This Stuff: I'm Right

So, I like to be right. It's pretty common knowledge. I especially like to be right when I know I'm right, meaning when I am right about a factual thing. For instance, I can't prove that my sister did really watch Olive Twist or that she really didn't read My Cousin Rachel (try as I might). I don't have to be right. I know I can be wrong. I mix things up and forget things. But I do know somethings. Like these three things.

Many moons ago, I was in first grade. When I was in first grade, I was really fond of whales. I was so fond of whales that my teacher gave me a little book all about them as part of some reading program. Anyway, whales. So when one of my classmates brought up killer whales, I informed him that they are called orcas. He disputed this and I disputed back and in the end he still refused to believe me. But I was right! I can let this one go due to the age of the participants, but it is any early indication of my fondness of being right.

The next two involve a boy that I worked with my freshmen year at BYU. He was a pill for a variety of reasons, but these are the two reasons I mostly remember. Do you remember that awful movie The Musketeer? I'll admit to seeing it in the theater. It has Tim Roth, Justin Chambers and an inexplicable Mena Suvari in it. You know who's not in it? Johnny Depp. He disputed this and I was all "What are you smoking?" but he insisted. Now you can check imdb for yourselves and know that I was right. I never convinced him but that is because he was dumb.

Not long after that he tried to convince me that a Levi's commercial was actually a Wranglers commercial. The commercial was basically a guy on a mechanical bull and then the Levi's logo at the end--pretty hard to mix up, right? But he insisted it was Wranglers and even had the nerve to bring it up a few days later and say "I saw that commercial again last night. It's definitely Wranglers." I made some noncommittal grunt and let it die, even though I'd seen it again too and it was definitely Levi's. I wish I could say I found the commercial on You Tube, but the only reference I found to it was this page detailing the appearance of Chucks in the media.

Can you imagine if I'd seen Clue in the theater and someone else saw a different ending? Our debate would never end!

Weeps: And Wails

A while ago the Mister and I were watching TV and one of those Puffs tissues commercials came on--you know, the animated ones with the kids (for instance). I like those commercials and I said so at the time. I think the kids are funny looking in a way that is charming. D-Rew said there was an earlier short by the same animator that would make me change my tune, but I just snootily said "A nose in need deserves Puffs indeed."

A little while later he found the short online. It's called "The Sandman" and it was actually nominated for an Oscar. Anyway. So we started watching it before the bedtimes, until I got the heebie jeebies. But we finished it the next day and it wasn't too bad, just spooky. Then! A month or so afterwards I had this awful dream about it that I can't even remember but I have been a little bit terrified at the thought of this Sandman ever since.

So, here is the video. Don't watch it if you're easily spooked or if you're going to bed. Or maybe even if you have small children.

2009: The Happening...s

So, I totally wrote an entire 2009 summary post and I published it, about 15 minutes ago. Then, while getting the mail and puttering around the house since then I have been feeling very unsatisfied with it. So I deleted it and now I'm starting all over again. It was rubbish, mainly because I was totally distracted while I wrote it. Let us begin anew!

I think it goes without saying that 2009 was a good year for me. I graduated, I had long hair again, I got some really cute new shoes. Oh yes, and I got married. It's hard to beat August 15th as my favorite day of 2009, but there were a lot of good days. There were some other things that were sad or lame or angryfying, but I don't want to list all of those out. But I do want to list out some of my favorite things and some things I look forward to this coming year. First, the fun things.

• The wedding. Duh.
  
• Disneyland! Twice! Disneyland is magical. It just is.
• Graduation. I like to be celebrated, it's true, but graduations are always kind of sad to me though because it means a chapter is over. But it was fun to sit with Marcue and giggle about Blaise Cronin. (P.S. I still don't use iTunes.)
  
• D'CALC good times! Food challenges, laughing about Twilight, book club, movie excursions, D'CALC night. Good times at my favorite apartment with my favorite roommates.
  

Besides, you know, being married, I haven't done a whole lot of new things this year (as opposed to 2008, which was notable for a lot of new things). Mostly I've gotten to know a lot of new kitchen appliances and recipes. It is kind of exciting to discover I do, in fact, have an ability to make food that tastes good. And now here comes 2010 and what is there to look forward to?

• A job? Being unemployed for the last 7 months or so makes me wary of putting a . in there.
  
• Disneyland! Okay, so we don't have any definite plans to visit, but since we're going to get free passes, we have to go. I mean, right? Maybe we'll finally make it there for the Halloween festivities.
  
• Spring. In general. I'm just about done with this winter thing (though I do like my sweaters).
  
• Everything else. Really, there's so much to look forward to this year. Deathly Hallows, a one year anniversary, lots of pho, visits from my kith and kin, Black Friday sales, the Fourth of July...the list goes on and on.
  

As for resolutions in 2010, I don't really have any because I don't really care to make them. But there are a few things from 2009 I want to keep up so shall we call these things resolutions? No, we won't because I don't care about those. We will call them "things I will keep doing." I want to keep running and do at least one 10K this year. I want to keep drawing and be better by the end of the year. I want to keep making foods and learning new food things, like how to make rolls and roast chickens. It'd be great if I could wrap up a writing project or two, just to finally finish one in my life ever. But let's not get too ambitious!

I don't really know where this year is going to go. Maybe 2011 will arrive and life will be totally different. Or maybe it will be pretty much the same. And no, Mom, I am not referring to babies, but job things.

Anyway, here's to 2010. May it be good.

Come On: Catch Up

Have you noticed that I'm not very good at doing follow-up posts when I say I will? I've left a lot of things hanging lately, and even now I don't want to pick them back up again. I have newer, better things to write about!

But. I decided to be methodical and finish a few things I recently started. That's what this post is for. The second prong of this two-pronged attack at blogcrastination will be a list on the sidebar of things I will post about next/later. It will mostly be for my own reference and motivation, but if you are curious, feel free to look at it and harass me until I post about vampire baseball. So, where were we?

Ah yes. The calendar game. Remember when I posted that picture of the Harry Potter calendar and wanted you all to try to figure out what was wrong with it? Well. Cami was the only one to spot it, but it's hard to tell from a little picture. Yes, the answer is that that is TOTALLY not Bonnie Wright as Ginny on the cover. Let's look at it again.

Can you tell yet? Probably not. Luckily for you, we found it again and took some pictures. They're kind of blurry but hopefully you still get the idea.

Do you see it now? Okay okay, so after looking at this picture I can kind of see it, but I think she definitely looks different, especially around her eyes and mouth. Maybe someone was just having a really good time in Photoshop, but surely it's not a coincidence that two HP experts were immediately flummoxed by her appearance.

Next. Surely you remember the Disney challenge, the one that clearly challenged you all to point of not trying at all. Well, now I will give you the answers and you will wonder at some of them, but most of them spun out of a few things: 1) their names sounded so weird I couldn't remember them 2) I didn't know their name and made up one based on a physical trait 3) their real name reminded me of another name/word that stuck in my head more. Now to the list, which is lengthy:

The Black Cauldron (the one that started it all):
-Eliwoniwoohoo=Eilonwy
-Flitter Flooven=Fflewddur Fflam
-Creepster=Creeper
-The Gurgle=Gurgi

The Rescuers Down Under (*Joanna noise*):
-Marihootie=Marahute

Pocahontas:
-Naima=Nakoma
-Coconuts=Kocoum

The Hunchback of Notre Dame:
-Clotile=Clopin

Mulan:
-Ping Pong=Chien-Po
-David Lopan=Chi-Fu

Tarzan:
-Curtains=Kerchak
-Saber=Sabor

The Emperor's New Groove:
-Poncho Libre=Pacha

Atlantis:
-Rosie Perez=Audrey (I really thought she did the voice)
-Roach=Rourke

Lilo and Stitch:
-Freeloader=Lilo (it started with "Frilo" and went from there)
-Sharkboy=Gantu
-Wazowski=Pleakley

Treasure Planet:
-Dogbert=Delbert (because he's a dog...get it?)
-Camelia=Amelia (because she's a cat...get it?)
-Rockface=Arrow
-Mlerf=Morph

Home on the Range:
-Queenie=Mrs. Caloway (She's Judi Dench!)
-Meggie Moo=Maggie (Ugh, Roseanne. I should have called her "annoying.")

So, there you have it. And now I'm two topics closer to posting about more fun things.