Read It 1st

Once upon a time, a terrific movie came out. I liked it so much, that after the first time I saw it (a Saturday), I started reading the book it was based on. I saw the movie again the following Monday. The next day, I saw the movie a third time and finished the book. I was completely in love with both. Though the book was very different from the movie, it had helped me understand a lot more of what was going on in the film, which made the movie even more brilliant in my opinion.

The book and the movie were Jurassic Park.

*Cue the wonderful theme music to play in my head*

And a love of reading books to make more sense of the movies and form a deeper connection to the characters within was born. Pride and Prejudice, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, Master and Commander, The Scarlet Pimpernel... and on and on. How I love these stories! And I love knowing the original story, especially when some have inspired multiple film adaptations! (As a side note: I would recommend any of the above books, if you're looking for something interesting and wonderful to read.)

(Notice I did not include Harry Potter in this list. Though I completely love this series, I loved it BEFORE the movies came out, so it doesn't really count in this context.)

As a huge fan of books, movies, and movies based on books, I was pretty excited when my brother, Guy Smiley, blogged about the Nerdfighters new Read It 1st campaign. The idea is, when a movie comes out that's based on a book, you read the book before you see the movie.

Easy enough, right? Especially if you already like to read, and are excited about what's coming out!

I know what you all are thinking: "Oh, Megan, the book is ALWAYS better than the movie." Well, I could argue that point *cough*Twilight*cough*, but I generally agree. This argument is beside the point.

The point is that sometimes the movie-going experience is enhanced by knowing about the characters, themes, and story ahead of time. The point is that I like the idea of reading the book first, instead of watching the movie and then catching up. The point is that reading, in general, is awesome. I am very excited about this idea!

I admit, I was one of those people who selected the "I'll read whatever I want, but I want to know what movies based on books are coming out" option. I did this because I have a TON of books already on my To-Read list on Goodreads. This does not mean that I won't be reading The Hobbit before that movie comes out next year (my last attempt to slog through it was unsuccessful; I'm hoping I'll like it more now since it's been fifteen years). It does mean I don't feel guilty for not reading The Help, although I really liked the film.

Are you up to the challenge? Do you like this idea at all? Are there any movies coming up that you're excited about, because you already love the book?


(Hey! I just noticed that I've already accomplished 100% of my Goodreads goal to read twenty books this year! Wonder how many more I can finish in the next three months...)

Happy reading!

Another Facebook fast

Last year I took about 10 days off from Facebook, for various reasons.

I've decided it's time to do it again.

Two months ago, it would have been because I was jealous of all the moms and kids and weddings and cool vacations.

Baby Blues by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott

But, happily, I got over my "why not me?" pity-fest.

No, now I need a break because, since the changes Facebook made to the layout last week, I've been spending more time on there than ever. This in spite of the fact I find those changes seriously annoying. I have my friends all organized in little groups like "Extended Family", "Close Friends", and "Entertaining!".... but you can't add pages that you've "Liked" to those groups, so I still have to look at the main feed to see the latest news on Grey's Anatomy, The Big Bang Theory, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups.

Doesn't matter what else I'm doing on the computer, I check FB about every 10 minutes. And I don't like it. But I haven't been able to get myself to stop.

No doubt about it: I am addicted to Facebook.

I've been wanting to take a break for awhile, but there's always a reason not to: my play, my birthday, someone else's birthday, vacation photos, birth announcements, cast announcements, etc. So easy to make excuses not to stop. Finally decided to just DO it!

So, Sunday I posted a status update stating that I'd been taking a break for an indeterminate amount of time, e-mailed a few people I generally only communicate with on FB so they'd have my e-mail address, wrote down the dates and times of events that I plan to attend, and smiled at the replies from people who said they'd miss me.

Monday, I "deactivated" my account. I did this so I wouldn't receive any updates and no one could invite me to anything while I'm absent. I didn't really want to delete it and all of the associations I've made in the last couple of years. This is a happy medium.

It's only been two days and, pathetically, I already miss it. A lot. You know me, I miss the stories and pretending I know what's going on. But I'll stay strong. After all, I'll make an effort with the people I really want to keep in touch with (honestly, thank goodness for my friends' blogs--maybe I'll start commenting more), and much of what people post on FB isn't time-sensitive, or even important, anyway. I know most of what I post isn't very interesting

Oh dear, now I'm going to have to read the news to get my updates on world/local events. *Sigh* I can do it!

Hoping to stay off the FB for a couple of weeks, if not the entire month of October (wouldn't that be amazing?!) We'll see how it goes!

Love

Love is grown men wearing Hello Kitty party hats, because their also-grown-up daughter/sister asked for hats at her birthday party and those were the only hats her mom could find. They didn't complain or act embarrassed. In fact, they kept the hats on longer than the little nieces did.* (It's possible they forgot about them after awhile.)

I'm related to some terrific men. They'll never know how much I love them!

*My dad took some photos, but they're all on his camera, which means that my chances of ever seeing them is about 5%. But the memory is priceless!

Favorite moments from the Emmys

I know, I know, the Emmys were last Sunday, but I still want to share these few clips, 'cause they just make me happy.

• Ty Burrell's speech:

I love that he seems to be one of those actors who is just so humble and grateful to be there, and his personality totally shines through. So many people at the awards seemed to be robots, but not this guy!

• Parody of The Office:

A lot of my friends are fans of this show because they work in offices and the characters on this show remind them of their actual coworkers (think about it; I bet you could identify your office's own Dwight). I like this parody because it makes me wonder what I would say on camera. I bet I'd be boring... I don't have as much personality as Ty Burrell :P

• Presentation of the Best Actress in a Comedy:

This stunt was Amy Poehler's idea and I laughed through the entire thing. One blogger suggested that Amy and Tina Fey should write next year's Emmys. Oh, how I would LOVE for that to happen!

Happy Friday, folks!

I miss regular television

A few weeks ago, I somehow was left in charge of the television remote at my parents' house. I started flipping through the channels, and was thrilled to find a mini-marathon of Friends going on. So, I left it, hoping there wouldn't be anything too inappropriate, and the rest of the family (when they wandered through on their way to their various Sunday-evening activities) wouldn't mind.

Turned out, they played some of my favorite episodes. AND, my family not only didn't mind, but sat down and watched with me! Nothing better than my dad laughing his head off about the epic battle to prove the girls know the boys better than the boys know the girls!

"What was Monica's nickname when she was a field hockey goalie?"
"BIG FAT GOALIE!"
"That is correct!"

I felt pretty lucky that the episodes we watched were some of the less-naughty ones, and definitely some of my favorites, like The One with All the Thanksgivings, and The One with the Prom Video.

Ever since that day, watching with the family, I've missed having regular cable television in my house. I'm glad I have access to Hulu and Netflix, and that they enabled me to mostly catch up on Parks and Recreation and other stuff, but... especially now that the new Fall season has started and I can't watch most shows until the next day at the earliest, I miss being able to just flip through the channels. And having DVR was sooo convenient.

I don't miss the cable bill, though. So, for the most part, I'm happy with my choice to downsize. At least this way I watch slightly less 'cause the t.v. isn't just on all the time.

Aw, Friends. Thanks for reminding me why I enjoyed you so much! Good television isn't always easy to come by!

Talk Like a Pirate Day

Today was the official International Talk Like a Pirate Day.

Sadly, I did not talk like a pirate today ... but SOMEday I will! (It's officially a goal.)

Meanwhile, I want to share my favorite, corny pirate joke:

What is a pirate's favorite letter?

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

You'd think it'd be "Arrrrr!" but, really, it's the "Sea!!!"

What? I told you it was corny!

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day, everyone!

I have no photos of myself dressed like a pirate.
 That's weird, right?

The Alchemist

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is one of those books that makes me want to buy a paperback copy just so I can use a highlighter on all of the pearls of wisdom. I don't care that that will probably result in more of the book being highlighted than not. What a lovely, simple story about really giving your dreams a shot, listening to those who have been there before and are trying to help, and letting nothing stand in your way.

Books like these sometimes frustrate me. I start to pick apart all of my life choices and wonder if I'm fulfilling my destiny properly. I wonder if I should have done this or that instead of what I did.

**SPOILER ALERT**

BUT, one thing I really appreciate about this book is that Santiago meets his true love... and the meeting isn't the end of the book. True love was not his treasure, but instead simply a happy part of his journey. His love totally supports his leaving her to continue on his quest to fulfill his destiny. THAT is true love.

**SPOILER COMPLETE**

I have prayed about this a lot, especially lately, and I truly feel that I am where I am supposed to be. I am on the right track and doing the best that I can. I am by far from perfect, but my intentions are good and most of the time I feel like I do the right things.

As long as I can say the above honestly, I know that it will all work out. I might not achieve my dream in the way I expect, but Heavenly Father will make sure that I'm happy in the doing, and in the end.


View all my reviews

My roommate, Sutton

Last night I had the loveliest dream. I had a dorm "room" in the corner of a huge, huge, unfinished basement. I was trying to figure out how to arrange things when my roommate came in. It was none other than Sutton Foster, who was much shorter than I had expected (isn't she really tall?) In spite of my being nothing like her besty, January Jones (who may not actually be her besty, but she was in the dream), Sutton and I got along famously. We spent the rest of my dream slowly taking over the rest of the basement with our stuff, and getting dressed up in matching baby-doll dresses, jewelry, make-up, and fancy hairdos. The best part was that Sutton was the nicest person in the history of the world. Now I wish she were REALLY my roommate :D

When your hut's on fire

[author unknown by me]

The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him. Every day he feverishly scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. 

Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect himself from the elements, and to store his few possessions. One day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, with smoke rolling up to the sky. He felt the worst had happened, and everything was lost. He was stunned with disbelief, grief, and anger. He cried out, "God! How could you do this to me?" 

Early the next day, he was awakened by the sound of a ship approaching the island. It had come to rescue him! "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied. 

The Moral of This Story:
It's easy to get discouraged when things are going bad, but we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of our pain and suffering. Remember that the next time your little hut seems to be burning to the ground. It just may be a smoke signal that summons the Grace of God. 

P.S. You may want to consider passing this on, because you never know who feels like their hut is on fire today.

I'm sick again. The doctor speculated that it might be the flu, but wouldn't you know it's too early in the season to even have a flu test available? Vaccines ARE available, though, so get your flu shot as soon as you can.

At any rate. I'm feeling pretty miserable, and I have been since last Tuesday -- yes, before my birthday. Yesterday, I was sick at my own birthday party :P Thank goodness for leftover birthday cake I can eat when I feel a smidge better.

And yet, I feel grateful for many things:

• I could get in to see my doctor today. I adore my doctor, and have never had any trouble getting an appointment right away when I needed one. She's so good at calming me down and listening to my concerns. It's just nice to have your worries validated :)
• According to my bloodwork, whatever I have is apparently not contagious. I'm so glad, because I really don't want to give this to anyone else!!
• I have plenty of food. Between the birthday leftovers (including fruits and veggies) and the massive tupperware of chicken soup that my mom provided, and all the juice I bought today, I should be set for at least 3 or 4 days.
• My friends are awesome. Whenever I feel sad that I'm sick and single and have no one to take care of me, I have at least one person sincerely offer to help. I love that my single girlfriends understand how depressing it is to be sick and not see anyone for days, let alone try to muster the energy to actually make something to eat. To quote Kristen: "Us single girls need to stick together!"
• I can just BE sick, and I don't have to take care of anyone else right now. (I wish I could be more help to my mom friends when they are sick...)
• I've rediscovered popsicles. Perfect for when my throat hurts too much to want to drink water, but I need to intake fluids somehow. Sweet!
• Due dates at work are still a few months away, so I don't feel too horrible about calling in sick. Well, no horribler than normal. I take pride in my work and loathe calling in sick on principle.

For now, my main concerns are drinking fluids, keeping up on my meds, and sleeping as much as I can. I really, really want to be well enough for an audition on Saturday, but, if it isn't meant to be, I'll live with it. Like Larissa says, "These things work out the way they're supposed to" and there are several other auditions coming up I'm excited about, too. We'll see.

Thank goodness for silver linings.

Summer is over

...So let's celebrate the past lovely couple of months with one last hurrah from (500) Days of Summer:



Isn't Joseph-Gordon Levitt adorable? Thank goodness he grew out of that long-hair phase after 3rd Rock from the Sun (no pun intended)!

Happy Friday!

The Festival! (redux)

When I won the free tickets to see The Glass Menagerie at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, I had to laugh. I already had a trip to the festival planned... and that play wasn't on my itinerary. So, I ended up attending the festival twice in consecutive weeks!

Jamie, Nichole and I drove down to Cedar City last Friday afternoon, and arrived time to check into the hotel, change, grab dinner at Cafe Rio, and only arrive about 3 minutes late for the Greenshow that night.

We then saw a truly fantastic production of The Music Man, starring one of my personal faves at the festival, Brian Vaughn. The entire cast was wonderful, but my favorites were by far the quartet and the pick-a-little ladies. The change in the quartet from loathing each other to delight at sounding so good in harmony together was a complete joy to watch, and very believable. "From now on, you'll not see one without the other three" indeed! I think the "Pick-a-little/Good Night Ladies" song was my favorite of the night. Well, that and "Marian the Librarian", when they did a ballet of Romeo and Juliet during the dance break. So good! Makes me want to do the show again (I did it in high school) even more than I did before!

Nichole, Jamie and I cozy up to the Bard. 

We spent the evening watching episodes of Kid History, introducing Nichole to the Friday song, and talking about boys. The next morning, we got up for breakfast, and then went back to bed and slept as long as we liked. It was glorious!!

Ann joined us just before the matinee of A Midsummer Night's Dream. We all agreed it was our favorite of the three plays we saw! It was such a neat interpretation, the actors were hilarious, and we could understand everything going on. The scene where the four lovers have their huge fight was brilliantly done and everyone else made such fun choices. I was excited afterward when we ran into the Bria Suda (who played Helena, and also Ethel Toffelmeier in The Music Man) and I could tell her how much I enjoyed both performances. Once again, I wanted to do a Shakespeare play!! Someday I will get to and it will be awesome. Soon, I hope!

Jamie took off for a few hours to spend time with her sister, and Nichole, Ann and I had dinner at Chili's. We had so much fun chatting that we were shocked when Jamie called and told us the final performance of the Greenshow was going to start in ten minutes! Needless to say, we were a bit late. We WERE in time to buy some tarts (cream cheese and blackberry for me -- yum!).

Nichole, Ann and I at Chili's

We also managed to catch Queen Elizabeth just before she retired for the evening. She was gracious enough to pose for a photo, even though she seemed to be in a hurry to leave. We thanked her profusely. Doesn't she look great?

 The last play that we saw was Noises Off! and it was also very funny! We particularly enjoyed Quinn Mattfield's Garry. That guy is a terrific physical comedian. He fell down the stairs so elegantly, and anytime his legs flailed about crazily I laughed almost until I cried. It was also fun to compare the exaggerated characters in the play to actors I've worked with in real life. Freddy -- the guy who needs his motivations explained to him -- was particularly easy to identify as one or two people I know. The third act wasn't as crazy-hilarious as I had expected, but still very entertaining. I've long felt that the movie is better written than the play. Even so, I am glad I chose to see it, even if  I did miss out on Richard III that night, which everyone told me was the must-see play this year.

Can't help but love that we all look somewhat ridiculous in
 this photo:
Nichole turned around, my eyes closed, etc.
Ann looks pretty, though!

We went to bed fairly early, and were up early the next morning so we could drive home in time for church. I was a little sad that we had to split up, but I was glad that Ann had Nichole for company (and to keep her awake), and that Jamie and I had a little bit longer to hang out before the trip officially came to an end.

All in all, a satisfying weekend. I love my girls and am so glad they all got along, since Nichole and Ann didn't know Jamie beforehand. Next time, we'll have to take a longer trip together -- two days just wasn't enough!

I AM determined to go for several days and see all six plays one year, and then maybe the all of the Fall season plays, too, later in the year.

It's good to have something to look forward to :) And lovely memories to think back on!

The end of the "tweens"

I have thought about this passage from the beginning of The Lord of the Rings quite often lately:

"...As Mr. Baggins was generous with his money, most people were willing to forgive him his oddities and his good fortune. He remained on visiting terms with his relatives (except, of course, the Sackville-Bagginses), and he had many devoted admirers among the hobbits of poor and unimportant families. But he had no close friends, until some of his younger cousins began to grow up.  

The eldest of these, and Bilbo's favourite, was young Frodo Baggins. When Bilbo was ninety-nine he adopted Frodo as his heir, and brought him to live at Bag End; and the hopes of the Sackville-Bagginses were finally dashed. Bilbo and Frodo happened to have the same birthday, September 22nd. 'You had better come and live here, Frodo my lad,' said Bilbo one day; 'and then we can celebrate our birthday-parties comfortably together.' At that time Frodo was still in his tweens, as the hobbits called the irresponsible twenties between childhood and coming of age at thirty-three.

Twelve more years passed. Each year the Bagginses had given very lively combined birthday-parties at Bag End; but now it was understood that something quite exceptional was being planned for that autumn. Bilbo was going to be eleventy-one, 111, a rather curious number, and a very respectable age for a hobbit (the Old Took himself had only reached 130); and Frodo was going to be thirty-three, 33, and important number: the date of his 'coming of age'."

- The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien 

 (Yes, I have used this factoid in regular conversation. Yes, my conversation-mates were amused and horrified that I managed to fit it logically into the conversation. Haven't we established that I am a nerd?)

Does anyone else think that modern American culture has sort of adopted this "tweens" mentality? So many of us are staying single until our late twenties/early thirties, and taking our time figuring out what we want out of life. It's kind of nice to enjoy being an adult. We still have the responsibilities, but we also play every chance we get.

Note: Turning thirty-three neither legitimizes my "adult" status, nor does it mean I have to stop playing. It just means... that I think about The Lord of the Rings too often, apparently. I do think it's super-cool that Bilbo and Frodo's birthdays are in September. September rocks, y'all!!

Just another made up, self-proclaimed milestone!