It's time to clean out the cobwebs...

Well hello...so this is really just a warm up blog so to speak.  Get the kinks worked out again, so I'm going to keep this light and fun and talk about some of my favorite things of summer so far (in no particular order): 

UP

Yes Pixar has done it again people, this is one of the best Pixar films so far.  I'll admit I was skeptical at first when I saw the previews but I gave Pixar the benefit of the doubt as they have never misfired (Cars was as close to a bad movie as they get), what I'm trying to say is that I went in not knowing what to expect.  However, within the first 20 minutes and a couple tissues, I was hooked.  The story of the old man Carl trying to capture his (and his wife's) childhood dreams was touching, funny, entertaining, and one of the best things I've seen on screen in a while.  Here's a little clip: 

Star Trek

Say what you want to about Star Trek and I've never been much of a Star Trek person but put J.J. Abrams behind something and I'll usually check it out.  I was pleasantly surprised by this reboot, sure it doesn't have the gravitas of say the Batman reboot but it was just good plain fun.  I think there is the perfect balance between Sci-Fi geekiness and summer action flick.  Plus watching Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto isn't half bad either.  

Gossip Girl

Yup I said it...I've been catching up on Manhattan elite's dirtiest laundry and I must say I can't wait to get that disc from Netflix.  Now it's definitely not the best thing TV show but it is a good guilty pleasure and the first season is right up there with the first season of the OC in terms of really good (recent) high school shows.  Plus it's set in the most fabulous city in the world.  It's from the creator of the OC and one thing I really like about both of those shows is that it not only looks at the life of the high schoolers but it also looks at the parents and they actually have their own storylines, which is refreshing in shows like that to get a more mature story every now and then.  

Podcasts

I'm lumping this all into one because I have become a podcast addict.  I am currently subscribing to 8 podcasts, yes 8.  I used to think that podcasts were the stupidest things but I stand corrected.  I listen to my 8 weekly podcasts so fast that I find myself downloading older episodes to get me through the week until there are new episodes.  Spending a lot of time on the train going to work and back, this is a good way to past the time on the way to work.  Some of my favorites are NPR: This American Life, The Business (all about the entertainment business), and Scene Unseen, which is probably my favorite.  These two film buffs have a weekly show reviewing one of the weeks new releases where one of them have seen the film and the other hasn't.  It sounds stupid but they really funny and have great insight into films.  

Barefoot Contessa

I am getting really into cooking and now that it's summer I finally have time to do some cooking and try new things.  I was telling my brother about this and he told me I should start watching Barefoot Contessa on the Food Network.  At first I wasn't sold but I end up watching every episode that my DVR records and Ina Garten is just the best.  She makes really easy recipes (for the most part) and even if you don't like the recipes she's making she give good tips on methods.  Plus, she always has the most ridiculous "tasting" situations...just perfect!

The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon 

Michael Chabon is one of my favorite writers and is one of the most unique American writers today.  I've read almost all of his other books and they only get better as he gets older.  This is his first full-length novel since he won the Pulitzer for The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (which I highly recommend).  I haven't actually started this book yet but it's on my summer reading list (yes I have list, I'm a nerd) and it's the one I'm most excited about read.  

And because I'm blogging about my favorite summer things, I'm adding this because it will be one of my favorite things about the summer as soon as it's released on July 17 (I think we all know what I'm talking about!) but just in case: 

I get more excited every time I watch that trailer and I've already bought my tickets! We should all have a massive conversation together after we seen the movie!

That's all for now, talk to you guys soon!

Look ma! I'm blogging!!

Sorry, been soooo insanely busy with work and school, but now school is over so look out world! 

For some reason I've been thinking about POP culture things I hate. Here's the top 5 that I can think of today, see if you agree/disagree: 

(oh and you better agree!)

Absolute, you're never changing my mind..well maybe you but you better have a really good argument...HATES:

1. Madonna. Okay you're older than my mother, go away. Why is this person still relevant??? mmmm....maybe because she didn't (or hasn't) pulled a Brittany or Lindsay, and become all coked out. It really Really REALLY annoys me that she's so self-important. Yes, you did create a style/genre-whatever over 20 years ago, but why can't you just stick to being a humanitarian and just enjoy your money quietly by being an activist for malawi instead of making a huge deal out of the kid you adopt (or want to adopt) there??!?!?!

2. The show jack ass, I realize it's no longer on the air, but it's effect is still quite obvious ( the recent bone breaking "dude" speaking nitro circus for example). For some reason every boy from the age of 18-24 has decided to make this show his anthem. Swallowing a gold fish and throwing it back up? Is this considered art and I'm just missing it??

3.  People who hate twilight. Read it. Love it. Be jealous of Bella, God knows I am.

4. For the love of Ray J and G's to Gents drives me insane!! Is this MTV's attempt to reach more of an urban audience? If you love these I'm sorry, but you're an idiot. However, if I somehow ended up in a hell that made me choose between eternal re-runs of these shows or eternal re-runs of the "hills" bring on Bently Farnsworth and those sexy G's baby!!!

 

5. Twitter. Seriously, go tweet yourself. I feel like watching someone else live their life every second of everyday makes people not live their own. What will you think on your deathbed? "Oh gee, I'm so glad I watched John Mayer tweet 6 hours out of everyday." or "Thank God I spent so much time being a jackass with people I love, at least I bought the ticket and took the ride."

Anyways, thanks for letting me bitch a little bit, now go do something productive...God knows I won't!

MEMORIES and To

LESLEY:

I find as the days pass in a blur, my memories sometimes go with them. Having said that, I want to be able to remember some of the moments between us. Let's use this blog to remind each other of the moments in our lives that bring smiles to our faces or at one point in time, brought us closer!

Ok, Jess (and Tay!), here it is! I have been promising you this since your wedding. I was actually at my computer and thinking about it today, so I decided to post it on our blog. This, of course, is the speech I had originally written for your wedding. Enjoy! I love you!

For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Lesley. I am blessed and honored not only to be here today but to call Jessica and Chris my friends.

I have known the happy couple for almost six years now. I had the unique experience of being friends with Tay first. We met in spring of 2003, shortly after he transferred from Arkansas. At the time, Jess was attending Missouri Southern. Even before I met Jess we would occasionally talk on the phone if ever she called and I happened to be in the boys’ room.

I remember the first time I met Jess, one weekend she came to visit Tay. When I walked into the room, she was sitting at the kitchen table. I sat down and we started talking like we had been life long friends. I immediately noticed her articulate speech, her ability to make others laugh, her honesty, and her kindness. Over time, and especially after she transferred to Missouri State, I saw her persuasiveness, her passion, and her care free attitude.

Over the years, the three of us (and many friends here) have shared many moments that will last us a lifetime. From the broken ankles, the history tests, the surprise parties, the parties on Cherry Street, the sneaking of liquor into the dorms in bat bags, and the braces fund, to the Trifecta party, Qdoba, and Papa John’s Garlic sauce. There have been numerous slumber parties, generally after long nights of Harry Potter discussions (to which we can still not agree who to invite to our fictional dinner party!), our ritualistic visits to Trops before each baseball game, and our VIP Parking! We have coined phrases like, “Jess, Come out and play!” “Are you happy!?” "Good for him!" and “OH!”. We have spent entire afternoons drinking rum and watching the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and we have dented peoples’ cars with our high heels. Jess has not been able to find her phone about 85% of this time! We have enjoyed many a Sunday Funday and afternoons in our blow up pool. We have spent so much time together our dogs, Betty and Bear, are girlfriend and boyfriend.

Through all of these moments, two things have stayed true; two things have never faltered. The first, is Jess and Tay’s ability to be the kind of friends that everyone wants to have and the kind of friend everyone should strive to be. The second, and the most important, is their love for each other. May their love serve as an inspiration to each of you as it has to me for so many years. May your love remain strong enough to sustain you during times of struggle and enrich the good times you will share together. May today be the happiest day you have ever experienced together and may each day be happier than the one before.

Someone once said, “Show me your friends and I will show you your future.” On this day, the 20th of December, there is no other place that I would rather be than standing here, next to these two amazing people and I will be standing next to them in 50 years.

I ask you to raise your glass in a toast to the long awaited Mr. and Mrs. Taylor!

I may get my head bit off but I have absolutely no desire to have anything to do with the Twilight series.  Honestly the whole vampire love story thing does nothing for me.  I mean I love fantasy and sci-fi to an extent and I will argue Harry Potter or LOST with anyone who will listen, just something about Twilight does not appeal to me.  I will say that I am really sick of all the Twilight coverage in Entertainment Weekly, there was another cover story last week and it just annoyed me kind of and I think what Summit did to the director sounds shitty.  

I will say that there is nothing more annoying than being disappointed by the movie version of a book, so I totally feel your pain on that.  I still remember when I first watch the movie The Beach and thought it was okay, then I read the book a few years later and it was amazing. Then watching the movie again it was such a disappointment.  It changed so many things that actually did effect the plot and it was so annoying....so I feel you pain at that one.  

I am procrastinating big time on my homework right now, I'm so over it.  I'm having some major motivation issues lately when it comes to schoolwork, which is odd because I find my classes a lot more interesting and useful than last semester, but I just can't bring myself to do my homework today....

Because I am Twilight OBSESSED!

Sunday, January 5th, started off as any other day. Well, any other day that I would have woken up early and boarded a plane from Kansas City to Anchorage, via Minneapolis. I had bought the Twilight book about 3 months earlier (because I was bored on my lunch break and it was on sale at Wal-Mart). I had previously been oblivious to the Twilight series and then I had boycotted it because I was upset that Harry Potter 6 had moved the release. Some rumors said it was because of Twilight. This made me hate it.

I figured there was nothing better than a 8.5 hour plane ride to kill this 500+ page book. Needless to say, once I started I literally COULD NOT STOP. Feel free to ask either of the other two women/co-workers I was traveling with. I was reading in the car, while walking, at dinner, at the gym, while driving, while shopping. I literally could NOT put the book down. I had to rush out and buy the second, third, and fourth books. I read all four books in about 7 days. I would often fore go sleep just so I could read more about this enchanting story about Edward and Bella. (P.S. While I LOVED and ADORED Jacob's character for being Bella's saving grace when she needed it the most, I was ALWAYS Team Edward. There is something about the way that he was so utterly wrong yet perfectly made for her, and her for him, and you know how I can't help but be a total hopeless romantic at heart.)

So, my complete love for the books is what brings me to this post. I had obviously read the book before I saw the movie. In fact, I was lucky to still be able to see the movie in theaters. Thank God for $2 theaters!! Like the 5th Harry Potter movie, the only one I had read the book before I saw the movie, I was QUITE disappointed with the movie the first time I watched it. So is the story with Twilight. I know that movies are "based on the book" and I also know that the movie was EXTREMELY low budget, but the movie ignored so many critical or obvious things to any reader, that I found myself critiquing the movie and not so much paying attention.

These are just SOME of the differences that bothered me enough to blog about:
1) Bella's room color! In the book, it CLEARLY states that her room is a pale yellow and that it hasn't been touched since her and Renee left. In the movie, it's green and Charlie goes out of his way to point out he updated the room.
2) "Confessions"- This was by far was one of my favorite chapters in the book, if not the whole series. I later read that this chapter was the start of the book, based off a vivid dream Stephanie had had. In the book, this chapter was where Bella first saw Edward in the sun. It's where the laid, talked, tested their sexual boundaries, and fell deeper in love. In the movie, it was a short blip on the screen. Annoying.
3) Edward would NEVER say something stupid like "Spider-Monkey"
4) They do a poor job of showing Bella and Edward actually falling in love.
5) Edward's bedroom- The book describes his room in great detail. When they walk in the room, Edward pounces on Bella, knocking her on the couch and pretending to attack her. The couch was supposed to be white. The walls and the carpet were supposed to be gold. Plus, Edward's room is SO small. How in the world are they going to put a bed in there in the later movies?
6) The whole jumping out of the window thing and going up in the trees was cheesy.
7) The book talks about how the "artwork" in the house was a huge cross, which is supposed to be ironic. In the movie... it's a colleague of graduation caps.
8) Didn't James bite the back of her hand and not her wrist?
9) They never really showed Edward watching her sleep.
10) When he did stay with her, he didn't use a blanket between him and her to keep her warm.
11) The prom: In the book, she was wearing 1 high heel. Alice did her hair and make up. ALL of the Cullen kids were at the Prom. In the movie: Chucks, no help from Alice (only dress help), no Cullens at the Prom.
12) The scenes from school: The blood typing was left out. Most of Edward and Bella's convos took place in class.
13) In the book, Bella cooks for Charlie all the time. It helps develop her caring and motherly nature. In the movie... they only eat at the diner.
14) Edward saving Bella's life: This happened BEFORE school in the book. AFTER school in the movie.

Ok.... I think that is QUITE enough ranting for now. Lindsay is right! This is addicting. Jess.... what differences did you notice? Kyle..... have you read these!? YOU SHOULD!

Nature vs. Nurture and Porn Names...

KYLE:

So I'm going to start in response to the question posed by Jess.  "What would I say to a mother who thinks homosexuality is a choice?"

I personally don't believe it's a choice.  To quote someone very close to me when they told me they were gay, "Why would anyone choose to make their life that much harder?"  Which is something that really stuck with me on my own journey, when I was dealing with my own coming out and accepting who I was.  I have read a lot about the subject about genetics and "nature vs. nurture," which is definitely an interesting subject.  I am of the thought that there is no nature VS nurture in this subject, but rather nature AND nurture.  I believe that I was born the way I am and it's nobody's fault and there is nothing wrong with me, being the nature part of it.  The nurture part of things is a little more complicated.  There is definitely something in the way that people are brought up that allows them to deal with their sexuality differently.  With society becoming more and more progressive and accepting (I hate that word but it's true) young adolescents are learning to deal with their feelings earlier and, as a result, healthier.  It's not like it was fifty years ago when men were suppose to find a good woman, get a job, settle down and support their wife and family.  While women went to school to find a good husband then, once they found a keeper, become a housewife and raise the kids.  So I guess what I am trying to say is, I believe that you are born gay or straight but the way you deal with it and accept who you are is a direct result of the way you were nurtured.  

I think that his mother should be very proud of her daughter for being brave enough to accept who she really is and stand up and say she is a little different, her life is going to be harder but this is who I am and this is what is going to make me happy.  Her mom should be proud because in the long run, she is the one who gave her daughter the strength to do that.  

Food for thought of the day:  So like three times in the past two days coming up with your porn has come up in my everyday life.  There was a survey on facebook, and then last night while Bill and I were watching Desperate Housewives and then today on an episode of Six Feet Under (yes I'm a little obsessed).  Isn't that weird though?  In case you don't know, it's the name of your first pet and the name of the street you grew up on, mine is Bingo Mitchell.  Has that ever happened to you?  You go your whole life without hearing a word or phrase like that and then if comes up 3 times in 2 days?  

EDIT:  The porn name thing came up again yesterday while my friends and I were on the train going to class.  4 time in 3 days!  

***SIGH****

JESSICA:

Kyle! I am so glad that you posted that!! Do you think there will ever come a day when people will put aside their weird freakish religious beliefs, live and let live???? I was talking with my mom the other day about African-Americans and the civil rights rights movement. We were discussing the fact they had to fight and fight and fight just to be allowed to drink from the same water fountain or go to the same school as white people. I remember being younger and always thinking "if I lived in the 1950's I wouldn't have cared" as well as "I would have never owned slaves" -despite the fact as a woman I would have not legally owned anything at that time- it never occurred to me until I grew up that the people who fought for the south, their great-grand kids who didn't want to drink from the same fountain weren't mean, but truly truly truly ignorant. Honestly, that thought never occurred to me as a kid, I just thought they were mean people with nothing better to do (which actually may be closer to the truth than just ignorance). Clearly I am of anglo-saxon descent. Sometimes it's easy to say "Oh no not me" because you've never experienced any type of true discrimination based on something you can't change in your life and have no control over. Sometimes, I think gay people have it worse because they have zero rights every other married couple has.

INSERT: I completely agree with you on that Jess.  It's so easy for us to say today that we wouldn't have acted exactly the same way, but really it just reflected the thinking of that time, as sad as it may be.  

So my mother and I were discussing this when *ting* the light goes on and I say "it's like what the gay community is going through now" to which my mom said "exactly." It was an interesting conversation because my mom (yvette) said "It's weird because I watched that progress into what it is today. My mom and dad's generation was the civil rights movement for black people and the civil rights movement didn't affect me-I was to young- so I didn't really care because as far as I can remember black people have had ever right I've had, always. I watched as more and more gay celebrities came out during the 70's and 80's and in the early 90's you could see this shift starting to take place everywhere. Now you're generation is towards the gay community how my generation was towards the African-American community. You're asking yourselves and the people around you "What's the big deal? Relax!"

This conversation gave me hope for my question at the begining of this post: If my grandparent's generation can elect a black President because their kids didn't see color then my generation and our children can't see the difference between a relationship between a man and woman, a man and a man, a woman and a woman. The world needs more and more love. It's not the gays that are causing hatred it's the mean ignorant people who take 6 verses scattered in the Old and New Testament Bible, take it completely out of context, and make a case against love between souls-which is the whole purpose of Christianity, love.

Now a question for you: What would you say to a mother who believes her daughter is making a 'choice' and how would you convey the difficulty of being a gay person in this time of our universe??  

INSERT: More on this in my upcoming post...
--Jess