Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Re: Hurrah!!!

So, I didn't update yesterday because blogspot was being a buttface. So new thing yesterday:

16. Oct. 28: I read an article in Newsweek.

Now, I've never chosen to read an article, but I may have read one at some point for some class, without my knowledge. The article I read was about how living eco-friendly is starting to become so fashionable, it will start to be expensive. Not that it isn't already, but it will become even more expensive. The link the article.

Now the new thing I did today might seem like really lame and stupid, and an easy-way out, but I really wanted to do it:

17. Oct. 29: I visited mpr.org.

I've never used the site before, and I really liked it because it just had so much stuff that was accessable to me. I went on the site to mainly look for a podcast of an interview I had just missed with Seth Meyers. I got a text from Lizzie telling me about it, and I tuned in for literally the last ten seconds. No such luck in finding that interview. However, I have a new favorite website, because I love the classy websites of legit publications, such as bbc.co.uk.

So...I feel all newsy

Monday, October 27, 2008

pbs.org

I've had a really crappy day, so the new thing wasn't really on my mind at all, until it was 9 and I still hadn't done anything, so I:

15. Ordered something off of Amazon. Best of SNL '06/'07 to be exact.

I would, right? I know. But I'm totally excited for it to come. And it was like $10, and since I had a giftcard leftover from last years birthday, I'm set.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Pharos Lighthouse of Alexandria

So, I was planning on mastering the excecution of this Apple Cake that we've tried to make in the past, and was pretty confident that we would make it perfectly this time. But like failing the drivers test, I was too confident and it failed. So instead I:

14. Edited a page on Wikipedia.

Thanks to Tianna who gave me this idea. As much as I love and use Wikipedia, I have never actually edited a page. It just made me feel so powerful. I decided to edit a page I would consider myself an expert on, so enjoy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystal_Castles#Game_play

I added the portion about villains in Crystal Castles.

I'd also like to take this oppurtunity to talk about the incredible amount of sass I've been getting. Either the things I'm doing are too mundane, and not exciting, or the things I'm doing are too obscure. I would kindly like to ask everyone to zip it. I ask for suggestions, I do not ask for people to tell me that I'm doing it all wrong, and if you'd like to do it better, fine, think of 365 things to do, and we'll see how many exciting things you can think of, or enough mainstream and non-obsure things that people do everyday. I'd like you to keep your opinions to yourself, I did not start doing this so people could tell me they can do it so much better, and I honestly don't appreciate it. This is exactly like lent when I gave up diet coke and Lays regular potato chips. I can't tell you how much crap I got when I drank regular coke, or baked lays.

Just please don't tell me I'm breaking my own rules, unless I wrote a rulebook at some point and you somehow possess the only copy.

Alright, had to let it out.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

BroBiz before ShoBiz

Okay I know this is SUPER excessive, this being my third post of the day and all, but I was just passing the time by watching some SNL videos on Hulu, and found the best video ever. It's the kind of video that might make some of you say "you would":

Season 2 reunion

So I know that I said that I was going to do something really late tonight, but that plan fell through. Doesn't it seem like I keep not doing what I say I'm going to do? But regardless, what I ended up doing was really fun:

13. Jessica and I went to target, and each filled up a basket with 20 things, switched baskets and raced to see who could replace the items in their basket first.

Disclaimer: I stole this idea from Emily, my beloved sister. It started off when Jessica and I ended up not being able to hang out and do the thing I was planning for us to do. And then we decided that we still wanted to hang out, but do something fun, and hopefully not make it cost so much money. I still really wanted to go out though, so I started to brainstorm ideas for fun things that don't cost money, that involve us going out. Then I remembered Emily telling me about a game she and her friends played at ShopKo or Wal-Mart in college, and decided to do it with Jessica, on a modified scale. It ended up being really fun, we didn't spend any money, and we stopped in a visited Lizzie at Turtle afterwards. Good wholesome fun....

And by the way, I lost. I had like 5 things left when she won.

Lacking Express; Inclined Express

I promised I'd post my review of "W." and I'm not sure that anyone actually wants to read it, but I'll post it anyway. It's my review for the Southerner, so that's why it's so formal:

W. Review

Stated simply, it’s hard to figure out what this movie is. Is it a comedic slam of George W. Bush, or is it a sincere chronicle of his life ? I’ll tell you, after 2 hours, I’m still not sure.

Let me break it down for you. The way Oliver Stone made this movie evokes two very different interpretations: He either sought to paint W. as a divine tragedy (cue scenes with soft piano over hard times in Bush‘s life), or a great mockery, bringing some classic “Bushisms” back into the picture. But one can never really be sure what gets accomplished here.

On one hand, the scenes of Bush’s young life are done quite well. Josh Brolin steps into the Commander in Chief’s shoes with ease. Brolin’s portrayal of the early, rowdy, alcoholic Bush, who holds a slew of odd jobs, courts trashy women, and is heading down the "wasting your life" type of path, are ironically serious, boasting the possibility that if you just polish this up enough, this might have Oscar written all over it.

On the other hand, scenes of the later years, showing Bush in office, make him look, for lack of a better word: Stupid. There’s no other way to describe the movie at these points. The script is really hammed up with silly “Bushisms,” and they make him seem trivial, and completely overpowered by Dick Cheney (Richard Dreyfuss).

But what does W. ultimately become? A hodge podge of Bush here in ‘77, and then Bush there in ‘02, and then in ’86, and in ’04, and ’02 all over again. Back and forth, and back and forth, and you get the picture. There are so many good ideas here that are undeveloped, and are completely not cohesive, that you kind of wonder why not just put this one back in the oven? And maybe just make the whole thing in chronological order. Clearly this could be a great movie, but not now.

Which brings up another question: Why now? Why produce this movie at the very end of Bush’s presidency? Is it to remind people that he’s still president? Could be. I for one, keep forgetting that he exists amidst this heated political season. Or could it be that Oliver Stone just really wanted to make a movie about Bush, and refused to wait? Or maybe, we’re supposed to enjoy it more because it’s so recent. Whatever the reason was, this is just does not seem like the time.

At the end of the day, Josh Brolin is W.’s only ace. The rest of the movie is so-so. Elizabeth Banks as Laura Bush meets expectations, and James Cromwell and Ellen Burstyn as Mama and Papa Bush, are pretty good. However, W. may have relied too much on big names to fill small roles: Thandie Newton as Condoleezza Rice, Ioan Gruffudd as Tony Blair, Noah Wyle as Don Evans, and I’m still not really sure who Colin Hanks is supposed to be playing. Still more evidence of a diamond in the rough.

My advice to you is to not see this movie if you sincerely love George W. Bush. Conversely, if you hate him, be forewarned that you might find yourself respecting him at times. It’s an extremely slippery slope, but regardless, it’s an interesting movie, even if it’s a few cards short of a deck. It’s probably a good idea to put this one on your radar. If nothing else, you’ll get some laughs.

B-

I will write about my new thing later, although it will still be before the fact, because new thing will be much later.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Common Watchers

12. I filled out a college application.

Note: This is not the same as applying to college, because I didn't submit it. And to address the bigger problem, yes I have waited this long to even start applications. It was an application to Bethel, and I'm not sure that I will actually send it in. Upon further investigation, I'm not sure that I really want to go there. And by not sure, I decided to apply on a whim, so...yeah.

On another note, I will be taking the ACT tomorrow for the FOURTH time. Yeah, I'm pretty glad that this will be my last time, because even If I get another crappy score, this is for sure THE last time. And I've spent all week studying. That is why my new things have been pretty lame-o....

So, I've been incredibly obsessed with Andy Samberg this week. I think ever since I got back from New York, SNL in general has been my obsession, but more specifically my favorite cast member, Andy. I just about died last night during his "Jam the Vote" segment of the special Thursday night Weekend Update. I found the video on Hulu, it's about two minutes into the entire thing:

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Atlas of the Greek World

So, I didn't do the thing I had planned for today, because I didn't want to run the risk of making myself vomit right before the ACT. So we'll save that for later. But just a disclaimer, what I did instead is a total cop-out:

11. I observed a special needs class at school.

The reason this is such a cop-out, is because I was required to observe a special needs class for my Economics class, but I found it very interesting. It was a group of about 6 or 7 boys, probably Sophomore or Junior aged. I wish all boys were as polite and open as their feelings as these boys are. I also learned some new slang, as that's what they were studying today in the "Social Success" class.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

WonderClub

So grossed out by the new thing I did today:

10. I created a MySpace

Now, you may be thinking that that's totally not a big D at all, but it seriously is, because I vowed never to creat one, and took great pride in never breaking down and joining the craze.

You might also be thinking that all the new things I've been electing to do lately (i.e. not the NY stuff) is incredibly passive, and I'd have to agree with you, but I'm just a little ways into this thing, and I swear, there will be some new things that are more exciting soon. Just to tide you over and prove I'm not lying: there will be cows, needles, and different types, but equally scary needles included in some more "active" new things. And....tomorrow's gonna make me sick for sure.

Check out my MySpace (if this address doesn't work, you really don't need to look at it anyway....): http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=424059445&MyToken=5b952aa8-8fb8-446e-a1f8-836fb787a5a0

abc.net

"Uhgh! That kid looks like such a Jonas Brother. And not in a good way. Not that there really is a good way, and I guess that's what I'm saying. But not really in a bad way, either"

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Dukakis on Crime

So I was struck with a brilliant idea for my new thing today while I was on my home from seeing "W." (which I will post my review of later) and I got super jazzed about it:

9. I took a 3 1/2 minute shower.

Now, this may not seem that impressive, but let me tell you, I can take some long showers, meaning usually like 6 times as long. So, I did something that I didn't think I could do (that's always my excuse for not taking a shorter shower, because I simply 'can't do it') but it's also good to get in the habit of reducing my water usage. As green as I claim to be, I waste a lot of water, and don't really think twice about it. So, why can I stand to take a 20 minute shower every night, and still cringe when I throw a pop can in the trash? I had never really thought about it before.

Live from the Battlefield: From Vietnam to Baghdad, 35 Years in the World's War Zones

I apologize for my "absence" as I've been in New York, and without internet access, and then when I got home, my internet was not working, so....without further ado:

4. Oct 16: I went to New York.

It is probably one of the most amazing places ever. Not because, like some places, it's physically beautiful, but the seediness, the accents, the super-charged atmosphere of times square was just it for me, totally awesome, and I want to go again and again. "some other notables from that day.." Waving to Keith Olberman, seeing Eric Ripert's restaurant, taking a NYC subway, going to Bryant Park, going to St. Patrick's cathedral, flipping off Fox News, to name a few...


5. Oct 17: I saw a broadway play. Specifically: Equus.

You might be thinking: isn't that the play where Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potta) gets nekkid? H'o chya. But that's not why I saw it...him getting naked, that is. I wanted to see him, and the play was actually genuinely good, although, who knows if I'm just saying that because I love D Rad so much...But ultimately, something I'd never done before. Other things I did that day: Saw Statue of Liberty, went to Ellis Island, wasted 17 hours of my life at the latter, saw Matt Lauer; Meredith Viera; Al Roker; Emeril; GOT DANIEL RADCLIFFE'S AUTOGRAPH (holla)

6. Oct 18: Went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Pretty awesome place, although I'm convinced, had it not come near the tail end of our trip, I wouldn't have been so incredibly exhausted, and therefore completely apathetic. But, there were some nice paintings, some Monet, who is my favorite, some Renoir, Van Gough...and a nice Gift Shop. Other things that day: Befriended two complete strangers, and are now friends with them on facebook, SPOKE TO DANIEL RADCLIFFE, went to the Dakota; Strawberry Fields, went to Chinatown (sketchiest place EVER), technically went to Little Italy, although did not get to do anything there, Toured NBC studios, and got to see the SNL stage where (sigh...) they were not practicing, went to the NBC experience store and purchased a few things, went to 'wichcraft, which is a sandwich shop established by Chef Tom Colicchio, who is like the coolest guy ever.


7. Oct 19: I took a taxi

I pretty much had no choice with this one, it was our ride home from the airport, but it was, I don't know, a taxi....not much else. Other things I did that day: Walked around Queens, NY, watched my Iron Man DVD...not really a whole lot to choose from, hence: Taxi.

8. Oct 20: I learned to knit

Now, I'm going to be honest, a seemingly crazy, possibly senile german, norwegian, polish (iii'm not sure what she was) woman tought a friday afternoon class at my school in middle school, but I hardly count that as legitimate. So I had my mom teach me, and I kept screwing up, but I might have been angry, because I was watching Rachel Maddow at the time.

On another note, I have not done anything new yet today, and yes, I know, it's getting down to the wire. I guess I shouldn't have assumed I'd pass my drivers test, and since that didn't happen, and I don't have a back-up, I have to think of something else to do. And no, failing my drivers test is not something new for me.

I also went to a Newspaper/Journalism field day type thing at the U, but I've already done that. Hmph.

I'll post later with my new thing for today...

And also, I would add some photos, but there are too many. Check facebook

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Das Auto

Day 3, still going well. Although, it'd be almost impossible to fail already. SO new thing today was:

3. I saw "The Producers"

It's not something I went out of my way to do, but I was seeing at the Chanhassen anyway, and I'd never seen it before. Save, for the Springtime for Hitler segment. I recommend it to anyone who is an advocate of extreme un-p.c.-ness, like myself. But don't bring kids or old people.

And I really really promise that tomorrow's new thing is WAY more exciting. S'gonna be way awesome.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

What part of "holler" don't you understand?

Second day of new thing. Going pretty well, so far. I was going to have my thing today be to donate double red blood cells, as I participated in the blood drive already last year, but only did a single donation, but I missed my appointment, and couldn't do it. Good thing I had a back-up plan....

2. Write a facebook note.

Surprisingly, I have never written one. It took me about a million and one years to do it, too, because I guess I'm not as facebook savvy as I thought I was.

Remember to send suggestions my way, If you ever think of any.

And, I swear, they're not always going to be so boring...


I might also use my new blog as an actual blog, too. I might get kinda bored just saying the new thing I did.

Like I might take this oppurtunity to talk about how amazingly awesome Teen Wolf, and Teen Wolf Too are. Those movies are probably my obsession of the week.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Destinations: The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

So, this is my blog for the first day of my year of doing a new thing everyday. I will try my very best to update everyday, when I am within reach of a computer. Today my new thing is:

1. Creating a Blog.

I've never had a blog before, unless you count Livejournal, which I don't. Pretty self explanatory.


If you ever have any suggestions for me, let me know.

P.S. It's my birthday today, so next year on October 13th, I will be 19, and done with my year.