A Decade of Favorites

So, I wouldn't be a true blogger if I didn't write a post to commemorate some of my favorite things from this decade. So here goes. My favorite things of this decade, in no particular order (other than that in which I thought of them):

1) Being a teenager. Because who doesn't love teen angst? And goodness knows I had my fair share of it!

2) The OC. I just love it, there's really nothing else to say. You can read my other post to get my more in-depth feelings on the show.


3) Pixar. Though Pixar didn't begin in this decade, they made a lot of great movies in it, from Monster's Inc. to Up!. Hopefully this trend continues for decades to come!


4) Aéropostale. It was basically my favorite store from the age of 11 to the age of 14.


5) Children's Ballet Theatre. Though it was the source of much of my teenage angst (see number 1), it was also the source of six and a half years of performance experience and great memories.
6) Jump5. My favorite musical group until I was about 14, and the first concert I ever attended.


7) Relient K. Though technically formed in '98, the really gained success in this decade. They are still on of my all time favorite bands, and I hope they continue to create awesome music forever and eternity.


8) Hilary Duff/Lizzie McGuire. I was a pretty huge fan.


9) High school. Glad it happened. Glad it's over.

10) Middle school. Even when you're home schooled, it's still awkward.

11) Braces. It only took four years for my teeth to look as good as they do today!


12) Epic movies. From Pirates of the Carribean to Lord of the Rings, you can't deny that this was a great decade for great epic movies.


13) Avril Lavigne. Before she went all blonde and pink and got married. Great background music for my teen angst (see number 1).


14) Digital. Photos, videos, you name it. Feeding the flames of our instant-gratification culture.

15) Facebook/YouTube/the Internet. These things totally changed the way we live. Anything funny that happens on camera is an instant candidate for a YouTube hit. Any picture taken has to be reviewed by it's subjects (immediately after it's taken, thanks to number 14) and deemed worthy or unworthy for Facebook. And of course, my favorite: everyone knows you're not really dating someone until it's Facebook Official (I would not be a bit surprised if this term showed up in a dictionary in the near future).

16) The iPod. I think it would be safe to say this is one of the best products of the 2000s.
17) Children's/Young-Adult Fiction. From Ella Enchanted to Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants to Harry Potter, I read a lot of good books in the past ten years!


18) Reality TV. I can't believe I almost forgot this decade's greatest gift to mankind: the reality television show. From American Idol to Survivor to all those "reality" shows on MTV, I think we can all agree this is a defining product of the past ten years.

19) Tom Izzo and the MSU Men's Basketball Team. They're awesome. Period. Even Sports Illustrated acknowledged this fact.


20) Top 40 Hits. If you know me, you know how anti-Top 40 I am. But sometimes, you just can't help yourself. And this decade has been full of some great chart-topping hits. Or if not great, at least songs that you just can't get out of your head no matter how hard you try. From Usher's "U Got it Bad" in 2001 to Beyoncé's "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" (my personal anthem), we certainly have a decade full of hits that we can look at ten more years from now and reminisce about.

So there it is. I'm sure as soon as I post this, I will think of a million other things, but I'm satisfied with this list of 20. Leave a comment with you're favorite memories/products/musicians/movies/etc. from the past 10 years!

End of the year, end of the decade

For those of you who already follow me on twitter, the following statement will sound familiar.

I still remember, very vividly, being ten, and having someone tell me "you're a decade old!" It is absolutely insane to me that I am (in 7 months) going to be TWO decades old! Where has the time gone? I cannot believe that on my next birthday I will be turning 20. I certainly don't feel mature enough for that. Even now, 20 sounds so old. Ten years ago, people who were twenty were adults. They were mature. Do the ten-year-olds I know know look at me that way? I certainly don't look at myself that way.

The end of a decade. It's a weird thing to wrap your head around. Ten years. A lot happens in ten years. I grew up in those ten years. I came into this decade a child, and I came out an adult (well, kinda, see previous paragraph). But even more important than all the changes that happened in the past 10 years, I want to take this chance to say one more time how much my life has changed in this single year, 2009.

If you are a loyal reader of my blog, first of all, thank you, and second of all, I'm sorry, because you've heard all this before. This year, 2009, has been, probably, to use the current vernacular, the most epic year of my life. It's weird to think that in January 2009, not that long ago in the scope of things, I was going to school in Ohio. Exactly a year ago, on New Years Eve, I made the decision to transfer back to MSU. One of the hardest decisions of my life. I was full of uncertainty about the whole thing, but here I am a year later, and I can proudly say that it is impossible for me to be happier with my decision. So that was the big thing that happened to me this year. But there are a lot of little things too.

Little things like performing in my first opera. And the things that some people might overlook, like the movie nights, beach trips, summer days at the pool, and long talks. Staying up until three in the morning listening to choir music, or studying for music theory. I have amazing people in my life, and I am so thankful for every single one of them. So that's how I want to remember this year. Not for all the drama (and oh, there was drama!), the theatrics, or the emotional roller coasters. I want to remember the people. And the time I spent with them. Because that was the best part. Those are the parts worth remembering.

So to wrap it up, I would just like to say I hope you have a Happy New Year. I hope you have as many happy memories from 2009 as I do, and may you have many more in 2010!

Toy Story 3...OMG!

Thanks to one of my favorite blogger/vlogger/internet people Eric Striffler, I found out about this amazing sneak preview for Toy Story 3! I cannot wait for this movie!

The end will justify the pain it took to get us there...

I feel like I've been doing a lot of music blogs lately. Perhaps this is a new niche!

For those of who you don't know, Relient K is without a doubt one of my favorite bands of all time. I don't think there is a single one of their songs that I don't like. It always amazes me how every single lyric they write speaks directly to me and what I'm going through. "Let it All Out" from their 2004 album mmhmm has definitely gotten me through many of life's rough patches.

"And you said I know that this will hurt/But if I don't break your heart, things will just get worse/If the burden seems too much to bear, remember/The end will justify the pain it took to get us there."

Gets me every time! I am happy to say, however, that I have been lucky enough to experience some of that end justification that they are talking about, and boy, was it worth the wait. :D



Edit: I almost forgot to mention that one of the things that makes this song extra awesome is listening to it in sequence on the CD, because the song before "Which To Bury, Us or the Hatchet?" transitions right into it, and it's totally amazing. Listening to "Which To Bury..." with out hearing "Let it All Out" after it is actually really jarring, because they are pretty much meant to go together. Just a little music nerd fact for you. :)

Hallelujah

Hallelujah (originally written by Leonard Cohen) is without a doubt my favorite song of all time. With as many times as it's been covered, you would think the shine might wear off, but the opposite is true. With every new performance I hear, I fall more and more in love with the song. Everyone has their own unique interpretation, but all are equally beautiful and filled with so much emotion. My friend Emily posted this version on Facebook today, and I am once again blown away at the power of this song. It is awesome in the awe-inspiring sense of the word.

Guilty Pleasure

I have a confession to make. I was, and still am, a huge fan of The OC. I think it's safe to say that it was one of my favorite TV shows of all time. I realize that not many people liked the show (although someone must have, because it did make it four seasons), but I always seem to pick the shows that no one else likes (i.e. Friday Night Lights). I had somewhat forgotten about how much I loved the show, but this weeks episode of Gossip Girl (which was created by Josh Schwartz, who also created The OC) caused me to reminisce, and I just had to watch an episode. Man, do I love The OC. I thought I would highlight for you just some of the reasons I love the show:

1) It had, by far, the best soundtrack of any television show ever. Every song is perfectly chosen and perfectly placed in the episode (perhaps the music directors for New Moon could have taken a few pointers from Alexandra Patsavas).

2) It has the perfect mix of drama and comedy (it is, after all, a self-described dramedy). Much of the comedy is thanks to number three...

3) Adam Brody as Seth. He is absolutely hilarious, and basically, I love him. He has some of the best lines in the show, not to mention the fact that he invented Chrismukkah ("eight days of presents, followed by one day of many presents").
4) Sandy and Kirsten Cohen. They are some of the coolest TV parents of all time (right up there with Mike and Carol Brady).
5) There are a million other inexplicable reasons I love this show, but I wanted to keep this relatively short.

So basically, if you like dramedy and haven't seen this show, I suggest you give it a try. I think it is definitely an acquired taste, so you just need to give it a chance. Also, if you are out Christmas shopping and happen to see a DVD box set...I'm just saying, I don't own any of them...yet. ;)

The End of the World

On The Safest Ledge - Copeland

So, I've been thinking about life a lot lately (I say that as if it's a new development). I've been in a funky mood the past few days, and, as usual, I have tried to psychoanalyze myself. I feel like I've been doing a lot of psychoanalysis in these past few days. As you know from my previous expository posts, I have been in a genuinely good mood pretty much non-stop for the past 3 months. Lately though, I feel like it's wearing off. Maybe it's the arrival of winter. Or the darkness and the bitter cold. But anyway, that's not really the point right now. The point is that I've been thinking about life, and people, and the way people handle situations, and the way I handle situations compared to other people. So you know, complicated stuff. haha.
This is what I've realized: I used to (in middle/high school) get really stressed out about a lot of little stuff. I treated everything like the end of the world. I cried a lot over a lot of totally petty stuff. I overreacted and over-dramatized (probably not a word, but I just made it one), and basically, I was a teenage girl. Most of the time, there has absolutely no justification for my extreme emotional turmoil, but I convinced myself there was.

I think that last year was probably the first time in my life when I actually had any type of justification for my feelings. My life was totally changing, a lot was happening, and so yeah, I think I had a right to be a little bit of a wreck emotionally. But I made it through, I came out on the other side, and I like to think that I'm a better person for it. The biggest thing I have learned from that experience, and just from life experience in general, is that nothing is the end of the world. With the exception of nuclear fallout, nothing that happens is going to cause the world to end. So, yeah, (pardon my French) shit happens. But life goes on. Not to be cliche, but this planet we live on is not our home. Our lives are just specks on the time line of eternity. Our time here is too short to get worked up over every little thing that doesn't turn out the way we wanted. And in reality, even the things we feel went "wrong" are part of God's plan for us. And when you have that perspective, it seems just a bit ridiculous to be upset about anything. Because He knows what we need way more than we ever could.

I'm not trying to say you should never get upset. Of course I still have times when I get disappointed about stuff. But I then I remember that I am not ultimately the one in charge of my life. And so if God wants to take something away from me, or give me something different than what I wanted, there's really nothing I can do about that. I know that this concept is hard for some people to grasp. It's hard to hand over the controls. But the truth is, we were never in control to begin with. So we might as well embrace it because there's no use in ignoring it.

So, that's my philosophy. I like to call it the it's-not-the-end-of-the-world-it's-God's-plan philosophy, or INTEOTWIGPP. If it doesn't work for you, I understand. I still have my over-dramatizing tendencies, and I understand what a hard habit it is to kick. But I encourage you to give it a try, because it's totally liberating.

I feel like I need a cool catch-phrase to wrap up my posts. Like on Glee: "and that's how Sue...sees it." Any ideas?

New Moon Review

I feel wrong even calling this a review, because in reality, it is just going to be my opinions, which have little to do with any knowledge of film making, and a lot to do with feelings (yeah, I know, feelings can be a touchy topic). So here it goes, my feelings on New Moon:

Let me start out by giving you an idea of my overall feelings about the Twilight franchise: I'm not super into it. I watched the first movie last summer because I wanted to find out what all the hype was about. As much as I know this will upset certain people (Meagan), I actually found I liked it a lot. I cannot even explain to you why, but I loved the first movie. As corny as it sounds, I guess it moved me - I felt something when I watched it. The combination of the indie look, soundtrack, and story just fit together in a way that worked for me. After watching the movie, of course I had to read the books in order to compare (they were decent, but certainly not the best things I have ever read). And that is how I got somewhat sucked in to the whole Twilight frenzy. Now back to New Moon.

From the reviews I read and the people I heard talking, New Moon was way better than Twilight. I knew that most people hated Twilight, and so in their minds, it could only go up from there, but I was still skeptical. After seeing numerous New Moon trailers and preview clips, I was not sure how I felt about the movie. The more I saw, the more uncertain I became. To be honest, I think I got bored of seeing the same thing over and over in every single trailer. But of course, I had to go to the theater and see for myself.

I tried to be optimistic as I watched New Moon. I wanted to agree with the reviews I had read. I wanted it to be better. But alas, as usual, my feelings on the film were the opposite of those held by my peers and other fans of the series. I didn't like the movie at all. New Moon was probably my favorite book in the series, due a lot to the fact that Bella's heartache and pain are so strong and come through so strongly in Stephanie Meyer's writing. It was a very powerful book emotionally, and I was hoping that the movie would capture that. It was in vain, however, because director Chris Weitz and writer Melissa Rosenberg barely portrayed Bella's emptiness at all. And while I appreciate the attempt to add a few laughs (those moments exist in the book, and should in the movie as well), many lines that were meant to be serious just came off as corny.

Even the soundtrack, which was so perfectly chosen for Twilight was a flop for me in New Moon. When Bella is drowning after jumping off the cliff, Grizzly Bear's "Slow Life" just sounded wrong. There were other moments in the movie when I found myself saying "what is this song, and why is it playing?" Whereas in the first movie the music was mixed in so effortlessly, in New Moon, it was as disjunct as the pacing (which was also a source of confusion for me), and I definitely didn't leave the theater remembering any of the music in the film.

Overall, New Moon didn't move me the way Twilight did. When I finished watching Twilight, I immediately wanted to watch it again (I know Meagan, it's repulsive). When New Moon ended, I was glad it was finally over. When I watched Twilight, I felt something, and when I watched New Moon, I just didn't.

This series is entirely about the fans. The movies are about the fans. So if they liked New Moon, then I guess it was a success. I personally did not care for it in the least. But I don't consider myself a fan either, so I guess they don't have to please me.

Anticlimactic Turkey

Last year at this time, I was sitting in a dorm room in Ohio, anxiously awaiting the arrival of my mom who was coming to pick me up and take me home for Thanksgiving. It was going to be the first time I went home since the semester had begun at the end of August. I could barely sleep the night before. I was ecstatic. After weeks of being miserable, after daily video chats with my family, I was finally going home. I had been counting down to the day for 40+ days, and it was finally here. Last year I gained a whole new appreciation for the holiday season.
This year, I live ten minutes away from home. Instead of a four hour drive (including 2 hours on the Ohio turnpike) with my mom, I'll be throwing my stuff haphazardly in the car when my sister arrives after my last class, and driving down the basically 2 roads it takes to get home, where I just was only 4 days ago. As the title of this post tells you, this is anticlimactic. Last year, my excitement built with every day I took off my countdown. This year, it's no big deal. I was just home. I just saw my family last Saturday. I most of my friends every day because I go to school with them. So while I am certainly excited for a break from classes and homework, the overall effect just isn't what it was last year. And I'm a little disappointed about that. I miss the excitement.
I think the problem is I have been so jolly lately, that I am already at my usual holiday-induced level of joyfulness (if that makes any sense at all). I guess that means I will have to work extra hard to get even more exited! haha. The Christmas music I'm listening to right now is definitely helping.

I just want to wrap this post up by saying I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! I hope you have a lot to be thankful for. I know I do.

Oh, Susannah

This fall, I am performing in my first opera. It's Carlisle Floyd's Susannah. Having almost no knowledge of opera, I knew nothing about the show before I joined the chorus. I soon realized how amazing the show is. The music is beautiful (and some is kinda crazy), and so incredibly powerful. Being in this show has reminded me why I love music, and why I love being on stage. Even though the chorus is only in a couple scenes out of the two and a half hour opera, I love being a part of this production. Right now I'm sitting in the dressing room, and I will be sitting here for many more hours during today's eight hour rehearsal, but even so, I love it. This is what I have been missing. I have been spending my time in dressing rooms and backstage since my first dance recital when I was four. It's where I belong. Last year, I wasn't in any shows. All I did was go to class, and voice lessons, and the only time I was on stage was for choir concerts (which are great, don't get me wrong, but they're different). I didn't realize how much I missed performing until I finally got the chance to do it again. I have been reminded all over again why I chose to be a vocal performance major. Because I love being in shows. From the first rehearsal to the final curtain call, I love it. I live for being on stage. It's all I know. It's all I've ever done. I played basketball in middle school, but other than that, my life has been entirely consumed by various theatrical productions, from Raggedy Ann and Andy when I was eight to seven productions of The Nutcracker, I have dedicated my life to being on stage. And that's why I chose the major that I did. Because I love being on stage. But I don't just love being on stage, I love being involved in the entire process. I forgot what it felt like to be part of a team in such a unique way, but now that I remember that feeling, I'm going to be sure never to forget again.

Top of the world

I know I wrote about this a few weeks ago, but I felt the need to talk about this again. I have been in an unusually good mood lately. I mean, I'm generally in a pretty decent mood, but lately I feel like nothing can bring me down. In the midst of failing music theory quizzes and exams, rainy weather, and just an over-all stressful schedule of classes, rehearsals, and other activities, I have managed (inexplicably) to maintain a rather good-humored disposition. I have watched my friends stress out and freak out, and yet I have been totally unfazed.

I can't explain it. All I can do is give thanks to God for the fact that instead of riding the emotional roller coaster I have some how gotten on the Ferris wheel, and I'm stuck at the top (in the best possible way). It's like the phrase "don't sweat the small stuff" has finally become a reality in my life, and it is the best feeling! I don't know what it is, but I am so very grateful for it, and I hope that it lasts!

As I sit here writing this, the sun is shining outside, and Beaumont Tower is playing the fight song, and all I can do is thank God for the multitude of ways in which he has blessed me.

I'm sorry if you are not in a good mood, or if you're not having a good week. Maybe if we hang out, some of my joy will rub off on you! :D Joyful. That's really the only word to describe how I have felt these past couple months. My hope is that everyone I know will be able to experience this, even for a second, because it is the best feeling.

This post may win the award for most rambling post ever, but I simply cannot contain the glee that I feel, and I just felt the need to share it with everyone! So I'm sorry if this post is boring. It's purpose was mostly cathartic.

The Truth Hurts

Recently (yesterday) I had someone tell me something about myself that was totally true. Undeniably true. I didn't deny it for a second. I nodded my head in agreement the minute the person said it. Yet the statement has plagued me since I heard it spoken. It was a fact of myself that I had known was there, and that I had been thinking about often in the past year, yet somehow, the words this person used caused the concept to strike me in an entirely new way. And I can't stop thinking about it.
The thing that bothers me the most about it is that I can't decide whether or not it is something I can change. Whether or not is something I should change.

Well, I hope that was vague enough for you!

But seriously, have you ever had that happen to you? I find it very likely that you have had someone tell you something that you just couldn't forget. Usually it something negative, like a critique, or if we are very unlucky, an insult. But in my case, it was a simple truth. Not even a truth I had been hiding from myself, but one I had pondered day after day.

I guess maybe the thing that scared me most is that what I had thought was my little secret, something I thought was very internal, was seen by someone else. Someone on the outside. In other words, I wasn't fooling anyone. And I thought I was at least maybe kind of fooling them.
Or maybe all this time I was just fooling myself.

The problem is, now that this truth has been acknowledged by someone other than myself, I am required to take action. Because I'm not the only one who knows about it now. So now I have a responsibility, not only to myself, but to this other person, to act on this truth about my character. And that just stinks, because I'm a procrastinator, and I wanted to put it off. But I can't. The time has come (the walrus said, to talk of many things...) to face up to this thing, whatever it is, and deal with it.

So here are my philosophical questions of the day: Do you have a "truth" in your life that you are trying to hide from? Has someone pointed out a truth to you that you didn't want to face? Is there something in your life that someone hasn't mentioned to you that you may need to address?
Chances are, it will take someone else saying something to really make you take the initiative to change. It clearly did for me. My only hope is that my wonderful philosophizing will encourage you to think about these things a bit.

I guess the moral of my story today is that the truth hurts, but it helps us grow. That's what I have been learning lately. : )

I want to get away, I wanna fly away (yeah, yeah, yeah)

In the past couple years, I have found myself more and more interested in the idea of leaving Michigan and heading West. With Into the Wild and other similar movies being released recently, I find my train of thought often leads me back to this idea of dropping everything and going to live a life free of materialistic constraints. Of course, I have never actually done this. The part of my brain that deals with logic tells me this would be absolutely insane. Yet the idea never goes away. It's always there. Right now, I am way too content in my little bubble to consider doing anything drastic, and I have way too many "logical" reasons not too:

1) I'm in college. And even though I might joke about dropping out, I will feel much better about myself if I actually completed some sort of degree (which at the rate I'm going, could take my entire lifetime). I think this is a pretty good reason.
2) My friends and family. I like 'em. A lot. I don't think I could leave them, at least not at this point in my life
3) I have no money. That definitely puts a damper on anything. Of course, if I sold all my possessions, that could help, but I would never do that (see #4).
4) I love my stuff too much. I'm kind of materialistic. I like my stuff. Although lately, I have kinda just wanted to get rid of a lot of it, I have a feeling even if I cleaned out the stuff I definitely don't use, there would still be a lot of stuff left.
* On a side note, I want to dress the materialistic thing. When I was thinking about this post, and materialism and Into the Wild, I was thinking about how being materialistic is something that is primarily associated with females. I feel like sometimes we are expected to be in love with our stuff. If a girl went all Chris McCandless and got rid of everything and went on some sort of "journey," people would think she was crazy, but if a guy does it, well, people would probably still think he was crazy, but not in the same way. I don't know if that makes any sense, but that was just a tangent I felt I needed to go on.
5) I'm too self-conscious. I think a lot about what other people think of me. A lot. I'm not really sure whether my self-consciousness levels are normal or not, but I feel like they're definitely up there.

So maybe someday, I will be able to get away. I probably won't abandon everything in a totally liberating fashion, but for as long as I can remember, I have wanted to leave Michigan, and I definitely want to someday. I know I have a lot of friends who plan to live here the rest of their lives, and who love the idea of settling down here, and that's great if for them if it's what they want! But for me, I don't want to stay here. I have never wanted to stay here (well, maybe when I was five). Not that I don't like it here, but I want to see more of the world (well, mostly just more of this country). If it were humanly possible, I would live at least a year in every state. I think that would be awesome. The differences in cultures and scenery fascinates me. Even though I may not be able to live in every state, I definitely at least want to visit them all.
And most of all, I want to step outside my comfort zone. I'm the queen of the comfort zone, and that's not something I'm proud of. Though I really don't like moving (moving into my dorm room is stressful for me), I want to move when I grow up. More than once. Though I like the idea of staying in one place forever, I like the idea of experience new and different places. I get bored easily. I don't think I used to. I think it's a new development. But we won't go into that now.
The best part is, if I do ever get out of here, I will always have friends here. That's why we need the people who want to stay where they are. They are the ones we can come home to. They are the ones that keep us grounded when we are running around following our dreams.

So I guess the point of this post was to talk about what my plans for the future are? But really, it's not up to me at all, it's all up to God, which makes this all totally irrelevant. But hey, now you know a little bit more about me (if you actually read this whole thing–I wouldn't blame you if you didn't, I probably wouldn't, haha)!

I'm jumping on the band wagon

A lot of people I know are big fans of The Avett Brothers. Despite multiple blog posts, Facebook posts, tweets, etc., I never really got into their music. I'm not sure if I ever listened to one of their songs all the way through. In my super ADD, easily distracted state, they never managed to hold my attention.
However, tonight when I was watching the latest One Tree Hill episode online instead of doing my homework, the song playing during the final montage caught my attention. I typed a few of the lyrics into Google to see what the song was, and what do ya know?! It was "I and Love and You" by none other than The Avett Brothers.
Needless to say, I am now officially jumping on the band wagon (pun intended).

Don't Settle

I stole this from someone else.
This is Steve Jobs' speech at the 2005 Stanford University Commencement. I feel like in my life, many of the speeches I have heard made by public figures are either cheesy, or just not that interesting. Perhaps it's because I'm such a huge Apple fan, or because everything he said I totally agree with, but I found Jobs' speech to be neither one of these things. I thought it was simple and honest. The three stories he shares are inspiring, and though there is always the "make the most of your life" punch line, I feel like he really means it, and has really lived it.



He hit on everything I have been struggling with lately as far as choosing a major/career path, and all that jazz. And his speech reminded me what I have always believed all along, but may have forgotten for a little while - that you have to do what you love, and you can't settle for anything less. When I get stressed out about the lack of job prospects for a music major, it's so easy to say "I'll just change my major to something that has better prospects." But in saying that, I am doing exactly what I hate to see other people do: I'm settling. That is one of my biggest "fears" in life - settling. Settling, and getting stuck. Which kind of go hand in hand.
I just love what Steve says about how after he got fired from his own company, even thought that was a huge blow, he still knew it was what he loved, and he wasn't going to give up even after such a terrible rejection. I mean, if he can handle being fired from a company he started, the rest of us should be able to handle pretty much anything as far as our careers go.

So I guess the point of this is to make you (and me) think. Are we settling in our lives? Maybe not in some areas, but are we settling in other areas? Think about it. It's an important thing to be aware of.

And, as Steve says: "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life."

The title says it all: EPIC

Aquarium

This is fascinating!

Kuroshio Sea - 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world - (song is Please don't go by Barcelona) from Jon Rawlinson on Vimeo.

What do you want out of life?

This is a question I have been thinking about lately. And what I realized is, even though I have all these dreams for what I want my life to be, in reality, there are only a few simple things I really want out of life: to love God, to have fun, and to be happy. In all reality, I don't really care that much what degree I graduate with, or what job I get after college. I just want to have fun. And be happy. And love God.

I have spent so much time stressing and worrying about what to do with my life, and what major to choose, when none of it really matters! Because chances are I won't even work in a field related to my major. So why am I even worrying about it? Because that's what society tells us to do. They tell us that a college degree is really important, and having job prospects when you graduate is really important. And sure, there is something to be said for not having to live in a cardboard box after you graduate, but at what cost? For me, happiness is key. Because I have been unhappy. And it sucks.

Also, making plans is just plain stupid, because only God knows the plan, and he's in control. In James 4, James warns against making plans. "How do you know what will happen tomorrow?" he writes. He goes on to say "For your life is like the morning fog - it's here a little while, then it's gone." Life is too short to worry about making plans! We need to spend less time planning our lives, and more time living them. Obviously, I'm not good at this. That is why I'm writing this.

So this is my challenge for myself and anyone reading this: stop worrying, stop planning, and just live. Love God, have fun, and be happy! Romans 8:28 says "God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love Him." We need to trust that. I need to trust that. As important as it seems to choose the right major, to get the right job, to do whatever, we just need to realize that God will make everything right. He will make everything okay in the end. Obviously you won't always be happy, and you won't always have fun, but as Betty Smith writes in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn: "There had to be dark and muddy waters so that the sun could have something to background it's flashing glory." So have some fun. Enjoy the time you have on this earth, because it won't last forever. Don't worry it away!

Toy Story 3!!!

I haven't watched a Toy Story movie in a long time, and I forgot how much I love them!
Thanks to one of my favorite blogger/vloggers, Eric Striffler, it was brought to my attention that a new trailer for the third movie has been released. Watching it reminded me all over again how great Pixar movies are in general, but especially how great the Toy Story movies are.
I cannot wait for this to come out, and I will definitely be going to see it in theaters!

Here's the trailer:

Contentment

Last year, I went to school 4 hours away from home. It was the worst experience of my life (which also made it one of the most important experiences of my life, but we’ll save that for another time). If I had gone to a shrink or some other sort of professional, I truly believe I would have been diagnosed with depression. So needless to say, it was a rough time for me. I was very unhappy, and I was very alone. I went through the motions - going to class, doing homework, etc. - but that was about it. When I think back to my fall semester, I realize I was basically a robot. I did stuff (very little stuff, but I did do some stuff), but my heart wasn’t in it.

That makes this year feel like a total 180. Now, I go to school less than fifteen minutes away from home (something I swore I would never do, but again, that’s not the point of this blog post). I have never felt so good. I don’t want to say happy, because that implies some sort of over-joyous feeling. But I feel content. And even though I have had my stressed-out moments that come with being a college student, this contented feeling is one that I can’t seem to shake. I feel like this is the new start I thought I would be getting by going ____ miles away. Who knew I would find it right in my back yard? I’m actually getting involved in things, I’m doing stuff, I’m spending time with people, and have great conversations. I’m learning a lot, and I’m enjoying myself (for the most part) while I do it.

And now it’s fall, which just puts the icing on the cake. As I walk around campus, I can’t help but feel the spring in my step that comes with being totally and completely content. I have never felt so comfortable in my own skin, I have never felt so alive. It’s a great feeling that I hope everyone gets to experience at some point in their life, because there’s nothing like it.

I never would have thought a year ago that I would feel this great today. But I do. And I want to give credit where credit is due. None of this would have happened without some serious help from the big guy upstairs. God has truly provided in a way that I have never experienced before, and I’m so so so grateful for that. As the Chris Tomlin song says: “You are amazing, God.” That statement has never been more true in my life.

Social Relevance

Why do I have a twitter? Do I "tweet" because I think it makes me socially relevant? Do I blog/vlog to be socially relevant? If I do, then I clearly have failed at social relevance because few to no people read my blog/watch my vlogs/read my tweets. What is social relevance anyways? I have friends. Does that count? And why did I feel the need to talk about this right now?

Well, I was thinking about twitter, and I was thinking about why I had a twitter and then I was thinking yeah, why DO I have a twitter? Then somehow this term "social relevance" popped into my head, and a blog post was born.

I'm not sure where I heard this term, but I feel like it was floating around out there in cyber space or on TV or something. And I feel like it is the motivation behind most people's blogs/vlogs/tweets/Facebook updates/any other activity on the internet. I mean, if we didn't think we had something to gain by using the myriad different social networking tools out there, why would we use them? Because we can't deny, humans are selfish beings. Most of the things we do are motivated by the desire to serve ourselves.

So I am going to be the first one to admit that, yes, I think a lot of the motivation behind my blogs/vlogs/tweets/etc. is my attempt to try and achieve this conceptual "social relevance." It's lame, I know. But you know you do it to. In an age where everyone is all over the internet, it's easy to feel like we have to be everywhere, in every media, in order to keep from being left in the proverbial dust. The real question I have now is, now that I've realized my problem, where do I go from here? Do I stop my blog/vlog/tweet-fest? I don't really want to. I kind of enjoy it. It's somewhat cathartic. Yet at the same time, it just feeds my need to feel accepted, approved of, and all those other things like that.

So I guess what I'm saying is, I'm not really sure what the next step is. I feel like I should change something, but I don't really want to. What do you think (isn't it great how I always address my non-existent readers)? Do the pros outweigh the cons? I'm not sure myself, but it's definitely something I will be pondering over the next few days/weeks/months. If you're reading this, let me know your thoughts. What kinds of social media do you use? And what do you think your motivations are for using them? I'd love to hear some other perspectives on this!

Who am I?

I remember being about twelve, and feeling really confused about who I was. I felt like I needed to know at that exact moment, the kind of person I wanted to be. I didn't realize then that becoming who you're "going to be" is a continuous process. It's not like all of a sudden you hit a point and you've become a certain person and then you will be that person for the rest of your life. Basically, what I wanted to happen was absolutely impossible. At the time, however, it caused me immense amounts of stress.
I still catch myself from time to time waiting for some sort of moment to occur, some feeling of reaching a finally destination, at which I am totally and completely content with who I am. But eventually, reason wins out, and I realize that isn't going to happen. Ever. As humans, we are constantly changing. We are constantly getting older, learning new things, meeting new people, and all of these things affect how we react to the world around us, how we think about things, how we interact with other people. Even if we locked ourselves away from any contact with the outside world, our minds would still be working, pondering over new ideas, thinking about new things. And we would still change.
The fact that we are constantly changing still causes me stress from time to time (though not in the same way it did when I was in those vulnerable "tween" years). The thing that I don't like is the thought of not having a destination. One certainly could go through life being pushed and pulled and manipulated by the world around them, without any final goal. Since we are always changing and reacting to our environment, it would be easy to go with the flow and say "whatever happens, happens." As someone who has a lot of dreams and goals, that just doesn't cut it for me. Furthermore, as a Christian, this life philosophy shouldn't cut it for me. If you read the Bible, it is pretty clear that we aren't supposed to live passive lives. Ephesians 5:17 says "Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do." This is the direction I have been trying to take my life in, but, as I'm sure you can guess, it's not something that can be done over night. But it is something that I want to strive for.
In Philippians 3:12, Paul writes: "But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be." I have adopted this verse as a theme for my life. I think the important word in this verse is the word "work." It is proving once again that we can't just sit there and wait for a transformation.
I guess the point of this long-winded post is that we are always changing, and it is up to us whether we let the world change us, or we take charge and become the people we want to be. And even more importantly, the people God wants us to be.
So there's a question and a challenge for you ("you" being my imaginary readers): In what ways are you letting the world change you? In what ways are you working to change yourself?
I certainly have a lot of things I need to work on in my life, and in my life so far the world has definitely had a pretty strong grasp on me. But I am working every day, little by little to change this. I encourage you (my imaginary readers) to really be honest with yourself and look at what you need to change. And then, change it!
Life's too short to let the world control us.

Party in the USA

So wrong, so funny.

Giving Back

I had heard of Mae in high school, but I never really listened to any of their music. Last year, I started listening to some of there stuff on Pandora, and I really liked it.
The point of this post, however is to highlight this awesome tour that they are doing this fall.



First of all: They are making this a multi-sensory experience, something that you don't see every day.
Second of all: They are giving back to the community. This tour isn't just about going around and promoting their CD, nor is it even about being "for the fans." They are doing community service for people who very likely haven't even heard of them or their music. That's just plain awesome.

I'm not sure if I will be able to check this out, but if you like Mae, or if you like helping other people, I think this would be an awesome thing to be a part of.

The MTV Video Music Awards

College Update.

My Life Is Average

Quite possibly the most entertaining website in the world. Mostly because a lot of the stories are about people who are as big of dorks as I am! Here are a few of my favorites from tonight's perusal of mylifeisaverage.com:

Today, I found out Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 comes out on my birthday. I am now going to spend my 21st birthday with Harry instead of getting drunk. I still think this will be the best day ever. MLIA

#305297
Personally, I think this is a better way to spend your 21st birthday than getting wasted.

Today, I mentally replaced each room in my house with the name of a location in Hogwarts. When my younger brother asked me where the remote was, I told him to check the Gryffindor commonroom. He knew exactly where to go. I've raised him well. MLIA

#289253
I must admit, I considered the idea for a while after reading this.

Today I found out that Command+Ctrl+Option+8 on a Mac switches the display to negative colors. The librarians at school have yet to figure out how to change them back. MLIA

#291818
This is just straight up an awesome/fun thing to do for yourself. Although, I do want to try to trick someone else...

Today my mom called Dell to check on the status of her order. They could not help her because their computers were down. I laughed. MLIA.

#282294
Proving once again that Macs are better!

Today, after reading several MLIA's about people configuring speech recognition on their MacBooks, I decided to try it for myself. My laptop now responds to the name Megatron. My life is complete. MLIA

#279343
Hilarious. Now I need to think of an awesome name for my computer and do this.

Today, my roommate and I were leaving a restaurant when she saw a friend of hers walking in with a guy and stopped to talk to him. The friend's companion and I didn't know each other so I decided to throw my arms out and yell "Oh my God, I haven't seen you in so long!". Instead of being confused, the guy immediately responded with an "I know, right?!" and a hug. We started making up false stories about how I once broke his mother's hip with a trampoline. I have met my soulmate. MLIA.

#278551
You've gotta love someone who can go along with a joke!

Today was my first year of the new semester of college. I'd read reviews about one of my professor being on the mean side, and was terrified. When I came into the room, not only was he dressed as Snape, but every time somebody answered a question he'd yell, "TEN POINTS FROM GRIFFINDOR." MLIA.

#278068
I would be ecstatic if this happened to me. haha.

Today I was reading "100 Reasons Twilight is better than Harry Potter" (which isn't true in the slightest), and one person said that Twilight was better because it was real. I think somebody needs to have a reality check. MLIA.

#274469
haha.

Well, I think I should stop now, because this could go on forever. If you have a free moment, or need to lift your spirits, I highly suggest MLIA. I literally laugh out loud.
Check it out!!!

A couple more vlogs

I've been a little slow on the blogging front, but here are my two newest video blogs.
Hopefully when school starts I can get more into the swing of things.

My First Vlog

Enjoy!

Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium Review

I originally was interested in Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium because I am a fan of Natalie Portman. When I picked it out for a family movie night, I was expecting a kid movie, but upon watching it, I was pleasantly surprised. Not only is Mr. Magorium's one of the most kid-friendly movies I have seen in the past few years, it has an original story and is just all-around well produced.

Being that this movie is about a toy store, I wasn't expecting much out of it. When I saw it had a G rating (very hard to find these days!), I must admit, I expected even less. In the end, however, this rating only testifies to the quality of this movie. Magorium's leaves out the (sometimes not so) subtle mature jokes that are so often included in "children's" movies these days in an attempt to keep parents and older audience members entertained (and which contribute to their PG ratings). The absence of these jokes does not detract from the film's entertainment value, but rather reminds us that it is possible to keep people's attention without crude "humor."

Another thing that sets this movie apart from the rest is its unique look. Unlike the all-too-similar comedies coming off the Disney assembly line, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium is full of bright colors, and doesn't appear over-produced. Watching it is like stepping into a story book, and one actually begins to believe that a toy store can have a life of its own.

But don't think that Magorium's is simply a story about a toy store. Underneath the magic and wonder are themes of life, death, and growing (or never growing) up. Overall, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium is a wonderful story that I would not be afraid to recommend to anyone with children of any age. Beautifully shot, poetically told, it makes us all want to believe in the magic.

789

Happy 789 everyone!
As I was reminded via the Science Channel:
Today is a once in a lifetime moment when numerology reigns! At precisely 12:34:56 on July 8, 2009, it will be 123456789
I can't say I will be waiting in front of a clock (that shows seconds, no less, I don't think I even have one!) for that moment to occur. Just knowing that it's gonna happen is enough for me.
I know there is some YouTube hosted gathering in NYC, but other than that, I haven't heard of any special events going on for this occasion.
Personally, I will be watching So You Think You Can Dance tonight, and this blog post is about as much recognition as I will be giving to this momentous time in history.

Velcro and the Swiss

Who knew that a Swiss man invented Velcro?
Not I!
Rhett and Link provide us with a little history of the strangely sticky stuff:

Green Houses

Check out this list of the 40 Innovative Green Homes of 2008. They're pretty cool if you like the more modern style.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Review

Last night (I guess technically this morning) I went to the midnight premiere of the new Transformers movie. I thought I would write a little review of sorts.

The thing we need to keep in mind is that Transformers is an action movie. The first film was popular because of the awesome CGI job on the robots and because of Megan Fox. Naturally, the second film would build upon the success of these two things. What does that get us? A lot more robot battles and a lot more Megan Fox. If you are going to see Transformers in hopes of a compelling plot line, then you have clearly missed the point entirely.

So maybe the story line is not as strong as in the first movie, but what it lacks in substance in the script it makes up for in battle sequences. This is an action movie, and in that department, Michael Bay does not disappoint. We also get to see a lot more of the Transformers outside of the battle, which provides (a bit) more character development on the part of the robots. The script is drenched with one-liners, coming from the Witwicky parents to the Autobots. If you like that kind of thing, you will definitely have some good laughs throughout the movie. If not, you may find yourself getting annoyed. A lot of these lines involve profanity (there is a lot more of it in this film than in the first), which is something to consider if you are planning on bringing younger fans.

And of course, there is Megan Fox, and of course, she is everywhere.
That's really all there is to say about that.

Overall, I think people are either going to really like this movie, or really hate it. If you go hoping for a great plot line, you are likely to be disappointed. If you go hoping for some great robot action sequences, some (very teen-aged/college-aged) humor, and Megan Fox, then you will probably be very pleased.

When I Grow Up

I don't know what I want to be. I keep thinking, well, more like hoping, that one day it will just hit me in the face and be unbelievably clear. So far this theory hasn't worked.
The other day on Regis and Kelly, this guy was on who is an actor in some show on TNT or something like that. He was 44 or something and he was saying he still wasn't sure that he wanted to be an actor. Well, that just threw off my whole plan! How can someone who is 44 not know what they want to be when they grow up? They are grown up!
I guess that's the case for a lot of people though, isn't it? Plenty of people who have well-established careers and even make lots of money aren't necessarily happy with what they are doing.
I don't want that to happen to me. Ten or twenty or thirty years from now, I don't want to be sitting around wondering whether I chose the right thing. Is that possible? People say "no regrets" and "don't look back," but do those people really go through their lives without questioning a single decision they made? I just don't think that's possible. But maybe it is. It's definitely not for me.
So what do I want to be when I grow up? There are so many things I like, so many things I find interesting, fascinating, even, but how do I know which one I want to do forever? Technically I guess I don't have to do anything forever, but which of my many interests do I want to put time into? Which ones do I want to put my money into as far as getting an education? I have no idea.
So I guess I'm back at square one.
What I wouldn't give to be eleven forever.

I'm A Blogging Failure.

I never update my blog. It has been almost a month.
I need to find something interesting to say.

Right now I am watching the presentation of Google Wave:



It looks pretty cool, but I am kind of a nerd for this kind of stuff.

Finals Week

What is it about finals that makes me care less rather than more? Is this a trait specific to me? Somehow, once the end is in sight, I feel like it's ok to coast to the finish line, rather than rev up the engine for the last leg. I actually have been studying/practicing more than usual this time though. Perhaps I am overcoming this disease of mine. I must admit, it feels good to be well prepared for finals, rather than trying to cram stuff into an already fatigued brain at the last minute. Hopefully this will be a permanent change!

God's Peace

Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)
6Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. 7If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand.

Lately I have been spending more time reading the Bible, and it's amazing how God has already shown my so much in just the past few days. This is one of the verses that He really just hit me with. I am such a worrier. Especially as I am about to finish my freshman year of college (I can hardly believe it!), I find myself constantly worrying about my future. This verse is so great because it gives such a simple answer. Don't worry about anything, pray about everything. And not only that, it says when we do, we will experience peace that is greater than we can even imagine. So think about the most peaceful time in your life and multiply it by a billion, and that is the kind of peace God will give you.
Just another one of His amazing promises. :D

Animal Arsons?

Humorous typo found on foxnews.com (click for a larger image):

What are you gonna do with Jesus?