Friday, July 29, 2005

BAD NEWS AND CHOCOLATE

You know Hollywood is running out of ideas when they're re-making so many classics. My theory is, if you're going to re-do a movie, make sure it's better than the first one! I've seen two "re-made" movies this week. Wednesday night I saw Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and last night I saw Bad News Bears.

Now, I'm not a huge fan of the classic Bad News Bears, so I was optimistic about this one. I love Marcia Gay Harden and I'm a mediocre fan of Billy Bob, so I thought this could possibly be a good movie. Well, at 11:30 last night I walked out of the theatre unimpressed and a little disapointed. There were many times that I laughed at the movie...good humor between Billy Bob and the kids. But, the language was overwhelming. And, I guess the thing that I really had a problem with is that the language was mainly coming from the kids...11 and 12 year old kids cussing like sailors! It was just a little disturbing to me. Everyone is used to hearing Billy Bob cuss...but little boys? I wanted to reach through the screen and say "Watch your mouth, little man!" Bottom line...it was a funny movie, but I'd wait to see it on video if you already haven't paid $7.50 at the box office.

Wednesday we went to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Now, I went with an open mind, which I think is the key when going to see this movie. My brother had gone to see CCF, and didn't like it at all...and, very few of my friends wanted to see it, so I was a little hesitant about stepping into the almost empty theatre. However, from the moment the movie started, I was entranced. My first recommendation would be to not compare the new version to the old one until after the movie. You'll drive yourself nuts trying to compare Gene Wilder to Johnny Depp and picking out all of the differences. There were many similarities, but just as many alterations. I absolutely loved the movie. I especially loved Willy Wonka's view of children and his smart-alec comments. Johnny Depp did an amazing job taking on this character. Speaking of Johnny Depp...if you attend his movies because you think he is hot(I think he is gorgeous!), find another reason to go to this movie...he's not hot as Willy Wonka, but he is interesting. The scenery is amazing, the acting is pretty good, and the humor makes the movie!

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Wedding Crashers

This past weekend I went to see the new movie Wedding Crashers. I went with Lisa, who has become my new movie buddy, Jamie and Jamie's husband, Scott. We had hoped to go to the 9:30 show, but it was sold out, so we opted for the 9:45 show which ultimately ended up sold out too. The theatre was so packed, that we had to sit on the second row from the front. Not the best seats in the world, but we were optimistic.

The first thing I want to say about the movie is that Owen Wilson is freakin' hot. The second thing I would like to say is that Vince Vaughn is freakin' hot too. Together, they make a freakin' hot team!

So, the movie was hilarious. I laughed a lot, and I mean a lot. But, I will say, if you don't find sexual humor funny, you won't find this movie very funny. The majority of the humor in this movie is based on sexual innuendos and, well...I'll just let you see the movie. Bottom line - I thought it was funny, but dirty. It definitely earned its R rating.
Friends

Monday night, HBO aired the series finale of Sex and the City. It was my second time to see this episode because the series has actually been over for quite awhile. The majority of my favorite episodes are in the sixth season, which ended up being the final season for these four fabulous women in New York. For those of you who were avid watchers of the show or who have seen the DVD's, you know what happens in the final episode. For those of you who haven't seen it, I'm not going to ruin it...but I will say it is a must see if you have any interest in Sex and the City what-so-ever. It will be awhile before TBS aires this one. Anyway...

As I was sitting there watching the last 20 minutes of the show, I was reminded how important friends are. We often take for granted our close relationships and don't appreciate the precious commodity that has been given to us.

Today, I want to say thank you to all of my friends. To my friends who make me laugh, to the few that have seen me cry, to those who know my dreams, and the ones who have seen me fall. To the ones here in Abilene, and to those in Dallas, Ft. Worth, Lubbock, Van and wherever else. To those older and younger than me. You have all touched my life in a very special and unique way. Some of you are family, and others just feel like family. Some I've known since I was a baby and others I've known only a year. For those that I don't see everyday, I miss you very much. And for those that I do see everyday, I count it a blessing. Thank you for being a part of my life.

Monday, July 25, 2005

Yet, Another "Survey"

In case you can't tell, I'm a fan of suryeys. I'm not sure why I like to answer them. Maybe cause I find out things about myself...maybe cause I like answering questions about myself. Who knows. But, I put them on my blog so that you can find out more about me, and so that I actually have an excuse to answer these random questions. So, here's another one. I got this one from Kim, and Julie actually took this one from Kim too.


A-Z About Me!


A - Age you got your first kiss: If you count all kisses, then I was in kindergarten. My first "real" kiss was in high school.

B - Band listening to right now: Journey...getting a little old school in my office

C - Crush: I'm guessing that celebrities don't count...I really don't have a crush right now

D - Dad's name: Charles

E - Easiest person(s) to talk to: most of my close friends are easy to talk to

F - Favorite bands at the moment: I'm loving a lot of bands right now...Cold Play, Black Eyed Peas, Green Day, Rascal Flatts, Sugarland...and of course Dolly, but she's not really a band

G - Gummy worms or gummy bears?: bears, man!

H - Hometown: Van, TX

I - Instruments: alto and soprano sax

J- Junior High: Van Junior High School

K - Kids: not a big fan...don't love them...don't want to have them

L - Longest car ride ever: Van, TX to Detroit, MI

M - Mom's name: Janine

N - Nicknames: Jen, Jenni, Ellison

O - One wish: to have a boyfriend

P - Phobia[s]: hummmm....I hate scary movies...does that count?

Q - Quote: I have several...."Life is about entrances and exits." "Life is a buffet and most poor fools are starving to death." "Live life hard and fast, so when you hit that ditch, you've got enough force to push you to the other side."

R - Reason to smile: great friends, fun messages...there is a lot to smile about! I can't name them all.

S - Song you sang last: I sang along with Pat Benatar singing Heartbreakers this morning

T - Time you woke up [today]: 8:00...i was late to work

U - Unknown fact about me: I absolutely can't stand the construction workers that are across from my office right now. Finish the dorm already, and quit taking your breaks in my yard!

V - Vegetable you hate: onions!!!!!!!!!!!

W - Worst habit(s): i'm really critical and over judgemental...the habit is that I judge people or criticize people a lot...I'm working on this.

X - X-rays you've had: Neck, back, jaw, nose, knee, ankle

Y - Yummy food: Just about any food...not much I won't eat

Z - Zodiac sign: Libra

Friday, July 22, 2005

SURVEY SAYS....

I got this from Kim's blog, who got this from Janaye. Just some random info.

1. Do you own a polka dot shirt? No. Not sure I have ever owned a polka dot shirt.

2. Do you think that you will ever be the first woman president? No. Really don’t want to be the first woman president….and I’m pretty sure that there will be many other women way more qualified than I am in the running.

3. How many showers have you taken today? One

4. What do you think you will be doing at this time tomorrow? Swimming…tomorrow is Saturday!

5. What is the hottest thing about a guy? Wow…so many things…how could I pick just one thing?

6. Who do you want the next president to be? I really don’t know. And, I really haven’t put that much thought into it.

7. What do you know about your religion? Well, that’s kind of a loaded question. I can’t write everything I know…but I do know that I don’t know everything.

8. How many new people have you met this year? A lot…you can’t work in the events industry and not meet new people.

9. What is the last number you used? My password for myACU login.

10. What was the last candy you had? Um, I had some Reese’s Pieces last Friday on the plane ride back to DFW.

11. Do you drink soda? Yes, but I’m trying to quit. It’s a constant struggle for me. I don’t drink coke for about 2 months, and then I drink one…and I’m on again. Guess I’m a cokeaholic.

12. Are you worried about your weight? I don’t worry about my weight. I suppose that almost everyone wants to lose weight…and I guess I do too. But, I feel great, I feel good about myself, and I’m happy…so, I really don’t worry about much.

13. What song would you want a guy to sing to you? Wow…don’t even get me started! I love the old country song “Lay You Down.” I would sacrifice my morals for a man who sang that song to me. Not really, but it’s a hot song! I also think that Gary Allen has a lot of hot songs…like “Nothing On But the Radio.” Yum! And, I don’t want him to sing it to me, but if a guy played “At Last” for me….I’m his!

14. What is your words per minute(how fast you type)? Not really sure. I type pretty fast. And I used to be the fastest in my keyboarding class in high school, but I don’t remember my WTPM.

15. What will you eat next? Lunch at Johnnie Carino’s

16. When was the last time you baked brownies? Um, years ago. I haven’t baked brownies in a long time.

17. How many people know your birthday? My family knows my b-day. And, most of my friends know when it is. I’ve got good friends….I’m the bad one…if you’re b-day isn’t on my calendar, I rarely remember it.

18. Do you look tired today? No…surprisingly! I actually look pretty refreshed. I had a facial yesterday and spent about 6 hours in a pool yesterday afternoon and last night.

19. When was the last time you had a Now & Later? A long time ago…I don’t like Now&Laters.

20. Do you think Tom DeLonge is hot? No, I actually think he’s kind of ugly.

21. Name a friend & their favorite color. Amber – red….I can honestly say that she is the only friend who’s favorite color I know.

22. What was the last thing you ran for? The last thing I ran for in an election was for a GATA office. The last thing I physically ran for was last night playing volleyball.

23. Do you think you have no life? Oh, I definitely have a life! It might not be too exciting to some people, but it keeps me busy enough!

24. How many days until you get out of school or go back to school? I am actually done with school. But, since I work at a university, I am still affected by the school calendar. School starts here on Aug. 22.

25. Take your age, multiply it by your favorite number, add it to the amount of letters in your first name, subtract it by how many speakers you have and multiply it by 3. What do you get? 1473. By speakers, I’m assuming that this meant on my computer, and I don’t have any speakers on my computer.

26. Have you ever failed a final? Oh yes! Many, many times!

27. At what age do you think your hair will start turning gray? Not sure…I could base it on my parents…both of them started turning gray around the time they turned 50.

28. Name something that you have more than 28 of. CDs…and files in my filing cabinet.

29. Do you like peas? Yeah, I like sweet peas.

30. Have you ever woken up with a spider on you? Um, no. I don’t think so.

31. Do you drool in your sleep? I have before, but it’s not “common practice.”

32. Have you ever peed yourself in your sleep at a friend's? Not that I can remember…I’ll ask my mom…she’ll know.

33. Do you watch the Real World? No

34. Have you whined today? Not yet, but I’m sure I will by the end of the day.

35. Have you talked mean about anyone today? Not yet, but I’m sure I will by the end of the day.

37. What does your soap smell like? Well, I’m using Irish Spring Ocean Breeze right now…it actually kind of smells like guys cologne.

38. Do you believe in pre-marital sex? I believe in it, as in, I know it’s real…but I don’t condone it.

39. Have you ever had a stalker? Yes, but it was a joke….never had a scary stalker.

40. Can you remember your last dream? Not really, but I don’t remember my dreams well.

41. Have you ever popped a string on a guitar? No, but I’ve smashed a guitar.

42. Do you leave food sitting up in your room? No.

43. Do you have a nose ring? No

44. How many people did you talk to last time you were on the phone? Just one…if I’m talking to more than one person on the phone, I get confused easily.

45. What is your reasoning for usually getting online? E-mail is my main drive. I sign onto AIM, but don’t use it much…I use the internet a lot for work.

46. How much money do you think you'll make when you get older? Depends on where I work…I have the potential to make quite a bit in my field, but I have to go where the money is!

47. Do you have trouble falling asleep? Not usually.

48. Have you ever been struck by lightning? No.

49. What is your sign? Libra

50. Have you ever thought a teacher was really hot? Nope

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

BAHAMAS INSTEAD OF BOYS

With hurricane Dennis no longer a threat, and hurricane Emily approaching behind us, my sister and I headed to Florida Tuesday morning for a much needed vacation. After a smooth, three-hour flight, we arrived in Ft. Lauderdale, picked up our rental car, and headed for the pristine beaches of Hollywood. Our drive was like something seen in the movies complete with palm trees, shanties and glimpses of the beach.
We arrived at our resort right on schedule and were immediately greeted by valet attendants and bellmen. We checked in, arranged for our luggage to be delivered to our room and headed to the north tower. We stepped onto the elevator, pushed our floor number and our elevator exclaimed "Going up, 23rd floor." I will admit to this being my first experience with a talking elevator. My sister and I instantly made friends with "the voice" in the elevator and greeted her everytime we rode. Basically, the only words she knew were "Going up, going down," and our floor numbers.
We strolled through the halls until we found room 2365. We anxiously opened our door and were instantly amazed at our ocean view. The beds were heavenly, bathrooms were marvelous and the view was breathtaking.
Tuesday we spent the day getting acquainted with our resort and the town. Wednesday was our beach and spa day. The first half of the day consisted of sleeping late and laying around on the beach. We then left for our afternoon at the spa. Hands down, the best massage I have ever had! We then ventured away from our hotel and visited a local seafood restaurant...cool place, great atmosphere, good food, sorry service. But, ask me about it and I'll tell you about the awesome decor.
Thursday was meant to be our cabana day...which translates into Jen and Jes being fed fruit by a cabana boy. But, instead, we decided to take a quick flight down to the Bahamas. So, Thursday we left our hotel at 5:30am, caught an early flight and spent the day shopping and tooling around the Bahamas. We went to The Atlantis resort, met up with our friends, ate breakfast, shopped all day, met our customs limit, went to the beach and flew back to Florida that night. It was a blast!
The Bahama beaches are amazing! Here are few pics of The Atlantis, me and Jes.
Friday was our last day in Florida, so we laid around by the pool and tried to catch as much sun as possible. My sister left darker than ever, while I left looking like a lobster.
We had an uneventful flight back to DFW, were picked up by our family, ate dinner in Dallas and crashed once we made it back to good ole' Van.

Friday, July 08, 2005

Mr. and Mrs. Smith....great movie! Brad Pitt - HOT! Angelina Jolie - Beautiful. Why wouldn't they hook-up?
It's a COMPLETE movie, and by complete, I mean it has every element. It's action packed, suspenseful, sexy, funny, romantic...you name it, it's got it. So, that's my movie critique for the day. Go see it!
Also, random piece of information - If you ever go to Outback, order a loaf of bread and a side of chocolate sauce. Sounds gross, I know...but it's absolutely wonderful! It tastes just like a brownie....fabulous! So, for those of you who don't like to spend the $$$ on dessert, here's you an easy way out!

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

This is what The Weather Channel is predicting for the path of Dennis. Can I just tell you that I will be in Florida all next week?! I hadn't plan on Dennis coming with me unless that is the name of my cabana boy! Tropical Storm...I can handle, although I didn't picture my vacation sitting in my room during a thunder storm. Hurricane...not so much! My sister is going with me, and I'm super excited! I'm hoping our schedule will consist of hanging out at the beach, hanging out by the pool, and hanging out under the cabana with our own private cabana boy...yum! So, here's hoping for pretty weather and hot cabana boys!