Limitless Ramblings

I've HAD to have gone completely insane... that's all I can say... I mean, seriously... we're talking about a person that can do MAYBE 1 push up before she collapses on the floor in a weeping, crying, puddle of uselessness, taking on a challenge that's supposed to end with her doing 100 consecutive push ups... hahahaha. Yeah right.

BUT - it's a challenge... and I'm not one to stand down from a challenge.

My friend Jordan - who is also taking the 100 Push Ups Challenge - was the one who turned me on to it. Basically, it's in stages (duh).

First, you take the Initial Test. Basically, that means you do your stretches, get warmed up, and do as many push ups as you can before collapsing into the aforementioned weeping, crying, puddle of uselessness. That number then tells you where to start.

Based on your IT results, you then proceed to the week one workout schedule. From this point forward, it's pretty self explanatory. You start your week's work out based on the number of push ups you finished the prior week with. For instance, if your IT results showed you that you could do 4 push ups before dying, then you would start with the first column. Week 2 begins in the same column as week 1, but at the end of week 2, you do what is called an Exhaustion Test. The ET results then tell you where to start in week 3. After Week 4, you do another Exhaustion Test... based on those results, you either proceed to week 5, or repeat week 3 or 4. Once you are able to complete enough push ups in the ET to move on to week 5, you continue. By the end of the 6 weeks (I'd rather they be called levels than weeks, if you have to repeat a week, it throws it all off), you take the Final Test... which is, of course, the 100 push ups.

I think it's a great idea, and even if I fail, I at least ACCEPTED the challenge... honestly, I think it would be amazing if I could do the 100 push ups by the end of the 6 weeks, but if I have to repeat a few weeks, then I will. Hopefully, I can stick to this, and not give up. Even if I fail, I should be stronger at the end then I was at the beginning... and it's a workout... of sorts.

So... seeing as the reason I got into this was because Jordan asked who would like to do it with her, I'd like to extend the same offer to any of my readers:

Who's willing to take the challenge with me??

Also - I will be keeping a journal of my progress, and will update my blog weekly. Or at least, that's the plan. I'm starting level 1 tomorrow - who wants to join me?? LET'S GET THIS! :D

I love movies, and I love movie trailers... but honestly, I've felt like I'm trapped in a time capsule. Every movie that's coming out seems to be a remake of a movie I've already seen... and let's be honest. 9 times out of 10, it just doesn't work out... and I've always kind of wondered, why is that? Especially when the original is SOOOO good. Is it because the director/producer/actor combination can't be recreated? Perhaps, but if that's the case, why do certain remakes do better than others? (i.e. Star Trek vs. The Planet of the Apes)

I recently read an article in the San Francisco Chronicle about The Taking of Pelham 123. Now, to be honest, I had no idea that was a remake, nor did I know that the original did SO well. However, despite this, the article was still able to catch my attention, and gave me something to think about. The article - entitled "Train Hijack? That's so '70's" by Mick LaSalle - contained 2 specific pieces that caught my eye.

Every movie involves two realities, the one onscreen and the one in the theater, and the interplay between the two is sometimes dynamic. "The Taking of Pelham 123" has all the usual virtues of a good action suspense drama, but it lacks that extra something - that context, that vital interchange - that made the original "The Taking of Pelham 123" such a memorable experience in 1974.

That's the opening paragraph, and that itself has a lot to say. It's soooo completely correct: part of what makes a suspense or adventure movie so interesting - on most fronts - is the fact that it exists in two realities. There's the reality happening in the movie, what's playing out in front of hte viewer, and there's the reality of the viewer... the viewer is watching and wondering if said reality on screen could really happen. And let's face it - most of the time, there's always a chance it could. However, if a movie lacks that second reality... if you can sit throught a movie and never once have to remind yourself that it isn't real, that it couldn't happen, then you won't be as emotionally involved, and the movie won't be as good. If the movie is BANKING on those feelings and thoughts - if it's banking on that second reality - then the ability (or lack there of) to create said reality is going to make or break the film, simple as that. Still, the article continues.

So, an evil mastermind decides to hijack a subway train and hold up the city of New York for an enormous ransom. Today, we watch and think, sure, that could happen. There are bad people in the world, and anybody could become the victim of some random, senseless act of violence.

But in 1974, this premise was received in a much different way, not as an outlandish scenario that could happen but as a variety of madness that probably would happen, sooner or later, because everything was falling apart. You know the litany: Vietnam. Then Watergate. New York City was going broke. Just getting into a subway car was dangerous, even without kidnappers or hostage takers. Back then, civilization seemed to be heading off a cliff, and New York, always on the cutting edge of fashion, looked destined to hit bottom first. Thus, "the Taking of Pelham 123" was more than a suspense drama in 1974; it was a vision of urban apocalypse.

Today, we have our own visions of the apocalypse - Terrorism, civic catastrophe, economic collapse - and this new "Pelham" might have gotten some extra juice had it tapped into those. But the remake eschews the social context that made the original so compelling. Instead of a terrorist for a villain, or someone equally mysterious, the movie gives us a lone nut and his small band of thugs. ("Pelham" even guesses wrong: When a character tries to manipulate the stock market, we look at his laptop to find the Dow Jones at 12,000. It can't be scary if our own apocalypse is bigger than their apocalypse.)

Bingo. There it is. One of the biggest reasons remakes just don't work out: Things change. Times change. Situations, fears, catastrophes... they all change. What was absolutely terrifying back then will no longer be terrifying now. What we connected with emotionally then, we might not connect with now. Probably won't.

In the instance of "Pelham," there are a number of reasons why the idea just wouldn't reach audiences. For starters, like they said, they used a lone nut and his band of thugs instead of a terrorist... perhaps they changed it in an attempt to not offend anyone, especially in New York... but after 9/11, I'm sure no one would have found it hard to believe that a terrorist could hijack a train. Also - like stated - if the economic crisis in the movie isn't as bad as the one we're already going through, then it isn't going to stir fear or suspense in anyone. We've been there, we survived, and the world didn't end. Who cares if some nut job on a train does the same thing? 12,000? That's nothing.

And, perhaps, these are the same reasons Star Trek did so well - it changed it up. It took an old story line and remixed it. Had they just stuck to it, there would be no suspense... there would be no "my favorite character could die." It would be, "he won't die, because he didn't." But they created an alternate timeline, made anything game, and it was a HUGE hit. They kept some things the same, but there's still the possibility that your favorite character could die, that an old villain could show his face again, and that the new villains could be bigger and badder than anything that has ever appeared in the Star Trek universe.

Same with James Bond. The new 007 movies are FANTASTIC... I don't have a single bad thing to say about them. The new Bond movies took an established character, and established idea, and took it back to it's roots, reimagining the series, rather than remaking it. You got to learn the origin of Bond, and watch him take a new path. The same debonair, charming agent is there, but his fate is in the air. You never know how many movies he'll be around for.

Perhaps that's the other big thing: Don't reMAKE, reIMAGINE. Remakes can't ever really seem to get off the ground... but reimaginings? Almost always a homerun. For instance:

• Planet of the Apes: Remake - horrible movie. Ask anyone, Mark Wahlberg couldn't even save this flick.
• Ocean's Eleven: Reimagining - GREAT movie. Spawned 2 sequels, the second of which was mediocre, but the third of which was just as superb, if not better than the first.
• Poseidon: Remake - meh at best. It was interesting, but didn't hold the attention. It definitely lacked that second reality.
• The Shining: Reimagining - technically, it was a mini series, but it was still much more amazing than the movie, and sooooo good. Best 5 - 6 hours of my life. :)
• The Mist: Remake - Horrible. There was one scene that made me jump, that was it. The rest of the movie was spent staring at Tom Welling and begging for End Credits.
• Salem's Lot: Reimagining - also a mini series, but still... AMAZING. So much better than the original. :)
• The Ring: Remake - seriously... I've never been more unscared of a movie in my entire life. And I've seen Night of the Lepus.
• The Italian Job: Reimagining - I can't stop kissing this movie's feet. :) So funny, so good!

And that's just a brief glance... now, this isn't like the ten commandments of remake rules... there are usually exceptions... but presently, I can't think of one. But, that's my take on it... remakes just don't work, reimaginings soar... and with a remake of Footloose, The Karate Kid, Child's Play (gimme a second to CRY about that), Nightmare on Elm Street, and possibly The Breakfast Club, I think it's an important thing to look into.

I saw Star Trek today. JJ Abrams' Star Trek.

Now, before I proceed with this review, I guess I need to set up the background a bit. I grew up with Star Trek, and not just TNG. I started from the beginning. I was so excited when I could do the Vulcan "Live Long and Prosper" hand thing. Spock, Kirk, Scotty, Uhura, Sulu, Chekov, and KAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHN were household names. Bones was one of my first crushes. I learned the Hamlet monologue from Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. One of my youngest childhood memories is seeing TUC with my dad, and being SO engulfed in it that I had to pee and wouldn't go. I was in pain on the way home but it was worth it, because I got to see Star Trek on the big screen. Star Trek was a HUGE part of my childhood. I am proud to admit that I am a Trekkie. (For a non Trekkie's thoughts on the movies, check out my friend Jordan's review HERE.It's exquisite. :D)

That being said, when it leaked that JJ Abrams was making a Star Trek movie, I was thrilled. Then I found out it was a Kirk/Spock prequel, as opposed to a TNG sequel. I cried. I was so excited. The casting experience was a trying time for me... I was thrilled with some selections, not so much with others. As time went on, I grew more and more excited for the cast, and the movie.

Then it got pushed back. What started as a geek's excited wait for a geeky film became a 2 year long obsession over what promised to be an epic action film. The wait was long, trying... my Spock poster seemed to mock me at times. Every thing began to drag my mind back to Star Trek and how far away it was. Preview after preview made me more and more excited. I began pulling up clips of my favorite episodes and movies on youtube, rereading my Star Trek novels, anything that would keep me in the Federation while still taking my mind off the movie. I was hyped. People went to see it, and I got nothing but good review after good review, save for one negative review that scoffed at Quantum Physics (I'll address that later.) I finally saw it today with my family - my WHOLE family, even my aunt. We're a Star Trek family, we all grew up on it. The ad campaign, "This isn't your father's Star Trek" didn't really apply to me... it was my Star Trek, too. I knew all the little jokes, all the little hints and cool names for things. It was my Star Trek... and I was sooo excited.

It was hailed as "This Year's Iron Man." I loved Iron Man. My favorite movie of last summer. LOVED it. Having said that... I disagree with the statement.

It was SO MUCH BETTER than Iron Man!!!!! Yes, that's right - I'm a trekkie that is going to stand before and say I was pleased with that movie. No, no, scratch that. I wasn't PLEASED. I was OVERWHELMED. I cried. I laughed. I bounced in my seat. It was every bit the Star Trek I grew up with and I was so excited for that. I loved every little bit of the movie!!! EVERY LITTLE BIT! For those few hours in that movie theater, I was a little girl again, trying not to pee for as long as possible because I was once again watching my beloved Star Trek, my TOS, on the big screen.



THE CAST

Chris Pine/James T. Kirk: Chris Pine WAS Kirk. There was no doubt about it, from the moment he hit on Uhura at the bar. His arrogance was portrayed perfectly, 2 parts cocky, 1 part confident. Thinking outside the box, unable to accept losing... you don't want to like him but can't help it because he's freaking HOT and he's a good person underneath. The odds don't matter - either we go down, or they do. Pine was amazing. There were so many instances where I had to convince myself that he wasn't always Jim, that this was his first time. Amazing. Absolutely AMAZING.

Zachary Quinto/Spock: There was never any doubt, but I was still blown away by Quinto's portrayal of the half Vulcan, half human. There was a completely new side to him, a new depth to the character that I absolutely loved. Due to the tweaks in the reality, he was a different beast, but still carried on the same characteristics that made Spock the icon he is. I loved him just as much as Nimoy!Spock.

John Cho/Hikaru Sulu: He was surprisingly amazing. I wasn't sure, seeing as I'd only seen Cho in a few things, but he was really really good as Sulu. He was quiet, yet BA. He fumbled a few times, but his ability to adapt to each and every situation only made one smile... especially if they knew his destiny to become Captain.

Anton Yelchin/Pavel Chekov: In my Star Trek photo album on facebook, I describe him as Anton "I'm adorable" Yelchin. I wasn't lying. Yelchin's portrayal of the 17 year old Russian was nothing short of ADORABLE. He didn't resemble the original Chekov too much, but he had the characteristics down fairly well, and was still able to portray him as a young, excited kid. Everything he did was absolutely adorable. I can't think of any other word. He made me smile, I wanted to pinch his cheeks. I wanted to hug him... he was so cute. I loved it.

Zoe Saldana/Nyota Uhura: BEAUTIFUL! Zoe Saldana was able to capture all the simple, elegant, beauty of Uhura. She had the calmness, the skill... she was perfect. I loved her completely. Her quiet intensity brought a depth to the character that made me think of the old days, the old movies. Amazing.

Simon Pegg/Montgomery Scott: I'm unable to put this one into words, no joke. He was Scotty... that's all I can say. He WAS Scotty. He did a great job. I have a new found respect for him, he's a great actor... he WAS Scotty. :)

Karl Urban/Leonard McCoy: I cried when DeForest Kelley died. I was always a Bones girl growing up, and because DeForest Kelley was such a character actor, there was no difference in my mind between him and Bones. They were the same person. When he died, it was like a part of my childhood was gone... but when Karl Urban was on that shuttle... when he opened his mouth and started arguing with that woman... it was like he was back. BONES was back. I cried again. Everything he said, the way he carried himself... the way he acted toward Jim and Spock... the way he reacted to everything... it's like he's back from the dead. Karl Urban did a fantastic job, and I'm so glad. The inability to nail this character to a T would have ruined the movie for me. I'm simply amazed, and so thrilled. I thought this new movie would make me a Kirk or Spock girl, but I was mistaken. I still am - and forever will be - a Bones girl. :) He had some of my favorite lines of the movie, and he really did take control of the character and establish him. Same old McCoy, no matter WHAT reality.



THE PLOT ------SPOILER ALERT------

As the preview tells us, this Star Trek was a prequel to the first movies. It encompases the crew's years as they're fresh out of Starfleet Academy. The movie starts out with a Romulan ship traveling back in time and destroying the U.S.S. Kelvin, killing Kirk's father in the process, but not before his wife gives birth to their baby boy... his father dies a hero, and it made for quite the tear jerking opening scene.

Fast forward a few minutes - Vulcan is sending out a distress signal and the starships are manned to fight the menace! We find out that Vulcan is under attack by the same Romulan menace that destroyed the Kelvin - cleverly deduced by Kirk - and the Enterprise engages in a sudden battle. The crew of the Enterprise does it's best, but Vulcan is still destroyed, and Spock's mother is killed in the process. After a confrontation with Kirk, Spock launches the rogue deemed first officer to the surface of Delta Vega. There, Kirk meets Spock Prime, who tells him all about the events that unfold in the future.

129 years in the future, a star goes super nova, and Spock promises the Romulans that he'll save Romulus... but he fails. In an attempt to still defeat the Supernova, Spock creates a "red matter bomb" and creates a black hole. This is witnessed by Nero, who then decides to go after Spock. Having lost his family when Romulus was destroyed, Nero sets out to cause Spock the same pain he feels, and is helped along when the black hole Spock created takes them not only to another time, but another reality, where Nero's destruction of the Kelvin sets a similar, yet slightly different set of events in motion.

It is now Kirk's job to unite the crew members of the U.S.S. Enterprise and stop Nero before Earth suffers the same fate as Vulcan.

Yes - there were tweaks to Star Trek canon. However, they were handled in a way that is deemed acceptable. The Quantum Physics theory was absolutely acceptable. One person claimed it was a cop out for Abrams, so he could change whatever he wanted, but in reality, it was a genius move to make. Alternate Reality is not a foreign concept when talking of Star Trek. That path has been taken before, just not in a movie. The movie was done so beautifully that it worked, no matter what the differences were. The movie never claimed to be canon... on the contrary, it claimed that it "wasn't your father's star trek." It had enough jokes (The BEAGLE! The RED SHIRT!) to please Trekkies, while at the same time making a beautiful movie, full of action and hilarity. The action scenes were amazing, a little more than traditional movies, but enough like them to where it wasn't too upsetting. Abrams didn't use Quantum Physics and Alternate Reality as a cop out, he used it for his movie... more importantly, he created a movie that was Star Trek enough to not put the franchise to shame, and yet still awesome enough to pull in more fans of the genre. Not to mention, he opened the door for a whole new world to be explored... and isn't that what Star Trek is all about? To boldly go where no man has gone before, rather than give us the same story line we've seen over and over again?? Yes, he could have played it safe, given us a prequel to the Star Trek movies we've already seen, but what fun would that be? He went there... he gave us a story line that was enough Star Trek to keep old fans interested. He gave us a cast we could fall in love with without feeling like we're betraying the old one. He gave us a story line that has more potential than a "by the book" prequel could have ever dared to offer.

It was amazing. I don't know what else to say. It was simply amazing. If ever anyone has boldly gone anywhere, Abrams has... and I'm more than willing to engage warp engines, and go there with him.

Bravo, Mr. Abrams, bravo. You've made this trekkie proud.

Bonus points if you guess the title reference... lol.

Okay - so... anyone who's known me for more than a month knows that I've been basically freaking out about this band, Theoria. They're a band from Azusa, a bunch of guys that took music theory together and decided to form a band (There's more to the story than that, but that's the Spark notes version). The first time I saw them, I believe it was the first day of their 12 days of Christmas tour... and I absolutely loved them... but lately I've had the honor of hosting them at our church here in Merced, and see them a total of 5 times in concert, so I've been able to see them change somewhat over time.

And I have to say, as good as they were when I first saw them, they are SO MUCH BETTER now. You know you've got a good thing on your hands when people come up to you after seeing them, and all say the same thing. "I figured they'd just be some local band, I'll go ahead and support them... but they were really good! I really liked them." :)

SO - what am I telling you this for?? Well... I honestly think they're good enough to make it big, and because of that, I've been spreading the word about them as much as I can.

Yesterday, Theoria was played on a local radio station in Azusa (I believe it was a local radio station, not entirely sure). That's a big thing for a local band... especially when said band is REALLY good. :) They also got... spotlighted (?) by a blog, and three of their songs are now available for purchase!!!

I know, I know... you're sitting there saying, "yes, Lauren, but what does that have to do with ME?"

Be patient, I'm getting there. The more you ask, the longer I take.

The way I see it, the more air time the guys get, the more exposure they get... and I'd be willing to bet I'm not the only one who sees it that way. I also know for a fact that if Theoria sells about 300 songs, they'll get $100 dollars from Soundstation.

HERE'S where you come in.

Step 1: REQUEST "IDENTIFY THE LIE" BE PLAYED ON THE RADIO!

1. Go to http://www.iradiola.com
2. Select "CLICK HERE TO REQUEST A SONG" (it's the second selection in the whiteish gray area to the right)
3. Type "Theoria" in the search box and click search.
4. Click "REQUEST"


Step 2: BUY A SONG!!!

1. Go to http://yourlocalhdband.blogspot.com/2009/05/theoria.html
2. Check out the player underneath the band description (it may not show up in Firefox, but it should in Internet Explorer)
3. Listen to the previews of the songs (to listen to the FULL song, go to www.myspace.com/theoriarock)
4. Click "buy" next to the songs that you want. (each song is $0.99)
5. Check out.
6. Set up a Soundstation account if you don't have one already
7. Download your Theoria tracks and ROCK OUT!

Step 3: SPREAD THE WORD!


And that's it! Now... just to clear some things up... this is not a "please support this poor starving band" plea... I realize that they won't appeal to EVERYONE'S music tastes, so if you don't like them, don't feel like you need to buy their songs just because... BUT - they ARE extremely talented, and I know a few of you that already like them.

PEOPLE WHO ALREADY HAVE THEORIA DEMOS:

"Miracle of War" and "Truth" are both on the new demo, but "Identify the Lie" is not (it's the "whoa-oh" song), so you can still purchase a song! :D

PEOPLE WHO HAVE NEVER HEARD THEM:

Give them a listen! They really are great, and at the very least, you'll be able to say you at least listened. :)

EVERYONE:

300 downloads is not a lot. How many of us download twice that in any given week? If we spread the word and get these guys out there, I'm sure they can reach that goal in NO TIME! So let's do our part!! If you like them, buy a song, request them on the radio, spread the word around! Good music is meant to be shared!! :) And if you get the chance, catch a concert and GET TO KNOW THE BAND! They're a great bunch of guys that I have the honor to call friends... it's definitely worth your time to stop and chat them up if you get the chance. :)

It's dying.

My blog is dying and the sad thing is, I'm the one trying to kill it. See, when I first started blogging, it was because writing when I was upset helped me to stop being upset. It was like, anger management, an outlet for my emotions... and it worked. Anytime I was upset or stressed or sad or whatever, I was able to blog and it made me feel better. However, I realized I was blogging a LOT, and I figured it wasn't healthy to be that upset all the time. I thought that I was using my blog as a way to deny that I was acting depressed or something so - I made myself stop blogging... and life got REALLY stressful.

Did I notice? Yes. Did I start blogging again? No. I was determined to work through it no matter what. NO MATTER WHAT.

Oh my Jeana, I'm an idiot. haha.

My life has begun to get pieced back together very slowly... but it's getting there. And I guess, the one way I can really help it along is to start writing again. You may be wondering,

"Lauren, what made you decide to start blogging again?"

And that's a good question. I've been asking myself that very same question for a while now, and I think I've finally got an answer.

You see, a few weeks ago, I took a HUGE step in my faith and did something I never thought I'd ever do - I went to Mexico for a week long missions trip. It was way out of my comfort zone, and I don't feel I did as well as I could have had I not been so stressed about stupid things, but it was a great time for me to form relationships with people, get closer to God, and explore possible paths he wants me to take in the future. It seriously was a blessing to be down there, doing His work and learning more about him... even having one of our "you really have it out for me?" talks in the process... haha!

The week was good - but it was hard. I didn't sleep hardly at all that whole week, just lay awake in the tent throughout the night, thinking. I hadn't brought a journal with me, due to my whole swearing off blogging idiocy, so that left me to simply ponder what was bouncing around in my head. Every night I had questions, every night I had ideas and prayer requests and all sorts of crazy little tidbits of information. Every night I thought about how worried I had been in the morning, how stressed... how certain things upset me, how I got angry about other things, and how - in the end - everything still managed to pull itself together.

I started thinking about why I swore off blogging to begin with... about why I blogged, and why I thought it wasn't healthy to do so... and I started to realize that maybe I was wrong... maybe being upset about things, getting stressed, being sad - they weren't really signs of depression, but reactions to questions I have about my life, the direction it's taking, and ultimately what God has planned for it. And blogging was just the way I organized these thoughts, questions, and reactions, and was able to sort out answers for myself.

You see, I've been really looking at my life since getting back from Mexico. Things happened before I left and after I returned, and they've left me with nothing but questions... and it dawned on me that I'm never more complete than when I have questions about life. Then when I'm pondering if I'm doing God's will, if I'm where I'm supposed to be, if I'm making the right decisions, all of that. When I stop trying to fix my own problems, figure out what I want to do instead of what God wants me to do, he shows me, manages to use me in ways I never thought possible.

SO - if blogging is how I deal with the emotions that come with the questions, then I'll go ahead and do it.

And don't worry - I'll blog about Mexico soon enough... and well... everything, really. I have so much to blog about, and I really need to get caught up. :) Consider Limitless Ramblings "on the mend." :)

Holy craptastical pillarcakes, Batman! When was the last time I gave you all a real, hold-the-phone, pump-ya-breaks-cuz-this-is-worth-reading blog? It's been forever... I took a break from NaBloPoMo for a while to focus on other things... like not stressing out about what to blog about EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. But all that did was make me a lazy blogger. I've been looking around in my life every day for things that will inspire me to write... I listen to songs that touch me, or look around at the things I pass every day on my walks... and I am proud to say that I sit before you now (in a totally metaphorical, impersonal manner) with the honor of saying:

I got nothin'.

Really... I have NOTHING to blog about. There are little things here and there... but nothing that will turn into a blog post. It used to be that I could blog because I was bored... but now I can't even do that. I WROTE ON MY CANDY JAR, PEOPLE! IN SHARPIE!!! And I find it highly entertaining... get it? Highly? Cuz I used a SHARPIE??

I know, lame pun. My once interesting blogging abilities have been reduced to this. It's sad, really.

Somewhere, in this world, my blogging abilities are laughing at me. Like happiness, they seem to have found the best hiding spot.

You know what's funny? It's easy to get off topic when your topic is nothing.

So... now I'm just writing. I'm going to try to get back into the groove of doing this, and actually giving you something to read, not movie reviews (though Bottle Shock IS amazing, go go go! WATCH IT!) or game reviews or anything like that. But, I'm afraid it's going to take a while to ease back into things, so you're going to get a few posts like this. However, I've been reading Ali Rosen's blog, and I noticed that she will kind of blog like she's talking to you, and I really like that... so I'll try to do that a bit more. Maybe ask a question or what not, update you on something in my life.

Like today! InsearchofNKOTB posted a video on their blog today, confirming that Donnie Wahlberg DOES in fact Twitter, and it was kind of cool. Now, had it NOT been the real Donnie Wahlberg, would I have been upset? In the words of Kohen Culver: "OF COURSE NOT!"

See, in my eyes, Twitter is pointless... if you just follow people and use it to tell people what you're doing step by step through your day (i.e. I'm doing laundry. Now I'm walking down the hallway. I stubbed my toe.) then it's not only a bit conceited, but boring as all get out.

However, Twitter has the potential to be extremely fun, if you follow the right people. People with EXTREMELY interesting tweets, or excited ones... something a bit more showy than the normal update (I'm doing laundry vs. about to tackle the heap of despair better known to you all as "laundry") can make the whole twitter thing a huge ole' heaping blast o' great fun! I started following Donnie, not because he was Donnie Wahlberg, but because his tweets made me laugh!!! (And I can prove it... I don't follow Michael Phelps anymore... he's great and all, but his tweets are BORING...Andy Levy on the other hand... I still haven't forgiven him for making me laugh so hard I almost died... lol) I decided that, whomever was tweeting as Donnie deserved to be followed because he was FREAKING HILARIOUS!

So - random Twip for the day:

Consider your Tweeders (See what I did there?) and make your tweets fun!

It's really hard trying to make these things entertaining... sheesh. I guess when you've got nothing to blog about, you've got everything to blog about... I guess that's it for now... I'm playing a game with a friend and need to stop getting distracted... she's bringin' it today. Ciao! :D

Bottle Shock - A condition not unlike Jet Lag, for wine. A wine suffering from Bottle Shock will most likely not show well - Bottle shock greatly changes the taste.

It's also a movie that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008.

Cast List

Chris Pine......................Bo Barrett
Alan Rickman................Steven Spurrier
Bill Pullman....................Jim Barrett
Rachael Taylor...............Sam
Freddy Rodriquez..........Gustavo Brambila
Dennis Farina..................Maurice
Eliza Dushku....................Joe
Miguel Sandoval..............Mr. Garcia
Bradley Whitford.............Professor Saunders




Napa Valley, 1976: One small American winery and its workers are about to show the French that the world's finest wines will now come from the other red, white, and blue. For connoisseur Steven Spurrier (Alan Rickman), there's no finer art than French wine, despite rumors that the new California wine country holds the future of the vine. Positive the small Napa wineries are no match for established French vintages, Spurrier challenges the Americans to a blind tasting. But when he finds the valley full of ambitions - and talented - novice vintners like Jim Barrett (Bill Pullman) and his son Bo (Chris Pine), he realizes his publicity stunt may change the history of wine forever.

I don't know what it is... perhaps I have a love for this movie because of my American (and Californian) pride. Perhaps it has something to do with my love for cinematography (the shots in this movie are absolutely beautiful!), or perhaps it's a mix of both... but this movie is absolutely fantastic.

It tells the story, as stated above, of the 1976 blind tasting in France that put Napa Valley on the map. It's a beautiful, interesting story, and you don't have to like wine to think so (I personally can't stand the stuff). The movie gets you interested in the story - the history - of Napa Valley, Jim Barrett, and Chateau Montelena... but it's not even about the wine. Throughout the entire movie, you find yourself looking at the relationships of the people involved. You learn things about everyone involved and respect the hard work they put into making wine, and it's hard to view wine as just another alcoholic beverage after it. Wine truly is an art form - wine is essentially the perfect balance between grape juice and vinegar, sunlight held together with water. You don't have to like the stuff to see the beauty in it, and I think this movie gets that across very well.

The cast involved is phenomenal, each giving a stellar performance (especially Chris Pine, whom I will continue to extend my apologies to, till the end of time... lol) and bringing the story to life. There is a perfect balance of romance, drama, and humor that is only accented by each actors' quirks. They all bring something special to the table, and the movie is better because of it.

The cinematography, as I've stated before, is wonderful. The movie is littered with GORGEOUS shots of both Paris and the Napa vineyards. Having grown up in California, and now being a current resident, I grew up with the sight of the vineyards and orchards out the car window as we went on family trips or what not. The rows upon rows of grapes, walnuts, oranges, strawberries, etc. will always be etched into my mind. As a child I spent a lot of road trips just staring at them and wondering if they ever ended, or if they just stretched on for miles. I remember wondering why the vineyards seemingly sparkled as we drove by, and ultimately wondering what they were for. The shots in this movie took me right back to my childhood, and I'm now at an age where I can simply appreciate the beauty of the valley.

And finally... the soundtrack... the music used in this is AMAZING! Not that it's unknown stuff and will simply blow your mind (though, if you can honestly say you've never been in awe of the Doobie Brothers, I will bite you), but it's used in a way that really makes the movie pop (much like Pine's gorgeous blue peepers). Each song sets the tone for the scene, but subtly enough to where it doesn't DRIVE it. It captures the beauty and magnificence of the story, and helps to pull on the emotions that effect each moment, all the way up to the announcement of the Chateau Montelena and the history it made. The score, composed by Mark Adler (The Rat Pack, California Fast Forward), is magnificent and deserves awards... not that he doesn't have enough. ;)

As most well done films do, Bottle Shock tends to teach us all a little bit more about ourselves and the people around us through grapes.

Final Say:

Wine fans and haters alike should flock to the nearest video store and pick up a copy of this movie, you won't regret it. A great cast, wonderful story, beautiful cinematography and perfect soundtrack all make this movie a MUST see. If you liked "Little Miss Sunshine," "Sideways," or "Nobel Son" will like this. Bravo Mr. Miller, Bravo.



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