Bauman Rare Books in Las Vegas

So I totally geeked out when I discovered the Bauman Rare Books store at the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas.  I'm the kind of girl who really isn't into jewelry (I honestly don't understand the appeal of Diamonds), and I'm annoyed with shoe stores (whenever I walk into a shoe store and find cute shoes, I kinda freak out.)  But there is something I do drool over: antique books.  I have a nice, small collection including an 8 volume 1882 set of Charles Dickens books, and a 1904 Edger Allen Poe book of tales. 

Benjamin Franklin is my most favorite American Founding Father.  He's brilliant, smart, witty, and invented a musical instrument.  The store had a first edition Poor Richard's Almanack, and I was allowed to hold it!  I was so afraid to touch the book, the binding and pages are delicate, but it was amazing.  It's cool to think that it was likely Franklin who printed the book in his shop.  At least that's what I imagined when I held the book in my hands.  It was so cool. 

A 1632 edition of William Shakespeare's plays.  I turned to Macbeth, because apparently there's a chance I'm descended from King Duncan, one of the main characters in Macbeth, through his third son. Apparently if you have some clan Robertson in you, that line possibly leads to Duncan, or so I've read, but I'm highly skeptical when it comes to all things genealogical.  Regardless, it's one of my favorite plays.  

And I found writing in the margin!  The worker in the shop didn't know there was writing, so it's cool knowing I discovered it.  Honestly when I collect books, finding writing leads me to generally purchase the book.  It humanizes it; gives the book character and history.  You know someone loved the book before you did.   

A first edition of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn.  A book of controversy!  I personally think it's better then Tom Sawyer.

Seeing this first edition of The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White made me smile.  If the title sounds like a Disney movie, it is.  The Disney Film, about Merlin and King Arthur, where Arther turns into animals and so forth, is based on this book.  And it's the first book in the epic, giant The Once and Future King.  If you haven't read this book, you're missing out.

And finally a typewriter Earnest Hemingway used to write portions of The Dangerous Summer, and the typewriter is still functional.  Really cool.

Oh man, I felt like a kid in a candy store.  It felt like a museum!  I was afraid to breath, but boy was I happy being surrounded by history.

Cerulean Jade Update 11-12-2012

(What I'm using to practice the cover song "Living in the Moment")

"The Greatest Barrier to Success is the Fear of Failure"

~ Sven Goran Eriksson

I don't think this is the first time I'm admitting this, but I'm the type of person who is held back from fear.  It suffocates and overwhelms me sometimes.  And it really shook me last week when Steven said, "You've got to stop being afraid of everything!"  And I am afraid of everything.  The dementors in life dement. 

It's embarrassing to admit these things, but I am so far from perfect it's ridiculous, but this life wouldn't be worth living if we were perfect.  It would get pretty boring fast.

The song I've been working on with Steven gets into this a little, and I've been switching in and out lyrics.  It's making the song better, and we're enjoying the process.  And I've seen some of the stuff Steven and Robbie are working on with the music video.  It's super fun and creative with the way they're playing with effects.  And Steven had me pick out a spaceship outline.  That was fun!  It will be exciting to see all this come together.  

And this whole fear thing, I'm working on it.  Overcoming weaknesses is a process of patience, understanding, and love.  It's not something that happens overnight, but it gets better each day that passes.

Sarah

Seeing

(Colored glass at a geology store near Zion)

“I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: 

not only because I see it, 

but because by it I see everything else.” 

~ C.S. Lewis

My Favorite Political Movie is Disney's Family Band

In the spirit of the election this last week, which I'm still reeling from, I've got to be honest, I want to share my most favorite political film of all time.  And yes, the above pictured Walt Disney 1968 "The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band" is that movie. 

It seems innocent, doesn't it?  It's a musical in the grand ol' Sherman Brother style.  And it's a film filled with family values.  But there are a lot of political themes, because this family is split, with some being Republicans, and a few being Democrats.  The main conflict of the story is that of the 1888 Presidential elections and splitting Dakota into two states (North and South), so that the Republicans could send 4 Senators to the Senate instead of just two.

The election was between Benjamin Harrison, our 23rd President, and Grover Cleveland, our 22nd and 24th President, our only President to serve two non-connected terms.  I think it's okay to state that there's a huge party in which the room is magically split in support between the two nominies, and during song and dance, voting results are rushed in and written on a chalk board . . . one canidate wins the popular vote, and the other the electoral vote . . . . and a giant brawl starts on account of a pie in the face and flaring tempers.  I watched that scene two days ago, and it always makes me laugh.  Nothing has changed!  It's sad but funny.

So if you want a family film that's fun, musical, and a little educational (if you want to explain the voting process that is), this is a great movie.

Sarah

James Bond Skyfall Movie Review

Rating: 4.5 Stars out of 5.

I saw James Bond Skyfall with my entire family, including my Grandmothers, and it's interesting how we each had a different take on it.  My Mom and I both gave it a solid 4.5, Robbie gave it a 2 (but that's because he's fresh from his mission, which doesn't say a whole lot for my Mom and I), Steven gave it about a 4 (he liked MI: IV Ghost Patrol more), and my Dad gave it a 3 (he thought the middle lagged a little).

I loved it, and like it the best of all the Daniel Craig Bond movies.  I take that back, I like it the best of all the Bond Movies.  It's gritty and psychological.  Bond is feeling his age a little, and with plot points I will not mention, he's not as sharp as he used to be.  I like that.  It added interesting tension and suspense.

This is one of those movies I just don't want to give anything away; by watching the trailers I had an idea of some of the plot points, but the less you know, the greater the ride.  And it is a ride.  The action scenes are as intense as we've come to expect from the past films, and this film does not disappoint.  The opening sequence on the train . . . Just wow. 

The new characters are enthralling.  Naomie Harris was a fun Bond girl with intelligence and skill, and I enjoyed the actress in the role.  What's even more surprising is that she played Tia Dalma/Calypso in the 2nd and 3rd Pirates of the Caribbean movies, a completely different role.  Javier Bardem is the films villain Silva, a mastermind laced with insanity; if pitted against The Joker, I think Silva would win.  And the classic Bond character Q is played by Ben Whishaw, a young genius who actually gets outsmarted.

The Rotten Tomato for this latest Bond installment is a solid 93%: 174 fresh to 14 rotten.  What were those 14 thinking!?

Daniel Craig is my favorite Bond.  He is so real, and his character expands further, adding a richness to this 007 British agent.  You feel his anguish and eagerness.  You feel the weight on his shoulders, the pain.  Bond is no superhero, thank goodness; he's a man of fierce determination.

Adele wrote the title song for Skyfall, simply named Skyfall, and it's perfect.  I heard it on the radio, coming in half-way through the song, and my Mom and I looked at each other with the same thought: That sounded like Adele, and that sounded like a Bond song.  It was, and it fits the movie well. 

A perfect Bond film for James Bond's 50th Anniversary year of the series.

If you can, see the movie on IMAX.  It's amazing.

MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for intense violent sequences throughout, some sexuality, language and smoking).

As a note, there's a sexuality scene towards the beginning that is brief, but quite graphic . . . and the shower.  Yeah, it's a James Bond film alright.  The movie, with violence, etc, strongly earns it's PG-13 rating

On the Las Vegas Strip

(Yoshi in Las Vegas)

Last Spring I visited Las Vegas with my family, took all these pictures to blog about, and then never blogged about it!  Well, I did talk about Serendipity 3 and freaking out on top of the Stratosphere (which I rightfully earned), but I want to share more of the stuff I gathered.  Next week I'll be putting up the rest of the posts.  I'm reviewing the movie Skyfall tomorrow :0)

Luigi and Mario!  Come on, they're classic and retro.

It's hard to think of Las Vegas without Penn & Teller.

. . . or Donny & Marie . . . neither of them like to spell out "and."

I almost passed out on X-Scream.  Oh man, I don't even want to relive it in my mind.

Marvel and Transformer action.  Spider-man is having just a little too much fun.

Is Hello Kitty bored or annoyed?  I can't decide.

Old Volcanoes in Utah

(Public Domain.  Source Info found here.)

Back when I was in school I would stress over general education classes.  I was actually excited for most of them, but was absolutely dreading Geology, which was required for my Earth Science class.  It ended up being my most favorite class of all time!  It helps having an energetic teacher.  (And it's fun to admit that on one of the tests I was the only one to get 100% out of her 150+ students . . . and those tests were hard . . . proving once again I'm a geek.)

What made the class so much fun is all the time we spent studying volcanoes (we skipped the section on dirt so that we could spend more time on volcanoes.)  It wasn't until a few years ago that I realized there used to be so many volcanoes in Utah.  There's 4 main volcanoes that represent 3 types of volcanoes.

In certain places along the I-15 you can see volcanic rock.

Both of these photos were taken near Cove Fort Utah on the I-15.  I was told you can see an old volcano from the interstate, and I was told the below hill was the volcano, but I'm starting to have my doubts as I've been doing a bit of research and can't find any evidence.  

From what I've read all the volcano's are dormant.  Though there was apparently some volcanic activity 600 years ago in the Black Rock Dessert in Millard County.

It is strange driving on the I-15, knowing that thousands and millions of years ago these volcanoes shot out lava.  These dormant volcanoes are a time stamp of the past.  An image of what was.  How things change and not to take anything for granted.

Sarah

Voting Day

I've just voted . . .

The wait was about 45 minutes, so that wasn't bad at all.  Now it's a waiting game to see what happens.

I love this country.  I feel proud and lucky that my ancestors fought in the American Revolution.  And I feel blessed that I have the right to vote.  Will what I vote for win?  I don't know, anything can happen, but regardless of what happens at least I put my voice out there instead of staying at home in silence.  Voting is a blessing and a right.  A gift given to us by our forebears.  No matter the outcome, I feel lucky and honored to have this freedom. 

Here are some of my favorite quotes.
I'm such a history geek; I love our American founding fathers.

“When the people fear the government there is tyranny, 

when the government fears the people there is liberty.”  ~ Thomas Jefferson

“Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”  ~ Patrick Henry

 “I hope we once again have reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited. There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: As government expands, liberty contracts.” ~ Ronald Reagan

“But a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.”~ John Adams

“Children should be educated and instructed in the principles of freedom.” ~ John Adams

And my favorite.

“But what is liberty without wisdom and without virtue? It is the greatest of all possible evils; for it is folly, vice, and madness, without tuition or restraint. Those who know what virtuous liberty is, cannot bear to see it disgraced by incapable heads, on account of their having high-sounding words in their mouths.” ~ Edmund Burke, the Father of Conservatism

God Bless America.

Sarah

Cerulean Jade Update 11-05-2012

(Doing some Green Screen testing for the music video)

The major piece of news is that Steven, my brother Robbie, and I are working on a music video for an original song Steven and I are writing; the song is in the fun electric pop style we've used in "Payphone" and "Someone Like you."  We're still developing music video ideas, but we've been experimenting, and the effects we're working on are really cool.  Naturally I'm a little biased :0)  But I'm excited with what we're working on.  Green screen = many fun opportunities.  Our goal is to have the song released on an EP (with another original song, karaoke tracks, and a couple instrumental songs) no later then the middle of next month.  So much to do in such a short amount of time!!  But it's exciting.

And I'm still working on the Jason Mraz song, "Living in the Moment," on the guitalele.  That's coming soon.

Steven and I learned a lot this week along with my brother Robbie.  We were going to do a movie review series.  We did a trial run with the Tinker Bell movie, and were working on doing Wreck-It Ralph.  The problem was that in order for us to produce a quality Youtube video series, it would take 3-4 days out of the week to put it together; it was taking time away from what was most important to us.  Music and the possibility of making cool videos.  So after a week going down the wrong path, we turned ourselves around.  There's still a possibility of having a movie review show in the future, but at this time it's not right.  Ah!  At least we lost only a week and not more.  But now we're focused and enjoying the work.

Sarah

Wit

 (A waterfall near Sundance UT after a nice hike)

"At 20 years of age the will reigns,

at 30 the wit,

at 40 the judgment." 

~ Benjamin Franklin

I guess I'm in the wit stage of my life :0)