Vampires and Gelatto

Devon is here! And she is persuasive!

After chanting for hours about the virtues of her latest obsession, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, she finally convinced me to go rent a few episodes. Rather, she violently grabbed the steering wheel of my car and threatened to veer into the nearest concrete wall if I didn't go to Hollywood Video at that moment. So, begging for mercy, I wrenched the steering wheel from her clutches, vowing that there was no place that I'd rather be than the video store at that particular moment. We rented a few episodes from the first season. Dev was enraptured while we watched, while I was trying to hide my interest in the movie. I mean, come on, Buffy the Vampire Slayer? Even though I may be a die-hard MST3K fan, I still have my dignity. But at the end, I was forced to admit that I enjoyed the show. Teeney-bopper-ish? Definitely. Cheesey? Pass the Velveeta. But still fun. Punto for Devon and her obsession.

Dev, Christin, and I went to Rembrandt's Coffee House last night, the first time that any of us had been there. We were entranced. If you live in the Eagle area (and even if you don't) you must see this place! It's an old church that has been renovated into a coffee shop / bookstore / art gallery. They kept the original wood floors and cathedral windows, and even a couple of the pews. I had mango gelatto and roobios tea, while we listened to a fairly decent band and talked. Tons of fun.

There Dev! I wrote a blog! Hope you're happy.

Mount Rushmore and Magnolias

Wednesday's movie club choice of the week: North by Northwest.
Rating: Superb!

I'm starting to like Alfred Hitchcock more and more. If you've never seen North by Northwest, see it immediately! Your life will be richer because of it. Brilliant screenplay, stellar cast, and that perfect balance of suspense, romance, and comedy that characterizes a good Hitchcock movie. You really envy Eva Marie Saint, starring with the handsome and ever-dignified Cary Grant. I would be very willing to dangle from Mount Rushmore by one hand, too, if it meant spending an evening with Mr. Grant. Splendid evening all around, marred only by the absence of Tammi and Anna.

We finally have been getting some rain today, which is wonderful considering the water shortage we're expected to hit in the summer. Let's hope that it rains solid for three or four days to make up for a lousy winter with no snow.

Outside my work are four magnolia bushes that have just burst into bloom and are covered in snow-white, fragrant blossoms. Right before I leave work tonight, I will fill a whole grocery sack full of blooms (from the bottoms of the bushes, so they won't be marred) and rush them home to make some magnolia water. The only bad thing is that magnolias don't bloom for very long, so tonight is my only chance. I hope that the technique I use for roses will work for magnolias too. Wish me luck!

Devon comes to Nampa on Thursday!! Yay!

Fun My Face

I attended my first Body Shop party last night, and naturally spent more than I should have. Not too much more, but a little more than my predetermined budget. The best part of the party was that we were able to smear 5 kinds of lotion all over our bodies, and see which one felt the best on our skin. I ended up getting some olive-scented Body Butter (I know it doesn't sound attractive, but it actually smells nice and fresh), some scented oil, and some eyeshadow.

After the party, Shelly, Marcie and I decided to watch a movie. Shelly recently purchased the entire collection of Audrey Hepburn movies from a Chinese seller she found on eBay. The covers were interesting to look at, because some of the photos of Audrey are touched up to make her look more Asian. Also, almost all of the writing on the cases and discs are in Chinese, so you aren't 100% sure that you are watching the right movie. The movie descriptions on the back of the cases are hilarious to read, because the translations are so terrible that I only found about 10 complete sentences on all three covers. Hence the title of today's blog, which was the translated title of Funny Face.

We decided to take a risk and watch a movie that we had never seen before, and picked Love in the Afternoon, starring a very young Audrey and a very ancient Gary Cooper. Audrey was as lovely and precious as ever, but we wondered as the movie progressed why there were no close-up shots of leading man Gary. When his face was finally clear (after three scenes and some involved dialogue, during which his face is half-shadowed), the three of us simultaneously recoiled and shouted "Ewwwww!". I'm sure that Mr. Cooper was a very handsome man in his day, but here it seemed impossible that a man with such a froggy face could so easily win the heart of a perfectly shaped, perfectly poised, and perfectly lovely little thing like Audrey's character. We debated about the difficult chemistry for the rest of the movie. For a similar feel, try very hard to imagine a young Audrey falling for On Golden Pond's dignified yet very wrinkled Henry Fonda. The shudder of disbelief that the Audrey/Fonda mix produces is about the same as the Audrey/Cooper cocktail reaction. Still, we had a fun time dissecting the movie while we admired the costumes and enjoyed the plot.

Just a note: Two more schools to hear from, and then my future will be decided! Dum, DUM, DUUUUUUUUUUUUH! *dramatic music*

Oh, Travis and his posse leave today too. They were tons of fun to have around, and we laughed a lot, but I will be glad to have my bathroom all to myself again.

Where the Wild Things Are

Invasion Watch: Day 3
-by your faithful field reporter

By now, the distinct smell of testosterone and dirty socks has permeated the walls of my humble abode here in Nampa, Idaho. The war zone of the upstairs living room is peppered with stray shoes, deodorant canisters, and miscellaneous electronic gadgetry, as natives pick their way through the most heavily-hit areas. Even though the invading troops have only been occupying the region for a few days, the indigenous peoples are beginning to become restless, longing for the days when roads did not have to be navigated with guards and flashlights. A representative of the occupying forces, whose identity was not given, gave a brazen status report of the invasion: "We're here to stay and use this land as we see fit."
And using the land is just what these guerrilla warriors have been doing. Already during their stay, the invading troops have consumed as much as 50% of the land's natural resources, particularly those loaded with sugar and caffeine. At the current rate of consumption, this region will be stripped bare within one week. While this causes great concern amongst the natives, the news also brings a ray of hope. One anonymous resident put it best: "They're like locusts. When they have taken all we have to give, they will be forced to move on. We will be impoverished, but at least we will be free."
Frightening and desperate words from a proud people unaccustomed to the tyranny they find themselves facing. But you can be certain that no matter how this conflict is resolved, your intrepid reporter will always be there to bring you the latest news, straight from the heart of the jungle, where the Wild Things are.

Prelude to an Invasion: Opus 1, Number 1

I was up late last night getting the house ready for the incoming flock of sophomore men. There were so many things to do:

- Clean the upstairs living room and bedrooms.
- File away all my important papers, so they won't get lost in the chaos.
- Lock away my journal, pen, and inks.
- Put password protection on my computer.
- Stock the bathrooms with towels, soap, and toilet paper (because I am not venturing in there anytime during their stay).
- Ferret away my Mystery Science Theater collection for safe keeping.
- Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

Man, I'm in for a wild week! Mom and Dad are setting up an air mattress in their closet, so I can sleep in there if the guys stay noisy late into the night. It's not as bad as you might think, since their closet is almost the size of my bedroom. I would prefer to sleep in my own bed, but I have a feeling that this will not be possible, since all the guys are camping 10 feet away from my door. Both Shelly and Marcie have offered to let me stay with them if living at home gets too rough, thank goodness.

Tonight's the night of my hockey-and-fondue date. Look for an update tomorrow afternoon!

Some enchanted evening!

I got an acceptance letter yesterday! So now I have to choose between University of Utah (Masters program) and Loyola, plus any others that I get accepted to. The acceptance yesterday was even more exciting than the first, if only because the letter was disguised. When I got the good news from Loyola, it came in this huge packet with immunization and housing materials. But this one came in a sad little envelope, and you could tell from the weight that it only contained one sheet of paper. Since my other rejections had come in this format, I was sure that Utah was sending me a rejection. Imagine my surprise when the letter started with “I am pleased…” rather than “We regret to…” I was shocked.

And then, as if the evening wasn’t wonderful enough, Tammi, Christin, and Anna came over and we watched Enchanted April while eating Tammi’s famous chocolate cheesecake. Divine! Now I know why everybody makes such a fuss about this movie. It is a warm, delightful, neatly packaged happy ending-sort of movie where all the characters are endearing in their own way and everybody is happy at the end. Now I know which movie to rent whenever I’m having a bad day.

A bit of odd news: I’ve been asked out on a date for the first time in over a year and a half. Wow. I’m excited, but at the same time I almost wanted to say no. I have worked hard to earn the distinction of being a confirmed bachelorette. Not that one date will change my status, but I took pride in having not gone on a date in so long. Not like all those silly romantic normal people out there. Psh!