good day for me

God was good to me today. Seriously.
Despite the fact that I was really tired, I had a really good day. I was at my internship today.... I am really starting to enjoy it there. The people are just so wonderful. My supervisor is just the biggest sweetheart and she's so lighthearted. The other employees in the Development department are so fun. They're fun to be around and they are really nice. One of them has a YouTube blog -- she is so beautiful it's not even funny. And her personality matches her beauty. I'm also starting to get to know people from the other departments as well -- today someone told me that they liked my style (Oh my gosh --- this is coming from someone who lives in LA -- these people are walking fashion!) and that I am a very approachable person. Then my boss told me that many people had told her the same thing (my style?!?!? I just about lost it!!) and that I am very friendly and that I carry myself well. Ray would be delighted to hear that last one, I'm sure. All my theatre is paying off! But that was a huge compliment -- I was walking on air!!
This guy also told me that if he was thief he would choose me to rob.. I guess that makes me a little too approachable.. but he was only kidding.
At lunch I went for a jaunt down the street and went into Blockbuster -- they were having a 4 DVD's for 20$ sale... so I got 4 DVD's! I bought Before Sunset (I actually thought I was buying Before Sunrise, which is one of my favourites.. but when I was showing the DVD's to my friends, I realized I had got Before Sunset.. the sequel to Before Sunrise and a movie I've been wanting to see for a very long time.. so that was exciting!!), The Village, A History of Violence, and Vera Drake. I haven't seen Vera Drake before but the cashier girl said that I can exchange it within 30 days so if I don't like it than I can exchange it for a different one! Yippee!
But to top the whole day off. Seriously. You guys are going to freak. So there's this movie called Bobby and it's coming out in Novemberish. Let me give you a list of who's in it: Emilio Estevez, Laurence Fishburne, Heather Graham, Anthony Hopkins, Helen Hunt, Joshua Jackson, Ashton Kutcher, Lindsay Lohan, William H. Macy, Demi Moore, Martin Sheen, Christian Slater, Sharon Stone, Elijah Wood and Freddy Rodriguez. No word of a lie. All these people are in it. Well, today I found out that I have a very good chance to go to a screening of this movie in which around 10 of these people will be present. OH MY GOSH!!!! I don't know which ones..... but I have the potential of seeing Anthony friggin Hopkins or Elijah freaking Woods!!!! Or Helen Hunt!!! I was freaking out. I don't know how much I can say because it's not set in stone yet, but I am sooooo excited!!!
And now I think I'm going to work on my storyboard for Sunday --- I have two actors!! Praise Jesus!!!! I just need a location!!!

hugging trees

One of my friends told me that I was a free spirit and that he is having a hard time figuring me out.. he then asked me if I consider myself a hippie or a tree hugger.
I love it.

My life this past week:

MONDAY:
9:00 -- leave for my internship
10:00-6:00 -- work at my internship -- I met this guy named Tyler who works in my building and wanted to hang out sometime --- Seriously, people in this city are really friendly.... some random stranger gave me a calender of Rotwiellers on the bus the other day.. too bad I left it at Ralph's (a grocery store, not a person's house). I also went to this Sept.11 memorial area and lit a candle for Joshua Scott Reiss. I don't know who he is, but he died in the Sept. 11 tragedy so I lit his candle.
7:00 -- get home and get a call from Michael (one of my profs) telling me that my script has been one of the five that was chosen for production for Hollywood Production Workshop (one of our classes). Everyone (48ish people) had to submit a script and then five were chosen to be made.. one of those is mine!!! I was really excited/surpised... but it also meant that I had to boot it over to the centre for a meeting
8:00 -- screening of Finding Neverland
11:00ish -- finish, check my email, and stuff.. go back to the apt
12:00/1:00 -- go to bed

TUESDAY
10:00-12:00 -- Theology in Hollywood class
12:15-2:00 -- Meet with the people who have been chosen to direct the Hollywood Production Workshop scripts and pair up...
2:00-4:00 -- Hollywood Production Workshop class -- read the scripts to the class and begin finding a crew
4:00-4:30 -- keep talking to people about crewing up -- I become producer on my script...
4:30-3:00AM -- edit my film

WEDNESDAY
9:00 -- go to the centre and keep editing my film until class
2:00-4:00 -- Motion Picture Production -- presented my first film! And it didn't get torn to pieces!
4:00-6:00 -- did some running around.. I got asked by these two creepy guys if I needed a ride anywhere (an example of the other side of the really friendly people), I went to Staples, Ralph's, the Post Office.. fun stuff.
6:30 -- meet up with Karin and we make our way to Homeless Karoke. Homeless Karoke is this night that my church participates in... they meet at this mission house on Skid Row and they have a night of karoke with the homeless.. Skid Row is so nuts. There are tons of tents lining the sidewalks, all holding homeless. So we went to go to this.. but we got rather lost. So we didn't end up going.
8:00 -- finally get home, then go to the hottub to hash out some ideas for a friend's film. The first time my body relaxed for the week.
12:00/1:00ish -- go to bed

THURSDAY
10:00 -- get up..
11:00 -- realize that the bus system doesn't work the same way for 11:00 on a thursday as it does for 10:00 on a friday. Crap. Beg Christy to drive me -- she does. She's wonderful.
12:00-4:30 -- work at my internship
6:00 -- get back home (I took some time to check my mail and talk to people at the centre)
7:00 -- go back to the centre for a meeting for all producers and directors.
9:00 -- leave the centre and go directly to Sarah and Patrick's house (they are our Resident's Advisor and Tech guy, respectively... they are SO awesome. I love them) for a book study.
1:00 -- leave Sarah and Patrick's, go to bed

FRIDAY
9:00 -- leave for internship
10:00-6:00 -- work at internship.. run into Tyler again.. he invites me to screening of his 16 minute short.. I decide I probably shouldn't go but tell him thanks.
7:00 -- get back to the centre for meetings with students for crew positions for the film that I wrote and am producing
9:00 -- go home and then go downtown LA to a little cafe there
1:00 -- go to bed

SATURDAY
9:00 -- meet up with Alisha and Caleb to shoot her film
9:30-3:00 -- shoot her film
3:00-7:00 -- go to LA Fashion District with Christy and try to go to Pink's Hotdogs (supposedly the best hotdogs in the US) but the line was too long...
7:00- now -- Making supper. And I'm burnt so I'm tired. Getting ready for my shoot next weekend. Trying to do all kinds of Producer type stuff. Talk to people on the phone.

My first film. Is not quite done.

I have just finished shooting my first five minute film! Go me.... how stressful. But now that it's over, I'm sitting in my living room with two of my roomies, watching the blinds gently move in the breeze, and relaxing. It's sooo wonderful. I just finished watching Ikiru by Kurosawa.. it was really interesting... Christy has been reading a book that we used in my shoot yesterday called "Teenage Romance, or how to Die of Embarrassment"..... it is so funny... it looks kind of like a kid's book but there's some rather...uh.... interesting stuff in there. It's keeping us entertained.
Friday we went to a taping of Brad Garnett's (the brother on Everyone Loves Raymond) new show "Til Death". It was really fascinating to watch how everything works and to see the actors go through the scenes. Brad Garnett is super tall. Crazy really. It kind of made me think that acting for tv is not really all that hard. I mean, it is, in a sense... but seriously... they do so many takes and they have alot of cameras so they can hide screwups.... but I guess it's not really a matter of whether it's hard or not...... it's a matter of who you know.
Saturday was spent helping my friend Tabitha on her shoot. She needed a party scene, so a group of us went to where she was shooting and spent the day there. We met a LAFSC alumni who has been on the last two seasons of Star Trek and has done some other stuff.. nothing major, mostly little stuff... but it was still cool. Then Sat. night we went to the Hollywood Bowl to see John Williams in concert. The Hollywood Bowl is huge... it's this concert space that is outside and built up the side of the mountain. Artists perform under this big dome like structure at the bottom. It was so cool. I was sitting there thinking: "I am sitting at the Hollywood Bowl, under the Hollywood sign, listening to John Williams conduct the Star Wars theme -- it doesn't get much better".. He did some more obscure stuff at the beginning but he also did Fiddler on the Roof, Jaws (they showed footage of the movie to go with the music and I screamed when the shark came out of the water.. everyone around me made fun of me because the screen is so far away..... I hate sharks!!), Star Wars, Superman, Jurassic Park, Memoirs of a Geisha, and Indiana Jones... it was so great.
Sunday we went to church at Ecclesia, the church I'm calling home while here in LA, and saw both Tony Hale and Danny Bonaduce so that was kind of fun. But the worship and the sermon were sooo great. The pastor preaching that day (there are 5 pastors and they switch around) was so completely excited about what it means to forgiven by God. She just made everything so fresh and new... it was so refreshing. After church, me and some of my roomies got everything together and from 3 till 8:30 we shot my film! It was nuts. It was so new to me, but thankfully the people helping me out knew quite a bit so they were helping me out. I had so many things go wrong with this first film it was crazy. But that's another story for another day. Let's just say that even though I have now a week to edit it, this is the first time I haven't felt completely stressed out roughly since I got here... this first film was such a weight! I would have shot it today since we have today off... but one of my actors actually had to go to his internship today.. so sunday it was.
Anyway, I'm on my roomie's lappy becuase my internet card isn't working (my life in a nutshell .. I don't know why everything messes up for me) .... so I should let her have this back.
Maybe I'll go watch another movie or hit downtown LA... there's an amazing music store here that I still have to check out.

intern-ing

I have an internship! Yippee!! I am the new intern at Film INDependent. I met with my intern advisor person on Monday, she let FIND know that I was interested, they called me on Monday for an interview... I called them back on Tuesday (I didn't get the message until Tues.) and then had an interview today and they hired me on the spot. So that's cool.
Check out their website. They're cool. And the people I'm working with are really cheerful and outgoing so that's really great. It's also a small atmosphere so that's wonderful.
I'm not going to get really cool opportunities like some other internships where you can go on sets or something like that, but God obviously has a plan for me at FIND so I'm just going with His plan. And I get to go behind the scenes at an Indie Film Festival so that's really cool.
So yeah, good news. And I am supposed to be filming my first film this weekend while also going to a sitcom taping and a John Williams concert. And church. I'm really excited to go to church. sigh. I feel like a baby that's just thrown into the pool and expected to swim...

week one: week crazy

My first celebrity has been spotted............... Jada Pinkett Smith!!! Oooh aaaah. I know. Things are just so cool here in LA. I didn't meet the woman or anything, but we happened to turn down the wrong street coming back from church (something that has been happening frequently -- we have a hard time with directions here) and she was talking to some people on the sidewalk! It was pretty rocking. The church we went to was so great -- the worship was rocking (a lot of musicians in this place) and there were so many people who were just out there -- tattoos and the like -- but with a passion for Jesus. It was so encouraging for me to find such a thriving Christian community here!!! Please continually pray for the ministry here in Hollywood -- I have been more exposed to on-fire Christians in the last week here than I have in a long time. It's so great.
We've been really touristy this past week... we went to Hollywood Blvd -- toured the Grauman's Egyptian Theatre, went to the Chinese Theatre (where celebrities have put their hand and feet imprints in cement), a wax museum, and the Guiness Records museum... We also went to the Getty Museum which is this beautiful art museum at the top of a mountain looking over smoggy LA. Tonight we are talking with Tony Hale -- he plays Buster on Arrested Development. I just finished Season One ---- this show is HILARIOUS. So good ---- too bad it just got cancelled. Yet another amazing show that Fox has ousted. Stupid Fox.
This week I'm being thrown into everything. I start filming my first short film on Saturday --- EEEK!! I just learned how to work a camera on thursday! :) I am supposed to be getting a call for an interview for my internship --- Chris (our awesome internship contact person) is calling Film Independent to see if I can get an interview there. They do the LA Film Festival and do alot of workshops and stuff like that for independent film makers. So I'm really excited about that. We'll see where it goes!
I am really starting to feel at home here. I'm loving LA, even though it's rather overwhelming.
Also --- hurrah for Mariska Hartigay for winning an Emmy!!!!! Hooohaw!!!!

CALIFORNIA: new home

I have arrived in the city of Los Angeles Unscathed and Unharmed and Unbothered by big bad VISA people. For those of you praying for my entry into the United States as a student, I thank you – God really does want me here! On Thursday night I got a call from the director, where she said “I just got a call from [the Point Loma guy], and they have just issued you an I-20.” “You're kidding me.” (that's me sitting at the computer stunned).
“No, he is taking it to the post office himself and sending it overnight!”Friday afternoon around 2:00 I got a envelope containing my I-20!!! The day before I have to leave. Seriously. God's providence? So confusing but so great.
So I have arrived with little to none hassle from the government. The flight was rather uneventful... I watched The Sentinel. Fun times.So then I got there and got on the shuttle.... and the shuttle guy wanted to (instead of dropping me off) show Hollywood to me personally, with the hopes of getting lucky. Which he repeated to me multiple times. I couldn't help thinking, “What the HECK am I getting myself into here?”But since he wasn't getting lucky I guess he just decided to drop me off at the wrong place. Which he did. So I was in the middle of Park LaBrea apartments complex (which is HUGE by the way.. we have gotten lost numerous times already), carrying a huge traveling backpack, a laptop bag, another normal sized backpack on my front and wheeling a suitcase around Park LaBrea in all the hottness and such. Gross. When suddenly I see a face that I think I recognize --- it's Nicole, the girl who was supposed to be my roommate but is not longer! Good ol' facebook... so her and her nice family helped me get to where I needed to be and then they helped me get my stuff up to my apt. Nice. My roomates are really nice girls. The two girls I thought I would get along with really great are not living with me... but it's okay. Everyone's kind of spread out through out the park so that kind of sucks --- there's three apartments in my building that are occupied by LAFSC students, but the other apts are in other buildings, some of which are a little walk... but we're making do. Things since then:I am now settled in somewhat. The phone in our apt isn't connected yet so you can't call... and since we don't have a phone we don't have wireless in the apt yet.. so going on the internet is random. We are also hugely busy these two weeks as we do all kinds of touristy things. I have not seen a celebrity yet... but I know for sure that I will, because we are living in the HUB of things here. Don Cheadle (of Crash and Hotel Rwanda fame) actually lives in Part LaBrea so we will probably see him. And across the street from Park LaBrea is The Grove (where we went today)--- a really ritzy shopping area where many celebrities chill out. So the chances of seeing someone is pretty good. Last night a whole bunch of us went to the Santa Monica Pier but we didn't leave until like 9 at night and didn't get back till 12. According to my body it was 3 in the morning.. so that was interesting. But Bekah and I stuck our feet in the ocean (my first experience of the Pacific Ocean!) and we watched some people catch things with their fishing poles. One guy caught a stingray which was pretty cool... and then another guy was reeling something that seemed quite big..... turned out to be a bra!! Only in LA.Today we went to The Grove and The Farmer's Market (a really cool place just FULL of ethnic foods and all kinds of fun stuff) and then bought some groceries. Seriously do not like American moneys. Just not pretty.The next two weeks hold many classes and whatnot. BUT we are also going to The Egyptian Theatre and all the cool places around there (and there are really cool places around there..) as well as going to the Hollywood Bowl and watching John Williams conduct his own music!!! John-freaking-Williams!!! So awesome. Should be fun.Now I should go try and find ice to put on my swelling lip. I smacked it on a fire hydrant..... don't ask. Oh yes. The second day here and Steph is burnt. Way to go.

Let me off!!

Good news: I still have three days before I leave.
Bad news: I went to the Lewiston border, and they told me that either I was a) taking someone's job that they could get paid for (when I explained that I was doing an unpaid internship) or b) since I'm going to school, the school should be able to issue an I-20, and since they can't do that then they are a uncredited school and I am not permitted under immigration law to go there (when I explained that I'm going to school but getting credit in Canada). I hate the American Government!

Good news: Looks like I need a DS2019 (an exchange visa) to get across the border.
Bad news: I don't know if LAFSC can get me a DS2019.

Good news: LA is three hours behind us, so the LAFSC director still has all day today to place calls and talk to everyone and anyone who can help me and see if I can get this DS2019.
Bad news: I only have three days before I leave.

Good news: Everyone I've talked to has told me that they are praying for me (thank you).
Bad news: So far, nothing (and I really mean nothing) has been going well, and I've been met with obstacle after obstacle after obstacle. It's getting much harder to stay composed and not lose it completely.

America "the beautiful"

This is supposed to be the time where I rest up and get completely and utterly excited/nervous/queasy/fluttery/exhilerated about leaving for LA on Saturday. Instead, I'm stressed/tense/weepy(very very weepy)/worried/tired. Not the greatest conditions for leaving the country. IF I can leave the country.
On friday, I got an email from the school that's been working on my 1-20 (student visa) informing me that Homeland Security will not allow them to apply for said visa and that they're sorry but there's nothing more they can do. I felt like a big rock somewhere in my head suddenly plummeted to my feet. I sat there stunned, not really sure what to think. When I got home from work, I placed a frantic call to the program that I'm going to and they assured me that they're going to do all they can.
I leave in 4 days. I still don't have a visa.
My family and LAFSC (the program) are still placing many phone calls, hoping someone SOMEONE can help me get across the border. There is some hope and I'm still putting my trust in God because I know this is piddly stuff for Him. But there's still a good 50% percent chance or more that I will not be going to Los Angeles this semester. Just thinking that that might be a possibility is a huge blow.
So pray. Pray that something comes through. And if nothing comes through, pray that I can still (by some grand great miracle) make it across the border.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." I don't think I've ever really gripped this verse until now. I don't know how many times I've been repeating it as I try to fall asleep.
Thank you to all those that have been trying to help.

a highway proposal

So yesterday, T and I are driving to London to see "Please Give Generously" -- a delightful, thought-provoking show by JonH -- so we're booting along the 401, when this van of young men (good looking young men might I add) come up beside us. I happen to look over at them and the driver gives me a cheerful wave, which I copy equally as cheerfully.
We keep driving.
We happen to pass by them a couple more times, accompanied by some "peering over at the other vehicle" by both parties. We then notice that these boys are from Quebec!!! Les fils francais!!! So we get a little more excited about this little car tag game we have going on..
Then one of the guys puts a sign on their window saying "Where are you going?" We point to the sign saying LONDON and our exit that seems to be too-quickly approaching. They then furiously scribble something else down and speed up beside us: "Do you want to go for a drink?" Oh goodness. The possibility of going out for a drink with French boys. But due to the fact that we were on our way to a play that was starting within the hour, we made grand gestures of pointing to our watch, shaking our head, and yelling "NO TIME" (though they couldn't hear us). Then we had to exit so we waved goodbye while silently crying inside.
Sometimes I wonder about all the missed opportunities I've had and what would have happened had I taken them...

Learning to be humble...

I need a miracle right now. That's what I'm needing.

This is the part where I start freaking out

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

what's fun in Ottawa on the August long weekend

. visiting my sister!!
. realizing on a 4 hour relaxing train ride that, contrary to popular (my) belief, Ontario actually is quite beautiful.
. museums. We went to the art gallery and the photography museum and it was WONDERFUL... so many beautiful and creative works of art, naturally with a few disturbing and "interesting" ones thrown in there. It was also nice to be mendering through the art with someone who appreciates it just as much as you do.
. beautiful beautiful glorious sunshine/weather! Praise be for temperatures below 30 degrees!
. Jamaicans. The greatest thing in the world is... love! (said at the Jamday festival about 30 times in 10 minutes)
. falls. Water ones to be exact.
. the transportation system in Ottawa ... never ENDING fun there :) People are so interesting.. and many of them speak French in that there city
. BUSKERS! What a great form of live/risky/fun theatre! We watched people juggle all sorts of various objects; develop intricate rhythms using basketballs, brooms, trashcans etc; get out of a straightjacket and chains that are tightly wound around them; balance on a bike that's on top of a tall pole and then stand up and juggle; and of course many references to how much you should pay them for their show.
. scrumptious food at the Elgersma/Ott residence
. parks. Lots of parks! I think we hit 8 parks in total. In one there were the falls, another held Jamaicans, another held a big lake, in another we watched a movie, in another we watched a play, in another we waited for the bus, and the last two were parks that we cut through to get from point A to point B. Beaucoup des gardins dans Ottawa!!! But watching a play in park was definately a very cool experience.... how can you not appreciate art when you're surrounded by God's art?
. watching 'Omagh', a powerful film about the bombing of Omagh by the real IRA, and renting it from this FANTASTIC movie rental place that has rooms FULL of mostly foreign/independant films! A little piece of heaven!
. gelato. Enough said.
. the Parliament's sound and light show. Ooooo.... ahhhhh. Makes you feel patriotic while you contemplate "what if we actually DID have a purple-coloured Paliament Hill.."
. Miss Tiggy Winkles. Seriously the BEST children's store in Ontario. Serious.
. doing all of the above with my sister!

Seriously.

No one should ever have to pick at a twenty-year-old elastic band with a scissor in order to get it pried off the paper that it's supposed to be binding.
I think I'm developing a phobia of gross stoneage elastic bands.

C'est tres bonne!!!!

Newly found directors that I'm completely excited about: The Dardennes brothers.
Mmm. Okay I only just saw my first of their movies on the weekend -- Le Fils (The Son). But by spending much of my time reading movie reviews (I recommend www.lookingcloser.org or www.phantomtollbooth.org for great Christian movie reviews!) I know that their other movies --- Rosetta, La Promesse, L'Enfant --- are equally as acclaimed. And, well, I loved The Son, so I am very much looking forward to exploring their other stuff. Watching The Son, I just sat there in rapture through most of the movie because it is exactly the type of art that I love: SHOW, don't TELL. Everything about the movie is so natural and the acting is phenominal. It's not a completely easy movie to watch --- you have to be patient with it and allow it to tell you its story in its own time. And it doesn't leave you with this cliche, neat and packaged ending -- it's complex and unsatisfying. Yet it's satisfying in it's "unsatisfyingness". The journey is entirely worth it. It restores my faith in film that can be a work of art as well as carry such deep meaning for Christians and non-Christians alike.
Now if only I could do something that creative and meaningful.

manicured little hands in everything

I was listening to the radio on the way to work this week and I was bopping my head to a song that was fun and summerish. Then the song ended and the DJ person said something along the lines of "and there we have the new song from Paris Hilton!" I almost drove off the road.
Curse you Paris Hilton for putting your voice to something that's summerish and boppable.

the big man in town

So as I was walking to work from my car today (it's a little bit of a hike from the parking lot to work) I saw a group of men wearing business suits standing around a parked car chatting it up. Across the street a police man was sitting in one of two unmarked police vehicles. It was a curious site, especially in this area of town, but I soon forgot all about it.
About two hours later, my coworker Paulette noticed the A Channel News van driving up the street. It would be the first of many TV news vans that started parking all along our street... City TV, CBC, CBS, OMNI... you name it. Why, do you ask, were we suddenly flooded with press on our lowly little street in downtown Cambridge?
Stephen Harper was in town.
Yep, turns out the big PM was at the David Durward Centre today to announce the sum of money that they are offering to the people who contracted hepatitis C in the tainted blood scandal.
One of my coworkers figured out why all the press was here, and after a parade of black cars cruising down the street confirmed it, Paulette, Amanda, and myself decided to walk up there and see if we could get a glimpse of the Prime Minister. We sat outside the Durward Centre for about an hour, waiting for him to get out... but there were lots of policemenand men in suits and glasses to keep us entertained. Talk about a feast for the eyes. Mmm mm mm. Then at about 12 o'clock the cars all gathered around the door and the body guards started talking more in their cool little earpieces, and then there he was! Stephen Harper! He stopped before he got in the car and waved at the small group of us that were gathered (at a safe distance away --- the police made sure of that), and we waved and clapped and some man yelled out,"Thank you for going to Afganistan Mr Harper! You're a good man!" Then the PM got in his car and the parade of shnazzy looking black cars rolled out.
And we went back to work.
I love the little moments of excitement we have at work.

You'd think I was rich...

Oh my word. In a month I will be living here.

down with stuff

Getting ready for Los Angeles is making me feel materialistic.

boom

There is a big thunderstorm going on right now. I wish that I could be out right in the middle of it and not have to worry about getting electricuted or pnemonia. Also, I hope that the power goes out. Because then maybe I can go home.

!! Great Big Show !!

This is GREAT BIG SEA!!!!!!!! In real life!!!!!!!! Last night Trish and I went to the Molson Amphitheatre to join the we-love-Great-Big-Sea masses for a night of hardcore music!!!! It was so fabulous.. completely unforgetable. Their vocals are even better live, and the energy of the crowd was so amazing! We were their second/third largest show --- such a rush. My throat is sore now, but man, was it worth it. I loved every minute of it, including the drunk people in front of me.

My family. My life.

These pictures were taken over the past couple of days as my entire extended family on my mom's side gathered for my Opa's funeral. The pictures in Tim Hortons are with my cousins from South Dakota. The time spent with family made me so thankful and blessed for the people that God has given me to love and to be loved by. I couldn't ask for a better group!

The Lord gives...

Today my Opa went to be with God.
I will miss him very much but I am so thankful that his pain is gone and I know he's much happier now.

I love you Opa.

movie-a-minute

One of my favourite websites is Rinkworks -- it is full of hilarity. One of the features on their website is Movie/Book-a-Minute, where they condense movies/books for those who don't really feel like watching/reading them. I went on the movie-a-minute site today and laughed at these so I thought I'd put some up on my blog. It's okay if you don't find them funny. I do.

Gone with the Wind
Scarlett O'Hara: I'm a whiny little brat, but my will is like iron. Watch my eyes flare.
Rhett Butler: I don't give a damn.
Audience: Gasp! We've never heard anything so depraved in our lives!
THE END

Grease
John Travolta: I like you, but you're not cool enough.
Olivia Newton-John: What if I dress like a slut?
John Travolta: Now that you're not who you are, I can love you for who I wanted you to be.
THE END

The Hours
Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, and Meryl Streep: Yeah, we're women, and it sucks.
THE END

The Lion King
Scar: You killed your father.
Simba: (runs away)
Nala: We need you.
Simba: (runs back)
THE END

diet coke experimentos

This is awesome.

listfully acted

Due to my communication with the LAFSC (Los Angeles Film Studies Centre --- my school next semester) group, I have compiled a list of my top ten actors/actresses. Inspired by Brett Dewing (though without his "preciseness") I have decided to post them here as well, since I spent most of my morning putting it together (while doing multiple other officey-type things, I assure you). It is not ten people exactly, for some actors I have put together because I like them an equal amount and I thought both should be in my top ten. But it's my list so I make the rules. Plus, this will show to my lovely but ignorant roomates that, contrary to popular belief, I do indeed like some female actors. Around ten in fact.

::Actors:: (separated into top 5, than subsequent esteemed actors --both groups are in no particular order)
1. Joaquin Pheonix
2. Tom Wilkinson
3. Johnny Depp
4. Adrien Brody
5. Geoffrey Rush/Kevin Spacey
-----------------
6. Viggo Mortensen
7. Paul Bettany
8. Colin Firth
9. Liam Neeson/Anthony Hopkins
10. Hugh Laurie/Robert Sean Leonard (both of these men get lumped together because I think they are both very talented actors, but I've not seen a whole lot of either of them -- Laurie is based on House, and Sense and Sensibility, and Leonard is based on House, Dead Poet's Society, and Chelsea Walls)

::Actresses:: (same system as actors)
1. Kate Winslet
2. Cate Blanchett
3. Scarlett Johansson
4. Julianne Moore
5. Emma Thompson
-----------------
6. Gwyneth Paltrow
7. Nicole Kidman
8. Robin Wright Penn
9. Miranda Otto/Michelle Pfeiffer
10. Emily Mortimer/Emily Watson/Samantha Morton (these three actress are in the same boat as Hugh Laurie and Robert Sean Leonard --- I think all three of them are talented, but I can only base that opinion on a small number of movies for each of them, so I have lumped them together as well)

Not exactly ten. But close enough.

rambling along

Two months from today I will be flying to Los Angeles. I'm trying desperately not to be nervous.
I am working on a really hard Sudoku.. but it's a level 5 so I guess that makes sense. My brain is feeling challenged -- always good.
I realized that I watched a movie every day last week. I don't know whether to feel satisifed or ashamed.
I really love being an aunt. More than I think I would love being a mom right now. That's probably a good thing, I would imagine, seeing as I have no plans for being pregnant any time soon.
I have met four really great girls -- Nicole, Tabitha, Elaine, and Nicah -- who I'm probably going to be sharing an apartment with in Los Angeles. I enjoy all of the them so far, and I hope this is an indication of how my semester is going to go.
I am going to be working on a film this summer with an aquaintance from Kitchener. I will probably be holding cords and getting him coffee. But I will be on a set. And I will be learning.
God is still good.

But the greatest of these is.

Leave me alone so I won't try to
Open my body to your claws as you
Vie for my affection and
Eat my senses into overdrive.

daydream

These people are the only living things that make me actually want to be admitted to a hospital. Sigh. If only life worked that way.

Eating habits

I don't think people know what a blessing it is to be able to eat a normal meal. To be able to finish a hamburger, fries, and a soft drink -- a normal combo meal at any fastfood restaurant -- and feel satisfied (provided it's not mcdonald's -- because then you're just asking for indigestion) and contently full or maybe still hungry. I used to be like that. There was a time when I would eat a combo meal and still have room for dessert. The last time I clearly remember being able to do that was in grade seven -- around 8 or 9 years ago.
If I was allowed to change one thing about my body, just one, I wouldn't ask to be shorter, or to have a better back, or to have the ability to tan (although all of those would be tempting).. I would ask for a new digestive system.
Anyone who has lived with me or who has been friends with me for a significant period of time knows that I don't eat very much. Well, to quote Winnie the Pooh -- I would, if I could, but I can't. Around grade eight/grade nine, my appetite started to decrease, by which I mean that I found I couldn't eat as much during a meal before I'd start feeling full. Accompanied to that was that I was randomly getting bad indigestion about a 1/2 hour after meals. This steadily got worse throughout highschool to the point where I'd be camping out in the bathroom after meals about 4-5 times a week. Fast forward to the present. Now, I feel sick probably about once a day. I have about 5 different kinds of "feeling sick" that I've learn to identify that will hit me randomly so it's impossble to monitor and control. If I were to order a combo at a fastfood restaurant (that would be a feat in of itself because I can't even eat fastfood anymore) I would barely be able to finish the hamburger by itself, let alone the fries and drink. The thought of dessert wouldn't even cross my mind.
I'm not writing this blog to gain sympathy or as a "woe is me" complaint. I'm frustrated. I want people to understand that when I go to a restaurant and don't order anything except water, it's not because I'm on some diet (so don't look at me with scorn because "oh yeah like you need to diet") or because I'm anorexic, it's because I can't finish anything on the menu, or because I'm feeling nauseous, or becuase it's too late at night or I'm too tired and if I eat I'll feel like I'm going to throw up, or because we're going out somewhere after supper and I don't want to chance food in case I end up spending most of the evening in the bathroom. If I don't feel like going out to some place, it's not because I don't like the company, or because I'm a party-pooper, it's because through out the years, home has become a safe haven for me because I can be sick there as much as I want and not worry about it. This is why watching movies has become one of my most frequent activities -- I can stay at home and my body can just lay down and relax, whether it's sick or not. Going out is stressful, going to a restaurant is stressful, going on trips is stressful, going to evening church is stressful (because we eat before church and you have to sit in a pew for an hour and a 1/2), doing anything new is stressful (my body hates change) -- and the funny thing is, the more stressed my body is, the more likely it will get sick. It's a cycle -- I get stressed that I'm going to get sick, and then I get sick because I'm stressed out about it, which makes me nervous about it again next time. Well, you would say, don't get stressed and you won't get sick... The fun thing about my body is that it can hit at any time.... whether I'm stressed or not.
If I could survive without eating, I would.
I want to be a normal person. Not being able to eat properly has affected so many areas of my life, I feel now that I've come to define myself by it. I feel I've lost so much of who I am because of my body -- I don't take near as many risks, I don't go out and have fun as much and I don't really like to either, I'm stressed so much more, I'm not as fun, and I feel judged all the time because people don't understand (because it just looks like I'm doing it for dietary reasons.. and, well, I'm skinny, so that isn't taken favourably.. ) and I don't feel like explaning to every waitress why I'm not giving them any business or to the group of people I'm with why I'm being so frugal with my money and not ordering anything again. I would love to go visit my cousins for 4 days and not be sick for most of the time I'm there. I would like to be able to eat a meal (or just eat something period) before I go on stage. I would like not to get full on my lunch consisting of a small baggie of crispers, a drink, and a yogurt. I'm sick of people's snide little comments like "oh yeah, I forgot, you're never hungry" or "let me guess, you're not feeling well". I can't control it, I can't help it, and I'm not a big fan of it either. So back off.
I look forward to heaven if for nothing else than for a restored body.

Law and Order Cambridge?

Downtown Cambridge (well, downtown Galt to be more precise-- where my work is located) is an area full of very interesting people. Last year there was an old homeless lady who had a necklace with a cross on it. She walked up and down the street and if she came up to a tree or a sewer, she would stand beside it and bless it by making circular and crosslike movements with her necklace over it. She would do this for a good 15 minutes before moving on to the next item that needed blessing. We had one holy downtown area all summer.
Today we experienced a real life Law and Order situation. Across the street from our building are these ratty looking apartments that hold all kinds of interesting people. Lately there have been these teenagers that will go into the street and yell up to this one apartment (they are all at least one story above ground). I've seen them do this a number of times when I come out of work. Well, yesterday there were these two guys and a girl who were down there yelling up to the apartment and the girl was crying.. I guess they got let in becuase they went off around the corner after a little bit. But today they were back. The one guy and the girl were in their pj's, and it looked like the two guys were going to take each other out. The girl was crying and trying to break them up. She managed to get them off of each other, but for the next 10-20 minutes they were walking around our building yelling at each other and waving their arms around and pushing each other (well, really the dressed guy was yelling at the pj guy and pushing him around). The girl just kept crying and looked rather helpless. The pj couple finally walked off. About a couple minutes later the police showed up. There were numerous cop cars and a pattywagon on the street -- unfortunately all the police stuff happened around the corner so we couldn't see what went on. We have been under the suspicion for a while now that that apartment has been dealing drugs.. (we keep ourselves entertained by playing dectective -- we have suspicions about all kinds of people on this street) because there's a window in that apartment that is never open and even when the blind comes up a little, there's cardboard behind it.... oh yeah. they're druggies.
Things have calmed down now, but we're still hoping that the police will be back and they'll bust the place. But it was pretty exciting.. we had police up and down the street talking to people. They didn't come in here. But it was still cool.
Well, time to wait for the next bit of excitement.. maybe the girl that we strongly suspect to be a hooker will come strutting by soon and make a pass on someone...

Look at Me

Close your eyes that I may
glue them shut with my fingertips
To blind you from my blood
as I am blind to yours
Listen to my voice
Let me speak for the first time
as a woman
and you a man
Allow me to become
a life size model of your childhood dream
breathing under your hands
as you feel your way into sight
Let us play like we used to play
Let us laugh like we used to laugh
Before age clawed into our skin
and demanded of us rationality
Then perhaps your blindness will keep
me from fading into familiarity
and I will stop being afraid
But until then, my love will lie in secret
within the tip of each of my fingers
and I will wait
until you can tell me the reason
why we ever should have met at all

Bless you!

(from Friday, May 26)
Here are some of the happy highlights of my week:
I went to New Jersey to visit my brother and sister-in-law for a whole weekend.
I received the first season of House M.D. in the mail while we were there (we had it shipped to my brother's place), and we payed less for it than anywhere else I had seen.
I watched two episodes of the first season of House and one episode of Firefly. All three were excellent.
I reveled in the joys of my youth by watching Victor Borge and enjoyed the satisfaction of getting more jokes than I did when I was a child.
Along with House, I purchased a CD by Caroline Lavelle that I've wanted to own for a long while now, for the lovely price of 5 dollars.
I smiled and laughed every day this week.
My sister and I spent Tuesday evening with our friend Nathaniel at our weekly movie night -- we watched Short Circuit, Hoodwinked, and Dummy. They were all funny.
The season finale of House for season two was FAN-FLIPPIN-TASTIC, confirming its position as my new favourite show on TV right now (tied with Law and Order SVU of course).
I got to enjoy the fun feature that is speaker-phone, and by doing so, I could talk to both my friends Sam and Amy at once. I think that was my first time being a speaker-phoner (the person calling that gets turned to speaker-phone), rather than a speaker-phonee (those multiple people on the other end that can all talk to the one person calling). An interesting experience.
I finished a level five Sudoku.. the highest and hardest level of Sudokus. Go me.
I went out for coffee with one of my best friends, Jenna, whom I haven't seen for a couple of months. She came home for the summer instead of staying in Chicago, which is awesome.
I finally started the hefty project of redoing my room -- so far this week my one wall that used to be covered in the Winnie the Pooh has been converted to a wall of Lord of the Rings. Going into my room makes me happy.
I found Firefly for $24.99 and bought it without thinking twice (I now own House and Firefly... Eeek!)
My cousins are coming this weekend from South Dakota. I haven't seen them in almost a year.
I just found out that I got a 35 cent raise from last summer.
My work week consisted of four days, not five, and my weekend starts in an hour and a half!

(i don't like the summer)

why is it that i feel so restless... so... ? when i'm busy, i want nothing but to be still ...
when i'm still, i feel empty, needing to do. needing to... my brain feels restless... and yet apathetic.
i want to put my hands to something and feel in my being that it means something.
i want to flee from monotony.
i want to stop trying to chase down the meaning of life in every movie i see.
i want to stop living my head.
i want to commit to something instead of wondering from half-started project to half-started project.
i want to feel too much.
i want to stop feeling.
i want to quit desiring to be nothing more than a human.
i want to gain momentum so every new step won't feel like the first one.
i want to be a friend.
i want to stop eating so much just because i'm bored.
i want my clothes to be made for me.
i want my body to be made for me.
i want to know that i can love -- not just some teenage angst cliche.
i want to know that someone can swear and still be a good person.
i want to never swear at all.
i want to feel satisfied.
i want...

see you in hollywood baby

I would like a librarian to help me find a book when I can't find what I'm looking for. This is what they are hired for, no? That would put a smile on my face. Granted, I am done exams, and I was looking for Harry Potter, not some "The Criticism of the Dualist Hierarchy of Humoural Physiology" (and that's not totally made up.. I did my Reformational Theology paper on that stuff -- got an A too. woot), but I am a paying student of the school and when I come up to the front desk and tell her that the computer says that Harry Potter is available, but the shelf says that it is not, it would kind of her not to say "I'm sorry, but I can't help you." This would be nice. Rather, I would like for her to find the book for me (because she is the librarian and therefore has knowledge of the whereabouts of every book in the school's possession -- this is her specialty) so then I could be reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire right now. And not be writing this blog. sigh.
In other news.... I am going to HOLLYWOOD!!!! City of sin and indecency, where evil walks the streets. Oh yes... August 19 I embark on what will hopefully be one exciting semester. I am taking a semester at Los Angeles Film Studies Centre .. to study film and work in the film industry. I know that I have been talking about this for a while, but I found out on monday that I have been officially accepted into the program and I know for certain that I am going. I just have to let them know that yet. :S That would be good.
My sister has decided that if she opens up a coffee shop, she's going to call it Carpe Latte -- Seize the Coffee. I think this is hIlarious.
So I am done another year at Redeemer. Hokey toot it goes fast. I finished up my last exam yesterday morning and then spent the day eating quizno's and lying in the sun, solving sudokus. Man those things are addicting. I used to think that those things were over the top for me... but I recently found out that they are not. Too bad they're trendy now. That sours the experience a little. But not enough. Man I feel smart when I finish one!
(Secretly I think that I have quite a bit of left brain power and it takes over some of the time. This makes me nervous)
Also, Gregory House makes me laugh. He has got to be one of the most cynical yet lovable characters on television. He is so funny.
Now with exams done, I have so much free time I've been doing all kinds of great things --- I'm still working at the school which is why I'm not home yet, but I've been watching movies (go figure --- really!??!) and recycling school notes, watching friends play baseball, walking and talking, listening to the Spice Girls (and getting lots of weird looks.. I love it) and I think now, before I head off to bed, I'm going to do a little light reading. Oh man, I've been waiting all semester to do that. Hmmm.... what shall I read!?!?!??! I love that that is what is pressing right now. Not school. Oh yeah. Not school...... sigh. I'll miss it soon enough.

ps. rent Everything is Illuminated. It's a premium movie.

when bunnies just don't want to live anymore...

oh how these suicidal bunnies make me laugh.

SICK OF PAPERS. WANT TO WATCH MOVIES.

Funny enough, in the last two weeks the ratio of papers to movies has been 3 to 5. Well, okay, one doesn't really count because I watched it for a paper. All movies were excellent uses of my time too, which makes me even more happy. Nothing worse than sitting down to watch a movie when you should be working on a paper and then the movie sucks. Recent watches: The Hours (for the paper), Edward Scissorhands (oh Tim Burton), Everything is Illuminated (hilarious movie.. Elijah Wood is so enjoyable) and Chelsea Walls (an arts movie directed by Ethan Hawke... crazy movie -- I loved it), and The Man (watched this one with the fam... it had some really funny moments.. Eugene Levy is down right funny). Recent papers: a one act play for playwriting (I wrote it based on a short story that I wrote for my creative writing class -- turned out decent enough), a paper comparing the social criticism of Mrs. Dalloway and The Hours (I wrote that one in 24 hours... 3500 words.. 1000 words over the minimum oops), and a paper on the destruction of hierarcy in CS Lewis' That Hideous Strength.... any one bored to tears yet?
Well, the last one isn't done yet. Could only go home for one day for Easter becuase I have this essay due on Wednesday, and I have exams Tuesday through Thursday.. then, thankfully, I'm done. But heaven help me get through these next few days. Oh school.
Cheers

One more week.....

man, being busy and stressed is entirely overrated. I mean, it's great working keeps me occupied and far from bored. But honestly, enough with the school already. Well, okay, that's not true. As soon as I'm done and have been out for a couple of weeks I know I am going to despirately miss being intellectually stimulated.. but for the moment, I need sleep.
On a wonderfully happy note, I just discovered the beauty and talent that is Virginia Woolf. I have finished reading Mrs. Dalloway, and I am so enthralled and captivated by this book! Her style is just so melodious and under the surface... it was almost addicting. I mean it was so tiring to read and you can get so overwhelmed with thought and style, but then when you put it down and it just simmers in your brain, it really is moving. I am writing my second last essay on it, comparing it to the movie "the Hours" ... which I recently rewatched (makes sense.. since I'm writing a paper on it..) and developed a new appreciation for the movie. So much culture. So much fun.
One more week of papers and exams. And then I'm done. And the fun can begin.

smile

Google books is an wonderful thing. It allows me to look through books online and then use them (and reference them of course), without ever leaving the comfort of my own home. Of course, this is only useful for research books. But it's that time of year and so I am entirely thankful for google books.
Also, if I could find time to sleep any time soon, that would be nice. I'm sure my body would enjoy being healthy again. I think it's forgotten what that's like.
I got a purse made out of delMonte drink boxes for my birthday. It is entirely COOL. I like looking at it while it sits by my desk.

cheers

Toot toot. Happy birthday to me.
I know he's excited about it.

papers are no good

I want to procrastinate. Bah. No good.

NZRizing

So my short reign as Nezzar is over. Time for blogging... :)
I'm currently sitting at my home home, I'm listening to Madagascar soundtrack (I like to move it move it .. oh yeah) and get crap pounded out of my back by my sister --- ah yes, this is the life.
Yep, so now that the play is over, apparently my life is supposed to turn back to some sort of normalcy. Ha, that's a good one. Say goodbye to the play, and say hello an abundance of papers and reading. :) Yeah for also being an english honours major.
The play went really well which was a huge blessing from God. It was richly rewarding to find that the school accepted and applauded our work so profoundly. I mean, I think the work would have been rewarding either way, but it could have been more frustrating had the school body not understood the work we did. But God finally showed me my purpose in choosing the mainstage over the independant .... I mean, I knew I was supposed to do the mainstage and that I made the right choice to work with Tom and the cast, but it was hard when all the rest of my friends were working on a very comical fun show together and I couldn't be apart of that... and I could have, had I just told them that I would. I often times felt a little punished for making the right decision. But this week, I felt happier about the show than I ever have before. It was an amazing run and I won't forget it for a long time. God is truly good. I just need to trust Him a little more. :)
Anyways, I have to get ready to go to church-in-the-box. Oh yeah, I sent out my application for LA film school. So now I get to experience the joy of waiting, and waiting.....woot.
Cheers.

awww

I enjoy being their aunt.

(photographed by brother Steve.. :P)

tee hee

How I love Lord of the Rings humour.
So cheesy. But so enjoyable.

My life today

Lord of the Rings -- you make me happy and rather emotional.
Rehearsal -- you make me very tired.
Reformational Theology -- you make me want to roll over and die.

yummm....... food and phlegm

I love family. I just spent less than a day with my family and even though the time was short... it was great. It was my neice's baptism today so I went home last night and hung out with my family doing very little other than sitting and talking ... but I loved every minute of it. My brother was up from Jersey so that was great. It's always fun seeing him and wowing over all his toys... UNBELIEVABLE some of the stuff that he has (you should see his car... handydandy features on that thing). The baptism was very nice.... and the party afterwards was also lots of fun, if a little... shall we say.. chaotic. This is what happens when you brother-in-law's family has 10 little kids running around! :) But they were cute. It was nice to just hang out with family members.. takes the stress off of school.
And now I've been coarsed into watching the Superbowl. Let me tell you what game I care about least..... FOOTBALL. Let me tell you what I actually should be working on: HOMEWORK. Will I be able to do both??? No. Will I enjoy the food? YES. Oh yes. And the company. Of course the company.
I also got blessed with a cold this morning. I'm kind of glad because I've been feeling kind of gross for a little bit... but it's never become a full-fledged cold. And now it is. Let the people rejoice.
Well, I guess that's it for now. I get to go get my ears blasted off by surround sound... of football. Oh my life is so good.

Mouse Trap

Last night I got to witness the marriage of two people who have shown me what true love can really be like. Of course, I get this example from all of my older siblings, but I had yet to watch it bloom in any of my friends from Redeemer. I am very cynical when it comes to romantic love due to the terrible influence of chick flicks and our hollywoodized culture, but when I watch my friends Tasha and Danny, it gives me hope that there is such a thing as true love and that young people of our generation can still find it. Their wedding (which took place last night) was beautiful and in just being there, you couldn't help but be filled with joy for these two people and for the love that they shared. I was so happy to see two people that I admire, respect, and love get married. I also spent the evening talking to people who I hadn't seen in quite some time (for some it'd been 2 years!) so it was really great to catch up with familar faces.
And now on the completely opposite side of things, I am the newly designated #1 Mouse Catcher of the dorm!!!! Gold star for Stephanie! Okay, I kind of designated that title to myself but I did in fact catch a mouse! For a couple weeks now, our house has had the joy of entertaining another dormate.. Sir Thomas the mouse. Myself and my roomate Amy were the only ones who didn't really care about the new addition to our family... everyone else in the dorm was freaked out. We had tried to catch it a number of times, but he was soo tiny that he could hide virtually anywhere, and, well, our rooms aren't very tidy. But then Sir Thomas made the mistake of entering our (mine and Amy's) room.. I guess he thought that since we didn't really care about the thing our room would be rather safe. But he didn't count on the fact that I would be in there with nothing better to do then to hunt this thing down until he was trapped and then catch him. Because while I didn't really care about him, I also wasn't scared of him.. and I didn't want him making himself too comfortable. So that's what I did... I closed off the exit from the room, shooed him into the closet, blocked off his exit from there and trapped him! Of course the whole operation was a bit more complicated and time consuming.... but I caught Sir Thomas! We made a video of him, and then we let him go outside.. a good block away from our house. We spent the whole evening in celebration until about 2 in the morning.... when I then saw Sir Richard. And the fun continues..... anybody know how to set mouse traps?

Procrastination in my fingers

My ears are having a wonderful time slowly losing their hearing capabilities due to the fact that my roomate and I both need music on when we do work. Since neither of us enjoy warring music (we try to employ a peace-love mentality in our humble room), one of us has to give in and wear headphones. And now my ears get to be blasted by the melodic voice of Aqualung in order to drown out her music (which I can still hear through my headphones). mucho fabuloso.
So while this is going on, I am struggling to put my thoughts on paper about the differences between the book and the movie of Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien. Not only is this a hard enough task on it's own (oh you think it's easy until you actually sit down and try and do it), but to add to my trepedation, the prof of the class doesn't like my writing style. In fact I believe he ripped apart every paper I wrote for him last semester. Makes me very nervous to write anything for him. But he's a fabulous prof so that does make it better.
All of this leads to blogging -- my wonderful friend that always lends a helping hand when procrastination tugs at my brain and creeps into my fingers.
So my newest mission (when I have time to do them..... which is virtually never) is to learn the didgeridoo. I received a small Australian didgeridoo for Christmas from my sister (who recently just came back from Australia if you haven't been in the loop) and now it sits under my computer so that whenever I am sitting here typing at the compy it reminds me that I should keep plugging at how to play the darned thing. It's way harder than it looks. Or maybe it looks hard to begin with, I don't know. But learning how to play it is proving to be difficult, especially since I have very little time to do much of anything (except when I'm procrastinating!) except school. But one day, I will be a player of the didgeridoo. And I will hold concerts. Woot.
That's all for today.

Calvin and Hobbits

I truely have a love hate relationship with education. On the one hand, there is nothing better than learning. To be in an environment where there is such an emphasis on improving your intellect, stretching the mind, and delving into research and books etc. --- exploring the different facits of our world and our worldview. It's so exciting and it's an amazing place to be as a young adult trying to find your way in the world and where you fit in the equation. But while this is truely an exhilerating and stretching experience, it can take such a toll on your life. Let's take my current semester as an example. There are so many things about this semester that make me so excited to be in a learning environment. I'm taking three courses in my majors ... Playwriting, 20th Century British Literature, and the Literature of Lewis and Tolkien. I could not be happier! Each of these classes holds such interest for me that I yearn to eat up everything taught and just suck it all in. But with upper level classes come upper level workloads ---- reading galour, writing due every week, presentations up the ying yang. Since I hold such a high standard for myself and since I love each of these courses, I really want to do well... and so this means that I will be devoting myself to my studies. Okay, so far busy, but managable. But this semester I also have two other courses that I don't really care about ---- Reformational Theology and French. Oof. Okay, in defense of these classes, both of them are interesting, I'm glad for the opportunity to be taking them and in their own light, they are surely necessary, but they also eat up the time that I need for my upper classes that are in my majors -- what I'm here at Redeemer to study. Add on top of this that I am in the mainstage performance this semester -- which is called NZR.. it's a play that the performers (me included) are writing and acting based on the story of Nebuchadnezzar -- and that I am the TA for the English dept. as well as that I am the Editor-in-Chief of 'The Minstrel' -- Redeemer's Literary Magazine ....... and that, ladies and gents, is a deadly semester. This is why education and I have such a love hate relationship. I love to learn, so I lap up every opportunity I can.... but while I'm actually learning, I nearly kill myself trying to get everything done and my faith life suffers. I have some help this semester in that I'm helping write a play based on the Bible and I'm taking Ref. Theology... but education and the strain of deadlines and papers and presentations and the copius amounts of reading do not make for an easy faith life. I should push myself and put my priorities elsewhere... but that's extremely hard when in the environment.
Hmm... I wish I could expand on this more but I've spent too much time on this --- I should get back to my reading before people come back home and there's no silence in which to peacefully read. Oh how I love it when reading Lord of the Rings is homework....

new years.......

I guess it's time for me to come out from hiding and write a blog.
Well ---- here I am. It's a new year and no, this isn't one of my new year's resolutions. :) I'm home for the holidays and spending time with family is wonderful. I think it's one of the few places where I feel completely comfortable and at ease and that's a nice feeling. My sister is home which is absolutely fantabulous!! I missed her soooo much over the year --- but I think the year was really good experience for both of us because I think we grew tighter through emailing and calling. But it was a long year.. and it's really nice to have her back. She's probably my closest friend in the world -- I can tell her anything -- and even though we fight now that she's home (you need physical contact in order to fight.. it's hard to fight over the phone) I love knowing that's she's around and I can talk to her.
Yet being at home can also be frustrating. Really frustrating. I guess because I'm realizing that I never feel completely satisfied when I'm with friends. It's really frustrating when you never feel satisfied about yourself when you're with the people you care about. Like on New Years, I went to hang out with friends that I've had since grade 9/10 -- somewhere in there, a good 6 years anyways....... and yet whenever I see them, I still feel like I'm visiting. I'm never IN. The big thing is always that they're going to make a movie or start a theatre company........... I'm a theatre major and yet they haven't seriously asked me to be apart of this ... while many of their other friends get asked at random... Okay, I'm not upset about not being in a theatre company or anything like that because there's a good chance this thing will never get off the ground.... but for once I'd like to feel INCLUDED. I hate the fact that when I'm with them alot of the time I'm wanting to be someone else --- not ME. And this is a horrible thing. I love these people very dearly, and maybe that's why I haven't just given up. It's odd when through out whole evening one of the best conversation I had was with someone whom I haven't even known that long when I'm surrounded by people who I've known for a long time. It's just frustrating when you know that if you were a different personality or if you changed where you live, they would probably finally ACCEPT you and want to be around you --- and yet that SHOULDN'T matter. Grrr.. Lord help me deal with my insecurities.
Anyways, I'm looking forward to going back to Redeemer though school will be really busy..... but I love nothing better than delving myself into something that I'm so passionate about. I love theatre so much and I'm truely thankful to God that he's put that passion in my heart.

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.