After an extremely long day at work, I was beat. I arrived home to find a package on my doorstep addressed to me. My first thought was that it was a bomb, but quickly realized the idea was ridiculous. So with a extra skip in my step, I excitedly went to get some scissors to open the surprise.
With a wrestle of the packaging I finally removed the packaging to reveal this...
Smize with a suprise
I may or (may not have) blurted out "GHOSTWRITER...WORD," but if I did it was loud enough for my mom to walk out of her office and ask what was going on. I have always loved this tv show, and within the past month several conversations have revolved around it.
I was so excited to receive this. I looked at the packing slip, but it did not contain any detail as to who sent the gift. I have some ideas of whom it may be, but not quite sure. Should you have sent me this wonderfully sentimental gift, could you email me with a "Rally _ " note so I can properly thank you?!!
With the election season upon us, I have been thinking about the following thought:
Is it better for a politician to stick to their guns or to have the ability to compromise?
The obvious answer is that a good candidate or party should have both strengths. If I had to choose only one, I think one's ability to compromise is a more promising asset to a body of people. Very rarely is there ever a decision that works for ALL people. With this crazy game of politics I need to remember this more often.
After a comment by a grocery chain employee that the time to wear shorts has ended, my philosophy on when summer ends solidified.
The season of swimming, sno-cones, and sunshine ends on my birthday. By this time I can accept reality that I have to wear pants.
Truthfully, the idea of this brings me to tears. Some cry when ya take the tree down, for me it's when another summer is gone. Did I waste my time of tropics? Is summer the childish season whereas winter was meant for adults?
When I watch a movie, the music makes it or breaks it. For teenage movies, is the music up to date with hip and indie melodies? For the action movies, you better believe that I love the rock-anthems that I would never listen to anywhere.
Because music is an integral part of the movie's story, there are many times when I am left wondering who played a certain song. One of my favorite blogs addresses this concern every Friday.
This letter comes from me as a newspaper reader of seventeen years. Thinking of submitting it.
Dear Deseret News:
I am an avid print reader of the newspaper. It started with reading the comics as a kid, and has grown to reading the local articles. I have always loved the articles, opinions, and local angle of regional and national events.
Recently you made changes to your staff, content, and overall mission of the Utah's longest running newspaper. With every business venture, kinks have to be worked out in order to become good. You may call me impatient, but I have given up. What I loved about your newspaper is gone. The television listings no longer tell me why I should watch, but instead tell me the synopsis. I could easily find this information with my television descriptions. In addition, Scott Pierce also looked for what was good on TV rather than what was popular. Among these recommendations were documentaries, musicals, and where locals were getting their 15 minutes of fame. Now the "What to Watch" column seems to be biased towards People Magazine's perception of what we should be watching.
Another reason I am dissatisfied is that there is lack of the newspaper being local. In the past few weeks various sources have appeared. I am familiar with how the Associated Press and other media entities submit stories, but it appears the Deseret News is leaning on this service frequently. To illustrate an example, please take a look at the Friday section, Life Etc. Many of the reviews or articles have been anything but local. While the "Orlando Sentinel"might be a credible source, their opinions in movies may not match many Utahns. One of the first rules of running a newspaper was that the content should be up to date and localized. It seems you are neglecting this key factor.
I recently received a call with an inquiry to if I would renew my Deseret News subscription. I declined the offer and requested to join the Salt Lake Tribune instead.
I wish you all the best in readership and content. Who knows I may meet up with you later in life, but I need to get back to reading Robert Kirby's article, "Learning to appreciate what we once took for granted."
Since my cousin, Liz, and I got tickets to the So You Think You Can Dance Finale (SYTYCD), we decided we had better go.I have always wanted to be a part of a reality show ending. These episodes seem to have a unique thrill of celebrating a contestant's win as confetti embraces the audience. It's an interesting phenomena.
Before we left, I contacted one of my favorite blogger for advice. (Her blog focuses on various filming locations for TV and movies.My favorite post of is when she received the opportunity to be part of the background on The Hills).With her nice response, she encouraged us to wake up early and wait around all day.
After a few thoughtful conversations, my cousin and I embarked mid-morning to get in line. After a normal El Lay drive, aka traffic monster, we arrived near the CBS Studios just before noon. We parked in a mall nearby and walked around the long block to where the SYTYCD line was forming. There were only 4 people in line so we decided to venture off for lunch at the Cheesecake Factory.
Have I ever told how much I enjoy the Cheesecake Factory? Sure almost every item on the menu is bad for you, BUT every morsel of their food is so tasty--minus the cheesecake blech. Their motto should be "Whatever you order, it is guaranteed to be AMAZING!"
One semi-sweet moment was that we happened to end up at a table where it was our waiter's first day. It ended up being one of the longest lunches I have ever had! Once our checks came, our waiter mistakenly charged too much. We noticed it and mentioned it to him, and about a half hour later the total was fully corrected. Much of this time was due to having a managers first day as well, and they had to learn how to issue a refund together.
After a crazy good lunch we took a walk back to the CBS studios, past the signs for the Price is Right, and Betty White's hit, Hot in Cleveland. When we got into the line we ended up being the 15th person in line.To keep ourselves occupied, Liz had brought a mock up book titled "Putting Christ in Christmas." The book helped us become temporary friends with the people next to us for the next few hours. The friendly Dad from San Diego looked at the title, and asked where I fellow-shipped. We then enjoyed a conversation about Christ, the holiday season, and the fact that SYTYCD is a decent family show.
After a few hours of waiting in line, moving through security and more waiting, we were ushered into the studio! Once in, I shuffled, danced, and sang to top 40 songs while we waited for everyone to be placed according to height and looks. Then many "aha moments" took place:
Turns out all the young people (50 of 'em) in front of the stage are from various dance studios in Los Angeles.
The stage is about half the length and width of a high school auditorium stage.
The studio is not fond of tall people. We were moved from a pretty close spot, to the end of the audience. Then we were told to stand against the bleachers where the choreographers sit. With only a few feet away, I waved to Travis and Nappytabs. We were then given permission to be seat fillers. The show had started and we were rushed to sit in in the bleachers between Lauren and Kent's family. PRIME spot! After a few minutes, additional family members arrived and we were ushered down to the audience floor in the very back.
Cat Deeley: Tall, great energy, genuine, and 100% my favorite host! Stood behind me for a bit.
Nigel Lythgoe loves to have total control on his show. Before the little tapper danced, he told us not to cheer because it messes him up. It was somewhat awkward when he later tried to get us to cheer for him. Perhaps he forgot what he had mentioned to us???
Once Lauren was the winner, someone opened her Gatorade bottle and in typical sports celebration, gave her a shower. Once the show wrapped, we all chanted, "Lauren! Lauren!" It was quite fun!
I really enjoyed seeing the opening number with all the contestants. My favorite routines happened to be the Travis Wall routines, specifically the following one. I love the haunting melody, the intense story of betrayal, and it the high flying talents of the dancers.
Clip of How it Ends:
I really loved being apart of one of my favorite tv shows, not to mention the finale. Now I just need to find my bucket list so I can cross off attending a reality show!
