The Assignment

I have an assignment due in just a little over 2 weeks. It's to write a journalistic essay. Specifically, I am to go someplace or do something I've never gone or done before and then write a journalistic essay on it. Lots of ideas are spewing around up in the ol' noggin. I am sure when I find "it" -- the right project -- I'll know.

I started off in the "invention" phase of my piece, brainstorming about possible topics. In doing so, I asked myself, what is something I've never done before? There were lots of things. The first few that came to mind were...

Work on a farm/ranch for a day

Rock Climbing

Ghost Hunting

Fly Fishing

Attend a Renaissance Fair or Sci-Fi Convention

Someone in class brought up visiting a nudist colony. I know that is something I could never do -- not even for the sake of an 'A' - HaHa!

Then something else came to mind. I've never attended a midnight showing of some trendy new film, such as...... a TWILIGHT movie!

I started getting all excited. Now THIS is something I would probably never do. I have never even read any of the Twilight books, nor seen any of the movies. It's not that I "hate" them... how can I hate something I know nothing about? It's just that they are not the genre of stuff I typically enjoy. Even my besties who swear on their mother's aunt's dead sister's grave that Twilight is phenomonal and that I'd just love it if I gave it a chance are hard-pressed to change my mind. And the thought of spending $9 to stand in line in the middle of the night with a bunch of Twihards just does not appeal to me. Not to mention I'd probably have to buy a big tub of popcorn and some Milk Duds just to stay awake. So, that's like, what? Another $20? I can stay at home and fall asleep to a show I don't enjoy for free!

So I says to myself, "Self," I says, "Surely there is a Twilight movie coming out soon. I mean, it's all I've been hearing about for the past week." So I pulled up the local theater and guess what I see?

There is a link right there on the home page with flashing lights and sirens which reads, "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1". I start to get excited, thinking a night with Twihards dressed in their Edward T-Shirts, drinking Diet Cokes from their Breaking Dawn Souvenir Movie cups would be just the sort of thing I could really enjoy writing about. But then, I notice the "ticker"... It's a countdown to the release date. 156 Days 02 Hrs 30 Mins 49 Secs for the release of this li'l gem. Um, really? There is a countdown for a movie that isn't even coming out until the middle of November?!?!?! Wow. I guess the Twihards are more diehard than I even imagined.

So, it's back to the drawing board for me... unless you have any better ideas?

Project: Fifty First Dates

WARNING: This post is the result of an extremely random thought process.
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It's so lame, it's brilliant. What am I talking about? Fifty First Dates, that's what. If you remember the movie by the same name, you'll remember that the main character, Lucy meets Henry. Due to her short-term memory loss however, each day they meet is like a brand new day for her. Hence, it's like having a first date each time -- or 50 First Dates, to be precise.

Anyway - while thinking of this movie, a quote some comedian said came to mind (too lazy to google it) -- "I've been on so many blind dates I should have my own seeing-eye dog". This whole train of thought then took me down memory lane, to a couple of awesome first dates I've had in my short life span. About two years ago I received a call from HatDude. He wanted to know if I had good ideas for an awesome first date. I said I would think on it and call him back, since I was in the middle of my own first date with In-Flight Dude. HatDude said he looked forward to my return call, and added that he knew whatever I came up with would be good, as the best first date he ever had was with me. Uh, Duh! hahaha... just kidding. Wow... talk about pressure, right? hahaha!

Then again-- I actually sorta get that a lot. And the truth is, I don't think I'm necessarily a great first date. It's just that I like to do out-of-the-ordinary things, and I enjoy the element of surprise and spontaneity. I think perhaps it might be refreshing for some men, especially "yellows" like me, to date someone who ISN'T so predictable.

Anyway, as I was thinking about this element of "expecting the unexpected" on a first date, I had this idea... What if there was a dude who conducted a first date experiment? Even a Fifty-First Dates experiment? Except, instead of having 50 first dates with the same woman (like in the movie), he would have the SAME date with 50 different women? Don't you think that would be sort of a cool experiment? Even cooler if it were a film, eh?

So, in my mind, (where ALL of the "good shows" are created, haha) I sort of envision this. A guy and his buddies create a format for a first date -- The location, event, food, etc. Then, the main character will shuffle as many women through the same first date experience over the period of several weeks, and note the different responses from the different women to similar scenarios. For example, what if one of his buddies calls him on his cell phone half-way through dinner and he answers it? Does the woman get ticked off? Does she smile and be polite? Does she take the opportunity to make her own quick phone call? All the while, a second buddy is filming secret footage of the date for later review. During the reviews, these dates are then "scored" or "critiqued" by the guy and his said friends, based on their reactions to the various situations. Many of the situations would be staged of course. Like if she noticed parsley in his teeth or his zipper down, does she say something? Is she discreet about it? Perhaps he gets pulled over by a cop {who is secretly another friend} and things get a little intense before the officer "realizes" it's a case of mistaken identity and lets the guy go. I mean, how would she react to that?

All of her reactions and responses earn various points based on the type of girl the he is looking for. Then, as he "weeds" out the candidates, there are repeat dates in new circumstances. It's sort of like several women unknowingly auditioning for the same part. Some girls will make the first cut and then the second, etc.

I mean, that is what dating really is anyway, isn't it? A series of auditions to see if he/she is the type of person you are looking for? How does he treat his mother? His friends? His co-workers? What does he do when a baby spits up on him? When some jerk cuts him off in traffic? When you cry? Or when you clumsily trip and fall in public? and so on and so forth...

Anyway -- Just thinking out loud and how I think that would/could make for a very entertaining flick. It would definitely be funny. Hmm... I'll have to put some more thought into it. In the meantime, if you hear of a movie coming out that sounds like this --

--you'll know they stole the idea from me, cuz you saw it here first :) HAHAHA!

Monday Musings

School...

My summer semester is done. I have about 2 1/2 weeks off until Fall starts.

I wish the grades would hurry and post... Anxious to see what I got. My Bio Prof posted her overall grades, and I got an A!!! YAY!!!

However, my Meteorology Prof *still* hasn't graded the last 2 assignments. I have done all of the math up to the last 2 assignments, and depending on what grades I get on those two, I should finish with either a high B or a low A. I am keeping my fingers crossed for the A. Don't know why it's important to me, but it is.

Oh, and by the way, I don't feel like I retained very much information in either class. Recently, someone asked me about the cloud type overhead, because she knew I was taking a meteorology class. My response? "Ummm... Billowy....and White?" yeah. I don't really know much about the weather; it didn't stick. It was more along the lines of the "Learn. Regurgitate. Flush." method for both of my Science classes this semester. Face it... just not good at Science :)

Although, here is something I *DID* learn. As kids, whenever there was a lightning storm, we'd start counting as soon as we saw the flash. "One one-thousand, Two one-thousand..." or "One Mississippi, Two Mississippi..." until we heard thunder. We always thought that for every second we counted, that is how far away the lightning strike was. WRONG. It is actually more like 5 seconds per mile (3 per km). If you see lightning and hear thunder simultaneously, it is less than 1 mile away. However, if you see lightning and do not hear thunder, it is more than 12 miles away.

That's it. That's all I got as far as weather. I mean, that's pretty important stuff right there, isn't it?

Other stuff, other stuff....

Movies

I got to see TWO movies this weekend, and that was a real treat for me. Seems like with school and lack of fundage, I rarely get to watch the movies on the big screen. But I finally saw Inception. Way good. Way intense. The story line was a little complex and the cinematography was brilliant. The acting was waaaaay awesome. I loved this film, and would put it right up there near my all-time favorite Bourne movies.

I also saw The Other Guys. If you really want a no-brainer movie that makes you laugh, this is a good one. It's "pee-your-pants" funny. However, if you hate other Will Ferrel movies, this may not be for you. The only downer about it was that it wasn't as funny as I anticipated. More "stupid" funny than funny-funny.

Next, I wanna see Salt and Eat.Pray.Love.

Food

A few months back I met up with an old college friend down in Happy Valley. We watched Night & Day (totally good) and ate gelato at this FABULOUS place. I had the Pistachio gelato. I think it's my fav! I was craving that the other day, and lucky me, Smith's Marketplace near my house now has a gelato bar. Even better than that... they have PISTACHIO!!! w00t! Not quite as good as the fancy-schmancy-pay-double-price gelato place... nevertheless, still quite tasty!

Yumm-o! I'm a sushi lover, but a bit of a sushi snob too. There are only certain sushi rolls I love, and I am partial to the seared fish vs. the raw stuff. Also, if it has cream cheese in it and fried in Tempura... HEAVEN!!! Went to The Happy Sumo with Friends. Got my fav Las Vegas Roll and Potstickers. Nom, nom, nom!

Ugh-ness...

Due to job circumstances with the other parental unit of my chillens, I will not be receiving any more child support until further notice. Yeah, this sort of sucks. I was stressed for about the first 24 hours. But, now oddly enough I feel just fine. Don't really know why. Maybe it hasn't fully hit me yet? Ever since I became a single mom, we've sort of lived by the saying, "Use it up, wear it out, make due, or do without." So... that's what we'll continue to do. Oh, and just so you don't think that I am foolishly blowing money on movies and food and whatnot... a little guardian angel of mine slipped some cash in an envelope with a note that said, "This is FUN money. You are to only use this money to PAMPER yourself. The rest will figure itself out." At first, I was like, "How can I PAMPER myself when I am worried about $$$ ???" But then I decided, maybe I *DO* need to have some fun and relaxation to get through this week. So, fun won out :)

Weddings

A neighbor's son got married and I was able to go to the reception. Chocolate Brown and Tiffany Box Blue were their colors. They were soooo stinkin cute. And the decor was simple and elegant. I've known about the reception for quite a few weeks, and I don't like to skimp on the gifts. But, with my budget, I have to be resourceful. Well, a few weekends ago, some of my gal pals "dragged" me to Ikea.... I found a cutting board, a set of steak knives, and a cooking knife set all for under $10. Then I was at the book store and found a really cool cook book for $3. Voila! I had a great gift!

Friends

So, in my week of Finals and "fun", I've been spending time hanging with some of my besties too! Desperate Housewife & I got to go hang out for a bit, as did Ames & I. Oh, and then there's my online dude friend. I think he's had me in tears and stiches from laughing so hard this past week more than I have laughed in a long time. It's been a while, so it's been great "hanging out" with him. And even tho I said I'd never do online gaming, he did get me to join Superhero City. It's been a lot of fun skyping and fighting crime together.... "don't be jealous that I've been chatting online with babes all day. Besides, we both know that I'm training to be a cage fighter." (Napoleon Dynamite)

Me, Myself, and I...

I went and got a massage on Saturday! I have been uber-stressed with finals and I decided that would be my reward! It was pure Heaven! A few years ago, I used to go every week. I had the last appointment each Friday. It was also the only time in my adult life I never had back problems. Anyway. that went away when I became a single mom. However, I did promise myself after Saturday that I would not wait another 2 1/2 years to go back.

I also bought myself some CANDY!!! Which I haven't done in FOREVER! Thanks to the good ol' diet. But I just didn't see how I could possibly make it through finals without it :)

So... there you have it. That is what is new in MY neck of the woods!

The Latest by "Get Popcorn Productions"

Here is the latest creation by my aspiring filmmaker son, Funnyman. It's a spoof on the creation of the book, "Lord of the Flies". Enjoy!

Groundhog Day

I always think of this movie every year as Punxsatawney Phil comes out to see his shadow.



Happy Groundhog Day!!!

He's Just Not that Into You

Ok, even though many of you think I am a HUGE blabbermouth, and tell EVERYTHING on my blog, it isn't so. Well, not completely. Here is what I will tell you since many of you have asked about the whole "Big-D" situation. There really isn't a "situation". We just simply broke up. Here are some of your questions...and my responses.

What? You broke up?? When??? Yes. We broke up. Sort-a, kind-a around Christmas, and then for sure just after New Years.

Was there an argument? No.

Was he being a jerk? No. Never.

Was there no more attraction? That wasn't the issue.

He doesn't know what he's missing. Probably. He has a lot more quiet evenings I'm sure, lol. :)

Do you want me to go bust his knee-caps? - I know a guy... No. It's fine, really. We are still friends. We talk. We have no ill-feelings towards each other.

Was it the whole "It's not you, it's me" routine? I dunno. Maybe. Possibly. Who's counting?

Was there heart-ache? What do you think?

That being said, I'm sure you've heard of that new movie that is in Theaters now. "He's Just Not That Into You." (click here for official site)

When I first heard the title to this movie, I thought, I can't go see it. It's too much in-your-face, face-the-truth, make-me-cry type of stuff. But, then I saw the all-star cast (full of eye-candy) and was like... well, maybe I could squeeze a viewing in.

I read the synopsis and fell in love with the movie even before watching it. "He's Just Not That Into You tells the stories of a group interconnected, Baltimore-based twenty- and thirtysomethings as they navigate their various relationships from the shallow end of the dating pool through the deep, murky waters of married life, trying to read the signs of the opposite sex...and hoping to be the exceptions to the "no exceptions" rule."

I definitely have to see it now. I am sure I will laugh, and I am definite there will be crying. I hope any "couples" in the audience are steadfast in their relationships...

...hate to see a theater full of guys squirming while their dates are eyeing them down, wondering... Are you just not that into me?