Life Update

So school started in mid-September and since then, my life has been non-stop school and work. The free time I have had was spent watching all the most recent 7 seasons of Doctor Who, which I completely fell in love with. My favorite doctor is definitely David Tennant, he just brought so much to the part! I've also begun watching the spin-off series of Torchwood and I am pretty much done that. I now feel like that world is such a big part of my life. Guess you could call me a whovian ;). 

I've also been planning something really big and exciting, but also super stressful. I have been officially accepted to go to a semester at the University of Nottingham in the UK, meaning I will be spending 6 months from January to June in England. I've already paid the deposit for my accommodation and I am working on finding a flight that actually gets in at a time that will work with the coach that brings international students to the school from the airport... Doing this exchange was a really last minute decision, because I had dropped out of the Co-op (internship) program but still wanted to do something with my time in university. A lot of my friends are doing exchanges and some people I know transferred to universities I have always wanted to go to... You could say I got jealous. I am really excited for this trip, both for the amazing travel opportunities I will have when i am there and the amazing history courses I will be able to take. I've set up another blog so that I can document my travels and I also plan on keeping a journal/scrapbook type thing. I have many places I would like to see and I really want to be able to share my adventures with my friends and family, so a blog is probably the best way. 

 

 

The semester is halfway over, but the worst is yet to come. I have to write 4 papers of various lengths and on various topics. While I enjoy doing it, I am not a huge of the pressure and stress. I then have to write 5 finals. Don't you just love university? After that, things will get much better though. I'll be working almost every day to get money for my trip, but I will at least have one week off to visit with my family. Then I jet off to England! The next few months should be interesting...

RIP Kona

June 11, 2001 - August 13, 2012

You were the best dog anyone could ever ask for. You were adorable, loving, hilarious and super sweet. I wish you could still be here to keep me company, but you were so sick and in so much pain. But being the good boy you were, you never complained. We just could not see you struggle any more, especially since you were obviously suffering from a crazy infection and who knows what else. Your hair didn't grow back after we shaved you for summer and you lost so much weight because you hardly ate. And at 11 years old, you just could not handle a surgery, nor could we afford it. You were a fantastic boy, my best cutest boy, and we will miss you sooo much. I hope you are safe and no longer hurting, where ever you are. I love you, forever and always.

:(

Recent Additions to my Movie Collection

It may just be me, but whenever i see a really good deal on a movie that i loved or have been wanting to see for forever, i sometimes tend to slip and buy them. Not so good for my wallet, but i don't do it enough that it should be considered a problem. These are some of the purchases i have made over the last two months. And yes, they are DVD's because i do not own a blu-ray player, nor do i own a game system that is compatible. Blu-Ray's are expensive, even when you do find them on sale!

 

I got In Time and Iron Man at Superstore for 8-10$ each. I had been wanting to buy In Time because it was one of my favorite movies this year and i could not believe it was so cheap for such a recent release. I adore the Marvel films and want to gradually get all of them, so i figured i would start with Iron Man. 

 

I got X-Men: First Class and What's Your Number? at Wal-Mart for 10$ each. I can't even express how much i loved X-Men: First Class and since it is a Marvel film, i couldn't pass up the bargain. I had been wanting to see What's Your Number? for quite some time, so i figured i would buy it. I am so glad i did, because it was a great movie!

These last four are my most recent purchases. I got them from Wal-Mart yesterday for 7$ each. I was not planning on buying movies, but i saw that they were having their summer blowout so i went to see what they had on sale. I ended up getting Life as we Know it, a movie i loved; Crazy Stupid Love, a fantastic movie that i had been wanting to buy since i had seen it; Inception, a ridiculously well done movie that i have been wanting to re-watch since i saw it in theaters; and Happy Feet Two, which i have not seen, but i own and loved the first one so i figured i would get it.

:)

Zoo Trip 2012

Recently Watched Movies (Spoilers)

The Avengers

I absolutely loved The Avengers. It was the best super hero film that i have seen in a long time. It does a really good job of sticking to the fact that it is a super hero movie. Though it includes a lot of big characters, it does a really good job in making sure they get relatively equal screen time. There a bunch of absolutely hilarious lines and pumps out many great one-liners. The action sequence is fantastic. There is one shot that pans from character to character as they fight without cutting - it was beautiful. Joss Whedon and the cast did a fantastic job with this film and i look forward to the upcoming Marvel films we have been promised!

War Horse

War Horse was another film that i adored. I heard many many good things about this film before i saw it, so i was looking forward to seeing what people were saying was an amazing film. I completely agree with the reviews. This film is emotionally heart wrenching and inspiring, humorous yet tragic. We follow Joey, the horse, throughout World War 1, also witnessing the stories of several people in the War. Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Hiddleston, two of my favorite actors, are in this film and they do a fantastic job. My emotional attachment to them made their section all the better. The two German boys, while only a small part of the story, provided a very sad reality of the war - young boys were sent off to war and died. Emilie, the French girl who found Joey and his companion after the boys, provided a refreshing view of the innocence that still prevailed during that time. I wish we knew what happened to her! After a horrible stint with the French army and the death of Joey's companion, Joey escapes and then finds himself in no mans land, unfortunately stuck in wire. A wonderful show of cooperation between the British and Germans is seen as they work to cut Joey free and then part as unlikely acquaintances. This brings us full circle and we see the reunion of Joey and his owner, who had gone to war in search of him. This film is just fantastic. I can't help but love it. I also bought the book and plan to read that as soon as possible!

John Carter

I honestly don't get why this film got such bad reviews. It was a fun, creative film based on what was the first science-fiction book to be written (1912!). Taylor Kitsch did a really good job in his role and the characters on Mars were hilarious. The Tharks - green four armed aliens - were hilarious and their society interesting. The red humanoid aliens provided a human counterpart on mars in the middle of a 'civil' war? The storyline itself was really interesting and considering the time it was written, original. It was probably a big inspiration for future science fiction novels and films. I think that they did a good job with this film, though i am sure it could have been done better, there are always things to change. But i liked it, a lot actually. I even bought 7 of the books it was based on because i am interested. I personally think that they should have marketed this film differently and better - then maybe it would have done better in theaters. I plan on buying the DVD because i would really like to watch this again. 

I would definitely recommend all these films to every one. The Avengers and John Carter if you enjoy fun films. The Avengers is almost a no brainer. War horse was fantastic especially if you like war films and stories of war. 

:)