Tv, Movies, & Music

I spent last weekend blowing through three seasons of The Office while I got over a quick cold. It was fun and I'm now a big fan of the series! I'm on season 6 and just adore the characters. I find myself giggling as I try to fall asleep because of something Dwight did that is just so funny! And to top it off, the actors & actresses in the show also write & direct for it.
I've watched two movies that were filmed in Las Vegas recently. I laughed so hard while watching The Hangover. I am glad I gave it a chance, it was so worth it! Even better, Ed Helms is in it! My Netflix account thought I should watch another Vegas movie. It suggested What Happens In Vegas, and I decided to check it out. Its a cute but silly movie.

I've been listening to a lot of One Republic lately. I love the third song on Waking Up, Secrets. I think the cello is what makes it great. Check out their CD if you haven't!
I'm really loving the free singles of the week from iTunes lately. I'm listening to Shark in the Water by V.V. Brown as I type this up. I like her energy and the beat. Lisa has got me hooked on and the Beach HouseVitamin String Quartet.

Movies & Music now

Happy Friday! I've watched some fun and entertaining movies lately. Some of them are on the older side so I'm watching them from an adults perspective. I had seen some of them when they came out but my reaction is so different. I'm talking about Kindergarten Cop. Instead of focusing on the little kid whose father is a ob/gyn doctor, I decided that Arnold Schwarzenegger wasn't all that cute when he was younger. I really enjoyed the story line and had completely forgotten most of it.
I watched Excess Baggage through Dan's On Demand and loved Alicia Silverstone. It seems that she was completely type cast. My parents rented Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and I'm guessing the movie was made so Matthew McConaughey could get paid to take off his shirt and be himself. It was mildly amusing and I'm so glad I didn't waste my money to see it in theaters. I must admit I loved he was a photographer shooting with a Nikon but I don't think it was an accurate portrayal of realistic income.Lisa loaned me the movie Observe and Report. I was warned ahead of time that it was a dark comedy but I don't think that prepared me enough. It was depressing and didn't really get "better" at any point. I suppose that was the purpose but considering Seth Rogen's track record with movies, this wasn't anywhere near his best.

I think dark comedies can be good, and Sunshine Cleaning pulled that off. I laughed a lot and it really makes you appreciate the life that you have. It did leave me wishing that they had explored more of a relationship with Amy Adams character & Clifton Collin's Jr. I really think there was more chemistry on screen then the writers saw.Vampire Diaries aired 7 weeks ago and I have been DVRing each episode. I found some time to catch up with the series this past weekend and I am completely hooked! I think the casting director did a much better job with the cast of Vampire Diaries, than the casting director for Twilight. Paul Wesley and Nina Dobrev are a beautiful onscreen couple and they make you feel their pain and anguish. I was disappointed that it was a rerun last night since I spent last weekend trying to catch up so I could watch this week. Any one else loving this new series?
I love the song Fireflies by Owl City and I'm considering purchasing the whole album. It sounds like from the 30 second snippets that it might be the same song over 14 times. It is very reminiscent of the Postal Service.My top 10 things right now:

1. Halloween decorations
2. planning hand made Xmas gifts
3. Vampire Diaries
4. Mashed potatoes
5. The song Fireflies by Owl City
6. car shopping
7. wearing my glasses
8. brown boots
9. shopping on etsy
10. celebrating birthdays

A Screening at Pixar

Thursday night I had a rare opportunity to go to a screening of the Australian animated feature film Mary & Max at Pixar Studios. It is complete Mecca to any animator or animation fan!
Pixar invited 50 ASIFA members to attend the screening and I managed to nab a spot. ASIFA is the San Francisco chapter of the Animation Association. The guard at the gate printed out a visitor's pass for me, I parked, and then walked to the main building.

As I walked to the front entrance, I saw yoga mats on the ground, people doing tai chi over the the left, a group beginning their jog, and a bunch of people Barbecuing in the front. A very nice security person held the door open for me and I became really excited. The inside had beautiful hard wood floors with Pixar paraphernalia all over. On the left side was a cute little eatery/cafeteria:
There were figures from Cars & Monsters Inc greeting you at the entrance.

On the right side was the company store. Sadly it closed two hours before I arrived. Maybe next time I'll be able to buy a fun sweatshirt. As I continued, I came across the game room where people were playing air hockey. They had a foosball table and some video games as well. This definitely looked like a fun place to work. People borrowed Razor scooters at the security desk to get around faster.

I couldn't help taking a photo of a cool UP marketing sign that I hadn't seen.
The theater was across the building, opposite the entrance. It was big, plush, and very red. I didn't see anyone I recognized so I picked a seat towards the center. The guy next to me was on his iPhone the entire time while we waited for the film to start. Some ASIFA members sat behind me so I chatted with them until the Director, Adam Elliott was introduced. One special design of the theater was when the lights went out. The red light that was being projected on the screen went out and a cricket soundtrack came on as it darkened. White lights twinkled in the ceiling and then a shooting star went across it. What a surprise!

Mary & Max is an incredible feature film animation. I really enjoyed its dark humor. Mary is a lonely little girl growing up in Australia and she decides to write to a person she finds in the New York phone book. She writes to a man named Max and asks him a lot of random questions. The art direction and story line are incredible. It is definitely one of those movies that I hope to see at least 2-3 more times to catch all of the nuances thrown in by the incredibly talented film crew.
There was a Q&A session directly after the screening and then I had a chance to meet Adam and tell him how incredibly powerful his color choices were. What a night!
I befriended a security guard and found out that there was a concept artwork section that I could view. I spent quite a while admiring how talented the conceptual artists are. I wish I could make such beautiful work with gouache. It really makes me want to take some painting classes.

My favorite sketch done by two artists was Russel's wilderness explorer patches. Some of the more memorable ones were panhandling, 2d animation, lawn mowing, and talk to the hand badges.

As I was leaving, I realized I was in such a rush to go to the screening that I walked right past the desk lamp and ball without even noticing their significance. I'm sure if you've seen any of Pixar's older material, you've seen this short. Another member of ASIFA was sweet enough to offer to get a photo of me with Luxo Jr.
I was on such a high as I drove home. Pixar Studios was everything magical I had imagined and then some. I hope that someday I can go back and go on the full tour. If anyone knows someone, you know I would be forever indebted to you. ;)

The One With All The Summer Movies

With summer starting, I've been enjoying the longer days and sun. I've found a bit of time to catch up on the summer movies. I saw Star Trek in the theaters a few weeks ago. It was cute. It explained where a lot of famous sayings came from. I had no idea where "Beam me up Scotty" actually came from. I know, I'm sheltered.

Last weekend, my lovely friend Kate and her husband Chris joined Dan & I to see Up. It made me so excited about balloons! We had fun taking silly photos afterwords with the 3D glasses. I found a really cool program called Poladroid, which allows you to take digital photographs and "make" them into a polaroid! How cool is that? I went just a little bit crazy with it tonight. It allows you to make 10 before you have to close the program and restart it because the "cartridge is out of film." Totally cute!
Tonight we saw The Proposal. I thought the previews had so many funny things that it would be a let down. I hate when the previews give everything away. Not even close with this one. I laughed pretty hard, the majority of the time. And it was actually supposed to be funny too! Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds were incredible. I think I might even have a mini crush on him now. Loved the movie, go check it out! Today was my day to blog over on the Everything Scrapp'n blog. Which means I have another creation to share! Working with Fancy Pants' On A Whimsy was just perfect for a recent visit to the zoo with my friend and her children. I love how playful and colorful this line is. Its great for any spring or summer outdoor activities.
Products used:
Fancy Pants On A Whimsy Fresh Air paper
Fancy Pants On A Whimsy Happy paper
Fancy Pants On A Whimsy journaling spots (from book)
Jenni Bowlin Calendar Cards 3x3 Brown
Hambly Classic Animals rub ons-Brown
Doodlebug Designs Bon Bon Loopy Lou Alpha stickers
Hambly Frame wallpaper screenprint-Green, special edition
KI Memories Love Elsie Forrest Shaped chipboard buttons
Heidi Swapp Family clear corner stamp
Tattered Angels Glimmer Mist-Petina
Colorbok tab-green
Staz On Ink-Brown
Zig Writer Pen-Brown
Hero Arts lower classic alpha stamps
ribbon

Out Sick

I'm finally admitting, I am sick. Luckily its just a cold and I am not feeling so stuffed up this morning. I've been trying to take it easy and not do too much so I can get over it faster. So, the only thing I've been up to these past couple days is watching movies, napping, and maybe some occasional scrapbooking when I have the energy.

Yesterday I watched Nine Months for the first time. I know I'm way slow in seeing it, but I enjoyed it for sure. I re-watched The Wedding Date and remembered how much I adore Dermot Mulroney. I saw Nights of Rodanthe a few weeks ago and really enjoyed watching it. It was incredibly visual. The house in the movie is just awesome. Plus, I adore Diane Lane and Richard Gere. Even better that they didn't end the movie all Hollywood style. Of course, I watched all the extra stuff on the Twilight DVD's. It was mildly entertaining. I suggest watching it when you're sick. ;)I started reading Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke, about a week ago. It is a story that was originally written in German and then translated into many other languages. I'm enjoying what a different world it is from mine. I've got the next two books sitting next to my bed and I'm pretty sure I'm hooked.
And finally, I've been listening to Lady Gaga's cd, The Fame almost non stop for the past two weeks. Check her out if you haven't heard of her yet. I have a Black & White photo midterm tonight so I'm off to prepare for that. Happy hump day!

Geeky Moments

I met up with my friend Mike from the air force on Monday night. We went out for Thai before seeing the incredible movie, Slumdog Millionaire. What a movie! The cinematography was outstanding, the acting was great, the story was slow at times, but totally worth the wait. I wasn't thrilled about the violence and disturbing images at times, but sometimes life is like that. I'd say, if you are like me, its probably better to wait for DVD so you can turn down the sound when necessary. I spent a bit of time looking at my palm. I totally forgot to take pictures with Mike, so sadly, I have no photos from our fun night out.

I visited my grandma in Walnut Creek and watched Dancing with the Stars (she taped it). I was really amused to see Steve O trying to dance. It was very entertaining. Then I drove to meet Eric in Palo Alto for an early dinner. I drove for about 3 1/2 hours yesterday so I'm not doing much driving today! We chatted about my obsession with Twilight and the reasoning for it being released on a weekend. I've decided its so the teenage girls can stay up late to get the DVD and not have to worry about a school night. That and its exactly 4 months from the release of the movie in theaters.

Eric & I enjoyed yummy goodness at the Peninsula Creamery, one of my all time favorite diners. Here is a picture the waiter took of us right before leaving.
I got home in time to watch American Idol last night. I am completely crushing on Danny Gokey. My mom wants him to change his last name. I don't care though. And Kris Allen is adorable too. Very cute and geeky. Almost to quirky. I thought it was hilarious when Simon told him it was too soon to bring the wife out. They are newly weds you goof!

I'm planning to go to Michael's for the 4th day this week. Yes, I am an addict for the 50% off coupon. And I might apply for a job there so I can help the habit. We shall see. I finally finished a lo that has been swirling around in my head since the paper was released at Winter CHA 2008. I think it fits the picture perfectly. A layout for fun? Not for any specific challenge, what? I noticed that I haven't scrapped many photos of Dan just by himself. So why not? The adorable mustache tag is designed by the lovely Michelle Clement. I admit I went a little crazy with the stickles, but its been a while since I've used them so I had to make up for it. And thanks to Jenna for the silly title. I am so horrible at coming up with witty titles.
Ok, geeky moment!Jenna called me into the living room this morning because John Lasseter was on the View this morning. He's the MAIN guy at Pixar and they had a clip of UP, the newest Pixar movie, which is coming out May 29, 2009. It looks totally cute and lots of fun!

Inspiration

Just stopping by to say hi. I had a pretty laid back weekend and I definitely enjoyed that. Since I finished reading Eclipse on Thursday night, I picked up the fourth book in the Twilight Saga, Breaking Dawn on Friday afternoon. I was hoping it would arrive at the library before the weekend, but I was not so lucky. I spent a decent amount of this weekend reading. I still have about 200 pages to go.

I gladly took BART to Danville (more reading!) and hung out with Dan's father's family. I was really happy to talk with Dan's siblings about their reactions to the book. They kept coming in and asking what part of the book I was at. So cute!

I will admit, I have this weird craving for waffles all the time now. Yesterday on my lunch break, I went to Safeway and bought chocolate chip frozen waffles. Normally I would think they are nasty, but it was cold and raining outside. I really enjoy them as comfort food. It made me crack up when I watched the movie Alvin & The Chipmunks last night because they were obsessed with frozen waffles too! We also watched the hilarious movie Evan Almighty. Silly me, I didn't realize it was a sequel to Bruce Almighty until Dan mentioned it at dinner. We cracked up a lot and I really enjoyed that. I could laugh for hours easily. I adore Steve Carell.A bunch of my friends went to CHA yesterday and I want to thank them for including me in their experiences! I really enjoyed getting all sorts of text & picture messages about your time in Anaheim!

Sorry this post lacks pictures, but the weather was just not fun at all. The sun is out today so maybe I'll get some photography in at some point today. We'll see if I can manage that between photo editing, reading, and doing homework for my flash class. With that, I leave you with a link to incredibly beautiful and inspiring photos that I found through the Strobist blog. Happy Monday!

Scrap Mojo Challenge #29

Scrap Mojo's newest challenge is to scrap about Super Hero powers. I can't help scrapping silly stuff. I've got the pictures for it! Due January 30th!
I am really excited about taking an online Flash course through my local community college this semester. I have been putting off the completion of my animation I started in my Senior year at SFSU due to the fact that I really was lost in the program. I'm also hoping it will really motivate me to finish my film. I've seen more job listings for flash animators in this area so that is another plus.

Speaking of classes, I've signed up for my Black & White photo class plus the lab for the spring semester. I am looking forward to getting back into shooting film and experimenting a lot. Now I just need to locate my favorite tripod!

Speaking of photos, I shot some fun photos for another agent this week. It was a beautiful day at the Pulgas Water Temple. I'm really hoping that the rain will stop so it will look like this again.I finished reading New Moon yesterday. I stalked the library hoping that Eclipse would arrived right as I finished. It did not. I got Dan to go with me and pick it up at the closest book store to us. My mom is hoping I'll do nothing but read tomorrow so she can have it by Friday. Ha! I am hopelessly obsessed with a fictional vampire and I don't see it ending any time soon. I'm excited to get it on audio book next. Don't you just love abusing the library and all their greatness?

I've been borrowing a lot of movies from them as well. Last night I had Dan watch Casablanca. I really think everyone must be required to watch such an incredible piece of art. Its so romantic. We counted 4 "Here's Looking at you Kid" in the movie. Catch & Release was way cute but caught me totally off guard. I really thought it was a fishing movie. Must read the back in the future! Also loved seeing The Duchess, Emma, and As Good As It Gets. I can watch some movies over and over again without a problem. I'm a huge film buff, I can't help it!

And now, I leave you with a picture of what our Taco Bell looked like on Monday, on a sunny holiday. And for those of you who are wondering, I didn't stay in line.

Finished

Happy Monday!

This is the week of finishing things. I finished reading Twilight, which meant that I had to go see the movie. Kelly, Jenna, and & Logan were kind enough to join me last night. I can easily say I was disappointed. By the way they changed the story, by the special FX, and by the acting. I thought that Bella, Edward, Alice, Matt, Billy, and Jakob's characters were cast really well. At one point it was so bad, Jenna asked if we were watching the Disney channel. I loved the book, so much that I've picked up New Moon and I'm nearly halfway through it already.I finished my first scarf and its with its new owner. I didn't get to take photos of it in nice lighting, so I decided a goofy photo in the movie theater would work just fine. I think this scarf took me a little over three weeks to make.I met up with Cindy at In & Out for lunch the other day. It was great to see her. She is hoping to intern at San Jose State University. We took this photo to make Lisa jealous. ;D We went to Kristi's on Saturday for Crop/Guitar Hero/Breakfast night. She fit 1o people into her apartment and I was impressed! She's such a great hostess. Kristi took this picture of us playing Catch Phrase. I managed to scrap at least a page! Of course I can thank my speed to the January Challenge over at Scrap Gal. Here is my take on it:And finally, I figured I should share a fun photo from my shoot last week. I had a lot of fun incorporating Gabby the dog into a few shots. I've got plans for another shoot this week and hopefully I'll get my business cards printed!

Movies, grad party, sneak peek, and some fun news

Ok, so I'm finally admitting that I am sick. I thought it was super bad allergies since my only symptoms were sneezing. Today I started coughing. I'm counting down the days to when the constant tea drinking ends.


I've been staying in and watching a lot of movies. Loved the movie Mad Money. I adore all of the actresses & actors in that movie. Its great entertainment. Saw Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind. I love Kate Winslet & Jim Carrey but it was a little far out there for me. Finally watched a DVD of The Golden Compass that my mom bought a few months ago. It was pretty cool but insanely hard to follow. It seems like you really need to read the book to understand what's going on because they left so much out. I was really happy that I watched Stranger than Fiction. I adore Emma Thompson & Will Ferrell did an incredible job with this straight character. He can act! I really liked the art direction for the movie too.


I gave in and saw Transformers. I heard mixed reviews & knowing that Shia LeBouf was in it I didn't have great expectations for the movie. I thought the special FX were pretty cool and the story line was almost believable. I had fun talking to my friend in the air force afterwards. And, my most favorite, was The Fountain. Thanks to the guys at DR, my Netflix list is infinitely longer. OK, so these are movies that I've watched over a 3 week period and just forgot to mention. But go rent some of them!

Saturday was my cousin Christina's Graduation/18th Birthday party. She had a Hawaiian theme party. I loved her table decorations.


There were so many people there it was hard to navigate. This is just the friends of the family table!


It was a fun afternoon with some great food and desserts. Christina will be attending the University of Hawaii: West Oahu this coming fall, so her cake was in the shape of a pineapple. She's going to get a ton of visitors while she's there!


I was asked to take photos my dad with his three brothers. It had been two years since I took the last photo. From left to right (and youngest to oldest): Uncle Pat, Uncle Paul, Uncle Kevin, my dad Mike:


Jessica came over to my house after I got off work yesterday. Our neighbor Luis came over as well and we had lots of Pizza. We had fun catching up while I worked on page for the next Scrap Mojo challenge. Here is my sneak:


And finally, something that I have been keeping quiet for a little too long if you ask me...


My sister Jenna is going to study abroad in London for fall semester (Sept.-Dec.) and I'm planning to go with her. We've always talked about traveling through Europe together and I am going to do my best make it happen. I have a lot to work out since I'm not going through school. So if you live over there and want to get together, I'd love that!

Today I spent most of my time watching the travel channel and picking up some books I ordered from the library. Also found out that one of our cousins is a Consul General at the U.S. Embassy in Hamburg, Germany! All I have planned is to stay for the whole three months (or as long as my savings will allow) and to take as many photos as possible. So that's my exciting news!

The Decisive Moment

Happy Cinco de Mayo! My office had a party on Friday with music, drinks, snacks, and pinatas! Here is one of my co-workers right after he hit the pinata. This photograph is an example of the decisive moment.


According to Henri Cartier-Bresson, "There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative," he said. "Oops! The Moment! Once you miss it, it is gone forever."

Henri Cartier-Bresson's is best known for this decisive moment photograph. If he had taken the photo a moment earlier or a moment later the photo would have been very different. There is your photo history for the day!


Went to the movie theater on Friday night with Dan to see Baby Mama. Laughed my head off! For those of you who have seen it already, Dan & I formed a band on Rock Band called the Pam Users! :D


I worked in the morning at the Christmas store and then I joined Kristi for a little afternoon scrapping. Hope every one enjoyed (Inter)national Scrapbooking Day! I didn't spend as much time on projects as I had hoped, but I did have fun. Here is a sneak for the next Scrap Mojo challenge.


I get so inspired by reading Ali Edwards blog. I really want to make this! Misty, can you make that die cut circle paper with your silhouette?

Spent some quality girl time with Jenna, Tiffany, and Kelly on Saturday night. We went to see Made of Honor and it was incredibly sweet. I'm a sucker for those chick flicks! We hung out at In-N-Out for a little while with milk shakes after.


Saw an INCREDIBLE movie called The Kite Runner. A member of the Pacifica Rotary had a small part playing a doctor (the Russian, Dr. Starobin). The compositions are beautiful and the characters are thoroughly developed. I was so convinced by the acting that I got lost in the story. The Director Marc Forster has done it again. I highly suggest seeing this movie, but I must warn that it is on the disturbing side. Check it out!

A New Addition

EBB Creations just got in their Fancy Pants shipment. I can't wait for my order to arrive! Broke my stash diet. Oops. :)

Celebrated Jenna & Dad's birthday with the family in Redwood City on Sunday. Met Kenny's beautiful husky pup Nika. We love her eyes!


My cousins Ryan, Dominique, Nika, Kenny (Dom's beau), McKenna, Jenna, and Christina hanging out in the backyard.


I was completely spoiled last night. Dan made his amazing burritos last night for dinner. It was such a fun surprise. We watched Coyote Ugly and then Love Actually. We didn't feel like watching something new, that way I could scrap a little.

Took Grandma out to pick up a stained class lamp today. Then met Kelly at the theater to see The Other Boyeln Girl. I enjoyed the movie but wouldn't suggest eating anything during it. Both Natalie Portman & Scarlett Johansson acted wonderfully. Definitely a rental though.


Kristi tagged me. I'm not following the rules because I like breaking them. :) If you want to be, consider yourself tagged!

Rules:
* Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
* Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
* Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. I own a pair of ice skates because I wanted to be a professional ice skater when I was younger.
2. I could eat breakfast for any meal, no matter what time it is.
3. My favorite class in high school was sewing.
4. I'm directionally challenged.
5. I'm really organized in a very chaotic way.
6. I was always asked if I played basketball as I was growing up because I was nearly 5'9" by 9th grade.
7.I listen to all kinds of music. Some of my favorites are Paramore, Frank Sinatra, and Enya.

Speaking of music, I found out today that the Matches are releasing their new CD on March 18th! You can catch their new tunes here.