Oh John....

In honor of all my recent Torchwood watching.... an interview....

with the legen-wait for it- dary.... John Barrowman.

How can you not just love him?

Worth Watching

I watched this on 60 Minutes tonight and I think it's totally worth watching. What an incredible young man and so incredibly humble.

Song of the Moment

Every few months there is a song I get obsessed with and want to listen to all the time. First if was "Marry You" by Bruno Mars and then it was "Little Girl" by Green Day.

Right now it's "Arrival" sung by Sarah Brightman from her Christmas CD. Ever since I found out about gomusicnow.com, I've been getting a whole bunch of music, including a lot of Sarah Brightman stuff. I've been trying to catch up on all the music but I usually listen to the first track the most. On the Winter Symphony CD, it's "Arrival" and I don't know what it is about this song but I cannot get enough of it. Just love it.

WEIRD

I have been having some WEIRD dreams lately. I have no idea what is causing them but I'm not sure if I'm OK with it or annoyed by it. For the record, let me say that other than really little, I was/am never afraid of nightmares. I actually kind of enjoy them (as odd as that sounds) because for me, dreams are like movies. But they are only movies that you see once so even if they're scary, you better stick around because otherwise you'll never know the ending. So if I wake up in the middle of any dream, even a nightmare, I have to go back to sleep, because otherwise I'm never going to know what is going to happen and I have closure issues.

Lately the dreams have just been bizarre. First there was the wedding series of dreams where I was at the weddings of Danielle, Hadas and Maya, although they were all slightly different than the actual weddings. Well, slightly may be an understatement. They were really different. The only thing that was the same was that it was their weddings. Hadas' was in the states with people from the Boise synagogue. Super weird. And now I can't even describe what the dreams are about, I just know that they are filled with bizarre but real life events, which include trips to various places, working in committees with people, being in charge of things. I wake up several times during these dreams and whenever I get back to sleep, there's always a marked change in the plot of the dreams but they are still interesting.

Here's my problem though. I always wake up tired. I'm getting worried that I'm doing so much crazy stuff in my dreams that I'm not getting any rest. Is that a legitimate complaint? And if so, how do I work on making my dreams less eventful. Hiking through the mountains with the cast of How I Met Your Mother is fun but if it makes me tired, then I'd rather not be hiking with them. Maybe we could just get some coffee instead.....

And I have to admit, one of my favorite quotes about dreams comes straight from We Will Rock You.

Galileo: No! We don't have time! I have to go to the Seven Seas of Rhye! I had a dream about Big Macca and the others. I dreamt that there were these cops, and cages made of lasers, and -

Scaramouche: Gazza, there is nothing, and I mean nothing, more boring than people wanting to describe their dreams to you.

Galileo: No, but really -

Scaramouche: No, trust me on this. It kills relationships stone dead. The morning one partner wakes up and says 'it was amazing, there was a rabbit, in a bowler hat, cooking an omelette' - that is when love dies.

The Last Few Days

In Idaho, that is.

My last weekend in Idaho was chock full of stuff. On Friday I headed into Boise, after locking my office up tight, to get an oil change. The highlight of the oil change was that it was one of those old-timey places. I pulled into the garage and then got to sit there and read the paper while they did all the work around me. Plus they wore bow ties and little hats. They were so cute. And quick- I was out of there in like fifteen minutes! So where did I head? Well obviously to the yogurt place right in the same complex! It was sooooo delicious. And much needed- it was so hot that it was practically soup so I Had to eat while driving. Don't worry, I was safe. From there I went to the Chris Farnsworth book launch. Chris Farnsworth is an alum who wrote two books that apparently have done quite well. I sadly haven't read them yet but they're on the list. I saw with Tracylea and Aurora and chatted with Kirk, Katie and Jake and we ate Cafe Ole's delish Mexican food. Yum.

I went to Brooke and Kevin's to enjoy a delicious BBQ and have some drinks and relax. The next morning I was up at the rainy crack of dawn, making myself a homemade espresso and heading down to pick up Kevin's clients, two very kind gentlemen, at the Grove Hotel. We headed over to the fairgrounds because it was garage sale time! I had told Kevin a few weeks ago I'd help out at Idaho's Largest Garage Sale and that's exactly what I did. It was exhausting. It was raining in the morning so Kevin had to run out and get some canopies. Then he went to get more stuff while I priced everything. I am always nervous about pricing things. He and I worked together selling for awhile, had some lunch (a really bad pulled-pork sandwich but AMAZING criss-cut fries.... I wish I had just gotten the fries and not the sandwich!) and then I was on my own. Again, it was exhausting. At least at this point, it was warmer outside and the skies were clear and bright. Bailie and Brooke showed up at one point, bringing some legit food, Bailie stayed with me to help sell and we fought off some high speed gusts of wind from the west. I would have loved to wander around but I had a job to do, money to make and things to sell, but I really didn't need to be going around and getting more stuff. Although I did buy a bread maker. For a buck. I felt it was a legitimate purchase. We did great though- made over $700 and I got a good cut of the sellings. Plus, we had Flying Pie for dinner. Yummy again. But, also again, I was exhausted. So exhausted I just hurt all over. My bed never felt so good.

Sunday I had church in the morning and got to jam with Mick and Jay, which I always love. I spent the afternoon with Miss April Harrison, which was also a lovely treat and I got most of my packing done. A rare feat for me to get it done well ahead of time. The only unfortunate part of the weekend was that it was not a pretty day Sunday and so I couldn't enjoy my last evening outside in the sun. But California has since made up for that.

Song Challenge Day 30

Day 30- your favorite song from last year

Well, last year I was heading into London around this time to see Love Never Dies so I was listening to this the most. It doesn't mean it's my favorite but these are my favorite songs FROM Love Never Dies.

And of course, you can't listen to Love Never Dies without listening to the original....

My favorite part in this one is at 5:45 (Twisted Every Way)

They've gotten rid of the trio in this part and it makes me MAD. THis is my ALL-TIME FAVORITE PART IN THE MUSICAL.

Song Challenge Day 29

Day 29- a song from your childhood.

Oh, I have sooooo many.

We listened to a tape of Danny Kaye's records and this was one of my favorites. I have memories of Danielle and I twirling around my room like Whirling Dervishes to the end of this clip.

I absolutely loved Carole King and Really Rosie.

This guy was a celebrity to six-year-old me. He still is. Also, I stil know every single word to every single one of this songs.

This man is incredible. And this is my all-time favorite song.

This is only a small bit- there's Sarah Pirtle, Rosenshontz, Fred Penner, Shari Lewis, not to mention all the Israeli ones that I love just as much. There aren't many I can find on youtube but this was my favorite theme song from Israel.

Mind-boggling...

People's talents are just endles...

A test....

I was listening to a Reduced Shakespeare Company podcast this morning while swimming (as I've said in the past, the Reduced Shakespeare Company podcast give me a perfect time-frame for a workout- each podcast is about twenty minutes and two of them together make an even more perfect forty-minute workout) and one of the things they said was that they have a google alert on the name Reduced Shakespeare Company. This means that whenever someone writes Reduced Shakespeare Company somewhere online, the company will get an email alert or something like that. My parents have one for the Air Force Academy which really is all the information I have on the subject. But while listening to this, I thought I'd see how accurate this google alert is. I've now written the Reduced Shakespeare Company in this blog post 5 times. The test is this: will the Reduced Shakespeare Company get a google alert from this blog and if they do, will they rise to the challenge and post a comment? If Laurie King can do it, I'm sure the Reduced Shakespeare Company can. Especially because I am a huge fan of the Reduced Shakespeare Company. So hopefully sometime soon I'll have a comment from the Reduced Shakespeare Company. And if I don't, I'll still inevitably keep up with their podcast and cross my fingers that the Reduced Shakespeare Company comes to a town near me so I can see them. The end.

(10) :0)

Song Challenge Day 28

Day 28- a song that makes you feel guilty.

The guilt that I feel for not having caught up on Jeeves and Wooster is overwhelming. Hence these songs. Although they make me laugh.

Three Books Reviews

It's been awhile since I've done some book reviews but I've been reading some good ones lately. Incidentally all of these are also movies which I have (almost all) seen so I'll touch on that as well.

Up the Down Staircase by Bel Kauffman- oh man, this book is incredible. It's about a first-year teacher at an inner-city New York City school and is a must read for every teacher. I empathized with absolutely everything- the ridiculous bureaucracy of schools; slightly incompetent administration; the banding together of teachers and their mutual disdain of other teachers; ridiculous memos and meetings for no reason; real lack of supplies; bizarre suggestions in the suggestion box that are anonymous but you can totally tell who wrote them; the most awful papers that you don't know where to begin with the grading. These things are funny but at the same time you also really feel for Sylvia who quickly gets discouraged. I was right there with her so many times, especially when you teach the lower-level students. You do everything that you can in your power to motivate, inspire, encourage them, and they still don't come to class or everything seems to go in one year and out one ear. To be honest, I'm not exactly finished with this book yet but I'm more than 3/4 of the way through and absolutely love it and know I will read it many more times.

I haven't seen the movie but it's on my Netflix and I can't wait to see what they've done with this hilarious and too close to the truth story.

I watched the movie first and don't remember too much about it but I did enjoy Michelle Williams and Ewan McGregor in these two roles of the unnamed narrator and Jasper Black. Incendiary is a novel-length letter to Osama bin Landen written by this unnamed narrator who has lost her husband and her four year old son in a huge terrorist attack at the Emirates Stadium at a Arsenal/Chelsea game. Her sadness is compounded by the guilt that she feels about sleeping with Jasper while the attack was happening. To try and make up for this guilt, she starts to work at the Met and dig into what happened in this huge terrorist attack. As a very scary side-note, this book came out of 7/7, the day of one of the largest terrorist attacks in Britain when several Underground stations were bombed. I don't want to reveal too much but this is a very cleverly written book and I really liked the idea that it was a letter to Osama. There's a lot of stream of consciousness writing within this letter and I really liked the unnamed narrator. Now with Osama bin Laden dead, it's got an new interesting twist. I really wonder how the narrator would react to this news....

Never has one book made me switch back and forth between laughing and crying so often. O Jerusalem (not the Laurie King one) is a nearly minute-by-minute account of what happens in Palestine/Israel after the UN Vote to Partition, through the end of the British Mandate and the creation of the State of Israel to the end of the War of Independence. The authors took their information from one-on-one interviews, documents, meetings with wives of big names, etc and so there is a lot of personal experience. They also equally interviewed Jews and Arabs so there are so parts that I really didn't like reading about. Some of the things that the Jews did to the Palestinians were tough to read but on the other hand, there were also times when I cheered, beamed with pride and got excited about the triumphs of my family (sometimes literally- Uzi was mentioned frequently!). Of course, at the same time, there were also some parts that choked me up or made me cry. When I read about a son returning years later to make a life for his family at Kfar Etzion where his parents had been killed, I lost it. At some places it's a little over dramatic but the pacing is wonderful, you never get bored about what is happening next or where the story is going. Plus, it all happened!

As for the movie, well, it's not a high budget film at all and so the acting isn't great but again, the heart behind the story is there and I was sobbing by the end. Plus, they are pretty easy on the eyes...

Song Challenge Day 27

Day 27- a song that you wish you could play

I love this song and wish I could play it on the guitar. I mean, I probably could at some point but right now, it will be categorized as wish I could play. Also, if that meant I would end in Narnia too, well that would be great.

Song Challenge Day 26

Day 26- a song that you can play.

I can play this. I also met him.

Song Challenge Day 25

Day 25- a song that makes you laugh.

I can't make it through anything they sing without dying with laughter.

Song Challenge Day 24

Day 24- a song that you want played at your funeral.

Kinda morbid, doncha think? But this is a good one. Remember this hopefully 50 years from now...

Song Challenge Day 22 addition

So as I said, I was rull tired yesterday (it didn't help that my neighbours set off fireworks at 9:30 pm, causing me to nearly fall out of bed and wonder if there was a gang fight going on). This also caused me to have weird dreams, including one where Jared Padalecki was guest starring on my dream version of both Community and the Office. In the Office, he even played the cello, while Jim Halpert played the bass and Pam played the viola. It was bizarre. The more tired I am, the weirder my dreams are so you can just see how exhausted I was. Anyway, when I woke up, slightly more refreshed, this song came to mind. You cannot stay sad after listening to this song. I love it!

Song Challenge Day 23

Day 23- a song that you want to have played at your wedding.

This will obviously have to be determined between me and FH (Future Husband) but I want at least one of the songs to be this one.

(was there any doubt it would be a Jars song???)

Hey.... I wonder if Jars of Clay do weddings? I would totally have them play at mine!

Song Challenge Day 22

Day 22- a song that you listen to when you're sad...

I'm EXHAUSTED right now (more on that later) so I can't really think of anything that I listen to when I was sad in the past. So when I'm melancholy, I enjoy listening to this song. Anything Hugh Laurie sings is brilliant in my book.

Song Challenge Day 21

Day 21- a song you listen to when you're happy.

I love this song- it always makes me even more cheery than I already am...

300 and a celebration!

By popular demand, this 300th post will be dedicated to just that. 300. We'll ignore ALL the historical anachronisms, the really freaky bald gay man opponent and all the other bad things about this movie and just focus on the good stuff.

The abs....

Who would be crazy enough to take on these abs...?

oh, hello sir.... and hello six-pack

And while we're at it, let's take a look at some other fun abs.

Funny- check. Fit- check. Charming- check. Great personality- check. ABS- check. No longer married to Scarlett Johansonn- check check. Looks good in a beard or clean-shaven- check. Pretty much close to perfection.

Blaine Wilson, US Olympian, Gold Medal in abs

Let's excuse this look by remembering that he was playing Achilles... and his abs are pretty

David Beckham, you may be 18 in this picture but your abs tell a different story

Patches, the one place I hope you never get injured

Is it any wonder that this man walks around without his shirt on 24/7?

Yes even you have nice abs, Michael

I'm not sure what's hotter... the abs or the sexy tattoo...

thank goodness the abs distract us from the horrific haircut

you can't sing great but your abs are great

Zac Efron... luckily you have these, otherwise I wouldn't give you the time of day

(just kidding, i totally would, but would mock him for HSM)

Finally.....

No better way to celebrate the end of the semester and the completion of my first year teaching college! Yay!

Song Challenge Day 20

Day 20- a song you listen to when you're angry.

This is my KICK DOWN THE DOOR song.

Plus, this is just AWESOME!

Dodgeball and Government

I had an unexpected sub job yesterday afternoon out in Parma for the PE teacher. During my prep period, I went up the climbing wall that the National Guard had set up in the parking lot but because I had fifth graders for 7th and 8th period, I took them outside to play dodgeball. During 8th period, I really got to thinking about how being a dodgeball referee is just like being the government. How does a government decide upon its regulations of it's laissez-faire policies? I was having the exact same struggles. Do I micro-manage the teams, scrutinizing every play and hit and not listen to any arguments about "no, I wasn't out!" or "it didn't hit my shoulder!" At what point does this stop becoming fun for all of us? At what point does cheating start to run rampant under the nose of the ref. Same with the government and its regulations- at what point will corporations start to do underhanded and under the table things to subvert the regulations.

On the other hand, do I just let the kids play and let them regulate and referee themselves? For the most part, things go well because they just want to play the game without any stopping. Things are great for awhile. Corporations, like the kids, do the same thing. They just want to go about their business making their money and not have to worry about the government coming into interfere. However, at one point, things slowly start to turn sour and the kids get frustrated with little inconsistencies in the rules and if you're not careful, things get out of hand. Kids start to yell at each other, cheating gets even more rampant and all of a sudden you have a mutiny on your hands.

The conclusion- dodgeballs referees and the government need to find a happy medium of regulation and laissez-fair policies, as well as judging each situation on an individual level. Thank you dodgeball for that lesson.

Song Challenge Day 19

Day 19- a song from your favorite album.

I don't know if I have a favorite favorite but I do love "Good Monsters" by Jars of Clay. THis is my favorite song on that CD but followed are some other great ones.

Song Challenge Day 18

Day 18- a song you wish you could hear on the radio.

I LOVE this song and wish that I could get Israeli songs on my radio.

1.
My hands have yet to build a village;
Have yet to find water in the barren wilderness;
Have yet to paint a flower.
And I have yet to find the path that leads to my destiny.

Refrain:
My love is incomplete.
But the wind and the sun are still on my face.
My words are incomplete
Oh when shall they come together?

2.
When will I grow green fields? When will my city stand tall?
When will my grapevine grow from the dust?
There is so much to build and so much to be
And my love is just beginning.

Refrain:
My love is incomplete.
But the wind and the sun are still on my face.
My words are incomplete
Oh when shall they come together?

3.
When will I raise up my children,
And sing them my first song?
When the snowflake falls in summer
I will write down my memories in the house of my dreams.

Refrain:
My love is incomplete.
But the wind and the sun are still on my face.
My words are incomplete
Oh when shall they come together?

4.
Your beauty tempts me
But the time is not ripe.
There is so much to be done - grant me leave
For the race that is yet to be won.

Refrain:
My love is incomplete.
But the wind and the sun are still on my face.
My words are incomplete
Oh when shall they come together?

Song Challenge Day 17

Day 17- a song that you hear on the radio

These songs are ALWAYS on the radio. Radio tends to ruin songs for me. Which is why I won't usually listen to it (other than NPR).

I'm amused that the abusive boyfriend also played a hobbit...

And you have to admire a man who will wear a feathered bird suit and sing with Muppets on national television. Respect.

Some Hiking Action (with some marshmallows and running)

Becky and I have been doing a lot of hiking recently. Last Saturday, she and Tammi came over to Brooke's and we hiked up through the foothills. We really didn't have a plan, just followed the different paths up and down. The views of downtown Boise were just gorgeous and it was pretty clear so we could see for miles. IT was windy though! And we found a car just in the middle of the hills. I"m sorry, is this the road to Jerusalem? Were the residents of Medicine Creek subdivision ever under siege by Arabs and needed convoys to bring them food? This must be a part of Idaho history I'm unfamiliar with. We had a blast though trekking through the paths and of course taking pictures.

The next day I had some time after church before heading over to Frank Specht's house for the History Dept BBQ (of which I am an honorary invitee). I wanted to find a quiet place to read but ended up driving past Lizzard Butte, which I fondly refer to as Pride Rock. There's a big cross on top of the hill and I've always wanted co investigate so I though, why not? I was wearing a sundress and a pair of brown flats but that didn't deter me as I hiked up the gravel path and through the pumice-y rocks up at the top by the cross. The views of the Snake River Valley were just incredible. IT was another absolutely gorgeous day and I got to sit up on the top of the Butte and read David Sedaris while getting some sun and glancing up at the gorgeous views. SO beautiful. One day this week I think I'll head up there for a sunrise- it's high enough that you can see in all directions with no obstruction.

Yesterday we didn't go on a hike since I did Race for the Cure in the morning. It went as well as it could, seeing as I was still incredibly sore from going to kickboxing on Thursday. Note to self: going rock climbing the night before a race is fine, going kickboxing two nights before a race is not fine. I started running with Michael but he was a lot faster so I met back up with him again at the finish line. We wandered around the different booths, got some free food, free swag and a short chance to catch up. I headed home and a few hours later, Becky and her friend Katie came over. It was a little chilly so we relaxed on the media room couch for awhile and then migrated upstairs to the upstairs couch to watch Juno and How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days and make some chicken tacos. They ended up staying the whole evening and we spent the rest of the night outside roasting marshmallows on the fireplace. And again, all opportunities to take pictures were immediately seized.

post cure-racing

stoked for marshmallows

fire for the night

attempt to get a self-shot with all three of us but Becky ducked out

finally....

Why I will Never Go to Saffron Walden

Just kidding!!!!

OF COURSE I want to go to Saffron Walden.

And see a canning factory.

Plus this is there....

How awesome is that???

Song Challenge Day 16

Day 16- a song that you love by now hate.

It's not that I hate this song but it was just played on the radio wayyyyy too much that I couldn't really stand it anymore. Although by now, there have been enough distance that I think I can start listening to it again.

Song Challenge Day 15

Day 15- a song that describes you.

I never know what to do with these kinds of questions but Relient K has a lot of songs that are exactly what I'm thinking. Here are a few.

Spin-Off

Fear not, these men will always be #1 in my heart.

""Fantastic!"

"Allons-y!"

"It's a fez... I wear a fez now"

(I like it better than "Geronimo....")

But I am really enjoying making my way through Torchwood right now.

So many great stories, so much yummy-ness! Take a look for yourself???

Hello sir....

sexy sexy Captain Jack.... I've always liked you

New series coming out soon!

Can't wait for all of this science-fiction, exterterrestrial, British, Welsh nerdy deliciousness!