about Christopher Meloni (that's even more fun) mostly because I'm completely HOOKED on Law and Order SVU. I have three episodes waiting for me tonight because I've been gone these past two nights so I had to tape it. Well, on Tuesday night I wasn't actually gone -- my family and I were watching AFI's top 100 movie quotes ... and wanted to see the top ten which were on during my show. The top ten were pretty good so I think it was worth it. The number one movie quote of all time was (take a guess...) "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn" from Gone with the Wind. Go figure. "Here's looking at you, kid" from Casablanca made the top ten as well, along with "Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore" (Wizard of Oz), "May the force be with you" (Star Wars) , and "Go ahead, make my day" (Dirty Harry). "I'll be back" "Life is like a box of chocolates" and "Housten, we have a problem" didn't even make the top 15.... stupid really. What do these people know. And 2 and 3 were ones I hadn't even heard before. I mean really. Get it right.
Anyways, that's about all for now... time to get back to work.
Cheers.

Monday, monday.. la da la da da da

Ah... mondays. But there's lots for me to do so it's not so bad. I have these big piles of paper to scan in... which keeps me busy, but the probability of something messing up during the scanning process greatly increases. Oh blech -- cold coffee.
Good weekend for me. Didn't get much sleep but that's okay. Went to a wedding shower for my friend which was fun but wierd at the same time. She's my age... and getting married. I'm not even looking for a freaking boyfriend and she's getting married. Not to mention all the other people I know that are around my age that are getting married. Silly people.
I dyed my hair again..... black. oh yeah. My friend Crystal did it.. Man, Crystal's great.. she pierced my nose, she dyed my hair... she's going places. Yeah, so my hair is black now. My friend Tiffany would call me a "stranger in the land" (she did that the last time my hair was dyed black becuase I happened to be wearing my "stranger in the land" t-shirt -- I never did live down that nickname from her). I'm feeling a little goth, but once I've had it for a few days it will be fine.
Oh, I heard great news on the radio this morning -- Les Miserables is returning to Toronto one last time in September. I'm going. I don't care how much it is. Who wants to come with me??!?!
Almost time for lunch... roughly a half hour. Booyah.
Saw some good movies recently. I went to the movie theater 3 times in the past two weeks. Unusual for me. I saw Star Wars 3, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, and Batman Begins -- all action type movies which is also rather unusual for me. But I guess that's kind of what's playing right now. Star Wars was okay -- the dialogue was soooo sad.. I cringed inwardly whenever someone had to speak. And Hayden Christiansen? Help us all. Mrs. and Mrs. Smith and Batman were both really good, but I think I'd rate Batman higher just because Mr. and Mrs. Smith is too hyped up with the whole Brad and Angelina thing.. and, well, Christian Bale is very nice to look at (and might i add -- this is risky -- even b. Not to mention, Tom Wilkensen and Liam Neeson are in Batman... it doesn't get much better. Although 'Smith' is pretty funny and has some great fight scenes. Another excellent movie that I just recently rented -- The Sea Inside. About a rather hard issue and not one that Christians agree with -- assisted suicide. It's inItalian (I think) with English subtitles. And it really makes you think. It's almost completely clean and totally worth seeing. I don't know, I was so clear on what I thought of euthenasia but this movie really challenges you to really come to grips with this issue. I recommend it to anyone. It also won an Oscar for Best Foreign Film and it's based on a true story.
Well, that's about it for now..... looking forward to watching my show tonight -- haven't seen it all weekend. :)
Cheers.

A business woman? Me?

So here I am, typing a blog since who knows when. I'm currently sitting at my desk at work, trying not to look at my watch too much -- time goes faster that way. It's almost 3 which means I have an hour and half left of work. Whoppee! Not that work is horrible or anything.. actually rather like it.. but the end of the day is the end of the day. Doesn't matter. Right now I'm going through old files and taking all the staples out so that I can scan them into the computer and then file them. I know, it sounds so exciting. My hand is starting to hurt though, from the staple-taker-outer. Poor me.
So work is going great. I can make my own hours sort of thing, I can have lunch when I want to, go to the bathroom when I want to and I even have my own desk! I'm trying to decide whether I want to dress it up a little bit in good ol' Stephanie style... But at the moment it's covered with paperwork and that's making me feel pretty important, so I don't know yet. One thing I do know, though, is that my foot is falling asleep right now becuase I've had my legs crossed for quite some time. Not good. Oh, another thing we get here is free coffee all day long. And yes, I've now officially become a coffee drinker. Sad and pathetic, I know, but all too true. Oo, I'm reaching the end of my pile.. almost time to scan.
So I'm addicted to Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. At least my mom would definately think so. :) Okay, so I watch every day at 7:00 without fail (escept maybe two or three times when I forgot to set the tape and I wasn't home.. pity) but it's such a GREAT show! And maybe I'm just a little in love with Christopher Meloni. But even when he's not featured in a particular episode, though the episode suffers, it's still good. The only thing I don't like about the show is Ice-T. Blech. The guy should cut off that thing hanging from the back of his head (and for those of you who haven't seen the show, I'm talking about his ponytail -- no, he's not an alien). But besides him, the show is so exciting. I don't know why, call me gross, but I find sex crimes interesting.
Anyways, it's almost time to go home so off I go.
Cheers.

I'm still alive..

Here's a recent photo of me... taken and edited by me. It's a fun one. Anyways, I'm still alive people and I've just reactivated my blog. Not that it needed reactivating, I just enjoyed saying that. Blog to follow.

of singing and swearing... but not at the same time

Procrastination -- the evil leach upon my back. I have ample time to write an essay right now before my friend Noah comes over to watch a movie, but what am I doing?? Writing a blog. Because I feel like it. And I don't feel like writing an essay. It's not a long essay mind you, but it's an essay none the less. Blech.
Went to the opera this pastThursday. It was my fourth opera -- my, am I getting cultured or what. Booyah. Sharon, Amy, Noah and I went to see "Abduction from the Seraglio" by Mozart. It was so beautiful. It did not make it into my very favourite opera book (and yes, I definately have one of those) mostly becuase it had a lot of dialogue which I didn't mind, but didn't like as much. But it did have Benjamin Butterfield in it. He is such a cool guy. He came to Redeemer for Opera Day and then he found out that Redeemer students were coming to the show and that was very cool becuase we got a special invitation from him for us to come backstage after the show. Oh yeah. Special invitation from Benjamin Butterfield -- world renown Canadian Tenor.
In other news, I'm completely and madly in love with Colin Firth. *sigh*
The play is going well. Lots of fun, but also rather demanding. Didn't really think this character (Duchess of Berwick) would be as challenging as she is proving to be. Not challenging in a bad way but one really never stops working with her. She's not in the play alot but when she is, she definately ON THE STAGE. She has quite the presence so one can get a little tired. :) But she's an absolute blast to play -- I love taking on her character. She just requires alot of energy.
I just found out yesterday that someone I am somewhat aquainted with has died. I didn't know him really well or anything but it's still a shock. He died in a head on collision. It kind of hits ya hard -- and to make matters worse I found out during my lunch break from rehearsal so I had to go back and go through the rest of rehearsal. Blech, what a weight.
So I've seen Pride and Prejudice (1995 version with Colin Firth -- hence the uber Colin Firth love) twice now in 5 days. All sixish hours. Oh yeah. But I have discovered that this movie leaves me somewhat depressed... mostly because a) I wish we could dress like that -- but maybe not so much the dresses worn in P&P becuase they make them look pregnant, but nice dresses none the less, b) I wish everyone still talked that refined and distinguished and with those accents .. I'm so sick and saddened by the erosion of our English language c) I wish men were still that civil and respectable with the ladies and d) I wish I could find and marry my Mr. Darcy. mmmm.. Or maybe just marry Mr. Darcy period. :) Why oh why was I born in Ontario in this century?? I know, I know, I have a purpose here.. but still.
So I might be going abroad. But not really all that far. This is still very very tentative but I might be going to a Christian film school in L.A. for a semester. It would be my first semester of my fourth year so it's a ways off yet but I have to plan and stuff so I just might do it. I'm pretty excited about it, but I still have to do a lot of research so we'll see.
I'm listening to Josh Groban right now... and he's still amazing. Life is good.

reading shmeading

So I'm supposed to update my blog so my sister can read how much I miss her. Ummm..... okay I'm done. There you go Trish.
hee hee.
Alright, alright. I know I haven't updated or anything of late but I kind of forgot about my blog. I mean, I don't really know if people read this thing so that doesn't make it a huge priority... it also doesn't help that our internet is NEVER working at school. *shaking of fist at computer guys* gr. But it's reading break so I have time and the internet. I know, try to contain yourselves --- that's a uber combination. Funny... that's always how I pictured "uber" to be spelt but now that I type it out, it looks weird. huh.
In local news, I made a recent exciting discovery. I discovered that our library has a pretty impressive movie/dvd collection and that it only costs 50 cents to take out a movie/dvd!! What have I been missing!??!?!?!? Course you have to have it back the next day but I beleive that's the only drawback.. that and that our library is about 10 minutes away. But besides that, I'm totally excited! They have a huge (well, huge compared to any movie rental place I've seen) foreign films section and they have a pretty good selection of "artsy" movies as well a recent releases... wow! I'm so stoked. How did I make this amazing discovery, you ask? Well, I went to the library! Yeah, I know ... shocker. And with all this great selection what did I end up renting? Shakespeare in Love. Yep. Okay, my sister recommended the movie to me, and honestly I didn't really mind it, but Trish, it was not as awesome as you made it sound.. I don't know why it won best picture nor why Gwenyth Paltrow won best actress for it. And it wasn't THAT funny. It had it's moments, yes, but I didn't come out thinking that it was really funny. It did have a stacked cast though... Geoffrey Rush, Rupert Everett, Joseph Fiennes, Tom Wilkinson, Judi Dench.. some talented actors.
Anways enough of my ramblings...
I have to be off.. time to go to church. To those of you in far away countries.. I miss you dearly....

the phantom of the opera is there...

okay... so school is what 2 weeks in and it's already busy. Man alive.. can they not give us a LITTLE break?? And in true form, it's 2 weeks in and Stephanie is (what else) ... procrastinating. Ah it's going to be a great semester.
I'm all alone tonight ... sitting at my computer, listening and singing to the wonderful tunes of Frou Frou (playing very loudly because I don't have any I-don't-really-like-your-taste-in-music roomates around to tell me to turn it down), looking at the different books that I have to read, thinking hmmm... I probably should be reading these, and searching through a decorative bucket full of cassette-tape ribbon to find the fuzzy peaches that I have hidden there. Fun times, let me tell you.
I will be doing a lot of memorizing this semester (sorry, quick change of topic). I don't know if my brain will be able to handle it. I mean, I did a lot of memorizing last semester for Perfect Pie, but this semester the memorization is for three/four different things rather than just one play. I have to memorize a certain number of pieces for my communications class, I have to memorize two big monologues, a song, and lines from a 50 minute play for my preformance 300 class and I'm in the play. And I have to memorize a song for vol lessons -- but that's not as difficult I don't think.... it's different memorizing songs. Ahhh memorization.
I'm also taking voice lessons this semester as I just stated. Fun fun fun... watch out for me in the newspapers... the next Brittany Spears -- right here.
I learned how to waltz today.. the basics, of course, but the waltz none the less. I felt kind of elite and knew exactly what the camera angle is like when they film people waltzing.. you know, when they just show the face of the man or something. Well, I've been there now, and I know what that's like... that might be confusing to some but it makes sense to me. I also learned the merengue which was a lot of fun. Lots of hip action....oh yeah.
I have also decided that it is not cool that three people I love dearly are leaving me. To go across the world. My sister is leaving on the 26th of January for Australia.. she will be there for a year. NOT COOL. And two of my really good theatre buddies at Redeemer, Tasha and Amy, are leaving for a semester at Oxford England on the 21st or there abouts... ALSO NOT COOL. I mean it's very cool for them because I'm sure for all three of them that they will have AMAZING times but it's not so cool for me because a) they are going abroad and I am not, b) they are going to England and Australia specifically and I am not and c) I'm going to miss all three of them terribly -- I will miss my sister more becuase obviously she is my sister, but all three of them will be sorely missed. Sad sad times.
I want to go abroad. It's in the plans. Definately in the plans. Now if my life would just work around my plans. That would be so convenient. And it would also be nice if my foot would stop hurting.

movies seen recently: (out of a potential 5 stars)
Phantom of the Opera **** Very good movie, know the score by heart and they did alright in that dept, haven't see the play but liked this version, one really big misfortune is the dubbing.. not so good there .. but Gerard Butler .... he could make masks a new fashion trend
The Hours **** I really enjoyed this movie -- has some homosexual stuff in it though.
Stage Beauty **** Phenominal ending.. a story about an actor who plays females on the stage in the 1800's when males acting females became "illegal" -- don't know how historically accurate it is.. also some homosexuality stuff but there's Billy Crudup and Rupert Everett
The Village ***1/2 I have to say that it's my favourite of M. Night's movies so far... really really good cast... Joaquin Pheonix, Adrien Brody.. good actors and good looking
Wimbledon *** And that's only because Paul Bettany is in it... other than that not a huge fan... Kirsten Dunst = annoying
** I'm not really all that boy crazy... these movies just have good looking actors in them*** honest