What a few hours scouring the web taught me.

May 14 I start a new adventure. I'm going to be a UNT journalism alum. I've taken all the necessary classes. I've had the internships. And now's the time where I see how that all adds up.

I got a little crazy this afternoon and spent a few too many hours dedicated to my post-May 14 life. So, let me share what little insight all this digging got me.

Job Account Profiles. Do them. Many major companies allow you to set up profiles within their career website. My name is blank. Here is my resume. Here are the careers I am interested in with your company. Do I want you to send me an email when a position comes available? Why, yes, I do. And will the hiring people from the company be viewing your profile when looking for potential candidates? Yes, yes, yes.

Job Alerts. Sign up. Yes, it might spam your account. But it also might send your dream job, or for-now job, straight to your inbox. I specifically signed up for alerts from journalismjobs.com and indeed.com.

Craigslist. For real. I saw the Lifetime movie too. You aren't going to die. Just don't respond to adds for massages and blind dates, mmkay? Honestly though, there are several postings for acutal, legit, not-scam jobs on Craigslist.

LinkedIn Groups. Do it. These groups can be geared to fellow entry-level job seekers. Discussions are posted for your education. You can see people voicing the same concerns you have, and you can contribute too! And, oh my, they also post jobs here.

You probably already knew about these things, and you probably have reason to tell me that some are a waste of time. Well, I'm taking my chances here. Everyone knows that there isn't a formula that equals a job. Many get jobs through networking. Others through job postings. Others through Twitter. I'm just going to try every venue.

 

In case you're dying to know, I am currently ransacking the world for a public relations job with a nonprofit. I want a career that has meaning, and I think some day I will find it. It might not be the first job I have, but I think I can get there. Maybe you say that I'm too bright-eyed of a college (almost) graduate. Maybe you say that the working world will find me jaded, only seeing a job as a paycheck. I don't believe that.

Whistler in 27 Tweets.

For 7 days, my family was in beautiful Whistler, B.C. We were also without cellphone and internet service. To some, this seems treacherous, but I was honestly looking forward to it. I didn't have to test my ability to stay off social media; I HAD NO CHOICE. I must say, it was positively wonderful. No interruptions. Just the perfect, blissful 7 days in the mountains with my family and skiing like mad.

I was okay with not getting updated constantly via Twitter, but I still really wanted to document my adventures somehow. So, my brother and I decided it would be a fantastic idea to keep note of tweets we would have posted throughout the week. Here mine are. Indulge me for a moment in believing that some of you actually missed my tweets.

 

Sunday, March 13

9:26 p.m. Hello Canada! I'm excited aboot skiing here :)

10:45 p.m. "All rootbeer?" the Canadian A&W girl asked of our drink choices.

Monday, March 14

9 a.m. Beauitful Pi Day in Whistler! I could get used to this.

11:45 a.m. Was just in line for ski rentals in front of a fellow CCAers! What are the odds?

6:13 p.m. One day here and I've decided that my next boyfriend should have an accent and be the next great Olympic skier. #whistler

Tuesday, March 15

9:15 a.m. So @realitysteve was wrong? Glad I was out of theBachelor loop this season.

2:14 p.m. (After a morning of skiing) Dad: "I feel fresh as a daisy." @technopaul: "I wish I smelled like a daisy."

5:06 p.m. Did the whole mountain black and blue with Dad in 30 minutes! #whistlerhardcore

6:38 p.m.  Great thing about Canada? Canadian HGTV with Sarah 101 and Marriage Under Construction!

7:25 p.m. The Old Spaghetti Factory is right under a hotel. We keep seeing pool/spa people walk by in robes. #awkward

Wednesday, March 16

5 p.m. It's every skier's dream to ski down after this monstrosity.

9 p.m. Rocky Mountain Chocolate two minutes from our hotel. Need I say more?

Thursday, March 17

10:53 a.m. It's my no-ski day of the trip and I'm already having withdraws. #donteverwanttoleave

2:02 p.m. I could sit here all day long.

7:39 p.m. No-ski day wasn't so bad: swedish massage with a Norwegian girl and a milk bath. #skirecovery

7:40 p.m. Also, needing to pee while in a milk bath is a very tricky situation.

Friday, March 18

12:43 p.m. "Dave Murray Downhill: It's hard to have more fun than that." -Dad @WhistlerBlckmb

5:15 p.m. Credit card fell out of my unzipped pocked on the mountain. We re-skiied and found it!

8 p.m. Coca-Cola Tube Park!

9:23 p.m. Splitz Burgers. Cooked in barbecue sauce. "Best Whistler Burger Since 1997." #mmm

Saturday, March 19

2 p.m. Peak to Peak Gondola!

5:30 p.m. I'm forming an accent. Not sure if it's bc my lips get so numb on the mountain or if it's bc everyone else has one.

Sunday, March 20

10:55 a.m. I thought everyone in Canada was super friendly, but turns out that's actually a skier thing.

11 a.m. Blockades in downtown Vancouver bc of St. Patrick's Day Parade?? We're hurrying, airport!

1:30 p.m. You know in the movies when a girl is sitting alone on the plane, a perfect wonderful guy sits by her? #doesnthappen

1:31 p.m. Let the record show, I'm sitting in between two older passengers with no concept of personal space.

7:47 p.m. America, the beautiful! #terminalD

Grammar, Not Grammer.

Before I jump into this, I must tell you that this was an exercise I did for my creative writing class. Bill Roorbach, Writing Life Stories author, asked us to "get pissed on paper" and this is what spat out.

A lot of people call me a grammar nazi, but that's not true. If it was, I'd have to send 50% of my Facebook friends off to get tortured and massacred by someone like Jack Bauer for their misuse of "its" and "it's." ("Which of the two belongs in the sentence: its/it's time to go? What? You don't know? Say goodbye to your fingernails!") But the good news is, those people have lived to see another day and many more grammatical mistakes. But seriously, what's the deal with all the poor grammar?

It's not that tricky. I'd say this isn't life or death here, but clearly it is. (Grammar nazis of the world are cringing behind their computer screens wishing the punishment for dangling prepositions was the electric chair.) So bad grammar people--get a life, stop being lazy and use Google to your advantage. Not sure if you can use a colon there? Look. It. Up.

One of the worst offenses of grammar is absolutely there/their/they're. NO--they are not interchangeable and do not mean the same thing. THERE refers to a place: There is the bathroom. THEIR is possessive: I like their house. (Don't know what possessive means? Please do not pass go and do return to the third grade.) THEY'RE is a contraction for "they are": They're really nice. Simple enough?

Commas are also a glutton for punishment. To some comma users, I say: commas are not million dollar chips of gold to, be, used all, the, time, , , , , , (See how frustrating that is?) To other offenders, I say: commas are not nuclear weapons. Try and use one after a conjunction. Using a comma is not lethal, and it doesn't complicate the sentence if you use it right.

When I see a grammar mistake, all I want to do is take my knife--er, red pen--and slaughter that paper with corrections until its writer learns that CDs is not possessive and, thus, does not need an apostrophe. (The "CD's" what? Friends? Scratches? Life?)

If a person uses poor grammar, my opinion of their intelligence lowers automatically. Sorry. I don't care if you're writing a paper that announces the cure for cancer. If you can't spell that drug's name and you can't figure out the difference between "your" and "you're," you look like an idiot. Sorry again, but every person in the position to hire a person is thinking the same thing when they look at your resume and see mistakes.

I know my goal for golden grammar is highly unrealistic. I also know that grammar doesn't come easy to everyone. Yes, it comes easy to me. I was that kid that liked Tuesdays in English class because it meant diagramming sentences and choosing the correct verb (run/ran) to complete the sentence and finding mistakes in a paragraph. And I saw those kids who didn't do any of those exercises, but filled in the correct answers as the teacher went over them in class.

I'm not asking that all of you understand what a participle or a gerund is. I just want you to use punctuation correctly and use your dang spell check. Here's a tip: if you don't know how to use it, don't. Semicolons are a beast to understand. Don't use one if you don't understand its purpose. 

And for goodness' sake, "a lot" is two words.

 

 

Constant grammar offender? Here's some websites for reference:

Dictionary/Thesaurus: http://www.merriam-webster.com/

Grammar Explanations: http://www.grammarbook.com/english_rules.asp

AP Stylebook: http://www.apstylebook.com/

 

Also. My grammar isn't perfect either. Murphy's Law will probably require that there is a least one grammatical mistake in this post, but hopefully not.

 

I have the fever: Bieber, that is.

This day was inevitable. I resisted it for so long, but I couldn't hold back any longer today.

I just followed @justinbieber on Twitter.

This is sort of monumental.

When Bieber first appeared, I was HIGHLY annoyed by all of the fandom and the I-Love-You-Justin-T-Shirts and the 13-year-old girls calling themselves Mrs. Bieber. Thus, I thought his voice was annoying. I couldn't possibly enjoy the same type of entertainment as girls who were learning what a parabola was the for the first time. That's sort of my thing though. If everyone is obsessed, I don't want to be. Hansen, Wicked, Twilight, High School Musical. I refused to like these things for quite a while. I mean, I watched High School Musical for the first time two weeks ago. And loved it.

So the fever started a week ago when I saw a preview for Bieber's movie "Never Say Never." (I'll wait for a second while you fall off your chair laughing at me.) Yes, he's 16 and he can't possibly have had that many life trials as of yet, but the movie looks freaking inspirational. 12-year-old boy loves to sing and sings for his family all of the time and has a dream to be a recording artist. Said boy starts making YouTube videos. Big time music person hears it. Usher hears him. And the next thing you know he's playing on repeat on almost every iPod in America. Pretty great story. Plus, who doesn't like to see behind the scenes of stardom?

Then there was the Grammy's tonight. I am a smidge ashamed to say that his performance was one of my favorites (next to the Mumford/Avett, Muse and Katy Perry performances). It starts with a video of 13-year-old Bieber singing to Usher. On the Grammy stage, Usher tells the story of meeting Bieber in a parking lot and that if it was meant to be they'd see each other again. Okay, if Usher introduces you, I'm probably going to love you anyway. But how sweet is that?

He also had one of the better visual performances of the night. Lots of fun dancing. Seriously, that kid can move. Blue suits. Drummers.

And who can say no to a little Jaden Smith? (With parents Will and Jada grinning ear to ear in the crowd. Did anyone else see Will mouth "That's my baby!" ?) Throw in a little OH MY GOD with Usher and you've got a great performance. 

The music is actually quite good without the help of Usher and the visual effects, too. He has an interesting and innocent quality to his voice, and he can definitely hold a tune in a bucket. And yes, Bieber's beats do have an undeniable hook. Let's face it. He's been seducing the pre-teen crowd with them for quite some time now. Baby baby baby oooooooooo.

I'm sure the hair helps too.

So to recap, I have a wee bit of Bieber fever. He's an adorable little thing, and I just want to pinch his cheeks. And tell him it's okay that he lost best new artist to Esperanza Spalding whom we've never heard of. Half of America isn't watching HER in 3D this weekend.

I guess that makes me One Less Bieberless Girl. (I couldn't resist)

 

Why Sarah Richardson is a Design Goddess.

I sort of have an obsession with HGTV's Sarah Richardson, and for a good reason too. No, this is not a girl crush. This is a full-on designing, house-flipping crush. 

For those that have no idea what I'm talking about, Sarah has a show on HGTV called "Sarah's House." She, and her sidekick designer Tommy, search for the perfect house to buy that needs help and that can be flipped. (flipped = house with beautiful structure containing old blue chipped tile, tiny rooms and nasty outdated cabinets is taken on by a designer. Walls are torn down, rooms expanded, house beautified and designed.)

So why Sarah as opposed to Candice Olson or Genevive Gorder?

She uses antiques. For something to be beautiful and trendy, it doesn't have to be bought from Ethan Allen or Z Gallerie. Although those things are beautiful, of course. Antiques are sturdy and are built more structurally sound, in my opinion. Decades ago, things were hand crafted and weren't sent through a machine assembly line. Also, antiques have a story to tell. The coffee table in my living room is an antique I bought for $75 (yes, a dang steal considering the Carrera marble!) from someone who bought it at an estate sale. Prior to that estate sale, it belonged to someone's great grandmother. So neat. I could go on about why antiques are fantastic for days, so I'll cut myself off here. 

Her shopping style. We get to see Sarah and Tommy rummage through estate sales and stores that sell old fashioned lighting, fireplace hearths and doors. Sometimes she really doesn't know what she's looking for. She roams the aisles (or sometimes sporadically placed piles of things) and pulls out a seemingly hideous light fixture out of the rubble. What's that? She plans on spraying it bright red to accent the room? Brilliant. We also see Sarah visit her storage facility full of her "finds." Sometimes while shopping, she finds something amazing but it doesn't work for the space she's working on. In to storage it goes!

All her designs are original and different. I hate to say this, but at lot of designers are one trick ponies. Some can only design traditional. Some only modern. Sarah's designs are all different, yet they all have her touch that makes the room decidedly Sarah Richardson. 

She doesn't over accessorize. Pet peeve coming on. Sorry Candice Olson, your rooms are fab but they are so accessorized that I think they're practically impossible to live in. Wouldn't want to have friends over tea; I'd have to move all the vases and books you put on my coffee table! I feel Sarah knows where a shelf needs books and art pieces and where there should be space left open. A lamp and a casual, meaningful decor object are all an end table needs.

How she talks to her viewers. When Sarah is filming her show, she talks her viewers through every step of the process. Yes, she's keeping the original molding in the old house. But why? She's tells us. Because it keeps the charm of the house in tact. It's a small little thing. She's educating her viewers. She doesn't treat us like dummies. She doesn't act like some high and mighty designer (although she has earned that); she just talks to us like we're friends and like we want to learn something from her. Which we do!

Her overall design. Duh. It has that lived-in, homey vibe. Always. Even if the look has a high fashion design, something is always left a little disheveled just so that it looks inviting, and you know won't be shot for sitting on the sofa. That's because there's a casual throw blanket that isn't perfectly folded. It's simply cast over the side. That's inviting. She also knows how to use color. Not too much ever. She can do a neutral room, all grays, and it still looks colorful because of the variation of grays she used. She can do a vibrant room. Usually one or two colors stand out like a yellow or a blue or red. And usually those colors are incorporated through gorgeous patterned fabrics. Don't worry, David Bromstad, I'm not hating on you and your color splash-ness. I LOVE YOU TOO. 

So, yes, Sarah is design perfection in my eyes. If you don't believe me, judge these for yourself. (Note: these are all in different homes.)

See and download the full gallery on posterous

 

 

Oscars 2011: How to Throw an Oscar Night Party

Of course, you know, the 2011 Oscar nominations were announced this morning. Some things were expected. Eh-hem: King's Speech, Black Swan, The Social Network. Others, the Academy seemed to turn a blind eye to. Mila Kunis, Christopher Nolan, Mark Wahlberg, etc etc etc. Or at least that is what my Twitter feed exploded with this morning. And each movie connoisseur has his or her own opinion. 

But I'm not here to stir up the great debate of which films, actors and directors deserve the nominations. I'll leave that to some of my more opinionated (and cinematically educated) film bloggers. I'm here for the part that actually affects you. THE OSCAR NIGHT PARTY.

Yes, if you've watched at least a few of the films nominated, odds are that your butt is going to be parked in front of your television on February 27. If not for the films, at least for the fashion, the red carpet faux pas and the tragedy that can be live television. Thus, I have a few Oscar party ideas and tips that I will share with you.

DO have a party. You're going to be watching it. Why not do it with other Oscar enthusiasts?

DO provide ballots for each attendee. A lot of people do this, and that' because it's a fantastic idea. It strikes up debate and conversation about the nominees at hand. The person who guesses the most wins correctly is the winner. Oscars.com has the complete list of nominees and a printable ballot.

DO turn it into a costume party. Halloween only comes once a year...so everyone loves an excuse to wear a costume outside of October. You'll be surprised to see your guests arriving as Woody, Buzz, Aaron Ralston, King Henry IV and more. It doesn't just have to be limited to film characters either. You're bound to have the inevitable party pooper who doesn't want to dress up. That's where disguising as an Oscar-attending celebrity is also an option. 

DO make snacks and desserts that relate to the Oscars. A cake that's decorated like a director's "cut" board. Cookies shaped like the Oscar trophies. (Bakerella.com has a fabulous demonstration on how to execute this.) Cupcakes displayed on top of a collage of miniature movie posters from the nomination list. At least serve popcorn, the ultimate movie-related food.

DO nod to the nominees in your decor and food. Hang ballet slippers (Black Swan) and Wrestling gloves (The Fighter) on the wall, display a spinning top on the coffee table (Inception), serve Slurpees or snowcones ("That's no Slurpee," 127 Hours). You get the idea. Incorporate your favorite parts of each movie into your party. 

DO your best to make your space feel like the Kodak Theater. Have a red carpet. Serve sparkling cider. 

You might have noticed that I didn't give you any "don'ts." That's because it's your party, and you're going to enjoy the Oscars differently than I am. These are just some ideas. Heck, my Oscar night will probably consist of a few close friends, greasy pizza, making cupcakes and rooting hardcore for James Franco.

The key to making the party your own is a perfect blend of classy Oscar-ness and kitschy film-related aspects.

Happy Awards Season!

Uncharted Territory: Creative Writing Non Fiction

As a journalism major, I've been concocting non fiction pieces for the past four years. Inverted pyramid. The UNT percussion ensemble performed Tuesday night at the Murchinson Performing Arts Center. Denton's historic Square is hosting the annual Christmas Tree Lighting Friday night. Facts. Concrete, informative facts. I mean, I've had some creative liberties and I've really tried to take them. I always tried to take advantage of the fact that I don't have to start a story with that boring string of facts that'll send any reader's eyes on to the next story. There's the delayed lead, you know. If I can start with a conversation between the audience members that epitomizes that percussion concert, I'm definitely going to do it.

This semester I'm in English 3160: Creative Writing Non Fiction. I didn't exactly understand what that would entail. To be frank, I needed another upper level English course (which I preferred to be writing over literature) and this one fit my schedule. I walk in the first day, surrounded by an array of creative types. There's the guy next to me with a music composition sheet he's scribbling away on. There's the outspoken one near the front. A quiet girl slips in and keeps flipping her head around to observe the other students. And then the professor stumbles inside a few minutes late and starts babbling. I immediately know this is going to be one of those classes I'm never going to forget.

It turns out the professor has her bachelor's in Journalism and her master's in Creative Writing. This REALLY excites me. I'm in an English class, yet the professor is actually going to understand me. Instead of looking at me like: "Yeah, there's that practical writer. How boring is she?" I know that she's going to understand that journalism can be beautiful and artful, too. It's not just news updates. As much as I loathed Feature Writing with Dr. Getschow at first, it's what I've grown to love the most. I loathed it because it challenged me. It pushed me to write more passionately, and encouraged me to reach into the depths of my soul to write a personal essay.

And that is the type of writing that I really want improve on. The one that doesn't require a formula. In fact, it celebrates breaking the rules.

My prof did a mini bashing session on news writing and its formulaicness (yes, there is a red squiggly line under this word that I apparently invented just now, and I'm choosing to ignore it) and I can appreciate that to an extent. No, it's not always attractive, but it gets the job done. (Which is to inform its audience.) She also acknowledged that other areas of journalism can be artistic and can color a little outside the lines.This is where you get into literary journalism, investigative pieces and more New Yorker-type stories. 

I'm thrilled to be taking this course. Heck, I'm thrilled to read the textbook. Since it is CREATIVE WRITING, it's actually well-written, witty material. I think it's going to challenge me as a writer. I write about myself a lot here on my blog, but I rarely do in the form of memoir or personal essay. I'm going to have to write about things I don't like to talk about because those are the things that make for the most riveting stories. If I get the guts, I might even share with you some of the pieces that I create.

"What good, alive writing always comes down to is an individual--one person, writing in a way not quite like anyone else's, yet enough like everyone else's (grammar, structure, language, syntax, content, form) that other humans can make sense of it. And past mere sense comes emotion, from the rawest--anger, fear, joy--to the most refined: intellectual pleasure." (The Art of Truth, Bill Roorbach)

And yes, that is from my textbook!

The Final Semester Begins.

Today was my last first day of college. Ever.

I think I'm the opposite of most college seniors. It seems the overwhelming majority of students in my position can't wait to be finished, to never take an exam again and to move on to "real" life. I, on the other hand, am shaking in my boots. Once I walk the stage, I'm not sure what will become of me. I'd like to think I have a pretty good resume. I did my time at the NT Daily. I've interned in several different areas. Editorially at The Dallas Observer and at Gateway Church. I also tried my hand at public relations with Big Ink PR last semester. But is it enough?

I know of many journalism grads who haven't found a career-oriented job yet. And, most of them had great internships and are great at what they do. Okay, it's not completely bleak. I know of several grads who found jobs in the field and are having the times of their lives. I just really hope that I'm one of them. 

That means this semester I will be applying my butt off for various writing jobs. I will be religiously be keeping up with Twitter chats like #EntryChat and will continue following PR and journalism pros. In spite of this job-scarce market, I won't let myself stop dreaming about where my career can take me.

Review: Take Me Home Tonight

Over the weekend, I went to see a movie at Cinemark Plano and a man approached me and gave me a free pass to see a preview screening of "Take Me Home Tonight." Last night I went.

"Take Me Home Tonight" is a Relativity Media film starring Topher Grace and Anna Farris. The film takes place over the course of one night. Think "Night at the Roxburry" or "Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist." The high school class of 1984 has just graduated from college. Grace's character, Matt Franklin, graduated from MIT and is working at Suncoast Video in a mall. Matt, his twin sister Wendy (Farris) and his best friend Barry Nathan (Dan Folger) are all going to a wild Labor Day party hosted by Wendy's high school sweetheart. Matt spends the entire night trying to get his high school crush Tori Fredericking (Teresa Palmer) to like him. 

Thinking about the plot of this movie, it seems that it should be starring Seth Rogen, Michael Cera and Zach Galifianakis. I was refreshed to see a different cast in this stupid-humor comedy. Topher Grace seemed to have dropped out of the public eye for a while, so I was pleasantly surprised to see him back on the big screen. It was also nice to see Anna Farris stepping out from her ditzy blonde role. (Literally. She is brunette for the film.)

Before the movie, a Relativity Media rep came up to talk about the film. Besides trying to get us to tell everyone about the movie and to follow them on Twitter, his big point was that this movie was a nod to the John Hughes era. I'm thinking, "Okay. This is set in the 80s. How can they try to compare themselves to such classics?"

Topher Grace also made a 60 second appearance to introduce the film. 1) Do you like John Hughes moives? 80s music? 2) Most importantly, do you like to party your f****** a***** off?! The crowd cheered as Grace disappeared into a seat in the audience to watch the film with us.

Let me just say this: I WANT THIS SOUNDTRACK. The best of the 80s, truly.

Grace's character reminded me of Patrick Dempsy's ultra nerd of "Can't Buy Me Love," even down to the suit outfit he wears to the Labor Day party. He just can't seem to get anything right. He walks up to Tori "freaking" Fredericking, as he calls her to his friends, and starts talking about his mad athleticism in windsurfing. That's what Tori listed in the high school yearbook as a hobby. Turns out she isn't really interested in it and Matt is just digging himself into a hole. 

Just-fired-from-my-job-so-I-want-to-be-wild Barry Nathan (Folger) was a great counterpart to Matt, who is afraid of everything in life from asking a girl out to finding a good career. Barry's motto of the night, which he also impresses on Matt, t is "Don't think. Just do." You can only imagine what shenanigans this might lead to.

Honestly, it was a 2000s version of a John Hughes. Just sprinkle in some cocaine, nudity and newer 2000s humor. I didn't expect a deep plot or twists and turns. I expected a good laugh, and that's what I got. I was highly entertained, and I certainly enjoyed the 80s ponytails, the shoulder pads and neon suits. I didn't leave the theater in deep thought, left to ponder life's biggest questions. I left wanting to go out and have some fun of my own. It's the kind of movie I'll want to own and watch at night when I can't sleep.

"Take Me Home Tonight" hits theaters March 4. If you've had enough of teenage comedies that are all bathroom humor and dirty jokes, go see "Take Me Home Tonight" for a different kind of laugh that'll take you back to the golden years of teen comedy.

 

 

Note to the advertisers: I really, really hope you don't put all the best parts of this movie into the trailer. I was lucky that I hadn't heard or seen much about this movie prior to viewing. Don't give it all away.

Posterous

My brother Paul was watching me update my blog via Blogger and was literally lurching at my laptop he was so frustrated with how confusing Blogger can be. "Please just use Posterous!" he said. "It's so much easier."

So here I am. On Posterous.

He made it for me a while ago, but now I'm going to start using it. Never fear, 7 followers, my blog at sheatellefsen.blogspot.com will still be active. When I post via Posterous, it will update Blogger too.

Here goes.

Biking Adventure: White Rock Lake

First off, I've been attempting to write this blog all week long. AND I have a super awesome excuse as to why it's just being posted today. Two actually. (1) I kept trying to sign into my Blogger account from the wrong email. I'm clearly a very smart, almost college grad. (2) My laptop literally had 0 KB and clearly had no room for uploading photos. So there's that.

I had serious cabin fever last Thursday. Like will do anything to leave this house, will literally end someone's life if I watch another episode of daytime television kind of cabin fever. My dad took the whole week off work, and my dad is the kind of guy who will pull you off your butt and throw you on the racquetball court or the elliptical machine. He works out three times a week, and has his whole life. No fail. Today the grand idea was...a bike ride. (Okay, so this may sound a little sarcastic toward my dad. But once he gets you motivated to get up and do something active, it's ALWAYS a blast.) So after careful consideration, we decided to take on the 10 mile White Rock Lake Trail.

We were truly geared up. Camelback full of water. Helmets. Gloves. Sunglasses. I was really excited. "I can do this, right!?"

One mile into the trail I. AM. DYING. I felt so incredibly pitiful. I hadn't biked since the summer, and my work out schedule this past semester was less than satisfactory. But there's Dad a few (okay, several) paces in front of me saying with a little grin, "Come on, Shea! You can do it!"

A mile or two-ish later, I worked past that oh-my-gosh-I-can't-do-this pain and was really starting to enjoy the ride as we arrived at the lake. Every hill, I would think I wasn't going to make it but then I'd get to the top. And I'd get to coast to the bottom. Did I mention the wind wasn't at our backs? Makes hills alllll the more frustrating. Yes, it's possible that I yelled at the wind while I was on a hill by myself. Don't judge. The wind didn't. It just pushed at me harder.

We saw lots of interesting people on the trail, too. Some couples riding tandem. A unicyclist, and, no, I'm not kidding. He was seriously biking the trail, too. Two 15 year olds on a roller blading date. Try this motivation on for size: packs of seemingly semi-professional cyclists. The matching uniforms and everything. When I felt like giving up, I wouldn't. I didn't want to embarrass myself in front of people who were probably on their way to biking 20 miles that day.

Probably halfway through the trail, dad's pedal started getting loose. He had literally packed every tool in the Camelback...except the pedal tightener. On our way back, we came across a bike shop where they so kindly tightened the pedal for us.

At the end of the trail there are lots of little bridges. My dad's favorite thing to do was speed across them. At the last bridge he says, "Push it! Go as fast as you can!" I pushed my legs as fast as they would go, which wasn't full full full speed ahead. But you know what? I made it. I biked 10 miles on a windey, hilly trail with my super athletic dad.

I plan on doing these biking adventures more frequently. I could really get into this.

Skype: Video Calling in Wifi and 3G

Around 1 a.m. last night my brother, Paul, texts me from across the house: "Can I come over for a sec?" I wondered if something was wrong. Seconds later he is bursting in my room pleading with me to sign in to Skype on my iPhone. Video calling had arrived.

Let's do a little background here so my enthusiasm for this new feature can be fully understood. Lately T-Mobile has been thinking they are so clever with the pink-striped dress woman. "Weeeee have video calling in 3G and the iPhone doesn'tttttt," the commercials taunted. They also have some dorky guy piggy-backed onto to iPhone guy, saying it's AT&T weighing him down. (You can view the commercial here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7gaPWeZMdw)

Did I mention that Apple first started these commercials? You can't beat Apple at it's own game. In my brother's educated (via his Apple obsession and reading Macrumors) opinion, FaceTime hasn't been offered in 3G yet because it hasn't been perfected. They don't want to release some halfway done feature. No, I haven't used T-Mobile's video calling so I can't say it isn't top notch. But I'm going to go ahead and guess it isn't exactly FaceTime. However, I can vouch for FaceTime. And it's simply wonderful.

With that said, Skype's release of video calling for the iPhone was pretty much a TAKE THAT T-MOBILE. Well, it was to me anyway.

Back to 1 a.m. last night. Yes, we did sit on my bed and video call each other to test it out. First we tried it on Wifi. Perfection. My brother's physical voice was in sync with the audio coming out of my phone. The picture was also very clear. Then we turned off our Wifi and tried calling on 3G. Still very clear. But, yes, the audio was a little delayed. But who could tell unless the two callers happen to be in the same room?

Today we also tried calling over 3G with about 20 miles between us. It still worked very well. I am very pleased. I stinkin' called my brother over video from the passenger seat of my car!

Christian Bale.

Does he even need more of an introduction?

When he popped up on the scene a few years ago, I thought Bale was sort of a "man of the hour" type of actor. I thought he was going to be good at one thing and that he'd be overused in that role and we'd all get tired of him. (Eh-hem. I'm talking about you, Cameron Diaz) Because really, he was in several things in a row in the mid-2000s. The Machinist, Batman Begins, Prestige.

That changed last week when I saw The Fighter.

A few weeks before I saw the film, I watched the trailer. Mark Wahlberg punching around, Amy Adams 10 pounds heavier with an accent and some skinny drug type. What's that? The credits say Christian Bale is in the movie? THAT SKINNY SLIMEY-ACTING DUDE IS HIM? I encountered the same feeling while watching the film. I couldn't get over it. Every single scene. The accent. The mannerisms. The overall character. During the film, I kept trying to picture the way he was in another movie. I honestly couldn't. Prestige? No. Batman Begins? No. I could only see him as Dicky Eklund. Every inch of his body was Dicky. And every syllable the left his mouth was Dicky.

This is the definition of an excellent actor if you ask me. Christian Bale was unrecognizable. He left his own personality and mannerisms at home and brought a totally different person to the screen. I haven't been able to stop singing his praises since.

Last night, we decided to watch The Dark Knight because my dad got a new BlueRay player for Christmas. First, it was utterly strange to see Bale so beefed up. He almost looked overweight to me compared to his appearance in The Fighter. (Clearly NOT overweight, but this is the vast difference in his physically appearance) It was strange to see him as Bruce Wayne: suave millionaire. I've clearly not been appreciating Bale's talents because I was highly impressed last night by his portrayal in The Dark Knight. Minus, the strangely low Batman voice of course.

Looking back on his career thus far, it's safe to say that I underestimated and underappreciated his talent. He has played wildly different roles over the course of his career. It just took his role as Dicky Eklund for the bells to finally go off in my brain.

To recap, Christian Bale is sort of my favorite actor at the moment. It's actually a tie with James Franco quite frankly. (127 Hours anyone?) And if Bale doesn't win a Golden Globe or an Oscar I'm going to be, well, pretty upset.

NOTE. If you are, or think you are, a professional movie reviewer: please refrain from ripping me apart. I don't claim to know it all. Everything in this blog is just my humble opinion and view :)

Back.

So remember when I was like a blogging fiend this summer? It's about to happen again. Christmas break, for me, begins at 6:20 p.m. tomorrow. Brilliant.

Blogging was obviously shoved onto the back burner this semester. I had to devote my creative energies to clearly more amazing things like: police beat stories, city council stories, reading novels out of british lit and postcolonial lit, research essays. That's no excuse for abandoning this blog, I know.

My brother, Paul, became a master blogger over this semester because he had to for class. He got absolutely amazing feedback. Our church even posted one of his posts on Facebook. I'm way proud of how he's evolved as a technology blogger. So, there was that making me feel guilty for leaving my blog in the dust. (For real check out his blog: technopaul)

Then there was Hyperbole and a Half. I'd actually read some posts from this blog before, but I completely forgot about it until my friend, Kelly, suggested I check it out. This girl writes wacky blogs about whatever is going on in her life. Totally different from my blogging style. But hilarious. And SHE DOES IT FOR A LIVING, PEOPLE. So she obviously has more time to devote than I do. But it made me feel a teensy bit inspired.

And now that I will have free time, and surely plenty of experiences at new cupcake places, shopping for Christmas and enjoying a school break, I will be back in action.

Next week, my wisdom teeth are coming out. That's bound to be blog worthy.

Don't judge.

Shea vs. the unclassified spider

Sounds like a children's book, eh? Well this is no fairytale. I'd classify this one under Sci-Fi or Horror. Yeah.

It started when I woke up this morning. I'm going to the bathroom with my door open since I'm home alone and I see it. A brown spider the size of my palm. I watch as it shifts its weight, staring at me. Slowly, all while I'm still peeing, it crawls under my bed.

HORROR OF HORRORS!

What is worse than a spider in your room? A spider hiding under your bed where you can't see it! Panic sets in, and I'm horrified.

An hour and a half goes by, and no sign of the eight-legged monster. In that hour and a half, I sat on my kitchen counter (away from the floor!) and read about the best ways to kill a spider. A mortal mistake. You know what happens when you google that? Pictures of spiders come up! And you read that there's a spider called a brown recluse that is POISONOUS. Great. I also found out that spraying a spider with just about anything will kill it. Spiders breathe through their skin. Spraying them suffocates them.

My weapons of choice: Raid wasp/hornet, Hot Shot wasp/hornet and Redken 23 forceful hairspray.

So now I wait.

Finally it emerges on the other side of my bed. Hairspray in hand, I decide it's best to wait for it to crawl farther away from my bed. (More spray time before it darts under the bed away from me) well, after a few minutes it retreats under the bed again. Great.

I'm ashamed to say this. I'm on the phone with my mom and I BREAK DOWN. The spider is out of my reach. How will I sleep if I can't find it? How did it get in? My skin is crawling. Mom calms me down and assures me it will come back out and I will kill it.

Worst of all, I don't know the species of spider. My brother is bug identifier extraordinaire. (Thanks to Mrs. Crouse the Biology teacher). He hasn't seen it but doesn't know what it is by my description. Ahhh. It's better to know your enemy.

30 minutes later the spider is by my desk. Perfect. Maximum spray time. I have to do it. I get the Hot Shot in hand. Shaking, I hold the thing like it's a high caliber gun and douse it. My carpet is a monsoon of white Hot Shot spray. I empty the rest of the can and it is STILL walking. Who is this thing? Batman?! I run in the living room to grab Raid. I spray as much as possible until it goes back under my bed.

SURELY THIS THING IS DEAD.

I have a coughing fit because of the fumes. Surely I suffocated this thing. My room is practically a death chamber. As of yet, no sign of the spider.

My bug man was already supposed to be coming to spray today. So when he comes, that sucker will be gone for good. And hopefully identified.

Review: Dessertapalooza

So I'm a little behind on my reviews lately, but I'm catching up.

A few weeks ago I visited Dessertapalooza at Firewheel. Megan heard about it and knew we had to go so I could review. I've sort of accidentally turned into a cupcake reviewer.

The Process. Dessertapalooza offers cupcakes, cakes and other desserts. Here, the cupcake process is a little more personal. All the cake part of the cupcakes are displayed inside of cake platter. You choose between red velvet (why is everyone copying Sprinkles?), chocolate, vanilla and the flavor of the day. On the day I went that special flavor was pina colada. Then you choose your icing (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, cream cheese). I like this idea a lot. You get to choose your cupcake. You get to be a part of the process.

I chose red velvet with cream cheese frosting. Megan chose vanilla with strawberry frosting, and Chelsea chose vanilla with chocolate frosting and sprinkles.

Cupcake Appearance. I must say, the cupcakes were quite attractive. Since the frosting was applied out of an icing bag, it had a swirly look to it whereas when it is applied by knife it is more smooth. These were also some of the largest cupcakes I have ever seen. They could almost be qualified as a small cake. (Yes, I'm aware a cupcake is basically a small cake...) Once we reached the checkout, cupcakes were placed on a clear plate alongside a plastic fork. This is a HUGE plus.

*Sprinkles gives wooden forks that alter the taste of the cupcake.

*The Cupcakery gave no fork at all.

Cupcake Taste. This is the most important of all. Obviously. The cake section was very moist and well flavored. The cream cheese frosting was a good consistency; not crunchy and not liquidy. However, Megan was not satisfied with her frosting. Dessertapalooza uses a whip cream-like frosting. (Minus 10 points!) Indulging in whip cream frosting isn't indulging at all. It reminds me of a cake I could grab at Wal-Mart. Yuck. I'm all about the buttercream frosting. With that said, Chelsea likes whip cream frosting and said it was delicious.

Atmosphere. A+ for atmosphere. The little bakery was blue and pink with colorful barstools, a giant lovesac (where we sat). The ceiling above the lovesac had a TV. Very cute.

We also talked to the owner and told her we were giant Sprinkles fan and that we would be critical. She definitely tried to win us over. We asked her why she opened Dessertapalooza. She said she and her husband were always looking for a place where they could go with friends to get coffee and pie, so they decided to open one. (Yes, they do serve coffee.) She was very nice to us, and definitely seems like the type to build relationships with her customers.

If you're ever in Garland, I'd say give Dessertapalooza a try. The red velvet won my heart.

The Mid Century Modernist's Holy Grail

Yesterday I died. And then I wound up in mid century modern heaven.

But first, how I got there:

Lula B's (one of my favorite antiquing stores) opened a new location on Riverfront drive. Naturally, I had to go visit sometime. Sunday afternoon was as good a time as any...especially since my mom had seen some chairs on Craigslist that were there that she wanted to check out.

We had heard legends and tales about the antique/vintage shops on Riverfront, but never dreamed such a monstrosity. We drove up on what seemed like a pretty shady area. Bail bonds abounding. We spotted Lula B's and pulled in to a parking space. What's that? ANOTHER store I've been dying to hunt inside is right next door?! I had seen many ads from White Elephant on Craigslist and knew they had great stuff. And again, had been planning on going.

We perused White Elephant first. Many of the booths: not my favorite time period or style. Several of the booths in the back corner: MY STYLE. (No, we haven't reached heaven yet. Keep hanging in there.) Beautiful pieces. Retro wingbacks. Cane chairs. Old dressers painted red. It was fantastic.

But it was already 4pm, and everything closed at 5. So we had to keep moving.

Lula B's had gorgeous pieces galore, as always. We looked at the chairs we saw online and decided they weren't what we needed. Mom found a retro microphone.heh. NOT 300 yards. We walked several stores down, past a bail bonds place and some other shady storefronts and decided it was best to get back to driving.

We reach Moderne. Nothing special from the outside. Honestly, we weren't expecting much. But were we ever wrong. Right from the front entrance: lucite tables, tulip chairs, record cabinets and more. Some old honky tonk song was playing on the radio. Not exactly fitting for the store, but oh well. The more we walked, the more there was. Area after area was just piled with buffet pieces like I've never seen, dining room tables, nightstands, Eames chairs, Herman Miller. There was so much you really couldn't even see it all.

We get to a back room where it appears that people are working on different pieces. We ask the owner, who introduced himself and gave us 3 business cards, if it's okay to go in. It is. The first thing that catches my eye:

Beautiful. Unlike any chair set I've ever seen. Mind you, two weeks ago we already purchased a pair of chairs for the new living room. But here they were. The PERFECT chairs. Okay, so they look like space-age Jetson chairs to the untrained, non-designer eye. But I see its potential. Reupholstered in two different chenille-like fabrics.

We were truly overwhelmed by the gargantuan inventory of pieces that Moderne had.

But back to the chairs. WE WANTED THEM. BAD. And they were more than what we usually pay. (Honestly, a steal for something in that good of condition and that unusual) But it's still a lot of money. We wandered around the store for at least an hour before making the big decision. Mom felt nauseated and had to sit down. (Note: Mom usually has no problem when she spends, it's my dad who turns green.) It was a mix of astonishment and having to make an impulse decision.

In the world of antiques, you can't go home and think about it. You just have to go with your gut because it probably won't be there tomorrow.

So...we bought them. Reupholstered, they will go perfect with the new couch. But what about the other chairs we already bought? Well, looks like we are going to have to sell them. They weren't right.

In case you couldn't tell, I love antiquing. I'd rather shop for furniture at Lula B's and Moderne or an antique mall that smells like Love's Babysoft and sometimes has no air conditioning than for clothes at Forever21 any day. I want to be Sarah on Sarah's House. On another day, I will definitely be conquering the rest of Riverfront.

The Bachelorette: Finale

We laughed. We cried. We rolled our eyes. We ate.

In true finale watching party fashion, we ordered pizza and ate cake. It's clear from the picture that our party was mostly Team Chris.

The aftermath...

Here it is, people. ALI CHOOSES ROBERTO. And you know what? They seem very happy, and I honest-to-goodness hope their relationship defies the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise odds. (They're 2 for 20 when it comes to the process resulting in marriages.)

The most beautiful moment in the episode, make that season, by far was when Ali dumped Chris. Unlikely, right? He was a perfect gentleman. He didn't lose his cool. He actually had the character to look past the heartbreak and tell Ali he respected her decision to let him go before the rose ceremony. (I was impressed, too) She leaves. He starts to cry. A RAINBOW APPEARS. No rain. Just rainbow. Hello?! Before Chris' mom died she told him to think of her when a rainbow came out. He laughs and smiles. How perfect is that? (ABC only wishes they could take credit for this moment) Honestly. Marry me, Chris?

Poor Roberto going through all that stress not knowing if he's going to be the one or not. It's TV though, and they needed that dramatic final rose ceremony. For a minute, I didn't think he was going to propose. That would have been so sad. But it ended up being very sweet. I'm satisfied, but I could've done without "Can You Feel The Love Tonight." Cheese.

Let me take this moment to say: suck it, Reality Steve! All the spoiler-readers (not me!) thought Ali picked no one the whole season. And hours before the show, Reality Steve realizes that he was wrong and blogs about it. And to boot, he's angry ABC won't associate with him and cut him out of the E! Bachelorette special. I mean, duh. You're ruining the show. Last season's finale had the lowest ratings ever. Why? Everyone knew what happened.

After the Final Rose was much more of a breeze. No Mesnick switch-a-roo.

Frank didn't show up. What a little punk. I have a feeling that Nichole relationship didn't work out, and he was too embarrassed to face the music in front of Ali and millions of viewers. However, he probably was still too much of a wuss to face Ali no matter the circumstance.
The Chris interview just broke my heart, but you know what, he was incredibly classy. You could see he was still in love with her. But he was a man about it. Chris, women around the world were rooting for you and are probably trying to hunt you down so you can be the one for them.

Then Ali and Roberto reunited... for the first time in public? (Sounds like wedding-speak, Harrison.) I hope Ali and su amor last. It seems like they have a chance. No one's going after fame. Roberto moved to San Diego and has a job. Ali is moving in. Here's to hoping the tabloids don't destroy this one...

Chris for the next Bachelor? That's what Reality Steve says. I think Chris would be a great one, but I can see him turning it down.

Until next season!

The Bachelorette: Episode 9

Let me just start with this: Frank doesn't know himself at all. He doesn't know what he feels or thinks.

Dates with Roberto and Chris were great. The relationships are moving along quickly. Especially her and Chris'. He really opened up and even told her he loved her. (Yay!) Roberto shyishly said he was falling in love with her too. I love both of these guys. Truly.

Now Frank goes to Chicago to talk to ex Nichole. I do respect Frank somewhat for being truthful and not letting Ali pick him in the end when he was in love with someone else. But I must say: could he have figured out his feelings ANY slower? No. He couldn't have. KIRK could've had a chance with Ali if he had bowed out earlier. I do think Nichole was living a fairytale that episode though. Can you imagine your ex (that you're still in love with) knocks on your door when you think he's filming the Bachelorette to tell you he's in love with YOU? Yeah. Frank's gonnnnne.

I'm really glad Ali decided to go on with the rose ceremony even though she was keeping both men. It was a good chance to tell them about Frank and to let them know they were the two guys she wanted with her. I like how she said that the rose ceremony isn't just about Ali picking a guy, it's about the guy accepting the rose. Yeesh.