School Days

You know what I was thinking...I love school. I miss school. I miss getting to read all of these great books for the first time and then having a whole class to talk about it with. I miss learning about history and artists. Now that I have actually gone to a lot of these places!

My favorite year of school was my second year of college. I was trying to get a lot of my core classes out of the way so I had American Lit, World History, and Art History. The cool thing about these classes were that they all seemed to compliment one another. I would get the basic deep history in my World History, and then I would learn about the trends and the art that was influenced by that history. It not only helped me remember things easier, but it also gave me a whole different perspective on what I was learning.

That is the year that I wanted to go to Europe. My teachers talked about going to these places and see these things with such enthusiasum that it made me want to see it for myself. I remember whe Dr. Byron talked about St. Francis of Assisi and the wonderful church there...and I got to actually see it! I remember her talking about St. Peter's Bascillica in Rome...and I got to go there! It makes me want to inspire someone else to want to see that.

Oh I miss school...

High School Musical

So I finally watched it...what everyone has been buzzing about. The highest rated Disney Channel movie ever...it must be good! I couldn't wait to see it. I love Disney Channel movies! Heck, I love the Disney Channel...I know I know...I am 25 years old and should be watching CNN or some crap like that but I don't care. I like the Disney Channel.

So after watching the highest-rated, buzz-worthy, Disney Channel movie, I have to say...I wasn't impressed. The dancing was good...but it was produced by Dirty Dancing Coreographer Kenny Ortega so I should be surprised. But other than that, it was kind of cheesy. It was watered-down, uber-perky, cheese.

And sure, a lot of Disney Channel movies are like that. But some aren't. Cow Belles with Aly and AJ was so cute! Aly and AJ were so likable! They will be the next Hilary Duff to come out that network! They are stars! The kids from HSM-not so much. The two "villians" of the movie were good! But the two leads were just blah. And Zac Efron-the only one I really knew (he was on Summerland) was the worst. I just don't like him. He has this wide-eyed, bushy-taled look about him that just gets on my nerves. It's like gosh, have a problem. Be mad...

And the music was so stupid. Watered-down Grease. Cheesy, stupid, cliche. It was kind of like Fame, I guess. And I wasn't a fan of Fame.

And the whole movie was just totally unbelievable...and for me to actually call a movie unbelievable, it must be pretty darn ridiculous. My favorite part was when Troy's dad/coach comes into the locker room before the big came and tells him that he just wants him to have fun and he doesn't care if he doesn't win the game. Please...if that had been Dan Scott, he would have knocked his head into the locker, killed his brother, and then been elected Mayor.

That is what this movie was really like...A watered-down version of One Tree Hill. You know, if Nathan decided to start singing with Haylie. That would be funny.

So overall...I give this movie 2 1/2 stars. It is not completely unwatchable, but it is not that impressive either.

Favorite European Hotels

Florence-The nicest hotel that I have ever stayed in...better than even those in America. Not only was it air conditioned, but it was in central Florence so we could easily go back to our hotel and take a nap (which is what I did).

Amsterdam-A cute little B&B-like hotel on the bay of the North Sea. It was surrounded by this cute little neighborhood in the middle of nowhere. Great walks! This was a great change of pace from the actual city of Amsterdam. It felt more personalized than all of the others.

Rome-AIR CONDITIONED. This hotel gets a good rating just for the simple fact that it was the first one to have air conditioning...and after Venice it was a much welcomed change. I actually hugged and kissed the air conditioning unit. People thought I was crazy...it was a Gilmore moment.

Madrid-Like Florence, it was centrally-located and air conditioned and perfect for a midafternoon siesta (which we did).

Switzerland-a very cute little hotel in the alps! Great scenery and a very cute little balcony. I have to give it a low score just for the rude staff who faught us on a plastic cup.

London-Our first hotel was just average. It didn't have AC, but it was cool enough that it didn't matter. Fairly nice hotel and comfortable beds, but nothing special. It also took 30-45 minutes on the Metro and the Docklands line to get back.

Munich-Don't remember much about this hotel (or Munich in general), but I do remember 2 other EF groups were staying there which made for a crazy and crowded breakfast. The beds, like many in Europe, Germany especially, had down comforters and feather pillows! v. v. nice. Although most hotels weren't air conditioned so I didn't want to use the covers anyways.

Paris-An ok hotel...no air...And the window opened so far across my bed that I had to sleep upside down. And they messed up our rooms so we had too stash our stuff in two rooms and didn't get back until 1 in the morning...not fun. And there was another EF group there that insisted on yelling at each other from their windows at 1 in the morning. I had to get rough...

Venice-By far the worst...I cried when I walked into the room. The lobby was nice enough. Air conditioned. But after dragging our stuff up three flights of stair, I opened what I had hoped to be a nice air conditioned room to find a dump that was hotter than it was outside. Not a welcome feeling for someone who is already sweating. It was like a dormroom at the beach. There was no breeze...just hot, humid, heat...blah.

The good thing was if you didn't like a hotel, you didn't have to worry...you weren't there very long.

Favorite Food Cities

Favorite Food Cities

Paris-The best eclairs in the world, CREPES, Flam (great pizza), bagets, coffee

Amsterdam-I don't remember what we had at the hotel, but it was soo good and there was a lot of it! Good breakfast and dinner! Papaya Juice and Chocolate pudding and the best fruit ever. Nutella...

Switzerland-Spagetti just like at home, wonderful flowerless chocolate cake, bread, cheese, and fruit meal by Lake Lucerne.

Italy-All of Italy is sort of grouped together since all I really remember was the gelato and a lot of it. I had good Gnocchi in Venice and some wonderful Tiramsui gelato in Rome.

Madrid-I didn't eat a whole lot in Madrid, because of the heat so I can't give it an accurate score. I did love the Sangria (the LESS alcohol the better) and the lemon freezes were good too. Tapas were awesome as well. The hot chocolate and churros were good, but very heavy! I don't know why Spain is so famous for all of this heavy food when it is really too hot to enjoy it.

London-though it was my favorite city overall, the food was not good. The hamburger and fish and chips weren't that good and everything was too expensive. But they did actually serve a real dessert instead of fruit...unlike...

Munich-They served bananas...no A banana for dessert...and not a good one! Everything was too heavy and hot for me.

Favorite European Cities

Favorite Cities:

London
Paris
Rome
Venice
Switzerland
Florence
Madrid
Amsterdam
Munich

The WB and Beyond

Next month marks the end of an era...a very special era...atleast in the lives of teenagers everywhere. Next month we say goodbye to angst-ridden WB network (and UPN, but who really cares about that).

The fleddling teen-centric network is merging with UPN next month to create the CW network. The merger has been in the works for a couple of months, but the announcement was the biggest shock since Tom announced he was dating Katie. No one really saw it coming.

The fallout was minimal. We lost a few UPN shows (again, who cares?) and we said a sad, untimely goodbye to Everwood. And we still have to put up with 7th Heaven! But most of the power players are there.

As we say goodbye to the WB, let's have a moment of silence for Dawson, Joey, Buffy, Felicity, and even those annoying Camdens. We're taking a moment...and then we're done.

Now let us look to the future of teen television with ABC Family, who is desperately trying to be the next WB network.

They even have reruns of Gilmore Girls and Smallville. And I think they are even getting Everwood...

And then there is their new orginal programming. Wildfire (the first and best of the shows) is starting its 3rd season in January, and their newest Kyle XY did so well that they are rerunning it on ABC! They have their clunkers though. Falcon Beach is trying too hard to be the next 90210 and Beautiful People and Moons over Milford are being undeservingly touted the next Gilmore Girls (The word quirky should be banned from television's vocabulary).

ABC Family's orginal movies are really what helped give this secondary network its first recognition. Though the movies are hit or miss most of the time, they are always entertaining. And some of them are better than most movies at the theater! (re: I want to marry Ryan Banks).

So even though they are small and just starting out, ABC family has a good future. Maybe someday they can merge with the Disney Channel to better reach Tweens and Teens everywhere!

Europe Pictures

I just got my Europe pictures back! I really made the trip feel real. I can look at them on the computer all day, but it still doesn't feel real until I am actually holding the pictures in my hand. It feels concrete. I can't believe how many pictures I have...and they are all mixed up again, so I am going to have to organize them again...which is really hard when you don't remember it all.

But they are very special pictures. The guy at Walgreen even commented on how good they were. He said he really enjoyed getting to go on my trip with me as he was developing my film. It is so exciting when other talk about it. It reminds me that I am one of the lucky people who actually stopped dreaming about it and decided to make that trip. I kind of don't believe it sometimes. If you go to New York or Florida or California most people have been or atleast know what it is like. Europe, to most people, still has this mysterious air about it. It makes everyone want to hear about it and see the pictures. Everyone is kind of amazed. And I did it. I went there.

And even though it still holds that certain mysterious quality, Europe is not so scary and mysterious anymore. It is a real place, where real people live. They have roads and malls, and walmarts just like us. They unfortunately don't have air...so if you do decide to to try the fall or spring. We are really so much alike...we all have our different customs, but so does the person next door. It is just all about learning to communicate.

Nysnc

Hey, blast from the past, huh? Talking about Nysnc again...well everyone kind of is right now with the whole Lance being gay and all (no big surprise), but I was thinking about them in another respect.

Wade Robson. Anyone remember him? He was Nysnc's main choreographer back in the day...especially for No Strings Attached. And he was awesome. And I think he had a dance show on MTV awhile back as well. Well, he has resurfaced (atleast in my world) on So You Think You Can Dance. One of his dances got big marks and everyone knew it was because of his moves. Hello, of course. One person even praised him for his out of the box moves. That got me thinking about his other out of the box moves for Nsyncs's videos...so of course, You Tube (the great time waster) had all of their videos (along with a whole bunch of other crap).

I have always liked Nysnc...really. They were a boy band, but they knew they were a boy band so they didn't take themselves too seriously. They had fun with it. They were always coming up with really creative videos, performances, and songs. And every aspect of everything they did was also tight...everything fit into place, from the music to the dancing, to the concept of the video and of the album. And Wade Robson and some great directors had a lot to do with it.

Take No Strings Attached (their best and most successful). Their whole concept on this album was they were tied to their old management and record company. They had broke free...No strings attached. Right away, tight concept! And everything in their videos and dances and performances gave nod to that concept. One of Wade's great dance moves was from It's Gonna Be Me. Holding their arms up like they were being held up by puppet strings.

And don't even get me started on the Pop video. The dancing is amazing..the moves are genius. The whole beatbox interlude dance was wonderfully coregraphed. And the message of the song. "We're just doing what we like can we say the same for you." I have always said that the great thing about liking something is that you don't have to defend it. And the whole Nsync concept fits with their image. You may not like them, but I do. And I don't have to defend that. They are a boy band. It is kind of girly and shallow, but what they did they did well. And you've got to give them that.

Entourage

Entourage. BEST SHOW EVER...really. I like it almost as much as Greys or Veronica or Gilmore. But I can't give it favorite status simply because of the bad language. The F-word is not a requirement of HBO you know(or maybe it is...I should look that up). But other than that, this show has just blossomed into one of the best half hours on TV.

I know, I know. I am a little behind on the bandwagon, but can I help it if you have to pay for HBO? Besides Netflixing it is a much better way to go. It is such a short compact show (length and episode-wise) that you really are getting the most bang for your buck. It is much easier to sit down and watch Entourage the complete series than it is to watch House or even Scrubs. It is a half hour dramedy heavy on the drama. Perfect combination in a tight 30 minute format (with no commercials). There is no fluff there. Everything and everyone has its place.

The first season was good. I was more in awe of the whole lifestyle than I was with the show. The first season really introduced the whole art imitating life imitating art concept. It was sort of a fake reality show for the Hollywood set. Who wouldn't be facinated.

The second season is where the show shines though. This is where they perfect the art/life concept...so well that they have all of Hollywood almost believing that Vinnie Chase is the next Aquaman. The fake movies and characters really gets confusing when you have real settings and real celebrities. They even go to Sundance and Comic-Con. And don't even get me started on that little heartbreaker Mandy Moore. She is just breaking hearts everywhere. She recently ended her relationship with Zach Braff and he is supposedly so depressed that he can't even get out of the house! Now didn't we see that on Entourage when she broke with Vince? I think Vince needs to send Turtle, Drama, and E over to the Scrubs set for alittle Entourage pick-me-up!

And Aquaman has also been all over the Hollywood scene. Not only was he on an episode of Smallville, but an Aquaman show was also created (though not picked up) by the CW. And now there is even talks of a REAL Aquaman movie...although it won't be done by James Cameron and it won't star Vinnie Chase (but maybe Adrian Grenier and Mandy Moore can land the leads!)

Art imitating Life imitating Art.

The character and story development also improved in season 2. Even though I know Vince was doingn Aquaman, I was still on the edge of my set the whole season! The final episode had me yelling at the TV. I couldn't see how things were going to be fixed in the last 10 minutes!

They actually gave Vince a personality...not one that I particularly liked, but still...he actually got mad at E and yelled and he fell in love and then got all depressed and almost quit the movie! Talk about drama! And speaking of Drama...love him! So Funny. And Turtle is like my new favorite character. I was in total fan-girl cheering mode by the end of the season. And then there is E...Eric. Yes, of course, I am in love with Eric. He is the cute underdog with the heart of gold. My type. But this year he grew a pair and started taking control. His fight with Vince in the season finale was amazing. He is the only one who can make Vince take things seriously. And when he was ambushed by Ari and Mandy's Entourage...Wow! The old Eric would have curled up and died, but stood up himself and for Vince! He is becoming a worthy opponent for Ari.

They are halfway through season 3 and Vince has lost on Aquaman 2 and I am about to die to figure out what happens! So I am waiting for season 3 on DVD or free HBO which ever comes first.

The Great Waste

Do you realize how much time we waste on the internet? Just look at all of the sites out there...trillions of them that really don't mean anything. I am as guilty as anyone, but it just occured to me...think of all of the things I could be doing when I am not on the internet.

College students I believe are the worst....I know I was. My roommate and I used to sit for hours in between classes and late into the night talking to our "Roswell" buddies (the show, not actual aliens or anything...but if Hottie Max Evans wanted to talk to me I wouldn't push the ignore button) or watching Buffy-inspired music videos. And don't even get me started on fanfic.

And it just seems to be getting worse. Myspace, Facebook, Youtube...some of the most popular sites on the web these days and it is basically just to waste time. Do we really need to see a dog pooping in the toilet? Or a fan's impression of the light saber scene from Return of the Jedi? Do you even need to be reading this blog right now? Do I even need to be writing this right now?

It just amazes me how fast time goes by when you sit on the internet. I hate it...I really do...yet I can't stop myself. When I can't think of anything to do or I am just too lazy to do anything else, there is the computer with the superfast internet.

As appalling as it sounds, things might have been better when the internet wasn't so fast. Sure it took hours to upload a picture, but in that time you were waiting for a page to load you could do your homework, feed the dog, clean your room, fix a sandwich...the internet wasn't so immediate. And like everything in our society today, the internet has joined the ranks with McDonalds, Microwaves, and Must See Tivos-we want it faster, bigger, better, and we want it NOW!

Welcome to the future...