So many things to blog about.

TOTALLY PROCRASTINATING!  

1)  Swine flu.  The word SWINE just makes me laugh.  Of course, the disease itself is not funny.  But the word swine?  Come on.  Not to mention the fact that in editing class today we watched Luciano's dad gut and stuff a pig.  Very timely.

2) Jon&Kate+8 = WHAAAT?  Apparently Jon is having an affair.  This devastates me.  I really hope they don't get divorced.  I love the Gosselins.  Most people can't stand Kate, but I think she's funny and she is a good mother to her kids.  Even if you don't like her, you can't wish such a public divorce on that family.  

3)  School.  HATE IT!  I can't wait for it to be over with.  However, I'm not doing a very good job of getting my stuff done.  I should do that . . . but I really don't feel like writing a speech on the negatives of teaching creationism in public schools for tomorrow.  Bleh.

4)  Moving home is going to be very difficult and very stressful just because I have SO MUCH STUFF.  I have mini-panic attacks every time I think about it.  Tom's going to move me out so that will be helpful, he has a big truck.  But it will probably rain just like it has on EVERY. SINGLE. MOVE. OUT. DAY. since I started here.

Life with Harry / Song and Skit

So I have decided to post the rough cut of my editing project.  It's not finished (the bars and tone have been omitted . . . !!!) and I ended up changing the graphics at the beginning, but you can get the general idea of it.

I have to do a project for editing and a documentary for Camera for Broadcast, so I'm doing them both on Harry Potter.  However, this is more of a "showcase" video and not a documentary.  I'll end up using the majority of the footage in the documentary, but it will be totally different--more of a Maysle Brothers feel.  

If I had access to a good camera, I was going to do a short narrative film but, alas, my camera time is limited.  I need to invest in a good camcorder.

I hope you all enjoy this stupid video.  I laugh when I watch it, but that doesn't mean anything.

Oh, and there's Song and Skit :)

Movie Snobs

I suppose one could call me a movie snob, if by movie snob you mean someone that has seen a ton of movies.  However, I wouldn't call myself a snob because I like almost every movie I've ever seen in some way or another.  There are a few exceptions.  I hate the movie Without a Paddle and probably one of the worst cinematic experiences I've had in a few years was going to see The Happening.  But altogether, I'm not a big movie-hater.

Which I why I don't have patience for movie snobs.  Some of my favorite movies are notoriously "bad" by film critic standards.  Breakin' 2:  Electric Boogaloo?  AWESOME.  However, it's so bad that "electric boogaloo" has become movie industry slang for "unnecessary sequel".  Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the movie, not the show) is one of the best movies of all time, definitely on my Top Ten.  The Hot Chick with Rob Schneider?  I NEVER get sick of that.  The Lost Boys?  All I have to say is THE COREYS.

I'm fully aware that these movies are "bad", but to me that's part of the charm.  You can laugh at it and make fun of it.  But what I don't like is when someone talks about how bad something is--even when they know I like it.  I don't like to argue.  Unlike some, I don't get pleasure out of a good debate or putting down other people's taste in movies, music and TV.  I get anxious and sweaty and altogether uncomfortable in an argumentative situation, so most likely my only defense to a movie preference attack is, "I don't care, I still like it!"

I don't want to hear about how cheesy the acting is in Center Stage, because I love that movie.  I don't want to hear about the formulaic storyline of The Wedding Date because I love that movie.  And I don't want to hear about the shotty production value of High School Musical because GUESS WHAT?!?!  I LOVE THAT MOVIE!!!

Oh Lou!

My boss cracks me up.  I have several bosses, but he is kind of the super-boss since he's the Dean of the department I work for.  Anyway, this is a typical conversation I have with him.

Dean:  What is your major again?

Me:  Media communication.

Dean:  So you can do power points?

Me:  Yes.  I can do power points.

Dean:  Can you make this power point look jazzy?

Me:  I think so.

Dean:  OK I need it by May 18th.

(. . . 10 minutes later . . . )

Dean:  Nevermind I changed the power point.

Me:  Did you send it to me?

Dean:  No.

Me:  OK.

Dean:  I guess I should send it to you.

Me:  I think so. 

( . . . Today, about a week later . . . )

Dean:  Come with me, let's talk to Lisa.

Me:  OK.

(go to Lisa's office)

Dean:  Lisa, her major is Media Technology and I want her to help with our website.

Lisa:  Oh!  Do you know HTML?

Me:  No.  I can make videos, and I can write.

Dean:  I think we can give her more hours this summer to help with the website.

Lisa:  OK.  I need help re-writing everything.  Do you know how to do search engine optimization?

Me:  No.

Dean:  But she can learn it!

Me:  Yes, I can learn it.

Lisa:  Great!

Dean:  She can do power point too!

( . . . another day . . . )

Dean:  Can you do Excel?

Me:  Kinda.  (I'm thinking some uber-difficult spreadsheet with a ton of formulas)

Dean:  Can you make this look better?

(he hands me a table of pre-requisites, no numbers involved)

Me:  Yes, I think I can make this look better.

(he makes me re-do it 4 times, each time changing something little like the width of a border)

Dean:  Your major is Mass Media, you should be able to do this! (laughs)

Me:  Yes, I should be able to do this.

One time I had to order him something out of a baseball catalogue.  He coaches a little league team and wanted this special bat thing that was about $50 bucks.  He said "order this, it gives free shipping" and gave me his credit card. However, in big letters on the front of the catalogue it said "FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER $200."  I waited about 10 minutes before I went into his office and told him.  He laughed and told me to order it anyway.

The best story ever:  One day I walked in there and he was on Facebook.

End-of-the-Yearitis

Remember how when you were in elementary school and it got to the end of may/early June?  All you wanted to do was go out for recess.  Even when it was raining or muddy and they made it a "black top only day" (those were mean) you wanted to go outside just to get out of the stupid classroom you had been in since September.  You dug out your bike and your jump ropes and your hula hoops only to have to stare at them forlornly while you were stuck inside doing your spelling homework or copying a report by hand word-for-word from the encyclopedia.  

I have that same feeling now.  I just want to be at home sitting on my deck reading a book and listening to the Bangles.  I want to be settled in at home, going to Matt's house sitting around the bonfire listening to sports games on the radio and drinking beer.  I want to dig out my bike and jump rope and hula hoop and be stupid with my sister.  

It's bittersweet, though, because these are my last two weeks living in the dorms at LTU.  They have been my home for the past three years and I have had some good times here.  I am definitely going to miss having my own bathroom, my own kitchen, and my own living room, which I have had for the past two years because I was on the bitch-brigade known as Housing Staff.  There's also the minor detail of having to fit a whole apartment's worth of stuff into my 10x12 bedroom at my house.  Hopefully my dad will invest in a shed for the backyard because most of my stuff won't fit above the garage and I don't want to crowd our basement with junk.  I guess we could use the attic but there's a whole lot of fiberglass insulation up there which scares the bejeezus out of me.

[side note:  I'm scared of insulation because one time my dad let me and my sister look at our attic when we were small but said we couldn't actually walk around because of the pink fluffy stuff, he told us if we fell through it we would be shredded into a thousand pieces.  WAY TO GO DAD.]

So my time as a resident of Southfield is coming to an end shortly.  I love summer but I'm going to be cooped up in an office and cooped up at a cashier's counter all summer until I leave for the U.K.  So we shall see how this all goes.

Mel Gibson is single

I just read on Yahoo! news (my source for world events) that Mel Gibson and his wife of 28 years are getting a divorce.  This is very, very sad, of course.  Divorce is always sad, unless it's Elizabeth Taylor or Britney Spears.

However, my lifelong dream is now come true:  Mel Gibson is single.  Of course, he is a lot older than me, but when I was younger my favorite movies were Lethal Weapon and a little-seen war movie called Gallipoli.  Both starred a studly young Mel Gibson.

So while it is sad that he is divorced, I can now watch Gallipoli and Lethal Weapon and think:  he is single.

Why I Don't Exercise

I'm one of the most unhealthy people on this Earth, I think.  Not only do I eat TERRIBLE foods, but I don't exercise.  This is sad because in high school I was constantly on the go.  I danced for 11 years, played slow-pitch softball in elementary school, played baseball for the blink of an eye, played fast pitch softball from age 11 to 18, played basketball for the blink of an eye, played volleyball from age 12-15--so I was an active kid until I graduated high school.  I ate unhealthily, of course, but my mom packed my lunch from kindergarten to senior year so I was forced to eat relatively healthy at school, meaning sandwiches, apples, pretzels and if I was lucky, a Ho-Ho.

I was used to eating whatever I wanted and staying between 100-110 pounds.  Not so when I got to college.  Suddenly I realized that without sports I was a heifer.  I gained 20 pounds in one semester.  I lost about 5 of those but that's just because I live by myself now and can't afford food.

I'm still relatively thin, I suppose, but I no longer have that sleek toned look and I could lose 10 lbs and still be well within the healthy weight for my height.

However, I am LAZY.  I am lazy and I am picky.  When I had a structured, regimented activity every day after school -- mainly the crazy athletic softball practices for 7 straight years -- that was one thing.  But the motivation disappeared once I realized that I had to resort to running, which I LOATHE, or going to the gym which I also hate.  I get BORED.  I need to be doing something and having fun.

Yesterday Katie and I had to learn a dance for our sorority's Song and Skit.  It was a lot of fun, but we were laughing at how out of shape we were.  Today I woke up and I literally could not move, my whole body was so sore.  It was so hard to sit down and get up off the toilet which, of course, is essential to daily functioning.  And this was from DANCING, which I did basically my whole life from age 4-15.

It reminded me of why I don't exercise, but then it also reminded me of why I used to dance/play sports.  I enjoy it a lot.  I wish LTU wasn't such a nerd school and had dance classes and/or there was a laid-back, cheap dance studio around here.  And they don't really have adult fastpitch teams, which sucks.  Slow pitch is fun and all, but it's not much exercise.  I like fastpitch because you can steal bases!

So yeah.  Maybe this summer my sister and I will just make up our own dances in the basement.  We are pretty good at that.

PSA - rough cut.

So for those of you that have been eagerly awaiting my PSA, here goes.  I'll post the semi-finished one and I'll also post the cartoon.  I can't post the PSA on Youtube because of copyright laws (I used a song for the background since it's for strictly educational purposes -- wrong, I know, but I'm not making any money off of this and I think the song is PERFECT!!) so here goes.

Special thanks to Courtney for the name of the herione, "Daisy", and to Andrea and Tommy for being Oscar-worthy actors.  The song is "My Little Corner of the World" by Yo La Tengo.

Enjoy :)

Finally . . . a decent Thursday

I feel like today will be one of the better Thursdays in a long time.  There are a few reasons for this.  

I still have to work, but my boss is on vacation.  Which could mean either more or less work, but this way she will not be staring at me and watching my every move allll day long.  I do my work, lady, do you really care if I check my email three or four times over the course of six hours?

I don't have rhetoric tonight!!!!  I skipped on Tuesday just because I didn't feel like going.  I was in no mood to deal with . . . people.  But it's cancelled tonight so I have a whole Rhetoric-free week.  I DO NOT find any of it interesting in the least.  But I am constantly told that it is very interesting.  I don't think it's working, people.  No matter how often you tell me it's interesting, I will still see it as boring.

The next reason today should be decent is that we're going to WDIV!  I'm super excited for that.  We have always watched Channel 4 in my house.  I'm not really sure why, I think it's because my mom likes the Today show and she doesn't have to change the station.  I think it will be really cool to see an actual news studio.  Maybe then I can make a semi - decision as to what kind of internship I want to pursue.  

And last but not least, there are TWO new episodes of The Office plus the premiere of Parks and Recreation!  I might not be able to watch them, depending on when we get back from our field trip.  But it's just comforting to know that they will be waiting for me on my mom's DVR back home so I can watch them on Easter Sunday.

I apologize if my blogs in the next few weeks are really whiny and bitchy.  I have a ton of stuff coming up, projects, Greek Week stuff, formal, etc. so I'm going to be in "I hate the world" mode for awhile.

Kumar Goes to the White House

I can't really stop laughing.  Did you all hear that Kumar from Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle is working for the Obama administration?!   That's just awesome and scary at the same time.  

His character on House committed suicide so he could be released from the show to go work in D.C.  This is just too weird.  I guess he won't be making any more Harold & Kumar movies.  I am going to miss another chance to watch Neil Patrick Harris in those.

Top Ten Things I Love About My Life Right Now

No need for embellishments.  Here goes:

1)  Getting marked down in a camera class for bad acting.

2)  Having to meet up with random classmates to work on projects that don't really require help.  And getting graded on it.

3)  Not being allowed to have more qualified people help me on my projects because they are not in my class.

4)  Being told that this is how things are in the "real world".

5)  Knowing that lectures at a university is not the "real world".

6)  Being excited to go downtown on Thursday to actually witness the "real world" and ask someone if they ever got marked down in a camera class for bad acting.

7)  Working my butt off on a project that is sure to be skewered for "continuity problems".

8)  Using all the bad actors I can amass to help me in my projects from here on out.

9)  Having to bite my tongue from saying truthful things in response to hypocritical statements for the sole reason of saving my grade.  Don't want to be blackballed.

10)  Shooting my final project for Editing because it's going to be FREAKING AWESOME provided I am allowed to use the camera.

I just needed a place to vent.  I'm sorry y'all.

Review of Greek

I will now review one of my favorite shows, Greek.  

Recently, Casey got a new boyfriend, Max.  Max is alright.  He's smart (he majors in polymer science like Rusty) and he's pretty cute.  He's played by the same guy that played Kostos in the Traveling Pants movies!  Woop woop.  Anyway, Max and Casey are very different but they seem to work.  I'm not a fan of Casey in general, but she has been a lot more tolerable lately.  Although since the actor that plays Max is still listed as a guest star, I don't imagine it will last the entire season.  Sad but juicy!

There's a plot twist in which Rebecca Logan and Franny start their own sorority.  I hope this doesn't last long, because it's annoying.  Franny is ridiculous and scheming and conniving.  I suppose she makes the show more interesting, but her characterization is just nothing but evil, so it's hard to sympathize with her at all.  At least with Rebecca, you get some reason for why she is the way she is (senator's daughter, dad is absent, cheating on her mother, big scandal, always tries to buy her off).  

And Cappie!  I still love him.  He's charming and seems clueless, but he's actually very smart and knows a lot about people and relationships.  He knows he wants Casey back but sees that Casey is so happy with Max that he tries to be friends with him.  Last season, Casey and Cappie were kind of each others' go-to person for relationship advice, which is weird but awesome!  I'm glad he and Rebecca broke up because Rebecca is totally wrong for him.

Rusty needs to get a girl!  I'm sick of him being the cliche unlucky-in-love geek.  I kind of hope he starts dating a ZBZ.  Casey's reaction would be priceless.

And I want more of Dale, Rusty's old roommate.  He's super funny and I want him to get a girlfriend, too.  THAT would be awesome to watch.  He's socially awkward but thinks he isn't.  BEST combination ever!

I guess I need more practice writing reviews . . . that was more of a rant.

GREEK!

This is not a difficult blog for me!  I write about my favorite shows all the time; however, I think I will try to pick one that I have not blogged about yet.  I think I will pick the show Greek, which airs on Monday nights on ABC Family.

Many people may think that Greek is a stupid teenage show that glorifies the fraternity/sorority system and perpetuates stereotypes associated with Greek life.  In a way, I guess it is.  However, it also demonstrates that people can learn a lot from the Greek system; how to deal with all types of people, how to remain diplomatic even when your emotions get in the way, how to deal with silly politics, how to manage but not micromanage, and in many ways, how to run a business. 

Greek is about the Cartwright siblings.  Casey Cartwright is a student at Cyprus Rhodes University and the ultimate sorority girl.  She has been a member of Zeta Beta Zeta, the best sorority on campus, since her freshman year and aspires to be the President.  She is dating the big man on campus, rich kid Evan Chambers, a member of Omega Chi (appropriately, the best fraternity on campus).  Casey has the seemingly perfect life; however, things are always complicated by her ex-boyfriend, Cappie (no last name, no first name, no one knows!), who is the President of Kappa Tau Gamma, the slacker fraternity.

Enter Rusty Cartwright, Casey's younger brother, a freshman at CRU.  He's super-smart and majoring in polymer science.  He wants to pledge a fraternity to help his social skills and reinvent his geeky image.  At first, Rusty is interested in Omega Chi like all the other freshman.  However, when he witnesses Evan cheating on his sister Casey, he decides to join Kappa Tau -- with Casey's ex-boyfriend. 

 The show explores the relationships between college students in a fairly realistic manner.  I wouldn't say that it is always an accurate depiction of Greek life, since I'm in a sorority.  However, the show gets many things right.

I love the show because it's fun and funny.  It's surprisingly addicting, and I am constantly rooting for Cappie and Casey to get back together!  

You should all give it a try, and don't immediately write it off.  It took me a good 4 episodes to really get hooked.

SCHOOL. MUST. END.

I'm so sick of school right now!  I know that's not unique, it's what most all students start to feel this time of year.  Projects are piling up, I'm neglecting my housing duties, I'm doing "just enough" work, not going above and beyond like I should.  I always start the semester strong, and then slack off heavily during the last month or so.  Well, it's the last month or so, so my internal clock is set to "slack" mode.

On the plus side, I have something to look forward to besides a summer of being locked inside earning next-to-nothing.  I booked some of my school trips for the Fall, so I'm signed up to go to London, Stonehenge, Edinburgh, Ireland, Paris and Italy!  For my independent trips I want to try to go to Germany (don't really care what city) and Prague, maybe Vienna!  Actually, I want to go to Salzburg to walk on the fountain like the kids do in the Sound of Music.  I would video that for Katie.  I also registered for classes, and will be taking "The British Experience from the Celts to the Present Day", "Modern British Politics" and "The Birth of the Modern West: Europe, 1350-1603".  HISTORY!  I'm so excited.  I've always loved History and LTU just doesn't have much of a history curriculum.

I can't wait to get out of here for a semester, but I'm nervous too!  I just need something different for a small period of time--I'll still be taking classes, and they will probably be difficult.  But it will be something out of the ordinary!  That way, hopefully, when I come back I'll be more motivated and dedicated to this school.  Because right now, it's just a hobby.  Seriously, I place more priority on work and family and friends than school.  Which, I know, is awful and I should be beaten, scourged, dragged across pavement, and burned at the stake for saying that.  But the amount of time I devote to school is roughly equivalent to what most people devote to playing a recreational sport or volunteering at a hospital or something.  I spend more time on HogwartsLive and doing stuff for my sorority than I spend on schoolwork.  

SAD.