Ten Things I Think Are AWESOME (Lately)

Why hello there dearest friends, long time no see! I know it’s only been two weeks but doesn’t it feel like more? It’s like I don’t even know you anymore! So much has changed! Dare I say we live in a Whole New World?!

Okay, okay, so nothing has really changed. I’ve still got an office job, still living at home with my parents, still have no clue what to do with my life. Guns are still a hot topic, America is still overweight and airplanes are still a billion times safer than cars. But just because the big things haven’t changed doesn’t mean new and exciting things aren’t happening elsewhere! Like my brain! So to catch you up on the places my mind has been the last few weeks, here are

Ten Things I Think Are Awesome (lately) (in no particular order) (and including but not limited to):

Geology – Rocks rule. When I was younger, rocks were my number one interest; science projects and camping outings were all about rocks all the time. Over time I let my interest slip and now I know little to nothing about this giant pile of awesome we call home. But I want that to change. Doesn’t it sound amazing to be able to identify rock layers and travel around to collect the billions of specimens? I’d wear a big white hat and wander around the world breaking open geodes and analyzing dirt with magic science machines. If anyone wants to pay me to go back to college and/or grad school, I promise to send you samples.

Dame Maggie Smith – Oh my, I know my fellow naughty princesses haven’t been watching Downton Abbey but for those of you that have, can we just gush a little about the epicness that is Dame Maggie Smith?! She rocks those one liners out every time she is on screen and after all the melodramatic plot twists this season I can honestly say the only reason I’m still watching is her. She is the granny everyone wishes they had, the mother you want to impress and the young woman you would have been friends with. Sometimes she makes me laugh so hard I fall out of my seat. Miss Maggie lights up the silver screen as well in my all time favorite movies Hook and The Secret Garden, not to mention her expert turn as McGonagall while concurrently battling breast cancer and not ageing at all. I swear she is a super human who will live forever and continue saving the world one boring person at a time.

21 Day Grand Canyon Rafting Trip – River trips are nothing new for me. My family and friends have been going on week long trips every summer since before I can remember. We pack up all our gear and live off the boat for a week, camping and navigating the rapids with little more than a map and a groover (I dare you to click). But this year our friend has done the impossible and snagged a 21 day permit to raft the Grand Canyon in October. The Grand is a different beast, 3 times as long, rapids double the size and permits so rare that people wait their whole lives for the chance to raft it. So yes, I’m more than excited; I’m flerbbin’ flabbergasted. The problem is I’m not on the short list since I prefer NOT to be responsible for rowing my own raft through mile high rapids (though my brute strength, vast working knowledge and high caliber entertainment value places me solidly second tier). So I’ve got to plan my campaign for inclusion wisely and while October seems miles away, when it comes to the Grand I will get there by any means necessary.

Quilting – Have I told you about my quilting yet?! It’s been my major winter project to combine over 50 t-shirts into one giant king-size quilt. I’ve been saving t’s since I was a kid (hoarder in training) and when I moved home I knew this was my chance to capitalize on the time, space and my mother’s sewing machine. In my head this was going to be a two month project, though now it has turned into 4 months and counting. Last weekend I finally got all the squares sewn together and now I’m working on making the border out of the tiny logos. Who knew quilting was so involved?! But guess what, I LOVE IT. I learn something new every day and come sometime soon I’ll have a t-shirt quilt that will last…until it gets ripped or peed on.

The Dead Sea, Jordan – I know the Lumineers are big right now so forgive me for pretentiously name dropping a semi-less-known song off their album, but Dead Sea has completely taken over my life as of late. The lyric goes, “You’re like the dead sea, the nicest thing you ever said to me. I’ll never sink when you are with me, you’re like the dead sea.” And maybe it’s because I just saw a Sundance film about Jordan or maybe it’s because one of my closest friends grew up there or maybe it’s because Cinderslut has promised to meet me there sometime soon, but whatever the reason the Dead Sea and this song has fantastically rocked my world. It also doesn’t hurt that the song details the choices of the traveling girl I hope I can be.

Spiderman – Yup, officially not over this Andrew Garfield/Spiderman/Emma Stone/Gwen Stacey thing. I want to be and be with all of them all at once. Will real life ever match the magic that is that group’s awesomeness?!

Artsy Fartsy Film Making – So I was thinking the other day (I know, right?!), wouldn’t it be interesting to make a film where the actors never speak? There have been silent movies and subtitles and movies that don’t need a lot of dialogue, but lately I’ve been imagining a person telling a story, narrating it in a voice over, that is sort of watching the action unfold as they describe it. For example, when a narrator is talking about a conversation between two characters the film would show the emotions on the characters faces but wouldn’t show the actual dialogue. Neither actor would be mouthing words, but they would be demonstrating what their faces would be doing had they been speaking. We’d see shots of them looking at each other, looking down, looking back all as the narrator says, “he tried to explain but every time I looked at him I saw her face.” Or in a lighter scene a mother would be pointing to her son’s dinner plate with a stern look as the narrator said, “To her, watching me eat those peas was more satisfying than any straight A I could bring home.” It’s going to be a sensation. I know I’m a genius, one day the world will too.

Live music – I went to go watch my friend’s boyfriend play drums with his band Friday night and it was AWESOME. I forgot how much fun bars can be with good friends, good music and space to dance.

Les Miserables – So I finally saw the movie (I left work early on Friday to meet my large buttery popcorn bucket at the theatre). And like everyone else, I have quite a few things to say about it. But my story begins with my elementary school brain seeing the unforgettably amazing Les Mis poster and getting the impression the musical was a retelling of A Little Princess (It makes sense though a sad lonely girl being found by her father). The rest of my childhood is littered with magical appearances of this poster and convoluted explanations of plot and song, so unintelligible in fact that for a time I believed that the girl in the poster was me in another dimension, (really I did). It wasn’t until college when I stumbled upon the Liam Neeson film version at the library and realized that Victor Hugo had written a book which had become the musical which had repopularized the book which has .become countless film versions which has now finally become a musical film with super big name actors. My life was changed and after I bucked up and bought choice seats to the musical when it came to Seattle last year at long last I finally understood the show I’d grownup with but never known. Since then I’ve seen it all (haven’t read the book, but it will come) and am a self proclaimed expert. In the interest of keeping this short I’ll only say 3 things about this newest rendition:

1. AWESOME. I’m so glad they made it. You’d be hard pressed to convince me there is no merit in a media crossover, remake or a sequel. There is always at least one moment of greatness
2. GROSS. As glad as I am it exists, I never want to see most of it again. They obviously went for honesty, which is a fine artistic choice and all but in all honesty I do not want to see festering wounds, dirty teeth and legitimately dying people on the big screen. I looked away for a good quarter of the movie because I felt I was going to be sick. Yes, the beauty of Les Mis is in its contrasts between beautiful melodies and uncomfortable battle tunes, but visually those contrasts are best left mild.
3. LOVE. I have to admit, from the reviews I read I expected Cosette and Marius to be terrible. Turns out they weren’t! After closing my eyes (and ears) for most of the first half, they were a welcome reprieve. Not to mention the GLORIOUS Samantha Barks who completely stole the show (did anyone else think that during Heart Full of Love she upstaged them both?) The love emanating from those three saved this version, because as hard as Hugh and Ann worked, they just didn’t make me care.

And last but not least.. Who are we kidding THIS IS ALWAYS AWESOME