This week has been kind of interesting for me. I feel like I've learned something. (which would be great if I wasn't DEAD!)* Sometimes life throws you a curve ball. Sometimes life gives you lemons. Sometimes life even kicks you when you're down.
But you know what? Life goes on. When life gives you lemons, throw them back and then punch life in the face.* Tell life that you are not going to stand for that business. Then mom sends you and life into separate corners for a time out. After that, you're friends again, and you go do epic things.
Speaking of epic things, this weekend will be pretty epic. Ward activity, party, leadership meeting, basketball game, and Divine Comedy, all in the next 36 hours or so. Wish me luck! I hope I survive.
*see me afterward if you don't get the movie references.
In other news, check this out. I'm kind of excited for this summer.
Friday, February 11
Tuesday, January 25
The Return of Gideon
So this one time, I made a 101 list. Most (all?) of you who read this blog know this. One of the items on said list was to dye my hair. Item # 29, to be precise. I didn't have any specific plans of how or when to go about this, but I had been asking some friends what color they thought would look good on me. I was debating between dark-ish brown and red-ish.
Anyway, a little over a week ago, I was just watching the Jazz game on a Friday night with some friends. All of a sudden, the girls (Kellie and Alyssa. You guys rock, by the way.) were like, "We should dye your hair right NOW!" After some coaxing, I gave in, and we went to the store to get some hair dye. I mean, let's be honest; when else am I going to be able to be this random and spontaneous? I let the girls pick which one would work best, which was an awesome idea.
I ended up compromising and doing a dark-ish red-ish. I really like how it looks. It's kind of a subtle change, nothing too ridiculous. Here's a couple pics. The first one is kind of dark, so it's hard to tell. The second one you can see the color better.
Also, sorry about how funky my eye looks in the second one...... I don't know what I was doing.
So that's that. #29 checked off my list. Until next time!
Anyway, a little over a week ago, I was just watching the Jazz game on a Friday night with some friends. All of a sudden, the girls (Kellie and Alyssa. You guys rock, by the way.) were like, "We should dye your hair right NOW!" After some coaxing, I gave in, and we went to the store to get some hair dye. I mean, let's be honest; when else am I going to be able to be this random and spontaneous? I let the girls pick which one would work best, which was an awesome idea.
I ended up compromising and doing a dark-ish red-ish. I really like how it looks. It's kind of a subtle change, nothing too ridiculous. Here's a couple pics. The first one is kind of dark, so it's hard to tell. The second one you can see the color better.
So that's that. #29 checked off my list. Until next time!
Thursday, January 13
Thoughts
So, I'm sitting in one of the many Linux labs on the campus of Brigham Young University, realizing that this is pretty much what my life is going to look like for the next two years.
And on that happy note, here goes a post about nothing in particular. :)
I'm slowly realizing that this semester is probably going to be my hardest yet. I have two classes in which I have homework assigned every class period. These aren't just pansy busy-work assignments either. Heck, I already have a test in my Linear Algebra class. 3 weeks into the semester. That's ridiculous.
On top of that, I'm in CS 240, which I've heard from everyone who's ever taken it is simply a beast of a class. The big project that's due near the end of the semester supposedly takes close to 100 hours of coding time. And all of that in a brand new programming language that I've never used before. Bleh.....
On the other hand, I do have some crazy awesome classes this semester as well. I have gold level social dance, yet again. I've enjoyed this class every time I take it, and I'm sure this semester will be no exception. It's definitely a nice break from the daily grind. Additionally, I'm in a beginning guitar class. Now, I haven't played guitar since 8th grade, when I took that for my Jr. High music credit. However, I find that I've really enjoyed it so far, even though my fingers hurt a bunch after I've been playing for a while. Hopefully I can get some sweet songs learned. And then play them. And be awesome.
In other news, I went to a concert a couple nights ago. Me and a couple friends went up to Salt Lake to see Chris Carrabba in a solo performance of his first Dashboard album, Swiss Army Romance. It was an awesome show, but probably the coolest part was one of the opening bands called Lady Danville. I was completely blown away by their performance. The drummer was using his bare hands for crying out loud! Also, they had some really sweet vocal harmonies going on. Because the venue was so small, they actually came out after their set and just chatted with people by their merch table. I got to shake their hands and talk with them for a bit. Turns out, they met at UCLA, in the a cappella group there. That's why they have such sweet vocals! Anyway, they're a really sweet band. Check them out.
On that note, I'd better get some programming done tonight, and I think I'll listen to some Lady Danville as I do so. Until next time!
Saturday, January 1
Many Marvelous Movies
Lots of movies to review this time, probably since I haven't posted a movie review since September. Goodness.... Well, here we go!
Memento - (watched 9.17.10) Totally blew my mind! I can definitely see the comparisons that people were drawing between this movie and Inception. Even after the first twist, there were more coming. The non-linear structure of the movie is key in creating the suspense. Also, the juxtaposition of the b/w scenes with the color scenes, and then when they change with the picture, etc. I loved it! Final rating: 4.5/5
Flyboys - (watched 9.28.10) I enjoyed the fact that this was a movie about WWI instead of WWII. Nothing wrong with WWII movies, but there's just a ton of them! Another thing that intrigued me was that this movie is based on the true story of a group of Americans who joined the French in the war before the US officially became involved. The dogfight scenes are absolutely incredible, and despite a few chronological inaccuracies (according to imdb), I felt like the feeling of the war was very well portrayed. Also, the music is kind of amazing. Final rating: 3/5
Juno - (watched 10.20.10) I feel like this movie does a really good job of showing a sequence of events accompanied by some sweet indie music, but it doesn't really tell a story or express a message. Taking it for what it is, it's quite enjoyable. The soundtrack is pretty darn awesome, and the characters all feel real. I guess Hollywood has trained me to think that movies have to have some sense of heightened reality to them; believable, but still fantastic. This movie feels like it's just everyday life. I'm leaving my mind open to a change in my opinion, but for now, I'm going to say it was just alright, not amazing, but also not bad. Final rating: 3/5
Equilibrium - (watched 10.22.10) This is another one of those futuristic dystopian movies that makes you think a lot. Christian Bale stars as an Enforcer in a society that has outlawed emotion. He is tasked with tracking down and destroying anything that can cause a person to 'feel' anything. It's really interesting to see the inner conflict when Bale's character begins feeling things himself, and he has to decide what he really believes in. Final rating: 4/5
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 - (watched 11.19.10) I was kind of 'meh' about this movie. The actual experience of going and seeing it at midnight was wonderful! We had a bunch of friends that all dressed up and went, and we even saw a little tiny girl dressed up as the cutest Dobby you've ever seen. As a movie though, I wasn't impressed. I understand that it's kind of necessary to do a bunch of setup for the big finale in Part 2, which is why I'm giving this one a bit of a pass. Don't get me wrong, it's not a terrible movie, but not the greatest. Final rating: 3/5
Tangled - (watched 12.7.10) I absolutely loved (!!!) this movie! I've since seen it a second time with my family. It really goes back to the good old Disney princess movies of yesteryear, complete with several awesome musical numbers. I honestly wasn't sure how much story they were going to get from Rapunzel, but it turned out to be a really moving story. Basically, if you haven't seen this movie yet, go watch it! Final rating: 4.5/5
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - (watched 12.10.10) I was pretty impressed with this movie, actually. Now, I haven't ever read the books, (I know, I am ashamed, and they're all on my list, I promise) so I can't compare that, but as a movie, it was pretty good. I'm really happy that they didn't try to remove the Christianity from the message of the movie. It's very blatant at the end, and appropriately so, since C.S. Lewis wrote the books as such. Also, it is a fairly intense PG, younger kids might not be able to handle the ending battle sequence. It's more intense than the first two, for sure. Final rating: 3.5/5
Despicable Me - (watched 12.10.10) This movie was hilarious! When I first saw the trailers, I thought it was going to be pretty good, but kinda shallow. On the contrary, this movie has an amazing message in addition to all the humor. Another part of the movie that I really enjoyed was the music. Normally, I don't notice music in movies unless it's spectacular. In this case, it was a really unique blend of kinda big band with almost hip hop for the main title. Anyway.... Good movie, go watch it. Final rating: 4/5
Tron: Legacy - (watched 12.17.10) I really liked this movie. I'm not going to say loved yet, although it may grow into that after several viewings. Part of why I loved it so much is the fact that I got to see it in IMAX 3D. I absolutely endorse seeing movies in IMAX if at all possible. It's definitely worth the extra couple of bucks. Anyway, although the plot wasn't spectacular, the special effects were awesome. I also really enjoyed Olivia Wilde's character Quorra, and her innocence and naivete when it comes to real world things. All in all, this movie was a nice popcorn flick. Although it's not extremely thought provoking, it doesn't pretend to be, so that's ok. Final rating: 3.5/5
Pick of the post: (I'm doing two, since I have so many on this post) Memento and Tangled. I know, two complete and polar opposites, but both awesome in their own way.
Until next time!
P.S. Happy New Year! :D
Memento - (watched 9.17.10) Totally blew my mind! I can definitely see the comparisons that people were drawing between this movie and Inception. Even after the first twist, there were more coming. The non-linear structure of the movie is key in creating the suspense. Also, the juxtaposition of the b/w scenes with the color scenes, and then when they change with the picture, etc. I loved it! Final rating: 4.5/5
Flyboys - (watched 9.28.10) I enjoyed the fact that this was a movie about WWI instead of WWII. Nothing wrong with WWII movies, but there's just a ton of them! Another thing that intrigued me was that this movie is based on the true story of a group of Americans who joined the French in the war before the US officially became involved. The dogfight scenes are absolutely incredible, and despite a few chronological inaccuracies (according to imdb), I felt like the feeling of the war was very well portrayed. Also, the music is kind of amazing. Final rating: 3/5
Juno - (watched 10.20.10) I feel like this movie does a really good job of showing a sequence of events accompanied by some sweet indie music, but it doesn't really tell a story or express a message. Taking it for what it is, it's quite enjoyable. The soundtrack is pretty darn awesome, and the characters all feel real. I guess Hollywood has trained me to think that movies have to have some sense of heightened reality to them; believable, but still fantastic. This movie feels like it's just everyday life. I'm leaving my mind open to a change in my opinion, but for now, I'm going to say it was just alright, not amazing, but also not bad. Final rating: 3/5
Equilibrium - (watched 10.22.10) This is another one of those futuristic dystopian movies that makes you think a lot. Christian Bale stars as an Enforcer in a society that has outlawed emotion. He is tasked with tracking down and destroying anything that can cause a person to 'feel' anything. It's really interesting to see the inner conflict when Bale's character begins feeling things himself, and he has to decide what he really believes in. Final rating: 4/5
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 - (watched 11.19.10) I was kind of 'meh' about this movie. The actual experience of going and seeing it at midnight was wonderful! We had a bunch of friends that all dressed up and went, and we even saw a little tiny girl dressed up as the cutest Dobby you've ever seen. As a movie though, I wasn't impressed. I understand that it's kind of necessary to do a bunch of setup for the big finale in Part 2, which is why I'm giving this one a bit of a pass. Don't get me wrong, it's not a terrible movie, but not the greatest. Final rating: 3/5
Tangled - (watched 12.7.10) I absolutely loved (!!!) this movie! I've since seen it a second time with my family. It really goes back to the good old Disney princess movies of yesteryear, complete with several awesome musical numbers. I honestly wasn't sure how much story they were going to get from Rapunzel, but it turned out to be a really moving story. Basically, if you haven't seen this movie yet, go watch it! Final rating: 4.5/5
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader - (watched 12.10.10) I was pretty impressed with this movie, actually. Now, I haven't ever read the books, (I know, I am ashamed, and they're all on my list, I promise) so I can't compare that, but as a movie, it was pretty good. I'm really happy that they didn't try to remove the Christianity from the message of the movie. It's very blatant at the end, and appropriately so, since C.S. Lewis wrote the books as such. Also, it is a fairly intense PG, younger kids might not be able to handle the ending battle sequence. It's more intense than the first two, for sure. Final rating: 3.5/5
Despicable Me - (watched 12.10.10) This movie was hilarious! When I first saw the trailers, I thought it was going to be pretty good, but kinda shallow. On the contrary, this movie has an amazing message in addition to all the humor. Another part of the movie that I really enjoyed was the music. Normally, I don't notice music in movies unless it's spectacular. In this case, it was a really unique blend of kinda big band with almost hip hop for the main title. Anyway.... Good movie, go watch it. Final rating: 4/5
Tron: Legacy - (watched 12.17.10) I really liked this movie. I'm not going to say loved yet, although it may grow into that after several viewings. Part of why I loved it so much is the fact that I got to see it in IMAX 3D. I absolutely endorse seeing movies in IMAX if at all possible. It's definitely worth the extra couple of bucks. Anyway, although the plot wasn't spectacular, the special effects were awesome. I also really enjoyed Olivia Wilde's character Quorra, and her innocence and naivete when it comes to real world things. All in all, this movie was a nice popcorn flick. Although it's not extremely thought provoking, it doesn't pretend to be, so that's ok. Final rating: 3.5/5
Pick of the post: (I'm doing two, since I have so many on this post) Memento and Tangled. I know, two complete and polar opposites, but both awesome in their own way.
Until next time!
P.S. Happy New Year! :D
Saturday, October 30
Mmmmmm....... Concerts..........
(Wow, I fail at this whole 'blogging regularly' thing. Here's a post that's been waiting for a while, I finally got around to finishing and posting it. Enjoy!)
So, this one time, I said I was going to blog about every task completed. I've been doing pretty good at keeping up with reviewing all the movies that I've watched since starting, (at least the ones that I hadn't seen before) but I've been doing terrible at keeping up with the concerts that I've been to. I'm going to try to remedy this now, with short but awesome reviews of several concerts that I've been to over the past few months.
Thrice - (7.13.10) This was quite possibly one of the best concerts I've ever been to. I wasn't a big fan of any of the opening bands, but they weren't terrible. Once Thrice started though, I kicked it into high gear. To be fair, Thrice is definitely NOT a band for everyone. Their style of rock is rather on the heavy side. Especially since we were at a smaller venue, (In the Venue, for those who were wondering) the mosh pit was ridiculous! I came home from this concert voiceless, tired, and sore. And that's how I could tell I had a great time.
Ben Folds - (7.17.10) This was definitely a more chill concert than Thrice. It was held up at Deer Valley, for the summer outdoor concert series with the Utah Symphony. Hearing Ben Folds' songs arranged with a symphony was one of the prettiest things I've ever heard. That didn't stop him from rocking out with some of his classics, but the encore was perfect. He came back out and played an orchestrated arrangement of 'The Luckiest' dedicated specially to his wife.
Candlelight Serenede - (8.28.10) So this concert was way sweet. It was an all day outdoor benefit concert in support of rescuing youth from slavery and the sex industry here in Utah and the US. There were a whole bunch of sweet bands, and I actually found some new ones that I've listened to a lot since, like Steel Train and Making April. My favorite part of this concert though was when Relient K covered Africa by Toto. About 3 notes in I was like, 'Is this what I think it is....?' And then it was. It rocked my socks. Also, Nick Hexum performing with his younger brother both on acoustic guitars was pretty sweet. And then, to top it all off, Chris Carrabba playing a bunch of Dashboard songs. All in all, a rockin' day, despite the wicked sunburn that I had for the next couple of weeks.
Anberlin - (10.5.10) It's thanks to this concert that I know about Crash Kings, which is one of my new favorite bands. So favorite in fact, that I actually purchased their CD off of amazon.com rather than simply listening to them on grooveshark. Crash Kings opened for Anberlin, and they kind of rocked my world. Then Anberlin came on, and they were also way amazing. My only complaint about this concert was the lack of moshing. It was a little bit bigger venue than Thrice, and admittedly, Anberlin is less intense than Thrice, but still, there were several songs that definitely should have had some good pits. There weren't any. That said, still an amazing concert. (side note: I LOVE the shirt that I got at this concert. It might be my favorite concert/band shirt yet.)
Fun. - (10.16.10) Well, this concert is just what it sounds like: a bunch of fun. :) But really, it was a sweet concert. Steel Train (see above, performed at the Candlelight Serenede) opened for fun. which was cool, since the lead singer of Steel Train is also the guitarist for fun. I think my favorite moment of this concert was when Steel Train played a song that they wrote for Yo Gabba Gabba called 'It's Fun to Dance.' Basically, the whole crowd got to be little kids for that song. It was wonderful. Then fun. took the stage, and it was also wonderful. They are a very unique band to watch live, and very entertaining.
And that's that. A summary of the concerts that I've been to recently. There aren't any in the immediate future that I'm planning on, but when Linkin Park comes through next year, I'll for sure be there. Heck, if it comes down to it, I'll road trip to see them. But anyway, until next time!
So, this one time, I said I was going to blog about every task completed. I've been doing pretty good at keeping up with reviewing all the movies that I've watched since starting, (at least the ones that I hadn't seen before) but I've been doing terrible at keeping up with the concerts that I've been to. I'm going to try to remedy this now, with short but awesome reviews of several concerts that I've been to over the past few months.
Thrice - (7.13.10) This was quite possibly one of the best concerts I've ever been to. I wasn't a big fan of any of the opening bands, but they weren't terrible. Once Thrice started though, I kicked it into high gear. To be fair, Thrice is definitely NOT a band for everyone. Their style of rock is rather on the heavy side. Especially since we were at a smaller venue, (In the Venue, for those who were wondering) the mosh pit was ridiculous! I came home from this concert voiceless, tired, and sore. And that's how I could tell I had a great time.
Ben Folds - (7.17.10) This was definitely a more chill concert than Thrice. It was held up at Deer Valley, for the summer outdoor concert series with the Utah Symphony. Hearing Ben Folds' songs arranged with a symphony was one of the prettiest things I've ever heard. That didn't stop him from rocking out with some of his classics, but the encore was perfect. He came back out and played an orchestrated arrangement of 'The Luckiest' dedicated specially to his wife.
Candlelight Serenede - (8.28.10) So this concert was way sweet. It was an all day outdoor benefit concert in support of rescuing youth from slavery and the sex industry here in Utah and the US. There were a whole bunch of sweet bands, and I actually found some new ones that I've listened to a lot since, like Steel Train and Making April. My favorite part of this concert though was when Relient K covered Africa by Toto. About 3 notes in I was like, 'Is this what I think it is....?' And then it was. It rocked my socks. Also, Nick Hexum performing with his younger brother both on acoustic guitars was pretty sweet. And then, to top it all off, Chris Carrabba playing a bunch of Dashboard songs. All in all, a rockin' day, despite the wicked sunburn that I had for the next couple of weeks.
Anberlin - (10.5.10) It's thanks to this concert that I know about Crash Kings, which is one of my new favorite bands. So favorite in fact, that I actually purchased their CD off of amazon.com rather than simply listening to them on grooveshark. Crash Kings opened for Anberlin, and they kind of rocked my world. Then Anberlin came on, and they were also way amazing. My only complaint about this concert was the lack of moshing. It was a little bit bigger venue than Thrice, and admittedly, Anberlin is less intense than Thrice, but still, there were several songs that definitely should have had some good pits. There weren't any. That said, still an amazing concert. (side note: I LOVE the shirt that I got at this concert. It might be my favorite concert/band shirt yet.)
Fun. - (10.16.10) Well, this concert is just what it sounds like: a bunch of fun. :) But really, it was a sweet concert. Steel Train (see above, performed at the Candlelight Serenede) opened for fun. which was cool, since the lead singer of Steel Train is also the guitarist for fun. I think my favorite moment of this concert was when Steel Train played a song that they wrote for Yo Gabba Gabba called 'It's Fun to Dance.' Basically, the whole crowd got to be little kids for that song. It was wonderful. Then fun. took the stage, and it was also wonderful. They are a very unique band to watch live, and very entertaining.
And that's that. A summary of the concerts that I've been to recently. There aren't any in the immediate future that I'm planning on, but when Linkin Park comes through next year, I'll for sure be there. Heck, if it comes down to it, I'll road trip to see them. But anyway, until next time!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)