Trailer Tuesday: Life of Pi & Dreams of a Life

The Life of Pi is based on a book of the same name by Yann Martel. It’s about an (east) Indian boy who survives over 200 days on the ocean after a shipwreck with his only “companion” being a wild tiger. The physical journey Pi takes is mirrored by his spiritual journey. I remember really loving this book when I read it years ago. The trailer looks awesomely epic, and the music really does its job of manipulating my emotions by building to a huge climax then softening into magical sounds.

From a life of surviving alone to a life ended with dying alone. If your biggest fear is dying alone I wouldn’t even watch this trailer. Dreams of a Life is a documentary that tries to reconstruct a young woman’s life after her skeleton is found (by a repo man) in her apartment three years after she died. Even her television was still on. I am fascinated, horrified, and depressed by this exposition, but mostly fascinated.

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The Project Runway Debacle of 2012

I was so confused when I snuggled into the couch to watch Project Runway last Thursday. It was episode 2 and I had no idea what happened to episode 1. I slowly realized that episode 1 must have been recorded with the intro episode and I just stopped watching after the first part and deleted the whole kit and caboodle. It's kind of like how I always stopped The Sound of Music after the wedding when I was a kid, because all movies ended with a wedding, right? I think I watched it 5 or 6 times before I realized there was more movie.

For those of you who watched Project Runway like a normal person, my first post was probably confusing as well. I didn't talk about any winners or any garments. Och, me. In the end I decided to watch both episodes before weighing in.

Episode 1: "Anniversary Party in Times Square"
Since the damage is done, I won't go too much into episode one. I think the winner (Christopher) and the "outer" (Beatrice) were decisions that gave me nothing to balk about. The movement and texture of Christopher's gown was breathtaking. Ven also did incredible work and will be a top contender if not a final three-er. The rose top with his suit was sublime. Lastly I was completely surprised that I did not loathe and may have liked tomboy Alicia's designs despite a definite 90s reference. I am curious to see my reactions to her designs in the future. I'm also keeping my eye on Nathan after this challenge.

Christopher's winning gown.

Ven's beautiful rose top, despite the dour model.

Episode 2: "Candy Couture"
The top three for me were Dmitry, Sonjia, and Ven. I understand why Dmitry's wasn't in the top for the judges, after all he did have loads of fabric showing and it is the candy challenge. However, his design was clean and classy, yet fun with all that movement.

Like the judges I had a hard time deciding between Sonjia and Ven for my favorite. Sonjia had great color and texture, and the gummy sharks were a huge risk that really paid off. But Ven, oh Ven, created a little candy stained glass masterpiece. It didn't look like candy, it was sharp and clean, and the model even looked comfortable.

Ven

Sonjia

Dmitry

The judges also put Gunnar in the top three, but for me he was in the low middle or bottom three. Sure, the checkerboard was a lot of work, but it didn't come together for me. I also thought that peplum was not well draped, especially in the back. But I must admit that my judgement of Gunnar might be harsh because I simply don't like him. He's an obnoxious diva. I thought it was hysterical (and accurate) that Christopher said he was the good twin and Gunnar was the evil twin.

The bottom three for me were Andrea, Elena, and Lantie. The judges put Buffi in the bottom instead of Andrea, and again, I see why. Buffi's certainly wasn't great, but she took more risks, which I appreciated. Additionally Andrea used just as much if not more fabric instead of candy to flesh out her prairie-looking candy dot dress. I want Buffi to stay on as long as possible because she's funny and is great at relieving tension between other contestants, I think.

 

Elena's dress was a blah tragedy that looked like corrugated cardboard. (FYI, I spelled corrugated right in one try!) Also, I've been burned with hot glue gun glue, and while it hurts right good, she was definitely being more of a diva about it than reacting honestly to the pain. Just sayin'.

A happy goodbye to Lantie. She was terrible in the first challenge and terrible in this one. Her dress was maybe 10% candy in the candy challenge. And on top of that she was sulky and rude to the judges. Get real.

I'm giving Kooan an honorable mention. I can't stand his dramatic sighs and personality, but this dress was rather spectacular in candy pattern. It's southwestern meets Japanese street fashion. Certainly kooky and club kid, but impressive nonetheless.

SYTYCD for 26 July 2012

Um, this promo picture of Will is super weird, don't you think?

Since I haven't really been blogging this week (for personal reasons), this SYTYCD post will be my only post today. So I'd thought I'd flesh it out a bit and make it really special for all y'all by using more words that may or may not be disjointed.

Let's talk bout the Tyce opener first, shall we? All I need to say was that it was great and fun and Chaplin-tastic. Those big group numbers always amaze me a little bit anyway, because I just don't quite understand how the choreographer can get all those people together and have them do moves that aren't all the same but everyone still looks like they're in the same number.

And perhaps in honor of the classic Hollywood opener, Cat looked so fantastic with her Veronica Lake waves and general 30s vibe. I love Cat, she's so goofy, and I love that she calls the dancers "my babies."

Was is just me or did guest judge Christina Applegate look dazed and confused every time the camera was on her but she wasn't talking? Weird.

First up we had George and Tiffany doing a NappyTabs number. Holy cow, were those two in sync as they danced. Overall I liked the number well enough, but it landed somewhere in the middle for me. I think George is a technically fantastic dancer, but I wish his personality had more oomph. And it just hit me last night that he completely reminds me of Carlton Banks from The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, with all his shorts and button downs. 

Amber and Brandon did a beyond steamy number that everyone seemed to love...except me. It was just too much. I generally have no problem with Amber as a dancer, but every once in a while her movements look vulgar rather than graceful to me, and this number didn't help with that at all. Obviously. I can't say that I was sad to see Amber go home tonight, but I wish it were Lindsay instead.

Dareian and Janelle and their painful chacha. That is all. Okay, that's not all. I still love him so, so much, and the dance he did to dance for his life?! Forget about it. And yes, I still think Janelle is completely forgettable.  

Dear Lindsay, get your hair out of your face or I will find you and chop it off. I also think you often look awkward and ungainly when you dance. What's up with that? Dear Cole, keep on keepin' on, man. You got top 3 written all over you. 

Och, my not-so-wee Will and Amelia. I really liked their yet again quirky number, but the judges were nonplussed. I thought it was the second best of the night, personally. Plus the song was oddly fun (you can hear it here) and the costumes were rather great. And where Lindsay's awkwardness bothers me, Will's awkwardness endears him to me. 

Matthew and Audrey didn't really have a chance with me because of their ballroom pick. I think it was the slowest Salsa I have ever seen. It was fine, but nothing great in the least. I think one of the problems I have with ballroom is the overly matchy-matchyness of the costumes and the copious use of shiny lycra. 

Everyone lovey, love, loved Chehon and Whitney's Stacey Tookey dance. They just thought it was amazing and emotional and what-have-you. I didn't understand that at all, and I watched it twice to make sure. I didn't think Chehon and Whitney had chemistry at all, and as I result it felt a little cold. Chehon is such a powerful, amazing dancer, but I don't think we see a lot of emotion or passion from him while he dances. (Remember the passion that exuded from Melanie Moore?) And I think Whitney has dead eyes. There, I said it. 

My favorite dance of the night was from Cyrus and Eliana. Wow! Eliana is a ballerina, y'all, but she got down and dirty in this number. It was a clever idea with good choreography and excellent execution. I mean Cyrus is incredible in his style and Eliana gave him a run for his money. I simply loved it. I have to say that I think I like Eliana to win the whole shebang on the girl's side; but slightly pervy Simon sure does love his little blonds, so we'll see.

As to the boys' eliminations, I didn't really want to see any of the boys go. In fact, I like something about all the boys left in the competition, so I'll probably be sad to see any of them go from here on out. I know that realistically a couple boys probably can't grow enough in this timeframe to make it much farther, and that's fair, but I will miss them. I thought Brandon was growing and going places, but they had to pick someone to go home.. Farewell Brandon and Amber.

Chicken with Plums and The Runaway

Remember when I told you about Amélie? Well here is another French movie that looks much in the same vein as far as style goes. (It sounds like they even have the same narrator.)

In Chicken with Plums the main character is a gifted violinist who doesn't see a reason to live after his beloved violin is broken, so he decides to lie in bed and wait for death. Even though the film starts out as a love story between a musician and his violin, it's a story of a man realizing how the love in his life allowed him his talent.

The film looks lovely in its stylized and slightly surreal dream sequences, and you know how I like my surreal dreams. (In case you don't know, I have a like my surreal dreams.) It seems that the French do humorous melancholia, or dark films that don't burden your soul, better than anyone else.

Speaking of countries that are good at things, I feel like the Irish do comedy like no one else. Well, based the Irish films that make it to America anyway. (See War of the Buttons and Waking Ned Divine.) Maybe it's that humor is a valid and useful tool that helps people cope with controversy and strife.

The Runaway is about a small Irish town that helps a Columbian pilot who crashed his plane near their town. I don't know what else to say about it except that the preview looks absolutely charming and hilarious.

An Apology and Project Runway

I'm sorry. I never meant to blog about two reality shows at the same time, but there's no way I'm not going to do it unless one of them really starts to bore me. Fat chance.

Last night Project Runway Season 10 started, and I think we may have a winner of a season on our hands. There's already people I love and people I loathe. Last night's episode was all about introducing us to the 16 competing designers. I absolutely love the new format they used. It let us get to know the designers a bit without any drama, we got to see and understand more of each designer's aesthetic, and the Nick and Mondo dynamic was pretty fun. You know I love me some Mondo, and he was especially well-dressed in this episode.

Likes!
This is Christopher Palu. I liked him because he seemed competent and calm. Nothing high-pitched or hyper. He also pulled out these hightop Chucks with stilettos painted on the sides that I kind of loved. It surprised me that I loved them.

This is Dmitry Sholokhov from Belarus. He made what he's wearing, and I especially love that jacket. I'm afraid he might bug me later, but I really like his confidence. He had this little sparkle in his eye when he talks about his designs that is telling of his passion.

This is Elena Slivnyak. She has a lot of dark and twisty ideas that look like the movie Dune, but her construction skills are beyond beyond. 

This is Ven Budhu. He's got mad construction skills. He showed these amazing wide-leg pants that had knife pleats down the front. All his pieces looked gorgeous, but that might turn into monotony if he can't break away from the red he loves so much.

Erm...!

This is Fabio Costa. At first I liked his face and his ideas, but then he said that he only eats out of dumpsters by choice. I guess there's nothing wrong with that, but there is seriously something wrong with that.

This is Buffi Jashanmal. Her aesthetic is 80s club kid meets 90s club kid with a little crack cocaine mixed in. She could end up being crazy fun and fabulous, or obnoxious and gimmicky. 

Dislikes!

This is Andrea Katz. I thought her designes looked like what people in the 80s designed as "futuristic"; it didn't look modern or fresh. Plus she described herself as an "extreme feminist," which I have zero problem with generally, but it usually means misplaced rants and in-you-face arguments. Och, and her shoes in this pic are terrible. 

This is Gunnar Deatherage. Don't let his kick-ass name fool you, because he is shrill and obnoxious. He got booted from Season 9 during the first episode, so I only hope that he is gone as quickly this season. But that is never my luck. And the truth is I didn't hate his designs. Shoot-darn.

That's half the designers, and I just don't think you or I have the stamina to highlight the rest. I'm sure my opinions and ideas will shift and change as the standouts and duds make themselves known through the course of the season. Any thoughts?

P.S. I cannot wait to see my darling Tim Gunn!

Underground New York Public Library

First, I try to respond to all the comments readers make, but in the past week or so Blogger hasn't let me. So I've typed out all of these extremely charming and thoughtful responses only to have them deleted by Blogger. Based on the problems I've had recently, I guess I should look into using a different host. We'll see if that ever happens. You know, because I'm lazy.

Remember the perfectly voyeuristic blog Humans of New York (HONY) I blogged about? Well I just stumbled across another amazing New York voyeurism blog, but this time it's all about what people are reading on the subway. Underground New York Public Library is run by a woman named Ourit Ben-Haim. Armed with her camera she rides the subways and tries to capture people in an honest, unposed reading moment. Sometimes she interacts with the subject, sometimes not, either way she gets some great juxtapositions of people and some magical moments. She then posts the picture along with the title of the book on her website. I spent a good hour or so gawking at it yesterday.

I couldn't find the images that she allows people to repost, so I'll only repost one on the DL and I hope it doesn't come back to haunt me. 

"The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins

SYTYCD for July 18, 2012

First off, my DVR freaked out so I missed the last half hour of the show. I didn't see the last dance or the results. Boo. But I did look up the results, so I'm all informed and ready to chat.

1) There are so many vanilla girls this season. Alexa, Witney, Lindsay, Janaya, and Janelle are the top offenders. I'm still liking Amelia, Tiffany, and especially Eliana; she's got loads of personality. Direct mom quote: "Tiffany is a good foil to those other creepy (vanilla) girls."

2) The boys are much stronger and have bigger personalities this year. No matter how he does in the competition, Cyrus is a bright and happy presence with verve, and I find myself rooting for him all the time because of this. I'm still in love with Dareian's face, and Brandon and Matthew are definitely moving up in my estimation.

3) Barf on the Dareian/Janelle kiss. I thought we were done with all that nonsense after last season.

4) The Alexa/Daniel number with the bathtub was, in the words of Adam, cold and uncomfortable. I was not entertained, and as you know, I think she's boring anyway.

5) I was entertained by the Eliana/Cyrus jive, because he was having so much fun and she is chock-full of personality and talent; the Audrey/Matthew Sonya number, even though it wasn't as good as Sonya's first number; and the Brandon/Janaya bus bench seduction number, Brandon was acting his pants off!

6) The dentist number just creeped me out. Lindsay was way too "performy," and she had no conviction.

7) It's no surprise that a Sonya number was my favorite. I just love her dark and twisty themes and ideas. So Will and Amelia again are rewarded with my favorite dance of the night.

8) Goodbye to Daniel the ballet dancer, Nick the ballroom dude, Alexa the boring, and Janaya the vanilla. I'm not sad about any of these eliminations.

Cool Kids and Brandi Carlile

I'm not, nor have I ever been, nor will I ever be a "cool kid." This includes what makes up a classic "cool kid" in high school and the "alternative" cool kid that is too cool to be a cool kid, which makes them so cool. Basically I'm no Molly Ringwald and I'm no James Dean.

One of the telltale signs of my uncoolness is that I'm not a concert goer. Now, I love music, and there is a magic to live music that will never be captured on an album, but whether it's a stadium concert or an intimate venue, I'm just not interested. The tight crowds, the heat and sweat, and the potential of unpredictable mob behavior make me more than uncomfortable. But once in a while an artist comes to town and to a certain venue that makes me decide that I don't want to stay home. Well, that and when someone gives you a free ticket. (Thanks, Becky!)

Last Sunday I went to see Brandi Carlile at the Red Butte Gardens in Salt Lake City. It was incredible. I'd never been to this venue before. It's outdoors amongst trees and nature, everyone sits on low chairs or blankets on a sloping lawn, you can bring in coolers and food, and it's such a relaxed environment in general. And on top of that there's not a bad seat in the house.

I've listened to and enjoyed Brandi Carlile since her album The Story came out in 2007. She has this lower, raspy voice that's rock and blues and bluegrass and just herself, really. I've never heard anyone quite like her. If I had to compare her to anyone, it would be Johnny Cash and Bonnie Raitt. I know, that's a serious comparison, but if you see her live you'll know what I mean. Her energy and skill are that fantastic. She writes her own music, often collaborating with her guitarist and bassist (they're identical twins! that wear lame hats!), and she's proficient on the guitar and piano as well.

This is "The Story" from The Story and the song that made me first like Ms. Carlile.

This is a song from her newest album, Bear Creek, called "Hard Way Home."

The rock side of her doesn't exactly come across in the albums, but live, boy howdy! During the show she did two covers by two bands that any musician might think twice about covering, because they could never be as good. But I have to say, she met the challenge exceedingly well, and I do not say that lightly. She did Oh Darling by The Beatles and Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen, and the latter brought down the house. We were rollicking and hootin' and hollerin'. So great.

Check her out, maybe you'll hear something you like.

A phone pic from the show.

Trailer Tuesday: Sleepwalk With Me

I didn't post yesterday because I was making a final push to finish a freelance edit that I was behind on.   But I did go to a fantastic concert this weekend and I can't wait to tell you about it, so I may end up doing two posts today.

Onto the show!

Today I give you Sleepwalk With Me, based on a book with the same title written by comedian Mike Bribiglia. (He also stars in the movie.) If you've never heard the comedy stylings of Mike Bribiglia, you're in for a treat. The first time I heard him was on a story he did for PRI's This American Life. He has this sort of pathetic melancholia feel to his stories that are sad because they're true, and funny because they're true.

Bribiglia recently did a spoof film with Teri Gross from NPR's Fresh Air. If you are at all familiar with Teri Gross, you will find this hysterical.

And here is Sleepwalk With Me. Enjoy!

SYTYCD July 11, 2012

For this season of SYTYCD I decided to do quick updates as secondary posts. That way I can still talk about it, but if you don't watch the show you can easily skip these. So here goes.

 
1) I keep trying to enjoy ballroom, but for some reason it makes me feel entirely uncomfortable. Maybe it's the exaggerated, pulled faces, or the schmaltz I seem to correlate with ballroom. I'm just happy that Boobs McGee (Witney) was covered up during her ballroom number.

2) I don't think I'll ever like Alexa or Janelle.

3) Thank you NappyTabs for The Cure and a super fun routine. I think it was my favorite of the night.  I worried that Amelia and Will would be an overly goofy partnership, but it seems they'll work out just fine.

4) I love Dareian's face so much.

5) Travis Wall might just be a genius. (He's only 24!)

6) I find it highly suspicious that all 3 ballroom kids "drew" ballroom this week. (At least according to a casual comment Nigel made.) Especially considering things like a ballerina and an animator "drawing" broadway.

Technology or Bust

I'm 99% sure this is the model of the first computer my family had.
 I used Paint all the livelong day and played loads of Lode Runner and Transylvania.

I've been experiencing a strange phenomenon lately. It seems that every time I talk to youths (Youths!) that are seniors in high school or just entering the throes of college that they have a very limited knowledge of computers and basic computer programs. A girl in college asked me the other day not only what a jpeg is, but how to change font size in Word. It's to the point where I don't know how they even have the capability to log into Facebook. (What? I don't exaggerate. Never ever. In the history of ever.)

It seems to me that in this day and age high schools, colleges, and the kids themselves would be clamoring to teach and learn computer skills and how to use said skills to their advantage. There is nary a job that calls for a college degree that doesn't require heavy computer use.

I will be the first to admit that I am not all that tech savvy. I think of myself as a novice, to say the least, but now I'm beginning to wonder if I'm actually somewhere in the middle. (Although I don't think I'll ever understand Excel. InDesign is much easier as far as I'm concerned.) Somehow my internal dialogue has convinced my brain that all youths are so computer savvy that they will have that extra edge to surely push me out of the job market (that I can't quite seem to even get into at the moment) sooner rather than later. Hopefully this means that the upcoming generations that will vie for the same jobs as me are all idiots. One can only dream.

Trailer Tuesday on Wednesday

I'm in! I'll try to type so fast in case I get kicked out again.

Not being able to post on Tuesday was apropos, because I didn't have any trailers that I wanted to post. Nothing's really grabbing me. So I decided to post about two of my favorite movie soundtracks. One from a movie I love, and one from a movie I wish I could love. And, coincidentally, both soundtracks are by French composers and performers.

Les Choristes (The Chorus in the U.S.) is a movie that I love. It's a story of a new teacher at a school for orphaned and troubled boys. The boys are unruly, the rules are strict, and the punishments are harsh, but with little effect. So the teacher, in an attempt to refocus energies, starts a chorus. It's such a sweet, tender, and heartbreaking movie. The soundtrack is by French composer Bruno Coulais, and it mostly consistes of songs sung by the boys chorus, but the whole soundtrack is beautiful. "Les Avions en Papier" ("Paper Airplanes") is my favorite song, but you really have to see the movie to appreciate why; it's from my favorite scene in the movie. Here is the trailer, which is also a nice preview of the music. "Les Avions en Papier" is played in part during the last moments of the trailer.

Now for the movie I wish I loved: Pride & Prejudice (2005) with Keira Knightly and Matthew MacFadyen. The soundtrack is great, the visuals are stunning, but the casting was kind of terrible. I didn't like Keira Knightly, Donald Sutherland, Jena Malone, or even Matthew MacFadyen in their roles. I should just frame stills stills from the movie and longingly gaze at them while I listen to the soundtrack. It's composed by Jean-Yves Thibaudet, French composer and piano performer. My favorite bits in the soundtrack are the piano solos. The whole soundtrack is uncomplicated or even simple, yet effective. Here is the first track and one of the piano solos, "Dawn." 

Yipes!

I can't get Blogger to load on my computer. (I'm using my phone to post this.) I've yet to try another computer; that may temporarily solve my problem. In the meantime, I give you permission to participate in my favorite activity: sitting in a corner and sobbing uncontrollably. Kidding. Mostly.

Food Experiments

In my family we are self-proclaimed food snobs, especially me, my dad, and my sisters. "Food snob" probably overstates it a bit, but who doesn't love a little hyperbole that helps people judge you unfairly? Anyway, what really happens is that we talk about food a lot and we critique it with thoughtful passion. Sometimes strangers mistake our critique for criticism, but we really try and figure out what can be better so that we can adjust recipes and enjoy them even more. (And by "we" I mean "my dad and sisters" because I am an inexperienced and terrible cook. But I can bake your face off.)

For instance, last week I made a chocolate cream pie from scratch. No easy feat, if I do say so myself. I've made it before, and it was no less delicious this time. However, upon reflection and family discussion, we decided that the crust recipe I was using is not at all right for the pie. It's hard to get it to come out of the pan, and it's not flakey enough. It's a little more like shortbread than a regular pie crust. (But we all agreed that the recipe-suggested graham cracker crust was a terrible idea.) I was not offended that the crust wasn't up to snuff, and I was not discouraged from making more pie. This is just how we roll.

A slice of my chocolate cream pie with freshly whipped cream on top.

A brother-in-law yelled at me once over a critique of my sister's cooking. "Why can't you just be grateful that she cooked for you?!" Even after my sister and I explained to him that I was grateful and that she wanted the input, he still was upset. The fact is that aside from my dad, she is the best cook I know.

All of our family functions and vacations center around food. While eating breakfast we talk about what we're going to eat for lunch, and while we're eating lunch we talk about what we're going to eat for dinner.

The downside of being a food snob is that there are certain food places that feel like torture to patronize. Sometimes this puts a damper on my social life when people want to throw good money after bad at subpar eateries. It's much easier to bow out of plans than to fight the people who just love TGIFridays.

I suppose I'm telling you all of this because 1) I want to let you know how integral food is in my life, because 2) I'm embarking on a food experiment this week that makes me nervous. I live with my parents at the moment, and my dad pretty much does all of the cooking; it's his hobby and he loves it. The folks are going out of town and I sadly have to endure my own cooking. No only that, I decided to cook gluten-free, because I think I may have a problem with gluten (not celiac's disease per se, but an allergy maybe), and I want to try gluten-free out to see if it makes a difference. (I could just go to the doctor if I had insurance, but I don't, so experimentation it is!)

I already have some rice noodles that will hopefully be transformed into Pad Thai, and I've got a falafel recipe (sans pita, of course) that I already know will be delicious if I can cook it right. If you have any favorite gluten-free recipes, please share them!

P.S. I know that everyone will be overjoyed to learn that Mountain Dew is gluten-free! The nectar of the gods will remain in my diet.

Yuki Shaved Ice

If you are now or ever will be in the Provo/Orem, Utah area, and if you like treats that are not only cold, but delicious, then please do yourself a favor and visit Yuki.

Yuki is a shaved ice shack, but calling it a shaved ice shack does it a disservice. So what, do you ask, makes Yuki so special? They make all their own syrups from scratch and from local ingredients as much as possible. It makes a world of difference as far as flavor is concerned. No funky after taste, no "I think this is lime..." internal conversations, just refreshing deliciousness. Plus you can get your ice topped with sweet cream and/or ice cream. I've had strawberry, lime, mojito, and raspberry. Raspberry is by far my favorite, but they were all delicious.

Be aware that the cost is more than your average helping of shaved ice, but the difference is definitely made up in taste and quality. Also the owner is a friendly delight!

Here is their website with the address and hours.
Here is their Facebook page for you to like.

Raspberry Yuki

Fourth of July Coma

Sam the Eagle, in all his stoic patriotism, solemnly wished you a Happy 4th.

I don't know about you, but I'm simply exhausted from all of my 4th of July activities, which included too many crowds and screaming  children and a not-really-worth-it fireworks display. It turns out all fireworks are disappointing after you've seen fireworks at a Disney park that include coordinated music and narration by Julie Andrews that fill you with so much nostalgia that you want to weep and sometimes do. The best part of yesterday's fireworks is that the automatic sprinklers turned on and we all (9 adults and 12 children) made a run for it. Screaming, flailings, and laughter abounded. 

I hope to do a good ol' regular post tomorrow, but my family that's in town might have different ideas, like forcing me to eat snow cones and sing "Sisters" from White Christmas and watch Olympic trials and bake my famous gingerbread chocolate cookies and yell at their children and craft.

Trailer Tuesday: The Awakening & The Big Easy Express

I'm not a huge horror fan, as you may know; however when horror favors suspense over gore then it's a whole new ball game. Then if the writing is clever and is a period piece, chances are I'll be there. And looky what we have here! It's The Awakening which looks like it fits all my horror criteria. It's a little refreshing that the ghost hunter is a woman. I mean, sometimes I just get so tired of the helpless flailers, if you know what I mean. I don't need the women to be the men, I just want them to be...not ridiculous. Also what is it about horror and children? Why are they so creepy?

I'm not sure why, but I wasn't going to post The Big Easy Express. I watched the trailer weeks ago and loved it, but then I had this weird internal debate about posting it, like I need to somehow please the masses or something with my movie trailer posts. Getting over myself now (again). It's likely that I changed my mind because I've been talking with my friend Noah a lot about folk music. The Big Easy Express is a music documentary that follow Mumford and Sons, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and The Old Crow Medicine Show as they tour and travel on an old Zephyr train. (At least I think it's a Zephyr, feel free to correct me.) I like traditional folk quite a bit, but I'm excited about new indie folk bands who pay homage to the purpose and sound of folk traditions, but they are not simply "covering" folk songs. They're adding new sounds and writing new songs that feel folky, community driven, and story heavy, yet modern and relatable. Enough of that, just watch it.

And guess what? The Big Easy Express was released exclusively on iTunes and you can purchase or rent it here!

Yonderly

I have no writing ideas. I think it's from a combinations of factors, but I'm sure it's mostly because I seriously can't stop touching my new phone. I may have a problem; I'll let you know. I'll give it a couple more days for the novelty to wear off. My sister Sara has already been put in charge of my intervention if it becomes necessary.

So I'm basically just sending you over to brainpickings.org to look at this post that combines two of my favorite things: artistic interpretation and obscure words. I think they're rather lovely. One of them was quite apropos.

Yonderly
Mentally or emotionally distant; absent-minded.