Thank You to All Those Freedom Fighters for the Gift of Education!

And while everyone enjoyed a nice BBQ, I celebrated by applying my given freedom to study for the LSAT. Yes, the men and women of this country fought hard for the rights of all it's citizens, so I chose to take advantage and get a jump start on my future, given to me by so many brave heroes: Dad included.

And I have to say ... I didn't perform too shabby. I got a 154 on my first practice run ever, without studying. Woot Woot! So, my goal is to get to the high 160s or higher. I have until October to do so. Here's some LSAT humor:

This one made me laugh.

So true.

With that said, this is going to be a short post. It's meant to honor all soldiers who stood their ground for what they thought was right: Suffragists, Civil Rights Activists, and all Soldiers who sacrificed for their country. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to get an education and follow my dreams.

God bless all our soldiers.

Penguin Joke: http://www.masteringthelsat.com/toronto-lsat-course-dates/mastering-the-lsat-explained/lsat-logic-module/

A to C: http://www.helloeileen.com/2010_07_01_archive.html

Flag: http://soe.ucdavis.edu/ss0809/BussC/

An Update Rant

Before I start, I have to say that my dog is awesome:

Bon Bon embarrassed that I'm her mommy.

Hey, so ... I've been busy the past few days and haven't taken the time to blog it up, so here I go. The past five days have been filled with things needing to be done, things wanting to be done, and thing just done. On Saturday I went to see Brides Maids with my good friend Jenny. The movie was hilarious, and for any bride or brides maid, truthful. I relate most closely with Becca and Kevin ... haha. For those who know me, you'll understand. I also went to my friend Holly's graduation party and my friend Haley's 21st birthday. Congrats ladies!!! Saturday was a great day.

Sunday, however, was not so great. It was spent cleaning and shuffling through crap. With Kevin's stuff now part of the pile, we had to go through and toss a lot of stuff out. I never realized how much stuff I owned until I saw how much stuff Kevin owned. Good news: the room is almost done. I just have to go through all of our books now resting in four huge boxes (Kevin and I are both avid readers) and decide which ones to store and which ones to put up in our little office|library setup. Here is a picture of the room so far:

Left to Right: My awesome two-screen design setup and Kevin's also rad photography setup.

On Monday, I worked, cleaned, started on the wedding guest list, and went to dinner with some of my friends, Alisen and Jenny, to plan Black and White Night: Part 4. I'm super stoked. After two hours of stuffing ourselves silly at Claim Jumper, we left with a plan in mind.

Tuesday I went to the dentist and got my teefs did. Now each individual dental unit is looking it's absolute best. Better yet ... I don't have any cavities (blog post soon to follow). Afterward, Kevin and I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Also, a great movie. It wasn't, however, as good as it's predecessors, but still holds some film substance in the great movie universe.

Wednesday ... I was straight up lazy and watched a lot of TV: recorded episode of The Voice, Tosh.0, South Park, Breakout Kings, and American Idol Finale. Not gonna a lie, I called Scotty's big win. Although Kevin was upset over Lauren's loss, I couldn't help but do my little "I told you so, I told you so" dance to mock him in my glory. Sorry, Babe. You can't call them all ... unlike myself. Woot Woot!

Scotty wins. Kevin loses.

Scotty Photo: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/gallery/scotty-wins/

Novel Review: Girl With a Pearl Earring

For the first time in a long time I spent the entire day yesterday in bed, reading. The book of choice: Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier. This historical fiction is set in 17th Century Poland. The protagonist is Griet, a sixteen year-old girl whose family struggles to survive after their father is injured and can't work. In need of money, her family sends her off to become a maid for Johannes Vermeer, a well-known artist. Not long after starting, Griet realizes she isn't the girl she previously thought she was. Strange feelings, not common for young ladies of the 17th century, arise, making her question the world she lives in. Questions of sexuality, maturity, and morality surface as the novel progresses, painting a world that's both familiar and obscure for Griet and readers.

Not only does Chevalier have a great style, but she also delivers a spectacular story with tension--sexual, physical, mental--running through each page. Chevalier was inspired to write this novel by Vermeer's painting, shown on the cover:

After reading the novel and taking another look at the painting, it makes perfect sense why Chevalier took her novel to where she did. The girl in the photo is in no way simple; she is seductive and innocent, loud and quiet, naive and experienced. At no point is she one thing. She's darker with an open mouth and sweet with soft features, an interesting contrast, and by no means the only binaries in the novel. The girl in the painting is someone I want to know, which is exactly what Chevalier does in Girl with a Pearl Earring: bring to life the girl behind Vermeer's inspiration.

I have always been a fan of art. I even considered getting an Art Minor along with my Biology Minor; however, I would have had to wait another year to graduate, and I was done with school. Regardless, I still love art and find it interesting when it's incorporated into other forms, like writing. Personally, the fact that I draw and write helps my creativity. Whenever I find myself in a rut, either in writing or drawing, I start doing the opposite of what I'm stuck at. After a few hours, my little block disappears. It's this aspect of Girl with a Pearl Earring that I like most: painting and writing come together as one.

On that note, while researching for this blog, I discovered that this novel was made into a movie, featuring Colin Firth and Scarlett Johansson. No other actress could be more perfect, and I'm excited to watch the movie version. Whoever chose the cast for this movie deserves applause. I have not yet seen the movie, but plan on doing so soon ... AND, I'm sure there will be a post to follow.

• Book Cover: http://10thirty.wordpress.com/2008/08/08/girl-with-a-pearl-earring-by-tracy-chevalier/
• Full Painting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Johannes_Vermeer_%281632-1675%29_-_The_Girl_With_The_Pearl_Earring_%281665%29.jpg
  

My First Fantastic Novel Review!

Yesterday I finished Clockwork Angel, the first book in The Infernal Devices trilogy, by Cassandra Clare. I chose to read this book because of a recommendation made by a classmate. She said I absolutely had to read Cassandra Clare, so I grabbed Clare's newest book, a novel creating a steampunk world filled with weird machines and fantastical creatures.

The novel follows Tessa, a young girl who travels to London after receiving a letter from her brother, asking her to join him after the death of their Aunt. Not soon after taking her first step in London does she discover a world she never knew existed.

Fantasy, Science Fiction, and History all mix together in this fun, easy read, keeping readers pushing through the pages. I wouldn't say it's the best novel I've read; I didn't get absorbed in it like I initially did with Harry Potter and Twilight, but it's definitely interesting. Overall, if you're looking for a novel that's easy with a somewhat interesting plot line and that can be read within a day or two, this is your novel. Now, I don't want to make this novel out to be bad ... it's not; there simply isn't anything mentally stimulating about it. One could argue that Clare addresses gender spheres of the time, which I agree, but it doesn't go anywhere. If she didn't include these spheres, the novel wouldn't have any credibility. With that said, however, I'm more on board with Tessa as a protagonist than Bella from Twilight. I'm not a big fan of the pathetic female characters--they're a bit cliche and, to be honest, annoying as hell.

My favorite aspect of Clockwork Angel is the incorporation of steampunk. I'm a big fan of unique and weird concepts in art, especially in novels. I mean, how cool is this???

The random photo above is photo of a robot. I love the artwork and the idea of incorporating steam machines into human bodies. Steampunk stuff is up there with Burton's work for me. I can't get enough! Which is why I enjoy the world Clare creates with her machines. She creates doubt in her world, questioning the morality of robots and where they stand in the world of good and evil. Does the creation of robots depend on the hands they fall into? Or ... something else? I guess I will just have to read the other two novels to find out.

• Book Cover: http://www.cassandraclare.com/cms/works
• Robot Photo: http://www.madbrewlabs.com/steampunk-klokwerks/

Talking About the Joint

After my yearly doctor exam, Kevin and I went to one of our favorite sushi places, Tha Joint, located in Sparks, NV. We don't have many favorites as we are incredibly picky about what raw fish we allow ourselves to consume. Can you blame us? Tha Joint has a fun and an unique array of choices, many of which I haven't seen at any other sushi restaurant. My favorite rolls include Tha Highway and Tha Whole 9 Yards. There have only been a few rolls I haven't liked, and that's because of my tastes, not the quality of the food.

The setting is also unique as it's literally a joint, as in a jail setting. Pictures of bar doors have been hung around the room and in the bathrooms. And with Kevin's background as a photographer and my background as an artist, we really dig the setting. The place is painted black and has a nice clean feel to it. An atmosphere you don't get at most places (granted, this could have been because we went at a non-peak hour). The chefs are courteous and fast, also. Clearly, they know what they're doing and like what they're doing.

It's safe to say Kevin and I stuffed ourselves silly. We love sushi and don't eat it often as it's so tempting to eat it until your tummies explode. Luckily, this hasn't happened to Kevin or me ... yet. After several rolls (the exact number will remain Kevin's and my little secret), we delighted ourselves in the always so delicious green tea ice cream. Kevin ate it from a bowl; I ate it inside of a rice ball, called a mochi ball (I love those little things).

On the topic of joint, Kevin and I made our first "joint" decision as an adult couple after sushi (like how I worked that in?). We had decided it was time to change our room; however, once we saw the prices of comforters, we decided against it. Instead we bought two pillows and an amazing memory foam mattress cushion for the price of one expensive comforter set. This little adventure only took us an hour and fifteen minutes. I remember at some point becoming so overwhelmed with all the pillow options Kohl's offered, I had to step away for a few minutes. When I came back, I found Kevin staring at the wall of pillows, mesmerized like a fat kid at a marshmallow factory: completely lost in the white fluff.

We eventually decided on two down/feather core, extra-firm pillows. They are amazing by the way. Then, we were on to the mattress cushion. Who would have thought there would be so many options? There was 1", 2", 3", 4", and everything in between. All ranging in prices. We hadn't expected to spend as much as we did, but the 3" pad is fantastic and worth the investment (at least, that's what we're telling ourselves ... haha). I haven't slept so deeply in a long time. If you're interested in the brands, feel free to comment. With that said, after putting the cushion on my bed for the first time, I couldn't help but quote Despicable Me: "It's so fluffy!"











Tha Joint Picture: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Tha-Joint-Sushi-Grill/268699132254

Fluffy Picture: Kevin's awesome phone camera.

You Have 24 Hours to Pass this on. If You Don't ...

We have all received those nasty little chain letters at work. Most of the emails aren't bad, but, on certain occasions, they threaten bad ju-ju. Do you send it? Or, do you delete it? This is the question presented in the movie Chain Letter, a psycho-thriller.

Last night, Kevin picked out a movie from our favorite movie rental system, Red Box, and brought home Chain Letter. We had seen the preview, and felt the movie definitely had potential to be a good thriller. Even from the beginning, the movie seemed to have some good prospects with an attention grabbing opening scene; however, the movie soon fell into the hole that most horror flicks fall into: the cliche insertions that turn the movie more into a cheap comedy than a thriller. Yes, there was the random and completely unnecessary breast scene. And, of course, it seemed no one on set understood the first thing about blood. Blood rarely squirts like Old Faithful; it spills. The movie definitely leaned on its gore scenes to hold the attention of the audience, a real shame.

Chain Letter had good ideas for plot, good equipment, and a director with an interesting eye in capturing scenes (definitely a visual artist), but failed to execute the movie as a whole. The movie could have benefited from a better cast, with most of the actors over-acting. And, it needed to cut out some of the gore. Gore is for movies that have nothing else to get viewers through them, like Saw II-VI (Kevin will not agree with me here ... haha). With that said, the movie wasn't a total waste of time. I would suggest everyone watch it at least once.

Here is my final rating:

Anna's Awesome Movie Rating System (score of 0-5):

• Camera Quality: 4.5
• Mental Stimulation: 2.5 (could have been higher as a thriller, but relied too much on gore)
• Acting: 3.0
• Overall Experience: 3.5

Average rating: 3.375/5.0 = D+

Until next time ...

Oh ... I got the picture from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1148200/

And so It Begins ...

Hello, everyone! Welcome to my new blog. I've started this thing as a way to force myself to write and be creative. In four days, I will officially graduate--meaning I need to find some new hobbies besides school. I doubt this will be as hard as I'm making it out to be. Art, in general, is my passion. I draw, write, design, and even want to learn to love the art of cooking ... new recipes to come. Also, I have a wedding to plan! How exciting, right? So, I doubt I'll go stir-crazy. In fact, I bought a new planner today to ensure I won't. With this planner, I also bought stickers. They are a fantastic way to reward yourself for the simple day-to-day successes. See:



On that note, this post is simply for introductory purposes. My name is Anna. I love to be creative. As mentioned above, I'm graduating. What will you do with all that free time? Well ... I'm glad you asked. Here it goes:

1. Read books I actually WANT to read ... many, many, many books (posts to follow).
2. Learn to cook. Better yet, learn to love to cook.
3. Plan my wedding ... woo hoo!
4. Go on carefree hikes without stressing about homework that I should be doing instead.
5. Go to the gym more.
6. Eventually go job hunting.
7. And ... most importantly ... go out on weekdays!

More things will pop up, I'm sure. But for now, this little list will do. Frankly, I just want to have some time to enjoy not being a student. Yes, I plan on eventually going to grad school/law school, but not for two years. I want to get married first, and I want to work a full time job for awhile at least.

With that said, Glee will be starting in just a few minutes ... enough said.