Media Review I

July Release - Miley Cyrus - Breakout

So, now and then I like to do media reviews on the latest stuff that I have seen, read, or listened to. I did a few of them in my other blog (The Formal Operational Stage of Life) and I thought that these summer releases would be a great place to start.

After Chrissi and I were released from the Hill Cumorah Pageant we were on the road again. We watched Disney Channel and the Food Network most nights that we stayed in hotels. As many of you know, when you watch Disney Channel, there are mini-music-videos (they are less than 2 minutes) that promote the latest Disney Channel Pop-Star.

How many of you have seen Miley's 7 Things music video? Can I see a raise of hands? Well, Chrissi and I had only ever seen it on those nights that we watched Disney Channel, and the video was very weird for someone who had never seen the whole thing because, if you are familiar with the song, Miley goes through the 7 things that she hates about her guy and then the 7 things that she loves about her guy.

Well, it shows her and a few other girls and how sad they are from how their guys hurt them and then it breaks to the verse where Miley sings about the 7 things that she loves about her guy... Needless to say, we found that rather confusing because Miley and the other girls are supposed to be sad... but then they sing about how they love their guy...? So, on one of the nights that we stayed at a hotel that had WiFi, I looked up her 7 Things music video on YouTube. Again, needless to say, it cleared things up for us, it was most helpful to see the whole thing.

Christine and I decided that they shortened the video for one or two reasons, the first being more obvious but the second reason is a real possibility. The first reason would be for just keeping the time in commercials and in between shows to be not too long, or so they could fit more promotional things in there too. The second reason, we thought, might have been because the younger Hannah/Miley fans' parents probably don't want their children hearing about how their pre-teen popstar idol sings about hating someone. A big no-no! *wink wink*

Now you know the story about how I came acoss Miley's album, now it's time for the review. Here is the list of her songs on her newest album, Breakout.

1. Breakout
2. 7 Things
3. The Driveway
4. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun
5. Full Circle
6. Fly on the Wall
7. Bottom of the Ocean
8. Wake Up America
9. These Four Walls
10. Simple Song
11. Goodbye
12. See You Again (Rock Mafia Remix)

Holly Elizabeth's Rating: 3 and a Half Stars

My overall thought about Breakout, is that it is a great debut album for her break-away from the Hannah Montana name. While most of her songs have the same upbeat peppy nature that Hannah performs there are a few songs that shows a different side that most Hannah-fans are not used to and a side that the older teenagers and young adults can better appreciate.

When I first listened to the first song on the album, Breakout, I was reminded of a song that was on her previous album Hannah Montana 2, many Hannah fans would know it, it's called We Got The Party. Both songs are basically about partying and breaking out of the norm of everyday life. I would put Breakout as a song that is geared more toward the younger fans.

Miley's hit single, as was mentioned above, 7 Things, I think reminds me of a sort of Avril Lavigne-ish nature or attitude with the whole "seven things I hate about you" thing. However, on a different side, the audible acoustic guitar, and southern drawl reminds me of Carrie Underwood. Either way, it is a great song for when you are mad at your guy. It exhibits adequate passion, confusion, and frustration for the inexperienced dater. I would say that 7 Things was meant for the older fans, but it still sort of goes toward the pre-teen fans.

One of the songs that is different from her usual peppy beat would be track 3's The Driveway. It is definitely meant more for the older fans. It took me a few times to figure it out, but my interpretation of the song is that she tries for so long to make her relationship with her guy work but it just isn't working and so then one night when he is driving her home they break it off and she watches him leave her driveway, knowing that she won't see him again. This is a song that I favor a bit more, but the thing that I wonder is that if you really think about Miley's age, and then think about the nature of the song, how much relationship experience could she really have had? And if she has had her share of relationship experience do you really think that is alright for someone her age to be in such a relationship?

I'd have to say that the best song on the album would have to be the fourth song, Girls Just Wanna Have Fun. Miley and her co-writers did a really nice job on covering this song. I absolutely love the upbeat tempo and how there is a forte of strings. It was the perfect mix of nostalgia, classic rock and pop.

Full Circle, now that's a name of a song that makes you wonder, what could that song be about? Well, I still haven't figured it out yet, I think it's about how Miley always goes back to the guy who she is most comfortable with. Please, listen to it and then comment my blog and explain it to me!

Don't YOU wish that YOU could be a Fly On The Wall? Ok, what other song does this remind you of? It's a guy who sings this other song, he came up second in one of the seasons of American Idol, comment who it is that sings about flies on walls and I will reward you. Besides the fact that flies on walls has already been covered in the area of pop music I would have to say, that, in a weird way, this sixth song is by far one of my most favorite from this album. I think what I like most is that the above mentioned male singer sings about longing to be a fly on the wall, while Miley is singing about how she KNOWS that her guy wishes that he could be a fly on her wall. It's just ironic... I think though, as far as fans go, I think that the younger fans will like the beat, but the older fans will appreciate the irony and the nature of the song.

It's on the Bottom of the Ocean and towards the bottom of my rating list. This song is a great one, if you are in the right mood. It is definitely slower and it just... Well to be honest about it, if I have lost the love of someone that I loved then I probably don't want to be more depressed I probably want to listen to something that helps me vent my anger and frustration. If I become depressed and uncaring at all... that is a scary thing to see... So, it is a good song, it isn't bad, it's just not my thing. I think that this was meant for the older fans and I think it is those fans who will appreciate it most as well.

The next song, Wake Up America, has a great message, but it just doesn't cut it for my liking... I think that today's pop stars are trying to gain a little bit more attention by letting the world know that they are a part of the plan to "Go Green." I understand why it's so important to "go green" and I will do my small part, but it seems like such a politically charged issue and as with most politics, I don't like hearing about it or having to think too hard about it. Call me a "blond" or whatever, but politics just aren't my thing, just as the seventh song on Miley's album just isn't my thing either.

These Four Walls, doesn't get four stars from me. Ok, this is another, "not my thing" sort of song. It is a good song, if you are in the mood to listen to it. I believe that this was written to be for the older fans. I would, however, love to know your opinion about These Four Walls, because I know it is a good song. What do you think about it?

To take a break from the reading of my review take a look at the music video for 7 Things, as mentioned above.

You know, sometimes you get to listening to music and there is so much going on within it that you don't understand it, sometimes that's how life is too - you get to much going on around you and within you that you get lost and confused. That is what the tenth song in the album says to me when I listen to it. It's called Simple Song, and I think that the title fits nicely. I think that for the younger fans, they might like the song, but I think that the older fans will like and appreciate it more. This is one falls into my top five of the album. Where does it fall for you?

The second-to-last song, Goodbye, is also in my top five with Simple Song. This song has more acoustic music such as guitar and strings such as violin and has more of a country feel. I love the sound of the song, I love the lyrics. But the nature of the song causes me to again wonder how much real relationship experience young Miley could have had thus far in her life. This song I'd say is meant for the older fans and I think it is those fans who will like it and appreciate it.

Last but definitely not least is the twelfth song that is well known at dances/stomps (at least the ones I go to) and it's called See You Again (Rock Mafia Remix). This song is most definitely in my top five. I really love good remixes - they are fantabulous! The thing that I like the most about this one is that Christine likes it and when we listen to it in her car she makes me laugh when she lip-syncs along and then I just have to join in. We have had some good times listening to See You Again, both the original and the remix.

Top Five Songs
(In Order of Appearance)

1. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (4)
2. Fly On The Wall (6)
3. Simple Song (10)
4. Goodbye (11)
5. See You Again (Rock Mafia Remix) (12)

Well, this has been the first Media Review of a College Student, I hope you enjoyed it. Please comment any answers to my questions within the blog and your thoughts about my post.

Blogging Later,
Always,
~Holly Elizabeth
AKA
~~Holls

Things Remembered

Here are the directions:
1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!
2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog, like I did after I saw my sister's blog, and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty cool (and funny) to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.

Wonderful Week!

Well, today is Sunday, I have been home from my trip for 11 days now - not even two weeks yet and it seems that Post-Pageant-Depression is settling in. No worries though, that is just another way of saying that I miss being at the Hill, I miss being with the people at the Pageant and I miss the feeling that I had while I was there.

I am pretty sure that I can try my best to keep that feeling with me, even here at home, but it isn't quite the same. I will liken it unto the feeling that you would have at Christmas-time... Do you know the phrase, "Keep Christmas with you, all through the year?" Well, that's what it's like, you can try and keep that feeling with you all the rest of your life but it isn't the same as being there, or it isn't the same as it actually being Christmas. If anything at all, I am going to have to try and keep it alive at least until Sunday, Auugust 24th, Brother Fair asked my sister and I to speak in Sacrament meeting on that day and tell about our experience at the Hill Cumorah Pageant. I will make it my goal to try and have a post or two about the Pageant up by that time.

In other news, I had a pretty good week, I worked everyday this week except for Wednesday and, of course, Sunday. I read the new book, Breaking Dawn, starting on last Sunday through Tuesday, (Look for another post on Media Reviews) I hung out with my friend Jaynee, and we watched The Village. I've been watching the Beijing Summer Olympics, which has been good too. The only thing that wasn't so great about this week is that Allyson, one of my co-workers at work, has been pretty much gone this week.

Allyson is the Drum Major at WJHS and therefore must be at the practices that they have. Therefore she wasn't at work, which was sad for me because I love working with her, and because her not being there made me the default folder, which added more work for me at the store, even on slow nights...

I think it was Friday night that I didn't get out of there until after 10:00pm, which is unusual for me since we close at 9:00pm and are out of the store by twenty after. Anyway, on the happier side of things, Wednesday was one of my better days this week.

I started out around 10, going to run errands with my Aunt JoAnne, we headed first to Office Max for some colored paper, since the Library at Church was in dire need of colored paper for the new copy machine. The paper was easy to find, but you couldn't help but get sucked in looking at all of the different things for school and all of the pens! I know I am weird, but that's what scrapbooking does to you, just seeing all of the different possibilities of what different pens can do and their different colors and designs. I don't know why, but colors and designs intrigue me in any form, not just pens, another form is shoes!

After making our purchases at Office Max (mine being a couple of little notebooks and the new Sharpie pens) we headed down a couple of stores of the Family Center Strip-Mall and went into Famous Footwear. JoAnne said that she needed some new shoes for her new job at the local elementary school. It took a lot of self control to not try on shoes for myself and then buy them. Instead of trying and buying for myself, I channeled my "shoe-energy" to helping JoAnne find some cute shoes. And why buy just one pair when it is BOGO? (I know that is a Payless thing, but Famous does it too) So my task was to help her find those kinds of shoes that are easy to slip on, but stay on nicely too - generally the kind that have a bit of elastic in the tongue of the shoe.

After a bit of looking and trying on of shoes, JoAnne ended up getting some nice white Sketchers with little gems on them and she also bought some RocketDog shoes that were multi-colored, mostly in the colors of brown, blue, pink and purple. They are so very cute!!! I wished that I could have bought some for myself, but I remembered that I stopped at the Sketchers store in Park City on my way home from Pageant and that I still owe Chrissi a bit of money...

After I put our spoils in the trunk of JoAnne's beautiful green Pontiac, we headed over to Chili's and had some lunch there. I was reminded of the first time that I had gone to Chili's, which was the only other time I had been to Chili's before this last Wednesday. I had gone before with Julie C. before we had gone to the Jonas Brothers, A Little Bit Longer Tour, concert. I remembered that I had the Big-Mouth Bites, which are the epitome of what I love on a burger and that Julie had a Chicken Ranch Sandwhich. So I suggested that JoAnne have the Big-Mouth Bites and I had the Chicken Ranch Sanwhich... Oh my heavens! It was absolutely delicious!!! I am not a huge fan of spice, but this was just right! Oh, and I will say, on behalf of Chili's that their Cherry Cokes are Fan-Tabulous!!! I downed three of those they are so good. Usually I don't get past one and half drinks let alone two! After lunch, we made a stop at Wal-Mart just to look around and I picked up some stuff for my mom. My self control to spend money on frivoless things nearly broke, if it hadn't have been for JoAnne. They had so many Tinkerbell things and so many shiny things! All for a low price - ha ha

After my close call at Wal-Mart, we headed home and I got JoAnne's stuff in her house and took my stuff home to drop it off. Afterwards, I headed over to Jaynee's house to just hang out, we watched The Village, painted our nails, and ate Twizzlers and Popcorn. It was good to finally see The Village, because Jaynee always talkes about the character, Ivy Walker and one of the guys in the movie, Joquain Pheonix - who is a very handsome man. *wink wink* It was a nice change too, I am forever watching chick flicks or action flicks with cute guys in them, but this was a thriller flick that had suspense, the right amount of romance between a modest young man and woman and suspenceful action! The Village kept me on "the egde of my seat" except for I was on my stomach on the floor with my chin in my hands and my feet waving back and forth. I love hanging out with Jaynee. I can totally be myself when I am with her. I think she is one of my truest most loyal friends and one of the few friends that has been friends with me for more than 3 or 4 years.

So, by 5:00 pm on Wednesday I was home and I was in store for an interesting night. I went with Chrissi to the Library and checked out some new books, texted a lot that evening after dinner. Then I went outside to help do yard work. I took my phone with me, since I knew that friends would be texting me from conversations that were still going and also because I needed a reason to be distracted from yard work - it isn't my most favorite thing in the world. Anyway, I was really glad that I brought my phone out with me because by 7:00 a guy from college texted me.

I met this guy during my first semester of college, I saw him pretty much everyday through my second semester, but I never really got to talk to him - he was just one of those people who you say "Hi, how ya doin'?" to everyday and then move on with life.

Back in June, I went with Jaynee and Marcie to an Institute dance on campus and I saw him there, we danced a couple of dances together and then fast danced with his group of friends. I got his number at the end of the dance and we texted a few times in June, but obviously nothing in July, and then out of the blue, I got a text from him last Wednesday. By 9:15 pm we had texted here and there, until finally he said something that just made me think, "what?!" and so I called him and we chatted until after 11:00pm during which time he asked me out for a date this week! Keep an eye out for more to find out how the date went. Anyway, he came by to see me on Thursday night to tell me a bit about his business and it was good stuff to learn about. I got a hug and a half out of it so that's a good sign (I think).

On Friday, I have got to tell you that I made the absolute best breakfast for myself that I have ever had in a long time. I will share the ingrediants with you...

• Quarter Green Pepper chopped to desired sizes
  
• 2 and 1/2 tablespoons of Pico De Gallo
• Pinch of Onion Powder
• Pinch of Garlic Powder
• Salt & Pepper
  
• Three Medium Eggs Scrambled with Vegetables and Seasoning in small bowl
• Pour in frying pan
• Let it begin to cook
• Add and let melt...
• Grated Cheddar Cheese to desired amount
• One slice of Provolone Cheese Torn into desired sizes
• Cook until desired firmness is reached
• Enjoy!

Saturday was the last day of Harvest Days but I had to work... so instead, my mom and sister went to the park to see what the little booths had to offer. They were nice enough to buy me a pair of purple earrings, and a pearl ring with a purple bead with it - my favorite!!! After work ended I went to a YSA Activity/Birthday Party at Lizzy's house, played Eygptian Rat Screw, had a quick bite, and headed home to meet Chrssi, Mom, and JoAnne to go see Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband for free at the park! It was so freakin' awesome to see them! I never get tired of seeing Ryan and his band live. Their music is fantabulous and I really hope that more people give it a chance. They are all so full of energy and their music is down to earth and not punked up. It rained off and on during the performance, but it was nothing compared to the rain back east! The rain ended for a bit and then it was time for the fireworks that signified the end of Harvest Days and another year of being Midvale City. During the fireworks, it began to rain again, and I wrote the following poem in response to what I felt while I watched, heard, and felt it.

Firedrops

The sky lit up,
brilliant with color.



It seemed, as if,
human memory
or photography
could ever allow
justice to be served
to that dazzling sight

Volumes of sound
shook the atmosphere
around us
and reverberated
off walls of houses
behind us

It seemed, as if,
it was causing
an internal earthquake
for my ribs,
but excitedly so.

Suddenly,
It seemed, as if,
the sparks
and charred ends
of the bursting light
were falling to the ground
in a frenzy.

The night was warm.
The drops
made the air hazy.

But I was not sodden
for the leafy shelter
kept it from my face
making the night more
ominous

The gleaming blasts
would not be frustrated
So dangerous, so beautiful…
Kept silent and peaceful
until provoked and tempted
to explode into their beauty,
if only for a moment

The drops amongst the fire
only made everything so much more…

I hope you got through my post without falling asleep, and I hope you liked my poem. Please comment! I would love to hear what you have to say, and answer any questions I can. Here is my question for you tonight.

Is there someone who just makes you smile? Who? What can you do to let them know that?

Also, I am going to try and post at least one picture from my Vaction on the rest of my posts so you will get to see a lot of them.
Here is tonights...

This is the last church historical site that we visited before we got home. There is a replica of the Jail housed inside of the visitors center, it is inside of the domed part of the building that you see on the right side. I really enjoyed what I learned there and what I felt there. It was a true testiment to faith and endurance on the part of Joseph Smith and the others who were with him. Enjoy the pic! Ask questions! Comment!

Lots of Love,
Posting Later,
~Holls

There's No Place Like Home

Hey there to those of you who read my blog! I hope you all are having a fantabulous first day of August! That just seems weird to me that today is the first day of August. I suppose that July passed so fast for me because Christine and I were having such a good time on our Roadtrip.

Well, the last two days at Washington DC were great, we went on a tour of the Capitol with one of Jim Matheson's representatives in DC - his name was Chuck. I can't help but giggle at the name, but that's not the point of my post, so I'll move on. After the fantastic tour of the Capitol we went to the White-House visitors center and learned more about the ins and outs of where the President lives and what he does while he lives there. (That was deep, I know!) We made the trek to the war monuments after visiting the White-House visitor's center. Every monument was so different, but so beautifully unique. I think my favorite was the WWII monument - it is basically a fountain and the symmetry that was used for such a large monument was amazing!

I realize that there is probably more to be said, but that's all I've got for ya right now...

PTYL

~Holls

It's a Bird... It's a Plane... It's... Su-per Grover!

Roadtrip - After Pageant – Destination: Washington DC

So, the pageant is over… and as the wig-ladies say, “Don’t be sad it’s over, be glad it happened!” I had an absolutely ‘wonderful-marvelous’ time at the Hill. Unfortunately, however, I didn’t have a whole bunch of time to get to blog my experience but I will update that part ASAP. In the meantime you are welcome to read my sister’s blog, which has great pics of us at the pageant, and right now, I am going to post about today’s events.

This morning we got up early at the Red Carpet Inn in Canandaigua, New York. Luckily for us, we had taken the time to pack up our stuff so all we had to do was shower up and ship out! We grabbed a bite at the local Micky-Ds and headed to the Rochester airport. It was today that I realized that it has been seven years since I was last on a plane. That was summer of 2001 – before 9-11 – There is no lie about how security has changed since then. I will admit, however, that the wait for security wasn’t bad at all since we had an early flight and there wasn’t very many people in the terminal. We had to take any of the liquids/gels out of our suitcases, I had to take out my laptop and we both had to take off our shoes. That was just weird… being shoe-less in an airport…
Because of the increased security it is pretty much mandatory that you arrive at the terminal two hours before your flight departs. Well, since we got through security fairly fast and since it wasn’t too hard to find our departing gate we had a little less than an hour and a half to wait for our plane. The sheer irony of this whole thing is that our flight was only 45 minutes long! My sister figured though, that it would have been a day driving to Washington D.C., so when you calculate the time gained and the things that we were able to do today it all worked out in the end.

But now, back to the flight, oh my goodness! The plane was small, it had about 16 rows of seats (Chrissy and I figured) and each row had four seats and the rows were divided by a small aisle. That my friends, is how I got the aisle seat and how Chrissy got the window seat. So, because it was a smaller plane, the norm of having two carry-on pieces is different. We actually had to give them one piece of our luggage so they could put it in the belly of the plane – there wasn’t enough room on-board. Another thing about the plane being smaller was that it was a bit bumpier in the air than a bigger plane, that was the only thing that I didn’t like about the smaller plane. I didn’t mind them taking my other bag. OK, so the next thing about flying in this plane was that when we arrived we didn’t get out in the terminal. We got out on the Tarmac!!! Ever since I’ve seen the old version of “Parent Trap” I have wanted to get off of a plane on the Tarmac. So there we stood, not five yards away from the wings of the plane!

On the Tarmac, waiting for my luggage right by the plane!

Once we had gotten into the building we walked to the other side of the building (not far at all) and literally walked onto a shuttle from the building… it pulled right up to the building, like a truck would at a loading dock. Have you seen a loading dock before? If you have you know the height of it and I think that these docks for the shuttles were pretty high too – that was evident to me when I looked out the window as we pulled away from the building – the wheels on these things were HUGE! Ok, ok, they weren’t as big as the wheels on the machines at Kennecott Copper Mines but they were significantly bigger than any care tire.
So we were speeding across the Tarmac on this shuttle to get to the main terminal. Once there we confirmed out tickets for the “Super Shuttle” from Dulles to Washington D.C. and within another hour we arrived at the Holiday Inn Capitol. This hotel is literally within walking distance of the Capitol, the White-House, the Washington Monument, and several Smithsonian museums as well as many other tourist hot spots.

As soon as we had checked in to our room we headed to the Air and Space Museum. There were so many cool things there! There were things that some of the earlier astronauts took with them up in space was very interesting… to see how their food was packaged, what they used for breathing, what safety equipment they had the tools they used to collect space stuff… back in the developing days of space-travel. Now everything is so different, but yet in a way, it isn’t… Does that make any sense? Another thing that I really liked was seeing this presentation about flight – it was meant for kids, but there were ‘kids’ of all ages watching. The young (probably college age) presenter explained the four characteristics of flight. Honestly, I can say that a lot of what he talked about was applicable to my physics class. I am such a nerd… There were artifacts and displays of the beginnings of flight as well as artifacts and displays of space-crafts and many neat hands-on learning centers so that the laws of flight, gravity and space could be better understood. I’ve gotta say that the display of presenter was asking the kids questions, sort of in a rhetorical sense, because I think he knew that a lot of kids were kinda intimidated, and I wanted to raise my hand and answer them, but it wasn’t my place to do so… The questions weren’t meant for young adults.

A NASA space aircraft



Ahh! I don't wanna get sucked in!



Planes - Dude!



And you thought I was short before!

After we went to the Air and Space Museum we headed to an expo that was going on at a part of the Smithsonian – Jim Henson’s Fantastic World! It was a really neat thing to go to. Not only were their displays that had the Muppet and Sesame Puppets but there were commercial reels and sketches that got Jim started in the TV industry. There were story boards of some of the things you see on Sesame street as well as sketches of what some of the main characters looked like originally. For example, Oscar, the Grouch was sketched as being purple, but in Season 1 of Sesame Street, Oscar was orange. If you have seen Sesame Street at any time in the last several years you would know that Oscar is neither Purple or Orange but he is Green! Did you know that that Elmo’s World has been on Sesame street for the past ten years? It aired beginning in 1998, I was 9 at that time and it is still going strong today! Here is a quote from the expo,

"As children, we all live in a world of imagination, of fantasy, and for some of us that world of make-believe continues into adulthood."

Unfortunately we couldn’t take any pictures inside the gallery, but it’s understandable for preservation purposes. However, I did take this picture of Christine at the entrance of the gallery.

After we finished at Jim Henson’s Fantastic World! we headed for the Washington Monument, but unfortunately we arrived there after the tours ended so we couldn’t go up inside of it, but we were satisfied just being within yards of the monument.

One view of the Washington Monument, we took so many pictures of that thing!

Finally, to finish up our first day in D.C. we headed to the National Museum of Natural History where we spent about an hour in the display area for stones and gems.

Topaz: My birthstone. There was an entire case of large chunks of Topaz, here are a few that I really liked. If you need any ideas for a birthday present, here's one! *wink wink*

A HUGE chunk of Quartz that we could touch

Christine, touching some lava-rock

After a long day of going up and down the National Mall, we headed back to the hotel and ordered an extra cheesy pizza from room service - ah it was delightful!

Well, that was a long post, and I need to turn in for tonight.
Blogging later,
~Holls

Short but Sweet Update

Well, today is the 11th of the 17 days that we are at the Hill Cumorah Pageant.  I haven't had a whole lot of time to post updates because we really don't have a very good connection in the dorms and really, we don't have time once we get back from the Hill.  

Our days start at 6:00 and we don't get back to Hobart/William Smith College until past midnight on performance nights. 

 Oh wow!  My experience here has been absolutely marvelous!!!  I tried out for a movement part, which is a part that does dances or is in battle and I was casted as a Nephite Battle Banner Carrier along with 11 other battle-women.  The banners themselves are 25 tall and long pounds of metal and upholstery.  I would venture a guess that the banners are probably twice my hight (which isn't too hard to be tall around me (hee hee)).

Well, my sis made a long post today on her blog and has a lot of pictures, go check it out!  I will post when I can later. 

Blogging later,

~Holls

Cherries in Cleaveland

Roadtrip - Day Three - Destination: Kirtland

Well, today was basically a drive day, we crossed the Mississippi river, drove through Illinois, Indiana and now we are Kirtland, Ohio. There's not too much to talk about today, but I will post a few pics for ya!

Mississippi River

"The Land of Lincoln"

"Welcome to Indiana!"

It's a Coke truck! Let's raid it! Hee Hee

"...and Columbus is the capital of Ohio!"

This is my favorite pic for today, this is Cleaveland, Ohio and it is probably the best view of the city that we saw from the highway. Since I took the picture from inside the car I got a picture with the cherries that hang from the rear-view mirror!

Well, I know that this was short, but I've got to be getting to sleep!

Blogging Later,
~Holls

"Inedible, Not Intended For Human Food"

Roadtrip - Day Two - Destination: Davenport

So, while on the road, sometimes you tend to see weird things but this was something that really made me wonder... "What is inside the hull that truck?" What do you think could be inside of it? We tried to get a glance of the company or any other information on the truck, but nothing was to be found! What are us common travelers supposed to think of trucks like that?! (If you get a chance, please comment and let me know what your ideas are of what could be inside!)

Well, it's a bit later tonight since I worked on organizing my photos some more and I just got the computer charged up. Today was a pretty good day, we had a lovely continental breakfast at the Howard Johnson in North Platte and then we drove for a long while.

One of our big stops today was in Nebraska, we stopped at the Mormon Trail Center - Winter Quarters, which was the headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints for about two years. Sadly though, during the harsh winters about 600 of the Saints died there and are buried there. It was just really cool though to visit the center there, they have different displays of what the pioneers and people in the Willie-Martin Handcart company would have brought with them, they had a replica of what cabins at Winter Quarters were like and how much room they had. I think the thing that I found the most amazing was the reminder of how much faith the Saints had to leave what they knew as home to journey across a land they didn't know to a place they weren't sure where it was. Sister Hansen, the missionary who guided the tour for us, said that Faith, Hope and Charity were the things that kept people alive on the trail, at Winter Quarters and though their "Exodus." That really meant a lot to me because Faith, Hope, and Charity are the traits that are mentioned in my favorite scripture, Ether 12:28,

Behold, I will show unto the Gentiles their weakness, and I will show unto them that faith, hope and charity bringeth unto me—the fountain of all righteousness.

After touring at the visitors center and going to the cemetery where the 600 are buried my sister and I walked over to the Winter Quarters Temple which is a stone's throw away from the cemetery. Sometimes it still stuns me how beautiful the Lord's Temples and the Temple Grounds are and how tranquil it is there, even just on the grounds of the temple.



Well, tonight we are staying at the Baymont in Davenport, Iowa and there is a store/restaurant called the Cracker Barrel within walking distance away from the hotel and we got a bite to eat there - we both had breakfast for dinner, though it wasn't a big dinner since we had been snacking all day.

Well, I have some more stuff to do before I get to bed. I will update later!

Blogging Later,
~Holls

Sylvia Magellan (and other helpful guides)

Let me introduce you to...
Sylvia Magellan!

Yup, this is Sylvia, she is our "Magellan Roadmate," she is great as a guide and is always willing to recalculate the route that you are on if you turn the wrong way. Chrissi and I found that she is great when we get to a division in the freeway or when we are getting off the freeway - basically, she makes sure that we get off at the right place and even sends a "ding dong" sound to let us know that we are going in the right direction.

We got to thinking that we should give our GPS a name since it has a voice - it's kinda weird to have a nameless voice talking and as we started thinking of names I thought of Sylvia and it just seemed to fit her voice.

We are using Sylvia in addition to our Roadmap, and the book called "The Next Exit," which is a marvelous book. Basically it is a listing of all the states, all the major highways and their exits. It is really nice because it tells you what is at every exit as far as food, gas, lodging, hospitals, parks and camping areas. It's really helpful if you are craving a certain type of food and you don't want to get on and off the freeway too many times.

Well, that's my bit on helpful guides while traveling...
Blogging later,
~Holls

Windless Windmills

Roadtrip - Day One - Destination: North Platte

Well, the first day of the road-trip is coming to a close, it's 10:45 pm Nebraska time and I am just relaxing on a queen-sized bed givin' you the update while watching TV.

Today was a long day, we got up early and got some last minute things together and got out around 8:00 AM, we stopped at Little America and made sure to get our 50 cent ice cream cones. I think it's pretty amazing how there is just that little oasis of a spot just in the middle of nowhere. Little America seems to always be getting better. Last year they were doing construction between the gift-shop and restaurant and this year, we found that they added a playground to the Little America stop. I think it's great that they decided to invest in one, since many people - many families with small children stop there to take a stretch and get a bite to eat.

So, on our way to our one of our first stops we traveled through some hilly areas, and one area which seemed the optimum spot to harvest wind for power. It seemed obvious anyway since there was literally a field of windmills. The strange thing was that they weren't moving at all! My sister and I found that to be terribly ironic since it's supposed to be really windy up there but there was no wind at all! I took a picture as we were driving past the windmills and that's what they looked like - no movement at all!

One may wonder what in the world a passenger could do while in the car for around nine hours (The time from SLC, UT to North Platte, NE). Wanna know what I did while in the car? (I know you do!!!) So yes, there is the obvious option to sleep, which suits me fine since I get drowsy from the movement of the car anyway. However, one can only sleep so much in the car... and it's seriously murder on your neck if you are in the wrong position. So what else to do? Well we listened to CDs while we were still in Utah and once we got to Rawlins, Wyoming, we started listening to Fire of the Covenant by Gerald N. Lund on CD and I have been following along in the book. I felt skeptical at first about reading it, but so far it's pretty good. It is a fictional story based on the journey of two families from their native lands to America and to their final destination of Zion, (Utah). It is about the handcart company that got stuck in the winter and had some hard times on their journey. I am really enjoying this book, it's a great way to get in the mood for Pageant and just be reminded of things that are important to me - things that I value.

Well, I still have some things to do before I go to bed, I was thinking of doing some reading and maybe work on organizing my photos from last year. Oh yes, I am organizing my photos from last year while on the trip and I sorted them a bit before I started blogging, but I'll need to do some more organizing soon. Maybe that will wait until tomorrow, it's 11:15 PM Nebraska time and I should get to bed... the hard thing is that for me it's still 10:15 PM Utah time, so really this isn't my usual bedtime...

Ah well, I should sleep anyway it's going to be another long day of driving. We might be stopping at Winter Quarters tomorrow! That should be good.

That's all for my update
Posting later,
~Holls

Roadtrip (Again!)

I am going on a roadtrip with my sister, Christine, to participate in the Hill Cumorah Pageant. I will be at the Hill Cumorah, in Palmyra, New York, from July 4th until July 20th but since we are driving we are leaving on the 28th or 29th of June and we plan on being back by the 29th or 30th of July. Before and after the pageant I can use the internet, if we find hotels with WiFi and I will be able to post updates. During the pageant I can write postcards to anyone who wants to receive one. If you want me to write to you let me know. I will be posting the address where you can reach me from July 4th to July 20th (the last day you can send something is on July 15th and the first day is July 1st). I would really appreciate a letter from you while I am gone and I would be happy to write to you as well!!!

Hill Cumorah Website

Please note, that while I can receive text and voice messages on my cell phone, I may not be able to respond quickly during this time.

IF YOU WANT TO WRITE ME, you can reach me at the following address:

Holly E. Ferrin
The Hill Cumorah Pageant
P.O. Box 403
Palmyra, New York 14522

Please note that letters sent after July 15 run the risk of arriving after we leave the Hill Cumorah.

I'd love to hear from ya!
~Holls

Raised Eyebrow Interesting

Ok, so how long has it been since I have posted anything? The last time I posted was in April and all of May went by without any word and we are now into the second week of June and here I am to say that I am back for a new post! *Accepts thunderous applause and bows*

Alrighty then, enough of the imaginary applauding, lets get to the good stuff shall we?

Sooooooo, where to start, where to start? Well, I guess I will start with an explanation for my absence away from my blog, which I know you all read so often! I think what happened was that after some interesting events and encounters with friends I no longer had the motivation to post anything for a while. I mean, what is the point of posting something if the people who read it are not going to read it? Case and point made, I will move on and away from that disappointing and depressing subject.

So it turns out that my grades are as good as I thought they would be;
ASL 2010 - A
ASL 2040 - A
ENGL 2010 - A
HLTH 1100 - A
MUSC 130R - A
PHYS 1010 - B

I think I did pretty good for myself!

Wow, I am way tired, I just realized, and I didn't cover nearly as much as I thought I would, so it will have to be procrastinated just a little bit longer readers!

End of Semester Happenings

Well, to say the least... My last week as a freshman was interesting. I think I did well in most of my classes, I know I did well in English, Health, ASL Numbers, and intermediate ASL, the only class that I am slightly worried about it Physics, but I should at least get a B, I think...

I did a lot of talking with the Piano Man, Daniel, this week and he was simply amazing - I mean, he has the greatest advice and the kind of input that you'd think you'd hear from Yoda, only in a more modern tongue of speech and he is very tall and just a little bit more of a human than Yoda ever was... anyway... I realized this week what I was doing wrong and I have been working very hard to get the problem(s) fixed.

So lets see, what all do I want to say here???

I am not sure, but I think I'll come back later and post more...

Unwritten, Unafraid, & Untitled

Wow, it is has been nearly two weeks since I have said a word here... that is kinda unusual. Well, today is Sunday and I think it is time for an update. I am sure that there might be question about what the title means, and really it is sort of my mood right now, and I didn't know what to call this post and there are so many things that I wish to address in this post but I don't think I have the time nor mental capacity to put all my thoughts out here. I think I will work from the most recent events and work backwards - I'll see how far I get.

This past week has been a roller coaster for me it was extremely stressful and it was exhausting. I'm still on the fritz with my close friends, and honestly, so much has happened since that argument that I am beginning to wonder why I let things get to me and why I let things get so out of control, because looking back at it, it was the dumbest thing to get mad about...

A couple of people whom I still consider friends, broke up this last week. I couldn't believe it when I heard it and I tried to tell the person who broke it off that he didn't have to do it the way he did and that his breaking up with her hurts not only her but the people around both him and her. I don't think I have ever been in a relationship with the level of seriousness that he had for her but I can only imagine how much it must have hurt. I wish that I could help them both and make it work but I think that it is too late for that - too late for me to be allowed to help and offer suggestions. In the words of OneRepublic "It's too late to apologize," which is an extremely hard thing for anyone to hear.

This last week I had a paper to write for English and unfortunately I had put it off a bit, I mean, I had done the research and I had gotten it started, but it was no where close to being done when I got going on it again. So I had induced stress that didn't need to be there along with the uncomfortable feeling of tenseness with my friends. My week was sleepless, I probably got a maximum of 4 hours of sleep in a night and a minimum of 3 hours of sleep. Even with all of what was going on this last week, lets add one more thing to the pile. The Deaf Studies Today Conference was going on all this week at UVU, it was an amazing conference, I only attended the days that had workshops and presenters, I missed the Deaf Artwork and Film Festival. I volunteered my time to helping some of the presenters but I was also able to go to workshops of my choice as well. Needless to say, my decision to cut out the caffeinated soda in my diet was ruined, I mean, I couldn't function through the day without a little jump-start to my day. I know that is terrible, but that is what comes of dating a guy for eight months who loves Mountain Dew.

More about the Deaf Conference, it was very enlightening to have those who are in the Deaf Community speak (or sign as the case may be) about what issues were prominent int today's Deaf Culture. There were 4 main things that I will sharply remember about the conference, and I will probably blog about them in detail at a later date.

1. The feature film The Wrong Game
2. Presentation by authoress Ella Mae Lentz about Deaf Studies
3. Discussion about the Importance of Interpreters in the Deaf Community
4. How Deaf people are represented in the Media

There is going to be a conference coming up this summer and it is going to be in Milwaukee and it is in late June. I hope that I can get my sister to deviate from our plans and make a side trip to Wisconsin.

Well, most of you know that I was gone for a bit on the band trip and it was better than I thought it would be. I mean when I heard that we were going to Durango, Colorado, I wasn't exactly stoked for it - I mean, I was glad to get away from school for a bit but I thought, "Colorado... woo-hoo... *moves index finger in circular motion with bored look on face* " But it actually was a good experience, it was interesting and fun and I got a chance to really get to know my fellow band-mates better. I got a chance to seriously be independent since Butch isn't a thing like Doc.
I had the opportunity to understand what it is like to find out what one of my friends is really like and how sometimes they are not who you think they are at which time I reflected upon how I had been as a friend and I think I got a taste of my own medicine, so to speak...

Durango was interesting, the group of people that I hung out with all went to a family Mexican restaurant called Tequila's and all of us were just fascinated with how the bar-tender made drinks at the bar for other patrons since we were all from Happy Valley and had never seen a bar before - lol. We had a table that was just off to the side of the bar and so we could see all that he was doing and noticed that he put 6 shots in the Margaritas. Oh, and the fried ice cream was soooooooooooooo good! At one of the stores in Durango, I bought an ugly doll, and he is so cute, his name is Wedgehead! This is the little quote that comes with him...

Wedgehead has his eye on you. And he likes what he sees!
He knows exactly what you mean. Of course he has to stand
on his head to do so...but he totally gets it. See...you are his
proof! Evidence that humans really do exist! But to prove this
to his best buddy Ox...Wedghead needs something. You know
that pocket change you've been saving? Yeah, Wedgehead
kinda needs all of it. No? OK. Hug?

I had a ton of fun when we stopped in Moab at "The Hole in the Rock," Butch cooked steaks and some of the more experienced band members cooked dutch oven cheesy potatoes and buttery bacon and mushrooms to go over the steak. I also learned how to play a football game called 500 and one of the trombone guys, Nate, told me that I had a good arm and a good "spiral." No worries though, he is married so I'm not over analyzing this guy.

Here are some pics from the trip









Monticello, Utah Temple











Frozen Grass in Monticello











Up-close Frozen Grass











Self-Portrait of me on the Bus
(which looks pretty good, since I had just gotten out of bed)










At The Hole In The Rock, Moab











Kris and Danny (Clarinet and Alto Saxophone)











Lacey, A-Reum aka "Autumn" and Corbin (Trumpet, Flute and Trumpet (I think))










Playing "500" with the guys
(Photo from Mark)











Redrocks


Ok, well I have more fabulous pics that I would love to show you, but the uploading is killing me for time so I am going to stop for now. I hope that was a good update for ya'll. TTYL

Love Always,
~Holls

You're The Voice

We have the chance
to turn the pages over
We can write what we want to write
We gotta make ends meet
before we get much older

We're all someone's daughter
We're all someone's son
How long can we look at each other
Down the barrel of a gun?

You're the voice
try to understand it
Make a noise and make it clear
Oh whoa oh whoa oh-oh
Oh whoa oh whoa oh-oh

We're not gonna sit in silence
We're gonna live with fear
Oh whoa oh whoa oh-oh
Oh whoa oh whoa oh-oh

This time, we know we all can stand together
with the power to be powerful
Believing, we can make it better

We're all someone's daughter
We're all someone's son
How long can we look at each other
Down the barrel of a gun?

You're the voice
try to understand it
Make a noise and make it clear
Oh whoa oh whoa oh-oh
Oh whoa oh whoa oh-oh

(Repeat 2x)
We're not gonna sit in silence
We're gonna live with fear
Oh whoa oh whoa oh-oh
Oh whoa oh whoa oh-oh

The above was a song as performed by an Australian, John Farnham from his 16th album of 1986, Whispering Jack, I really like the song and the message it gives.  I can't be sure what his and his writers intentions were upon interpretations of the song but it is a song that seems to promote independence and the opportunity to stand up for yourself as well as trying to work things out with others and not letting the good times pass us by.  I italicized lines and words that stood out to me more than others.  I hope you can find meaning within it for yourself as much as I did. 

I will admit that finding an Australian song from the late eighties is a tad strange, but it was the song that David Archuleta sung last Tuesday for American Idol.  I didn't quite understand all of the words nor the origin of the song so I did a bit of web-browsing and I found out the lyrics and the videos.  Again, with the video that is on YouTube and being able to read the lyrics along with it gives the song definite meaning. 

Links/Sources:
John Farnham: Wikipedia
You're The Voice: Wikipedia
John Farnham - You're The Voice: YouTube
David Archuletta - You're The Voice: YouTube
You're The Voice Lyrics: TSRocks.com

Mixed Emotions

Which of my emotions dominate? It seems like negative feelings will always dominate over anything else and that negative feelings will continue to cause unsettling and painful sensations in my body. But I cannot focus on these feelings anymore, I must cherish the good times that I have. Such feelings are of today.

When I woke up this morning, and I took the advice of an old friend - I was determined to feel good and confident, no matter what any of the other feelings I have felt this week and honestly, it did me a lot of good to do so.

I picked out my favorite pair of jeans, black v-neck tee and burgundy "mod" tank, I wore my favorite purple topaz rings and earrings and again, took the advice of an old friend and tried my hand at natural eye-shadowing colors with brown mascara, eye-liner and shadow. I put my ever-growing hair up with a one of the classy up-dos in the front that you typically see on girls and used a claw to make the back of my hair spout up with style.

I was finally ready to go to school and my sister dropped me off in AF to wait for the bus and even though it was just after seven, cold, and I couldn't see the sun yet, I was still in a good mood and practically skipped around the bus shelter to keep warm and wait for the bus.

I arrived at school without mishap or problem and as I rounded a corner while headed towards the science building I literally ran into the man who left me in the dust last Tuesday, we barely glanced at each other, and murmured our greetings and continued our separate ways. I let him and any surfaced feelings bounce off of me and I headed to physics.

Physics was good and I was happy, we watched a few videos and worked in our workbooks. ASL was good too, we watched the video from our workbook and I understood most of it. I then headed to lunch with my friend Emma and we chatted for a bit about random topics. After lunch I headed to English and we talked about King Lear and how either he was crazy at the beginning or how he went crazy at the end. After that, I headed to the ASL lab. It was at that point that my emotions had a serious downfall.

I reached into my backpack to get my wallet out, then I opened my wallet to get out my student ID and it was like one of those scenes where everything is in slow motion and strobed and you hear the theme song from Jaws. My ID was missing! I wouldn't have been so worried except for my bus pass is useless without my school ID and I can't get into the ASL Lab without it.

I felt the worry begin to burgeon inside me and my memory began flashing to figure out where the little piece of plastic, that held the key to my transportation home could be. My mind raced and finally I realized where it might be. I remembered playing pool the other day and giving my ID in order to borrow the pool ques and balls. I called my best friend, Emma, because she had been with me at the time and I couldn't get a hold of her so I did the next thing I could, and that was to head to the Institute building where I could hopefully find her.

Upon finding her she saw my pained expression and asked me what was wrong. I told her what had happened and a look of understanding brightened upon her face. She had it from the other day because I had forgotten it that day. My spirits were immediately lifted and continued to do so when one of the guys who was in the gym with us came over and asked what the sign was for "today." He asked for the sign because Emma and I typically sign to one another since we are in the same ASL class and we need the practice - but we told him what it was and he signed "you look beautiful today" to me!!! I tell you, it's one thing for someone to say it, but to have someone sign it, makes all the difference in the world to me. I didn't over-analyze it at all because I know Brady well enough to know that he didn't like me that way, but I appreciated his compliment just the same.

I was hoping to see Mark at the Institute building too and so I headed to the game room. To say the least we played pool for an hour and a half and continued to talk for about another hour and a half more after that. Let's just say I am learning how to play pool really fast and I am learning a lot about technology very fast as well. 

Later on this evening I went to see "Robin Hood" at my sister's elementary school where she teaches, that play, in and of itself deserves a post for itself, but to say the least it was witty and cute and well worth my time.

Upon arrival at home, I felt at a loss for what to do when I saw that no one was online, but I didn't let myself get too down about it.

So today has been good and bad - but today, I focus on the good.

Always
~Holls

Ahh Heath - Why Did You Have To Die?

So here I am, it is about a quarter after seven in the evening on a Saturday night and what am I doing? Am I out with friends? No. Am I talking on the phone with a guy? No. Am I doing something that I really want to do? Naw... So I have been doing research for my 20 page English paper all day today, and I think I deserve a little break so here I am updating ya'll on my life.

While researching the internet for the past few hours my sister and I have been watching movies, first we watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix then we watched Win-A-Date With Tad Hamilton and now we are watching A Knights Tale - easily the best movie that Heath Ledger he was in.

It saddens me that a man like him had to be stupid and die!

Anyway, so now we are watching that and I would have to say that by far, my favorite quote is this...
"Better to be a silly girl with a flower rather to be a silly boy with a stick."
"It's called a lance... hello?"

So besides Heath Ledger here is the news on the weather in Utah.

It's freakin' snowing! It was just beginning to get green here and the flowers were blooming and then the next thing I see is the small yellow flowers covered with a frosting and dusting of snow.

Too Much Time on Your Hands?

OK, so what is the deal here? Either these people do not have a life, or they are depriving themselves of a job or they are getting paid to make these videos. But who am I to complain? I like watching them and, um, do I want to really DO anything right now? No, why else do you think I am here? Anyway, besides me talking about how these people have too much time on their hands let me make my next point.

Enlighten me on something - when did the first original Numa Numa song come out? How many versions have been made of it? How many YouTube videos have been made to the tune of that song? These are my questions for you and if you have any inkling as to the answer that I am searching for please share it. (I should probably just hit up Wikipedia and see, but I am currently writing this so... yeah)

Well, the latest on Dan Balan is that he is the new Crazy Loop and I am loving that new song just as much as I love Numa Numa - and what do these songs mean? Well, even Putty admits to them being far past her normal randomness and she is random! Does it really matter what they mean, so long as we get a kick out of them? I dunno.

Well I have a few videos to share with you but I would embed them here, I will post the links though.

These are a few examples of people who have too much time on their hands to make videos to the tune of Numa Numa.


Numa Numa Contest
$5,000 Winner
$10,000 Winner
$25, 000 Winner

These were the ones that I could immediately find on YouTube - if you want you can go to NewNuma.com to see more of these funny vids.

Double Feature

Well, last Friday was a long day, I had gone to Physics, then I headed to ASL for an essay test, after that I went to a Literature Rebellion class for extra credit for my English class, and ironically enough, I headed to my English class where Professor Fullmer expressed his annoyance with the lack of attendance for both his English and Lit. Rebellion class and let us out early since there weren't too many people there.

Physics was as uninteresting as usual and my professor was as eccentric and childish as ever. Although, to look on the bright side, there is a young man in my class who I talk to during the time we are allotted to work on our worksheets. He started talking to me the first time that I straightened my hair this semester. He is a few years older than me, but if anything, he is a nice guy who makes the time in Physics bearable.

ASL was nerve wracking and suspenseful, I had read the book required, The Mask Of Benevolence by Harlan Lane , and the essay covered words that were within the book, but not so much the context of the book. Anyway, I am still waiting on my score, which I won't get until this Monday, the 17th.

The Literature Rebellion class was really interesting, Professor Fullmer covered songs by Black Sabbath, "War Pigs" and "Paranoid." I had never really heard the songs before or given the group with the name Black Sabbath the time of day, let alone their vocalist, Ozzy Osbourne. There is actually a lot of literary value to their songs. Specifically, the song "Warpigs", is an allusion to WWII and the Holocaust.

I was tired by the end of the day and I didn't think that there was too much to look forward to when I got home. Surprisingly, however, my mom called to see where I was and to let me know that she was thinking of seeing a movie.

With the prospect of going to the Megaplex Theatre and seeing a movie made my day seem better.

Penelope
Well, between the two movies, I would have to say that this movie was by far the best. It is a good movie if it is just a GNO (Girls Night Out) or it would also be a good date movie, I think that some guys could find something that they could appreciate in it. Reese Wirtherspoon is the Producer of the film and also plays a supporting role as one of Penelope's new friends (Annie) when she finally escapes from her homely prison.

Basically the story starts with scandal and a curse. Penelope is born with the nose and ears of a pig and because of family pride, she is never seen outside the house, let alone by many others at all. Then, when a broken and rebellious James McAvoy comes into the picture they both fall in love with each other. But in everyone's minds it is star-crossed because he isn't fit for her - isn't a "blue blood" and he cannot break the curse.

Well, I won't tell much more, because that would ruin the movie for you! But if you only see the movie for one reason, girls - see it for James McAvoy (previous movies include Becoming Jane and The Chronicles of Narnia, the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe) and guys - see it for Reese Witherspoon (previous movies include Just Like Heaven, Sweet Home Alabama and Legally Blonde)

The soundtrack to this movie has new and original songs, I went to iTunes to download it as soon as I could and my new favorite song from is now "Your Disguise" by James Greenspun. And when I say that the music is new and original, I am not being sarcastic, I did a search of James Greenspun on YouTube and only one entry came up and it was added on March 7th 2008. I also tried looking up the lyrics but none have been added thus far. Here is the music video of "Your Disguise" from the movie. I really like this song because it can be applied literally and metaphorically.





College Road Trip
College Road Trip was a good movie to see if you wanted a good laugh. The storyline was sort of ridiculous, but if you are just going to see a movie for fun, this would be the one to see. For those of us who watch Disney Channel, Raven Symone (That's So Raven), Brenda Song (The Suite Life of Zack and Cody) and Lucas Grabel (High School Musical) are easily recognized. Raven is the one of the lead characters while Brenda plays one of her girlfriends and Lucas is Raven's opponent at a Mock Trial at their high school but Lucas ends up being Raven's roomate's boyfriend.

Two other actors that I found recognizable was Martin Lawrance and Donny Osmond. The last movie that I saw with Martin Lawrance in it was Wild Hogs.

I think that being in Utah and understanding the culture that surrounds Donny Osmond and the generalization that is made when someone talks of Donny Osmond made the movie a lot funnier than may have been intended. He was basically portrayed as a happy-go-lucky musical in human form.

I could list all of the funny things and hi-jinks that happen to Raven and Martin in their movie, but I would recommend seeing it for yourself.

Well, I think that is all for now - go and enjoy your movies!
Always
~Holls