Ticket Stub Tuesday

 Bend it Like Beckham was an independent film getting tons of buzz in the spring/summer of 2003. It took awhile, but it finally arrived in Pocatello and Lindsay-loo and I jumped on the chance to see it. The movie did not disappoint! It's sweet and funny and awesome. And introduced us to the yummy Jonathan Rhys Meyers.










The Summer of 2003 was pretty epic, as I remember seeing a ton of movies (Finding Nemo, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Pirates of the Caribbean, just to name a few from that summer), eating a lot of snowcones, and doing a good amount of  just chillin' before actually doing something with my life.

Color Vibe 5k

Amber was initiated into her first 5k this morning with a lot of color. We participated in the Color Vibe 5k, where the run is for charity and the contestants get hit with colored powder while running. The race isn't timed, but is more just a chance to have fun and support a good cause. And get covered in color!





It was hot and muggy (the race started at 9, which is far too late for a summer race) but thankfully there was a breeze most of the time. At the last color station we both "stop, dropped and rolled" in the powder and it was awesome. We finished strong across the line, and then proceeded to dance and get more color-covered at the after-party. It was a blast and both of us can't wait to do another one!

Meeting My Neighbor

Sunday evening I had just gotten a plate of food together and sat down to watch Game 6 when there was an urgent knock on my door. I wasn't expecting anyone, so I had no idea who would be knocking. I opened the door to see my neighbor who at this point I've only had conversations with on the back steps as I get ready to go for a jog and he was having a smoke. He asked me if I had an orange cat that was missing.

Right then Biscuit came running into the doorway and into our loft. Earlier I had burned something in the oven (wax paper is not the same as parchment paper), and to make sure my smoke alarm didn't go off I hurriedly propped open my front door. Not once did I even think about Biscuit getting out.

With Biscuit back home safely, I stepped out into the hallway to chat with the neighbor who had knocked on my door and my neighbor directly next-door to me. Without even thinking, I let the door close behind me, locking me out. It was like a scene out of a sitcom. Except no wacky hijinks to get me back in or romantic tension with my neighbor (he's recently been married, well, and he's gay). I really just felt like a dork for letting the door close and getting locked out. I was just glad I had turned the oven off!

My neighbor, Joey, let me use his phone to call the owner and let me hang in his loft while we waited for him to arrive with a spare key. And when I said I was from Utah, I immediately was asked if I was Mormon. I don't know if co-workers think it's impolite to ask, but I've only been asked twice and it has been by strangers that I randomly met.

I enjoyed getting to know my super cool neighbors, and I hope Biscuit enjoyed her brief journey into the hallways. Which is essentially a whole new world for her. I lately had been wondering if she got bored with the four walls of her home. But the way she rushed back in, I think she's just fine. All she does is sleep anyway.

Ticket Stub Tuesday

I always like to see a movie on or around my birthday (I love when I have a Friday birthday and all the movie trailers and posters have my birthdate listed). This is my ticket stub from 10 Things I Hate About You, dated April 20, 1999, which means it was more than likely my birthday movie that year. However, with some investigation, it turns out that that date was a Tuesday night and my birthday fell on a Saturday.




At any rate, I probably saw this movie with friends, as I was a sophomore in high school and I remember my friend Kim absolutely loving this movie. Heath Ledger has never been my type, but I must admit that I, along with everyone else, thought his singing scene in the movie was pretty swoon-worthy. It's actually aged quite well, and is pretty notable now for having the Joker and Robin in the cast!

Be Celebrated

I came across this beautiful image and saying on Pinterest last week. It really hit me. For a long time I've let myself get caught up in why certain people didn't like me. I would let it bother me until I would feel depressed about it. Which was silly, because I have plenty of people who do love me and celebrate me, so why should care about those who don't?!

I have friends and family who love me and care for me and want to see the best for me. And I feel exactly the same for them. I want to celebrate them and they want to celebrate me. These are the people I should be focusing on, not those who merely tolerate me. Go where you are celebrated!

Man of Steel

I saw Man of Steel this afternoon, and it ain't your mom's Superman. This is an incarnation of Superman that is completely new and of the moment (or maybe not, since I have never read the comics, only seen the movies).

Let's just get this out of the way first: Henry Cavill is extremely beautiful. He's probably the most good-looking Superman of them all. Brandon Routh looked the part, certainly, but did not exude the same hotness as Cavill. He also sports a beard for part of the movie (which, honestly, was the reason I even became interested in seeing this movie). Superman has always seemed kind of vanilla to me, but the beard piqued my interest.

The trailers kept my interest.

Zack Snyder, the director, has a look that he uses in almost all of his films. For me it worked and it sort of didn't work. The color palette is grey and washed out; nothing is bright and sunny. I was fine with that. I don't think his visual effects were the best, though. Where Snyder really excelled was in the flashback sequences. He so perfectly captures the beauty and quaintness of Clark's growing up, from a shot of a swing seat to a field of grass to laundry blowing in the wind. It was these flashback sequences, so elegiac, that gave the movie its emotional core and they are the best parts of the movie.

What I really liked was Cavill's portrayal of Superman. He's beautiful, yes, but he plays the part so understated and sort of sad, really. He's good and kind, but isn't extreme or annoying about it. He's just a guy, raised in Kansas by good parents, who's trying to find his place in the world. The two dads, played by Russell Crowe and Kevin Costner, both give weight and substance to their roles and I liked their dichotomous views on how Clark/Superman should live. Amy Adams was fine as Lois Lane, but her introduction into Superman's life seemed a bit clunky and rushed, and led to one truly cheesy line. However, their romance is sweet and simple and I like that.

The movie isn't perfect, but it's good enough. It felt a bit more sci-fi than superhero-y with its spaceships and spacesuits. The destruction of Metropolis, and the people who live there, is a bit out of step with what Superman does at the end to save three people, but perhaps I'm splitting hairs. I actually think that the sequel will be better, judging from the end, and perhaps a bit more happy.

Also, when Superman says in the movie, "I grew up in Kansas," a few in the audience clapped. He also wears a Royals t-shirt in one scene, which I could tell many in the audience liked. Seriously, the man is just so beautiful.

Old Foto Friday

In honor of Father's Day this Sunday, here's a picture of my dad and me at my cousin Katie's wedding reception in Ephraim, UT. I used this trip as a recruiting opportunity to convince Lindsay to attend Snow College with me. This is my senior year, March 2001.

Ticket Stub Tuesday

My ticket stub from Moulin Rouge, June 14, 2001. My best friend, Lindsay-loo, loves Ewan McGregor, so I'm pretty sure I saw this movie with her. I remember when we saw it a second time, driving up to Provo from Snow College to see it in that theater by BYU, but this ticket stub is from when we saw it the first time.


(It's hard to read because it's pretty faded because the ticket stub is from 2001!)

This is the third film in Baz Luhrmann's Red Curtain Trilogy. It starts off a little crazy, and I remember thinking What has Lindsay roped me into seeing? But if you can get past the first twenty minutes or so, it is a beautiful story told in a wonderful Baz sort of way. Watch it if you haven't!

A City Girl

I am, without a doubt, a big city girl. Yesterday I was in Kansas City and just being downtown in a thriving city lifted my spirits and made me feel happy. I loved the hustle and bustle, the people walking and the bikers biking. I loved the sounds and the lights and the big buildings. I felt comfortable. It's only an hour away, and I foresee many trips to KC. 

Old Foto Friday

I love this picture. It was our first semester at Snow College, September 2001, and we were all living on our own away from home for the first time. This is a night that the power went out, and we decided to make hot chocolate and show off our cool mugs--Rachel's from New York, mine and Lindsay's were ones we painted at ourselves at a ceramic place in Pocatello.

 Rachel just had a baby girl last week, and Lindsay-loo is coming up on her sixth wedding anniversary. And I live in Topeka (no kids, no husband).

Ticket Stub Tuesday

I keep all my movie ticket stubs. I have since I can remember going to the movies regularly, which started around '96 when I lived in Pocatello. For a long time I've wanted to do something with these, like create a huge collage or something to put on my wall. Until I get around to that, I am going to start Ticket Stub Tuesday on my blog.

My ticket stubs from the Special Edition releases of Star Wars. Until this point, I had only ever seen the trilogy on tv. I was beyond excited for these re-releases because I was finally going to see these most awesome movies on the BIG SCREEN! They were released in the Spring of '97, and while I am not a fan of the Special Edition Star Wars, I won't ever forget the experience.

Gumption

I am new at my job. Besides working at Bountiful (which is much smaller and therefore much different than Topeka), this is my first experience working for a city and all that it entails. Needless to say I have a lot of questions when I'm at work--mostly regarding who to contact, when to ask for things, how the process works.

My bosses were teasing me about this on Friday night as a bunch of us from the office were out at the Blind Tiger. I'm okay with this, because one, when your co-workers tease you you know they like you, and two, I have to ask questions to learn. My boss said, regarding all the questions I've been asking, that I had real gumption and he liked it because it meant he didn't always have to be checking in and making sure I was working.

Being told I have gumption is probably the best compliment I've ever been given. I always think of Kate Winslet in "The Holiday" when anyone uses the word gumption.