X GAMES

It's the middle of the summer and you know what that means!  XGames!  I am so excited about them.  They are like the Olympics, only better, because dirtbikes are involved.  Speaking of the Olympics, did you hear that BMX Motocross is going to be a main event?  That's SO cool.  Not that BMX bikes could ever replace the real thing, but still, it's a step up.  Maybe one day they will actually have Supercross or Motocross there.  I'd tune in.  Anyway, this year I'm kind of sad to watch the XGames.  Last time I watched, Colin McRae faced off against Travis Pastrana in a grueling race to the finish line during the car race (I can't remember what it was called!!)  At the last second, Travis Pastrana raced past Colin McRae as he flipped over his car, only to miss ONE second of his counted time!  How much talent is in that?  Well..Colin Mcrae died last year.  It was so sad and a lot of the time I can't even believe it.  Maybe they will do some kind of memorium at the show.  I'm so excited to watch them.  I DVRd the first night (TONIGHT!) and I'm going to watch it tomorrow, which also has a show to be DVRd.  I'm so excited, you have no idea.  They are so much better than the Olympics.

Short and Sweet today

I love the game Scrabble, but no one ever wants to play with me.  My sister and her husband are really into that game, too, but it's kind of hard to engage in a one on one game with their being all the way across the country and all.  That's why I love the Scrabble and Scrabulous applications for Facebook!  Both are so much fun, and if I can't play for hours at a time, it is quite easy to still play whenever I can.  I recently found out about the lawsuit that the makers of Scrabble are setting against the makers of Scrabulous.  I am really upset, because now I can't play either one online!  I'm sure whenever everything gets settled, I will be, but really, can't that take a really long time?  I hope not.  The Scrabble application better get some really cool changes because it's so annoying with all the flash animation. Sometimes it doesn't even load! I'm awaiting the day to play once again.

Another thing about malls..!

I was forced to go to the mall once again today, due to the fact that my mother insists on getting her hair done at the JCPenney Salon, and the mall is the only place where a JCPenney can be found.  There are many things I hate about malls, besides what I have already mentioned in the blog from two or three days ago.  One thing I really despise is the smell of pretzels that waft throughout the entire area where the eatery can be found.  Don't get me wrong, that smell is amazing in many ways, but no matter how hungry I am (or not), no matter how much I know how bad that pretzel is for me I want it really badly.  The smell is this one of a kind aroma of salt and dough, sometimes with that amazing cheese dipping sauce, too (Now, I used to think this cheese was amazing, until I saw the huge disgusting can of it behind the counter.  I really prefer mustard to cheese anyway.)  It's pure evil for girls like me.  Now another thing I REALLY hate about malls, the thing I hate so much that I wish it could just go away forever are the sales representatives in the middle of the walkway through the mall.  What is their problem??  I know the basic rules for getting them NOT to talk to you (at least I think I do).  Number one, avoid eye contact.  If you don't see them, how are they going to talk to you?  Number two, walk at a fast pace past them.  Don't even let them have a chance to win you over for their product.  Number three, if they do happen to make eye contact and ask you a question, smile and say "No thanks. Not today."  They totally leave you alone after that.  I remember when I was younger, I used to be really creeped out by this one guy who took pictures.  He always used to take a picture and then wave me over to see.  I'd always look away, hoping he wouldn't see me.  It was really embarrassing.  I always feel really bad for the people who get roped into their charms.  You know they don't really want to be there, because they are smiling awkwardly and trying to get away, but they can't just walk away.  They've already been captured!  I really hate those guys.

Bethel Woods

Concerts are always really fun.  You get to see bands that you practically idolize come to vision in front of you.  Last night, I got to see Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts (country stars if you didn't already know).  Both of them played excellent shows, complete with everything you would want from a big time show, such as lights and dazzle.  There were so many people too, camped out on the lawn or sitting amidst the expensive theater seats.  Those seats were ninety dollars a pop, which is why I decided to sit on the lawn, which was equally as good.  I stood the whole time, so really, it didn't matter if I payed half the price of the other tickets.  The only thing I really didn't like was the prices of the food.  Of course, we had to be there three hours early in order to ensure a good seat, so I really didn't have time to get anything to eat before we left.  By the time 6:30 rolled around, we were starving, which meant I had to buy food.  I ended up paying almost thirty dollars for me and my sister to eat!  I was so shocked, but yet I was expecting it.  What else would you expect from a place that big?  Next time I know to eat before I get there.

When it Rains, it Pours

Considering I am attending a concert later and we have to be there at 5, I will not be able to write a sufficient entry today.  Usually, I wait until the end of the day, so that if something interesting happens, I'd write about it.  Today however, I don't think that will be the case.  Rascal Flatts is going to be playing at Bethel Woods and you have no idea how excited I am to see them!  They are one of the only country bands that I actually enjoy listening to.  The only downside of today is that it is thundering outside, and raining.  I hope hope hope it stops before we have to go.  It would really suck sitting in lawn seats while the rain pours down (but I have ponchos!).  The funny thing is, this is my first big concert (I've been to concerts before but in little venues [which are really cool!  Eileen, we should totally go to one when I come out], not big stadiums or performance centers) so if it rains, I'll be a little upset.  I will be back tomorrow about everything that goes on.    Holy cow, I just saw a lightning bolt outside my window! 

The mall

I can't stand how hectic the mall is on a Saturday.  It's insane, really.  People are there for sales, for high fattened foods, and school shopping.  Little kids run aimlessly around their parents and teenagers walk around in packs.  It really makes me wonder why I ever thought the mall was such an amazing and wondrous place when I was younger.  I do have to say though, some stores make me really happy, like Old Navy, where I can find cute shoes (like a pair of gray ballet flats) and cool tops that actually fit.  I even found a pair of high waisted jeans!! I was so excited, but I didn't get them.  FYE remains one of those stores that I either like or hate.  I love their used movie section because you can find really good movies for super low prices sometimes (ditto with their CDs).  What bothers me the most, though, are their old movie section.  Like really, not that many people like those movies anymore.  Only rare people who value them, like me, and I'm sure quite a number of other people, would be searching for them.  I just don't understand why anyone would pay $25 for a movie that you can find at any library (that is NEVER checked out) for free.  I hate when you buy old black and white movies that have been reprocessed with technicolor.  It's so weird.   The colors make sense and all, but you just know color isn't supposed to be there. 

In other news, I have gotten to number 21 on the waiting list for Queen of Babble!! Woo.  I'm so excited.  I really hope it goes fast!  I'm so anxious to read it!

Cinema Shock!

I have been thinking for the past year or so that all those reboots that are coming out into theaters were something directors were doing recently.  I thought maybe they weren't earning a lot of money and they are running out of ideas.  But today, I was proven wrong (way wrong).  I've been saying how much I adore old black and white movies from the 30s and 40s lately.  There is just something so exquisite and classic about them.  Has anyone seen the movie An Affair to Remember, starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr?  When I saw it, I liked it a lot.  I wasn't a huge fan of Deborah Kerr, but it was a good movie nonetheless.  Cary Grant has been one of my favorite actors lately, with his old Hollywood appeal and interesting characters.  It has gotten to the point where I have been wanting to see any movie that has him in it.  Did you know, though, that An Affair to Remember is a reboot???  I had received the movie Love Affair at the library, thinking it would star Humphrey Bogart (because I looked up all his movies on IMDB and I wanted to see that one) but I had gotten a different movie with the same name instead.  I was hesitant at first until I noticed that Irene Dunne was starring as the infamous Terry McKay.  Irene Dunne was a very talented actress during this time period.  Her role in Penny Serenade was very moving and she was quite funny in My Favorite Wife.  (What was funny was that Cary Grant starred in both of those alongside her)  The movie was almost exactly the same as An Affair to Remember, yet it was made way before that ever came out.  Even the little children singing in the ending had very striking resemblances to the children in the end of the Cary Grant version.  Irene Dunne was the better actress however.  She was definitely superior to Deborah Kerr.  It would have been an amazing movie if they had brought together Irene Dunne with Cary Grant.   In those two aforementioned movies, they really worked together.  I've noticed that with movies from that time period that a lot of actors worked with the same actresses in several movies.  I guess that still happens today too.  It just goes to show, that cinema really hasn't changed that much.  

Don't they look similar?  It's because they are! (Ok maybe they don't look familiar from the pictures, but it's really hard to find similar stills.)

Rainy Days and Games

I love days that start out terrible.  I woke up this morning cold, the rain was pouring insanely outside my window, and I had to clean out the refrigerator.  I was incredibly happy.  To make things better, there was not enough milk to fill up my bowl up raisin bran, so I opted for whole wheat poptarts instead (which are incredibly good, so you should get some).  After those few moments, though, my day got exceptionally better.  I love the feeling you get when you have accomplished something.  Now, every time I look into the fridge, I love seeing everything bright white and organized.  The thought of it ever going gross again gives me shudders up and down my spine.  Lately, I've really been into arcade games online.  One website called freevideogamesonline.org, though limited with their selection, offers neat games for free, if the title didn't give that away.  They have games like Sonic the hedgehog, which I really can't get (but I hear people love that game), tetris, pacman, asteroids (which is REALLY cool for the amount of "graphics" it has), and SIMON.  Really, how cool is it that you can play that online?  Not that I am any good at it.  I can't get past six colors.  If you are feeling bored and have nothing better to do, then go to that website.  You can honestly be there for hours. 

Rain in the Summertime

Rainy days are my least favorite things of the entire year. No matter what I do, I somehow get drenched in water.  One day I had to walk to work, pre umbrella, and when I got there, my hair hung limply from my head, my pants were soaked up to the upper part of my calves, and my coat was cold.  I had no other option that day, only because buses didn't run at that time, and I had to be there for my 12:00 shift.  Ever since then, I have taken safety precautions (if that's the right term) whenever it rains.  Today though, it seems I can't escape it.  The rain hasn't stopped all day!  I guess it's better than the alternative, like in California with the wildfires.  I wouldn't want to have to risk my breathing abilities just by taking a walk outside.  I wouldn't want to have to deal with what Texas is dealing with either.  I heard on the television that there was this one island that, when evacuated, if some people were still there, they wouldn't be able to leave, and vice versa ( if people wanted to come, they couldn't).  Can you imagine being stuck on this tiny island dealing with the wrath of a hurricane?  I'd be so scared.  What can you even do in a situation like that?  I really feel for the people down in the South that get struck with hurricanes so much.  Water damage is one of the worst things to deal with, not to mention when it's raging down the street.

Anne!

As I was flipping through the pages of Newsweek today, I noticed an article that really made me happy.  Anne Shirley was the star of that article, which made me want to crack open my Anne of Green Gables books and read them start to finish (which I haven't done primarily because I don't want to read the end of the whole tale) and then proceed to watch the movies (all three of them) for 12 hours straight.  I used to love that series when I was younger (well actually, two years ago) which always left me dreaming of Prince Edward Island and the days of old.  That collection really goes to show how amazing a piece of literature truly can be.  I wanted to be a different person after that (for like a month).  I wanted to live in a town where everyone knew everybody near the ocean side of Canada.  I spent an entire summer watching just Anne of Green Gables.  Apparently she is turning 100 years old this year, which makes me really sad. I hope that series never gets forgotten.

Blah

I guess I haven't been brutally burned for awhile, but today, the intensity of the pain of my sunburn is a lot worse than yesterday.  Usually that doesn't happen, especially since I used the most awesome smelling after sun lotion (Lime Coolada!).  I really need to stop forgetting about using sunblock, because I hear all the time about young people getting skin cancer, and I really don't want that to happen before I am 20.  When I was younger, I always just thought it was this natural thing, but really, my skin was being burned alive.  It was like I was a chicken in the slow  cooker.  The feeling of being a chicken isn't something I prefer.  Has anyone ever seen the show American Gladiators?  When I was younger, I always used to hear about, having NO clue what it was.  Today, I actually got to see it, only because it was on at Carrie's house.  It reminded me a little of the Legend of the Hidden Temple, only adult version.  I always wanted to go on that show when I was little.  I used to be kind of scared of the evil guys who used to grab you if you went into the wrong box, but I always thought I could choose the right one.  

Hershey Burn

Going to Hershey Park was really cool and fun, especially driving through the town.  All the streetlights were chocolate kisses, alternating between wrapped and unwrapped.  I didn't smell the chocolate (they always say the streets smell like chocolate and I smelled it last year when I went!) and the temperature remained well above comfortable.  A bazillion people crammed the streets, and when we went into the park, it was hard to move.  In other words, it was great!  I loved the water park, with the all the fun tube rides, water playgrounds, and log flumes, especially in the heat.  We were lucky too, because we managed to enter that part of the park before the insane crowd moved in.  I hate stupid amusement park goers, like the ones who push you out of the way to get first to the rides, and the ones who can't follow standard rules that are written right in front of them (like people who kept the line for the tube ride at a standstill because they didn't feel like asking the people blocking their way with their tube, from the other line next to them, to move).  I guess it's just something people have to deal with when going to the park.  I really enjoyed Chocolate World too, because we got to go on a fake "tour" of the "factory" for free, enjoying a complimentary piece of chocolate at the end.  I got really excited when, in the actually Hershey Park, I went onto Great Bear and followed the advice of a rider from television who said that the best experience on that coaster was the front seat on the left.  It was as good as he said.  But the best part of the whole thing was the Lighting Racer.  That roller coaster beats out all other wooden roller coasters I have ever been on for being the best.  Two carts go at once, essentially to race one another, and, as the track goes along, frequently ride next to each other.  It's awesome.  I can't even begin to say anything that will give it justice.  The weekend was so much fun, and I got to experience a lot for the first time, like Sonic and White Castle, which are both really pathetic first time moments.  I am so burnt though.  Stupid me forgot to sunblock under my shirt and now I am dealing with the wrath of a shirt burn.  Usually, I get a farmer's burn (I would have said tan, but I don't tan), where the burn meets the end of the shirt downwards to my forearm, but this time it was the complete opposite.  The sun is a ruthless and evil ball of fire.  Now, I am going to go lay down and try to forget the pain while listening to old time crooners.  I am in for a nice long sleep.  

This is Lighting Racer!!!!

By the way, who else is super excited to see Dark Knight?  I really wish I had the chance to see it this weekend, but I will definitely see it before the theaters stop running it.  I have heard so many good things about it so far.  

Home Shows

Have you ever gone to one of those home parties?  The ones that sell things like candles, cook wear, and home interior items at somewhat high prices.  I never realized until tonight how obsessed people can be with them.  I overheard so many women rattle on about sales and what was being cancelled and their own personal stories about the products.  I was there to see the show (not to mention the free food).  Some stuff was really cool, like cookie presses and apple coring devices, but others were just simply cook wear you can buy at Wal-Mart (ok maybe not Wal-Mart) at a fraction of the cost.  There were fancy pots, pans, knives, towels, cookie cutters (which I have to admit were cool.  There was a chili pepper cutter! How cool is that? I totally want one just to have it.), and so much more.  I left that place in somewhat of a trance.  Was I actually going into a world that did not involve home goods parties? ( I don't actually know the official name of what it is called)   It kind of reminded me of when I looked through InStyle.  I loved everything, and if I was skinny and rich, I'd totally go out and buy it.  If I was rich and actually cooked, I'd totally buy some of this stuff.  I can't cook, unless it involves Raisin Bran, milk, and a bowl of cereal (I have been known to make  killer brownies too) so those nifty little gadgets that they advertise definitely won't come in handy for me.  

To all you fellow readers (being the one and only Eileen):  I will not be writing from the dates of Thursday July 17th to Sunday July 20th as I will be having lots and lots of fun with my college friends down in Hershey, PA.  I will be back with the fun stuff that night. 

A Nothing Day

I have yet to decide whether I like dance movies or not.  I saw Step Up today, which wasn't as bad as I had initially thought it would be.  Sure, Channing Tatum will always strike me as an annoying actor with a thick neck, but it was still pretty entertaining to see the fancy footwork of the two leads.  Whenever I see these kinds of movies, like Save the Last Dance and Footloose, with a strong combination of song and dance, I always feel like I can do what they do.  Until I try, when I realize that I will never be able to do what they do.  What kind of world would we live in if everyone decided to just up and dance randomly?  It would be weird I have to admit, unless I saw Kevin Bacon dancing around.  At that point, I'd be more excited that Kevin Bacon was in front of me than the fact that he was dancing.  Step Up remains just another one of those dance movies that every decade seems to set loose on the moviegoers. I watch it to watch it, but then I forget about it very soon afterwards.

Bowlorama

Why is it every time I go bowling, there has to be a group of people who are 8000x better than I am?  I consider myself a mediocre player of the sport.  Sometimes I do really well (I beat everyone the first game!) and sometimes I do splendiferously bad (getting zero points for three sets in a row).  I guess people who carry their own name embroidered bags  and wear their custom made shoes have had a lot of experience with aiming the stupid heavy ball towards the pins, but I really think they should not play while normal people (who are lucky if they get 5 pins down) are around.  They make me feel really stupid when I get gutter balls.  They throw them with perfection down the alley, usually with no sound (while I chuck the thing halfway down the lane) and get a perfect strike.  I have to say though, tonight I was lucky.  I got three strikes and a spare.  Beat that, professional bowlers.  One thing I really love about bowling alleys is the jukebox.  Who knew people of this millennium are still into jukeboxes?  I love flipping through the playlists and finding hits from the 80s (like Tom Petty's Free Falling [is that from the 80s?] and John Mellencamp's Jack & Diane) and mixing them with hits from today.  I get really excited when my songs come on.  I have this theory that when my I am up and my song is playing, I should automatically get a strike (or do well anyway).  I hate when a song I have chosen is on and I do horrible.  I don't know why, but I do.  You know you're bad when little five year old kids playing next to you get a higher score.   Are there genes that they inherit that automatically make them good bowlers?  Like is there honestly that much talent in throwing the thing?  I really need to find out.  I wonder if anyone offers bowling lessons...

Avocados and Shopping

I have been so busy this weekend I feel like my head will explode. Yesterday, I hung out with a girl I knew from my Little League years, and then I had a sleepover with my friend Carrie.  Today, my friends and I ventured out to the mall, where we all indulged in a little shopping (and pretzel bites).  I got the cutest new skirt (which is weird since I never wear skirts) that has all these little scattered polka dots and three stripes on the bottom.  I love it, even though I got the wrong size.  Before that, we went to David's Bridal.  I really love that store.  I love looking at all the pretty dresses and wishing I could wear them.  It's like a princess feeling, with all the pretty ruching and rhinestones.  There was this one dress that was yellow with all these pretty white polka dots.  I wish I needed that for something.  Maybe I can convince Eileen to have another wedding.  I'm pretty sure she wouldn't fall for that though.  From the mall, I went to TGIFriday's.  There are so many things that I can say about TGIFriday's but where do I begin?  I had the most amazing sandwich ever with avocados and turkey.  Avocados just make everything better.  Not to mention the french fries, which are my favorite because they have the perfect blend of seasoning and fat to keep me satisfied.  I need to find seasoned french fries that can match the perfectness that are at that restaurant.  

Watching A Movie

For the past couple of months, I have been trying to broaden the types of movies I have been watching.  I have seen old Hollywood classics, which I have grown to love very much.  I have seen movies from the 60s that everyone tells you to watch.  I have seen stupid movies that I just wanted to see and I have seen movies that seemed cheesy enough to be amazing.  But there is something I have realized.  I hate movies that give their viewers a false premise.  Actually, sometimes I love them, but that's beside the point.  They give me emotions that I really don't want the world to see.  It's one thing to watch a movie by myself, where I can react any way I want and not have a single soul to watch me.  But when a movie makes you want to just break down and cry your heart out (not that I would ever do such a thing) and you are watching it with someone else, you have to keep it inside, which is really really hard to do.  That's what happened when I watched Steel Magnolias with my little sister.  It gives this impression that it is another cheese romantic comedy with actresses like Dolly Parton, Julia Roberts, and Sally Field, but what it fails to tell you is, the ending is horrifically sad.  I need to warn people about this for future movie watching endeavors.  

Another movie that is equally sad, which I had the fortune to watch by myself, is A Good Year (or is it The Good Year, I have no idea).  It has mostly happy points, but there are flash backs frequently that occur, which are always sad no matter what.

Tomorrow I will not be able to post a blog, as I am going to be spending the night with my friend Carrie.  But, I will be back Sunday.  :)

The Theater!

I love going to plays.  Sometimes, I don't like to admit it, but when I think about it, I love the atmosphere of a theater.  I took a Dramatic Arts class in my second semester of college which caused me to have an even bigger appreciation towards the craft.  I learned everything about the lighting, the set design, the theater space, and the music.  Tonight I got to go to a local venue and see "The Fiddler on the Roof."  I had never seen it before even though it has gotten fabulous reviews by everyone I know who have gone to see it.  I had an excellent time, even though some acting was amateurish (which is totally understandable since a lot of the actors were young), and the singers were absolutely breathtaking (the lead sounded almost exactly like Nathan Lane).  We even won a raffle for two free tickets for any show in the future.  In the one song Do You Love Me?  my brain instantly fixated on that one scene in Gilmore Girls where Kirk sang it to the little girl.  Oh Kirk, you are such a dork, no wonder you were such a good character on that show.

Messages in Food

What is it about foods with messages inside?  Fortune cookies, Snapple bottles, and Dove chocolates are just a few of the exciting goods I am talking about.  I recently found out that the "Real Facts" on the Snapple lids has a website you can visit that lists ever single little tidbit of odd information that is published.  You know what I did when I got home?  I went online and read every single one.  Now I am this walking encyclopedia of weird knowledge.  For instance, did you know that mosquitoes have 45 teeth and are attracted to people after they eat bananas?  I didn't.  I used to love Dove chocolates when they used really cool quotes, often about chocolate, on the foil wrappers.  I think I even collected a bunch of them, as sad as that sounds.  Some were really cool, about dreams and all that stuff that 12 year old girls like to read about.  Fortune cookies have been disappointing me lately though.  I hate when I get absolutely no fortune, like You are a pleasant person with many friends.  That's lame.  I want one that will say something like, You will become fabulously wealthy and have many friends.  I'm pretty sure that I have never gotten one of those.  Maybe, the time will come when I do get that fortune and then I can afford all those amazing clothing items in InStyle!

Hot days and Magazines

I love days when I can peruse cool magazines like InStyle.  For a brief period of time, I am transformed into someone who wants to be able to afford $145 sunglasses and $700 shoes.  It's funny when reading these kinds of things because a lot of times they will list a pencil skirt for $60 and a wallet for $1oo and I think to myself, Why would I ever pay more for a wallet than a skirt?  Oh how I wish I was that elegant and luxurious (and rich) that I could spend my money recklessly on simple clothing items.  I'm the kind of person who could look at a page, see the cheapest thing, and then think of that as a splurge item.  I have enough problems trying to pay $70 for a pair of Gap pants that fit me and I can wear for a couple of years.  Gap isn't exactly the high end store that magazines list as somewhere to shop for designer wear.  But looking for a pair of pants as cheap as $60 is really quite a task when flipping over the glossy pages that list designer jeans like True Religion and Se7en (is that spelled right?) at prices above $100.  Those rich people sure have a way of making us not so rich (but not exactly poor) feel bad about the clothes we buy.  I like mine anyway, even if Gap is a luxury to me.

In other news, how cool is Celebrity Family Feud?  It's just as enjoyable as the original just with people we know and love from TV shows.  Tonight...I got to watch The Office face American Gladiators.  I won't tell who won (just because I know Eileen wants to watch it and she's three hours behind) but it was really cool.  I miss TV that consisted of game shows and sitcoms, instead of reality shows.  

Can you believe how ridiculously hot it is out?  It's insane.  It's bad enough that the temperatures are climbing into the 90s but adding the humidity makes it 1000 times worse.  First, there's the problem of my hair.  Have you ever seen the episode of Friends (titled The One in Barbados) where Monica's hair gets crazy frizzy?  Mine is kind of like that, on a minute scale.  

Then there's the problem of my face.  I have been dealing with severe acne for the past year and a half and having all the sweat drenched all over my face makes it even worse to cure.  If anyone knows of a good system, let me know! 

Tired

I know that I'm supposed to post things daily on here, but sometimes it is really hard to.  There are tons of situations that have to be factored in, like when I randomly lose wireless connection, or if I go somewhere where I can't bring my computer.   Last night, I went to a sleepover.  I haven't been to one in awhile so I forgot what they usually entail.  Lots of food, little sleep, and loud people.  Today, I'm working off of three hours sleep.  I have to say, it's not as bad as the time at school when my best friends and I decided to stay up all night reminiscing about the year.  It was our last day, and it was too hard to sleep.  Thoughts kept restlessly getting into our heads.  After about four hours of staying awake, it usually means you aren't going to sleep the rest of the night.  With that, I'm taking a nap.  I'm so tired that I have nothing interesting to keep everyone entertained.  

This is what happens when you get no sleep at a sleepover...

Independence Day!

Happy 4th of July!   Today was an excellent day, thanks to TLCs What Not to Wear marathon, cloudy but not rainy weather, and fireworks on television.  Unfortunately, this also meant hauling our butts over to my favorite aunt's house for a turkey dinner.  In July.  Now, there is nothing wrong with this, because I like turkey and cranberry sauce.  It reminds me a lot of eating pancakes for dinner.  It's so wrong, but yet so right.  I didn't get to see fireworks, besides on NBC for the amazing Macy's celebration.  I can't imagine what kind of time and work goes into planning that show.  Even though I saw them on TV, nothing can compare to the awe when seeing them in person.  The loud booms always scare me, but the colors always astound.  

Deep Fried Happiness

Since I've been home from college, I have become a sloth.  My daily routine consists of waking up at 11, getting the mail/paper, eating lunch (yes, I have even gotten to the point where I don't even attempt to eat breakfast), doing any kind of odds and ends chores in the house, and watching TV.  Sometimes, I even switch it all up by helping my mom work or going to my friend's house to watch movies and eat dinner.  With everything that I do, it's no surprise why I have written about TV shows, websites, and movies.  I now get to this point where if I even see something remotely interesting on television, the tiny gears in my head start rotating and I think, What should I say about this amazing program?  I really can't wait until college when I can write about interesting subjects, because I'll be somewhere where I actually you know, do things on a daily basis.  With all this in mind, of course I'll talk about an amazing Travel channel show I just so happened to record on my DVR feature a couple of days ago.  Today, I watched Deep Fried Paradise, where a camera goes around and interviews various restaurants that fry unique foods around the country (You know what I always wonder about shows like this?  Why isn't there any interviewer in all of these?  It's always just a camera recording, with a voiceover in the background.  I think shows like these would be major successes if there was some important figure leading it on).  When I watched this, of course I obtained this massively unhealthy craving for anything dipped in batter and fried in oil.  At first, they take you to an establishment in New Orleans, where they fry chicken.  I thought to myself, Well ok, this shouldn't be too bad.  It's just chicken. But then they take you to a place where they fry beef steak (yes you heard me, BEEF steak). From there, I saw the weirdest things, from turkey and pickles to pizza and twinkies.  Just the thought of some of these things made me want to throw open my cabinet doors and throw the nearest thing into the deep fryer.  It really made me feel like my daily eating routine was really healthy, which I can tell you sometimes is, compared to the way some of these people eat.  After watching that, I ravenously searched for another show similar to that one.  Unfortunately, all I could find was a show about the Top 10 Fast Food Stops in the world, which was also really interesting, but not in the same way this one was.  But then, after I thought there couldn't be any more interesting programs available on the television, one caught my eye.  It was called SandBlasters III: The Extreme Sandsculpting Championship, where artists from around the country gather to create masterpieces of sand and water, only to inevitably have them blown to bits, either by a random lottery or at the end of the competition.  I really want to build a sandcastle now.

    This is a promo video, it's all I could find.

Cakes!

My sister put  me in charge of looking for cool cake ideas for my niece's birthday party.  At first, I was really excited, because a few years ago I found this website called bored.com, and it had this link to really unique cakes.  I had this dream that she would somehow bring these cakes into fruition, but then I realized, I don't think any normal person can actually recreate some of the cakes I have seen.  It's cool when there are recipes attached, but when you are just looking at this masterpiece of art (that will only be eaten in minutes), you just know that only someone who has a LOT of time (and money) on their hands can do it.  It's really hard to try to find ideas online, because you either find really stupid sheet cakes with ordinary decorations on them, or you find insanely clever kinds.  Finally, though, I looked on Family Fun's website (which is a magazine to those who don't know) and they had somewhat cool ideas AND recipes.  How lucky is that?  Here's an awesome Mario cake that I wish someday to make (but I will not be able to):

CarbonRally

I've mentioned global warming before, and how much it is affecting us.  I've always wondered how any one person could drive the masses to changing their ways so that this problem of ours can be fixed.  It seems impossible, with the population rising every second (or so I believe).  Almost a week ago, I found this incredible website that can help.  It is called Carbonrally.com.  I found out about it through a daily newsletter and it captured my eye immediately.  The main focus of this website is to create change in everyday life.  When someone signs up, they can accept easy challenges that will reduce CO2 emissions and energy usage.  I signed up last week and it feels good that I helped in some small way, even if it isn't that significant.  The thing is, I always believed that if everyone did small things, we'd be able to create a bigger impact.   The challenges aren't hard either.  I signed up for a challenge to not eat meat for 2 whole days.  It wasn't hard at all, and I love meat.  I also signed up for one that would cut two minutes off of shower time every day.  For me, that is significant, because I have a problem when it comes to taking showers.  I stay in way too long.  Head on over to this site.  It's pretty awesome.