This is a new movie featuring the father/son combo of Will and Jaden Smith as a father and son in the early 80's. This story is about their struggle together to survive and get somewhere in the world when it seems like the everything has turned against them, even the world itself. It's a good movie. I'd recommend it to viewers who like Will Smith and who like a good story. It's got a very heavy feel for most of the movie. For the bulk of it, I felt very badly for Will Smith, because even his wife had no faith in him and walked out on him. The only person who stayed with him was his son, and even that relationship needed to be worked at.
It's a great movie in particular, because it demonstrates that all relationships need work, love and trust to last. It also shows the inherent weakness of just walking away from problems instead of trying to fix them.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Weekend
This was a great weekend. I slept in on Saturday until about 11:00 AM, worked on my blog, watched Desperado, and called Emma later on in the day. I wrapped up the day watching Returners, and went to bed about midnight.
On Sunday, Eric P. and I went to Old St. Mary's for the Tridentine High Mass at 9:00 AM, and then went to breakfast at Amphora's. After that, I changed into my regular clothes and took it easy all day.
On Sunday, Eric P. and I went to Old St. Mary's for the Tridentine High Mass at 9:00 AM, and then went to breakfast at Amphora's. After that, I changed into my regular clothes and took it easy all day.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Returner
This is a weird movie, and it's all in Japanese with subtitles. It's not a bad movie, it's just weird. About half-way through, I began to enjoy it. Until then, though, it was a very hard movie to make myself continue watching. The action sequences are beautifully done, the bad guy is so over-the-top that you just want to hate him, and the girl is ... well, really girly. Like 16-year-old really girly. Not a great combination with a bad guy who portrays the basest of men, and a good guy that you can only tell is the good guy because he's opposed to the bad guy. Anyway, so yeah. It finished up wonderfully. I predicted a good chuck of it, but the ending I did not predict. It finished strong, but began horribly...
Desperado
This was the second in the El Mariachi Trilogy, and a great movie. I recommend it as it is a fun movie, but it is not exactly a family movie...
Friday, May 18, 2007
Kiss Me Kate
This is a really fun movie! I very much recommend it for any fan of classic musical! My absolute favorite characters in the movie are the mobsters. They are hilarious!!
"Brush up your Shakespeare!
Start quoting him now!
Brush up your Shakespeare
and the women you will wow!"
...And speaking of this song, I found lyrics and chords for it here. I think that this is the original stage version, because the two middle verses aren't in the movie...
Although I love the costumes in the play, I'm so glad that they are not standard fare anymore.
I'm also really impressed by the dancing in the classic musicals. The pure talent and the hours of practicing -- wow...
"Brush up your Shakespeare!
Start quoting him now!
Brush up your Shakespeare
and the women you will wow!"
...And speaking of this song, I found lyrics and chords for it here. I think that this is the original stage version, because the two middle verses aren't in the movie...
Although I love the costumes in the play, I'm so glad that they are not standard fare anymore.
I'm also really impressed by the dancing in the classic musicals. The pure talent and the hours of practicing -- wow...
Monday, May 14, 2007
Graduation Weekend
This was a bittersweet weekend, as graduation always is. I made plans to get down there early on Friday, circa 1:00 PM, but it didn't work out that way. I didn't manage to leave the office until 3:00 PM. Fortunately, it actually did work out, because Sylvia called me to ask for directions, and since I was still in the office at the time she called, I was able to pull up Google Maps and give her directions.
Anyway, so yeah, traffic was fun. I got to sit in "rush" hour traffic for about two hours. I made it to Christendom with only a few minutes to spare. The Mass was very nicely done, with several priests concelebrating. It was kind of odd seeing Emma, Lizzie, Laurel, Angela, Katherine, Emily, and Michael (I'm missing someone, aren't I?) all in graduation gowns. The reality of the situation came to smack me in the head. Soon, I would not see half of these people for a very long time, if not ever again...
That evening, I went to Sarah's apartment at Guardian Angel with Eric P., Draper, John E., Breanna, Chrissie, JD, Sarah (obviously), Freddo, Kyle, AJ (and I know I'm missing people in this list), and we all had dinner (thank you, Sarah!) and a general good time.
The next day, I saw many people (among whom I would classify several as my best friends) walk across the stage, receive their diplomas, and essentially cross over into a new life. They were no longer students. There was no more fun times to be had after Sunday brunch, singing, or beating out strange rhythms on tables (much to the chagrin of those surrounding us), or anything with these people. Some would indeed be around during the summer, but seeing them again as alumni is entirely different then seeing them as fellow students, even though we were only students together for two years.
After the graduation ceremony on Saturday, Emma F. and Claire O. held a music recital for their families. They both sang a few pieces that meant a lot to them and their families. It was a very nice thought -- very moving.
The next day, after Mass, there was a tearful goodbye with Lizzie, and then she was gone shortly after that. I went to brunch with Emma, her family, John E., and Breanna. That was a very interesting time. It was fun, but I had never met a few of the people present, so I was quiet -- well, quiet in comparison to how I usually am.
After this, I helped Emma pack up her stuff and load up her family's suburban. i was reluctant to let her go also the same day as my other close friends, so since we were both going to Ken's house for a bonfire, we rode together. After leaving Ken's place, I said goodbye and dropped her off at Blessed Margaret's. I then went to St. Theresa's and hung out at their bonfire for about fifteen minutes, chatted lightly, sang a couple songs, and then drove back to the apartment.
There is something to be said about juniors and freshmen. When I was a junior and I saw this class come in, I wanted to be there for them since they were the newest underdogs, and I wasn't worried about establishing myself in the heirarchy. I got to know this class very well, and I will miss them.
One of my thoughts on graduation is something that Deacon David B. (shares the same last name as my good friend Lizzie) from Holy Transfiguration recently told me. He actually told me this in the context of Pascha, and how good things must end. Many years ago, he and his family were visiting a friend's house, as friends are often found doing. When it was time to leave, his wife told his children to get ready to go. His children asked, "Why do we have to go? Can't we stay here forever?" Mrs. B. replied, "But if we don't leave, we can never come back." The children responded well to this, and prepared to leave.
My thought on the matter is that graduation is a very joyful time, and yet a very hard time for everyone. It involves parting ways with your best friends -- in some cases, forever. But, Deacon David's story plays its part now: "If we don't leave, we can never come back." In the original context, he meant that unless you stop celebrating, you can never again celebrate. Unless there is a parting of ways between friends, there can never be the joy of reunion. With that in mind, I will definitely be offering up my prayers for the class of 2007, that they may quickly find comfort in their graduation and new lives, and that both the good and the bad times that they had together in Christendom will prepare them for an incredible joy upon their eventual reunion. May God bless each and every one of them, and may Our Lady hold them each individually as her favorite son or daughter.
Anyway, so yeah, traffic was fun. I got to sit in "rush" hour traffic for about two hours. I made it to Christendom with only a few minutes to spare. The Mass was very nicely done, with several priests concelebrating. It was kind of odd seeing Emma, Lizzie, Laurel, Angela, Katherine, Emily, and Michael (I'm missing someone, aren't I?) all in graduation gowns. The reality of the situation came to smack me in the head. Soon, I would not see half of these people for a very long time, if not ever again...
That evening, I went to Sarah's apartment at Guardian Angel with Eric P., Draper, John E., Breanna, Chrissie, JD, Sarah (obviously), Freddo, Kyle, AJ (and I know I'm missing people in this list), and we all had dinner (thank you, Sarah!) and a general good time.
The next day, I saw many people (among whom I would classify several as my best friends) walk across the stage, receive their diplomas, and essentially cross over into a new life. They were no longer students. There was no more fun times to be had after Sunday brunch, singing, or beating out strange rhythms on tables (much to the chagrin of those surrounding us), or anything with these people. Some would indeed be around during the summer, but seeing them again as alumni is entirely different then seeing them as fellow students, even though we were only students together for two years.
After the graduation ceremony on Saturday, Emma F. and Claire O. held a music recital for their families. They both sang a few pieces that meant a lot to them and their families. It was a very nice thought -- very moving.
The next day, after Mass, there was a tearful goodbye with Lizzie, and then she was gone shortly after that. I went to brunch with Emma, her family, John E., and Breanna. That was a very interesting time. It was fun, but I had never met a few of the people present, so I was quiet -- well, quiet in comparison to how I usually am.
After this, I helped Emma pack up her stuff and load up her family's suburban. i was reluctant to let her go also the same day as my other close friends, so since we were both going to Ken's house for a bonfire, we rode together. After leaving Ken's place, I said goodbye and dropped her off at Blessed Margaret's. I then went to St. Theresa's and hung out at their bonfire for about fifteen minutes, chatted lightly, sang a couple songs, and then drove back to the apartment.
There is something to be said about juniors and freshmen. When I was a junior and I saw this class come in, I wanted to be there for them since they were the newest underdogs, and I wasn't worried about establishing myself in the heirarchy. I got to know this class very well, and I will miss them.
One of my thoughts on graduation is something that Deacon David B. (shares the same last name as my good friend Lizzie) from Holy Transfiguration recently told me. He actually told me this in the context of Pascha, and how good things must end. Many years ago, he and his family were visiting a friend's house, as friends are often found doing. When it was time to leave, his wife told his children to get ready to go. His children asked, "Why do we have to go? Can't we stay here forever?" Mrs. B. replied, "But if we don't leave, we can never come back." The children responded well to this, and prepared to leave.
My thought on the matter is that graduation is a very joyful time, and yet a very hard time for everyone. It involves parting ways with your best friends -- in some cases, forever. But, Deacon David's story plays its part now: "If we don't leave, we can never come back." In the original context, he meant that unless you stop celebrating, you can never again celebrate. Unless there is a parting of ways between friends, there can never be the joy of reunion. With that in mind, I will definitely be offering up my prayers for the class of 2007, that they may quickly find comfort in their graduation and new lives, and that both the good and the bad times that they had together in Christendom will prepare them for an incredible joy upon their eventual reunion. May God bless each and every one of them, and may Our Lady hold them each individually as her favorite son or daughter.
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
The Tuxedo
Jackie Chan's movie is a lot of fun, like most of his movies are. I actually really like it, but I know there are others that would disagree with me. I recommend watching it for yourself and making your own opinion.
Weird Al Yankovic, Live in concert!!!
Eric told me about this some time ago, and I had completely forgotten, but hey, I wouldn't miss Weird Al in concert if ... I dunno. I just wouldn't intentionally miss him in concert.
This concert was loads of fun. It was at the Rams Head Tavern in Baltimore. For the record, the acoustics there are absolutely horrible. I've been to a few concerts, but none of them have ever been this bad. When you can't understand a word that Weird Al is saying but you know the song because you've heard it so much, it's OK, but you still want to hear the song. And you couldn't, because the acoustics were simply atrocious. Now that my rant is over, I'll tell you why the concert was so much fun.
Weird Al Yankovic. What isn't fun about that? He parodies everything, and when he's not parodying something he's making fun of people, ideas or trends. It's awesome!
He opened with a few songs from his new album, Straight Outta Lynwood, beginning first with Polkarama!, and then going into You're Pitiful, Close But No Cigar, and I'll Sue Ya. He did more from his new album, but I can't recall what they were off the top of my head. He left the stage and came back on in his music video costumes for several of his music videos, such as the aforementioned You're Pitiful, It's All About The Pentiums, Fat, Couch Potato, White & Nerdy, Smells Like Nirvana and Amish Paradise. He did two long medleys of some of his older songs, mixing them with some of his new ones, including Headline News (which was redone for the concert, making fun of Britney Spears' recent episodes of life), Pretty Fly For A Rabbi, A Complicated Song, Eat It, Trapped In The Drive-Thru, Confessions Part III, and Ebay -- among others. He also sang White & Nerdy, Canadian Idiot, Weasel Stomping Day, Do I Creep You Out, and Wanna B Ur Lovr. Between sessions, there were short breaks where he showed his Weird Al TV interviews (which is basically him "interviewing" stars, and by "interviewing", I mean replacing the interviewer's questions with his own, and placing their answers after his random questions to make them look funny -- an instant classic one is him with Jessica Simpson, or him with Eminem, but he also reworked a number of others), and a few other videos that he modified. He also showed the opening of the music video to Fat before coming out to perform it in his fat suit. Meanwhile, the audience was going nuts, and singing along with everything and dancing appropriately to whatever song was being played. I was singing so loud and so much that I practically shouted my voice out, so towards the end of the concert, I quieted down to help save my voice.
He wrapped up the concert to thunderous applause, and he came back out and did a song about cell phones (which was awesome), and finished with Albuquerque. Yes, Pat S., I completely sang my voice out for you on that one, buddy!
Anyway, so at the end of the concert, I had no voice left. I was extremely hoarse, but it was so worth it. Today, I have my voice back -- kind of. It's not all the way there. My speaking range is there, but don't ask me to sing. That's gone. I'll be giving that a rest for the next couple of days. Hopefully, it'll be better by Friday for my voice lesson.
Monday, May 07, 2007
A rather long weekend -- kind of...
This weekend wasn't really all that long, it just felt it...
On Saturday, morning, I woke up bright and early to help one of Sarah H's sisters and her family unload a moving van. I got to Front Royal around 10:00 AM, just in time for some big stuff. Anyway, I worked with them until about noon, and then I went to Front Royal. I was scheduled to meet up with Dan D. to give him a haircut, but I didn't see him at brunch.
Alexandria C. was in town, so we went to breakfast in town and got caught up on life. I'm sure that there was more that could have been said, considering that it had been about two years since we'd seen each other, but a lot of stuff happens in two years, and it's hard to remember it all... :)
After that, I went back to Dan's room to see if he was there. Since he wasn't, I decided to go to Manassas. MikeE had invited me to go see Spider-Man 3 for Carissa's birthday. Originally, I didn't think that I could be there on time, but considering that I was done with everything early, I called them and let them know that I was on the way. However, they were in the theater, and the movie was about to start in 15 minutes, so I was going to miss it anyway. Since I missed part 1 of this 2-part get-together, I made tentative plans to meet up with them after the movie for dinner. I also made tentative plans to meet up with Emma in the evening. She had a Student Activities Council dinner to attend, so it probably wouldn't be until much later.
I went back to the apartment and worked for a little while. I had some classic cartoons going on in the background, mostly Popeye. At about 5:00 PM, I called MikeE back to see what the dinner plans were, but they were canceled. With this new change of plans, I went to Vespers at Holy Transfiguration, since I hadn't been there in a few weeks.
After Vespers, I came back to the apartment and watched Once Upon a Time in Mexico. Emma called me to let me know that she was on her way back from the dinner, but since I was still at the apartment, and it was nearing 10:30 PM, we decided to get together on Sunday.
Anyway, so on Sunday morning, bright and early, I drove to Front Royal, rather unlike what I had wanted to do (I was going to go there the day before so that I wouldn't have to make the drive in the morning). But I made it there. Emma's cold was getting better, and she sang with the choir at the Mass at Christendom.
Today was a big day for the Christendom College Choir because they were scheduled to sing at St. John's in town as well for the Tridentine Latin Mass at 12:30 PM. A couple choir members couldn't make it because of the cold that was going around, several choir members couldn't make it because of studying or other stuff that came up, so we had smaller numbers, but I think we did all right. After that, we went to Dean's Steak House in Front Royal for the choir dinner. Emma and I arm-wrestled. It's embarrassing to say that I won, because it's not cool for a guy to beat a girl in things of the sort, but it would still be embarrassing had I lost. In short, I'm a bad person... :-P
After the choir dinner, we all went back to campus, and I chatted with Emma, Lizzie, Laurel, M.C., Paul, and several other people for a little while. Emma said that she had some pictures for me, so before I left, I drove her back to her dorm and she showed me the pictures, and I got to pick a few. My favorite one is the last one on this post. Oh, and if you want to see bigger versions of the pictures, just click on them.
I went to Christine's house for a party that she was throwing for Josh and Leslie, to celebrate Josh's new beard and their new Corgi puppy, Sweat Pea. I'm fairly certain that she is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi -- I'm just guessing of course, because her tail was docked. All I know is that she was a Corgi and she was cute as a button, and she knew it...
So, after Christine's party, I went back to Christendom and met up with Emma again. We chatted for a little while -- I think until 12:30? I'm not sure, but Emma had a final in about 8 hours, and I was being rude keeping her, so I said my farewells and drove back to the apartment. And now, it's time for a very long and busy week at work...
On Saturday, morning, I woke up bright and early to help one of Sarah H's sisters and her family unload a moving van. I got to Front Royal around 10:00 AM, just in time for some big stuff. Anyway, I worked with them until about noon, and then I went to Front Royal. I was scheduled to meet up with Dan D. to give him a haircut, but I didn't see him at brunch.
Alexandria C. was in town, so we went to breakfast in town and got caught up on life. I'm sure that there was more that could have been said, considering that it had been about two years since we'd seen each other, but a lot of stuff happens in two years, and it's hard to remember it all... :)
After that, I went back to Dan's room to see if he was there. Since he wasn't, I decided to go to Manassas. MikeE had invited me to go see Spider-Man 3 for Carissa's birthday. Originally, I didn't think that I could be there on time, but considering that I was done with everything early, I called them and let them know that I was on the way. However, they were in the theater, and the movie was about to start in 15 minutes, so I was going to miss it anyway. Since I missed part 1 of this 2-part get-together, I made tentative plans to meet up with them after the movie for dinner. I also made tentative plans to meet up with Emma in the evening. She had a Student Activities Council dinner to attend, so it probably wouldn't be until much later.
I went back to the apartment and worked for a little while. I had some classic cartoons going on in the background, mostly Popeye. At about 5:00 PM, I called MikeE back to see what the dinner plans were, but they were canceled. With this new change of plans, I went to Vespers at Holy Transfiguration, since I hadn't been there in a few weeks.
After Vespers, I came back to the apartment and watched Once Upon a Time in Mexico. Emma called me to let me know that she was on her way back from the dinner, but since I was still at the apartment, and it was nearing 10:30 PM, we decided to get together on Sunday.
Anyway, so on Sunday morning, bright and early, I drove to Front Royal, rather unlike what I had wanted to do (I was going to go there the day before so that I wouldn't have to make the drive in the morning). But I made it there. Emma's cold was getting better, and she sang with the choir at the Mass at Christendom.
Today was a big day for the Christendom College Choir because they were scheduled to sing at St. John's in town as well for the Tridentine Latin Mass at 12:30 PM. A couple choir members couldn't make it because of the cold that was going around, several choir members couldn't make it because of studying or other stuff that came up, so we had smaller numbers, but I think we did all right. After that, we went to Dean's Steak House in Front Royal for the choir dinner. Emma and I arm-wrestled. It's embarrassing to say that I won, because it's not cool for a guy to beat a girl in things of the sort, but it would still be embarrassing had I lost. In short, I'm a bad person... :-P
After the choir dinner, we all went back to campus, and I chatted with Emma, Lizzie, Laurel, M.C., Paul, and several other people for a little while. Emma said that she had some pictures for me, so before I left, I drove her back to her dorm and she showed me the pictures, and I got to pick a few. My favorite one is the last one on this post. Oh, and if you want to see bigger versions of the pictures, just click on them.I went to Christine's house for a party that she was throwing for Josh and Leslie, to celebrate Josh's new beard and their new Corgi puppy, Sweat Pea. I'm fairly certain that she is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi -- I'm just guessing of course, because her tail was docked. All I know is that she was a Corgi and she was cute as a button, and she knew it...
So, after Christine's party, I went back to Christendom and met up with Emma again. We chatted for a little while -- I think until 12:30? I'm not sure, but Emma had a final in about 8 hours, and I was being rude keeping her, so I said my farewells and drove back to the apartment. And now, it's time for a very long and busy week at work...
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
This is the first time that I've seen this movie all the way through. The first time I saw it, I fell asleep in the beginning, and woke up about 75% of the way through it.
This is a really excellent film. I love the music and the action in it! It's violent, and perhaps a bit over-the-top in a couple places for some people, but I think it is well worth watching. :)
This is a really excellent film. I love the music and the action in it! It's violent, and perhaps a bit over-the-top in a couple places for some people, but I think it is well worth watching. :)
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Casino Royale
The latest in the Bond films has left me stunned. It was an excellent film. At first, I didn't think that I would enjoy it too much, mostly because the actor had changed, but when I saw the first chase of the movie (perhaps 10 minutes into it), I realized that I would enjoy it thoroughly.
As is standard for James Bond movies, there are some things which would scandalize the more innocent people of the world, but James Bond is well-known for seduction. Overall, though, this movie is, I think, the cleanest one yet.
It's also one of the sweetest ones. The action scenes in here are simply amazing. All the people involved put a lot of work into making the movie well, and I'd say that they succeeded quite nicely. It was a great film!
As is standard for James Bond movies, there are some things which would scandalize the more innocent people of the world, but James Bond is well-known for seduction. Overall, though, this movie is, I think, the cleanest one yet.
It's also one of the sweetest ones. The action scenes in here are simply amazing. All the people involved put a lot of work into making the movie well, and I'd say that they succeeded quite nicely. It was a great film!
Monday, April 30, 2007
The rest of the weekend, post-Formal
So, yeah. Saturday morning was fun. Lizzie and Emma had to be up for Holy Rood, which began cleaning the church right after the 7:00 AM Mass (recall that I had driven Emma back to her dorm at about 4:00 AM). I had gone back to JD's place, and slept there -- quite soundly, I might add. I didn't wake up until about 10:00 AM, when JD asked me if I was going to get up for choir practice. I didn't really want to, but I did.
Anyway, so after choir practice, I sat around and talked with Lizzie, Emma, Dr. P, Draper, and a few other people about formal and other things. At about 11:15 AM, I headed out. I had to be at the gym at 1:00 PM, and it would probably take me about an hour to get back to the dorm.
The Charger handled extremely well for the trip back to the apartment. I ran my tux and other clothes inside, grabbed a sports drink, and headed out again, arriving at the gym a few minutes before 1:00 PM. I warmed up, and Emily T. (my personal trainer) set about slaughtering my upper body. I should say that as gruesome as that sounds, I felt really good after that workout. My arms felt like they had no strength left at all.
I went to Vespers at Holy Transfiguration, and then went back to Front Royal for the evening, since I had to be out for Sunday morning Mass anyway.
After Mass, I had brunch at Sarah's, then to choir practice. Then, I went to watch the faculty vs. students football game. I had the game pegged the wrong way: the faculty had a lot of really strong-looking guys on their team whereas the students didn't. However, I wasn't thinking correctly: in flag football, strength is good, but speed and agility are better. The students had the faster players -- they did have some competition in that field, but it just wasn't enough.
After that, I went to find Joe P. He told me about the band playing at 6:00 that evening, and I wanted to attend, but Ken and Alaina had invited me to their place for dinner. I usually can't refuse good food, so I accepted. After dinner, Sarah came over, and we all played the Game of Life. I won the first game, but it was through pure, disgusting, wonderful luck. I happened to get the highest salary available, $100K. The second game was more balanced -- I actually got the lowest salary of the salaries selected, $60K. In the first game, Alaina got the lowest selected, $40K. In the second game, she got the highest, $100K.
The last thing i did that night before heading back was birthday singing for Jen P. Happy birthday, Jen!
On a final note, everyone that I took for a spin in the Charger (Emma, Christine, Sarah, and Alex) enjoyed it, or at least told me that they did. My one "complaint" is that it sounded like a Honda when fired up. Anyway, so the Charger is back at Hertz. I'd love to get one, but I wouldn't get the V6 version. If I do get one, it would be the Hemi -- and that's a really big "if". They are fairly expensive cars...
Anyway, so after choir practice, I sat around and talked with Lizzie, Emma, Dr. P, Draper, and a few other people about formal and other things. At about 11:15 AM, I headed out. I had to be at the gym at 1:00 PM, and it would probably take me about an hour to get back to the dorm.
The Charger handled extremely well for the trip back to the apartment. I ran my tux and other clothes inside, grabbed a sports drink, and headed out again, arriving at the gym a few minutes before 1:00 PM. I warmed up, and Emily T. (my personal trainer) set about slaughtering my upper body. I should say that as gruesome as that sounds, I felt really good after that workout. My arms felt like they had no strength left at all.
I went to Vespers at Holy Transfiguration, and then went back to Front Royal for the evening, since I had to be out for Sunday morning Mass anyway.
After Mass, I had brunch at Sarah's, then to choir practice. Then, I went to watch the faculty vs. students football game. I had the game pegged the wrong way: the faculty had a lot of really strong-looking guys on their team whereas the students didn't. However, I wasn't thinking correctly: in flag football, strength is good, but speed and agility are better. The students had the faster players -- they did have some competition in that field, but it just wasn't enough.
After that, I went to find Joe P. He told me about the band playing at 6:00 that evening, and I wanted to attend, but Ken and Alaina had invited me to their place for dinner. I usually can't refuse good food, so I accepted. After dinner, Sarah came over, and we all played the Game of Life. I won the first game, but it was through pure, disgusting, wonderful luck. I happened to get the highest salary available, $100K. The second game was more balanced -- I actually got the lowest salary of the salaries selected, $60K. In the first game, Alaina got the lowest selected, $40K. In the second game, she got the highest, $100K.
The last thing i did that night before heading back was birthday singing for Jen P. Happy birthday, Jen!
On a final note, everyone that I took for a spin in the Charger (Emma, Christine, Sarah, and Alex) enjoyed it, or at least told me that they did. My one "complaint" is that it sounded like a Honda when fired up. Anyway, so the Charger is back at Hertz. I'd love to get one, but I wouldn't get the V6 version. If I do get one, it would be the Hemi -- and that's a really big "if". They are fairly expensive cars...
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Formal 2007
I had requested a half-day off from work on Friday, so I only planned on working until about noon. With this in mind, I got up at 5:00 AM with the intention of going to the gym early, but, when I saw how clear the tollway was, I headed to work instead. I was there by 6:00 AM, and planned to leave at 10. However, two minutes before I planned to head out, I got a project, and I had to work later than I intended, and thus, I didn't get to go to the gym. I went back to the apartment, showered, worked again, packed up, and headed to Front Royal.
To backtrack just a bit, I asked Emma to formal on Monday and, after she accepted (obviously not before -- that would have been very egotistical of me), I began the process of renting a car from JD. I got her a corsage on Wednesday, but I asked them to modify it a little so that it matched her dress.
As regards the car, I was looking for a Chrysler 300, then a Ford Mustang. JD suggested a Dodge Charger or Dodge Magnum. Any of those options sounded good to me, so he did what he could.
Anyway, so, on Friday, I headed out of the apartment and over to Front Royal to pick up the car. JD had managed to get a silver 2007 Dodge Charger SXT. I picked it up at Shenandoah Ford, and, even after promising to not abuse it, I couldn't resist testing it out. The car looked and handled beautifully. It accelerated quite nicely, and took corners very well. I definitely didn't abuse it, but I put a bit more stress on it then I would normally have done so, had it been my own car.
So I drove over to Dane and JD's, and outside the apartment, I ran into Tambi. She and Dr. P were going to formal together, and she asked for some help with a pocket square. I gave her the red one that I had brought down for Dr. P just in case, and showed her a couple ways of folding it. Since I was running late, though, I excused myself, left her in the capable hands of Ed B., put on my tux (black tux, black shirt, cream vest, white tie), and headed out to pick up Emma. As luck would have it, I wasn't all that late. I was going with Sarah and Dan, Ashley and Dominick, Andy, Maggie, and Iona. It was set to be a fun group. :) Emma came out looking wonderful in her blue dress, and Nikole H. took a picture of us. If I get to see them before this post goes up, I'll post one here -- with permission, of course...
We went out to a little French chalet up in the mountains, somewhere between Front Royal and Harper's Ferry. (We actually got lost on the way up there, but I took it as more of a discovery of what the Charger is capable, and I also continue to be impressed by it's ability.) There were about thirty people at the dinner in all, most of whom were seniors, but there were a few alumni -- at least then, I didn't feel quite so out of place.
Peter K., Pate Q., and Bob T. seemed to be the student masterminds of the event. Peter was the announcer for most of the night, so when we got there, we greeted us, and when it was time to eat, he asked us to please be seated. Mr. Brown was the culinary genius of the evening. If you want to take a look at his menu, here it is:
After the dinner, Pate wanted to get a group picture, so we all gathered at the stairs to get a picture. (Thanks to Dampi for letting me use her picture. YOU ROCK, DAMPI!!!) After that, Emma and I headed out, following our original group to formal. Emma and I got onto 81 and headed north. At first, I was really confused by the fact that we were supposed to go to exit 5. It took a few miles, but then it suddenly clicked that exit 5 was in West Virginia. I felt really silly when I realized that, because I was going fairly slowly, looking for telltale signs of an exit 5. To those of you who don't know, once you get on 81N from 66, the first exit number is over 300. I knew that exit 5 was all the way south on 81 in VA, and that it would take us several hours to get there -- and then it dawned on me that the dance was in WV. I'm a little bit slow...
Anyway, the formal dance was being held in the large hall of St. Leo's Catholic Church. It was a very large hall. We arrived just about 11:00 PM, with about two hours left of the dance. As usual, I saw someone I knew outside, and I had to stop and chat with them. Emma was very nice and sweet in letting me continue postponing dancing (although kind of unintentionally postponing it), but after the third person with whom I chatted, I began to catch on to the fact that she wanted to get inside to the dance. Like I said: not all the lights are on upstairs. :)
We danced a few slow dances, a couple swings, and a waltz. I'm definitely out of practice -- however, it's a good thing that I had TJ's help earlier on (as I related in a couple previous posts), because the moves were coming to me, although embarrassingly slowly. There was one dance that I missed with Emma though: Laurel put on a tango (I love tango), so I quickly searched the room, but couldn't find Emma. However, feeling the need to dance the tango, I danced with Sylvia S., and proved that I was even out of practice with the tango.
Over the course of the night, I danced with a few other girls as well: Bridget R., Jenne L. (who had dislocated her hip -- that was an interesting dance), Emily G., and Sarah M. (formerly S.). That is not all of them -- I am just getting old and can't remember all of them. My first "dance" after I danced with Emma was a disco train, though. That was fun. I yelled at several people to get in it. Lizzie chickened out, but Dr. P, Tambi, and Krebsie joined. There was even an alternate train forming on a separate track, and we both merged into one giant one. Later on in the evening, I also heard the Electric Slide. This is by far my favorite line dance. It's easy enough to do, even though it's also easy to mess up -- which I do quite often. Usually though, recovery is quick and practically painless...
Emma, Josepha and I got together and walked around for a bit. We were going to go into the chapel to check it out, but this turned into an "acoustics test", so we grabbed a few other choir members that we could find fairly quickly and went to go sing a couple motets. I have to admit that I rather enjoyed the acoustics of the church, even though it seemed oddly dead. It was harder to fill the church with sound, meaning that we all had to sing louder. :)
About then, the dance was wrapping up. I danced the last three dances with Emma, and then there was the concluding prayer. As people made their exits, I noticed Peachy -- I hadn't seen him in a few months, so we exchanged e-mail addresses so that we could keep in touch more frequently.
After that, Emma and I joined Lizzie, JD, Sylvia, Michael, Kathleen and Andy for discussions on what to do next. It was 1:00 AM, but we still had some energy left. Someone suggested ice cream, and after discussing this for a little while, we all headed out the door. Since Emma and I were the first to head out, we stopped by Martin's and picked some up. Then we went to JD's, where the rest of the folks were waiting, and socialized for a while. I drove Emma back to her dorm sometime between 3:30-4:00 AM.
To backtrack just a bit, I asked Emma to formal on Monday and, after she accepted (obviously not before -- that would have been very egotistical of me), I began the process of renting a car from JD. I got her a corsage on Wednesday, but I asked them to modify it a little so that it matched her dress.
As regards the car, I was looking for a Chrysler 300, then a Ford Mustang. JD suggested a Dodge Charger or Dodge Magnum. Any of those options sounded good to me, so he did what he could.
Anyway, so, on Friday, I headed out of the apartment and over to Front Royal to pick up the car. JD had managed to get a silver 2007 Dodge Charger SXT. I picked it up at Shenandoah Ford, and, even after promising to not abuse it, I couldn't resist testing it out. The car looked and handled beautifully. It accelerated quite nicely, and took corners very well. I definitely didn't abuse it, but I put a bit more stress on it then I would normally have done so, had it been my own car.
So I drove over to Dane and JD's, and outside the apartment, I ran into Tambi. She and Dr. P were going to formal together, and she asked for some help with a pocket square. I gave her the red one that I had brought down for Dr. P just in case, and showed her a couple ways of folding it. Since I was running late, though, I excused myself, left her in the capable hands of Ed B., put on my tux (black tux, black shirt, cream vest, white tie), and headed out to pick up Emma. As luck would have it, I wasn't all that late. I was going with Sarah and Dan, Ashley and Dominick, Andy, Maggie, and Iona. It was set to be a fun group. :) Emma came out looking wonderful in her blue dress, and Nikole H. took a picture of us. If I get to see them before this post goes up, I'll post one here -- with permission, of course...
We went out to a little French chalet up in the mountains, somewhere between Front Royal and Harper's Ferry. (We actually got lost on the way up there, but I took it as more of a discovery of what the Charger is capable, and I also continue to be impressed by it's ability.) There were about thirty people at the dinner in all, most of whom were seniors, but there were a few alumni -- at least then, I didn't feel quite so out of place.
Peter K., Pate Q., and Bob T. seemed to be the student masterminds of the event. Peter was the announcer for most of the night, so when we got there, we greeted us, and when it was time to eat, he asked us to please be seated. Mr. Brown was the culinary genius of the evening. If you want to take a look at his menu, here it is:
- Caramelized Bacon, Almond and Brie Crostini
- Shrimp Spring Roll with and Apricot Chile Dipping Sauce
- Grilled Chicken Sate with Peanut Sauce
- Cream of Cauliflower Potato Soup
- Tartlet Duo: Onion, Prosciutto
- Orange Salad with Balsamic Drizzle
- Seafood Risotto with Seared Scallop and Parmesan Crisp
- Watermelon Intermezzo
- Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Chipotle Chile Rum Sauce, Fresh Corn Fritters, and Shoestring Sweet Potatoes
- Chilled White Chocolate Lemon Souffle
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
After the dinner, Pate wanted to get a group picture, so we all gathered at the stairs to get a picture. (Thanks to Dampi for letting me use her picture. YOU ROCK, DAMPI!!!) After that, Emma and I headed out, following our original group to formal. Emma and I got onto 81 and headed north. At first, I was really confused by the fact that we were supposed to go to exit 5. It took a few miles, but then it suddenly clicked that exit 5 was in West Virginia. I felt really silly when I realized that, because I was going fairly slowly, looking for telltale signs of an exit 5. To those of you who don't know, once you get on 81N from 66, the first exit number is over 300. I knew that exit 5 was all the way south on 81 in VA, and that it would take us several hours to get there -- and then it dawned on me that the dance was in WV. I'm a little bit slow...Anyway, the formal dance was being held in the large hall of St. Leo's Catholic Church. It was a very large hall. We arrived just about 11:00 PM, with about two hours left of the dance. As usual, I saw someone I knew outside, and I had to stop and chat with them. Emma was very nice and sweet in letting me continue postponing dancing (although kind of unintentionally postponing it), but after the third person with whom I chatted, I began to catch on to the fact that she wanted to get inside to the dance. Like I said: not all the lights are on upstairs. :)
We danced a few slow dances, a couple swings, and a waltz. I'm definitely out of practice -- however, it's a good thing that I had TJ's help earlier on (as I related in a couple previous posts), because the moves were coming to me, although embarrassingly slowly. There was one dance that I missed with Emma though: Laurel put on a tango (I love tango), so I quickly searched the room, but couldn't find Emma. However, feeling the need to dance the tango, I danced with Sylvia S., and proved that I was even out of practice with the tango.
Over the course of the night, I danced with a few other girls as well: Bridget R., Jenne L. (who had dislocated her hip -- that was an interesting dance), Emily G., and Sarah M. (formerly S.). That is not all of them -- I am just getting old and can't remember all of them. My first "dance" after I danced with Emma was a disco train, though. That was fun. I yelled at several people to get in it. Lizzie chickened out, but Dr. P, Tambi, and Krebsie joined. There was even an alternate train forming on a separate track, and we both merged into one giant one. Later on in the evening, I also heard the Electric Slide. This is by far my favorite line dance. It's easy enough to do, even though it's also easy to mess up -- which I do quite often. Usually though, recovery is quick and practically painless...
Emma, Josepha and I got together and walked around for a bit. We were going to go into the chapel to check it out, but this turned into an "acoustics test", so we grabbed a few other choir members that we could find fairly quickly and went to go sing a couple motets. I have to admit that I rather enjoyed the acoustics of the church, even though it seemed oddly dead. It was harder to fill the church with sound, meaning that we all had to sing louder. :)
About then, the dance was wrapping up. I danced the last three dances with Emma, and then there was the concluding prayer. As people made their exits, I noticed Peachy -- I hadn't seen him in a few months, so we exchanged e-mail addresses so that we could keep in touch more frequently.
After that, Emma and I joined Lizzie, JD, Sylvia, Michael, Kathleen and Andy for discussions on what to do next. It was 1:00 AM, but we still had some energy left. Someone suggested ice cream, and after discussing this for a little while, we all headed out the door. Since Emma and I were the first to head out, we stopped by Martin's and picked some up. Then we went to JD's, where the rest of the folks were waiting, and socialized for a while. I drove Emma back to her dorm sometime between 3:30-4:00 AM.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Ocean's Eleven
I've seen this movie before, but it had been a while. I watched both the commentaries on the film, one by the director and screenwriter, and the second by three of the actors. When it was all done, then I watched the movie. It was actually quite fascinating to see all three versions of it. It's really cool to hear commentary on why the movie was made this way or that way, or pointing out an inside joke about a scene. After seeing the commentaries, I watched the regular film, and I caught so much more. This is a very well-made movie, and it's also quite fun. There are a few dancers early on which kind of ruin a couple scenes, but the rest of the movie is great.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
The Concert, the picnic, and the rest of the weekend
On Saturday, I drove out to Front Royal fairly early in the morning. I was actually quite pleased with myself. I rose early, showered and put on my suit, packed for the weekend, and was out the door in plenty of time for me to casually drive to Front Royal and arrive there in time for choir practice. It was a nice feeling -- no rushing, no "Darn-it-I-should-have-gotten-up-earlier"s, and no speeding. I liked that feeling. I'll have to try being responsible (i.e., not lazy) more often!
Anyway, I met up with the Palestrina Choir and we practiced for about an hour-and-a-half. Practice didn't seem to go too terribly well, but some of us were still a bit groggy (myself included), and thus our voices were not quite ready to cooperate. Dr. P seemed to be a little bit on edge, because we were performing these pieces in a concert in just a few hours, and, although we had them down, we were still messing up here and there, and we didn't quite sound like a unified whole...
Anyway, after practice, I went to Mass, and then into the Commons. John E. had come down from PA for the weekend, so I chatted with him for a little while, and then at 12:30 PM, we loaded up the vans and drove out to Bethesda, MD. We arrived around 2 PM, and practiced in the church. Once again, it was not one of our best practices. Normally, a bad practice doesn't phase me too much, because it's just a practice, but we were cutting it close, and even I was getting a bit worried.
After the choir and schola practiced, Jacinta W. practiced on the organ until about 4 PM, and then confessions began. While she was practicing, the bulk of us went outside and enjoyed the weather. I went back inside and to confession when they began, and then I did my best to avoid the pictures. (Call me what you will, I'm rather self-conscious about the fact that I'm not very photogenic.) Then I went to their 5:00 PM Mass.
This Mass was definitely sub-par in quality to any of the Masses that I attend, whether at Christendom, St. John's, St. Rita's, St. Andrew's -- they've all got them beat hands down. These other parishes that I mentioned do things by the book, whereas this church seemed to be making much more of a show about the Mass than anything else. It was kind of disturbing (the four altar girls didn't help matters either). I spent most of the time thinking to myself, "Just walk out. Leave. They won't mind. Look at the people around me. If they don't mind the way that they are dressed and the way that they are acting, then they certainly won't mind if a properly dressed man leaves because he's offended." But I couldn't bring myself to do it. There was a tinge of reverence for what was happening, and that tinge was enough to make me stay -- but only barely...
Anyway, the choir was supposed to sing the Communion meditation, so I went upstairs with them. Just about that time, the soloist began singing. Sounds rather counter-productive, but it's true. We went upstairs to the choir loft, and then waited through an entire hymn. When it was over, we sang the chant Tantum Ergo, followed by Maurice Duruflé's composition of Tantum Ergo. The congregation looked so shocked that another musical sound was playing in the church, instead of a piano and soloist, and most of them turned around and looked up at us. I saw more than half of those looking at us inquisitively, and the rest were smiling. The people who didn't look up looked frozen, either because they hadn't heard real music like this in some time, or else because they were uncertain about what to do, say, or think. When we were finished, silence reigned for about a second, and then the priest concluded Mass.
Immediately after Mass, we went out a side door of the church, and formed a line to assume our positions. Our concert began immediately after Mass. The priest invited the congregation to stay and listen, but most of them fled (in their defense, the weather outside was simply magnificent). The concert was being offered as part of a Sacred Music series that the church was putting on. I think that we were the fourth choir on their list (they were offering a concert a week), but I could very well be wrong about that. Anyway, whatever the situation was, we arranged themselves in order, and said a quick prayer. We were introduced, and when we came out, we all did a genuflection towards the tabernacle before we began (fortunately, the tabernacle was in the middle of the sanctuary, and not hidden away).
The music we did consisted of the following:
After the concert, Paul, MC and I packed up the stuff and brought it out to the van. We left the church just before 8:00 PM, and made it back to Christendom just after 9:00 PM. That night, Coffee House was going on at Christendom, but I didn't go. I was a bit tired, so I went to JD's place for a while, where John E. and Breanna H. were, and Emma soon joined us. I was also rather hungry. I sing better on an empty stomach then when I'm full, so I hadn't eaten anything all day. I went to Giant and picked up a sandwich for me, Dr. Pepper for JD, and some Starburst for John. I also grabbed some Doritos, since they were priced 2-for-1. :)
Truth be told, I guess that it took a second trip for the Starburst -- I had completely forgotten about them when I went into the store the first time, and I was almost back to JD's when I remembered them, so I turned around and went back to the store. I'm so ridiculously forgetful sometimes.
After eating and visiting for a while, I drove Emma back to her dorm, and then went back to JD's where Josepha had just arrived. I was pretty tired, so I completely zonked out while she was there. I had no intention of being rude; my spirit was willing to visit, but my eyes said, "I think not..."
The next morning, I woke up to JD asking me if I was going to go to choir practice. It had already started, and I was late.
After choir practice and Mass, I went to LD's in town and had breakfast with JD, Josepha, John E., Brenna H. and another girl whom I should know, but cannot remember her name. We had a good time there, and then headed back to Christendom for the Palestrina choir practice. Following this, I went outside with Lizzie, Christine, and MC to play catch with a water bottle. We ended up having a bit of a water fight, because the cap on the bottle got loose and splashed all over some people. Out of all of us, I think Christine was the driest and Lizzie was the wettest. The poor girl had the worst luck when it came to catching the water bottle when the cap was the loosest. Nevertheless, it was still pretty funny. :)
I was invited to St. Theresa's dorm for an outdoor picnic in the afternoon, so at about 2:30 PM, I headed over there after changing from my suit into jeans and a T-shirt. There were a lot of people over there: Emma and Sarah F., Lizzie, Andy C., Andrew T., Beth F., MC, Laurel M. -- it was a rather large group of people. JD brought along Breanna H. and John E., and a few minutes later, Larry H. showed up as well, bringing the total up to about 18 people, I think. I helped out a little bit with what needed to be done, but for the most part I was there for the entertainment. Mrs. Mary Alice R. (a professor at Christendom, and a good friend of all of ours) came over for a little while and chatted with Laurel, Lizzie, Emma, and me. When the croquet game ended, the football throwing began, and Mrs. R. decided that it was a good time to make her exit before she got hit.
I joined in the tossing of the pigskin, even though I had the worst throwing arm out there -- yes, even more so than the girls. The group changed around a little bit, and it became a game of keep away, with MC being the piggy in the middle, and then eventually died out. I think it had pretty much reached the end of the game when MC and Andy C practiced their climbing on the back porch. Although they put up a gallant effort, they were pretty slow in climbing up the back porch to rescue the fair damsels in distress. I poked fun at them for that. As expected, they challenged me to do better and climb up. I told them that there was no way that I could do it -- I'm not strong enough to act like a monkey.
This ended, and somehow or another, it led to John and MC leaping over Lizzie and Emma where they were lying (completely unsuspecting) on the ground. Screams erupted from them as they saw the two men jump over them, and guffaws erupted from the guys. Then, JD and I joined the girls on the ground, and gave John and MC a bigger challenge (JD and I were on the ends), and they both cleared us just fine. It was highly amusing, although I'm sure that the guys got a bigger kick out of it than the girls. Anyway, it was getting to that point of the evening, so I headed back to the apartment. I wanted to get there before it got too late...
Anyway, I met up with the Palestrina Choir and we practiced for about an hour-and-a-half. Practice didn't seem to go too terribly well, but some of us were still a bit groggy (myself included), and thus our voices were not quite ready to cooperate. Dr. P seemed to be a little bit on edge, because we were performing these pieces in a concert in just a few hours, and, although we had them down, we were still messing up here and there, and we didn't quite sound like a unified whole...
Anyway, after practice, I went to Mass, and then into the Commons. John E. had come down from PA for the weekend, so I chatted with him for a little while, and then at 12:30 PM, we loaded up the vans and drove out to Bethesda, MD. We arrived around 2 PM, and practiced in the church. Once again, it was not one of our best practices. Normally, a bad practice doesn't phase me too much, because it's just a practice, but we were cutting it close, and even I was getting a bit worried.
After the choir and schola practiced, Jacinta W. practiced on the organ until about 4 PM, and then confessions began. While she was practicing, the bulk of us went outside and enjoyed the weather. I went back inside and to confession when they began, and then I did my best to avoid the pictures. (Call me what you will, I'm rather self-conscious about the fact that I'm not very photogenic.) Then I went to their 5:00 PM Mass.
This Mass was definitely sub-par in quality to any of the Masses that I attend, whether at Christendom, St. John's, St. Rita's, St. Andrew's -- they've all got them beat hands down. These other parishes that I mentioned do things by the book, whereas this church seemed to be making much more of a show about the Mass than anything else. It was kind of disturbing (the four altar girls didn't help matters either). I spent most of the time thinking to myself, "Just walk out. Leave. They won't mind. Look at the people around me. If they don't mind the way that they are dressed and the way that they are acting, then they certainly won't mind if a properly dressed man leaves because he's offended." But I couldn't bring myself to do it. There was a tinge of reverence for what was happening, and that tinge was enough to make me stay -- but only barely...
Anyway, the choir was supposed to sing the Communion meditation, so I went upstairs with them. Just about that time, the soloist began singing. Sounds rather counter-productive, but it's true. We went upstairs to the choir loft, and then waited through an entire hymn. When it was over, we sang the chant Tantum Ergo, followed by Maurice Duruflé's composition of Tantum Ergo. The congregation looked so shocked that another musical sound was playing in the church, instead of a piano and soloist, and most of them turned around and looked up at us. I saw more than half of those looking at us inquisitively, and the rest were smiling. The people who didn't look up looked frozen, either because they hadn't heard real music like this in some time, or else because they were uncertain about what to do, say, or think. When we were finished, silence reigned for about a second, and then the priest concluded Mass.
Immediately after Mass, we went out a side door of the church, and formed a line to assume our positions. Our concert began immediately after Mass. The priest invited the congregation to stay and listen, but most of them fled (in their defense, the weather outside was simply magnificent). The concert was being offered as part of a Sacred Music series that the church was putting on. I think that we were the fourth choir on their list (they were offering a concert a week), but I could very well be wrong about that. Anyway, whatever the situation was, we arranged themselves in order, and said a quick prayer. We were introduced, and when we came out, we all did a genuflection towards the tabernacle before we began (fortunately, the tabernacle was in the middle of the sanctuary, and not hidden away).
The music we did consisted of the following:
- Media Vita (Gregorian Chant)
- Franz Xaver Witt's Meditabor
- Orlande de Lassus' Improperium
- Felice Anerio's Christus factus est
- Ralph Vaughan Williams' O Taste and See
- Hans Leo Hassler's Missa Secunda (with the exception of the Credo)
- Johann Sebastian Bach's Prelude in C major
- J.S. Bach's Fantasy from the Fantasy and Fugue in G minor
- George Frideric Handel's Adagio from his Water Music suite
- Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina's Sicut Cervus
- Ave Verum Corpus (Gregorian Chant)
- William Byrd's Ave Verum Corpus
- Ave Maria (Gregorian Chant)
- Tomás Luis de Victoria's Ave Maria
- Pange Lingua (Gregorian Chant)
- Maurice Duruflé's Pange Lingua
- Randall Thompson's Alleluia
After the concert, Paul, MC and I packed up the stuff and brought it out to the van. We left the church just before 8:00 PM, and made it back to Christendom just after 9:00 PM. That night, Coffee House was going on at Christendom, but I didn't go. I was a bit tired, so I went to JD's place for a while, where John E. and Breanna H. were, and Emma soon joined us. I was also rather hungry. I sing better on an empty stomach then when I'm full, so I hadn't eaten anything all day. I went to Giant and picked up a sandwich for me, Dr. Pepper for JD, and some Starburst for John. I also grabbed some Doritos, since they were priced 2-for-1. :)
Truth be told, I guess that it took a second trip for the Starburst -- I had completely forgotten about them when I went into the store the first time, and I was almost back to JD's when I remembered them, so I turned around and went back to the store. I'm so ridiculously forgetful sometimes.
After eating and visiting for a while, I drove Emma back to her dorm, and then went back to JD's where Josepha had just arrived. I was pretty tired, so I completely zonked out while she was there. I had no intention of being rude; my spirit was willing to visit, but my eyes said, "I think not..."
The next morning, I woke up to JD asking me if I was going to go to choir practice. It had already started, and I was late.
After choir practice and Mass, I went to LD's in town and had breakfast with JD, Josepha, John E., Brenna H. and another girl whom I should know, but cannot remember her name. We had a good time there, and then headed back to Christendom for the Palestrina choir practice. Following this, I went outside with Lizzie, Christine, and MC to play catch with a water bottle. We ended up having a bit of a water fight, because the cap on the bottle got loose and splashed all over some people. Out of all of us, I think Christine was the driest and Lizzie was the wettest. The poor girl had the worst luck when it came to catching the water bottle when the cap was the loosest. Nevertheless, it was still pretty funny. :)
I was invited to St. Theresa's dorm for an outdoor picnic in the afternoon, so at about 2:30 PM, I headed over there after changing from my suit into jeans and a T-shirt. There were a lot of people over there: Emma and Sarah F., Lizzie, Andy C., Andrew T., Beth F., MC, Laurel M. -- it was a rather large group of people. JD brought along Breanna H. and John E., and a few minutes later, Larry H. showed up as well, bringing the total up to about 18 people, I think. I helped out a little bit with what needed to be done, but for the most part I was there for the entertainment. Mrs. Mary Alice R. (a professor at Christendom, and a good friend of all of ours) came over for a little while and chatted with Laurel, Lizzie, Emma, and me. When the croquet game ended, the football throwing began, and Mrs. R. decided that it was a good time to make her exit before she got hit.
I joined in the tossing of the pigskin, even though I had the worst throwing arm out there -- yes, even more so than the girls. The group changed around a little bit, and it became a game of keep away, with MC being the piggy in the middle, and then eventually died out. I think it had pretty much reached the end of the game when MC and Andy C practiced their climbing on the back porch. Although they put up a gallant effort, they were pretty slow in climbing up the back porch to rescue the fair damsels in distress. I poked fun at them for that. As expected, they challenged me to do better and climb up. I told them that there was no way that I could do it -- I'm not strong enough to act like a monkey.
This ended, and somehow or another, it led to John and MC leaping over Lizzie and Emma where they were lying (completely unsuspecting) on the ground. Screams erupted from them as they saw the two men jump over them, and guffaws erupted from the guys. Then, JD and I joined the girls on the ground, and gave John and MC a bigger challenge (JD and I were on the ends), and they both cleared us just fine. It was highly amusing, although I'm sure that the guys got a bigger kick out of it than the girls. Anyway, it was getting to that point of the evening, so I headed back to the apartment. I wanted to get there before it got too late...
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Catholic Relationship Survey
A friend of mine has asked for people to fill out a survey to assist her friend in the completion of her dissertation. Since I've got a few readers, I thought I'd pass the info along. Her blog address is http://dissertationsurvey.blogspot.com, and the survey link is http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=149393467057.
Die Walküre (The Valkyrie)
I saw this Wagner opera last night with Dr. P., Tambi, Lizzie, and Emma. The character of Seigmund was played by Plácido Domingo, which made it all that much cooler for me. I was late to the Kennedy Center Opera House, so I missed all of Act 1, but I caught the last two. Overall, the opera was very good. I was very impressed by the cast. I kept hearing Looney Tunes themes in the opera, though, especially in the Valkyries battle cry...
Monday, April 16, 2007
Curious George
This was a very cute movie. I don't really know what else to say about it, aside from the fact that it was cute. :) The DVD I borrowed to watch it was rather scratched up, so I missed a little bit of it, but there was nothing that I couldn't figure out. I'd definitely recommend this movie to people of all ages. It's really cute and it had a lot of very innocent humor.
Makes me want a pet monkey...
Makes me want a pet monkey...
Utopia (Atoll K)
This was Laurel and Hardy's last movie together. It had a few problems, but I don't really see why it was their last. Any fan of Laurel and Hardy could easily overlook the glitches in the film and laugh at it for the comedy that it is.
I say this, and it's only the second Laurel and Hardy movie that I've ever seen. This doesn't make me a big fan of theirs, but it makes me a big enough fan...
I say this, and it's only the second Laurel and Hardy movie that I've ever seen. This doesn't make me a big fan of theirs, but it makes me a big enough fan...
The Flying Deuces
Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy are the stars of this 1939 film. It's slapstick and it's quite good. I was expecting it to be a silent film, but I was definitely glad that it wasn't.
Perhaps it's just me, but I saw some very similar mannerisms from a certain Dr. W.H.M. from Christendom in the way that Hardy played with his tie when he was around the French lady that he was wooing...
Perhaps it's just me, but I saw some very similar mannerisms from a certain Dr. W.H.M. from Christendom in the way that Hardy played with his tie when he was around the French lady that he was wooing...
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