Well, the high point of my summer has finally arrived - I'll be leaving, with my mother and the J-Stew $, on a trip to Florida in about 7 hours. (Why am I still up? Hell if I know, lol...) I've consumed an entire bottle of Sutter Home White Zinfadel wine by myself, and I feel very, very tingly and ready to roll across the entire length of this house. So I can't be held responsible for anything I write or say right now, lol...
Anyway - I've handed in my two weeks notice at Victoria's Secret. Even though the store managers says it's no big deal and wants me to stay anyway, I really don't like the huge emphasis that credits cards are getting in my job description. I applied there to sell their products - not credits cards. Fuck that. So, I won't be there for very much longer. The job at Ulta is good, so I'm keeping it, and hopefully getting transferred to the branch in T-Town during the school year so I can make a steady stream of money every couple of weeks. I'm quite happy with my decisions. ^.^
Otherwise, my cats are still whores, my friends are amazing (and I don't tell them that enough - YOU'RE ALL AMAZING!), and I need cheesecake like WHOA, lol. Maybe in Florida.
Anyway - I'll have my compy down there as well, so expect some updates: on here, Facebook, and Twitter. I've become pretty addicted to any networking outlets I've got on my radar, and I've decided that that's a good thing. My real life in Montgomery might be horribly boring, but I can at least network with different people online in place of that. It's quite fun. XD
I like how alcohol makes different body parts numb. Yes, yes, yessss... :)
Anyway... DRUNKEN MEME TIME!!!! XD
( Head for the hills, pick up you feet - let's go... )
WOW, that was actually articulate for someone who can't feel her legs, lips, ankles, or wrists right now... WOO!!
- Drunken LJ Post. WIN.
-
![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
random_beauty88- July 1st, 0:31
ecstatic
- Dirty Pop.
-
- random_beauty88
- June 25th, 19:08
contemplative
About a year ago, I'd decided that I really didn't like pop culture. Pop music was stupid, popular stuff on TV was vapid, and popular products we annoying as hell.
A couple of months ago, though, I was introduced to Lady GaGa, who lives, breathes, and eats the spirit of pop culture. So I brought out all my old pop CDs, watched a bunch of VH1 specials, and started listening to the radio here and there again.
Because I realized that pop culture is just fantastic. Cheesy, lame, pretentious, or hyped as it may be, it's just fantastic, and it's something everyone can relate to.
And pop culture doesn't get any greater than classic shows like Charlies Angels and phenomenal icons like Michael Jackson.
Unfortunately, I can't speak to the former as well as the latter... Farrah Fawcett was for my mother, who loved Charlie's Angels the same as any little girl in the late 70s. She was one of the last classic, beautiful, talented female pop culture icons to pass.
Michael Jackson's affect on pop culture, I think, everyone can speak to. Pop music obtained it's penchance for spectacle, extravagance, and drama because of great performances like Jackson's. There can be no greater moment in it's history than when Michael made jaws drop everywhere when he moonwalked across Ed Sullivan's stage in 1983. He is responsible for the evolution of the music video - "Billie Jean" put MTV on the map. Innovative in the areas of dance, song, and image, Jackson's persona lived well into my generation, and his work has always (and will always) be considered something to be looked upon in awe.
The bottom line is that the mark of a true artist is a style that can't be duplicated. Even if he hadn't sold the most albums in music history, Michael Jackson would still be considered the greatest - the King of Pop.
Please, keep a little pop culture in your life. I know it's not as good as it was in Michael Jackson's peak years... but pop music - good, bad, or plainly medicore - will keep breathing as long as it has fans to follow its addictive nature. So when I see Britney Spears live in September, I'll be singing along to the catchy hooks and cheeky verses with a childish glee. Pop is an aura and a state of mind - and I want to bathe in it for the rest of my life. :)
( Classic Videos )
- Review: The Taking of Pelham 123
-
- random_beauty88
- June 12th, 20:26
- refreshed
NOTE: It's the return of the movie reviews!!
I'd stopped writing them at the turn of the New Year - out of laziness or doubt of my future in film, who knows? - right before I saw most of the Oscar noms for Best Picture. I have no idea why Pelham was the one that made me start writing again, but I've really missed discussing/analyzing movies. I may not be able to see as many as I once could - prices are ridiculous, and frankly, I think there's just a lack of good films coming out right now - but I'm going to try my damndest to see what I can. So, away we go...
The Taking of Pelham 123, a remake I hadn't even known was a remake until recently (oh, man, my age is showing), has been getting pretty mediocre reviews. I was hesitant to see it. In the end, though, I needed a way to get out of my house, so I took the plunge.
Quite glad I did. ^.^
Pelham is the story of a subway train hijacked by a gang of armed men, one of whom calls himself Ryder (John Travolta). The transit dispatcher who happens to be orchestrating the rails that day is Walter Garber (Denzel Washington), who becomes responsible for keeping Ryder calm and meeting his demands - $10 million dollars from the mayor of New York in one hour, and he'll start shooting one of his 18 hostages for every minute the authorities are late bringing the money. Assisted by hostage negotiator Camonetti (John Turturro), Garber has one hell of a task on his hands as he and the others at the MTA scramble to meet Ryder's ever-changing demands and try their hardest not to get sucked into his radical idea of how things in the world work.
To be honest, Pelham is nothing special or new, but it's definitely an exciting and engaging way to spend 2 hours. (And believe me, I debated hard about whether to spend those 2 hours with it; unfortunately, I can't just spend money for a ticket to just any movie anymore.) There were several moments at the beginning that begged not to be taken seriously (having Travolta make his screen entrance over the sound of "99 Problems" by Jay-Z, for instance), but it takes 5 or 10 minutes to let yourself sink into the vibe the film's trying to give off. It sort of works.
Arguably, the best part of the film is the volatile back and forth between John Travolta and Denzel Washington. Travolta takes an otherwise two-dimensional thug character and pushes him often between the two extremes of being the angry truth-teller of society's sins and being the unpredictable bastard who changes his rules every 5 minutes. It makes for a truly entertaining performance, especially given Washington's play-off of it on the other end of the car mic. Washington sinks right into the role of the washed-up dispatcher accused of allegedly accepting a bribe, being made to do bottom-wrung work and keeping his complaints to himself. Throwing him into a hostage situation makes him an honest man at Ryder's command, and the conversation between the two proves to bring out some interesting details to compare and contrast between them both.
Tony Scott's direction is not for the weak of stomach, nor for the picky of technique. The quick, blurry, gritty pans that you see in the trailer make up nearly all of the opening shots and actions shots in the film. Stylistically interesting, but functionally retarded. I think it was meant to ramp up the action, but it seemed pretty forced and unnecessary. The editing, however, was well done.
Brian Helgeland's script is bare bones with a few shining gems of conversation and plot point execution here and there. Most of it unfolds like a very quick episode of 24, and you think that'd enforce the time limit given by the hijackers. Instead, the elaborate nature of everything that happens overruns the idea of time running out, and it left me frowning at how unbelievable it was to buy into all of this being allowed to happen in time to deliver the money.
In any case, suspension of disbelief will tide over any audience member who's looking to be entertained, and Pelham accomplishes that. Sporting some nifty suspense scenes, hilarious lines delivered by Travolta, and a nice use of music here and there (I wish they'd have used more of "Counting Bodies Like Sheep to the Rhythm of the War Drums" by A Perfect Circle!), this film qualifies as a genuinely interesting summer thriller that isn't a waste of money.
- Brazen Bitches in Bufftastic Britches
-
- random_beauty88
- June 10th, 13:42
giddy
So, let's take a tally of Nikki's summer:
... PRO: Not being surrounded by overzealous Tide fans (if you don't count my mother). Thank God.
... CON: Blown off by several people who are close friends, one of whom is totally out of my life now for good.
... PRO: Working two jobs, at Ulta and Victoria's Secret. MO' MUNNY.
... CON: Staying at home a lot, while my mother has gone out almost every weekend (for the WHOLE weekend) I've been home. FAIL.
... PRO: NOT eating junk.
... CON: Running out of creative healthy options that are appealing to me...
... PRO: Time to myself.
... CON: Total lack of motivation, except for my jobs.
... GIANT FUCKING PRO: The possibility of seeing Britney in concert in Atlanta on September 4th. YUSSS, BITCH!!
Talk about a birthday present to myself! XD All summer, I've been waiting for something awesome and exciting to happen, and this is IT. If the ticket prices aren't horrible, I'm definitely there. Tickets go on sale June 19th, which is when I know I'll get paid again (although not much at all... fucking Ulta... *sulk*). I won't get paid at VS until at least two weeks from now, lol... so I have to harness what resources I've got. The only problem is that I only know of one person who'd love to go to this with me, and she and I aren't talking. Dilemma.
I'd probably go alone regardless, but a Britney concert isn't something you go alone to, lol. It's a gathering of kickass girls from all over the place who came to have a damn good time. I don't want to go alone. So... perhaps Mission: BFF Recovery is in need of a kickoff soon.
Anyway... So the summer's been really uneventful, save for this Britney news this morning, but this is the Gump, after all - and no one's here this summer anyway. If I weren't working so much, I'd be heading to Atlanta a couple of times. Then again, if I weren't working so much, I wouldn't have the money to head out anywhere at all, lol. I'm really dying to take a road trip. *pines*
Nothing else exciting going on - but as usual, I've been thinking about a bunch of topics that I'd really like to write about. And as usual, I'm too lazy to do it right now, and I have work in a few hours anyhow. *sigh*
<3
- Freakshow... Peepshow!
-
- random_beauty88
- May 24th, 1:43
- cheerful
Well, it's the morning before my first training session at Ulta, and of course, I don't want to sleep at all, lol. I'd rather stay up and load old music onto my computer. Honestly, I've been reading the orientation stuff, and they've got some pretty ridiculous rules, the weirdest of which is that I can't wear any perfume to work unless it's a scent they sell. Sorry, kids, but I'm wearing the perfume I've already got. I've already paid for it. ^.^
Anyway... music. Why doesn't money grow on trees? The list of albums I'd like to buy to put my sanity to rest is way too damn long, and I need money to buy it all, damn it. >.< So many old albums... a short, but delicious list of new-ish stuff as well, particularly the Sohodolls, Elbow, and the Black Angels.
I should probably wait until I've start working so I can MAKE money. *is impatient* How about I read Watchmen to pass the time otherwise? Or finally watch Rear Window?
I love how many things I need to casually take care of that I alway forget. The internetz distracts me. *sigh*
I'm too lazy to type more stuff, but I do have a music survey - and I think it's way cool. You probably won't, but hey, that's okay. ;)
( Ha-ha, he-he, ha-ha, ho! )
- Tumor...
-
- random_beauty88
- May 11th, 15:31
uncomfortable
... is an incredibly scary word, and I have one. O.O
It's an angioma: the small (but possibly growing) red bump on the near underside of my upper lip, and it's totally benign. No one really notices it except me, and it doesn't hurt unless I drag a fingernail across it or something. It might get bigger, it might not.
So, essentially, getting it removed would be a purely vain, cosmetic kind of decision. And it will involve them deadening the damn thing with a needle - which will make it bleed profusely, since it's made up a cluster of enlarged blood vessels - and cauterizing it afterward. And then there will be the awkward period afterward where I'll probably refuse to go out in public while it heals.
Nikki might need the entire summer to build up her confidence for that. It just makes me nauseous to think of that being done to my lip - but it worries me even more that it's entirely possible the angioma will grow to the common size of a centimeter in length, which I don't want. I'd never given much thought to how I might handle the decision to medically get rid of something on my skin to make myself look better and boost my own confidence.
Needless to say, it's kind of ruined my state of mind. The day I came home from school, I was so happy I literally couldn't stop smiling, even while moving all of my shit back into the house after hours and hours of lifting, pushing, and driving. I was totally ready to have a joyful, healthy, productive summer. Now I can't get needles and gushing blood out of my head. Not good.
Anyway - just thought I'd share. On a more positive note, I have several ideas swimming around my head to write about. Mostly about films and sequels and random observations. I'll probably get to them later.
Anyway - CHECK THIS REALLY COOL THING OUT...
( Starburst make my mouth say WEEE! )
- Trash it! Trash it! It's just a rental!
-
- random_beauty88
- May 4th, 23:00
- cheerful
One exam down, four to go - two of which are tomorrow. I'm not incredibly worried about any of them, just ready for moving day.
I'm incredibly ready to get back home again. The day after I move, I've got a job interview at Ulta. After that's taken care of, Mom and I are going to start shopping at the Farmer's Market for some better stuff to eat. Nothing frozen, nothing processed, etc. REAL food. So naturally, I'll learn how to cook a bit more. And my ass is gonna be walking at least every other day. It's going to be a very relaxing and rewarding summer.
I can't decide exactly how to express how I feel about my sophomore year here at UA, lol... The first half was a hot mess, but there are so many songs and parties and random nights that I chalk up on my Pros list. The second half was fantastic. Not up to par with freshman year, but just as good in a different, progressive way. I think, if there's any word that can describe me this past year, it'll be "progressive". You might not have been able to see it on the outside, but damn, I feel it on the inside.
The biggest and best lesson I've learned this year is to rise above. I've seen soooooo much excess... stuff this year that just doesn't matter. So after hashing it out and letting it pass, just be done with it. I can't waste my time clinging to some vague argument or petty issue that won't matter in a week. That's how one's life gets bogged down - too many worries, too much drama, and too few risks taken - it's not healthy for all of that to keep a person tied down. I'm almost 21, dude, I've got shit to do. ;)
Anyway - expect lots of blogging and opinions and rants and stories and such from me over the summer. For now, though, here's the long-ass survey I completed in order to NOT be studying astronomy, lol...
( *pulls back curtain*... )
- Green grass grows all around.
-
- random_beauty88
- April 7th, 23:58
blank
A month left, I'll be halfway done with college.
PROS: I'm now studying only my major and my minor, and that's what I care about. I get to spend more time with people in my own major, and those people are amazingly cool. I know enough about the system to steer clear of most potential mistakes. I only have to pay for and put up with classes for two more years. I've gotten loads more life experience and common sense under my belt since coming to college.
CONS: The easy parts are over. I have to start worrying about resumes and interviews and networking soon. The shiny new feeling of this campus is completely dead and gone, and that makes me sadder than I can admit out loud. My group of friends is still there, but noticeably cut in half, and segmented to within an inch of its life. I'll have to find my own place to live in two years. Not because Mom has/is going to definitely kick me out, but because... I just kind of have to. I'll be almost 23.
It's heavy stuff. So when I start dwelling on it, I always think of the lovely saying, "It's not called alcoholism until after college." XD
No, that doesn't mean I intend to drown my sorrows by getting wasted whenever I can - it just means that yes, college is when we have to start becoming responsible... but it's also an excuse to get away with not quite being an adult yet. So yes - I'll still procrastinate like an ignorant teenager full of hope and denial. I'll still take a little more time for myself than I need to, despite waiting loads of work. I'll get a job at Ulta for the time being until I graduate - and I'll whine about it. I'll act like a fool on idle Tuesday nights with my roommates. And when I turn 21 in five months, I'll probably buy a favorite liquor and keep it on hand at all times, just to have something to have a glass of every now and then to get me through the really annoying school assignments... and several glasses of to get me through inevitable personal crises. Because god damn it, I am in college, and I can.
... Don't ask me where all of that came from.
OBSESSION ALERT: Lady GaGa. I can't remember the last time listening to someone's music actually made me feel a hell of a lot better about myself. It's hard to believe that she's only 23. She's all about positive vibes and creating a sense of fame all your own, and her live shows are performance art delivered through pop music; a real sensory experience, and it's exactly the way pop music was meant to be before the Bubble Gum/Boy Band movement came into the late 90s. Plus, she's hot, she writes her own stuff, she sounds great live, and she designs her own outfits. She had me at, "I wanna take a ride on your disco stick." XD
I have so much school work on my plate. A proposal/ad campaign for TCF and a T.S. Eliot presentation, both due Thursday; a group discussion with three uncaring guys due either the 17th, the 20th, or the 22nd; and a lit. paper about a work of my choice due on the 23rd. And then finals - because it's incredibly important for me to get back into Honors. The sad part is that I don't even care about graduating with Honors or the slightly special treatment I'd get. I really only want priority registration. I want the best pick of classes I can get - because the more major/minor-centric our classes get, the less room there is in every class for us to try and get. So yeah - that's the only reason I want back into Honors.
Lots of crazy thoughts going on up here lately. I always have the urge to come on here and write about most of them, but I either get sidetracked or I just don't have the time or the energy. I don't write a great deal anymore, and that makes me incredibly sad. I've stopped writing movie reviews, RIGHT before I saw a few of the big Oscar contenders this year that really moved me. No idea why... I suppose I just grew lazy. But I did write a haphazard, stream of consciousness-type poem while waiting to go to a canceled class today - so that's something, I guess.
I really, really want to write a successful TV series. Something as epic as Lost, as witty as Grey's Anatomy, as hard-hitting as House... and maybe a bit as scandalous as Gossip Girl, because let's face it, scandal is just fun (unless you're in the middle of it, I know). I can't wait to take a screenwriting class, when they FINALLY offer it here. I feel like I know what I want to do, but none of the classes I'm taking really get around to helping me directly with that. The good thing is that I think I might be able to to take bits and pieces from these classes and use them to hone my skills. Minoring in Communication Studies should prove to be interesting in the future... aside from being a very desirable thing for a potential employer to spot on my resume, it might turn out to be a really useful pool of instincs to have in my pocket when I write. Whenever I start again, that is.
Anyway - I have a whole other list of things I could ramble about, but I just can't keep it up right now. I should be getting to bed. I have from 11am onward tomorrow to do the following: write an ad proposal for a business, along with a campaign that features a TV spot, a storyboard, a radio spot, and a webpage layout; figure out what the hell to dicuss with a literature class about T.S. Eliot's "The Waste Land", which is a horribly dense and pretentious piece that I hate with a passion; come up with a coherent/chronological list of shots and ideas to bring to life during the hour and fifteen minutes my group has to shoot a 2-minute short film. (Does that last one sound easy? Try it sometime and get back to me.)
Over and out. <3
- Writer's Block: The Kids' Section
-
- random_beauty88
- March 16th, 10:54
- cheerful
When I was a kid, it was probably The Little Mermaid. I watched it over and over and over again.
In terms of Disney, it's certainly not my favorite now - that would be Aladdin. In terms of movies *period*... lol. NO. My favorite film is the complete opposite of what any child should watch: Requiem for a Dream.
- Everyone can see it... but only you can feel its warmth!
-
- random_beauty88
- March 9th, 23:55
So I'm having one of those overwhelmingly happy nights, the kind that hits so hard that you almost want to cry because of the fact that you haven't a care in the world and everything seems very, very right. It's probably because I've just ended a week of academic hell. Three midterms, a persuasive speech, and many, many dramatic personal moments in between. Thankfully, it's over, and as of tomorrow at 3:15pm, I'll be totally free and normal again.
Clearly, though, the happiness has already sunk in. XD
Mostly, I'm excited for the St. Patty's Day party the week we come back from Spring Break. Nikki has need of the drink. :)
There really isn't much else to blog about - just wanted to express my joy.
OH... Watchmen owns. I'm very tempted to be Silk Spectre for Halloween - 'course, I'd have to get tan and lose at least 10 pounds, and being Blair Waldorf from GG would be easier - but it's a thought. The movie was just so good - and I'm looking forward to reading my copy of the graphic novel, FINALLY.
And I'd like to express that I'm slightly disturbed by the fact that Michelle thinks my Pepsi bottle looks like a chicken, LMAO...
- Writer's Block: More Island Time
-
- random_beauty88
- March 3rd, 18:32
hungry
You're packing your bag for that other desert island—the one with no electricity—what 5 books do you take with you?
Submitted By
mika_uriah
1. 1984 by George Orwell (FAVORITE.)
2. Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
3. Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
4. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
5. Four Past Midnight by Stephen King
- Writer's Block: Desert Island Time
-
- random_beauty88
- March 2nd, 21:49
- cheerful
1. Requiem for a Dream (because it's my absolute favorite - and it meets my horror needs)
2. Singin' in the Rain (to fill my need for musicals)
3. Dazed and Confused (to fill my need for happy, teen-geared comedies)
4. Crash (to fill my need for dramas about humanity)
5. 12 Angry Men (to fill my need for classic films with great dialogue)
That took an awful lot of thought, lol...
- Little We Could Say, Even Less That We Could Do.
-
- random_beauty88
- February 25th, 0:30
drained
Sorta long time, no post.
I've been busy having a life, much to my surprise. Who knew?
Midterms approach, and the one that'll give me the most trouble is Astronomy, of course. I've already put my rage about Astronomy in blog-speak on here, though, so I'll skip the rant and just say that finishing this semester will be sweetest of all when I'm DONE studying that shit. Otherwise, I'm not too worried about Writing/Presentation in TCF and English Literature. I have one in Critical Decision Making tomorrow, and I feel good about it.
I'm going nuts without new episodes of Gossip Girl on the air. I need someone else's petty drama to concentrate on and walk away from after an hour, lol. Lost makes me eternally happy... Heroes is still trying its damndest. *sigh* House is fading a bit, but still good. And Grey's Anatomy is pulling some interesting tricks nowadays. TV never fails to amuse.
Oh, I finished the Twilight series. Incredibly entertaining stuff. I have a lot of love for those characters. ^.^
I probably won't be going home until Spring Break, which is cool. I need to stay here and focus on things... which would definitely happen, except that this Saturday, I'm going to Birmingham to visit a high school friend who's taking me out for my first clubbing experience. XD I'm really stoked for it. I need to get out of this town.
I don't think there's anything else pressing to post about... There are some deeper, more general matters I've been thinking about for a bit lately, but I really need to sleep soon, so I'll spare you reading unorganized thoughts at such an early stage.
( What's this - RAT PISS?! )
- *clears throat*...
-
- random_beauty88
- February 9th, 11:20
- satisfied
All previous bitchings are now null and void due to the following occurrence:
I made a 91 on that God forsaken, mother-fucking, life-sucking collaborative dialogue about mortgage bailouts.
SUCK ON THAT, Astronomy grade!! *victory dance of dag-nasty proportions*
XD
- The Scratches, the Bruises, and the Bites.
-
- random_beauty88
- February 8th, 18:41
annoyed
This weekend has been equal parts of suck and joy. At the moment? Suck.
(Extreme wallowing in misery ahead. Please skip to the third paragraph if that kind of blogging annoys you.)
This is the THIRD natural science class I've performed below par in. Geology was horrible, and I barely managed a C in it. Geography, I had to drop, because I was failing the damn class and didn't even realize it. Now, Astronomy is rearing its ugly head at me... Yes, you read correctly. Astronomy. The easiest mother fucking science class in the world - I understand its concepts and I spent two whole evenings studying for the first test. And I'm pretty sure my raw score of 30 works out to be a 60.
What.the.fuck. I suppose I'll have to spend extra time taking a second set of notes on my own based on the lectures she puts online. I guess I don't absorb information as well as I thought I did. Which really bites... I can pass everything else just fine, but science just really likes to kick my ass, it seems...
Anyway - the silver lining I have to keep reminding myself of is that Astronomy and English Lit. II are my very last academic classes. Ever. EVAH. All I have left are 4 more COM classes for my minor and 6 more TCF classes for my major. If I were to take them all together (which I'm not - bad idea), that would roughly translate to 2 semesters' worth of classes. This means that I have 2 more semesters with which to do whatever I please.
This makes me so, so happy.
I forsee many classes in art, writing, and maybe even some computer/graphics-related ones. And some crazy stuff too, I'm sure. Some people really don't know what to do with freedom... I'm gonna run with it.
I've got my window open and classic rock music playing, and it's making me feel so nostalgic. What with the weather in the 70s, it feels like summer already - the end of the year. This is what I did last May: I sat in my room and listened to classic rock with my window open, watching the sun and chatting with friends here and there online. It's really striking, how differently I felt last May from how I feel now. About everything, really. It feels bad, but it's probably good. It's probably a little life-saving, actually.
Change is a bitch. But the flip side of change is fantastic.
Meme...
( I google myself... *SCANDALOUS* )
- Writer's Block: Been There, Done That
-
- random_beauty88
- February 2nd, 13:31
- calm
Oooohh, it's a toss-up...
August 11th, 2007 - The Family Values Tour in Atlanta GA.
Best experience I've ever had. It was my first "hardcore" concert, and the crowd was amazing. Hell, they started bonfires on the lawn when KoRn came on. The vendors sold everything from Zune stuff to bongs. I was hoarse halfway through Evanescence's set. The atmosphere was beyond happy, the company was great, and the bands kicked ass. I need another one, damn it, because I miss feeling the drums under my feet and in my chest - so resonant that I feel them there before I even hear them, it seems. ^.^
November 15th, 2008 - Seeing Repo! the Genetic Opera in Atlanta, GA.
A 3-hour road trip with my suitemates, a box full of chocolate, cheap coffee, a talking GPS system named Geoffery, a night in a strange hotel in downtown ATL, autographs and hugs from a fantastic horror director and an unusually charming actor/writer/artist, and a viewing of one of the coolest movies I've ever seen with a crowd full of love and weirdness. I'm not sure if something like that will ever cross my path again, so I'm overjoyed that I took the chance while I had it.
- ... Hey, baby, you look like you could use a stiff one!
-
- random_beauty88
- January 31st, 0:10
- relaxed
Oh, how change sweeps my life with an ugly, decrepit broom and giggles at my bewildered expression... ^.^
So my Critical Decision Making class has become my least favorite for the time being, since the assignment that runs through all of next week is a "collaborative dialogue" - otherwise known as a debate - about mortgage bailouts. I'm having to do a lot of research to get to know this topic, because I'm fairly dumb about it. I can rattle off a vague summary of things, but that's not enough. Guess it's time I learned, though... still, when this is all over, I can actually start tolerating the class instead of dreading it and bitching to people about it, and that's worth quite a lot.
Media Production is divine. Studio interviews, PSA commercials, short films... I'm in love. XD
Writing/Presentation in TCF isn't far behind. Radio spots, ad agency proposals, TV story boards... They make me giggity!
English Lit. is still cool - our class isn't very talkative at all, but our prof. doesn't mind, and is one of the most insightful teachers I've ever had. Her rambling in connection to Wordsworth and Keats makes sense to me on an emotional level.
Astronomy is boring. I brush up on my art skills in there.
So aside from school, I'm utilizing the contacts list in my phone now. *shock* No, seriously, I picked five random people this past week and tried to get in touch with them to talk or set up a time to hang out. For the most part, it worked. Nikki isn't sitting on her ass anymore, yo. ^.^
In other news, I'm FINALLY getting to see Milk this weekend! FINALLY! I can't explain how happy that makes me. Films: I dig them.
So, actually, it seems like my life is in a bit of an upswing. My best friend is close by campus now, so she's not tortured (which means I'm not tortured). I see all of my roommates so much more often now. Most days, I'm pretty confident. Other than being exhausted from classes (and having plowed through the first three Twilight books), I'm doing well in the personal health department.
I also saw Hairspray live tonight, and it made me happy. If there's anything I dig almost as much as film, it's live music.
Anyway... I have a meme!! Look at it, it's purdy!
( For those who love fictional characters more than is probably healthy... )
- Addictions, Distractions, Reactions, and SURVEY.
-
- random_beauty88
- January 18th, 12:36
- crazy
I ask for a new addiction... and I doth receive one. :)
(NOTE: Very minor, summary-level spoilers...)
I'm about to crack into the third book in the Twilight series. They're better than I imagined - and much more dark and intense, particularly New Moon. It's not necessarily the romance that draws me in anymore (because at this point, I've gotten the grasp of it more than enough, and Bella tends to get whiney), but more the Cullen family and they way they live, particularly with a human around and in spite of the werewolves she knows and loves. Complicated much? Yes. I can't wait to see how it progresses.
I do see why Edward is a big deal, though. He's a fantastic character, and yes, pretty much the perfect man... other than that whole HAY WAIT WE CANT GET 2 FRISKEE CUZ I MITE KEEL YOU thing. That really, really bites. *is punny*
So, yeah. I welcome the new addiction with open arms. I'm sad that I missed out on the book release frenzies (except for the last one, which I witnessed with Stew-meister in my hometown), but you'll be sure to find me at the midnight releases of the rest of the films. Like the Star Wars or Harry Potter series, Twilight is best seen with fellow fans.
Anyway... the books have nursed me through a particularly bitter downward swing in my mood for the past few days. No idea where it came from, but the leading sensation I'm getting is that I want better. I feel like studying TCF here at UA isn't getting me anywhere, and even if it could, I feel like I'm already failing at it. No idea why. Hopefully I can wake up Tuesday and feel rejuvinated or something.
I now own over 20 films that I haven't seen yet. I have to stop myself before I buy any more. *self-restraint*
The first week and a half of school, then, has been... all right. The better parts have consisted of movies, Twilight, ice cream, and keeping up with Christel. I'm trying to latch onto her enthusiasm as much as possible, but so far, no dice.
In other news, we've all got Monday off, Obama becomes President on Tuesday (and less importantly, Bush and his cronies leave), and LOST returns on Wednesday. How the hell am I going to get anything productive done? :)
Survey to get my brain going for the day...
( So eager for eternal damnation... )
- Pick your poison.
-
- random_beauty88
- January 11th, 21:41
- aggravated
So, not such a great day, but at least I have new classes to procrastinate about again, so life is at least partially all right.
Critical Decision Making is going to be... interesting. The professor is really young and talks really fast - which would be fine, but he flips every conversation around and constantly calls people on their bullshit. This means I actually have to be on my toes, lol... I have to know a lot about the four big issues we'll be focusing on this semester (the economy, the job market, the Iraq situation, and the BCS), and anything and everything we say in that room is game for the tests we have. So yeah... I have to sharpen up.
Astronomy will be boring as hell, but at least it's stuff I'm kind of interested in, stuff I've studied for fun before, etc. The prof has no personality, but space is cool, so I should be all right. Plus, we've only had one class, and already I'm finding things to make fun of during lectures. WIN.
Writing & Presentation in Telecommunication could go either way. The prof was absent on the first day because her father had died, so Tuesday, we'll get the official run-down... But I know that the class is about teaching us how to properly put together and present things like commercial pitches, radio spots, scripts, etc. On presentation days, we have a dress code. And the woman teaching us is actually the TCF advisor - so she's been doing this a while. Still, it's writing and it's creative - I'm looking forward to it.
Media Production is going to be what I used to do in the gifted program in junior high. We get to conduct/film/produce interviews and commercials and such, which is always up my alley. The only problem is that the prof's voice is totally monotone, and he has an unbearably bad sense of humor. But hey, as long as I get to tinker with TV cameras and audio equipment, I'll be happy. :)
English Literature II is going to kick ass. Our prof is young and likes to crack jokes about Opium and sex in literature and such. Plus, we're studying the Romantic, Victorian, and Modern eras of English lit., which are all MUCH more appealing then the stuff in 205. She wants us to pick a paper on any related topic we study by the end of April, which will make for the second paper I've ever had to write in college. I'm looking forward to it a lot.
Anyway - that's that. I have a lot more on my mind, but I'll save it for another time this week when I need to let off steam again.
For now... a pointless (but quirky) survey.
( ... Jump. )
- End of the year post.
-
- random_beauty88
- December 31st, 2008
anxious
2008... I'm sure that I grew and learned and all that good stuff, and the parties and outings with friends and the films, in particular, were definite bright spots. The rest of the year, though, I'm more than happy to say goodbye to. About 60% of it, I think. See ya, steaming pile of nasty - don't let the door hit your ass on the way out.
2009 is looking to be a MUCH better year than this one was. It needs to get here. No idea what I'm doing tonight, but I'll be with my oldest friend in the world, and there will probably be liquor. That's all I need to know. ^.^
As is tradition...
( Two Year-End Surveys... )
