Cirque du Soleil is an experience of art and music. It is a beautiful mix of circus arts and entertainment. And this weekend, they will be presenting "Dralion" in Dallas. The name, unusual as it is, is meant to symbolize a harmonious blend of the East (dragon) and the West (lion). Critics everywhere talk about this amazing experience, the beauty of the music and costumes, the outstanding and dazzling performances.
And, on Sunday, Austin and I will get to experience it for ourselves.
I've noticed that people seem to be very unhappy. We like to complain about everything from our jobs to our clothes to our food to our car to our politics to our religious problems. But why? What good does this do?
I will be the first to admit that I do have times when I'm having a bad day and I notice everything going wrong. I see all of the things I hate about my job. I see the problems in my relationships. I see how much I don't like my wardrobe. I see how much I don't like the way I look. I see the things wrong with my (almost brand new) car. I see the problems in the world. And on days like this, I've noticed I have a tendency to do nothing about these issues but bitch and moan.
But what good does this do? What does this accomplish?
You end up bringing everyone around you down. But it doesn't make you happy. It doesn't change your life. It doesn't change your circumstances. You're still miserable.
So get up. Stop your bitching. Change something. You don't like your job? Find a new one. Try to change your attitude. Come to the understanding that your work is not your life. Learn that work isn't going to always be fun. You aren't happy in your relationship? Figure out what you might be doing to make things worse and change it. Talk to your significant other about how to really make a change. Or accept that you might be holding on to something that was and let go of it. You don't like your clothes? Go shopping. Maybe realize that you are lucky to have as much as you do and stop being greedy. You don't like the way you look? Go on a diet. Eat healthier. Start working out. Be active. You don't like your car? Find a way to get one you're happy with. Maybe realize that there are thousands of people without a car. You don't like the way the world is? Get out there and volunteer. Help out other people. Make a difference in someone's life.
I know that I for one am going to stop complaining to everyone else and start making changes in life instead of sitting around complaining that nothing is changing. Get out there and take a chance on something. You don't want to look back on your life with regrets and nothing but "what ifs". You don't want to go through life unhappy. If we were to all sit around waiting for progress and change, nothing would ever happen.
Well, as July is coming to a close, I've realised how busy August is going to be! And really the next several months until I have a new schedule and I've reorganized my life properly. Not only will Austin and I be moving into a new apartment mid-August, but I'm also going to start registering for some classes!
Now, the moving aspect should be easy enough to handle (especially since we're not dumb enough to try and move ourselves in the middle of Texas summers), it's just the hassle of getting everything pack and unpacked. You have to make sure all of your mail is forwarded, all of your utilities ready to go on move in day, insurance, all of that fun stuff. I am looking forward to being able to decorate our new place in a completely different way. I also have to try and decide where I want all of our pictures and paintings hung, but that's the part of moving I really enjoy. And since I've moved many, many times over the course of my life, I'm kind of a pro at packing and moving and unpacking. The sad part is we're no longer in Dallas proper, we're in one of the suburbs of Dallas. It's really not a big deal, but I am doing to be a little sad that I am no longer actually living in the city. But c'est le vie.
I'm also really looking forward to registering for some college classes. The past year, I've been trying to decide if I really wanted to go back to school. And if I did, what did I want to study? What was my ultimate goal? Well, I've decided that I'm going to go back and work towards getting my MBA and hopefully be able to further my career with the new knowledge that I am sure to gain. I am also going to be taking a few art classes since I feel like my work has become slightly stagnant in the past year and I would like to actually work on bettering it. So, in August I'll be meeting with advisors and working out the classes that will best suit my schedule. As much as I value education and continuing to learn, I will not be one of the students that feels the need to give up their career. I'm great at multitasking and I love to be busy, so I know I wont have any problem being a part time student and working 90+ hours a week along with my other obligations.
I also realised that it has been several months since I last volunteered at the shelter I like to work at. With the chaos of the wedding, I let it slip to the back of my mind and have neglected to actually do any work there. Since this is a fabulous organisation and I loved working there a couple nights a week, the fact that I let it slip out of my life so easily was a little sad. So, I've decided to remedy the situation and I'll be starting to volunteer at the ELPO at least twice a week. I know that it is a little out of my way now that I don't live close by, but until we move I'll be back to working here. I'll also start the search for a new shelter to work at that's a little closer to our new home, but I'll stay at ELPO until I can find a new place to work at.
Last but not least, I've decided that in December, I'll be taking the Cecchetti Ballet Exam in January. I've been in ballet for only a year and I absolutely love it. For those that are unaware, Cecchetti is a style of ballet. There are many styles of ballet, this is just the one I chose to learn to study. There's not one style that's "better" than another, but I prefer Cecchetti and it's structured lessons and it's theories of movement. Anyways, there are many exams that a person can take, and each one will lead you into the next level and you become an even more experienced and educated ballerina after every exam. Now, the Exams aren't easy, but I'm excited to be able to work more on perfecting my form and becoming closer to the perfect ballerina.
So, with the changes in my schedule and the chaos that I'm sure will ensue from my controlled life changing so drastically, I'm not certain if I'll be able to post with the same regularity. I'm sure you are all just devastated about that fact....At least this will give me a lot more material to write about in the future!
This is one of the most beautiful songs ever. I originally thought American Aquarium would be too country for my personal taste, but they're amazing. Enjoy.
I love to cook. I love to cook for other people. And, if I do say so myself, I'm a pretty amazing chef. I like to work with a recipe I'm given and tweak it a little and make it a little different, something new. So I've decided to start posting a few of these recipes for you all to try out. Yes, these will be vegetarian. And yes, they will be delicious. My first recipe will be a risotto. Because I love risotto.
Wild Mushroom Risotto
Ingredients:
3 14 1/2-ounce cans vegetable broth
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
1 pound assorted wild mushrooms (such as oyster, crimini and stemmed shiitake), sliced
1 cup arborio rice
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
Dried herbs to have on hand:
Thyme
Red pepper
Basil
Herbs de Provence
The Process:
In a saucepan, pour all cans of vegetable broth. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and cover. We will be using this later but it does need to stay hot.
In a large skillet, melt the butter and add the diced shallot and garlic over medium heat. Saute this for (approximately) one minute. Add you mushrooms to the mix, saute until they are tender and you can see that their juices have been released. This will take anywhere from 5-10 minutes depending on how small you cut your mushrooms. Add your rice, stir to coat it in the mushroom/shallot/garlic. Increase the heat to medium high and add 1/2 cup of the vegetable broth. Let this simmer until it is completely absorbed then add another 1/2 cup of broth. Stirring frequently, continue the process of adding 1/2 cup of broth and letting the rice fully absorb it until the rice is tender. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and fresh thyme. Stir in the dried herbs to taste (I never actually measure this, but I would guess I use approximately one teaspoon of each). Remove from heat, add the sprig of rosemary, do not stir in as this will be removed before serving. Let it sit for ten minutes.
It has become increasingly popular for one to be a vegetarian in today's world. The most popular animal rights group is PETA. PETA actually only has (roughly) 750,000 members, not really as large as people seem to think. Why do people think they're the largest organization out there? They're constantly pulling some sort of stunt to garner media attention. There are hundreds of celebrities that are members of PETA. Seeing them in the media all the time will lead the general public to believe they are bigger than they really are. But is PETA as influential as people like to think? Do they really do as much good as people imagine? Should we be giving PETA credit for the amount of media coverage that has been devoted to animal rights lately?
A lot of people like PETA. But these people apparently don't know anything about the horrors that PETA actually is. In 2010 alone, PETA took in 2,345 animals. Out of this number, transferring 63 and only adopting 44 of these pets. What happened to the other 2,200? They were put down. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals? Right. Maybe this was just a one time fluke, maybe they were just suffering from the economic troubles that the rest of the country was facing. Maybe in years prior, they didn't end up putting down 93.8% of the animals they received. Let's look at their records for 2004, they accepted 2,655 animals that year. They only transferred one animal to a different shelter and adopted 361 of them. The other 2,278 (85.8%) were put down. For a detailed look at these records, click HERE
Well, their main goal is raising awareness, you might say. They are doing that, aren't they? They're just trying to provide equality to all living creatures, right? Well, everyone except women. PETA constantly uses scantily clad women and sexist tactics in order to prove their point. A simple google search for any PETA ad will bring you hundreds of images of scantily clad, white, attractive, thin women. You might not think much of it at first. But then you might notice that women are degraded in almost every advertisement that PETA uses in order to make their point. They are naked, nearly naked, in cages, covered in blood, beaten... PETA uses women in their advertising campaigns as no more than the way they look. Yes, sex sells, but women are more than "meat". The simple fact that PETA gives little to no respect to the women in their own publicity stunts is enough reason for any woman to be disgusted with them.
They are constantly trying to gain media attention for television commercials they know have no chance of being run but they try to submit them to a national broadcasting company (anyone remember the fiasco over NBC refusing to air their commercial for the Super Bowl in 2009?). They know there is no chance of this type of commercial being shown to the public on national television, but they submit it just so it can be rejected and they get the opportunity to criticize said company for not allowing it to be aired. PETA was up in arms about the fact that the following commercial was not aired during the 2009 Super Bowl, but really, would you want to see this with children in the room?
And take this picture for example:
PETA had women wrapped in plastic, almost completely naked, and covered in fake blood. These protesters were made to look like meat you would find in a supermarket (only a LOT bloodier). The stickers attached to these human meat dishes read, "Billions of animals are abused and violently killed because you eat meat. Get Help visit GoVeg.com". I get the point they're trying to make, but to me, this is just an extremely sexist and disgusting display. It shows nothing more than an organization trying to get media attention. And really, "Get help"? Like eating meat is some sort of disease or addiction people suffer from. And what does this protest succeed in doing? Nothing. People that agree with PETA thought of it as art, those that don't found it disgusting. This is using the "sex sells" motto to the extreme.
As a vegetarian, I find almost everything about PETA horrifying. I am all for actually trying to make changes in the communities we live in. I believe in protecting innocent animals from the cruelty that they are faced with every day. I think the meat industry has becoming absolutely disgusting and I'm glad people are finally trying to make a change in it. I do not believe in degrading women into nothing more than an object and setting feminism back in the process. I also think the idea of converting someone to be a vegetarian is wrong. You do what you want, eat what you want, but if you ask me why, I will give you my opinion and my reasons to why I don't eat meat. I wont try to convert you (seriously, PETA calls vegetarians and vegans "converts", how cult-like is that?!).
Unless you're one of those antifun vegans. Then I might try to convert you.
In honor of Fred and George and the sacrifices of the Order of the Pheonix and the 50 Hogwarts students made at the last battle, I'm planning on getting this tattoo in the near future. Since Harry Potter has been a huge part of my life, getting an HP tattoo is one of the better choices for tattoos out there (and really, am I ever up to anything good? Seems to fit me perfectly) I think, instead of on my arm, I'll be getting it on my shoulder blade or across the top of my back. I'm also going to be getting a tattoo in remembrance of my dear friend, Justin. Again, no idea when this is going to happen, just that it will be sometime in the near future.
I know I'm not the only one out there with Post Potter Depression. This is a story that many of us have grown up with for the past 14 years.
There are millions of people out there that have grown up with this story that are now trying to figure out what next. Yes, some of you out there think it's a bit ridiculous for us to be so torn apart by the fact that it's all over. You think that it's just a movie. You think it's just a book. You think it's just a story.
But it's not.
I remember getting the first book on my seventh birthday. I remember all of the book releases, every midnight premiere. I remember the late nights trying to finish the books before anyone else. I remember locking myself in my room when I was young so people wouldn't spoil the endings for me. I remember all the friends I made in each new school because people would see that I, too, was a Potterhead. I know all the late night conversations trying to decide if Snape was good or evil. I've grown up with Dan, Emma, Rupert, Tom, James, Oliver, Matt and Evanna for the past ten years. I've seen them on Platform 9 and 3/4 until the final scene, sending their own children off to Hogwarts. I've cried with Harry after he lost the only family he has ever known, Sirius. I laughed at all of the ranks pulled by Fred and George. I cheered at Dobby being unintentionally set free by Lucious. I mourned his death, always remembering that Dobby has no masters because he is a free elf. I cried when Dumbeldore died and I refused to give up on Snape. I stood by Snape through everything, I knew he couldn't have been evil. I was overjoyed to be able to prove to people that I was right after reading The Prince's Tale. I was proud of Narcissa for lying to the Dark Lord just for the chance to see her son again. I cheered when Ron and Hermione finally were able to be together. I cheered when Kreacher led the house elves into battle. I cried when Fred, Lupin, Tonks, Colin, Lavender and 50 other students died at the final battle.
So no, this is not just a story. This is the biggest part of my childhood and my life that has just come to an end. That is why there are millions of fans around the world that are mourning the loss of this second family. And to anyone out there wondering why children, teenagers and adults alike are flocking to theaters and cluttering your twitter, facebook, tumblr and whatever else they can with Harry Potter, there is a reason. We are all mourning and celebrating the best 14 years of our life.
I almost forgot to make a post about this with all of the Harry Potter insanity that has been going on, but my wedding photographer is going to submit one of these photographs for the cover of a bridal magazine! I'm not sure when I'll find out if they chose to use one of them, or if they will even let me know if they don't want to use one, but it is pretty exciting to think about the fact that one of these pictures could be on a magazine!!
Yes, I do know that is from The Philosopher's Stone before a quidditch match, but this just seems to fit the final movie perfectly. I wont say anything to ruin the movie for anyone out there, but I will say this: It is the most amazing, epic and perfect movie ever.
For the most part, I have been pretty pleased with the Potter films. Some have been beyond great, others have been flawed, but this final epic film is easily the best Potter film bar none. It's full of epic sequences, brilliant performances, and it's never short of thrilling. It's one of the most enjoyable films I've seen all summer. Ever really. I honestly believe that it will end up the best movie of the summer. Yates directs this film masterfully. It's always entertaining and completely surprising. It's a true treat for all the people who have been following this franchise since the first film was released. It's definitely sad that it's over, but this is a fantastic way to go out. Harry Potter says good-bye with a bang. Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint have all grown since the first film. They each give their finest performances of their careers. You can truly sense the raw emotion in their performances as they act their hearts out because underneath they knew they'd never visit these characters again. The three young stars leave it all on the table and wear their hearts on their sleeves in this film and it really added a poignant feel to the film. Also, Ralph Fiennes, always chilling as Voldemort goes out with a bang as well. This is arguably his finest Potter hour as well. Everybody behind and in front of the camera were truly on top of their game. Fantastic acting, cinematography and fx. The actors have grown so much, I really think they finally found their comfort zone in this one and the result is an epic conclusion that yanks at your heart in those moments of quiet, but doesn't let you wallow there too long before using simple comedy through the acting to pull you out and back into the action.
What else can I say? If you're a big fan (or casual) of the Potter series, you will truly enjoy this epic and truly stunning final chapter in this exciting franchise. It's one of the best franchises Hollywood has ever seen and this final installment proves it's merit. The Harry Potter franchise was an enjoyable experience and they truly saved the best for last. This is a gem for the hardcore fans, they will surely not be disappointed. Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows: Part II is the most impressive Harry Potter film yet as they saved the best for last. It's the closest thing to a masterpiece that we've seen this summer. I'm going to miss you Harry Potter, thanks for a truly incredible ride!
Yes, I came home and re-read the ending. Yes, I cried when Harry was having that final conversation with his passed loved one. Yes, I cried when Snape was killed and we watched his memories. To conclude. It was awesome, emotional, perfectly-paced and there will be nothing like Harry Potter again in my lifetime. Yes, I'm a dork. And I must say, I feel sad and kind of empty now that it has truly ended...
I absolutely adore A Fine Frenzy. The first album was pretty amazing, very soulful and deep. Her newer album, A Bomb in a Birdcage, is a little more upbeat. This is one of my favorite songs off this album, although really, you can't go wrong with anything this girl does.
Friday, July 8, 2011
I'm really looking forward to tonight. This week has been... Tough, to say the least. And I'm glad it's going to be over soon. Austin has told me that tonight we're going to get coffee, get a couple bottles of wine, build a blanket fort and have a Harry Potter marathon. He knows how to cheer me up. This is just one of the many reasons I love him. How many other people would be willing to drink wine in a blanket fort and watch Harry Potter? Not many.
I am not a college graduate. I see no reason that I need to go to college. College used to be a way for the elite to set themselves apart from the rest of the workforce. Now, almost everyone has a college degree. And hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt with no real experience to show for their years of work.
From the day you start your freshman year of high school, students are told that they need to be thinking about which college they would like to go to and what they would like to major in and what they would like to do after college. Some people may have been able to answer this question, I was not one of those people. I went through high school unsure about what I wanted to do and what I wanted to major in. I was going to enroll in a state school, take out loans that wouldn't cover the scholarships I would receive, and go to school. I thought this was what people did. I thought this was the only way to make it in the world. Instead, my (then boyfriend, now husband) and I decided to move to Dallas (where he is from). We were both lucky that his parents do have a lot of connections and they were able to help us get jobs that we both love. And now, I've been working for the property management company for one of the largest buildings in Dallas. People are amazed I'm as young as I am. They are also astonished that I didn't go to college.
I've noticed that a lot of my friends that have gone to college are starting to begin their search for a job. The complaint I hear most from these friends is that all prospective employers are looking for someone with experience. Yet, none of these newly graduated people have experience. I've been at my current job for the past three years, gaining real work experience. Building my resume. Becoming a desirable employee. And, honestly, my resume is pretty awesome. And when you consider that the education you have is listed on the second page or at the bottom of your one-page resume, and the fact that the average employer only looks at a resume for roughly 5-10 seconds, most employers won't notice your education until you are actually called in for an interview. That is, if you're lucky enough to get called in for an interview with no experience to speak of.
I'm not saying college is bad or worthless. I'm saying people that feel you will get nowhere in life without a piece of paper are wrong. I know that education is important, but thinking you're not going to be as much of an asset or you're not as valuable of an employee is wrong.
And for the record, I am looking into going back to school. Just because I like to learn, not because I have to. And I think that is going to make all the difference.
The verdict was just announced. Okay, I know I haven't been following the Casey Anthony as closely as a lot of people, but even I knew she was guilty! How does someone not see that she is guilty on all counts?! Not guilty of murder, child abuse and manslaughter... How?! The only thing she is found guilty of is lying to the police, with the possibility of no more than four years in prison. So, that means we all know she wont serve time. How do those jurors think that that was an innocent death?!
