Alright - Time for a New BOTW

In an effort to bring this back to being a family-friendly site, I have chosen for my next botw, a man who seems to me to be an all-around good guy. A guy whom I think is wonderful, but is not on my 'list,' because he's just not that type. He's the type you bring home to mom.

Sean Astin

Born Februrary 25th, 1971, to Patty Duke and John Astin (who actually is his adoptive father), Sean started acting when he was 10 (in an after school special with his mom). When he was 13, he starred in "The Goonies," which was a hit (that unfortunately I have not seen - what's with that? I'll have to check the library). He's also in 'Memphis Belle,' 'Courage Under Fire,' and 'Encino Man,' among others. ('Courage Under Fire' was the first 'R' rated movie I saw in the theater. Maybe that blows the family friendly idea. Nah - it was a war movie. Those can be exceptions.) He was Rudy, in 'Rudy,' which was good and helped to make him better known. Oh, and he was Drew Barrymore's brother in '50 First Dates,' and was stinkin' funny.

Sean graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in history, and one in English. If you watch the commentary for 'Lord of the Rings,' you'll see that he's super smart. He uses all these big words just naturally (not sounding like he's trying to impress), and analyzes literature and history and politics all casual sounding. And he is the National Center for Family Literacy celebrity spokesperson.

He's written a book, 'There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale,' and has directed and produced a few movies. He's so talented.

Unfortunately it's unfortunately time. One, he's married and has three daughters (excellent job naming them, though - Alexandra, Elizabeth, and Isabella). Two - he's 5'7".

But, those things can be overlooked. He's too great of a guy to not have him as my BOTW.

joaquin has now been my botw as long as john krasinski. that sounds about right. so now it's time for a change.

one more thought before he goes, though:

oh, i forgot to tell you

a few weeks ago i was driving along, listening to the country station that plays not quite mostly old songs. so i'm driving, and i think, 'hey - this is suppsed to be classic country songs. i want the good old real country. why have i not heard johnny cash? they need to play johnny cash. that's what i'm in the mood for. i want johnny cash.' so then the dj stopped talking, and there came 'man in black!' it was johnny! not my favorite johnny song, but it was the man in black himself. when the song was over, the dj said, 'and that was johnny cash, by request.' dude - i am good.

For generations theologians have been trying to figure out the exact meaning of 'lead us not into temptation' in the LORD's Prayer. Can GOD really tempt us if HE is wholly good? Or is it asking HIM not to tempt us? Or is it something else?

I figured it out a few months ago. It means 'don't let me meet Joaquin.'

i wish i had nice hair

rude person at the library

i didn't think that was possible either. i thought library patrons were nice people who wanted to increase their knowledge or simply gain enjoyment through something other than the rude trash one finds on tv. but apparently not.

to get into the library parking lot, you're supposed to go through the driveway that has the little entrance sign. that means the other driveway is the exit. that means you're not supposed to go in that way. well, apparently this woman thought she was above such guidelines. she darted into the exit and stole the last spot when i was clearly entering the right way! how rude! how can anyone be so not courteous?

i bet she was just going for the dvds.

mouthwash

k, so i read the instructions on act mouthwash. it says i'm supposed to swish for one minute. who the heck can swish for one whole minute? your mouth would fall off!

jeopardy

my dad and i were watching jeopardy today, and i so kicked bum. double jeopardy was mostly about romantic-y things like roses and hearts and etc. one category was celluloid lovers. i swept that one. if i had been there, the audience woulda had to clap for me. 'princess bride,' 'casablanca,' 'city of angels,' 'as good as it gets,' and 'i don't remember what the other one was.' i kick bum.

no one was at dairy queen just now

the cook told me to blog this

i told him i love him today. he made cookies for me. i hate baking at work and i've now been stuck with 4 days of having to bake for coffee time in a row. so he was super nice and made something so i wouldn't have to. he's my hero of the day.

time goes faster when you're sleeping

you know how days (esp. work days) can feel like they go on forever, but it seems like nights go way fast and you don't get enough sleep? yeah, well now i know it's true. i woke up the other night at 2:02 and had to go to the bathroom. when i got back to bed, it was 2:08. there's no way it coulda taken me 6 minutes to pee. so see? it's true. we don't get enough sleep cuz nights are too short.

go johnny

johnny cash was the number two top selling artist in 2006

the cook at work

he and i talk about the strangest things - things i would never talk about with other guys. while at times it can be disturbing, it's also kind of refreshing. when else would i be able to say...nevermind. there are other guys reading this. and as i said, i wouldn't talk about some of these things with other guys. so i better stop there.

I found "Ladder 49" for $5 at the video place. Two thoughts:

1. Firefighters are sexy.

2. Joaquin is smoldering.

what makes it even sadder is that i'm not in the mood for ice cream. how else does one console oneself?

:( news of the day

i was gonna sign up for an online class at cardiff university (wales) on tolkien. unfortunately i vascilated for too long on whether or not to take it. i was about to go to the bank to send money over there but it turns out i'm too late. the deadline for online classes is monday, and there's no way a check can make it there by then. i was so close! hopefully i'll maybe learn a lesson - stop waiting to do things! i'm such a procratinator, and so indecisive, and all that, and it keeps making me sad. can't they make an exception for me? i love tolkien! pardon me now while i go cry.

Please tell me what I should do with my life. I'm sick of not knowing. So if you know, please let me know.

why is it

that when i have to go to bed i'm not tired, but then when i can stay up i practically fall over of tiredness?

Cocaine Blues

Alright - yes, I know, and I agree - Johnny Cash is Johnny Cash. There will never be another Johnny. Joaquin did an amazing job as Johnny, though. His voice is great, and I like his versions of Johnny's songs about equally (just differently). (Joaquin's voice is purer, whereas Johnny's is more gritty and true.)

However. I must say Joaquin's version of "Cocaine Blues" is better. His version has so much energy and life. Johnny's version is kinda blah. I'm glad Johnny wrote it, though, cuz then Joaquin could sing it. I think Johnny would've liked to hear it. He'd enjoy it, too.

(Oh, and while we're on the subject of the "Walk the Line" versions of Johnny's songs, I like Joaquin and Reese's version of "Jackson" better, too, but part of that could be that I don't really like June's voice. And while we're on the subject of "Jackson", Joaquin could so "teach me what I don't know how.")

Signs (not a movie review)

Again, not gonna do a review (at least not now - who knows, maybe someday I'll get back to reviewing this and "The Village"). I watched it this afternoon, and I had forgotten how spiritual it is. With the whole faith, and reasons behind things, and trusting thing - it's really good. Granted there are aliens and whatnot, but hey, the Bible never says that GOD didn't populate other planets.

Ok, so this is kinda turning into a review. I may as well finish it.

I like this movie. (And not just cuz it's pretty, what with Joaquin and Mel.) It's a little suspenseful, but not scary (I like to compare M. Night Shyamalan to Alfred Hitchcock as far as that goes). Yes, it's about aliens attacking (they're kinda corny looking, but Didder is scared of them), but mostly it's about a pastor losing his faith when his wife dies, and how he gets it back. I like how it portrays the family, too. The acting is good, and there are some parts that are so funny that I can't imagine trying to keep a straight face while filming them.

So yeah, it's a good movie. If you haven't seen it - where have you been the last 5 years? I didn't know there were still people out there who haven't seen it. We'll have to watch it sometime.

question of the couple days ago

why does one's hair always look great when one is home alone or about to take a shower? why not when one is going out?

today at work

i made up for yesterday. one of the women i work with brought in a bottle of v-8 smoothie splash to share with us. so i started the day by spilling the bottle all over the floor. 2.2 seconds later i knocked over a pitcher (that thankfully was empty). then later i tried some of the smoothie that hadn't splattered and it tasted kinda like the pink medicine you get when you have an ear infection when you're little (which is fine for meds, but i don't think it's my favorite to drink). and then when i was doing dishes i dropped a glass full of tomato juice, so that splattered, and the glass broke.

and tonight there's nothing on, and now i have to do laundry.

yesterday at work

i had such a good day! i didn't have to butter bread, i didn't have to serve our infamous crabbiest resident, and we got free pizza!

oh, and then, after work, last night, 'studio 60' was on again (it's been gone for a month), and that made me happy, especially when one of the characters said 'romanticness.'

i have a lot to say

i meant to come on last night, but didn't get a chance to. so now i have so much to babble about. sorry linda, but i'm gonna babble now.

anyone wanna go to england & wales at the end of may?

happiness of saturday

i got out of bed at 2:34pm.

Just For Fun

Movie Review: Proof

The other night I watched 'Proof' with my mother. It was a good movie, but a little different. It's about this girl (Gwyneth Paltrow) who dropped out of school to take care of her mathematician father (Sir Anthony Hopkins) (he had mental issues - there's probably a better way of putting that, but I can't think of one right now - maybe schizzy). She's very much like him, so while she's inherited his math geniusness, she's also afraid that she's losing/gonna lose it like he did. (He's dead.) It's kind of a slow movie, but it's really good and nice for a change of pace. It is very well acted and yeah, I think that sums it up. Oh, except for the fact that my mother has now told me I can no longer try to convince my sister that none of us exist except in her head.

the village

i'm not gonna write a review, but i just have to say (and didder said it too), joaquin's proposal in this movie is probably the most romantic proposal of all moviedom. and he delivers it so perfectly. where can i find a guy like that?

oh, and one other thing i noticed this time around (and this is a happy thing, too), bryce dallas howard and joaquin are the same height. and they look fine together. and he is totally protective and taking care of her and all that, and it looks totally natural. so i could be with him even if he is short. he could still take care of me, and i would be safe, and it would be all good.

i'm out of water

which has nothing to do with anything - i just picked up my glass and was sad to find there was none there when i wanted it so.

on a happier note - we have chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream at my house now!!! :)

my mother

one of my favorite things about her is when she gets the giggles - when she starts laughing at something really little that the rest of us might just give a little smile. she gets going so she can't breathe, which then makes me laugh til i'm crying. and then my dad gets exasperated with us so we just laugh harder and we both almost keel over. i love that.

golden globes

best dressed: drew barrymore
worst dressed: cameron diaz
best ascent to the stage: jennifer hudson (she tripped so george clooney had to catch her - you go girl!)

best woo-wooiness: joaquin phoenix

best person with whom to watch them: didder

Plus Also

We're perfect for each other cuz he loves hoodies.

The BOTW to End All BOTWs

Not really. But (now here's where we get scandalous, sorry boys) this man is at the top of my 'list.' The others on my list are not in any particular order. But this man...he's number one.

Joaquin Phoenix

Didder and I were once talking about celebrities and about the fact that there are different words for different good-lookingness, such as handsome, hot, charming, and suave. We got to Joaquin, and we both came up with the same word: smoldering. His eyes are so intense, and he just has this presense that makes smoldering the only adjective that can really describe him.

Joaquin was born on October 28th, 1974 (such a nice age difference for us) in Puerto Rico to hippie-ish American parents who were missionaries with 'Children of God' (seriously messed up religious cult type deal). He is the third of five children. All the others have nature names (River, Rain, Liberty, and Summer - ok, Liberty isn't a nature name, but it's hippie-ish and her middle name is Butterfly), so when he was four he decided to change his name to Leaf. When he was 15 he decided to be Joaquin again. That would also be about the time he dropped out of school and traveled all over and went to Mexico to 'hang out with his dad' as he put it.

Leaf made a few movies when he was little, then took a break cuz he didn't like the roles out there for kids his age. Joaquin came back to movies when he was 19ish. The role that really made him a star, though, was 'Gladiator.' (Great boy movie. However, Joaquin is super creepy in it. Excellent acting on his part. He was nominated for an Oscar.) He was in 'Signs,' 'The Village,' 'Hotel Rwanda,' and 'Ladder 49' (firefighters are sexy), (all of which are good movies) among others. And then he was in 'Walk the Line.' I love that movie. It's so good - and Joaquin is so good in it. (He won the Golden Globe for Best Actor, and was nominated for an Oscar again.) And that's when I learned that he can sing. He has a great voice.

Wow, he's sexy.

Joaquin plays the guitar and piano a bit, he's fluent in Spanish, and he has those eyes. And his middle name is Rafael, which is cool. He usually brings his mom or one of his sisters to premieres and award shows. (He doesn't bring 'real' dates cuz he's waiting for me.) He doesn't like doing interviews, and if you see him do one on tv, he tends to be a little fidgety (it's so cute).

Oh, and one of my favorite things about him is the cute scar on his lip (technically not a scar I s'pose cuz he was born with it). It's not from a cleft palate - his mom has some story about feeling an angel touch her stomach when she was pregnant or something. Personally I think it came from what could've been a cleft but came together in the womb just barely in time. At any rate, it's kinda sexy.

But of course he has some unfortunatelies. Number one is that he smokes (eew, eew, eew, eew, eew), immediately followed by the fact that he's only 5'8 1/2" tall. He also has a potty mouth. And he's a vegan who's all mr. be nice to animals (the latter half of which is nice to some extent, but I don't think he'd approve of my reindeer hide slippers or my bunny fur mittens).

He also has that dorky circle tatoo on the inside of his arm, but that can be forgiven. It's just odd-looking. And hey, if he has a tatoo, then maybe he'd be go with me when I get mine and he'd get another one (with my name on it and a big heart).

Anyway, Joaquin is wonderful. (He's the only celebrity who has a fansite that's listed in my 'Favorites.') He's so smoldering. He can start a fire at my house anytime.

the sad state of my existence

today one of the residents went out for lunch cuz on fridays he often goes to the casino. and on wednesdays he's takes a bag lunch with him cuz he goes to bingo.

an 86 year old in a nursing home has more of a social life than i do.

boy readers

i've decided too bad. i'm not gonna censor what i write to accomadate boy readers. they'll just have to deal (and hopefully not be too scandalized).

the guy next to me at the library is breathing really loudly. he should stop.

scary thought

jesse now has my blog address. so now a boy might be reading this. i better watch what i write.

kubda sats u oist ti nycg ub ibe dat biw. sge;s a brat. (byt tgat;s ij - u stukk kive ger.)

:P

i will survive

i have survived a very trying ordeal. i was trapped in an elevator yesterday. not only that, but it was not with harry connick, jr. nor did a hot fireman rescue me. but i pulled through. i shoulda sung 'i will survive.' if in doubt, if a girls's alone and distraught she should belt out an aretha song.

Elvis' Birthday

I'm so glad Elvis was born. The fact that he was has made my last few months so very enjoyable. And he has made your life more enjoyable, too. Before he came along, the top of the charts included the likes of 'How Much is That Doggie in the Window.' Thank heaven for 'Heartbreak Hotel.'

Elvis was born in a shotgun shack in Tupelo, Mississippi on January 8th, 1935. When he was 13 the family moved to Memphis, where his mother bought him his first guitar (thank you, Gladys). In 1954 he recorded his first song at Sun Studios (I've been there!), and in 1956 he signed with RCA where he recorded his first #1 single, 'Heartbreak Hotel' ('Don't Be Cruel' was the 'B' side).

People fell in love with him. Well, teenage girls did. Adults wrote letters to the FBI saying he was a threat to national security. Since then, of course, tons of people have fallen in love with him (including me!). And with due cause. His music is great, and he hit pretty much every genre - rock 'n roll, country, gospel, soul, blues. He did it all. And then there are his movies. While they are pretty cheesy, they're enjoyable, and in the days before MTV, they gave people a way to see the King. And then there was the '68 Special, which involved black leather, so there you go.

Elvis is great. Oh, and did I mention that I've been to his house? Cuz I have been. So it's like we're friends. Go me.

And with that -

Happy Birthday Elvis!

Long Live the King!

HAPPY 72ND BIRTHDAY ELVIS!!!

Recent Additions to the Faculty of Dreamy Academy

In the comments of the last post of Dreamy Academy, I told of 2 new members of our staff, our busdriver Mr. Pullman, and our Driver's Ed. teacher Mr. O'Connell. I also mentioned our professor emeritus Mr. Presley. This term we have restuctured our current curriculum and are offering a wider variety of classes to better serve our student body, thus hobbitsister and I are pleased to announce the arrival of several new teachers, as well as some new support staff. So without further ado:

Mr. T. Gibson - Chemistry/Physics (Mr. Phifer has specialized in Biology)
Mr. Jackman - Math
Mr. Meier - Journalism
Mr. Gooding, Jr. - Ceramics
Mr. Perry - U.S. Geography (Mr. Smith will teaching World Geography)
Mr. Affleck & Mr. Damon - Home Ec.
Mr. Travolta - Dance (in the Gene Kelly Dance Studio)
Mr. Moore - ACT/SAT Prep.
Mr. Brady - Health (Mr. Deezer was kept extremely busy being the nurse, so with the hire of Mr. Brady, he will be better able to help those who are in need of his care)
Mr. Astin - Computer
Mr. Firth - Debate
Mr. O'Donnell - Phy.Ed. (Mr. Lucas will be focusing on Mechanics)
Mr. Stewart - American History (Mr. Pitt will be teaching World History and Mr. Depp will be teaching solely Lit.)
Mr. Spacey - Dean of Students
Mr. M. Gibson - Guidance Counselor
Mr. Van Dyke - Custodian
Mr. Riley who's not Riley - Hall Monitor
Mr. Everett - Lunch Lady
Mr. LeBlanc - Groundskeeper
Mr. Ullman - Assistant to the Groundskeeper
Mr. Kellerman - Announcements

alright - i'll lay off the long tolkien posts for a bit (cuz i'm afraid otherwise i might lose readers). i'll go back to pointless stuff.

Concerning Tolkien (and Languages)

Tolkien loved languages. From the time he was little, he couldn't get enough of them. He studied Latin, French, German, Greek, Icelandic, Spanish, Italian, and Gothic. And then there were his favorites - Anglo-Saxon, Welsh, and Finnish. How wonderful. There are so many languages I want to learn. I need someone to motivate me to study them. Instead I sit here on my toosh and do nothing. But Tolkien took the initiative and learned. He was not fluent in all these languages, but he was in some of them. What a brilliant mind.

Tolkien and I agree that the loss of languages is the tragic loss of the societies that speak them. We need to preserve them both for the sake of those societies, and for the beauty that languages in and of themselves possess.

'The bigger things get, the smaller and duller or flatter the globe gets. It is getting to be all one blasted little provincial suburb...There will be nowhere to go. So people will (I opine) go all the faster. Col. Knox says 1/8 of the world’s population speaks ‘English’, and that is the biggest language group. If true, [it's a] shame – say I. May the curse of Babel strike all their tongues till they can only say ‘baa baa’.'

Btw - my list of languages I want to learn includes Swedish, French, Russian, Spanish, ASL, and signed English (all of which I have dabbled in), and Hebrew, Welsh, Hawaiian, Ojibwe, Greek, Latin, and Anglo-Saxon. And like 847 others.

community ed classes

here are two options for me:

1. Chocolate, Broccoli, and Life: Find Your Reason to Get Up in the Morning

2. Chocolate, Broccoli, and Prosperity: Creating Your Own Abundant Life

chocolate

one of the girls i work with brought me some dark chocolate m&m's today. it was a happy experience. and the cook at work said he would bring me chocolate every time i have to work for him (obviously not the same day cuz he wouldn't be there, but sometime around then). it's amazing how much better that makes work.

THE PROFESSOR!

Ringers

Around the world today, Ringers, at 9:00pm their own time will be honoring Tolkien with a simple toast.

'Ainulindalë’

The beginning:
“There was Eru, the One, who in Arda is called Ilúvatar [God]; and he made first the Ainur, the Holy Ones [angels]…and they sang before him, and he was glad.” Then Melkor, the most mighty of the Ainur [Lucifer], created discord and others “attuned their music to his.” Then Ilúvatar silenced the music and spoke “…And thou, Melkor, shalt see that no theme may be played that hath not its uttermost source in me, nor can any alter the music that is my despite. For he that attempteth this shall prove but mine instrument in the devising of things more wonderful, which he himself hath not imagined.”

- parts taken from 'The Silmarillion' by J.R.R. Tolkien

This is not allegory. I have put in the interpretations myself. Tolkien hated allegory, but believed in applicability (allowing the reader to get what they want from it rather than having the designs of the author thrust at them). Still, the fundamentals of ‘Ainulindalë,’ I believe, are rooted in Christianity, and thus help to shed a different light on it. It is beautiful.

Concerning J.R.R. Tolkien (and His Faith)

If I could meet anyone in all history (except for Bible people cuz while they may be true, those tend to be cliche answers), I think it would be John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. Not because he's the author of one of my favorite books, but because he was a fascinating, educated man with whom I share many interests.

First and foremost, he was a Christian. While I don't agree with everything he believed (he was Catholic), the basis of our faith is the same, and that is what counts in the end anyway. His faith permeated all that he said and did; one biographer said that it was impossible to have a conversation with him that did not quickly and naturally turn to Tolkien's beliefs. I've read some of his letters and it's true - there's hardly one that does not mention GOD in some way. In his writings, one of the passages I like is from a letter to his son: "as souls with free-will we are, as it were, so placed as to face (or be able to face) God. But God is (so to speak) also behind us, supporting, and nourishing us (as being creatures). The bright point of power where that life-line, that spiritual umbilical cord touches: there is our Angel, facing two ways to God behind us in the direction we cannot see, and to us. But of course do not grow weary in facing God, in your free right and strength (both provided ‘from behind’ as I say). If you cannot achieve inward peace, and it is given to few to do so (least of all to me) in tribulation, do not forget that the aspiration for it is not a vanity, but a concrete act...If you don’t do so already, make a habit of the ‘praises’. I use them much...If you have these by heart you never need for words of joy."

Tolkien's faith was a genuine one. He was uncompromising, alienating some of his closest friends because of his strong convictions, but also winning friends to CHRIST because of them. It hurt him that people did not think of 'The Lord of the Rings' as a Christian work, as he felt it flowed from his Catholocism. The first part of his book 'The Silmarillion,' which tells of the first age of Middle Earth, is about the creation of Middle Earth, and is a beautiful analogy to the true Story of Creation. While the rest of the book is hard to read, I do recommend the first section, 'Ainulindalë,' to even non-Tolkien fans. (I made both my mother and my sister read it, and I think they each got something out of it. Don't correct me if I'm wrong, didder - I like to think you did.) I got a lot from it.

I would love to have the chance to discuss Tolkien's faith with him. Especially the areas in which we disagree. I feel I could learn much. He was a brilliant thinker, the kind we don't have anymore (I'll get into that more later). I would appreciate that.

Here ends this section.

HAPPY ELEVENTY FIFTH BIRTHDAY MR. TOLKIEN!!!!!

And if you're not American, you should see it anyway cuz he's the King.

DVD Review: Elvis '68 Comeback Special

I wasn't intending to do this, but since I mentioned it in my last post, I figure I may as well.

As I said - I enjoy it. For all you Elvis fans out there, this is a must. This special was the first time he had performed for a live audience since he went to Hollywood (almost 8 years). While making all those movies his music career had been reduced to soundtracks (not the greatest of songs - though the 'GI Blues' soundtrack is really good and 'Blue Hawaii' stayed on the charts for over two years, and some classics came out of those soundtracks, like 'Viva Las Vegas' and 'A Little Less Conversation'). Anyway - this is not an Elvis history lesson, so I'll stop with that. Suffice it to say that Elvis was way overdue for some real music, the kind that had made him King.

So in '68 he did a special simply called 'Elvis' (known as 'the '68 comeback special' since). He could've done only songs from his movies or new songs, but I think they played it smart by mostly sticking to his classics, showing just what made him all that in the first place. It starts with 'Trouble,' followed by an intimate concert and jam session (with Elvis in black leather :) )which includes 'That's All Right,' 'Heartbreak Hotel' (hey, I stayed there!!!), 'Can't Help Falling in Love,' 'Jailhouse Rock,' 'Don't Be Cruel,' 'Are You Lonesome Tonight,' and others. There's a gospel section (you have to see it) and it ends with a big production number, which I must say is very enjoyable.

This special was a turning point in Elvis's career, bringing his music back to the forefront and helping to secure his status as a living legend.

True Elvis fans may do well to see the deluxe edition dvd. I want to cuz it has the full unedited black leather concert sessions. For those of you who just like Elvis as much as anyone else, I still think the special would be fun. If nothing else, the first half has songs you know and the second half gives you a glimpse of 1968.

Also, it's a very American thing to have seen, so if you love your country I think it's your patriotic duty.

new year's eve

it was a nice one. i got to spend it with the king, and how many people get to say that? can i just say - i enjoy the 'elvis '68 comeback special.'

weather

it's so annoying that in minnesota everything between november and march depends on weather. you try to make plans and you have to say 'weather permitting.' like yesterday i didn't get to go to my sister's cuz it was all rainy/snowy/slippery. oh well. i guess you get used to it.

Happy New Year, Y'all!