Monday, September 19, 2011

50/50: A Story Of Unexpected Circumstance.

seat42f.com

Upon entering into the theater for a sneak pre-view of Jason Levine’s film 50/50, opening in theaters September 30th, I was unsure of what to expect.  I had only seen posters around the theater for the last few months promoting the film, as posters do, with the familiar faces of Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen.  I was intrigued by what I saw; Levitt at the beginnings of shaving his head, and Rogen watching behind with a look of almost disgust on his face.  I’ve always been a fan of Levitt since his 3rd Rock from the Sun days and Rogen, who also produced this film along with Evan Goldberg and Ben Karlin, more recently when I caught a glimpse of his humor in SuperbadSo I knew it was only a matter of time that I would view this film, all I knew at that time was that it was coming soon.  Little did I know I would receive free tickets merely days later.

bellasdiary.com


daemonsmovies.com
Based off of screenwriter, Will Reisers, personal battle with cancer, Reiser and Levine took on the undeniable risk of making a film about cancer, and turned it into a comedy; 50/50 came out on top portraying the story in a respectful and tasteful manner.
Levine takes us on the journey of two friends trying to cope with the unexpected discovery of a malignant tumor, with a 50/50 chance of survival.  From beginning to end, I really could not help but feel the need to protect Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) as Reiser has given him the characteristics of someone who appears careful, timid and fragile.  At 27-years-old, Adam finds he has a malignant tumor along his spine, and being represented as the type of man who won’t even cross the street unless permitted to at a crosswalk, it is easy to grasp the concept that scary things can happen to both the good and the bad.
  
Kyle (Seth Rogen) sets humor throughout the film when needed, taking the edge off such a grave topic and giving Adam a more “positive”, and rather promiscuous, outlook on the subject.  Kyle gives off the air of someone who is irresponsible and will not take anything seriously.  It is later realized how much Kyle cares and is struggling himself.
filmadelphia.org
  This story is refreshingly witty and insightful even with the tragic cancer topic so eminent.  I would definitely recommend adding this film to your list of movies to see within the next month.  Bring a date, your best friend or a member of your family, all will find aspects to appreciate.

Friday, September 16, 2011

The Season I've Been Waiting For.

It's finally here!
The season that I love the most: Fall.

http://trialx.com/

I woke up this morning smelling the crisp autumn air through my very thin windows.
Although this weather will not last long, I am very well going to enjoy it while I can!  Especially since last year, if any of you remember, we didn't get much of a fall.
It literally felt as though we went straight from summer into winter.
No fun I say!
But here we are, going through slightly the same scenario as last year only, with days like today to enjoy.

 5 Things I can't wait to enjoy over the next couple of months:

1. A fall wedding that is just right around the corner.

2. Classic readings that will include Jane Austen, Mark Twain, Charlotte Bronte, Charles Dickens, and many others. 
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(Barnes and Noble is have a buy 2 get the 3rd free on classic novels! It's a great deal with these books only costing about $5.50 a piece!)

3. Chai Tea Lattes
http://www.starbucks.com/
4. Scarves, Sweaters, and Skinny Jeans.

5. New traditions with close friends.

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What can't you wait to enjoy in these beautiful upcoming months?

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Fun At The Park.

Today was a full day with the girls.
Breeze had choir practice at a church in Davidson so I excitedly accepted to take them all there.
 We began with a quick walk down the main street to kill time until Breezes choir practice started at 5:45.
 

We had seen this statue while driving around and wanted to make a stop.

We couldn't figure out what it was, but when I told them to stand next to it so I could take a picture, as you will see to the left, a spider kept that from happening.

Once we dropped Breeze off and I made a quick, or as quick as it could be, run into Summit for my now all time favorite chai latte, we noticed this playground and thought it would be a perfect way to spend the next 45 minutes until we had to return to the church for Breeze.


This was literally the whole playground and they made the most of it, as most kids their age do.
To have an imagination like that again.
They were so excited about all the different things they could do.
I don't have it shown here, but there is a wheel that they went crazy over.
I've never seen anyone as excited as they were about this wheel.
I turn away for one second and she winds up with woodchips on her diaper.
It was too funny to pass up.

The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age. -Lucille Ball

Sunday, September 11, 2011

9-11-2001

It's baffling to think that the significance of this day, the reason for all the hustle and bustle, worry and sadness, happened ten years ago.
I can remember sitting in my English class, only to have the teacher interrupted by our principal.  He then reported to us over the intercom what had happened, and if there were any students or faculty that had family in that area, to report to the office. 
I remember not understanding what all the panic was about.  Why people were sad, or why kids in my middle school were calling their parents to go home.
We were in Iowa, I didn't understand that disaster had struck us.
It wasn't until I entered History class, after we were all seated and my teacher had turned the TV on to the news, that I understood what was going on.
I then understood the horror.

agilescout.com
They will never be forgotten.

Moms @ Work

After jumping into this project in the last two weeks before the event became real,
I had my hands full with last minute preparations.
Having the opportunity in helping prepare this luncheon and then getting to see everything come together for the first time, was pretty amazing.


The turnout was phenomenal. 
Having the opportunity to match names to faces that I have poured over the last two weeks, making list after list, was interesting.
You don't realize how much you assume someone will look a certain way based off of their name, or voice, only to be shown how totally off you were.
The speaker was amazing!
Although I am not a working mom, it was still nice to hear all of the work that moms put into each day.  I never realized that once they left work and came home, dealing with the children and maybe even the husband is a job in itself.
Moms are amazing! 
 
It was definitely interesting to see what exactly is put into planning an event.
I witnessed the stress of making sure everything and everyone was accounted for, how to turn something wrong into something right, and how to appreciate the mastermind behind it all.  The planner her/himself.
They do not receive the amount of credit they should, hands down.





Friday, September 9, 2011

Busy Bee.

 As most know I am interning at Charlotte Parent Magazine.
I have now been there for two weeks and I love it!
I actually enjoy waking up in the morning each Tuesday and Thursday, getting ready in my business casual attire and driving to their location in uptown.
The building does not have the Charlotte Parent name or logo, but is easily identified with our street number:
You can't miss that!



I love having things to do and am happiest when kept busy!
I love walking in to find so many project waiting for me to either do or finish that day.
These past few weeks I have been working on the Moms@Work luncheon that Charlotte Parent hosts each year, and loved every minute of it!
I loved being apart of such a huge event and am hoping to really get my hands dirty on the next event.

I think I many have found my calling!


Monday, September 5, 2011

This Is What I Pay For.

I love learning new things, as I'm sure most do,
and I entered my linguistics class this semester with a bit of fear of the unknown.
Surprisingly enough, it is one of the most interesting classes I have taken so far.
Did you know,
that the way we pronounce words has changed over time?
For example, the word knife, that we now pronounce as nife, used to be pronounced kanifa?
It's amazing how the English language adapts to each generation.
Such as the word text, which now holds two meanings.
The second being, text used as a verb, to communicate by text message.
What's even more amazing, is that we are able to distinguish between the two when used in a sentence.

http://www.chrismclaren.com/blog/
Did you know,
that we all pronounce words differently?
Of course you did.  How else would dialects come into play?
But what's so awesome, is that although we each pronounce words differently, we are still able to understand one another.
It may sound dumb because it's something we do everyday but we really don't realize how much we go through to decode in conversation.
This is all possible because speech is organized through an internal structure and system of internal rules that we acquire from birth.
Meaning that we all follow the same rules on how a word will be pronounced, and even written in all languages.
How many times have you corrected someone on the way they pronounce a word? Or even made fun of them for pronouncing a word differently?
How many times has spell check told you a word is misspelled?
Think about it.

Sunday, September 4, 2011

The Perfect Venue.

My old roommate is getting married at the end of this month and
I have, as many girls my age, been bitten by the wedding jitterbug!
Being a bit of a late bloomer on the subject, I've realized, ummm, I'm getting older and I don't really have any ideas for my "dream wedding".
Sporadically I have looked into things here and there, being that I am not engaged, and am keeping my options open for the inevitable change in taste that I succumb to almost every year or two.
But, nevertheless, a girl can dream!

For those of you that are engaged and are searching for a beautiful venue that has it all, I would recommend looking into:

It's the perfect setting for an outdoor wedding!
They offer so many options, including the setting of the ceremony, and the landscape is absolutely breathtaking!

If you could choose today, what venue would you choose for your wedding?
Or would you not use a venue?


Saturday, September 3, 2011

Hot Chocolate. Chai Tea. Chinese.

It has been a crazy week, managing school and work, but I wouldn't want it any other way!
After getting off work yesterday at American Eagle,
an extra $40 added to my credit card,  a few friends and I headed to Davidson to eat, drink and relax at Summit.

activerain.com
We caught up and discussed everything from life, love, travel, and religion.
Having friends to discuss your dreams with, is such a powerful way to urge you to attempt something new. 
Or sometimes it's nice just to make things up and see what comes of the conversation.

What are your dreams that you hope to one day accomplish? 
Who cares if it's the truth or not!