Fancy a ride in the TARDIS?

Okay...geek moment about to happen...

NEW DOCTOR WHO THIS SATURDAY (in the UK - bummer for us over here in the US. We have to wait until April 17th - just hope someone posts the new episode on youtube somehow)

Here are the best of the new trailers in the order in which I saw them, so now you can experience what I did! These trailers literally sent chills through my body - I am SO SO EXCITED for the new season! AHHHH! Please take a moment to geek out with me:

HOLY COW!!! I love the Doctor. :D

Curse you, Mr. Darcy!

Period films are not good for me. I watch them and I re-watch them and I get addicted. Then I want to live them, which is a fantasy that is only realized as I watch the films. I guess that is part of why we watch movies, right? To get sucked in to a world we never imagined? I want so badly to find a guy that will love me like Mr. Rochester loves Jane Eyre, or like Knightly loves Emma, or like Darcy loves Elizabeth. I know boys think it’s silly, but I really think they should put more stock in the period films that so many girls love. If they were smart, they would watch them and figure out what it is that girls love so much about it. It’s like this guy I knew in high school who read the Twilight series so he could learn and emulate what girls loved so much about Jacob and Edward. Same basic principle. I don’t expect guys today to walk around in tailcoats with longish hair and high collars. I just think it would be nice if every once a while a guy would be just as gentlemanly as the period dudes. Proper, full of respect for the female race, rather than teasing and prodding like I usually see them. I think that in wanting equality between the sexes we have lost some of that. I’ll admit that I’m one of the women that probably would have hated all the manners and etiquette if I had to live with them. I would have been one of those refusing to wear a corset because it inhibited my running through the fields. But still, we deserve to be treated like women. Respected as women. Not treated like one of the guys to the point where they forget we aren’t one. But if boys were smart, they would take a leaf out of Mr. Darcy’s book. And let’s be honest, I really do love the long curlyish hair that many of them have. Boys, the hair is also a plus if you can pull it off. Oh, to run my fingers through their luscious locks! *sigh* J

MOAB BABY!

DAY 1 - Thursday

Bradley and Trevor picked Katelyn and me up at 6:00pm and the adventure begins. Please watch the video.

We arrived at around 9:30ish and met up with Bradley’s family, Rowdy, and Sammy who had already set up camp. We went on our first trail in the Jeeps – Fins n Things, an easier but so much fun trail. And in the dark it’s way more intense.

Then we went back to camp and watched Shanghai Noon on Sam’s laptop. It rains and blows, so we move under the tent entryway canopy. Trevor kept the canopy from flapping around by using his scriptures as a paperweight (scripture power!). We got to the really intense final climactic fight scene, and then Sam’s computer died…so Katelyn and I retired to the motor home where Bradley’s family was kind enough to give us the master bedroom with the amazing sleep number bed. How did we get so lucky? I offered to sleep in the tent with the guys but for some reason that’s not allowed… ;)

DAY 2 – Friday

We woke up to waffles and bacon. Sam took me to the store to purchase some motion-sickness prevention medication which was a major blessing but also a problem because Jenny found herself falling asleep on the roughest of jeeping trails throughout the day. We took off on an all day trail – Poison Spider and Golden Spike combined, I believe. It was cold – silly Moab, you’re supposed to be warm – but so much fun!!! I rode with Sam and Trevor for most of the day and they were kind enough to let me sit in the front heated seat so I wouldn’t freeze. We had a picnic lunch right by the epic crack that we crossed (see picture below). I screamed quite a bit more than I anticipated but I hope it made the experience more enjoyable. We were all exhausted and fell asleep to a movie in the motor home before going to our respective sleeping areas.

DAY 3 – Saturday

We went on the Behind the Rocks trail and saw some pretty awesome scenery. On the rally roads in both Sam and Bradley’s cars we played the Indiana Jones theme song while driving as fast as possible – epic! Later we went on Fins n Things again and Sammy let me drive his Jeep! So cool! I went up what I considered some intense obstacles and I didn’t break anything! Quite a successful journey. Then, we ate at Zax’s in Moab, which was really tasty. We had dutch oven peach cobbler back at the camp and sat around the campfire for a while, swapping stories and laughs. And then we went on the trail Hell’s Revenge in the dark, which turned out to maybe not be such a good idea because we got lost and half of us fell asleep. But we made it out okay in the end, thanks to Trevor’s flame spotting skills and Bradley and Sam’s rather powerful headlights.

DAY 4 – Sunday

We awoke to wonderful French toast and then cleaned up camp. Brad’s family left, and us college kids went to church in a Moab family ward. After church, we hiked up to Delicate arch to participate in a very Sunday appropriate activity of marveling at God’s creations. We then drove back to Provo. Katelyn and Brad in Sandy and Sammy, Rowdy, Trevor, and Jenny in Lady. In our car everyone took a lovely nap (except Sam, the driver, of course) as we listened to Elder Holland’s conference talks. We drove and talked and discussed and had a marvelous time.

This trip was so much fun, I can hardly tell you. One of the most fun weekends I have ever had. I would do it again in a heartbeat, and I can fully understand why Bradley and Sammy love doing it so much and so often. Thank you so much to Bradley’s family for letting us stay with them and for taking care of us. We made some new friends, got to know some old ones better, and we had far too much fun. Thanks to Bradley and Sammy for inviting us all! And here’s hoping there are many more Moab adventures J

The Countdown

43 DAYS UNTIL I LEAVE FOR LONDON!!!!

Something I've Known For A While

So, I get big crushes on celebrities. Not even just celebrities. I get crushes on any kind of actor guy - if they can perform in front of a crowd, I'm gone. For example, I recently saw a play at Hale Theater and quickly developed a rather large amount of admiration for one of the actors. I'll be honest - I even facebook stalked him...I'm not proud of it, but it's the truth. I still hope he'll be in the next play we see at Hale so I can talk to him and make him fall in love with me and then we'll have little actor children who can all sing and dance in perfect harmony...*sigh*

I remember my first celebrity crush - I'm pretty sure it was either Han Solo from Star Wars or Harold Hill from The Music Man. I still have crushes on these men. I used to fantasize about being Princess Leah or Marian the Librarian. Then I'd fantasize about meeting Harrison Ford and Robert Preston, the respective actors. I even wrote a story about Harrison Ford moving in to the empty house next door and us becoming really good friends. He took me for rides in his helicopter and got me my big break in Hollywood as his co-star in a movie that I wrote and directed.

After relationships with these men I broadened my horizons. I branched out to Austenland and pursued Mr. Darcy/Colin Firth (a relationship I'm still in the midst of, I admit), Mr. Knightley/Jeremy Northam, and Captain Wentworth (I'll be honest and say that I never really had crushes on either of the actors I've seen play this part). I fell absolutely in love with Gilbert Blythe from Anne of Green Gables. I ventured in to the world of more intense sci-fi and fell for Dwayne Hicks/Michael Biehn from Aliens 2 (and named my truck after him...), Kyle Reese/Michael Biehn from Terminator, Captain Kirk and Spock from the original Star Trek crew (relationships that I have recently reinvigorated since the 2009 film), Captain Picard and Riker from the Next Generation Star Trek crew, and perhaps most intensely John Crichton/Ben Browder from Farscape. I also had a passing fancy for Stark in Farscape, but that was more of a careless fling. Then came the rather large old movies relationships of my life, during which I pursued all forms of Jimmy Stewart, Clark Gable, Cary Grant, Gene Kelly, and most predominantly Fred Astaire. In fact, one might say Fred has been the love of my life so far. I have since also found relationships with Michael Jackson (in his non-creepy, Thriller years), Johnny Depp, Ewan McGregor, Hugh Jackman, and Robert Downey Jr. (mostly in Sherlock Holmes and Iron Man) to be most rewarding. The most recent relationship I have been in is with the Doctor/David Tennant. Let me tell you, that was and continues to be an intense, wonderful relationship and will continue to be for years to come. I plan on "running into" one or both of them whilst in London this summer :) There have been many flings too that I sometimes reminisce about, like my Zac Efron fling after seeing Hairspray, my Gerard Butler/Phantom/Dear Frankie fling, my Jude Law/Sky Captain on and off relationship - I could go on and on.

The thing that's great about each of these relationships is how I've managed to stay friends which each one of them throughout the years, despite our going separate ways :)

Something about performers just makes me fall in love with them. Maybe it's how naturally outgoing they are. Maybe it's how most of them can sing and/or dance beautifully. Maybe it's how funny they often are. Maybe it's all of these. I think it's actually because I admire their ability to be comfortable around/in front of people so easily. They possess traits that I would love to see in myself. Though I enjoy relationships with "real" guys much more than these relationships, I will always hold a special place in my heart for my actors :)

Alice in Wonderland

I've been trying this new movie-watching technique lately - go in with absolutely no expectations, no preconceived personal opinions. It's what phenomenologist Andrew Dudley (or is it Dudley Andrew? I can never remember...People should not have reversible names...) would call "clearing a space." So as Alice in Wonderland was beginning last night, I did just that. I closed my eyes and expected nothing. And I highly recommend the experience.

Now, the film would probably not be enjoyable for original Alice die-hards. I dunno, maybe it could be. But since I am not the biggest fan of the original Alice story I can't comment on the movie in their behalf. All I can say is that the film stuck with me after I saw it. And that is one of my criteria for a good film. It stuck with me visually - the images were wonderful. The whole time I was sitting there thinking, how did they do that?! So beautifully shot and constructed. I just ooooed the entire time. I did not see it in 3-D for monetary and enjoyment purposes (see my review on Avatar for a more in-depth discussion). I found the story quite engaging. It was a fun twist on a familiar tale. I loved the performances of the actors - Tim Burton always assembles an amazing cast. My favorite discovery was realizing that the Knave was played by Crispin Glover of George McFly Back to the Future fame. That was a pleasant surprise. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter never disappoint - I absolutely loved the Mad Hatter. He was so lovably mad. "All the best people are." The lines were highly quotable, which made it even better: "I love my fat boys" and "cup" and "spoon" and "I sometimes believe in 6 impossible things before breakfast." Wonderful. Though the story was at times predictable, it was not boringly predictable. I enjoyed watching the events unfold. The film was not perfect - there was a bit in the middle and other elements throughout that just seemed random and out of place or perhaps slow. If it had been traditional Alice that would have been a good thing, but in an Alice that actually has a plot it was not entirely welcome. I'd have to watch it again to verify. Danny Elfman composed the music, so it was naturally wonderful - I have decided that he can make any film magical with his tunes. I thought seriously about buying the soundtrack so I could have some magic to study to. Overall, I think it is a film that you have to take on its own. Certain things about the film are made enjoyable if you know the original story. It is a "sequel" type film after all. However, you can't go in expecting the traditional Alice in Wonderland and you can't go in expecting your typical adventure film. It's a mix that I found pleasing.

I often forget how much I love seeing movies in the theater. This was the first film I had seen in a theater in around two months. I was practically tingling with anticipation as the actual film started. I can feel magic right before I see a movie in the theater, especially if it's the first time I'm seeing it. It's a tangible force that just sucks me in and envelopes me. The moment the film begins rolling, I just feel this wave of possibility wash over me - this could be a wonderful movie. And sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn't. But the journey of discovery is half the fun. And watching it with friends and even strangers makes it even better.

So...what should I do with my life? I hate not having a direction. I mean, I have a direction, but is it the direction I should be taking? Is it the direction that is best for me? In the next year, the next few months maybe, I have to decide whether I should go on a mission or stay and finish my degree first. Then, after I graduate from college, I want to go to graduate school. But in what? What do I want to do? I used to know exactly what I wanted to do. I wanted to make movies and change the world. I still want to do that. But there's another side of me that says I need to do something else. Like making movies doesn't totally fit anymore. There are other ways to change the world that I may be better at.

There's no point in my changing my major now - not only do I absolutely love it, but I can do pretty much anything with it. The question is, what am I going to do with it? Graduate school is my next step. But what do I study? I don't necessarily want to study film in graduate school, because that doesn't qualify me to do very much...do I want to study it more? I don't know. My fall back has always been medical school (I know...intense fall back) but that doesn't interest me as much anymore. Humanities? Possibly. But what can I do with that? Teach? I may like teaching. Ugh, I dislike this decision-making business. Sometimes I wish the Lord would just tell me what to do. But I know that's not part of the plan. I have to figure it out.