Travel+Leisure just posted their 2010 "World's Best Hotels" list. I've been flipping through the pictures, and I want to go to all of them! Is anyone up for a trip? Or willing to donate to the "Ashley is poor but wants to see the world" fund?
Here's the link, for anyone interested in browsing through some truly gorgeous hotels.
www.travelandleisure.com/articles/worlds-best-hotels-2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Warning: Harry Potter is no longer fit for children to see
I just read the saddest news today: in the new Harry Potter movie, coming out next Thursday, there will be two nudity scenes. Neither of these scenes were the book, so the director, David Yates, just added these scenes because he felt like it.
I couldn't believe it when I read it in KSL News. It is so upsetting that David Yates has decided that a movie that is geared toward children should have nude scenes in it. Here's a statement from David Yates about one of the nude scenes: "It's where Hermione and Harry dance together and is not in the book. It's something that we create for the film..." I just don't understand where this is coming from. Later, Yates said that the scene is"tender." What? I'm still trying to figure out how a scene like that could be tender--it feels more like Yates is trying to see how far he can push the envelope in this scene. What messages are they trying to send our children? And what messages are we sending our children if we let them go see this new installment of Harry Potter?
I have been so excited to see this film, but now that I know there are nude scenes, it makes me step back from the movie a little. And I wanted to let everyone know, so that they don't go to the movie theaters as an unsuspecting audience.
I couldn't believe it when I read it in KSL News. It is so upsetting that David Yates has decided that a movie that is geared toward children should have nude scenes in it. Here's a statement from David Yates about one of the nude scenes: "It's where Hermione and Harry dance together and is not in the book. It's something that we create for the film..." I just don't understand where this is coming from. Later, Yates said that the scene is"tender." What? I'm still trying to figure out how a scene like that could be tender--it feels more like Yates is trying to see how far he can push the envelope in this scene. What messages are they trying to send our children? And what messages are we sending our children if we let them go see this new installment of Harry Potter?
I have been so excited to see this film, but now that I know there are nude scenes, it makes me step back from the movie a little. And I wanted to let everyone know, so that they don't go to the movie theaters as an unsuspecting audience.
Halloween
I promised Chelsey I would take lots of pictures of my adorable 1950s costume that my mom sewed for me for Halloween. I've always loved the clothes from the 1950s and the 1960s, and I've always wanted to own a piece of clothing from those eras. So I thought that Halloween would be the perfect time to get a dress from the 1950s. With Chelsey help, I picked out a pattern and some cute fabric. My mom found a vintage store down in downtown Salt Lake City, and she bought me a couple of really cute hats and a pair of gloves. Hopefully, I get to back to that store one day (Decades) and browse around for some other cute stuff! I thought the dress turned out really well, and the hat and the gloves just made the ensemble. So here it is:
Friday, November 5, 2010
Working Girl 2.0
I officially finished training today! I took my final test and everything, and now I am taking calls completely by myself. It's kind of nerve-wracking, actually. Then again, there's always people who are willing to help me, so it's not so bad.
This week was interesting. I made one girl so happy that she wanted to hug me, and then I made another girl cry. I requested finals and certified a proctor. I helped recruit at least two people to Independent Study, which was awesome. I also got a ton of homework done because the phones were so slow. I'm not a slacker, I promise!
Hopefully, things will continue to go up from here. I get paid today, so for me, this job is the best job ever!
This week was interesting. I made one girl so happy that she wanted to hug me, and then I made another girl cry. I requested finals and certified a proctor. I helped recruit at least two people to Independent Study, which was awesome. I also got a ton of homework done because the phones were so slow. I'm not a slacker, I promise!
Hopefully, things will continue to go up from here. I get paid today, so for me, this job is the best job ever!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Survey
I totally stole this from Chelsey. It seemed like a fun survey/questionnaire.
1. I have been looking for some simple but interesting Halloween crafts/decorations, what is your favourite one to do with your children? please include a link if you have one.
Sadly, I don't do Halloween decorations. And I don't have kids. But I love carving pumpkins! When I put up pictures of my Halloween costume, I will definitely post some pictures of my pumpkin this year as well.
2. What is your favorite way to spend a rainy day with your children?
Again, I don't have kids, but I do love watching movies with my family. Rainy days are always best spent curled up beneath a blanket--whether that be with a book or on the couch watching a movie.
3. What is your favourite fall food?
I do love soups, especially creamy soups. Clam chowder and cream of chicken are my favorites. Sometimes I'll even have cream of mushroom--but it HAS to be my dad's cream of mushroom; I refuse to eat canned cream of mushroom. I'm also a big pasta fan. Turkey also always reminds of fall because my dad always smokes a turkey injected with apple juice Thanksgiving. The apple juice makes the turkey extra moist and delicious.
4. What is your current favourite read aloud book?
I love reading pretty much anything out loud. Right now I'm reading The Goose Girl to my mom, and it's been so fun. That is honestly my favorite Shannon Hale book; it's just written so beautifully. I love reading out loud (especially to my mom) because I get to use different voices and accents for each character. While I'm reading The Goose Girl, I'm currently using English and Irish accents. It's pretty awesome.
5. What is your favourite novel?
Oh my goodness, there are so many to choose from! Pride & Prejudice has always been at the top of my favorites list, but I also always include The Wheel of Time series, by Robert Jordan, Anne of Green Gables (the whole series), by L.M. Montgomery, and The Crown Duel, by Sherwood Smith. These are the books that I can read again and again and again and again, and I'll never get tired of the story. The Goose Girl may make it's way onto that list one day.
6. What book from your childhood do you remember the most, and why?
I'll never forget reading Wateship Down, by Richard Adams. I think this story is amazing. It's like taking Aesop's Fables to the next level, and I love that about the story. It's written really well, and even though it's written as a book for younger children, adults can really enjoy it as well. Also, I once read that Adams didn't really mean for the book, or it's characters, to have special messages (other than the obvious ones in the book) or hidden meanings . It was just a story that he told his kids on long car rides. At the time I hated how my English dissected and broke apart every tiny word in the books we read in class, and it was really refreshing to have an author say that that wasn't warranted.
7. What type of music do you enjoy the most? Please include examples!
Really chill music is what I love best. My favorites right now are A Fine Frenzy and Priscilla Ahn. They're both softer music, but they have fun beats and the lyrics are kind of funky and awesome. They give off the vintage, offbeat vibe that I love.
8. What subject do you find most challenging (to teach or to learn)?
Math. I hate math. And Chemistry. And Physics. I cannot understand chemistry or physics for the life of me. Funny, I never really had a problem with Biology.
9. What is your favorite hot drink? Bonus points for including the recipe!
Stephen's Hot Chocolate by far. I love anything with that label on it. I guess my favorite, though, is the mint chocolate hot chocolate mix that they have. It's pretty much one of the highlights of the winter season.
1. I have been looking for some simple but interesting Halloween crafts/decorations, what is your favourite one to do with your children? please include a link if you have one.
Sadly, I don't do Halloween decorations. And I don't have kids. But I love carving pumpkins! When I put up pictures of my Halloween costume, I will definitely post some pictures of my pumpkin this year as well.
2. What is your favorite way to spend a rainy day with your children?
Again, I don't have kids, but I do love watching movies with my family. Rainy days are always best spent curled up beneath a blanket--whether that be with a book or on the couch watching a movie.
3. What is your favourite fall food?
I do love soups, especially creamy soups. Clam chowder and cream of chicken are my favorites. Sometimes I'll even have cream of mushroom--but it HAS to be my dad's cream of mushroom; I refuse to eat canned cream of mushroom. I'm also a big pasta fan. Turkey also always reminds of fall because my dad always smokes a turkey injected with apple juice Thanksgiving. The apple juice makes the turkey extra moist and delicious.
4. What is your current favourite read aloud book?
I love reading pretty much anything out loud. Right now I'm reading The Goose Girl to my mom, and it's been so fun. That is honestly my favorite Shannon Hale book; it's just written so beautifully. I love reading out loud (especially to my mom) because I get to use different voices and accents for each character. While I'm reading The Goose Girl, I'm currently using English and Irish accents. It's pretty awesome.
5. What is your favourite novel?
Oh my goodness, there are so many to choose from! Pride & Prejudice has always been at the top of my favorites list, but I also always include The Wheel of Time series, by Robert Jordan, Anne of Green Gables (the whole series), by L.M. Montgomery, and The Crown Duel, by Sherwood Smith. These are the books that I can read again and again and again and again, and I'll never get tired of the story. The Goose Girl may make it's way onto that list one day.
6. What book from your childhood do you remember the most, and why?
I'll never forget reading Wateship Down, by Richard Adams. I think this story is amazing. It's like taking Aesop's Fables to the next level, and I love that about the story. It's written really well, and even though it's written as a book for younger children, adults can really enjoy it as well. Also, I once read that Adams didn't really mean for the book, or it's characters, to have special messages (other than the obvious ones in the book) or hidden meanings . It was just a story that he told his kids on long car rides. At the time I hated how my English dissected and broke apart every tiny word in the books we read in class, and it was really refreshing to have an author say that that wasn't warranted.
7. What type of music do you enjoy the most? Please include examples!
Really chill music is what I love best. My favorites right now are A Fine Frenzy and Priscilla Ahn. They're both softer music, but they have fun beats and the lyrics are kind of funky and awesome. They give off the vintage, offbeat vibe that I love.
8. What subject do you find most challenging (to teach or to learn)?
Math. I hate math. And Chemistry. And Physics. I cannot understand chemistry or physics for the life of me. Funny, I never really had a problem with Biology.
9. What is your favorite hot drink? Bonus points for including the recipe!
Stephen's Hot Chocolate by far. I love anything with that label on it. I guess my favorite, though, is the mint chocolate hot chocolate mix that they have. It's pretty much one of the highlights of the winter season.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Working Girl
I started my new job today! It was very exciting, and also very frightening because it was snowing when Mom and I started up to Provo, and we were late by the way, and as we were driving up to the Point of the Mountain, my gas gauge just dropped like a ten pound rock in water. I had just filled up the tank Saturday night, so it shouldn't have done that, but my gas gauge is all whacked out, so we weren't sure. Mom and I were scared we were going to be stuck in the middle of the freeway, in the cold, driving sleet, at 6:30 in the morning--and I had to be at work by 7. Yeah, not a pleasant situation. Luckily, we got to a gas station, filled up my car (it was basically full, by the way), and it to Provo. I was only three minutes late. Way to go, Mom!
So today was just training, but they packed in so much information, that I'm worried I won't be able to remember it all. There's still a whole week left of training, though, so hopefully I'll master the system by next week. They kept asking me if I had any questions. I HATE it when people ask me that because I can never think of any questions to ask. What do you do in that situation? I just kept saying, "I can't think of anything now, but I'll probably have questions later." I hope I didn't sound like an idiot or anything.
I'll probably have some interesting stories for later. At least I'll have something more to write about here!
So today was just training, but they packed in so much information, that I'm worried I won't be able to remember it all. There's still a whole week left of training, though, so hopefully I'll master the system by next week. They kept asking me if I had any questions. I HATE it when people ask me that because I can never think of any questions to ask. What do you do in that situation? I just kept saying, "I can't think of anything now, but I'll probably have questions later." I hope I didn't sound like an idiot or anything.
I'll probably have some interesting stories for later. At least I'll have something more to write about here!
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Moving Forward Does Not Mean We Should Forget Our Past
I have to admit that I do not read the news very often. When I do, it's usually because there's a very intriguing headline on my Yahoo homepage. Every once in a while I'll visit CNN.com, but that's only if I want to stay really current.
Yesterday, when I got to my Yahoo homepage, the story that was displayed most prominently was a story entitled "Amazing New Designs For The Dollar Bill." Intrigued by both the picture and the headline, I clicked on the story (here's the link for those of you who would like to read it: http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/721294).
Now, I understand the want, or even the need, to give our dollar a make-over. We've given the $2o bill a couple of make-overs--why not give the rest of the bills upgrades as well? Everything deserves the chance to be modern and interesting, right? The thing that makes me irritated is that almost none of the new dollar designs feature our Founding Fathers or any of the men who created long-lasting legacies (I went and checked the actual online competition). I think the idea of putting historic icons on our money is wonderful, but what better icon can you get than George Washington or Abraham Lincoln? And when you start putting President Obama under the list of historic icons, as Gartland did in the article, I have to start to wonder about the validity of that list. Yes, I understand that President Obama is a novelty because he is the first African American President that this country has had, and I think that is wonderful. But there have been plenty of other very prominent and influential African American people in our country's history (Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr., just to name a few). President Obama has been in office for two years, and in that two years, has he really done anything worthy of the title "historic icon"? Did he lead a small, rather untrained, army against the world's greatest force so that his country could have freedom of speech, religion, etc.? Did he make numerous scientific "breakthroughs" and contribute heavily to the construction of the government of this nation? Did he liberate a people and gather his nation together after four years of a bloody civil war? What has Obama done to merit his standing beside the great people, such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln, that are already featured on our currency?
Perhaps I am overreacting to this new dollar design. Perhaps President Obama really is a historic icon, and I just can't see it. I just don't think that "moving forward" necessarily implies that we forget the men who truly made this nation great.
Yesterday, when I got to my Yahoo homepage, the story that was displayed most prominently was a story entitled "Amazing New Designs For The Dollar Bill." Intrigued by both the picture and the headline, I clicked on the story (here's the link for those of you who would like to read it: http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/721294).
Now, I understand the want, or even the need, to give our dollar a make-over. We've given the $2o bill a couple of make-overs--why not give the rest of the bills upgrades as well? Everything deserves the chance to be modern and interesting, right? The thing that makes me irritated is that almost none of the new dollar designs feature our Founding Fathers or any of the men who created long-lasting legacies (I went and checked the actual online competition). I think the idea of putting historic icons on our money is wonderful, but what better icon can you get than George Washington or Abraham Lincoln? And when you start putting President Obama under the list of historic icons, as Gartland did in the article, I have to start to wonder about the validity of that list. Yes, I understand that President Obama is a novelty because he is the first African American President that this country has had, and I think that is wonderful. But there have been plenty of other very prominent and influential African American people in our country's history (Frederick Douglas, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr., just to name a few). President Obama has been in office for two years, and in that two years, has he really done anything worthy of the title "historic icon"? Did he lead a small, rather untrained, army against the world's greatest force so that his country could have freedom of speech, religion, etc.? Did he make numerous scientific "breakthroughs" and contribute heavily to the construction of the government of this nation? Did he liberate a people and gather his nation together after four years of a bloody civil war? What has Obama done to merit his standing beside the great people, such as George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln, that are already featured on our currency?
Perhaps I am overreacting to this new dollar design. Perhaps President Obama really is a historic icon, and I just can't see it. I just don't think that "moving forward" necessarily implies that we forget the men who truly made this nation great.
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