Fanboys

Last week, I had the good fortune of having both a day off from work and school. I had two of them actually, but this is about the Friday of the two (the other being Saturday, duh). Not having anything to do, and it being a Friday, I went to the movie section of the paper to see what new movies had come out. It was pretty slim pickings because the summer movie season doesn't really start until May 1st when X-Men Origins: Wolverine sets it off.

So as I'm thinking about all the movies I can't wait to see this summer, I noticed a title I'd heard about before but troubled development kept delaying it. It was definitely something up my alley, so when I realized how lucky I was I went straight to the theater and saw:




For those in the audience that get the gist of the poster, let me explain the plot. Four lifelong friends grew up absolutely in love with all things Star Wars. Unfortunately there's a bit of a falling out among them. Eric, the one in the middle there, decided it was time to grow up and leave Star Wars as just a nice little hobby instead of a lifestyle.

His friends, Linus, Windows, and Hutch still live and breathe Star Wars, even going to a costume party decked out as Storm Troopers and Darth Vader. Eric is there as well and something of a mini reunion happens. Eric finds out that his friends have a countdown going until Episode I gets released in theaters, which is 6 months. Linus was hurt the most by Eric leaving the group behind and accosts him. Eric and Linus were going to make comics together, so that's the reason behind that.

The next day, Windows and Hutch show up at Eric's place of work, his dad's car lot, and tell Eric that Linus has cancer and only has about 3 to 4 months to live. Astonished that he's only now hearing about it, and sad that years of friendship has been wasted, he tries to get back into Linus' life. Linus doesn't want to have any of it though. Determined to not let it end this way, Eric suggests they steal the rough cut for Episode I so Linus can see it before he dies. It takes some convincing, but an unlikely inside source gives them a floor plan to Skywalker Ranch.

So yeah, they're gonna do it.

I won't give away any more of the plot because this should really be enjoyed with just the basics known. They live in Iowa (maybe Ohio?) so it's a road trip movie. There are plenty of Star Wars references and some of them are actually pretty clever. I really enjoyed this movie as it reminded me of the times before Episode I actually came out.

Watching the trailer dozens of times a day. Camping out overnight at the mall and missing school to get tickets. Missing school again to see it multiple times the day it came out. It reminded me of all the fun times I had with my friends.

It ends really well. Almost beautifully. Really glad I got to see this in the theaters. I'll be picking up the DVD when it drops on May 19 to be sure. I suggest people at least rent it. It's PG-13 and there are some parts not suitable for kids, but it's awesome never the less.

Okay, so

I've got this friend who's got a contest going and she would like everybody to know about this contest and enter into it for a chance to win something, for all intents and purposes, AWESOME!

Please be advised however, that you only have until Midnight tonight (April 22nd, to those reading this sometime in the future) to enter into this contest for something awesome. She'd really like you to enter.

Now please, KaTrina, I did what you asked, now let my family go!

Totally kidding... somebody please alert the authorities!

Quirks and Simple Pleasures

Everybody has their own little quirks that they don't really think about until somebody notices it and this happens...

"Why do you do that?"
"Hmm? Do what?"
"What you just did."
"Uhh, I didn't do anything."
"Yeah, you did."
"No."
"You so frickin' did!"
"Don't judge me!"

So while it may not go down quite like that for the everybody that has their own little quirks, if you take notice of all that you do during the day, you're bound to notice yourself doing something ever so slightly out of the ordinary. Seeing as how this is my blog, I've decided to share some of my own quirks.

When I listen to music while I'm driving, I have the volume set at increments of five. Y'know, 15, 20, 30, 35, etc. It goes up to 63, so none of that "that's too loud!" business if you please.

Whenever I do the dishes at home (work is another matter entirely), I gather up all of the silverware and place them one by one into the sections until I'm out. What's funny, and oddly mysterious, is 97% of the time, every section will end up having the same amount of silverware as the other. Even if some of the sections are one short, I'm able to find enough around the kitchen to fill them up. It's not until after I start the dishwasher that I find one more utensil that would have messed up the count.

I notice stuff like the silverware thing.

I've always got to be doing something with my hands. Whether it's snapping my fingers, popping my knuckles, or even the dreaded geekery many of you have seen me indulge in. It's a good thing smoking never worked for me. Am I right?

If I buy two pairs of pants, the first pair I wear is always the one I'll end up liking best and wear most often.

Whenever I have paper money, it has to be in order from lowest to highest, facing the same way, and in line. Y'know, a couple bills shoved in one corner and another in the other corner.

I think it's safe to say that this assortment of idiosyncrasies certainly help to round me out as me, but there are things I take joy in that do just as much to define me.

Liiike...

Being able to drive in the middle of the night with all the windows down, enjoying a pleasantly warm breeze wearing a shirt, shorts, and bare feet. Obviously, that's what Summer is for :)

Stumbling upon a new riff and trying to put lyrics to it.

And vice versa, writing new lyrics and trying to put music to it.

Suddenly waking up, worried that I've missed or was late for some kind of appointment, realizing it's 3AM and I don't have anything to wake up for. Obviously it's the going back to sleep with nothing to worry about that I like.

A cloudless night, and a big, bright full moon illuminating everything. Like I'm wearing super thick sunglasses in the middle of a bright, cloudless day. This is applicable all year, but most appreciated in the Summer. Because then I can go outside in a shirt, shorts and flip flops and enjoy it all the more.

Getting truly inspired with an idea for a story. When this happens I can't help myself from filling in all of the details and piecing together the multiple facets of the story. Overactive imaginations are NOT a bad thing.

Cold cereal milk.

School. Heh, if I had made this list a year ago...

Re-reading through Harry Potter. I'm lucky enough to still feel some of the anticipation of what's going to happen next in the story when I do.

Thinking about how time travel works.

Flying in dreams.

Having dreams where everything I wish would happen either has, or is happening. It's always a bit saddening to wake up, but it's nice that it 'happened' all the same.

Thinking about the odd little things I do and stuff that makes me happy, and compiling them into a list for my friends and family to read through and go, "Yeah, that's Kelly."

Winter Grades

So I think that the grades I got for Fall Quarter were really just a fluke. I mean, I thought I had this whole 'going to college' thing figured out, so I wasn't bothering to check on my grades for Winter. Big mistake. I honestly thought I was doing great in my classes and would improve my cumulative GPA. Then of course I got my grades. I don't want a bunch of hoopla so here they are:

Biological Anthropology: 2.1
English 276 (LotR): 1.4
English 101: 1.7

So yeah. I think the reason I got a 2.1 in Anthropology is because I had the same professor last quarter and he didn't want me to get too bad of a grade. The grades came out on the 31st and I was a bit busy so I'm posting them today... on April 1st. Yeah, April Fools :)

Okay, so now the real post begins.

Winter Quarter was a lot of fun and I'm going to miss going to those classes. It was awesome learning more about evolution. My faith hasn't been changed in any way, and I've accepted evolution for years now. So I haven't been indoctrinated or anything like that. Sounds like an opportunity for a blog post. Anyway, the Grade.

Biological Anthropology 3.3
I'm happy with it, but I was really hoping (and aiming for, mind you) a higher grade. I got a 3.7 in Psychology with the same professor but I guess I just did better. It was probably the mid-term and final that got me. It only gets better from here though.

Lord of the Rings was obviously the class I was looking forward to the most. I'd be reading one of the most important literary works of the 20th century and poring over it with a professor who obviously knows the material, and students who know it as well or might be reading it for the first time. I was always talking in that class, and in a constructive way. Like I said before, there was a really cute girl who knew just about everything Lord of the Rings back to front. We'd always have really fun debates and arguments about how to interpret the text. I'm really gonna miss going. A lot.

Lord of the Rings 3.6
Just about what I figured. Three exams and essays, lowest score dropped. 10 quizzes, two lowest scores dropped. For the two essays I handed in, I got solid B's and was proud of them. I did all three exams and was only one point away from the highest score each time. I also had a couple missteps when it came to the weekly quizzes, even though the two lowest scores were dropped.

My first day in English 101 was kind of disheartening. There were all these rules in class that I was worried about breaking and the assignments sounded a bit harsh too. Like, no matter how well you're doing in class, if you don't get a passing grade on the final (an in-class essay) you fail the class. That and the professor came off as a no-nonsense, "so much as blink out of turn and I will end you" kind of guy. Couldn't be further from the truth. I enjoyed this class just as much as I enjoyed Anthropology. I got along with the professor quite a lot too. I had a feeling I might get a really good grade out of his class. Boy was I off.

English Composition I 4.0
I got a GREAT grade! I was hoping that I'd get a 4.0, because every assignment I turned in got full marks. Nevertheless I was still a bit shocked when I looked at my transcript yesterday. I don't think I've gotten the equivalent of a 4.0... well, ever I think. Whenever I think about this I get a smile on my face. Of all the classes to get a 4.0 in, I'm glad English was the first one. And it won't be the last one, either.

My GPA did drop a smidge, from 3.63 to 3.58, but I'm still very happy with myself. And I can't wait 'til Spring Quarter starts. It's gonna be frikkin' awesome!