Limitless Ramblings

My friends and I joke about a lot of things... some of the hottest topics are:

• Zombies
• Ninjas
• Assassins

I started thinking, "why oh why are these some of my favorite things?" I've actually been racking my brain, trying to find some deep answer, something that rings true to who I am, that would explain why I enjoy these things. After all that time, this is what I came up with.

Ninjas are undetectable. Assassins can walk around in broad daylight without being seen. Zombies crave brains.

Do I NEED a reason to like that?

I mean, seriously... why do we need a reason to like what we like?

I guess what I'm trying to say is... I finally understand how people can be fans of a no talent writer like Stephanie Meyer.

It's only been about a week and a half, and already my craving for sweets is starting to wean. Likewise, the jump to wheat bread/wheat noodles has been easy as pie.

The hardest part has been snacking less... I've been keeping to fruit whenever I want a snack. (Last night I really wanted something before dinner, and opted for buying a small mixed fruit bowl. It was delicious!) The biggest time for this is RIGHT BEFORE DINNER. I eat healthier, and actually eat less, and so right before dinner, I'm really hungry.

I've been letting go of fast food slowly, too, getting ready for August when I cut it off completely. So far, in the past week and a half, all I've had is Panda Express - and I ate less than I normally do - and Applebee's... but at Applebee's I had a salad. It hasn't been easy, especially when I'm driving around right before dinner and I'm hungry and I can SMELL the fast food.... but I feel like I'm making progress. As far as soda goes, that's been the easiest. We don't really keep that much in the house, and I'm picky about my sodas as it is... so if I can't find a soda I REALLY like, then I have no problem not getting soda at all.

And, interestingly enough, I've cut out coffee. I was only entertaining the idea when I started this diet, but in the past week and a half, I haven't had any, and surprisingly have only craved it once.

I stumbled a bit last night and had potatoes with the steak... but they were baked with the steak, and they were red instead of brown. I don't know if that's any healthier, but there was no butter and what not added in. They were just cubed and cooked with the steak. The more I start cooking, however, the more I'll start to buy myself some sweet potatoes to cook along with the family's white potatoes. :)

My dad gets back next week, so the gym thing will be able to start up, as well... and once I get the food thing a little more under control, I can work on other things like working out and going to bed at a decent hour.

LET'S GET THIS! :D

~Lauren

P.S. To everyone who's given me recipes or ideas or helped out in any way, thank you SO MUCH!!! :D It really helps!

So I was trying to figure out what to blog about today... Nothing was jumping off the page at me...

And then I got home, and found out that Misha Collins (Castiel from Supernatural) had gotten himself into a little car accident, and was in the hospital. :(

So, I figured I'd devote today's blog to wishing him a SPEEDY recovery!

I hope you're feeling better, Mr. Collins! Let's try not to fling ourselves onto the highway anymore in the future, kay? :P

I've been to the gym once. I have to wait for my dad to come back from rafting in order to go again, but on the food front, I think I've been doing quite well.

I haven't been eating too many snacks, and for that matter, too many sweets. I have something sweet here and there, but lately we've had fruits in the house - like cherries and grapes - that have helped to curve the sweet cravings.

I haven't been eating super healthy, but I've been cutting back on my whites... I haven't had white bread in who knows how long, and I haven't had any white rice, either. White sugar... well, that's another story. But I'm trying.

And I'm sticking to it, which is actually shocking... I've kept snacking to a minimum, snacking on fruits as much as I can. And I just got back from the store... whole wheat noodles, whole wheat bagels, whole wheat EVERYTHING.

I'm looking forward to making this a lifestyle, because it's fun looking for healthy things to eat! :D

Stolen from Steph

1) Are you currently in a serious relationship?
A. Not at all.

2) What was your dream growing up?
A. I wanted to be a Ninja Turtle... no joke. And Simba. Then I wanted to be in Starfleet... I was gonna be chief medical officer of my own starship one day. Then, somewhere along the way, my imagination & creativity died, and I decided I wanted to be a lawyer.

3) What talent do you wish you had?
A. Playing guitar... I really wish I could. :/

4) If I bought you a drink what would it be?
A. Freckled Lemonade from Red Robin... 1 part strawberries, 2 parts lemonade, all parts WIN.

5) Favorite vegetable?
A. Carrots and Avocados. Steph, while it IS the superstar of the vegetable world and comes in many shapes and sizes (ranging from bitesize cherry types to huge, irregularly shaped beefsteaks), a tomato is actually a fruit. Lo siento.

6) What was the last book you read?
A. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith.

7) What zodiac sign are you?
A. PISCES FOO

8) Any Tattoos and/or Piercings? Explain where.
A. Piercings. Ears. The end.

9) Worst Habit?
A. Chewing my nails... I have no fingernails because of it. LAME.

10) If you saw me walking down the street would you offer me a ride?
A. Depends. Normally, yes... however, given the fact that there may or may not be a sudden zombie outbreak, I can't make any promises.

11) What is your favorite sport?
A. Football... North American. LOVE IT.

12) Do you have a Negative or Optimistic attitude?
A. I try to be as optimistic as possible... negative attitudes irritate the hell out of me.

13) What would you do if you were stuck in an elevator with me?
A. Whether you are there or not doesn't matter. My reaction will be the same. If I'm EVER stuck in an elevator, I would probably curl into a corner, sob uncontrollably, and suck my thumb.

14) Worst thing to ever happen to you?
A. Well, most of my friends moved away for college... Azusa ate my friends.

15) Tell me one weird fact about you.
A. I'm an AVID gamer, and I'm a girl. Now, present day, that's not as strange, though it is an oddity. However, when I BECAME a gamer, female gamers were rare. Something that's presently weird? I love Halo because of the character development. It's a good story, and a fun game, but I play it for the character development. ha.

16) Do you have any pets?
A. A biiiiig black lab named Hank. He's my friend. :D He's also literally too stupid to insult, but... he's lovable and stupid.

17) What if i showed up at your house unexpectedly?
A. I'd... answer the door?

18) What was your first impression of me?
A. (Me = Steph) I honestly don't remember how we met... >.< But I do love your extensive knowledge of all things mystical!

19) Do you think clowns are cute or scary?
A. Terrifying. Stephen King ruined them for me... Are You Afraid of the Dark didn't help. By the time Supernatural did clowns, I was to the point where I wouldn't even set foot in the living room.

20) If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
A. I'd lose a LOT of weight. I'm actually currently working on that... :D

21) Would you be my crime partner or my conscience?
A. Partner in Crime! We have hot angels that can play the role of conscience! :P

22) What color eyes do you have?
A. Brown!

23) Ever been arrested?
A. No, but I saw some lady get arrested at the fair. Her husband was walking in front of her with an officer, uncuffed, and she was following with another officer, cuffed. I decided that she was probably drunk, and began beating her husband. :P

24) Bottle or can soda?
A. Soda just tastes better out of the bottle.

25) If you won $10,000 today, what would you do with it?
A. Go on a road trip to see all of Theoria's concerts!!!! lol

27) What's your favorite place to hang at?
A. It's a tie between Heather's house, Kearsten's house, or Denny's. :D

28) Do you believe in ghosts?
A. Well, it's an interesting question... I mentioned earlier that I read Stephen King's IT. In that book, he presents the theory that things from other dimensions DO exist, but our brains can't conceive what they look like, so it takes the emotions that thing causes, and attaches it with something that we DO understand... For instance, if someone is confronted by something that frightens them, and they're scared of spiders, the thing may take the shape of a spider.

That's how I kind of see ghosts. I don't know WHAT they are, but enough movies have told us that, when supernatural things happen, it's probably some type of ghost. SO - when those types of instances occur in REAL life, our brain tells us it's a ghost and that's what we see. There's definitely something out there, I just may not be able to comprehend what that something is.

29) Favorite thing to do in your spare time?
A. Write. I love to write when I'm bored.

30) Do you swear a lot?
A. It comes and goes. I'd like not to swear, but when I'm around certain people I fall into old patterns. :(

31) Biggest pet peeve?
A. People who can't see the silver lining, even when there's more lining than cloud!

32) In one word, how would you describe yourself?
A. Supercalifradgilisticexpialidocious. It's a word. I promise. Julie Andrews misspelled it during the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.

33) Do you believe/appreciate romance?
A. I do believe in it. I'd love to have the chance to appreciate it.

35) Do you believe in God?
A. Absolutely I do.

36) Will you repost this so I can fill it out and do the same for you?
A. Isn't that kind of what I'm doing?

Don't have a lot of time... for my post today, I'm posting an episode of Star Trek.

Mudd's Women

Love this episode. McCoy is absolutely adorable. :D Enjoy!

(I'm going to the fair. WOOOO!)

So... My brother and his girlfriend are getting married in about a year, and I've been asked to be a bridesmaid... which is AWESOME, except... now it means I HAVE to lose weight.

I've tried losing weight before... I've tried diets, walking, exercise, all that stuff, and nothing's seemed to work.

However, since I've announced I'm trying to lose weight, I've had a number of people share all kinds of tips with me... and I've decided, if mixing and matching works for other things, like outfits, and food, and Mr. Potato Head, then why can't it work for dieting?

So I've decided to build a weight loss program, combining all the tips I've received in the past couple of days. SO - here is a list of things I plan on doing, and how I hope to achieve them.

Cutting Out the Five Whites:

I know a few people that would swear by this method. The "five whites" are things we really shouldn't be eating anyway, but have got rather accustomed to. They are:

• White Sugar
• White Potatoes
• White Rice
• White Flour
• White Pasta

Now you're probably saying... um... that's EVERYTHING. lol. That's what I thought, too. I'm not gonna lie, I LIKE my 5 whites, but if you really think about it, there are really easy and healthy substitutes for all of the above. Instead of white pasta, you can try wheat pasta (I've had it before, it's definitely interesting, but if eating it in spaghetti or what not, the flavor can be offset). My friend Mary said to try Sweet Potatoes instead of white potatoes, and I don't have a problem with that, either... sweet potatoes are BOMB!! I also know that wheat flour exists, so I could start cooking with that... and I've already trained myself to take wheat bread over white. Wheat buns might be interesting, but Mary also told me that having something like baked beans over a hamburger patty, instead of a bun, is just as good, so I may try that, too. The switch from things like, plain bagels to wheat bagels might be a bit harder, but I don't eat bagels that much as it is, so... haha. Sugar will be a bit more difficult, as well, but another friend told me that Fruit is a great way to lessen that craving, and that's got to be true. I've found that things like fruits and veggies are a lot more satisfying than chips and what not... so hopefully, this will be somewhat easy.

I've been told the first week is really hard, but after that, it gets easier. :)


Cutting Out Things I Don't Need:

It's not just the five whites that I don't need to eat, it's a lot of things.

• Fast Food
• Sweets
• Soda

Stuff like that... Now, granted, I'm not going to be able to stop eating out 100%, but I hope to do it MUCH less, and when I do have to do it, I need to start getting salads. Lots of places have really good salads, like Wendy's, McDonald's, Denny's, stuff like that... if I feel like I need meat, I can get them with grilled chicken, and if I'm feeling really healthy, I can get them with nothing at all... and only low fat dressings and what not.

Sweets will be more difficult, because I love my cookies and cakes and all that jazz, but as stated before, fruit is a great substitute for sweet things, because it has natural sugars and what not. Am I going to cut out sweets completely? Heck no! But I'm hoping, if I can wean myself off of them, I won't crave them as much, so a cookie here and there won't kill me.

Soda is just something I don't need. My dad said I should be okay with diet soda, if I don't have any joint problems, but I'm really not looking forward to substituting calories with Aspartame. Plus, it'll probably give me joint problems down the road. No, I'm looking to cut soda out completely. If I need it at all, I'll probably look into Hansen's diet soda... it doesn't have aspartame or calories... haha. But I really just want to get rid of the "need" for soda.

So - I'm giving each of these the "lent" method, which I stole from Jordan. Basically, each month (starting in August) I'm going to give up one of these three things as if I was giving it up for Lent, Cold Turkey. This means, one month I can't have ANY fast food at all. The next, no cookies, candies, cakes, ice cream, anything sweet. The next, no sodas WHAT SO EVER. By the end of the month, my cravings for these things should lessen... if not, I'm just gonna have to tough it out. If I do it in this order, than each month should be easier. No fast food, which means less access to sodas or unhealthy sweet things. No sweets, which means no sodas that aren't naturally sweetened... and finally, no sodas should be cake.



Going to the Gym:

Eating right isn't going to just make the weight fall off, I'm going to have to exercise, as well, so I'm going to start going to the gym on a regular basis. In Shape City has a really comfortable gym, with all kinds of equipment to tone muscle and drop pounds. If all goes well,

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday will be devoted to upper body strength training, and

Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday will be devoted to lower body strength training.

This way, each section will have about a day to recover from the previous training session, and no muscles will be strained, etc. etc.

Every day will end with some sort of cardio machine, be it the treadmill, exercise bike, or ellyptical. I plan on starting with 30 minutes of cardio, be it a combination of machines, or just one. (For instance, yesterday I did 20 minutes on the bike, and 13 minutes on the treadmill... a total of 33 minutes of cardio)

Once I get used to that, once I'm able to handle that much, I'll up the time, hopefully to an hour before the year is out.


As I get more ideas, more tips, etc. etc., I'll probably expand on the program, but hopefully this will get my foot in the door, and I'll at least see some improvement.

And all tips are welcome! If anyone has any suggestions, let them be heard! :D I'm open to anything!! :)

What do tigers dream of when they take a little tiger snooze?
Do they dream of mauling zebras or Halle Berry in her cat woman suit?
Dont you worry your pretty striped head
we're gonna get you back to tyson and your cozy tiger bed!!
And then were gonna find our best friend Doug
And then were gonna give him a best friend hug!
DOUG-DOUG-DOUG-DOUG-DOUGY-DOUG-DOUG...
But if hes been murdered by a crystal meth tweakers
well then were s*** out of luck.

The last time I really talked about Theoria in any amount of detail was in December... So I figure it's time I devoted a blog to them again. I'm not exactly sure what direction this blog will take, though... so bear with me.

This weekend was the beginning of their new tour. Interestingly enough, the last time I talked about them was at the beginning of a tour, as well... haha.

Monday was the first concert of their "Double or Nothing" tour, and First Baptist had the honor of being the site of that first concert! The turn out was very good and, save for a few naysayers, everyone liked them. They premiered a new song, and informed us that their album will be out in October! (They'll have a pay pal account by then, so you can order the album online, or buy it at iTunes!)

Aly and I drove up to Walnut Creek the following night (Tuesday) because she didn't get to see all of the Merced concert and, well... let's be honest. When have I ever missed a Walnut Creek concert? They played with Instant Ninja Pimp Heroes and, I'm no gonna sugar coat it: they weren't very good. BUT - they were fun! They played a bunch of 80's music, and got everyone dancing! The drummer even played on a Guitar Hero World Tour drumset! HAHA! When Theoria took the stage, though, the house ROCKED. Until it rocked a bit too hard and the power on half the stage died half way through "Miracle of War." But once that was fixed, they rocked again. Casey even venture out to do a guitar flip which ended fairly badly... lol. (His guitar hit the roof and then stuck on his mic stand. He also had his share of problems with that mic stand throughout the night.) It was a great show (despite Casey being a JERK FACE and Kyle getting in the way of every picture I tried to take), and everyone loved it!

Now, while I LOVE their music, my favorite part about Theoria concerts is talking to the guys before and after. I think that's a large part of my draw to the band. All the guys are fun and extremely amiable... when I firs blogged about the band, they were just that: the band. But now, after 7 concerts and what not, I can actually say they're friends...

I think that's why I like talking about them so much. They aren't just a band that I love like Relient K, New Kids on the Block, Switchfoot, anything like that. I do LOVE Theoria, and I'd go as far as to say they're one of my favorite bands... but to be able to say they're my friends and watch them grow and gain more popularity? There's a bit of pride in that. I'm extremely proud of them... they've put out a music video, their album is coming out in October, and in Ohio (not Oklahoma, lol) they're going to record a song for a company called Greenlight (?) that will hopefully gain them even MORE exposure, and send them on their way to stardom.

I've seen a lot of local bands, and bands of friends, and what sets Theoria apart is that they're going somewhere. I'm not just saying that because they're my friends... I'm saying that because it's true. They're all insanely talented, their music is great, and a producer would have no problem presenting them to the public - they've got the look down, as well. All they need is the exposure... and that's excellent for them. I can't wait for them to finally make it big because they deserve it... but at the same time, I'm dreading the day they finally get there, because I'm not looking forward to having to share them with everyone else. I'm a little selfish like that :P

And maybe that's why I've felt mildly depressed the past two days... I keep thinking about how much I love talking to them and just hanging out with them, and I don't want that to end. They're great guys and I love them to death and I'd love to believe they won't change, but there's still that fear in the back of my mind that says once they make it big, it's over. I was telling Jordan (you all met her during guest blogger weekend) that, when I said goodbye to the guys Tuesday, it seriously felt like I was ACTUALLY saying goodbye. :/ And it's interesting because the past few days all I've been hearing from everyone is how people change when they get famous and all that jazz... it's sad. BUT - I'll get over it. Like Aly said, I'll always be able to say "I knew them when..." and besides all of that, Casey reassured me that they wouldn't get "too" famous... I'm inclined to believe him over the stupid fear in the back of my head any day.

I wish them the best of luck on tour, along with safe travels and all that jazz!!

SEE IF THEORIA IS COMING TO A CITY NEAR YOU!

Jul 23 2009 7:00P	The Rogue Hero	Bellingham, Washington
Jul 24 2009 7:00P	Common Grounds Coffeehouse	Burlington, Washington
Jul 25 2009 7:00P	Empyrean	Spokane, Washington
Jul 27 2009 6:30P	New Song Underground	Salt Lake City, Utah
Jul 28 2009 7:00P	The Legend, Garden Of Edith’s Operation: Save Africa	Centennial, Colorado
Jul 29 2009 8:00P	Pj’s Pub	Manhattan, Kansas
Jul 30 2009 7:00P	Station 4	St. Paul, Minnesota
Jul 31 2009 8:00P	Sidewinder’s	Lincoln, Nebraska
Aug 1 2009 8:00P	Music at the Mall	Keokuk, Iowa
Aug 2 2009 8:00P	Swing State	Lake Villa, Illinois
Aug 3 2009 7:00P	Skylight	Lafayette, Indiana
Aug 5 2009 8:00P	Recording at Pendlwood Studios	Columbus, Ohio
Aug 6 2009 7:00P	Hi-fi Concert Club	Lakewood, Ohio
Aug 7 2009 7:00P	Premier Concert Venue	Chesterfield, Michigan
Aug 8 2009 9:00P	Oade’s Hidden Camel	Lansing, Michigan
Aug 9 2009 7:00P	Dirty Jack’s	Cincinnati, Ohio
Aug 10 2009 7:00P	The Smiling Moose	Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Aug 11 2009 8:00P	The Basement	Kingston, New York
Aug 12 2009 7:00P	Fat Baby	New York City, New York
Aug 13 2009 7:00P	Knapp’s Underground	Bennington, Vermont
Aug 15 2009 7:00P	The Edge	Big Stone Gap, Virginia
Aug 17 2009 8:00P	The Ultimate Basement	Sunnyview, North Carolina
Aug 18 2009 9:00P	The Haven Lounge	Winter Park, Florida
Aug 20 2009 8:00P	Charlotte’s Underground	Charlotte, North Carolina
Aug 21 2009 7:00P	Fresh Brew Coffee House	Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Aug 22 2009 8:00P	Filthy McNasty’s	Vero Beach, Florida
Aug 26 2009 9:00P	The Scout Bar	Houston, Texas
Aug 27 2009 7:00P	Red Room	Norman, Oklahoma
Aug 29 2009 7:00P	Tba	Ogden, Utah

If you can't get to a concert, buy some of their music HERE or check them out at www.myspace.com/theoriarock

If you're a fan - or are just curious about them - see if you can catch a concert! It's totally worth your time! :D

I'm not one who will rep the BEPs to the ends of the earth. To me, they're fairly hit and miss... but this song is absolutely a hit, and I love it because it's just SO positive! It makes me smile. :D Hopefully, it'll do the same for you!

I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas



I gotta feeling that tonight's gonna be a good night
that tonight's gonna be a good night
that tonight's gonna be a good good night (x4)

Tonight's the night night
Let's live it up
I got my money
Let's spend it up

Go out and smash it
Like Oh My God
Jump off that sofa
Let's get get OFF

I know that we'll have a ball
If we get down
And go out
And just loose it all

I feel stressed out
I wanna let it go
Lets go way out spaced out
and loosing all control

Fill up my cup
Mozoltov
Look at her dancing
Just take it off

Let's paint the town
We'll shut it down
Let's burn the roof
And then we'll do it again

Let's Do it (x13)
And live it up

I gotta feeling that tonight's gonna be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a good good night (x2)

Tonight's the night
Let's live it up
I got my money
Let's spend it up

Go out and smash it
Like Oh My God
Jump off that sofa
Let's get get OFF

Fill up my cup (Drink)
Mozoltov (La' Chaim)
Look at her dancing (Move it Move it)
Just take it off

Let's paint the town
We'll shut it down
Let's burn the roof
and then we'll do it again

Lets do it (x15)
Let's live it up

Here we come
Here we go
We gotta rock

Easy come
Easy go
Now we on top

Feel the shot
Body rock
Rock it don't stop

Round and round
Up and down
Around the clock

Monday, Tuesday,
Wednesday, and Thursday
Friday, Saturday
Saturday to Sunday

Get get get get get with us
You know what we say
Party every day
Pa pa pa Party every day

And I'm feelin
That tonight's gonna be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a good good night

I gotta feeling tonight's gonna be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a good night
That tonight's gonna be a good good night

It's like Epic Movie, without the suck. :D

Awesome weekend! Awesome concert! More details to come soon!!!

I'm actually quite exhausted, but I wanted to take some time and thank Stephanie and Jordan for filling in for me this weekend... I look forward to reading your posts! :D Thanks for saving my butt, you two! :)

~Lauren

Hi there!!!

Maxii here, or Stephanie as I'm known on Stalkbook. (Facebook for those that aren't hip with the new lingo) You've probably seen me around commenting on most of Lauren's stuff, especially her yummy pictures. Mmm Karl Urban.

Posting is a little early today.. well not nearing 5 mins to the deadline, I guess because I work later and there are 4 pretty fires threatening to burn my city down. I think someone gave Lauren matches and she went a little nuts. Bad girl.

To tell you the truth I'm not an avid blogger. I'm a writer, so my posts (how few) over at my blog, Harmonized Insanity, consist of writing talk and fics. (What? I learnt all the plugging from Jordan!)

Today's topic is about the show Supernatural and my favorite recent obsession Angels.


Supernatural is a show on the CW about two brothers, who battle everything you're littl mythology and urban lore brain can think of. Vampires, werewolves, wendigos, Rugaroos, spirits, demons and most recently angels have been added to the mix.

I do believe Dean says it best about the appearence of angels in the show.

The angels are far from what most people imagine: comforting men (so to speak) with a harp in hand, creations of God perched on our shoulder to be at our whim when needed. Instead they are true warriors, fierce proud soldiers bent on preventing the next apocolypse, and they will do anything, sacrficing anyone to meet their goals.

The most forefront angel is Castiel:


Castiel is the angel who pulled Dean from hell, and is the one who interacts with the brothers the most. Castiel is the obedient solider, following orders to the letter, never questioning. But as he spends time with the boys he realizes that something is wrong and he begins to have doubts, to question the orders. He turns from a mindless drone into something with a concious...

The angels, who inhabit bodies beacuse their true form blinds us humans, are even willing to start a civil war among themsevles (much like the first fall) to achieve their goals. What starts as mindless beings obeying orders becomes a war among everyone as they feel, and learn what it's like to be human and they are plauged by the same tempations we are met with every day.

As the book of Revelations starts to unfold in the series, and the brothers play a part to either prevent or perhaps indirectly help push it forward, the angels are there. A glowing force no longer just behind the curtain but now center stage.

And every Thursday I'll be there, hacking the internet from the cold city of Moscow, watching for my pretty angel. Shallow, I know, but the prospect of angels, mixed with pretty boys are too much for me to resist.


Goddess Maxii, out.

P.S. Someone tell Lauren to hurry up and get back. I'm so lonely at night. I need my no-sleeping-at-night buddy back!

Then you may or may not appreciate this, but I know I do! :D



Jolls out!

Greetings!
It is I, Jordan (aka theJollity aka Jolls), taking Lauren's place as your Limitless Rambling blogger for today.
She's on a camping trip, so you're going to get four days (count'em four days) worth of guest bloggers! Brace yourselves.

I really should have asked Lauren if she wanted me to blog about anything specific, because right now, I don't know exactly what to say. I would have posted a review of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which I just saw, but instead I stuck it in my own blog, which I will undoubtedly plug in this entry, like I just did. Heee.

I'm on vacation myself!
I've been in Texas for the past month, livin' it up with my dad, who lives and works here. Whenever summer arrives, I always look forward to going somewhere new, be it a new state or country. I do love to travel, just to be able to get away from home for a while and live it up someplace else. And when I'm not vacationing in Texas and elsewhere, I spend my days in sunny Southern California, which I'm oddly starting to miss.

I'll admit, I haven't actually experienced much of SoCal, especially for having lived there for about 9 years already. I haven't been to Yosemite or Lake Tahoe, I haven't been aboard the Queen Mary or experienced the famed and notorious night life of Los Angeles or even Long Beach. I suppose the latter has been due to my rather strict parents, and the fact that I'm not yet 21 (the magical age). I did, however, get to attend Anime Expo and Comic-Con two years ago, some of the best-known conventions in Southern California, and I took a road trip with my family and my cousin's family up the California coast.

I miss the beach.
Which is odd, because I don't normally even go to the beach.

If you're like me and you're enamored with travelling, it could be easy to take your own location for granted. I live in a nice little suburb, so it's very easy to forget just how many things I have access to. Here in Texas we live in a suburb too, but we take the time to look up what's here and take trips to visit them and have fun. It only recently hit me that I don't do that at home. And why not? Just because it's where I hang my hat?

With this realization, I'm planning to change that.

I've got cousins and friends, and if they're willing to go with me, then hell, I'll plan all sorts of trips and get them all to go! After all, what's a good trip without good company? Not a good trip at all, in my opinion.



I'm going back home in about a week.
It saddens me to leave my dad, but we're actually driving back, stopping at a friend's house along the way. So that's yet another adventure.
And after that, I can start my own adventures—right at home.


Jolls out!
(insert another plug for my personal blog, Sans Raison)

Here is a random picture for your additional enjoyment,
pulled from the excellent comic site, Married to the Sea.

So, I'm going camping this weekend! A blasty blast weekend in Manrisa! I'm actually extremely excited!! I've been looking forward to getting out of Merced, and spending some time with friends!

I'm returning on Monday, to a concert... unless Godzilla and Mothra throwdown at the beach, it's going to be a truly EPIC weekend!

But today, I realized... I'm participating in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Post Month) this month, and I won't have internet access... SO...

I've set it up so you will receive a number of guest bloggers for the weekend! If it all works out, I can have a new blogger a day! :D

I think it'll be good for everyone to get a fresh blog style for a while... SO - I bring you your first GUEST BLOGGER WEEKEND!!! :D

ENJOY!

~Lauren

I'm lacking creativity today, so you're just getting a song as your post.

I chose "Here We Go Again" by Demi Lovato because, well... I actually LIKE Demi Lovato. I REALLY like her first album, and I've heard a lot about her new single, so I decided I'd listen to it today, and download it on iTunes to help it move up in the top songs list.

Anyway, I listened to it, and I like it. I'm looking forward to the rest of the album. So, give it a listen, and if you like it enough, download it on iTunes! (It's currently #11 on the top songs)

SO - without further praise, and no more adieu, I give you

"Here We Go Again" by Demi Lovato



I throw all of your stuff away
Then I clear you out of my head
I tear you out of my heart
And ignore all your messages
I tell everyone we are through
Cause I'm so much better without you
But it's just another pretty lie
Cause I break down
Everytime you come around
O Oh O Oh

So how did you get here
Under my skin?
I swore that I'd never let you back in
Should have known better
Than trying to let you go
Cause here we go go go again
Hard as I try I know I can't quit
Something about you
Is so addictive
We're falling together
You'd think that by now I'd know
Cause here we go go go again

You never know what you want
And you never say what you mean
But I start to go insane
Everytime that you look at me
You only hear half of what I say
And you're always showing up too late
And I know that I should say goodbye
But it's no use
Can't be with or without you
O Oh O Oh

So how did you get here
Under my skin?
I swore that I'd never let you back in
Should have known better
Than trying to let you go
Cause here we go go go again
Hard as I try I know I can't quit
Something about you
Is so addictive
We're falling together
You'd think that by now I'd know
Cause here we go go go again

Ohhh
And Again (And Again)
And Again (And Again)
And Again

I threw all of your stuff away
And I cleared you out of my head
And I tore you out of my heart
O Oh O Oh
O Oh O Oh

So how did you get here
Under my skin?
I swore that I'd never let you back in
Should have known better
Than trying to let you go
Cause here we go go go again
Hard as I try I know I can't quit
Something about you
Is so addictive
We're falling together
You'd think that by now I'd know
Cause here we go go go again
(Here We Go Again)
Here We Go Again
Should have known better
Than trying to let you go
Cause here we go go go again
Again (again) again and again and again
And again and again and again and again
and again and again and again and again and again

Tonight. All night. BRING IT! WOOOOOO!

*EDIT*

So, we made it to episode 14 I believe... really sad, but we all have to work tomorrow. haha.

"It started out cheesy, which is perfect for the type of show it is. I feel bad for peeps that didn't stick with it!"

That was a friend's take on Harper's Island, and I couldn't agree more! It did start a little cheesy, but by episode 3, it's pretty amazing!!!! I'm trying to decide what kind of review to give you, and it's hard to decide. I mean, I've already told you how I feel about the show, what it's about, what the plot is, all that jazz... on the other hand, however, an episode-by-episode break down would take FAR too long to write, because it isn't the type of show you can just summarize, and I'd have to go into detail about each episode. I also can't go into each and every character because, as stated before, there are 25. That would also take too long.

So, I guess the best thing to do is give you a spoiler-filled "What I liked/didn't like" review. That way, I'll give you more of an insight to the show, without repeating too much of what I've already said. I also feel it appropriate to give the finale it's own pro/con section.

WARNING!! TREAD LIGHTLY! SPOILERS AHEAD!

SO - without further ado:

The "Cal/Chloe/Sully" relationship. It wasn't a love triangle...I feel I should say that first. When I say the "C/C/S" relationship, I merely mean that those character relationships were my favorite. Sully/Chloe not so much... Sully was clearly only focused on scoring with Chloe, but what I liked about that aspect of the relationship was how faithful Chloe was. Her character always struck me as kind of a sleaze, and that was mostly because she was a blonde bombshell. I think that's what the writers were trying to get with that... stereotypes. I decided I didn't like Chloe from episode one because I thought she'd be the typical blonde... and I absolutely thought she'd get with Sully, because he was so hot. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that Chloe not only stayed faithful to Cal, but had no interest in Sully what so ever. It became clear that what Chloe and Cal had was love.

The Cal/Chloe relationship is COMPLETELY about love. Geeky british guy with a beautiful american blonde... it's incredibally unlikely and at the same time, an awesome underdog story. But I wasn't as impressed with the fact that they WERE together, as I was with the fact that they stayed together, and the numerous displays of absolute twitterpation with each other. The relationship was just refreshing... I couldn't point out exactly what I liked about it, but I really liked it.

The Sully/Cal aspect was my favorite... their friendship was absolutely unlikely but portrayed amazing development in each of their characters, especially Sully. Sully is the typical good looking bully type character. He thought he could snatch Chloe away from Cal simply because Cal was a geek, and Sully was a looker... but as the show rounds out, Sully begins to respect Cal. He sees what Cal and Chloe have and realizes that he wants a relationship like it. One of my favorite scenes in the whole series was when Sully tells Cal to take care of Chloe. It was very touching, showing that not only does Sully respect Cal and their relationship, but he actually has feelings for Chloe that are more than just a booty call.


The Parrallel Mystery: Harper's Island centers around 2 story lines, the first being the murders happening on the island, and the second being the John Wakefield murders from the past, and how Abby dealt/is dealing with them.

HI is not the first show to deal with more than one story line, but I felt it was the first I've seen in a long time to handle BOTH story lines well. And, on top of that, both story lines were mysteries. I constantly found myself trying to figure out not only who the present murderer was, but wanting to know more about the Wakefield murders of the past, and if Abby's dad really killed Wakefield.

Neither of the storylines/mysteries gained presidence over the other, either... When Wakefield is revealed as the murderer, you think both mysteries would be solved... but HI does a great job of keeping the mystery alive. Does Wakefield have an accomplice? Did he have a child? Is it Abby? How did Wakefield stay alive? Why did he murder the woman he loved? The entire show keeps you guessing on BOTH storylines, right up until the very last scene.


The Wakefield Twists: The "Wakefield is still alive" twist was a tad predictable, but not much. The entire show, you are being thrown on different paths, like a bloodhound with a broken nose. You find something plausible, but then, OH WAIT! This is plausible, too! You think you know who the killer is, and then, in a glorious and epic - and I mean EPIC - reveal, you find out that the murder is, in fact, ONCE AGAIN, John Wakefield! I had my hunches, but the show did SUCH a great job of throwing me off, that when it revealed him, I didn't see it coming. I was completely blown away and caught off guard. It truly was amazing.

Furthermore, the "Wakefield has a kid" twist was VERY well executed. At first, you think it's there to put doubt on Abby's character, then as a motive for her father to be the killer. Right before the amazing Wakefield is the killer reveal, you're lead to believe the whole thing was a lie, that Wakefield didn't have a child, that it was merely the ramblings of a crazy man in jail... only to find out he DOES have a child, that Wakefield found him, he's a son, and is probably Wakefield's accomplice in the present day murders. WHOA... take a minute, take a breath, and digest that plate of crazy. Then you spend your time obsessing over who it could possibly be. The show wants you to believe it's Jimmy, but by this point, you've stopped trusting the show. My money was on Sully, I thought it was him for so long... but holy crap, it's none other than Henry Dunn. HENRY FREAKING DUNN! He's Wakefield's son!!! WHAT? Wow. Chew on that. Now, I didn't trust Henry ever since J.D. was killed, but still... it was so well executed, I was shocked and blown away. The Wakefield twists are some of the best twists I've ever seen in anything, and they were expertly executed.

Henry Wakefield-Dunn: Loved him. I could go ON AND ON about why I love Henry Dunn, but this note would be much longer than I want it to be, so... I'll stick with a few things. Henry Dunn was my favorite character. I loved that he was a small deck hand who came from nothing... I loved that he got the girl. I loved that he was strong and stood up against Trish's father. I loved that he was so in love with Harper's Island, and I loved the relationships he had with all his friends. And he was just CUTE. Cute and charming. He was sooo sweet, and had a great smile, and was simply... perfect. Even when he was a bad guy, I loved him. His character fit everything very well. There wasn't a single characteristic that seemed out of place or out of character. He was the all American Boy, and gosh darnit, people liked him. But he wasn't annoyingly so... Part of that was probably Chris Gorham's doing... he's a great actor, and gave Henry lovable subtleties, and didn't overact any aspect. His freak outs weren't overly acted, his sadness not obnoxiously so. The character was in Gorham's capable hands, and he proved himself a fine actor with it.




It was only signed on for one season (AKA Everyone dies). Part of the draw of Harper's Island, at least for me, was that it was only signed on for one season. That's cool and all, but after watching it, after being pulled in... after falling in love with the characters, I wish there were more seasons in store. I wish that others could return to the island, that there could be more mysteries. I understand why it wouldn't work, the plot would get old, it would fizzle out... HI is better off if it stops while it's ahead... but it's heartbreaking that everyone had to die, and it's bittersweet knowing something so awesome is over so fast.


Untapped Potential. HI had so many subplots that, had the season been longer, could have been explored, and made amazing. They probably wouldn't have added anything to the story, but it would have been nice to seen certain things explored, like Roger's affair, or Malcolm's corrupt...ness... or even Mr. Wellington hiring Hunter. All of those would have been fun to explore.


Useless Characters. There weren't a lot, but characters like Shae and Madison tended to get under my skin. Shae's only purpose seemed to be sitting in a chair, crying, and Madison's seemed to be getting into trouble. Characters like that bother me, and I felt they pulled from the story. Especially Madison. She's an idiot. Not to mention, she was very stereotypically creepy.





The Pace. I loved how the pacing was in the finale. Very fast, but not too fast. Full of suspense.

The "Out of nowhere" twists. There were a lot of twists in the finale. Not so many that they were ridiculous, but a lot to keep you interested. Enough to keep you on your toes. And each and every one was very well executed.

The video at the very end. I thought this was an amazing and beautiful touch. The ending leaves you VERY empty inside and, while it doesn't make the depressed empty feeling go away, the home video at the end does provide a sort of closure. And it's simply beautiful. Seeing everyone talking to the camera as they were before everything went to pot, seeing characters that were long since dead one last time, hearing voices you thought you would no longer hear... and just the innocence of the video... the feeling that they had no idea what was awaiting them, even Henry... it made me cry. I was fine through most of the finale, but that last little video made me cry. It was what the episode needed. I was wondering how they were going to leave us hanging, how they were going to end it, and it was absolutely perfect. It gave the feeling that this was over. This is where we started, and this is where we are. What a week we've had. It was, as I've said before, simply beautiful.




Henry's Insanity. I loved the "Henry is Wakefield's child" twist. I thought it was very well crafted... however, I didn't like that they took Henry completely over the cliff. I didn't like the "I'm in love with you Abby, even though you're my half sister" thing, and I didn't like the crazy. I think the story would have been perfectly fine if they had let it be... it would have worked out perfectly if Henry had been found by Wakefield, discovered he was his father... Wakefield then told him that Abby's mother was his mother, that she had given him up for adoption. Henry, in response, gets angry... feels abandoned. What kind of woman would give up her own child??? Not to mention, he had grown up with her, and she never said a thing. Understandable. That would supply him with the motive to kill. He could have then, in turn, decided to keep Abby alive still, and turn on Wakefield. After all, Abby was still his best friend. They had grown up together, she was like a sister to him. She couldn't have possibly been held at fault for what their mother did, she hadn't been born. He still could have wanted to live with her, as her family... all doable without making him crazy.

BUT - in defense of the finale, that was the ONLY thing I didn't like about it.



I loved this show... I can't wait till it comes out on DVD!!! I encourage EVERYONE to see it, no matter WHAT. :)

I guess I should post something... so I figured I'd throw in a few fun little reviews for today.

Harper's Island: I just finished watching the season finale of this... and I don't know what to say. I will continue to rave about this show... I'm going to buy it when it comes out on DVD because HOLY CRAP. It's SO good! Any show that tells you it's going to kill EVERYONE, and yet STILL pulls you in... still gets you attached to the characters, to the point of tears when they die... it's ridiculous! My spoiler-filled review will be tomorrow, but know that it's SO worth your time!!! I still feel absolutely empty inside... I knew they were all going to die but... I'm still somewhat devastated... especially about Henry. :( I love you, Henry Dunn! I love you for EXACTLY who you are!!! Haha... yeah, I cried at the end. CRIED.

Harpers Island, I miss you already. :)


Saw 5: I've written a review of Saw 5 before, but last night I reviewed it for a friend who was new to Saw... so, I guess I'll toss it at all of you, in case you don't want to read the whole long interview.

"Saw 5 was like... it was like someone got a bunch of 4 year olds together, and they gave them some paper and some crayons and said "draw a picture, and we'll interpret that picture, and turn it into a movie." That was Saw 5. It was Sawful."


Twilight: I really haven't given this movie a review... until today.

"Twilight is just a bad rip off of Phantom of the Opera, without the music, and with a little more SUCK."

No pun intended.


That's all I've got. I'm still empty about Harper's Island... I LOVE YOU HENRY DUNN! *sigh* It was satisfyingly depressing... I wish it could have ended differently, but it was done very well. I'm just really sad it's over. Chris Gorham - I look forward to your next project. :)

that's it for today... :)

I have a fairly interesting DVD collection... it's not huge, but it's got some GREAT selections in it... ranging from summer blockbuster smashes to movies people have never even heard of. Movies I'D never even heard of, until I purchased them.

Blockbuster is to blame for this... I have this little problem where I'll buy anything under 4 dollars, even if I haven't the slightest idea what it is, and Blockbuster CONSTANTLY has used DVDs for sale under 4 dollars. (Or they pull this 4 dvds for 20 bucks crap...) So, I frequently build my dvd collection with used dvds. Movies I've heard of, and movies that just capture my fancy.

Movies that just capture my fancy... that one phrase is responsible for my owning movies such as Black Sheep, The Irrefutable Truth About Demons, Bottle Shock, and See This Movie.

That's right, it's actually the title of a movie. My blog title was not meant to tell you to go see a movie that I absolutely adored, it is merely the title of the movie I bought at Blockbuster yesterday. Why? Well... there are 4 reasons.

1. It was under 4 dollars. Like I said, it's a sickness.
2. It was called "See This Movie". I'm serious... when I saw the title of the movie, I was like... okay. If you say so, sure, I'll see this movie. Come on, it was under 4 dollars, so it wasn't like it was going to cost me a lot to comply!
3. It has Seth Meyers and John Cho. I've only ever seen John Cho in Harold & Kumar and Star Trek, so I thought it would be nice to see him in a different role. To see how good of an actor he really is... and I totally have a crush on Seth Meyers... he's a big reason why I watch Weekend Update so much... he's a cutie patootie! He's like a mix between Frankie Munez and Tom Cruise... before Tom Cruise went crazy... Top Gun Tom... lol.
4. It was a festival film. It won awards at the Malibu Film Festival and the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival... which means it's a festival film... and I LOVE festival films. I feel they're done MUCH better than huge blockbusters, probably because they don't have as big a budget, so they can't rely on special effects and have to rely on that little forgotten thing called plot, and his best friend character development.

Needless to say, I bought the movie, my plans fell through, and I ended up watching it... and I really liked it!!!!

The Plot:

"See This Movie" is a mockumentary about... film making. Jake Barrymore (Seth Meyers) sees himself as an amazing movie maker... a fact supported when he graduates at the top of his class from a three day film school with best friend Larry Finkelstein (John Cho). While celebrating their graduation, Larry spots Jake's ex girlfriend in a magazine, discovering that she's a programmer for the Montreal Film Festival. Thinking this could be his big break, Jake pulls some strings with his ex, scoring a spot in the program for his revolutionary, ground breaking, controversial film. The only problem? He hasn't made it yet. Jake and Larry now have 3 weeks to make a film that will live up to the hype, or risk going down in history as the worst filmmaker/producer pair ever.

The Characters:

Jake Barrymore - Director/Lead (Seth Meyers):

Jake is, for lack of a better word, an idiot. He knows absolutely nothing about filmmaking, but operates under the pretense that he does after his short film "which way hollywood" was chosen as the "Student Film of the Class" in his 3 day film school. He is arrogant, naive, stupid, and self centered... his only drive for making his film seem to be making himself look cool, and becoming famous.

There is no depth the Jake... that's not to say his character isn't well written. On the contrary, he's VERY well written... but a guy like Jake has no depth to him at all. Even during his character's huge turn around, he's still a jerk. Meyers does a WONDERFUL job pulling him off, taking a perfectly unlikeable character and making him slightly likeable at the lowest possible level. You don't fall in love with Jake Barrymore, but it's impossible to hate him. Especially when his idea just *might* work.

Larry Finkelstein - Producer (John Cho):

Larry first comes off as the stereo typical best friend. Then he appears to be as big an idiot as Jake. Further into the movie, he comes off as the stereo typical shy guy, the one everyone pushes around. Still later, he seems like a person that just knows not to argue with idiots and, seeing as that's all he's surrounded with, he just keeps quiet. However, as the movie ends, you realize, Larry is just a REALLY good producer. He says what needs to be said, does what needs to be done, and keeps his mouth shut when he deems it necessary. He lets Jake push him around because his reputation as a producer relies on this film being a hit, and pissing off the director won't get that done. He is Jake's polar opposite - Larry's character has so much depth to him, you don't even get all of your questions about him answered.

I've never seen Cho in a more adorable role. To be honest, I don't care much for Harold & Kumar, and while I love him in Star Trek, Sulu is more of a serious character. However, Cho's portrayal of Larry is absolutely ADORABLE. He is the exact opposite of Jake - you love Larry, you want to hug him half the time, defend him the other half. He's just a likeable guy, and many of Cho's mannerisms add to that. 1 of the reasons I'm glad I saw this was to see cho in a different role, to see him in something other than Star Trek and respect him as an actor, and Larry did that for me.

Martin Hughes - Editor/Lighting (Jim Piddock):

Martin is an interesting goose. His character is likeable, than unlikeable. You hate him, you feel sorry for him, you hate him again, you cheer for him, and then you're just weirded out... right before cheering for him again.

Martin is a bit of a mentor for Jake, even though there's no real reason FOR him to be a mentor. Like Jake, he's looking to make it... he's not exactly THRILLED that he's been teaching a 3 day film school for a large portion of his life. After a bit of convincing, Marting agrees to accompany Larry and Jake on their trip to Montreal, even though the idea of advertiseing a film that hasn't been made is nothing short of madness in his eyes.

Annie Nicole - Programmer/ex-girlfriend (Jessalyn Gilsig):

Annie's reputation - and career - weighs heavily on Jake's film being good... a fact that she isn't too excited about when she finds out Jake lied to her to get his spot in the festival. She spends most of the movie frantically trying to track down Jake's non existant film to view before it is premiered in front of her bosses and collegues. Little does she know she's on a hunt that won't yeild any spoils is Jake doesn't get his arse in gear...

What I Liked:

Almost everything. The film was very well paced, had a perfect balance of everything absurd, and was executed famously. Even the humor was fairly clean, though the language was a bit strong. The plot was somewhat predictable, but also had a number of twists that you didn't see coming... as well as a few that you kind of saw coming, then didn't see coming, then kicked yourself for not catching. The ending is slightly predictable, yet not quite, and ultimately satisfying. It rounded out to an extremely likeable film.

What I DIDN'T Like:

There wasn't a lot I didn't like... and nothing to glaringly comes to mind... for the most part, I was a little peaved by a few questions that were left unanswered. For instance, they never explain why Jake has a camera crew following him around wherever he goes... they never explain exactly when he's filming and when he's not... and why no one else is ever weirded out by the fact that Jake has camera people following him, even though they acknowledge the cameras all the time.

I also didn't like the Sam the Drug Dealer thing... that didn't really strike me as well written or necessary, and it kind of took away from the movie.

Finally, there's one question at the end about Larry that you don't really get answered, and I wish we would... other than that, it was a very good movie.

So - I guess the bottom line is, See This Movie!