The greatest story ever told?

Found this great 6 Sentences post called "A Modern Fable." Being the liberal person I am, I really appreciated this fun retelling of the Bush Administration.

I highly recommend it for anyone dissatisfied with with the current regime.

Happy Christmas

So, Christmas has come and gone. I think it went pretty well. I felt a little nervous because I hosted my family for the holiday, but things worked out well. Both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day dinners were very tasty and I even threw in a few new recipes and got compliments on all of them! I enjoyed the holiday because we kept it casual. Dinners were served buffet-style and when we weren't eating or opening presents, we sat around and chatted, watched movies or played games. The day after Christmas we all piled in the car (Mom, Dad, Jaime, Bo and I) and heading south to Orlando. We spent the day at Universal Studios and had a good time. The park had Christmas decorations still up and Christmas carols still playing, so it was a nice way to extend the holiday. I especially liked it because I didn't get much of a chance to get into the Christmas spirit before the holiday.

Bo and I got some great presents, both useful and fun. Of course, my dad gave us the traditional useful gifts, but we also got some good giftcards and fun games. Some nice stuff too. I got some scrapbooking supplies and I'm looking forward to using them to create my own wedding album. (The professional pictures I ordered arrived on Thursday.) To make things even better, my parents gave us a new printer that I can use to print my own photos, so I'm all set up to start seriously scrapbooking.

Now, its almost New Year's. I can't believe how quickly the time has past. I guess having a job and working will do that. I'm looking forward to celebrating the New Year with Faith, Russell and Kipp who are all back in town. Plus, I've been invited to my first, somewhat ritzy, New Year's Eve party. That will be fun!

So, to all my loving readers..... Hope you've had a Happy Holiday and wishing you a fantastic New Year!

Movie Update

Bo and I went to see The Golden Compass Wednesday night. Very pretty movie and incredibly well cast. I think they did a great job bringing Lyra's world to life. All the cast members played their roles very well and I have no complaints on that front. Well, almost no complaints. Roger was not a very good looking kid, kinda rat-faced. I don't know if this is because that was the only kid they could find to play the role or the deliberately chose to make Roger kinda ugly. Either way, not the best casting choice, though he did play his part fairly well.

As for the actual movie content, I'm impressed with how they fit the book plot into the movie. All the important scenes were there, albeit a little switched around. They very carefully avoided the religious aspects of the book, but I don't see how they plan to keep that up if they are going to complete the trilogy. I think some other aspects of the book were downplayed a little too much, like the relationship of daemons. For the most part, daemons in the movie seemed more like well-trained pets rather than the life's companion and soul-mate that they truly are. (The daemon animations were fantastic, though.) The thing that upset me the most - and I was very, very upset by this - was where the movie ended. It ended a full 2 or 3 chapters before the book ended!!! It left out the entire dramatic ending of the book!! It is not even possible to start the second book without that ending and I don't know how they plan to fit it in the beginning of the second movie. For those of you who know how it ends (and I won't give it away), you must agree that opening a movie with the ending of Golden Compass would be awful!!

Its not that I hated the movie. I didn't. I really enjoyed it, but I am very worried about how they plan to continue the series.

So, that's one down and plenty more to go:
Martian Child
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
August Rush
Juno
I Am Legend
Atonement
P.S. I Love You
Grace is Gone
Sweeney Todd
The Water Horse

Sigh. I don't know if I'm going to be able to see all these before they've left theaters. Which is a shame.

"I enjoy being a girl!"

Sometimes, I wonder if I missed something growing up, some essential lessons on how to be female. I often feel like I'm not quite female enough. Sometimes, I wonder if I'm a boy in disguise. Oh, I guess I can act girly every now and then, but I don't really feel very girly and when I compare myself to other women I don't seem very girly at all. I'm not often interested in the things other women seem to be interested in and I don't often understand why these things are interesting.

I've only just started wearing make-up in the past few months and I only where it when I'm going to be around other women, either my classmates or my co-workers. I started wearing it because I felt like the odd woman out around them. Also, I never feel like I'm dressed right...I'm always too casual. When I do dress up, I don't seem to quite get it. All the other women I know have better outfits, better combinations, more style and poise. I have no idea what current fashion trends are and most of my clothes are years old. I keep wearing them because they fit, for the most part, so why would I need to buy more clothes?

Oh, and hair! I'm always lost when it comes to doing something with my hair. I only wear it up in a ponytail or down. Not much in between, but even then I think I'm missing something. I've bought a few hair accessories, but I can never get them to look right. I see other women wearing their hair in similar ways to what I do, but they always make it look better somehow. I can't even begin to describe the difference.

Why do I have to dress-up anyway? Why can't I just wear my favorite jeans (with a hole in the knee) and a comfy t-shirt? Do I have to wear make-up and pluck my eyebrows? Must I wash, blow dry and style my hair everyday?

In general, I just feel awkward around other women. I feel like they have some secret knowledge that no one every shared with me. If anyone has an extra copy, can you please send me the instruction book?

Pictures!

Ever since I got a digital camera for a wedding present, I've been taking lots of pictures. The camera takes really great pictures. Since I'm a Google addict I've opened a Picasa account to post my pictures online. Mainly I've been sharing with friends and family, but I thought I'd also post a link here for everyone to look at. I don't have a lot of albums yet, but there are lots of pictures in each album!

Enjoy!

and check back often. I'm always adding new stuff!

LOLcats for my friends

Ok, I admit it. I have fallen prey to the Internet sensation of LOLcats. I can't help myself. They are just too cute and absolutely hilarious. This afternoon I spent about 1/2 an hour looking through lots of these ridiculous pictures and I came across a few that reminded me of some of my friends. So, I thought I'd share.




This one just makes me think of many people in my group of friends. For some reason, this phrase pops up quite often among my friends.

Kipp, this one is for you. No explanation needed. In fact, this one may actually be you in cat form.

This cat makes me think of my friend Matt. He really liked a similar image about a pony, so I think he'd like this one, too.








For Joe.










This reminds me of Faith, who studies Russian and is the only person who has ever made Borscht, that I know of.







And finally, for my husband. He says this all the time. He has even threatened to record it and just hit play whenever he feels it would be appropriate.





For those of my friends who didn't get a LOLcat, I'm sorry. I'm sure there's one out there for you. I just haven't found it yet.

Working

So, I'm back at the museum, working in the Discovery Room. This time, however, I'm getting paid. Which is awesome. I really like working here. Its so much fun hanging out in the Discovery Room. I get to play with kids or just watch kids play. Kids make up the best games and its so easy for them! Today, there was this group from an elementary school that came in. A bunch of them spontaneously started playing this game on our pond rug. I have no idea what the game was about or how it was played, but all of them understood the rules and were having a great time playing. One of the adults with them asked me if that was how they were supposed to play over there, if they were playing the right game in that area. I told him I had no idea what they were playing, but that it didn't matter. There wasn't a right game to play.

I think working in environments like this is what keeps me feeling so young. The kids I see everyday help me remember what it is like to be young and full of wonder. They are so creative and excited about everything they see. I especially like it when they try to act like their too old for the Discovery Room and then end up having so much fun that they forget about being too old and just enjoy themselves.

I hope working with kids will always keep me feeling young, full of wonder and excited about the world. I know that a lot of people working in my field often suffer from burnout because we work so very hard and get very little support and feedback (not to mention small paychecks), but I hope I can always turn to the kids and refresh myself with their enthusiasm.

Movie Update

Bo and I went to see Enchanted on Thursday night, so that's another movie added to the "Seen it" list.

Enchanted is great. I highly recommend that everyone go see it because it really is fantastic. Of course, being a Disney movie means its based on your basic romantic, happy-ending plot with plenty of memorable songs thrown in. However, the movie is constantly making fun of the genre and the whole movie is literally a send-up of that basic plot. The actress that plays the female lead, Giselle, is wonderful. She plays her part perfectly and is just fun to watch throughout the movie. Also, the song are hilarious and you should listen to them carefully because there are some really funny throwaway lines. All in all an amazing movie that everyone should see!

So, that leaves my "haven't seen it yet" movie list looking like this:
Martian Child
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
August Rush
The Golden Compass
Juno
I Am Legend
Atonement
P.S. I Love You
Grace is Gone
Sweeney Todd
The Water Horse

In other news, my husband Bo has just started a blog. The link is in the sidebar and those of him who know him should be able to guess which link is to his blog. For everyone else, its the first link.

Finished! (briefly)

So, yesterday I finished all my stuff for classes this semester. I think I did pretty well, though I probably could have put a little more work into my Educational Psychology final. Oh well....too late now and I refuse to have any regrets!

I have been looking forward to a few days of relaxation, but its amazing how quickly things can pop up! I still have about a week without work or classes, but I can't just chill out. I have stuff to take care of, forms to fill out and meetings to attend. Oh well....I'd probably get bored anyway.

Oh, and I have to start getting ready for Christmas!

Movies

So, the holiday season is upon us and that means that its time for a ridiculous amount of new movie releases. There's a lot of movies that are coming out or are already out that I want to see. In light of this, I decided to start a list of what I want to see. As an extra bonus, I'll also keep track of movies I've already seen and add my two cents of reviews. I'm sure my readers have similar taste in movies, though I admit that some of these movies do lay bare my squishy, girly delight in feel-good movies and romances. Please forgive my weakness.

Feel free to comment on movies I haven't seen yet, but please don't ruin them for me!

Haven't seen yet:
Martian Child
Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium
August Rush
Enchanted
The Golden Compass
Juno
I Am Legend
Atonement
P.S. I Love You
Grace is Gone
Sweeney Todd
The Water Horse


Seen it:
Dan in Real Life - Somewhat disappointing and not what I expected. Steve Carrell and Dane Cook are amusing together, but the rest of the movie is rather trite and formulaic. One good bit was the 3 girls playing Carrell's daughters. They were a lot of fun.

Beowulf - Visually, a great movie to watch on the big screen. Those of you who are avid video gamers will feel somewhat like you are watching the extended cut scenes from a game, but its still really pretty! As for content, I wasn't very impressed. I feel like I was watching the movie Cliff's Notes version of Beowulf. I know that it is a long and complicated epic, but I think more could have been done to really dig in to the story and the characters instead of just providing quick overviews of everything.

A new link

I added a link to a new blog a couple of days ago. I'm really enjoying this one, so I thought I'd share. Its called Six Sentences and I guess its like a writers collective/challenge. Each post is by a different submitter and the only restriction is that each one has to be 6 sentences long. No more, no less. It really is fun to read the posts and see how much can be said in such a limited space and each post is really different. There are short stories, descriptions of a scene, musings, jokes. A wide variety. Plus, the blog is very prolific. There's almost always something new to read.

I wonder how one becomes a part of this group. Of course, I'm not sure if I have the skills to join such a group, but I am curious.

My addiction

Ok, so many of you know that I love my Mac and I am a big fan of the company. Not that I'm one of those rabid Mac fans that assaults PC users in Mac v. PC chats, but I have my loyalty.

And apparently, I'm also a little addicted.

58%How Addicted to Apple Are You?

How addicted are you?
Find out here.

Getting into the spirit

I was talking with my mother this afternoon, like I usually do, and we started discussing all the shopping that has taken place this weekend. Neither of us understand why anyone would want to get up at 4am to go shopping. Is it really worth it? Sure, there are great sales, but there are also all those crowds and the lack of sleep. I just avoid it all. I think its ridiculous.

And to add to this ridiculousness, Mom was telling me about an ad she saw in the paper. Not only was it advertising the insanely early opening hours of the store, but it was also encouraging shoppers to get into the "Christmas Buying Spirit."

Yes, you read that correctly. The "Christmas Buying Spirit."

That just goes beyond ridiculousness. That's just sad. Whatever happened to plain old Christmas spirit? Good will towards our fellow man? Asking those questions make me sound old, but I remember when Christmas felt more Christmasy and less commercial. At least, it felt that way to me. Maybe I was just less aware of all the commercialism or maybe my family was really good at ignoring all that and they sheltered me. Whatever the reason, I'm now feeling more of the Christmas Buying Spirit all around me.

This will be the first Christmas that I don't go home to either my parent's or Bo's parents house, so that's going to make it even harder. My parents are coming down for a few days and that will help, but I'm going to try to make this season more Christmas than commercial for Bo and I. Still don't know exactly how I'm going to do that, but I know it will involve some decorating and a Christmas Tree!

More test results

Why is this so fun?

Which Sesame Street Character Are You?
	You are part Big Bird. You are something of an eccentric, and not everyone always gives you credit for your inventiveness and intelligence. You may not always know everything, but people turn to you for your sound, unique logic. Plus, you have a big heart. Really big.
	You are part Elmo. You are lovable and ticklish, and always inquisitive. Sometimes, though, your excitement about the world can make you seem childish, naive, and occasionally irritating to others.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Which Harry Potter Character Are You?
	You are part Harry. You're a loyal and courageous friend. You'd do anything to protect the people you love, especially if it'll get you a break from class for a little while.
	You are part Hermione. You're a bookworm always in search of answers. When pressed, however, you can always be counted on to put away the books and help your friends.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Which Female Action Hero Are You?
	You are Princess Leia. You are down-to-earth and stick to a rigid sense of ethics. Nerds may lust over you, but everyone looks to you for your grounded logic and intellect.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Well phooey!

What do you do when something you thought was going to happen....something you were counting on, planning for and basically setting up your life around....just disappears?

I just realized that the job opportunity I thought I might have after I graduate doesn't actually exist. I really don't want to think about this right now, but I'm going to have to at some point. I'm going to have to figure out what I'm going to do and that just really sucks because I thought I had that all figured out already.

Back to the drawing board.

Thank goodness for a break

So, I just finished this major assignment for my educational psychology course and turned it in yesterday morning. It was so hard!!! I got so stressed out doing it and it took me forever. Plus, I'm not a psychology student, so I'm sure it was much easier for everyone else in the class. I know I did my best, even though I dragged my feet and bitched about it the entire time, but in this case I'm not sure if my best is good enough. I mean, my work has to compare with other students who specialize in this area and I just don't think I'm good enough. I don't know anyway to make it better though. I just have to take the grade I get and live with it. I hope it doesn't mess up my final grade too much, though. So far, I have a perfect A average as a grad student and I'd really like to keep it that way.

Ok, enough whining. I'm just glad its over and now I can focus on other things. I didn't realize how stressed and preoccupied I was until after I turned it in yesterday. I felt so much better last night and I'm in a much better mood today. Sad how one assignment can throw me off my stride that much. I guess it shouldn't be such a surprise though. I know I'm a perfectionist when it comes to schoolwork.

These are amazing!

Check out these pictures of hand paintings. They are so amazing detailed and realistic!

http://m3.bestpicever.com/piles/?s=handart

Not the results I thought I would get...

I don't really consider myself a princess in any way, shape or form. However, I grew up with the Disney princesses, so I couldn't resist this quiz.

Which Disney Princess Are You?
	You are Jasmine. You are loyal and would visit the ends of the earth for what you believe. You would never let obstacles stand in the way of true love.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

I didn't think I would be this Disney princess, but then, I'm not sure which one I thought I would be. If that makes any sense. *shrug*

What City Should You Live In?
	You should live in New York City. America's largest city will ensure that you will blend into the crowd. You are the brooding type--introspective, creative, and eccentric--and NYC's cutting-edge, individualistic culture and ambience will appeal to you.
Find Your Character @ BrainFall.com

Again, I really don't see myself as a New Yorker. I think I'm too nice to live in New York. Then again, I'm not sure where else I should live. I'm pretty happy where I am now.

Procrastination

Why do I procrastinate so much? I'm a good student. I get good grades. I should know better, but I do it anyway. And of course, I always find a good excuse; I don't feel well or I'll have plenty of time later. I've been doing that for the past week on a major assignment that is due next Wednesday, and I find myself doing it while realizing, at the same time, that I'm going to pay for it later. I know its going to stress me out later if I put it off now, but I do it anyway. I think that if I understood why I did this, then maybe I could overcome it. Unfortunately, I can't figure out the rhyme or reason behind it.....if there is any.

Even this is another form of procrastination......

Back reading

For anyone who is interested, here's some links to my old blogs. I blogged on Easyjournal for quite awhile before switching over to the Google-powered Blogger, which works much better for me since I'm addicted to Google and use it to manage my life. Its nice to have my email, calendar, news, blog, etc all under one user name and password. Which is why I switched to this new Blogger account after my name changed.

Anyway, for your reading pleasure:

http://lizstar.easyjournal.com/

http://lizstarsapphire.blogspot.com/

A new start

Things have been so busy since the wedding this summer. I've been meaning to start up a new blog since I switched all my accounts over to my new name, I just haven't gotten around to it yet. Until now. I've gotten a nifty little Firefox extension that makes it easier for me to post whenever I feel like it, without having to come to the blog website and log in and such. Of course, that really doesn't take that long, but it feels like it. Hopefully having "one click" posting access will make me more inclined to make posts.

We shall see!