Mama Mia! Twilight was wonderful!

Okay, so I haven't written for a while. For some people, that might mean they've been super busy. For some people, it means they just haven't written anything. I'm not saying which category I fit into.
A little over a week ago, on a Tuesday, my friend Claire and I went to the dollar theatre to see Mama Mia! The good thing about the dollar theatre on Tuesdays is that the movies are only $.75. I can usually afford to see movies at that price, even if they're Mama Mia!
So I listen to Abba in my car to and from work, and I literally can't keep a smile off my face when I sing along, especially to Take A Chance, Dancing Queen, and Fernando. I love those songs, and I was greatly looking forward to seeing the movie. I'd had a roommate in college who saw the musical and thought it was super fun. I had high hopes for the movie.
After seeing it, though, I'm glad the ticket was only 75 cents. It was terrible! The lines were cheesy, the dirty old women were uncomfortably vulgar, and the singing wasn't that great. I'm not saying that I sing any better-- but you don't buy tickets to come see me do it, either! And the choreography.... Ugh!

For parts of it, the dancing consisted of jumping on the bed or just dancing around the room-- not choreography. Then there was the weird flipper dance by the guys going to the bachelor party-- I'm not sure what that was all about.
All in all, I was horrified by the whole production. It was bad bad bad.
So on Sunday, Claire asks me if I've seen Twilight. I tell her no, and she tells me it was super cheesy and terrible. And considering we'd just gone to see Mama Mia! together, I knew what she was probably talking about.
But I still went to see Twilight.
And I loved it!
Not as much as the book, mind you, but I really enjoyed it. I don't know that I'll go buy the DVD when it comes out. I usually don't. And I don't know that I would have liked to have paid full price for it (I went to a matinee). But I usually don't again.
But I thought it was really good. I liked the pacing, and I liked the characters. I wish Bella had smiled more. That's one thing I didn't like about the movie and I now realize accurately reflects the books: Bella doesn't smile or laugh very much. And I think when you're in love, that's a VERY important part of the relationship. Oh, she had passion and intensity and very strong feelings. And I don't doubt that she loved Edward. But one of the biggest reasons I was cheering for Jacob was that she was HAPPY with him. They had fun, and he made her laugh and smile. And he was WARM. Who wants to snuggle with an ice cube?

(This is a picture that SHOULD have represented the movie).
Anyway... where was I? Oh, the movie. Yeah, I liked the movie, and I'm glad I got to see it with Cherisse, Sarah, and my mom. My dad had taken my mom to see it, but besides that, the rest of us have husbands who wouldn't have dreamed of going. In fact, most of us have husbands who are watching James Bond right now as I type this. I'm not interested. :)
I did watch the Jay Leno interview of Robert Pattinson (Edward). It wasn't interesting at all. He didn't brush his hair or shave or have anything remotely interesting to say. Which is too bad.

Superficial Christmas

Sara wrote a tag to write a list of the 10 things you'd like for Christmas. And this isn't like a "Peace on Earth" or anything sappy like that list, it's a "stuff" list.
So here are my 10 things I want, followed by the 10 people I tag.

1. A maid. I mean, I guess I don't want to technically own her or anything, since I don't believe in slavery. But neither do I apparently believe in cleaning up after myself. I need some help.

2. a digital camera. I think we're going to get this "for each other" for Christmas this year. I kind of miss taking pictures.

3. A thread spool holder thingie. Not exciting, but useful.

4. I want someone to do my homework for me, getting all A's or B's.

5. Jeans that fit.

6. A Mr. Fusion.

7. New pots and pans. A few of mine are getting kind of peely.

8. New dishes. They're cracked and chipped, and that's not very appetizing.

9. A portable space heater. Seriously, I'm ALWAYS cold, especially now that it's winter. I mean, it's 73 degrees in my room right now, but I'm still wearing my coat because my fingers and ankles are cold.

10. A chef. They can be Indian, Chinese, French (for the chocolate croissants, of course), New Mexican, or Thai. I'm not picky.

Okay, now I'm supposed to tag 10 friends. But I won't. If you'd like to write your materialistic Christmas want list, please do! So in essence, I'm tagging all of you!

The Big Apple

In college, I took Geography 101. And while it's very useful stuff to know, especially now that I'm TA-ing for a Social Studies class, it wasn't a particularly hard class. So during lecture, I'd sit with my notebook open, pondering what to add to my list of things to do in New York City.
I've never been there. I think it would be amazing to do all the stuff that I've seen on the movies: visit the Statue of Liberty, ride the horse carriages around Central Park, eat NY pizza, find the apartment that they used in Friends, go to a Broadway show.... you get the point.
But really, what is New York City besides the horrifyingly leftist so-liberal-I-want-to-puke capital of the world?
I read the New York Times sometimes, and I can usually get through a couple articles before the gag reflex gets to me. Today was no different. I read this article, which is a review of the Twilight movie. I plan on going to see the movie, and I just wanted to read it to see what calibre of movie we were talking about. Is it a halting effort to copy the book onto film, or did they make it a cinematographic masterpiece? I guess I will never know.
See, the reviewer said very little (tranlation: nothing) about the actual movie, except that she hated it because the characters don't have sex. And therefore it was a terrible movie with boring characters and no captivation at all.
Stupid liberal!
What is wrong with a high school love story where characters fall desperately in love with each other but don't sleep together? Just because the reviewer apparently has other views of what should happen in high school relationships, it doesn't mean that stories about people who exercise their self-control are worthless and boring.
Stupid New York!
Just because every story (movie, crappy book, TV show, etc) is set in New York where apparently EVERYONE sleeps together on first dates and has no morals-- it doesn't mean the rest of the world follows suit! And from the success of the Twilight books, it shows that romance can still be steamy and compelling without being graphic and lustful.

Random bits of history

I got to visit with my grandma when I went to visit my family a few weeks ago, and she told me a little bit about her mother. Now, that side of the family, the Thomas family, is where I get some of my... well... quick-witted stubbornness. Whenever I think of people who lived way back when, I always imagine them as sweet, mild-mannered, soft-spoken ladies and gentlemen straight out of a BBC film. But apparently they were normal people who thought for themselves.
Before my grandma was born, her mom lived in Colonia Juarez, Mexico, with six children. She had a newborn baby, 2-year-old twins, a 3, 5, and 7 year old. Oh, and here's the fun part. She lived in Mexico with the six kids, and her husband lived up in Colorado with his other wife. The first wife had been in Mexico a couple years before, but she'd returned to Colorado once they had a house ready. My great-grandma was waiting for her house to be built/set up, but apparently it just wasn't getting done. Out of sight, out of mind, and all that.
So that winter, which was in 1911/1912, she got sick of it. She didn't get a lot of support there from her husband, and I read on wikipedia that the Mexican Revolution had started in 1910, so that would make anyone uneasy.
She bought a train ticket, and because kids rode for free, she packed up her six kids and went home. Since she hadn't told her husband she was coming, she went and stayed with her mother.
Now that she was in town, my great-grandfather felt it more pressing to build her a house, so soon she had a house for her little family. That's where my grandma was eventually born, making her the eleventh out of twelve children.
We got to talking about this because we were saying how ridiculous it is that Americans nowadays feel like they need mansions just to fit them and their two children, plus a craft room, den, living room, family room, dining room, and day spa. In my grandma's little house, there were just two upstairs rooms for the kids: the boys' room and the girls' room. She said that once the older ones had moved out, she got to move into the next room, and she and her sister had their own rooms. And they did argue and yell a little less when everyone had more room.
So there's a little random bit of my family's history. I'm still a little confused about one part: the Church officially discontinued polygamy in 1890, but my great-grandparents were married in 1903. The wikipedia article talks about how the church officially ended polygamy in 1890 and then really REALLY ended it in 1904. Sounds like my family fits in to that gray area there.

Real New Mexico Enchiladas

Sarah asked me for this recipe, and here it is. It's one of those recipes that I never really use measuring spoons for, so I basically made up these measurements. And it never turns out the same any two times I make it, but it's wonderful!

1-2 chicken breasts
Boil in about 1" of water. Add one chopped onion. Simmer until chicken is cooked through.
Add:
1-2 cans green chile or 1/3 tub frozen chile
1 can cream of _______ soup (usually chicken or mushroom)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp - 1 Tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin (if it isn't in the chili powder mix... it usually is, though)
That's the sauce.

Tear up tortillas (I like corn, but flour are pretty good too) and make a layer along the bottom of a 13 x 9 pan.
This is also when I usually remember to preheat the oven to 350.
The layer should be like 2-4 tortilla pieces thick, depending on how soupy your sauce is (more soupy, more tortillas). Then pour about half the sauce over it, and top with a layer of shredded cheese (cheddar or jack). Repeat a layer of tortillas, sauce, then a tiny covering of tortillas again. Then top with cheese.
Bake for about 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and it's warm through.
Serve with lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, and/or whatever else you want.

Trying to be healthy

Sometimes I try to be healthy. In fact, as I never try to be UNhealthy, it's probably safe to say that I always try to be healthy. Or at least neutral.
I consider myself somewhat of an expert in this area, so please take careful notes as you read the following.
1. Substitute unhealthy snacks with healthy ones. For example, if you feel that you consume too many M&M's, try buying Raisinets instead. Raisins are dried grapes, which are FRUIT!
2. Don't drink KoolAid instead of water unless you want to gain weight. Don't ask me how I know this.
3. Eat smaller portions. If you buy an entire pork burrito (enchilada style) at Cafe Rio, save the last third for tomorrow's lunch. This is also a great way to make people jealous. And jealousy is just a step away from friendship!
4. Never make desserts unless people are coming over to help you eat them. You'll notice my favorite loophole: there is no limit on how many times you can invite people over in a given period.
5. Exercise doesn't always mean you'll lose weight. (See item 2).
6. Chinese people are skinny. This is because they don't eat American Chinese Take-out food.
7. Hard boiled eggs are small, healthy, filling, and individually packaged. The yolks are also choking hazards if you just pop them into your mouth all at once.
8. Don't feel pressured to finish all the food on your plate. If you're not hungry, you don't have to eat it. This is why you should save your lima beans for last.
9. Exercise is an important part of being healthy. So I always try to walk from my house to the car and then from the car to my office. I reverse that at the end of the day. Whew! I'm winded just thinking about it!
10. Eat whole grains instead of processed white flour. This means fewer Cheetos and more popcorn.

I hope you've learned something.

Weekend Update

What is the point of doing exercise if you can't move for the next three days? Shouldn't I just remain semi-sedentary and do it consistantly? Yes, I thought so.
But this weekend I went to this Ballet class at BYU on Saturday morning. Basically, it's a make-up class available on the weekends, but theoretically you can go if you're a student. Which I am not. But my husband is, and therefore I have an ID card as if I were a student. So there.
I was in this class with a bunch of skinny 19-year-olds who are flexible, muscular, and coordinated, all of which I feel like I am until I go to ballet classes. But I think I'll go regularly. Then I won't feel as if someone just clipped my calf muscles so I have to waddle around the house groaning.

And in other news... I got to go to a conference on Friday for work! Basically, one of the other teachers was supposed to go, but none of them wanted to. So I got to go! It was up at this resort up in Midway, UT, that looked like a Bavarian village. We had meetings and classes and keynote addresses, and I felt very professional. Best part: free stuff! I got a frisbee, a piggy bank, several pens, a flashlight, some refridgerator word magnets, and all sorts of other freebies. Best freeby: free lunch. They had some amazing food, and my favorite parts (which says a lot about how good they were, and also a bit about my impression of the chicken and brownies) were the garlic mashed potatoes and spinach/strawberry/red onion salad. It was wonderful.
I was the only person from my school who went, but I decided to talk to people at my table and at every class I went to. It was a good plan, but there are seriously some weird people out there! I did run into people I knew, acutally. A lady was there with her husband, and they had been in the Beijing branch when Kevin and I lived in Beijing!! We got to talk, because we fortuitously sat together at lunch. And let me mention again what a marvelous lunch it was.
I learned a lot about financial literacy, which was the point of the convention. I was really excited to go, because I teach that class (financial literacy), but I knew absolutely nothing about it. Now I know everything. Ask me anything.
How long does it take for money to double in amount with compound interest? Well, divide 72 by the interest rate, and that's how many years.
How do you make financial literacy fun for teenage girls? Color it pink and use daisies as demonstrations! Sing Abba! Wear pink lipstick! Use a really short, paperback textbook!
When should you start investing? Right now!
Should you buy a car with a credit card? No!
Okay, so some of this stuff I already knew. But not the first one. And I did learn a lot that will be useful as I pretend to teach this stuff!

Complaining

One of the things that's irked me about the last 8 years is how critical, negative, insensitive, and petty the news media, Hollywood, and therefore the general public has been about the president. There have been things he's done right and things he's done wrong, but that's not what we heard in the news. All we'd hear about was when he'd say a word wrong or trip over his speech. Honestly, you should hear me try to say a cohesive sentence or even a simple word that I have trouble thinking of. I sound like a garbled, confused idiot. Does that make me stupid? Does that make me a bad teacher? Does tripping over your words make you a bad president? No.
And yet, that's all we really heard about. People occasionally had criticisms of President Bush's policies or decisions he'd made. But mostly he would get blamed, as president, for the stupid decisions made by others. In response to Hurricane Katrina, first of all, with a week's warning to evacuate a city built below sea level, how is it President Bush's fault that people stayed? And why is it President Bush's fault that the mayor and other local authorities didn't do their jobs first? In a disaster whose major damages (loss of lives, etc) could and should have been avoided, I found it appalling that our nation blamed the president.
And I also hate that the nation blamed the entire economic crisis on President Bush and his administration. I'm sure many of you have read this article by Orson Scott Card. If not, take a read.
So for the last several years, I've gotten pretty sick of all the complaining done by the nation as a whole. I blame the media, with their constant criticisms, which sell better than positive analyses. Blah!
I know not everyone agrees with the president, and they don't have to. But it's important to support him, even if it means finding a tiny area where you agree with him.
So now, my friends, imagine my delight when I read and hear all these Republican friends-- whom I assume agree with me in their disgust with all the criticism of the current president-- and what are they doing? They're whining and complaining already! Seriously, people!
Is Barack Obama Bill Clinton? Is he a pandering ladies' man who can't be trusted in marriage, or in court, much less with the fate of our nation? No. It seems like he's a decent, intelligent, Christian family man, and while I don't completely agree with all his policies or ideas, I feel like he's a good man who will be a good leader and someone I can support as president.
I listened to his victory speech and appreciated very much the things he had to say. I hope he continues in that strain. I think he could be a good president for our nation, as the media will most likely point out more positive aspects of his presidency. I liked in the victory speech where he said, "There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem.But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree."
I think I'll write him a letter.
And I saw Michelle Obama on the Jay Leno show a few days ago. As she walked on, the band played Stevie Wonder's "Isn't she lovely," and it's quite a fitting song. She seems absolutely lovely, and equally as intelligent as her husband.
I hope the two little girls can grow up to become normal, even with the public focus on them. That would be horrid, but it seems they're mostly kept away from the media and cameras, which is a smart approach.
And I'm happy they get a puppy.

Writing about myself again

Clever, huh? Beth tagged me on this. I love writing lists... about myself at that... so here it goes!
1. 8 TV shows I watch
I don't have a TV, so these are shows I watch either on the internet or on DVD.
1. The Office
2. The Tonight Show-- while I lived in China, this is how I got my real American news.
3. Paris Hilton's My New BFF-- this is my shameful secret. Now it's no secret, but it's still shameful.
4. Friends
5. Firefly--the tragedy of the decade is that this show got canceled before anyone began to watch it
6. Stylista-- not as shameful as the BFF show
7. Star Trek The Next Generation-- shameful in another way
8. Top Gear-- This one you've got to check out, guys. It's so funny! And British. I'm not ashamed at all. I'm just ashamed I can't watch several episodes in a row like Kevin likes to do.

2. 8 Favorite Restaurants
Oh, this one's gonna be easy. I LOVE eating out. So here are my favorites in their sugary, salty, fatty glory:
1. Cafe Rio
2. Goodwood BBQ
3. Todai (in Seattle)
4. Tucano's-- especially their BBQ chicken. Man, I don't usually like chicken, especially with the skin still on, but theirs is heavenly.
5. Any Indian restaurant-- I just adore Indian food. I picked that up when I lived in China, since one of the chefs at the Summit Club Restaurant was from India. Wonderful stuff! He'd cook for the buffet
6. Ma Cherie Thai and Vietnamese Restaurant-- Kevin and I ate here several times a week while we lived at Hotel Kunlun in Beijing. We'd always order a curry and then finish up with a coconut milk and tapioca dessert. Just thinking of it is making me feel it was worth the terrible job just to be able to eat there.
7. Mmmmmm... now that I'm on a kick with the Hotel Kunlun restaurants, the breakfast buffet was amazing. I gained like 100 pounds after eating all you can eat chocolate croissants and French toast every morning. Luckily, I soon discovered the gym.
8. And Beth, I'll have to agree with you on this one: Taco Bell. Maybe it was that Los Alamos didn't (and still doesn't) have one, or maybe the fact that they serve PEPSI (!!!), but Taco Bell is the place to get your money's worth.

3. 8 Things that Happened Yesterday

1. I roamed neighborhoods around my house looking for apple trees.
2. I took a stepladder and picked apples from a tree outside an apartment complex. It was on the median between the sidewalk and street, which is officially public property.
3. I got yelled at by the guy whose car I put my apple picking bowl on.
4. I went home.
5. I made applesauce.
6. I finished watching Bleak House.
7. I had FHE with Kevin.
8. I brushed my teeth-- twice!

4. 8 Things I’m looking forward to

1. Heidi's baby shower
2. Voting this afternoon
3. Writing my first novel (haven't exactly started...)
4. Lunch (I packed a sandwich, applesauce, and chocolate-covered raisins)
5. Eating the chocolate-covered raisins before lunch
6. The Second Coming
7. Finishing my Master's and being DONE with classes
8. Having a baby
(These are random thoughts, not necessarily in order of how much I'm looking forward to them. Just thought I'd say...)
5. 8 Things on my Wish List

1. A maid
2. A baby
3. A camera
4. A new bike-- one that weighs less than I do, perhaps
5. One of those racks you hang on the wall for spools of thread
6. An apartment big enough for a grand piano
7. Juno on DVD
8. Warm weather year round

6. 8 Things I Love

1. People (Kevin, my family, my extended family, my friends, my students, everyone)
2. My kitty cats
3. Books that make me laugh, cry, and think
4. Movies that do the same
5. Dancing-- ballet especially
6. Riding my bike
7. Cross country skiing
8. Learning Chinese

7. 8 Things I Can’t Stand

1. Farting
2. Techno music
3. When my house is messy and it's all my fault
4. Dead cats on the side of the road
5. Being cold
6. Long, boring, pretentious paragraphs
7. Dogs
8. Ice

8. 8 People I’m Tagging

1. Tia- for her listing skills
2. Sarah McKenna- especially to see her loves and hates lists
3. Sarah Franz- because she's opinionated
4. Keri-Ann- for old-time's listing sake
5. Karisa- she makes everything fun, even lovely lists
6. Terri- mostly to see what she loves besides spiders ;)
7. Bethanie- do you even have time for TV shows?
8. Stacey- although I think you've already done this... don't feel obligated, but it's always fun to hear what you have to say

Halloween

I know I'm supposed to take pictures of myself and my Halloween costume. But that didn't happen. You'll just have to use your imagination to see me as the cutest/most realistic pirate you've ever seen in your life.
Except Captain Jack Sparrow.
And Long John Silver.
And Blackbeard's ghost.
But I was very fearsome.
I have my pirate costume from marching band in high school when we did the Hook show. That was the first year our colorguard was awesome, and we all dressed up as pirates-- which made us even awesomer!
And having an awesome costume that is billowy and elastic means I can wear it and probably will always be able to wear it. This year I made the addition of some belts and my brown boots, unzipped part way and folded down. Sarah gave me that awesome idea. I also wore a bunch of my random Chinese trinkets (coin bracelet, jade necklace, antique combination lock, and Buddhist scripture in a can) dangling off my headscarf and belt. I was pretty cool.
Oh, and I was just reminded: we had a Halloween parade of all the kids from the daycare at my school. And since I was a scary pirate, my super awesome sister, Sarah, let me use her pirate treasure chest (given to her by her super awesome sister). So I had that pirate booty on my desk and gave out candy to little tiny trick-or-treaters. They were so cute!
The teacher I work with, Kelly, says the best part about Halloween is the little tiny kids dressed up. And when they come to his house to trick-or-treat, he gives them full-sized candy bars. When teenagers come, dressed up or not, he gives them each a Smartie and tells them they're too old for trick-or-treating.
I'm taking notes.