Getting Into the Fifa World Cup Spirit, from a Nerds Point of View

 I'm a bit of a nerd.

For the longest time I thought I was more geek then nerd (I know many people think they're about the same, but this isn't the blog post for that), but after conversations with my family I've realized I was in nerd-denial.

I am a nerd.

Bona fide.  100%.  Classic textbook.

In short, if I had a choice of going to a sports game vs. spending several hours in a library or bookstore, I'd choose the books.

(Unless it's baseball, in that case bring on the hot dogs and Cracker Jacks.)

That being said, I've been trying to branch out a little.  See if I might like sports beyond the Olympics, Ice Skating, or occasional minor league baseball game, so I picked a sport to try a couple months ago, Soccer, thanks to the Real Salt Lake team who are quite popular here.

It's interesting, but I'm not quite hooked yet.  As far as I can tell people run back and forth trying to make a single point.  2 points in a professional game is really good.  Just running back and forth.  (You can fast forward a game and get the gist.)  I know!!  Not giving the experience what it's worth!  Not giving soccer a true try.

I've heard that seeing a game in person is a lot better then watching it on TV.  That's surely the case for baseball.  I want to catch at least one live Real Salt Lake game this season before making my assessment on soccer, then I'll try out another sport.  Salt Lake Jazz?  Maybe.

(I just Googled "Salt Lake Jazz" to add a link, but discovered a Jazz music festival in Salt Lake this July instead.  I love jazz.)

Anyway, enter the Fifa World Cup!

I've watched most of the games so far.  Accomplishment.  (Granted, some of the games were fast forwarded, but I did go back to watch goals and referee calls.)

When I wrote on Twitter, "Just finished watching the #WorldCup2014 game between Brazil and Croatia. Congrats to Brazil. Still thinking about that yellow card . . ." a few days ago, my brother Steven wrote:

"Still shocked that you are still watching..."

Then Robbie wrote: "Impressed."

Come on, this isn't any stranger then my Dad getting into NASCAR!

Though, gotta admit, watching cars spin off the track is pretty fun.

But I was suddenly reminded of this picture.

Place: Bee's baseball game in Salt Lake.

What: Robbie and Michael playing their Nintendo DS's instead of watching, and being quite proud of the fact.

When: Many moons ago, aka years.

I asked Robbie yesterday if he wanted to watch the Argentina team, and he declined!  Choosing to watch a Star Trek marathon instead!  (It did make me nostalgic over Star Trek Voyager, and a realization that I should watch all of Deep Space Nine.)

That being said, I am actually enjoying the World Cup.  Fast forwarding aside.

The game between The Netherlands and Spain was really good.  Sad Japan lost their game.  Happy Argentina won theirs.

And the USA game is about to start!  They're playing Ghana.  (I'll be watching that tonight.)

June 22nd is Portugal

June 26 is Germany.

So far the jury's still out, but I'm giving Soccer a fair chance, and learning a little something along the way :0)

Some Things Never Change and I Finally Go to the LDS Mid Singles Ward!!

This last week I received the seven season Road to Avonlea wide screen box set in the mail.  It's my all time favorite TV series.  So well done.  Family friendly.  Amazing.  Timeless.  Highly recommended.

So it got me feeling nostalgic, and I found an old Road to Avonlea book on my bookshelf and started thumbing through the pages.

Suddenly I found an old Star Wars book mark, one I had lost and forgotten, dating to the end of elementary school, and I had to laugh.

Some things never change!!

I love Road to Avonlea and Star Wars just as much now as I did as a kid.

But then good entertainment never gets old :0)

(In other news, Happy Fathers Day!!!  For Fathers day I gave my Dad the gift of finally going to the mid singles ward.  AKA, LDS mid singles = single between 31-45 years old.  This probably doesn't sound like a big deal, but for me it is.  I was called to be Relief Society President of my Young Single Adult ward when I turned 31, so that's where I was supposed to be, but now that I'm 32 it's time to move on.  Embrace this new stage in life.  Change is good.)

June 2014 POPSUGAR Must Have Box Review with Spoilers

POPSUGAR Must Have is a monthly subscription lifestyle box for gals.  The cost is $39.95 a month, free shipping, but it's cheaper when you subscribe with a 3, 6, or 12 months subscription.  On any month you can receive goodies for home, a book, fitness, snack, makeup, pampering, fashion, etc.  You never know what you're going to get, only that it will be fun and worth around $100, give or take a little.

 As of today the June box is still for sale!  It probably wont be for much longer.  Coupon code REFER5 saves you $5!  JUNESELECT10 will save $10 on a 3 month sub (which is already $10 off, so that's like $20!).

They've changed the packaging!  I love the new look and white tissue paper.

 And I love the palm tree and design of the pamphlet.  Before it was just a pink square, but this new look makes the box feel special and well curated.  This whole box has a nice feel.  I was disappointed last week when the spoilers first came out, but now that I have it, and have gone through everything, this is one of my favorite boxes yet.

The One and Only by Emily Giffin, valued at $28.  A book!  And it's a novel at that.  Perfect for Summer.  I'm kinda embarrassed to admit that I've never heard of Emily Giffin, since she writes chick lit and I hang out in sci-fi/fantasy land, but I'm excited to give this a go.  Apparently there's a lot of football in it, which I really don't know much about, so this will be good!  I'll be reading a little romance and learn more about sports at the same time!  Two birds with one stone!  Broadening ones horizon is a good thing.

I've read the first chapter, and though I don't care for first person narrative, her style is warm and conversational, so I'm looking forward to this read.

 One Potato, Two Potato Hawaiian BBQ Chips, valued around $2.  I haven't tried this yet, but from what I've read on the forum everyone is loving these.  I'm saving these chips for a BBQ with steak, hopefully sooner then later :0)

 Turkish-T Beach Towel, valued at $32.  I love the color and style of this type.  It's so thin I'm thinking about using it as a scarf!

 You Smell Wet Wipes, valued at $5.  At first I really wasn't sure what to do with these, but I've decided to use one to clean my laptop keyboard and then my desk.  They have a nice soft lemon smell.

And I love the box!!!  This is my supreme giggle for the month.

 "Once clean, you'll emit a scent worthy of royalty.  Brightly colored birds will land on you singing, as unicorns prance by.  Crowds will part as you walk through them, possibly kneeling."

Heh.  If only.

 Lollies Basics Hair Ties, valued at $8.  Since they're made with swimwear these don't stretch like normal hair ties.

 And I wear my hair ties on my arm when not using them, so it's cool they can double as a bracelet.

 Sachajuan Shiny Citrus Body Lotion, valued at $24.  I'm so glad we got Shiny Citrus and not Spicy Citrus!  I tried to imagine what "shiny citrus" would smell like, but honestly if citrus could shine, it would smell like this.  I love the smell, and it lasts for hours.  The lotion feels really good, too.

One things for sure, I'm going to use this all up, and I'll be sad when it's gone.

Native Union $15 Coupon Code Voucher.  I'm not a big fan of gift cards in sub boxes, and since I'm short on cash I passed this on to my brothers.  Though, after going through their website, I'm eying a mint colored monocle.  If my brothers decide not to use the voucher, I might have to save up for one.  I've got till the end out August.

Overall a fantastic box.

Perfect for Summer.

Edge of Tomorrow, Movie Revew

Rating: 4.25 out of 5 stars

Edge of Tomorrow starts on a somber note.  We are treated to news report visuals, highlighting a 5 year alien attack on Earth.  Europe turned red in a wave.  The footage is a little jarring, but effective, as we are led, not really told, into Cage's (Tom Cruise) story.  He's pompous and arrogant, a first class jerk, selling the American public and World the idea of joining a fight he refuses to take part.  He's successful. Many people enlist.  But this success isn't enough to keep Cage out of the fight.

There was a major victory at Verdun, thanks to Rita (Emily Blunt), the new face of the war.  Her image plastered everywhere.  A hero.  This success encourages the military to launch Operation Downfall, a full assault on the alien Mimics in Europe, where everyone fighting will wear mechanic exoskeletons to aid the fight.  Cage is ordered to the front lines to cover the first wave, but he refuses, and then blackmails the General.  Not smart.  Soon Cage is thrust to the front lines where time will begin to repeat itself, caught in a loop, reliving the same day over and over again every time he dies.

Okay, I think I just made this movie sound kinda lame.

Edge of Tomorrow isn't lame at all, but extremely well written, intelligent, fast paced, action packed with a great balance of humor, none of which I was expecting.  And the aliens in this movie are really quite interesting.

Oh, and can I mention how awesome Emily Blunt is in this movie!?  There, I've mentioned it.  And I'm not a huge Tom Cruise fan at all, but I really like him in this role.

The movie's trailer gave me the initial feeling of lament, capitalizing on the loop theme of Edge of Tomorrow.  "Live. Die. Repeat" is Edge's tag line.  The trailer portrays the film as stark serious and repetitive. A darker side to Groundhog Day and Source Code with an alien invasion theme.  We've seen it all before, haven't we?  The trailer seems unoriginal, but this is further from the truth.  The marketing campaign for this movie was all wrong!  Instead the trailer should have showed us cocky Cage before the battle, and then scenes of fighting mixed with quips of humor, separating Edge of Tomorrow from the pack.  I'm afraid the poor marketing has buried a fun action fun, sense it came behind The Fault in Our Stars and Maleficent last weekend.

The pacing seemed a little slow getting into the movie, but it's when the looping starts that Edge becomes really interesting.

Really pay attention during the last five minutes of the movie!  I missed a little information at the end, leaving me a little confused.  (I'm a visual thinker, not auditory, so when I'm visually thinking about something I miss auditory clues.  I had to ask family members some of the ending details because it's given in a news report.)  Also, not everything that happens at the end is completely explained, but my brothers came up with a great theory as to why a certain thing happened, and I totally buy it.  I can't spell it out here because I'll spoil the ending!

I honestly have some mixed feelings over the ending, though my family loved the way it all tied up

Also, don't bother with the 3D.  I don't think it added much.

Overall Edge of Tomorrow is a great Summer blockbuster that lovers of speculative fiction will enjoy.

MPAA: Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language and brief suggestive material.

Best Fortune Cookie Ever

The year was around 2008-ish.  At least that's what I remember.  That's the problem with memories.  They're  blurred and sometimes hazy.  Only the punchline is clearly defined, such is the case here.

My Mom and I were getting ready to head towards California, car packed, running late for whatever reason, bracing for the 13 hour drive.  We decided to join my Dad for lunch at the Provo Town mall during his break.

We all had Panda Express, and as the American costume goes, we took turns opening our fortune cookies by meals end and read them each out loud.

"You are heading for a land of Sunshine and Relaxation."

When I read my fortune I burst out laughing.

For once my fortune spoke truth!

The California coast is definitely sunny and relaxing.

This is a story I've told several times, but forgot the exact wording of said fortune.  During dinner tonight we had a variety of Panda Express and KFC, satisfying my families different likes.  My Grandma got the fortune pictured above, the same one I got many years ago.  Unfortunately she isn't heading towards California, but we are heading into Summer, so that counts, too.

My fortune tonight said something about, "Soon being showered with good luck."  My Dad said I need a shower. -_-;;.  Regardless, I'll take all the good luck I can get! 

Breathtaking Pas de Deux: Swan Lake

Wow.

Just Plain Wow.

This takes ballet Pas de Deux to a whole new level.

Performed by the Great Chinese State Circus, recreating a scene from Swan Lake.

Took my breath away.

My Experience at the Odyssey of the Mind World Finals in Ames Iowa

 It's crazy to think that just a week ago I was sitting at a table judging Problem 5, div. II at the Odyssey of the Mind World competition.

Just a week ago!

I've dreamed of World's, barely missing out my senior year in High School when our team placed 3rd at the California State competition.  So, so close.

I never dreamed an opportunity would present itself in the form of being an official.

Goodness, this last week was such a privilege.

 What is Odyssey of the Mind?  It's a creative solution program for those kindergarten through college.  There's a long term problem (Problem 1: Vehicles, Problem 2: Technical, Problem 3: Classics, Problem 4: Structure, and Problem 5: Performance.)  And there's a short spontaneous problem that the teams get on the day of competition.

There's something for everyone.

It's best just to watch:

 This is a montage of all the problems at World Finals this year.

Waiting for opening ceremonies while watching all the teams head inside.

Utah!

 

 My home for three days :0)

 I helped judge Problem 5 Division II (middle school), which was called "Seeing is Believing."  Problem 5 is the performance category.  From the website:

"In this problem teams are to create and present an original performance about a community that feels threatened by something in a location it has never visited. The community townspeople will use a creative method to select one or more Travelers to visit and explore the location. While at the location, a Traveler will use a means of communication to send a message home to convince the community that there is nothing to fear. The performance will also include a narrator character, two rhymes about the travels, and a moving set piece."

 The winning team who came all the way from Poland.

It was so much seeing all the creative ways each team solved this problem.  One team had a group of retired rockers (Gene Simmons, Cher, Elvis, etc) who feared the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic phenomenon.  Another team were deer who feared the moon because many of their friends were killed by headlights (their giant pop-up book style back drop made out of cardboard was really cool).  Another team feared a land of homophones because that land was stealing their identities.  Really funny.  Treble clefs fearing the bass clef, only to meet up at middle C.  Black and White worlds fearing color.  Just a lot of fun :0) 

 The AMAZING judging team I got to be apart of.  Everyone was truly amazing.  It felt like an amazing family I was privileged to be apart of.  They are the icing, the cherry on top, and what made this week so wonderful.  I just realized our gallant leader, aka Head Judge, isn't in this picture!  What's up with that?

Off to find another picture . . . okay, here you go.

They've already announced the 2014-2015 problem synopsis for next year.  Problem 5 is going to be So Much Fun :0)

"Problem 5: Silent Movie
Divisions I, II, III & IV
Lights, camera...action! In this problem teams will create and present a performance depicting a Director character that produces and presents a silent movie featuring a humorous villain character that commits three silly acts of “villainy”. Characters that are in the movie may not speak as part of the presentation of the movie. Instead, like classic silent films, the team will use music played on a team-created instrument and creatively displayed subtitles to convey its story to the audience and judges. Also, teams will use a signal to indicate when the movie begins and ends."

Doesn't that sound awesome?!

A lot of the other problems sound fun too.  Classics, Problem 3, is Pandora's box meet video games. You can read the other problems here.

 Pin trading!!!!!!  It's a sport all unto itself at Worlds!!!  I didn't come prepared with enough pins.  I'm buying more Utah pins next year to bring to Worlds :0)

 I have a story for every pin, which I'll later jot down for my journal :0)

 My view from the hotel.  I spent a couple late afternoons relaxing, just watching the outside.  I love a good view.

My friend and I heading into the closing ceremonies, surreal that everything was coming to an end. 

 A team from Utah won an Omer award!  The Omer award is like the "grace under fire" award.  It's for those who truly embody the spirit of Odyssey of the Mind, finding creative solutions to problems, the unexpected, or other opportunities.  Turning lemons into lemonade in a fantastic way.  From the odyssey website:

"Weilenmann School of Discovery, Park City UT Problem 2, Division I

In the early portion of their long-term presentation, this first-year Division I team had their entire backdrop slowly collapse on top of the characters. As this occurred, instead of panicking, one team member exclaimed “Hurricane!” and collapsed to the floor with the set. Other team members quickly began acting similarly with comments of the “destroyed house.” Unable to get the backdrop fully reassembled, they smiled and said “Here it comes again!!” This team embodied the true spirit of Odyssey by taking the problem in-stride. By remaining upbeat with a positive outlook, they turned what should have been a tragedy into one of the funniest skits of the day."

 I knew pin trading was a big deal, but I didn't know trading shirts was something a lot of people did, too!  It typically happens after closing ceremonies.  I heard the Official shirt was one of the shirts kids really want.  I didn't need another shirt for myself (I got a beautiful North Carolina shirt earlier that week), so I decided to trade two of my three official shirts for kid sizes, to give away at the Utah State Competition.

I decided to meander out of the giant inclosed stadium, finding myself behind a team from Mexico. I noticed one girl with a bunch of shirts, so I asked her if she wanted to trade.  She already had an official shirt, but her coach quickly realized what was going on, and spoke in Spanish to another girl.  She perked up and went for her bag, asking in broken English if I wanted a green shirt or a white shirt.  I asked to look at them and decided on the green.  Really great design.  The trade was made, and she was giddy as the group left.

Quickly a girl from Poland came over, asking if I was trading the other official shirt, and I said I was, and would make a trade if she had a shirt.  In a flash the trade was made, and she ran off, even more excited then the girl from Mexico, if that was possible :0)

I looked down then and noticed the Polish shirt was a sweaty large, not a good size for a kid.  And on the back of the shirt said "Damb," the name of the school I believe, which probably wouldn't go over well with some parent in Utah.

At the closing party my friends Mom, a coach from Arizona, spent the night trading shirts.  She's crazy good at it!!!  Amongst the growing pile of OotM shirts I spotted a small Oklahoma shirt, their 35 anniversary tee with a candy crusher theme.  Perfect!  And the trade was made.

 Speaking about the closing, recovering party: It was amazing!  I was picturing the party taking place in a room.  This was not what I was expecting.  Totally overwhelming and awesome.

 The crowning experience of the week was spent on top of a Ferris wheel.  Can't complain.

When we got back from the party there was a pile of Thank You cards from the kids, thanking us for volunteering.  Honestly, everything I do with Odyssey of the Mind is volunteer, but through experience, watching the kids be creative, I feel I've gotten so much in return.  So much more then I given.

This is an amazing program.

Maleficent, Movie Review

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

I blame Once Upon a Time for this movie.

I do.

I really, really do.

Is this a bad thing?

Nah.

But there seems to be a trend amongst our culture in seeing the good in evil.  Maybe we just love a good redemption story.  We've all got a little evil in us.  We've all got the potential to be wicked.  Didn't Luke Skywalker see himself in Darth Vader on Dagobah?  (Okay, I'm really getting deep here.)

We're still in the throes of Super Hero popularity.  Zombie's and Steampunk are popular, but more amongst cult followers.  Vampires are finally dieing out!  Didn't think that was possible, did ya?  Heh, both the fandom and the species. * Irish Jig. * Maybe I shouldn't be too hopeful . . .

And then there's Fairy Tales.  Albert Einstein said:

"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales."

So fairy tales are making their rounds.  We've got Once Upon a Time and multiple versions of Snow White.  Jack and the Giant Slayer.  Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters.  The musical Wicked, which I count as an American fairy tale, based on the witches of Oz.  And a beautiful, fun re-imagining of the Sleeping Beauty ballet by choreographer Matthew Bourne, which can still be viewed  online on the PBS website.

Which brings me to Maleficent.  The evil sorcerer from Disney's Sleeping Beauty.  The latest live action film from Disney, following the popular 2010 Alice in Wonderland.  Next year we get Cinderella.  This is Maleficent's origin story.

This isn't Maleficent from 1959, the classic animation that made us all fear spindles and dragons.  This Maleficent is soft in comparison.  Where the animated Maleficent was callous, this new Maleficent was just having a . . . spoilers.  Don't want to give anything away.

The Maleficent (Angelina Jolie) we are introduced to is a spirited figure, a child fairy of the Moors, full of laughter and innocence.  She loves her land of magic, and with her wings she flies above, watching and protecting, guarding the land from selfish humans.  One morning it's brought to her attention that a human boy snuck in and stole something (foreshadowing his character by chance?), and she goes to confront, love's quickly born in good ol' Disney fashion.  It's this relationship that forms her character and defines her motives.

When Maleficent does not get an invitation to the celebration of Princess Aurora's (Elle Fanning) birth, she feels more then simply left out.  There's more sting.  More anger.  More hatred.  More loss.  I must state that I was a little nervous about Jolie playing such an iconic character, but the cursing scene, in which baby Aurora is cursed to fall into an endless sleep by her 16th birthday, is absolutely brilliant.  Jolie looked like she was having fun.

There are flaws in this new take on Sleeping Beauty.  I don't like Prince Phillip at all.  He's a pretty boy wimp.  The 1959 Prince Phillip did something!  He was a hero!  This Prince Phillip just stands/floats around.  And the three fairies Flittle, Knotgrass, and Thistletwit are annoying.  They're tasked at protecting Aurora, but seem to do nothing right.  They're dumber then a scarecrow without a brain.  This adds comedy for the little folk, but I wish there was more substance then silly slapstick.

After all this criticism why did I give Maleficent a solid 4 stars?  I'm a sucker for pretty.  I love the look of the film.  The depiction of the Moors is beautiful in fairy like wonder.  And I love a movie that can suck me in.  Do I feel this movie is cliche?  Yes.  Do I like the nature in which Maleficent lost her wings?  Not I all.  Predictable and incredibly uncomfortable.  But I still enjoyed this movie and had a good time.  There's value in that.  And I recommend Maleficent.

Though Maleficent isn't the ruthless sorcerer from 1959, I still find this Maleficent interesting.  And overall this is a sweet story I can see again and again.

MPAA: Rated PG for sequences of fantasy action and violence, including frightening images.

This is honestly the most violent PG movie I've ever seen.  The violence is on par with Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which received a PG-13 rating.  For most kids the Fantasy violence should be okay, but young children may get scared.  

The Funny Things Kids Do

 

"It's broken, Dad, it's broken."

What my niece said to my brother as she tried to color with a white crayon.

:0)

And The Waltz Goes On

I discovered this YouTube video on Facebook.

It's entitled "And The Waltz Goes On," which is composed by Sir Anthony Hopkins! This is from "André Rieu - Under the Stars. Live in Maastricht 5."

I read somewhere that Hopkins wrote this piece 50 years ago, and this was his first time hearing it performed.

As a composer it's one of my dreams to hear some of my music played by an orchestra, but orchestras are kinda hard to come by, and they're expensive!  Oh, but being in front of an orchestra playing at full volume and majesty . . . there's nothing like it.  When I was a music student I had the pleasure of conducting an orchestra for a class final, the piece being the first part of Mars by Holst.  It was extraordinary.  A feeling beyond anything I've ever experienced.  Pure joy.  I was on a giddy high for 6+ hours.

"And The Waltz Goes On," is truly beautiful and haunting.

A great addition to anyone's Sunday!

Enjoy :0)