to follow up on my previous post...
roger ebert's review hits the nail on the head. i couldn't have said it better myself. here's an excerpt that i particularly agree with:

Eventually the secret [of the film] is revealed. To call it an anticlimax would be an insult not only to climaxes but to prefixes. It's a crummy secret, about one step up the ladder of narrative originality from 'It Was All a Dream'. It's so witless, in fact, that when we do discover the secret, we want to rewind the film so we don't know the secret anymore.

And then keep on rewinding, and rewinding, until we're back at the beginning, and can get up from our seats and walk backward out of the theater and go down the up escalator and watch the money spring from the cash register into our pockets.

so, so bad. i still can't get over how bad...

a word to the wise...

don't waste your money to see "the village". it is, quite possibly, one of the worst movies i have ever seen...on every level possible.

don't believe the hype.

wanna see some pictures? of course you do!

this one, this one, and this one are of me being completely silly with this dude named rod. he was very cute. i should know since i was practically smooshed up against him all night.
here is me proudly displaying my auction winnings. yes, some of the candles were shaped like crayons.
here is my sister being presented with the hooka. look how hard she's laughing. i was laughing MORE.
here is my brother looking like the devil. whoa.
and finally, here is video of adam explaining about the auction. i'm sitting on the edge of the couch.

enjoy! feel free to flip through the rest of the thumbnails. some of them are just hysterical...

had a pretty interesting and fun weekend. my sister and i went to our big brother's farewell extravaganza at his apartment, where much frivolity ensued. for those of you who don't know, brian is moving to austin, TX for grad school so this was the last time he'd be able to get all his friends, co-workers and sisters in one room. we had blast...myself especially, after the rum and cokes started kicking in. brian and his roomate, jason, held a little auction as well...to get rid of all the random crap they didn't want to pack up and take with them. through the fate of the gods, i won 2 packs of super neat birthday candles. hey, don't laugh! at the time, i felt special. my little sister, in what had to be one of the funniest moments of the evening, actually won a giant hooka. yeah. she won a huge contraption to smoke tobacco and illegal substances out of. needless to say, she gracefully turned it down and the hooka was *ahem* passed to someone else. so weird.

it's really interesting taking alexandra to parties with me. she's grown up quite a bit in the last couple years and matured into this very attractive and appealing young lady...so much so that it's pretty customary for random older guys to hit on her. it's cute in a way because she's still so naive and innocent, and very easily flattered by the attention. this almost became an issue the other night, but luckily, nothing too inappropriate happened. i'm just too overprotective, that's the issue. and brian is definitely still getting used to the idea that we are grown up and not the same girls he lived with before college. overall, it's just interesing to see how friends and family mix when they've all reached the point of adulthood and have the ability to make their own decisions...

i'm off tomorrow and headed to the wolf trap arena in VA. i'm going to see the gypsy kings with happy john and dana. i really don't know what to expect, but i'll let you know...

well, i'm a little disappointed at the moment.   see, yesterday i entered into this online auction for 2 front row seats and meet/greet passes to alanis' show on august 10th.  up until about 2 minutes ago, i was the highest bidder and now some unknown person has jacked up the price.   so if i want to bid again, i'd have to pay a minimum of $220.  even though 100% of the proceeds go to charity, i just cannot justify or really afford to pay that.  my cutoff was $180.  the auction closes next tuesday, but i doubt i will change my mind--unless i somehow stumble upon some extra cash. 
 
oooh, man!  but it would be so worth it...

this is not the typical saturday night.  it is almost 7:30, and i'm already in my pajamas, having just took a nice long hot shower.  and now i'm sitting here with a towel wrapped around my head and no distractions.  it's really kind of nice.
 
john and dana invited me out with them tonight, but i am just not in the mood.  in fact, i haven't been in the mood for much of anything today except sleeping and playing around with my freshly fixed laptop (courtesy of computer-tinkering-extraordinaire, matt carson!).  i was out sort of late last night and considering i opened at starbucks yesterday morning, i was almost up for 24 hrs.  and for some reason i didn't sleep soundly last night;  i kept waking up for no reason. 
 
so.  tonight's plans are as follows:  finish watching the rest of 'i love the 90's' series on tape, cook myself a nice pasta dinner, read some more of my book, parouse this weeks issue of entertainment weekly, surf around the internet, and go to bed early.  sounds like a plan.
 
on a sidenote, i really like the new posting layout on blogger.  finally we can pick our own font color and style, and even change the time of posting.  neato. 

...and here is yet another nugget of wisdomosity (ha! not even a word!) from alanis. yes, i'm aware that some of you may very well think i'm obsessed with her, but really it's just that i admire her more than i can explain. the more i read about her, the more i learn about what she believes her purpose is, the more i realize that i feel the same. anyway, hope you read this and that it affects you...

i wish you...

the opportunity to speak your truth (whether you're heard or not, but i wish for you to be heard at least once, in a big way, to know how that feels)...

to walk at the pace that feels good for you (curling up in a ball counts).

the opportunity to live your day to day life the way you would love to see the rest of the world live...

that you know who your resources are and that you turn to them when you need some help and that you have the courage to reach out.

i wish you humor in everything, no matter how serious it is.

i wish you awareness of your connection to everything, no matter how disconnected we all may feel from each other.

i wish you love for all parts of yourself, including the parts that you think are utterly unloveable.

i wish you endless expression in whatever form, whether it's in how you dress or how you speak or how you cut your vegetables.

i wish you freedom from any box or construct that doesn't encourage life in you.

i wish you courage to set your boundaries with clarity and love.

i wish you allergy-free white kittens and pillows to fall into when you are despondent and spent and lost.

i wish you faith in the moments where it seems stupid and foolish to have it.

i wish you moments of blissful solitude and yummy community and safe intimacy in the doses that feel best.

i wish you moments of feeling like a student, equal and teacher...all roles spent with you in your power.

i wish you gratitude for all that you have and boot strap up-pulling for when you want to move forward into entirely unknown territory, for that is where i believe liberation and growth is most often found...

i wish this for you.

and i wish this for me.

had SUCH a wonderful time on saturday. really, it was one of those long, very enjoyable, beautiful-summertime-weather type of days where everything you do is fun and memorable; the kind of day where when you go to bed, you feel like you've really lived that day...know what i mean?

andrea, happy john, stephen, and i met up at starbucks early in the morning with two coolers packed full of food and drinks and 2 brand spankin' new disposable cameras. we arrived at hershey park around 11 or so, parked, took the trolley immediately to the park, and got on the first roller coaster available: lighting and thunder (a classic!) it was a nice way to kick off the day and more great coaster rides followed. unfortunately, the new coaster that everyone was hearing so much hype about was down for the day because they were running tests on it or something. so, that was kind of a disappointment because it would have been quite a thrill going from 0 to 72 mph in 2 seconds. now that i think about it, i sort of wound up feeling that crazy sensation later on in the afternoon anyway, during my very first DMB tailgating event! let's just say after a beer and 1 and 1/2 rum & cokes, i felt pretty damn great. i think because i didn't eat much all day, combined with being out in the sun, and having my equilibrium thrown out of wack from the rides, i was particularly susceptible to drunkenness. i still can't believe how wonderful and relaxed i felt. i was in that state where i was just tipsy enough to find everything completely hilarious but still completely in control of myself and able to remember everything that happened. andrea and john got a real kick out of seeing me like this because i am never the drunk one. typically, i'm the one who sits around and laughs at all the other inebbriated people. anyway, apparently i am absolutely frickin' hysterical while intoxicated. i wish someone had brought a video camera.

the concert itself kicked major butt. i have to confess though that i missed most of the opener because i was still in the parking lot, laughing and carrying on. the second i heard dave's voice though, i jumped up out of the back of andrea's car and got all worried about missing the show. seriously, i was completely paranoid. i grabbed andrea's hand and starting running toward the venue and all i kept saying was "we have to go! we have to go!" yeah. i reacted somewhat inappropriately. we found our seats eventually and i was feeling great. the set list was as follows:

Warehouse
One Sweet World
Song That Jane Likes
New Song #4
The Stone
The Space Between
Lie In Our Graves
Intro
New Song #3
Rhyme & Reason
Hmm ? [New]
Grey Street
What Would You Say
Interlude
New Song #1
When The World Ends
Jimi Thing
Where Are You Going
New Song #2
Rapunzel
__________________

[Tease]
Ants Marching

the new songs blew me away. we actually got a small taste of them before the concert when we stumbled upon the band's soundcheck. i cannot WAIT for the new album. it's very exciting that the boys are getting back in the studio and producing material that sounds so fresh and yet still familiar. i think they have finally gotten over the 'everyday' slump and are back in full force. oh, and they played the craziest version of jimi thing that i've ever heard. it was absolutely amazing...i was dancing my ass off! wow oh wow oh wow....and it was so cool to experience all of it with my starbucks crew. and of course, being surrounded by such hard core fans, both before and during the show really adds to the experience. i loved walking past the other tailgaters and hearing a different song from each stereo...then going to the concert and seeing everyone dancing and singing along. DMB shows never cease to amaze me. i always walk away from them feeling more unified, connected, and alive. this show was no different.

what's up with this? you mean i'm going to have to wait until the end of september to get my fix? dammit, already!

figured this quiz was perfect, considering i'm headed to hershey park on saturday.....for the big DMB show, nonetheless! :)


See what amusement park ride you are.

here's a poem written by alanis in august, 1992:

No regrets...growth. Give youself credit.
Everybody is different. Their view of you may not be correct.
Does it really matter? Who matters? You.
Who do you love? What do you know that no else knows? Take a chance.
Talk, listen, cry. You know how to laugh. Make a fool of yourself.
Honesty.
Enjoy the highs, appreciate the lows...they are humbling.
Learn, learn about you. Be aware. Patience. Be Positive. Be hopeful.
Don't ever let anyone destroy who you are and what you believe.
Be open to change and evolution. Accept. Reach out. Ask questions.
Hear the answers. Are they right?
Live for the moment but anticipate the future. A good one. You
deserve it.
Work very hard. Don't stop. Admit weakness...your strengths will
speak for themselves.
Use your gifts. Yes, you have gifts. Forgive. Let go. Swallow your pride.
But spit it up when you're done to make sure it's still intact.
Be gentle. Strong. Kiss. Kissing is wonderful.
Keep a promise. Conquer a fear. Don't be perfect, be excellent.
Falter. Balance. Be grateful. Be real.
Never give up. Don't be afraid. I believe in you.

i want to cut this out and hang it on my wall.