This is the truth; my truth.

I'm Getting Married!

2006-08-17T11:54:00.000-04:00

So, I've given you the scoop on the engagement. I'm getting married!

We've set a date: October 13, 2007 at 11:00 a.m. We will be married (weather permitting, of course) on the lawn of Quidnessett Country club, with our guests facing the ocean.

And yes, this is a photo of the actual place. No clue who these people are, though. ^_^ If it rains, we will be married on the deck of the building. Hopefully it'll be nice out, but if not, we'll be ok. The room for our reception is also really nice. I'm so excited to be able to see all of my family and friends all in one place!

Absences continued....

2006-08-12T10:15:00.000-04:00

You all hate me now. You know that you can't count on me to post faithfully. Old Faithful I am not. Lo siento. Mea culpa... mea ultima culpa.

So since January... I'll give you the recap and you can see for yourselves how insane my life has been in the past eight months. (Why does it seem like my hiatuses... erm... hiatii??? Anyway... they always last about eight months or so. Odd.)

*February 11 --> Nik breaks up with me. Lovely. Four years of my life down the tube. I'm left confused and wondering what it is that I did wrong.

*February 18 --> Nik comes back and asks for me to let him move back in with me. He tells me he wants to come clean, and admits to having slept with a girl he worked with some time in the middle of January. Oh, and he also once made out with one of my best friends when they were drunk the previous year. Hmmmmm. So - to take him back or not to take him back. There IS NO QUESTION. Duh. I told him sorry.... but no. Nonetheless, a hard time to go through.

*February - April --> I write and present my senior thesis topic, which was THE BOMB, I will say. I wrote about Harry Potter as the modern version of the classic hero, managing to fulfill the hero archetypes with flair and originality. Good times. 30 pages of quality work, my friends. And an awesome presentation to boot. Or so I'm told.

*April 21 --> Scott, (you may remember him from now-archived posts), an awesome friend of mine, comes with me to an Audiocentrix show in Warwick. I had been discussing the idea of a relationship with him, since I had always been fond of him, and he had been stubbornly refusing the idea of a relationship. (Read his take on all of this HERE.) This night changes his mind.

*April 22 --> A Saturday. I present my Thesis before the Salve English department and my peers in the English Literature and Eng. Communications majors. Scott comes, since he had promised months before that he would come to listen to me speak on Harry Potter - he being a fellow fan and all. He joins my mother (who came from NH) in the audience, and we go to lunch afterwards. Mom heads home. Scott stays in Tina's apartment and tells me of his decision to give it a shot between us. We've been together since.

*April - July --> Things progress quickly due to a close friendship prior to dating.

*July 9 --> Scott brings me on a weekend trip to Block Island and surprises me with a five-course, gourmet, candlelit dinner for two on the beach. Just before the dessert course arrives, he gets on one knee and asks me to marry him. I accept. (In between sobs of joy. ^_^)

*August 5 --> Scott and I drive to NH to see a breeder who has Pug puppies. I purchase Isabel. We are now a family of three. ^_^

No Perfect Attendance For Me... Again

2006-01-07T08:21:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone! My apologies about the delay... I've been back to working full time at the Credit Union while school is out for the winter break. Busy, busy me! Eventually I'll be back to posting... um.... sorta daily. Hee hee. Sometimes I miss those days when all I did was sit at home and blog. (But it's oh-so-much-better now that I'm making the dough... and not cookie dough like last year.)

So, I do still have much to talk about, but it's 8:20 and work starts at 8:30. Don't worry... the Credit Union is located right behind my backyard. ^_^ Have a lovely weekend!

Rest in Peace

2005-12-27T19:06:00.000-05:00

It's been another week since I've posted. You guys must be getting sick of me. I guess I should wish you all a very belated Merry Christmas. I wish that this year I could have filled this space with the happy greetings and delighted posts that I was able to last year around this time. This year, however, was much different...

Three days before Christmas I received a call from my mother at 8:00 in the morning before work. She was crying, but she managed to tell me that a close friend from back home had died suddenly. Mike Blanchette was a dear friend whom I have known since the fifth grade. He was close to many of us, and he will be missed more than words can say.

So needless to say, this Christmas was the worst in my life. I wish that I had better things to pass on to you all. Please keep Mike's family and girlfriend in your prayers. It will not be easy to move on without him.

Wendy's - My Love/Hate Relationship

2005-12-20T22:54:00.000-05:00

Turns out you all might get to hear about what I've been so secretive about much earlier than I originally thought. Big day is tomorow, the 21st. Let's leave it at that for now. Hopefully you'll have the news by the new year..... enough about that.

So we went to Wendy's tonight... yuuuummm-O. I love Wendy's burgers. I like fast food in general.... (sorry Bathroom Reading, who is a strictly kosher eater...) But as much as I love Wendy's, I hate eating inside. I feel like I'm back in kindergarten with those tiny-ass chairs and tables. Nik and I are both tall with very long legs, so when we sit at those things we feel like we're in each others' laps... (Which is nice if you're not busy trying to consume large amounts of fat and grease... but since we ARE trying to eat, it bugs me.)

Those trays are like the size of my little toe... I guess it makes it look like you've got more food, but our food hardly ever even fits on it.

Also, I noticed something in there that I knew, immediately, that I would have to let you all in on. (You know these moments in everyday life when you stop and say to yourself - I MUST BLOG ABOUT THIS LATER.) So I noticed that LITERALLY the last three times I've been to Wendy's (in different towns, mind you) one thing has occurred each time in all three places.

There are two ketchup dispensers. Two very large, ketchup-containing containers (heh).... and each time... I always try to get my ketchup out of the one to the right... and it's ALWAYS empty. When I go to the one on the left, it's always full and I am able to fill up at this station. Perhaps everyone attempts the right-hand side first. Strange..... also useless. But still interesting.

Congratulations... you've wasted another 45 seconds of your life reading meaningless crap..... my meaningless crap. :)

6 Days Till Christmas!?!?!?

2005-12-19T13:00:00.000-05:00

I can't even believe that Christmas is almost here. Before we know it, the whole holiday season will be over and gone. This is my favorite time of year, as evidenced by my December 2004 archives. This year I've had less time for anticipation - classes ended later, and I'm working full time over my Christmas Break. (40 hours a week = equals sweeeeeeeet $$$$)

There are lots of possible new changes that could occur over the next couple of weeks - I am not at liberty to discuss, but be rest assured that as soon as (or if) anything happens, you all will be informed. Let's just say that the future is starting to unfold before my eyes, and I am thrilled. (P.S. - Let's make things clear... this is not in reference to a ring, which many friends have been inquiring about for like two years now... this is about something much, much different. Oh... and not a baby either. Yet. Hopefully.)

So now that you know what it ISN'T.... Hee hee. On that note, I have to get back to work. Gosh, I even spend my lunch break with you fools. Much love! ^_^

Cookie Recipe

2005-12-14T20:57:00.000-05:00

I sooooo wish I could take credit for this..... but it's funny, and my brother emailed it to me. If I know you all AT ALL, I'm pretty sure you'll love this.

Christmas Cookies

Christmas Cookie Ingredients:
1 cup of water
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup of brown sugar
lemon juice
4 large eggs
1 cup nuts
2 cups of dried fruit
1 bottle Jose Cuervo Tequila

Directions:
*Sample the Cuervo to check quality.
*Take a large bowl, check the Cuervo again. (To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink.)
*Turn on the electric mixer...Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.
*Add one teaspoon of sugar...Beat again.
*At this point it's best to make sure the Cuervo is still OK. Try another cup ... just in case.
*Turn off the mixerer thingy.
*Break 2 leggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.
*Pick the frigging fruit off floor...
*Mix on the turner. If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver.
*Sample the Cuervo to check for tonsisticity.
*Next, sift two cups of salt, or something. Check the Jose Cuervo.
*Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.
*Add one table. Add a spoon of sugar, or somefink. Whatever you can find.
*Greash the oven.
*Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over.
*Don't forget to beat off the turner.
*Finally, throw the bowl through the window, finish the Cose Juervo and make sure to put the stove in the dishwasher.

CHERRY MISTMAS

Santa. Pleaaaaaase???

2005-12-12T18:43:00.000-05:00

Last year, around this time, I posted with a similar request regarding a puppy that I wanted for Christmas. This year is no different, however my demands are much more specific. A pug. I want one soooooo much!!! Okay. Now that that's out of my system, I can go Christmas shopping.

P.S. Of course, he/she will need one of these to wear. ^_^

P.P.S. Okay. I'm really done now.

HNT!!!

2005-12-08T12:15:00.000-05:00

HALF NEKKID THURSDAY ^_^

p.s. You can see the reflection of me in my eye. Weirdness. And you can also see that I have a spot of brown in those baby blues.

The View From Where I Sit

2005-12-07T23:22:00.000-05:00

Errr... this week has been the last week of classes. Next week is finals week. This means, of course, that everything is due this week as well as next week. This means that what you see in this photo is pretty much what I will be seeing in front of my face for the next week. Laptop, with essay up on the screen; open book for reference; and cup of warm beverage. Beverage usually consists of one of the following:

* hot apple cider

*hot chocolate (knowing what I still have due, I'm thinking the bottle of Bailey's is looking mighty good for this one)

*if I'm feeling really in need of a boost, I'll treat myself to a Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks

I'm very much looking forward to next Thursday. By then all assignments will be in, all essays written, all finals failed... (kidding). Someone save me.

Man of the House

2005-12-07T23:01:00.000-05:00

This, like the Capri Suns below, is not a staged photo. This all began when Lindsay announced that she needed to iron her dress clothes for her job fair in NYC. When Nik saw her confusion with the iron, he offered (jokingly.. sorta) that he could do it for her. Being that it was Lindsay, she of course zeroed into this comment and told him that he could iron them for her. And so, he began to iron her pants.

Lindsay, downstairs in the living room, messaged Colleen (pictured to the right, in pink), who was up on the third floor of the house, and told her that Nik was doing her ironing. No less than 45 seconds later, Colleen was downstairs with her pants she had been intending to iron for her presentation the next day. She hadn't gotten around to it, and Nik's ironing pile had grown by an extra pair of khakis. ^_^

*Ironing tally*

1 pair of black pants, 1 dress shirt
1 pair of khaki pants

This information may cause many questions to arise amongst you... first of all... why didn't I give him any of my clothes to iron while he was at it?? Good question. I have no idea. Another question: why is he ironing on the dining room table? If you ever tried to iron on our ironing board, you'd understand.

A "special" Capri Sun

2005-12-05T22:37:00.000-05:00

When Lindsay opened a box of those delicious Capri Sun juice drinks this evening, (you know the ones - a silvery, opaque pouch in order to save money on artificial coloring) she had no idea that she was about to encounter the most well-endowed juice drink EVER.

Take a look at this picture. Please be aware that this is exactly how the drink came out of the box. I wonder if we won a prize.... This is no ordinary juice drink. He's special, and we're not drinking him. We're gonna put him on display. We're fans of excess. :)

And..... more Toblerone

2005-12-04T19:40:00.000-05:00

That week was a busy one. Sorry about the lack of post-age (no stamps? hmmm) from this past week. Speaking of postage, I finally got my Toblerone in the mail from Bathroom Reading! Yay for that nougat-y goodness... *wink* Thanks so much!! You are too awesome.

The other day I was at BJ's Wholesale for some groceries and I just so happened to wander into the candy section. Oh. Wow. That's a LOT of candy, peeps. (Hee hee - get it? Candy? Peeps? Awww never mind... Moocow will understand.) So anyway, I was in candy heaven. And what to my wondring eyes did appear?? Toblerone... That's right. Who knew you could find that here?? Of course, you'd have to buy enough to stock up your own candy store in order to get any, but I may have to consider it.

Give Me the Booger. An ode to mommyhood.

2005-11-28T15:11:00.000-05:00

For one of the best. Sites. Evaaarrr, go to Give Me the Booger. She's a Mom, obviously, since her title is in reference to one of a mom's most glamorous jobs - preventing little ones from eating their own boogers, putting their boogers on items of furniture (or elsewhere around the house), or better yet --> putting their boogers on YOU when you aren't looking. Hence, Give Me the Booger. I love it.

In honor of SJMom's site, I googled "booger" on Google Images, and found this 'lil tike. *Giggle* Mommyhood... isn't it grand??

The funny thing about the GMtB situation is that while watching a child pick his/her nose, we don't want to stop them. We want to allow them to explore this to the best of their ability. However, once they find the buried treasure, and are successful at retrieving it (alas, sometimes the hardest part), we wait still longer to see what will happen. There are many things that could occur at this point.... Allow me to illustrate. (You know you all love this, and can't wait to hear what I have to say about boogies...)

Little one extracts boogie and examines it closely, noting how jauntily it sticks to the end of his/her little fingie (little fingers = fingies). From this point, one of many occurrences are likely to ensue:

(1) perhaps most likely - They will put it directly, without hesitation, into their mouth. (Mom/Dad attempts retrieval from mouth, and tells little one not to eat boogies. Ewww gross, hunnie!)

(2) They will examine it closely, with a tiny furrowed brow... you can see the wheels turning, too. After sufficient examination time has passed, "Give Me the Booger" is appropriate.

(3) They will give a surreptitious, sidelong glance in your (mommy/daddy) direction, and slowly inch the finger toward their mouth... this is most likely to occur after several instances of number (1).

(4) They will go back for more with another fingie, leaving previously found treasure chillin on the other fingie.

(5) Proud at their discovery, they will run right up to mommy/daddy with fingie outstreched, boogie perched at the very tip. "Give Me the Booger" is appropriate here, as well.

So go to GMtB and check out her site. She writes excellently and intuitively about life, love, and the pursuit of.... boogers. *wink*

Ahem.. don't mind that last post...

2005-11-28T13:59:00.000-05:00

Somehow... only lord knows why - (and perhaps a Blogger expert) that last post managed to screw with the programming of my entire Blogger dashboard... for a good 24 hours I could not even delete the post or edit it. If anyone saw it - my apologies. For those who didn't - thank god. :)

More later, but I just wanted to mention that. And now back to your regularly scheduled programming......

p.s. Serra - you are NOT a poor blogger. Your site kicks bum! :)

The Prodigal Daughter Returns

2005-11-27T15:44:00.000-05:00

I'd like to thank you all so much for the warm welcome back to the blogging world! Everyone has been so awesome, I feel like I've returned home after a long time away. I feel like the Prodigal Daughter... *wink* You guys, breaking out the fatted calf for little ole me?!?! You rock.

I'd like to point you all in the direction of someone whose comment I highly appreciated... moethatsme had perhaps one of the most sincerely kind (not that I didn't LOVE and LAUGH hysterically at Therese's comments) and thought-out comments I've received to this date.... Although, I did much appreciate Scott and Sarah's additions to my HB4 GoSPoC list. (Bathroom Reading very appropriately and expertly renamed the movie thus: Harry Potter IV, Goblet of Steaming Pile of Crap). As I was saying before I so rudely interrupted myself, Moe was awesome... And Harry Potter (book) fans worldwide will love her comment:

"I have not jumped on the Potter Bandwaggon to date, though I admit I've enjoyed the films for the 'entertainment' value. That being said, you've given me a very good reason to review my plan not to read the books. It was not that I didn't enjoy the concept... it was the HARRY HYPE that had me disinterested. Knowing that the richness of the first two films (the third one was a bit lackluster for me too) was only the tip of the iceberg didn't prompt me to track down the hard tomes, but your post here has changed my mind." (My italics.)

*Five-minute Happy Dance ensues in Tina's living room* Moe, I am SO holding you to that comment. You absolutely MUST read the books, themselves. You will come to understand what the Harry Hype is all about. It's not because we're a cult. (We're not, right?!? *Therese-like giggle*) It's because Rowling's works are a level of "amazing" that is unprecedented in the literary world. Honestly.

I am officially asking any loyal HP/Rowling fans (soooo shamelessly stealing BR's idea.... without the candy reward) to go to Moe's blog and beg her to read these books rather than relying on the movies for the storyline. You'll never be the same. I'm not even exaggerating. You all know I would, but I don't have to in this case.

Half-Nekkid Thursday!

2005-11-23T20:03:00.000-05:00

At first, I was slightly confused by Bathroom Reading's posts entitled HNT. I almost asked him, because I had no idea what the heck he was getting at. All I could see was that he was posting random pictures of random body parts (eyes, hands, feet... keep your minds out of the gutter).

So, I googled "Half-Nekkid Thursdays" when I read an old post of BR's in which he did not use an acronym but actually spelled it out. I found the person who is, I believe, the originator of HNT. Click on the box in the sidebar that says Half-Nekkid Thursdays, and it should redirect you to his website, in which he fully explains all aspects of this lovely game.

Can I just say that I love it when people substitute the word "nekkid" for "naked" or "nude"??? I don't know why. The word nekkid makes me think of various situations:

1.) Someone is nekkid when they have been stumbled upon in their nakedness. As in, "OMG you're.... you're.... nekkid!"

2.) A child is never naked when they're running around the house, still wet and soapy from their bath... they're "come back here you little goose!!! You're nekkid!"

3.) When someone streaks at a party, or someone takes off clothes randomly... they're nekkid, or in the process of getting nekkid.

4.) You're never nekkid when you're alone and no one knows of your nudity. Then, you're naked, but the second you tell someone of your lack of clothing, you become nekkid.

5.) When friends enter your room unannounced, to wake you up for something (not that this has happened to me in particular, right Lindsay??), and they realize you are uncovered and not wearing PJ's.... "Jesus, Tina, you're f*%king NEKKID!!!"

So yes. Half-Nekkid Thursdays, as explained by the dude who started it all, does not mean (necessarily) that you are nekkid. It's showing parts of you to your blogger world. Hopefully my attempts to participate don't get out of control. *wink* Hee hee.

Toblerone

2005-11-23T15:58:00.000-05:00

It seems that there is a contest in action in celebration of my return to the blogging world. Whodathunk??? Thanks to a faithful reader of the past (aka about seven months ago - sorry everyone), Bathroom Reading, a contest for the best welcome-back comment posted to my blog is afoot. (Actually the contest is a Toblerone. Never mind.)

So this will explain Therese's unadulterated praise of me in the HP post's comments. Not that I don't deserve it, *wink* but for Toblerone, people will do anything. Aaaanything, you ask??? Pervs.

Many thanks to BR for his incredibly kind post about my return. I am flattered. I am also convinced that life is better when blogging. It reinforces my faith in humanity, since there are surprisingly many, honest-to-goodness, nice people out there. Funny as hell, some of 'em. Moocow, Therese, Anonymous Coworker, Mr. K.... the list is quite extensive.

It feels great to be back. I may try to figure out a way to get a photoblog going, since I live in one of the most amazing cities in the U.S. - Newport, RI. There are definitely some amazing photo opportunities here. Especially once the holidays get going. You can all have a virtual tour of the Newport Mansions' Christmas decorations...

Anywho, since the reward is Toblerone, I strongly recommend you all get going on this contest here. ^_^

Top Reasons How Warner Brothers Destroyed Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

2005-11-21T23:04:00.000-05:00

Um, yeah. The title pretty much explains my angst. When I saw this movie with my good friend, Scott, (and another co-worker, Deb) we almost cried. Upon arriving, we would have expected those tears to be tears of ecstatic joy at finally seeing this fourth movie.... we were sadly mistaken. As fierce Harry Potter fans, I am sure that we were difficult to please. However, the list of what we liked about the movie has only a few aspects to it. Our list of why it was an AWFUL travesty to the HP world - this list could go on for pages and pages....

First, let me say how much it truly does sadden me to even feel the need to compile a list of this kind in the first place. My deepest condolences to my amazing role model, Jo Rowling. I can only imagine the sadness you must have felt to see one of your life's works so very altered and ruined.

And so, the list begins. Please feel free to comment and add to this list... I will edit this post with your additions as long as they keep coming in. (And, truthfully, as long as I see fit.)

TOP REASONS WHY WARNER BROS SHOULD LOSE ALL RIGHTS TO FURTHER PRODUCTIONS OF J.K. ROWLING'S INCREDIBLE SERIES.....

1.) It became quite clear, not 10 minutes into this film, that this rendition of the novel was not to be what fans expected it to be. After a promising computer-animated shot of the stadium for the Quidditch World Cup, everything went downhill. While the cheap seats at normal sporting events are in the nosebleed section, a game in which ALL of the action is in the AIR require the excellent seats to be the highest up... yet the Malfoy family makes fun of the Weasley family's seats being so high that they must keep climbing. Also, the Weasleys and Harry were not sitting with the Malfoys as in the novel. It became clear at this point that Winky would not exist in this movie, since she would have been an important part of the Quidditch World Cup scene.

2.) What happened to the ENTIRE world cup game??? None of the action was shown... quite a disappointment.

3.) When Death Eaters show up at the after-game celebration (wearing garb mysteriously similar to the KKK robes and hoods, which is actually quite accurate), Harry is nowhere near a forest, and is knocked unconscious in the excitement. He awakens to actually SEE Barty Crouch Jr make the Dark Mark in the sky. For those of you who are not fans, this is NOT how the action of this book takes place.

4.) Ummmm..... Barty Jr. is portrayed as a snake-like, cocky, arrogant bastard in the pensieve memories of Dumbledore. Rowling purposefully described him as begging his father to believe that he was innocent of his charges. In this movie he is angry and spiteful toward his father who angrily, and apparently rightfully disowns an unworthy son. Rowling's entire storyline with Crouch having to make a difficult decision for the sake of his career was destroyed. Details of Crouch's wife and his son making a switch in Azkaban using Polyjuice potion for transformation - all deleted.... I'm shocked that Hollywood did not capitalize on such an amazing, dramatic storyline.

5.) In the very first scenes of this movie, Barty Crouch Jr is added to the scene in which Wormtail and Voldemort plot to find Harry and use him to their advantage. Crouch, Jr was NOT a part of this storyline.... and there was no need to make him a part of it. As Scott so thoughtfully pointed out, these directors feel the need to make all villains blatantly evil. Evil people wear black, and good people wear white. They don't understand the concept (nor do they trust the viewing audience to be intelligent enough to realize) that not all villains are clearly evil. Especially in Rowling, it is important (as a moral to her stories) that they do not be obvious. There was no need to make Barty Jr so clearly evil. A young boy caught up in the excitement of evil behavior is something that people understand. Warner Brothers apparently thinks we are all stupid.

6.) There were several words in this movie which were mispronounced. Rowling and her publicity people deliberately provided Scholastic (their American publishers) with pronunciation keys for their website.... one can click on various Harry Potter words to hear their correct pronunciations. Apparently the directors did not bother to do any research into this aspect of production. Accio is NOT pronounced Akkkkio. (Sorry for the stress on the Ks, but it was painful to hear it said this way on film....) It is pronounced AH-see-oh. Also, I'm fairly positive that a French school such as Beauxbatons would not pronounce it Bo-BAT-ons. How very American. BO-ba-tone. Or something like it. Jeez.

7.) As Scott and I also discussed, Minerva McGonagall is a VERY important character in this series. It was awful to see the director ADD a very rude gesture on part of Mad-eye Moody in the Malfoy-ferret scene (which we did enjoy, just for the sake of seeing Malfoy as a bouncy little ferret). What, I ask you, was the point of having Moody pull a face at McGonagall's back once she chastises him for using Transfiguration as punishment on students???? Something like this may seem harmless for the sake of a laugh, HOWEVER this should never have been done to the McGonagall character. It is of utmost importance for her to be treated with respect, since she is meant to be treated as a close confidante of Dumbledore. Seeing the director add this aspect to an already amusing scene was shameful... he might as well have had teachers make rude faces at Dumbledore......

8.) Ooooooh wait..... they DID DESTROY THE DUMBLEDORE CHARACTER AS WELL. I'm so mad about this one, I don't know if I should even discuss it. When, I ask you..... did Albus Dumbledore become an angry ("SILENCE!!!" was a line shouted by this character several times in this film) wizard???? Since when has Dumbledore ever needed to be angry in order to quiet his students? Why was he portrayed as royally pissed off and convinced that Harry had put his name in the Goblet of Fire???? In the film, he actually SHOOK Harry in anger. What happened to the fatherly, concerned figure of the novels? And WHAT WAS UP WITH THE PENSIEVE SCENE??? Am I the only one who noticed that he is portrayed as a bumbling idiot who "doesn't know how to handle" all the thoughts in his head? He sits down and pours his confused heart out to a fourteen year old boy. Ahem. NOT EVEN CLOSE to the novel. Of all characters.... they had to destroy Dumbledore??

9.) I can understand deleting scenes and characters for the sake of time constraints. I cannot understand ADDING a completely useless and contrived scene such as the Gryffindor dancing lessons with McGonagall. I do believe that her explanation for the lessons in the film was that she did not want her students shaming the name of Goddric Gryffindor with their lack of culture.... Um... As Scott pointed out, since when has dancing ability been added to the list of a Gryffindor's traits??? Perhaps the Sorting Hat omitted that part in its first song in the Philosopher's Stone.... the song actually went like this:

You might belong in Gryffindor,
Where dwell the brave at heart,
Their daring, nerve, and chivalry
Set Gryffindors apart;
But if you cannot dance the dance
You'll seek another spot.
Those Gryffindors can cut a rug
Without a second thought.

Clearly the directors knew something about the requirements for this house that we didn't. Yikes. Dancing indeed.

10.) Um... Neville and his dancing around the dormitory?? Whatever man. At this point we are all so numb to the changes that have been made that we don't even care... Well, we do - but this is only minor compared to the damage they've done in various other areas.

11.) The Beauxbatons ladies doing the Macarena?!?!?!?? This is TOTALLY going too far. We went from a quite excellent Yule Ball dancing scene in which students open the night with a very Elizabethan dance in which the male partners lift up their female partners... to the Beauxbatons girls doing a Latin, Americanized Macarena party dance. At this point I wanted to be shot in the foot. I actually hid my face in poor Scott's shoulder. It was more than we could bear. I know that there are many more things which I will remember, and any further things I recall will be edited and added at the end of this post... along with reader comments and additions....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Edit Numero Uno:
After Bathroom Reading's comment, regarding pronunciation questions, I've decided to provide the link to the Scholastic website I was discussing earlier.... click on the link and at the bottom left of the page is a pronunciation key. If you click on it, there is a list of all of the words with questionable pronunciations.... this list includes both Accio and Beauxbatons. Accio is, as I thought, pronounced AH-see-oh. Not ACK-ee-oh as they made Daniel Radcliffe say it in HP4. Also, most laughably... Beauxbatons is pronounced the French way: BO-bat-ons. NOT AT ALL Bo-BAT-ons. Yikes.

Edit Numero Dos:
MORE REASONS, A LA SARAH (copied and pasted from her actual comment), WHY THIS MOVIE WAS A HORRIBLE RENDITION OF THE HP4 NOVEL:

1. No Dobby. What are they going to do about him in the next movie?

2. No Winky. No SPEW, therefore, there's no reason for Herminone to appreciate Kreacher in the fifth book. He's horrible!

3. Crappy Wannabe Dumbledore. He would not yell at the students.

4. No Ludo Bagman; everything Bagman did they made Crouch do. How silly. Next movie maybe they'll replace Dobby with Professor Flitwick, and he can collect Hermione's knitted hats and scarves!

5. Too much dancing, and too much of the Yule Ball in general, with no explanation as to WHY Ron "Ruined everything" for Hermione.

6. Not enough Hogwarts. THey were in one class for 5 minutes.

7. Useless shots of things like: the beaubatons girls' butts; a crow; the ceiling of the Great Hall; etcetera.

8. No storyline behind Hermione's hatred of Rita Skeeter.

9. No reason for Hermione to blackmail Rita in the next movie since... apparently she is NOT an unregistered animagus.

10. Dumbledore's touching speech at the end about the "really terrible loss" of Cedric. It's a tear-jerker.

11. Harry woke up at the burrow... not Number 4 Privet Drive. Was he there all summer? no! Apparently the Weasley family didn't emerge from uncle Vernon's fireplace.

12. Everyone hates Harry for... thirty seconds of the movie instead of half the book.

13. Cedric was a ponce in the movie! He was supposed to be noble, and fair. Instead he was the typical teenager.

14. Large screen cuts that left out important plot detail, and left the movie feeling unfinished and unexplained.

15. Moaning Myrtle is a perve. There was no need for her to stare at Harry's crotch and go under the bubbles while in the Prefect's bathroom.

16. People cared about Cedric's death for about, 5 minutes, if that, and then everyone was smiling and happy again. It's craziness, I tell you!

The ONE Campaign

2005-07-06T18:23:00.000-04:00

Please visit www.one.org and sign the declaration to join Americans and people worldwide in the fight against poverty. There is no expectation for donations, however I have purchased the ONE armbands if anyone would like to purchase one for $1. It is time for the United States and countries across the world to unite in the battle to fight AIDS and hunger. The cost of a single music album on CD - generally $16 - is enough money to put one child in Africa through school for an entire year... this is including books, uniforms, and tuition. For the price of one meal at McDonalds, one could pay for a child's tuberculosis medicine and treatment for 6 months. As Americans, we forget how much our money is worth worldwide. ONE dollar is more than some African families survive on for an entire year. It's time something is done.

Sign the petition to get your voice out there.
Wear an armband to increase awareness.
Host a banner on your blog or website.
Pray for our world's leaders as they meet today, July 6 2005, to discuss these matters.....

My Long Absence

2005-03-26T14:46:00.000-05:00

So last week I was in Florida, visiting my grandparents. And the week before that I was swamped with midterms and assignments. Craziness. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I had an excellent time in South Pasadena, FL. I left Friday, March 18, and I just got back last night. Good food, relaxation, good books, and a couple of Coronas with lime.... Spring Break from heaven; Tina style. My good books, of course, consisted of Mrs. Dalloway and The Hours. Since I've had so much work in my regular classes thus far, I hadn't had time to do the reading for our workshop. Needless to say, after hours of free time this week, my reading is completed. How excellent. I highly recommend both novels to anyone interested in the writing of Virginia Woolf.

Despite the warm weather down south, I was one of two people who would go in the unheated pool the entire week. Only a man who was originally from Cape Cod (and myself) would swim in it. The water was about 60 degrees, but it was excellent. Lay in the sun, get toasty, dive in the pool and cool off, and lay back down. That was the routine. Of course, I have terrible luck with weather, so there were only three nice days for swimming. Thursday, after I had had enough with waiting for the weather to improve, I spent the day at the beach and in the pool despite the intimidating cloud cover.

Interestingly, my friend Candice was also in the same area that I was this week. Her grandparents are a bit younger, and they live about 10 minutes from my grandparents! On one day (Monday or Tuesday or Wednesday.. I can't remember) my grandmother and I visited with Candice and her family. We spent the afternoon in the pool and in the sun. It felt so awesome to be meeting up with a friend while down there. Colleen and Kelly were also in Florida, but they were too far away, in Fort Lauderdale, to visit them. Hopefully everyone had an excellent time!

Our new kitty

2005-03-07T13:23:00.000-05:00

This is Merlin, our new kitten. Well, Lindsay and Oz's kitten, but I love him already!! He took a nap when I was petting his belly. We put Lindz's Nokia cell phone next to him so you all can see how little he is. :) So cute, I can't even handle it!

The 21st Birthday Celebration

2005-03-07T01:24:00.000-05:00

What a weekend. Such a great time. My Mom came Thursday, as promised, with my Aunt Sue (who lives in Woonsocket, RI). She brought a surprise with her... my little brother, Tim (not-so-little...six feet tall and 18 years old). I was so pumped! We went out to Applebees for dinner and drinks. Mom, Aunt Sue, me, Tim, Nik, and Colleen. Lindsay came after she got out of work at the Newport P.D. where she is an intern. Also, Nik's sister (Carolyn) came with her fiance, Lou. We had a great time. Those Applebees cocktails are huge! Daaaamn. ^_^

We came back here to the apartment and opened presents... Yay for presents! *wink* And Friday we went to Foxwoods for the day. I won some and lost some. Overall, came out ahead since my Mom made sure I didn't lose any money. Nik, on the other hand... Dammit, Nik! He won $200 on a 50 cent slot machine. We didn't know how much he had won at first, since the payoffs were unclear. Some guy walked over and heard us wondering if we would be needing more cups for the half dollars the machine was pouring out. He told Nik that if he was correct, Nik had just won 400 credits... aka 200 smackers. I thought Nik would cry. He was so excited. We went over and played the tables for awhile as well... Nik played "Acey Ducey" and turned $40 into $80 (with my help... I'm the one in charge of making sure he walks away before his luck turns bad...) Overall, we had a great time.

Last night Nik and I went out alone to a local bar here in Newport. It's called the Rhino Bar and Grille. We went in, sat down, and perused the menu. We noticed a drink called the 70 oz. Rum Punch. It said that it was fit for 7 people. $22. Sounded good to us. I watched the bartender pull out what looked like a giant margharita glass. She filled it with ice, and she then proceeded to pour an incredible amount of liquor into 2 shakers three times in a row (6 shakers altogether)before it was filled to the brim. We drank it with two straws in about 35 minutes. It was sweeeeet! We had intended to go bar-hopping, but after this concoction, we were only up for another small drink at Salas' along with a game of pool before heading home. I highly recommend this one, since if we had each been paying for ourselves, we would have only spent $12.50 apiece... and we were totally gone. What a crazy night! ^_^

Kitty Kitty!!

2005-03-07T01:02:00.000-05:00

I know you are all dying to know what happened on my birthday weekend. (Not too much occurred, other than what I already reported for plans.) However, before I can report on this, as promised, I must contain myself awhile in order to inform my public of the eminent arrival of a new edition. (No, not that kind, Mom.) An edition much like that which appears in the picture provided. That's right, a new kitty!!

Before you all send your letters of appreciation to Nik, this was not his doing. My roommate, Lindsay, is getting a kitten with her boyfriend, Oz. Since our apartment is the only place he's allowed as of now, we get to keep him here in Newport for the rest of the year! He's only just now big enough to be leaving his Momma, so he's still tiny. Lindsay called me tonight to let me know when she was coming home (tomorrow morning), and she had me listen to his little mews over the phone... oh... my... god. What cute little squeaks! *Turning into a pile of mush* He's apparently a light tan... of course you all can count on pictures very soon....

Alcohol On Campus... But Not For Students

2005-03-03T16:39:00.000-05:00

A random thought as I sit here contemplating my newfound alcoholic freedom......

Salve Regina University is a dry campus. No alcohol is allowed on campus at any time. Even if the residents of an on-campus apartment are all of age to drink, alcohol is not permitted. My question is this: When the campus priest goes out to buy the wine for Eucharist (since we are, indeed, a Catholic university), where does he store the wine? Does he store it on campus? If so, is he not in fact breaking one of Salve's favorite rules? Further... I am aware of the Catholic belief that the wine is not really wine... however, according to this tradition the wine only becomes the Holy blood of Christ when the priest blesses it during mass. Does he bless it in his car before driving down Narragansett Avenue? Does he bless it before coming onto campus at all? Hmmmm. Interesting, isn't it?

Don't get me wrong. I agree with having daily mass here. I agree with having the Eucharist with wine, and not fruit juice. I also agree that if this is to be the case, perhaps wine should be allowed in the dorms of those students who are of age. It simply seems hypocritical of our university to take a holier-than-thou stance on the alcohol issue by banning it completely for students (while serving it on campus to dignitaries in the Young Building for international dinner meetings). It's all or nothing. Don't be drinking expensive wine in the ground floor dining room of a student dormitory and turning around to write someone up for having alcohol in their apartments across the street. To quote Chaucer, "And it was from the Gospel he had caught/Those words, and he would add this figure too,/That if gold rust, what then will iron do?"

Food for thought....