March has been a pretty bad month for me. I'm so glad it's almost over. I'm trying to figure out if 30 is bringing on the bad luck, or it's just the month of March. :)
So I turned 30 on February 27... And since then, the following has happened.
March 5: I was in Heinz History Center and a lady backed into my car in the parking lot, causing about $800 in damage. It could have been worse, and for whatever reason, she actually reported it so I was able to get it repaired via her insurance.
March 14: My grandma passed away, following my grandpa by about 6 months. She was ready to go but will be sorely missed.
March 25: Driving away from the body shop, having fixed the damage from March 5, I was confused where I was and made a wrong turn. Trying to backtrack, I tried to turn left at a very dangerous intersection and got into a pretty bad accident. Although, I am lucky. I hesitated before I tried to enter the intersection, and if I hadn't, I would probably be in the hospital right now because the truck that hit me and sheered off the front of my car would have hit the driver side of my car.
March 29: Dave's mom went back into the hospital again.
Actually, looking back, almost all of these had somewhat of a positive spin on them, or could have been worse. And Dave and I had a nice trip to New Orleans. He was there for a conference and I tagged along for part of the week again.
But still, I'm really glad March is almost over. I'm hoping things will look better in April. Dave and I have our first anniversary to look forward to, on April 19!
Welcome to my life. It's crazy, and busy, but that's really the way I like life to be.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Twilight
I just watched the movie Twilight last night after reading all 4 books that are out in the series. I would highly recommend reading the book before seeing the movie. I think too many details are missing from the movie for it to really mean a whole lot.
With that said, disclaimer: There may be spoilers in the rest of this blog. I loved the books and have read Twilight twice now, along with the draft of Edward's point of view of Twilight, so I can't remember what might be a spoiler.
I got the books from a friend of mine who read the series but didn't care for it. So I wasn't sure if I would like it at all, but I am an avid reader so I decided to try it. I ended up loving the series. I am a sucker for romance and I think the books were well written. The target is young adult but they are well written for that genre. The story flows well, it's easy to read, and I like the plot. Out of the books, the 2nd was my least favorite by far although I did like the series on a whole.
Getting back to the movie. I was really disappointed. For anyone who hasn't and won't read it, it's about a human girl and a vampire boy (high school age) who end up falling in love. Basic story there. In the movie, they skip all the build up of them wondering about each other, getting to know each other, etc. If I hadn't read the book, I would have wondered why they even got together.
It's also missing the chemistry- the fact that they do kiss and he pulls away and she keeps pushing for more. There are a lot of details that are missing: she makes dinner for her dad and that's emphasized in the book and not even mentioned in the movie, how she finds out he's a vampire is different, they skip school a lot, you don't see her getting to be friends with Alice... The list goes on. I was also very disappointed in who they cast as actors for the roles. Bella is very monotone and boring. Edward... ok what is up with his hair? Jacob is nothing like I pictured. And I am not discriminatory, but this takes place in a small town outside Seattle. I come from a small town and it was primarily white. They have a very diverse mixture of people in the movie. It's ok but not what I expected.
More differences from the book- the scene in the hospital (after Edward saves Bella from the van), Edward isn't in the room with her and some of that conversation is missing and downplayed, plus she didn't actually hit her head when he threw her back from the van. Speaking of hitting her head, the scene in the ballet classroom is different too. Well, James still throws her in the glass but I thought she hit her head really hard. Also, Victoria, James, and Laurent didn't show up in the book until the baseball game. What are they going to do in the 2nd movie, have a repeat of animals killing people? Finally, Bella is really clumsy and that hardly comes across in the movie. That was big as well in the books.
Most of the movie I could point out tons of details that were missing or different. I think that's what disappointed me most. I don't think this was even a decent representation of the book.
With that said, disclaimer: There may be spoilers in the rest of this blog. I loved the books and have read Twilight twice now, along with the draft of Edward's point of view of Twilight, so I can't remember what might be a spoiler.
I got the books from a friend of mine who read the series but didn't care for it. So I wasn't sure if I would like it at all, but I am an avid reader so I decided to try it. I ended up loving the series. I am a sucker for romance and I think the books were well written. The target is young adult but they are well written for that genre. The story flows well, it's easy to read, and I like the plot. Out of the books, the 2nd was my least favorite by far although I did like the series on a whole.
Getting back to the movie. I was really disappointed. For anyone who hasn't and won't read it, it's about a human girl and a vampire boy (high school age) who end up falling in love. Basic story there. In the movie, they skip all the build up of them wondering about each other, getting to know each other, etc. If I hadn't read the book, I would have wondered why they even got together.
It's also missing the chemistry- the fact that they do kiss and he pulls away and she keeps pushing for more. There are a lot of details that are missing: she makes dinner for her dad and that's emphasized in the book and not even mentioned in the movie, how she finds out he's a vampire is different, they skip school a lot, you don't see her getting to be friends with Alice... The list goes on. I was also very disappointed in who they cast as actors for the roles. Bella is very monotone and boring. Edward... ok what is up with his hair? Jacob is nothing like I pictured. And I am not discriminatory, but this takes place in a small town outside Seattle. I come from a small town and it was primarily white. They have a very diverse mixture of people in the movie. It's ok but not what I expected.
More differences from the book- the scene in the hospital (after Edward saves Bella from the van), Edward isn't in the room with her and some of that conversation is missing and downplayed, plus she didn't actually hit her head when he threw her back from the van. Speaking of hitting her head, the scene in the ballet classroom is different too. Well, James still throws her in the glass but I thought she hit her head really hard. Also, Victoria, James, and Laurent didn't show up in the book until the baseball game. What are they going to do in the 2nd movie, have a repeat of animals killing people? Finally, Bella is really clumsy and that hardly comes across in the movie. That was big as well in the books.
Most of the movie I could point out tons of details that were missing or different. I think that's what disappointed me most. I don't think this was even a decent representation of the book.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Tribute
In the last 3 years or so, I have lost 3 of my 4 grandparents. Since I moved to Pittsburgh, I haven’t seen them very often and sometimes I feel a little regret that I didn’t see them more. I wanted to write down some memories I have of them. I do really miss them, and, although I know they’re in a better place, I don’t want to forget my memories.
Grandma R (born 1918, passed away March 14, 2009)
-Grandma and I used to play piano duets, especially Scott Joplin rags. I always played the melody and she played the boom chuck on the bottom.
-Grandma would send me peanut butter rice krispie treats in the mail at college and after I moved to Pittsburgh. She knew I loved them.
-I used to help clean the antique dishes that were on top of the cupboards in the kitchen. I would climb on the counters and get them down. Grandma would tell me what they were from (and which ones were Grandpa’s favorites) as she washed them, and I would dry them and then arrange them differently over the cupboards. I have one of the vases that was up there. She gave it to me when they moved out of the house into an apartment.
-The women/girls of the family went to an annual Mother’s Day banquet. We ate on a tea set every year and I have that tea set now.
-Grandma made me angel food cake with my favorite frosting ever. I think it was difficult to make but she knew I loved it so she made a point to make that frosting if the cake was for me.
-We used to play games together. Scrabble, dominoes, things like that.
Grandpa R (born 1914, passed away late September 22, 2008)
-Grandpa used to take his false teeth out just to gross me out. I still shudder.
-I remember when he played the saw and all his other weird instruments.
-In his basement, he had a little workshop. He used to poke holes in my belts because I was too skinny for them and that way they would fit.
-When I would spend the night, he would make scrambled eggs. Dad’s were much better, but I smothered Grandpa’s in ketchup and ate them anyways.
-Every evening he watched the same news stories and shows and I can still picture him falling asleep in his chair with his mouth open.
-With Grandma, we would go visit the cemeteries on Memorial Day to water flowers, etc. One year they put their own headstone in. Being the kid I was, I had a camera and told Grandpa to pose next to his future headstone. He laughed and said sure. Grandma said it was morbid but he thought it was funny.
Grandpa T (born 1929(?), passed away February 24, 2006)
Video tribute: http://videos.yourtribute.com/viewtribute.asp?fh=HaugheyFH&mv=Thurkins.html
-I struggled (and still do) with improvising in jazz band (and now our worship band). Grandpa tried to help me. He played saxophone and I played his little keyboard. He would play to demonstrate what he would do to improvise and I would try myself. He never put me down, always encouraged me.
-Being from Pittsburgh, he always rooted for the Steelers and Pirates, and is a big part of the reason I am part of the Steeler Nation. And a big part of the reason I ended up in the Pittsburgh area.
-On my 16th birthday, he embarrassed me by asking in front of everyone if I had been kissed yet. (The answer was no and I don’t think I ever did admit it out loud.)
-We spent all our holidays with Grandma and Grandpa because they lived across the street. Grandpa used to hide Easter Eggs for all the grandkids. He would also give out chocolate bunnies as “prizes” and came up with a reason for each of us to get our “prize”.
-Grandma and Grandpa owned a bed and breakfast. We used to run over there for breakfast some mornings on the weekends.
I have many more memories and I will never forget my grandparents. They have also instilled ethics and a musical background and made me the person I am today.
Grandma R (born 1918, passed away March 14, 2009)
-Grandma and I used to play piano duets, especially Scott Joplin rags. I always played the melody and she played the boom chuck on the bottom.
-Grandma would send me peanut butter rice krispie treats in the mail at college and after I moved to Pittsburgh. She knew I loved them.
-I used to help clean the antique dishes that were on top of the cupboards in the kitchen. I would climb on the counters and get them down. Grandma would tell me what they were from (and which ones were Grandpa’s favorites) as she washed them, and I would dry them and then arrange them differently over the cupboards. I have one of the vases that was up there. She gave it to me when they moved out of the house into an apartment.
-The women/girls of the family went to an annual Mother’s Day banquet. We ate on a tea set every year and I have that tea set now.
-Grandma made me angel food cake with my favorite frosting ever. I think it was difficult to make but she knew I loved it so she made a point to make that frosting if the cake was for me.
-We used to play games together. Scrabble, dominoes, things like that.
Grandpa R (born 1914, passed away late September 22, 2008)
-Grandpa used to take his false teeth out just to gross me out. I still shudder.
-I remember when he played the saw and all his other weird instruments.
-In his basement, he had a little workshop. He used to poke holes in my belts because I was too skinny for them and that way they would fit.
-When I would spend the night, he would make scrambled eggs. Dad’s were much better, but I smothered Grandpa’s in ketchup and ate them anyways.
-Every evening he watched the same news stories and shows and I can still picture him falling asleep in his chair with his mouth open.
-With Grandma, we would go visit the cemeteries on Memorial Day to water flowers, etc. One year they put their own headstone in. Being the kid I was, I had a camera and told Grandpa to pose next to his future headstone. He laughed and said sure. Grandma said it was morbid but he thought it was funny.
Grandpa T (born 1929(?), passed away February 24, 2006)
Video tribute: http://videos.yourtribute.com/viewtribute.asp?fh=HaugheyFH&mv=Thurkins.html
-I struggled (and still do) with improvising in jazz band (and now our worship band). Grandpa tried to help me. He played saxophone and I played his little keyboard. He would play to demonstrate what he would do to improvise and I would try myself. He never put me down, always encouraged me.
-Being from Pittsburgh, he always rooted for the Steelers and Pirates, and is a big part of the reason I am part of the Steeler Nation. And a big part of the reason I ended up in the Pittsburgh area.
-On my 16th birthday, he embarrassed me by asking in front of everyone if I had been kissed yet. (The answer was no and I don’t think I ever did admit it out loud.)
-We spent all our holidays with Grandma and Grandpa because they lived across the street. Grandpa used to hide Easter Eggs for all the grandkids. He would also give out chocolate bunnies as “prizes” and came up with a reason for each of us to get our “prize”.
-Grandma and Grandpa owned a bed and breakfast. We used to run over there for breakfast some mornings on the weekends.
I have many more memories and I will never forget my grandparents. They have also instilled ethics and a musical background and made me the person I am today.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
New Orleans
We got back from New Orleans last night. It was a good trip! We heard that it was dryer than usual. This whole month has been pretty dry and the only day it rained was Saturday, our last day there.
Some highlights of the trip:
Bourbon Street: I know some people have been there and can't stand it. But we like that kind of thing. Well, some of it. It was a unique street. TONS of bars and some strip clubs throughout it, as well as souvenir stores and restaurants. And one of the best things about New Orleans in general was the fact that you can carry an alcoholic beverage around with you. And we forgot it's almost St. Patrick's Day, so this was considered a holiday weekend. It was pretty crazy! Probably the best drink was the Grenade, which had grain alcohol in it and was pretty tasty.
Preservation Hall: This, well, it was kind of a highlight for me because it made me feel like I was in the old days of New Orleans. My parents recommended that we go to a bar next door called Pat O'Briens to get a hurricane (the signature drink) so we would enjoy the music at Preservation Hall better. We went to Pat O'Brien's first and had a hurricane, but did some other things in between. Anyway, this jazz group played in the front and literally everyone was squished in, enjoying the music. They played three sets of 45 minutes each with 15 minutes in between to let people go out and new people come in. You could stay if you wanted (and there was a charge to get in). We were in for the 2nd set and decided to leave because it was so crowded. The music was decent, and the atmosphere was great. And yes, I say that even though I was annoyed by the woman behind me who kept touching my butt (Dave says with her purse so she didn't know).
Cemeteries: We took two cemetery tours. One of the Lafayette Cemetery No 1 in the garden district and the second of the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. The Garden District tour was themed with ghost tales and we saw a number of celebrity houses in the Garden District area, including Ann Rice, the Mannings (Archie, Peyton, and Eli), Nicholas Cage, and the house filmed in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. At each one the guide told us the store of the ghosts in the house. Well, with the exception of the Mannings' house. They didn't have a ghost story associated. Also, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 is the cemetery used in a lot of films: Interview with a Vampire, Double Jeopary, etc. It was closed when we were there so we only saw it from the outside. The St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 tour was combined with VooDoo, which is actually the combination of the Roman Catholic religon and the South African religon. Also, the cemetery scenes from Easy Rider were filmed in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, which is what made the Catholic church ban films from being produced in that cemetery. I'll post pictures from St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 later.
We also saw the St. Louis Cathedral, which was beautiful, and walked the French Market near the Mississippi River. We didn't buy anything; it was a flea market.
And we saw a St. Patrick's Day parade Friday night on our way to Coyote Ugly, and got some free beads from the parade! And no, I did NOT flash for them.
We did a LOT of walking and because it was warm out, I of course sun burned. But I had sunglasses on so it was just my nose. I now look like Rudolph the Red Nosed reindeer, lol!
I'll post pictures when they're on Dave's laptop and I can get online.
Some highlights of the trip:
Bourbon Street: I know some people have been there and can't stand it. But we like that kind of thing. Well, some of it. It was a unique street. TONS of bars and some strip clubs throughout it, as well as souvenir stores and restaurants. And one of the best things about New Orleans in general was the fact that you can carry an alcoholic beverage around with you. And we forgot it's almost St. Patrick's Day, so this was considered a holiday weekend. It was pretty crazy! Probably the best drink was the Grenade, which had grain alcohol in it and was pretty tasty.
Preservation Hall: This, well, it was kind of a highlight for me because it made me feel like I was in the old days of New Orleans. My parents recommended that we go to a bar next door called Pat O'Briens to get a hurricane (the signature drink) so we would enjoy the music at Preservation Hall better. We went to Pat O'Brien's first and had a hurricane, but did some other things in between. Anyway, this jazz group played in the front and literally everyone was squished in, enjoying the music. They played three sets of 45 minutes each with 15 minutes in between to let people go out and new people come in. You could stay if you wanted (and there was a charge to get in). We were in for the 2nd set and decided to leave because it was so crowded. The music was decent, and the atmosphere was great. And yes, I say that even though I was annoyed by the woman behind me who kept touching my butt (Dave says with her purse so she didn't know).
Cemeteries: We took two cemetery tours. One of the Lafayette Cemetery No 1 in the garden district and the second of the St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. The Garden District tour was themed with ghost tales and we saw a number of celebrity houses in the Garden District area, including Ann Rice, the Mannings (Archie, Peyton, and Eli), Nicholas Cage, and the house filmed in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. At each one the guide told us the store of the ghosts in the house. Well, with the exception of the Mannings' house. They didn't have a ghost story associated. Also, Lafayette Cemetery No. 1 is the cemetery used in a lot of films: Interview with a Vampire, Double Jeopary, etc. It was closed when we were there so we only saw it from the outside. The St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 tour was combined with VooDoo, which is actually the combination of the Roman Catholic religon and the South African religon. Also, the cemetery scenes from Easy Rider were filmed in St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, which is what made the Catholic church ban films from being produced in that cemetery. I'll post pictures from St. Louis Cemetery No. 1 later.
We also saw the St. Louis Cathedral, which was beautiful, and walked the French Market near the Mississippi River. We didn't buy anything; it was a flea market.
And we saw a St. Patrick's Day parade Friday night on our way to Coyote Ugly, and got some free beads from the parade! And no, I did NOT flash for them.
We did a LOT of walking and because it was warm out, I of course sun burned. But I had sunglasses on so it was just my nose. I now look like Rudolph the Red Nosed reindeer, lol!
I'll post pictures when they're on Dave's laptop and I can get online.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
long time!
Sorry about not posting for awhile although I'm not sure I have many faithful followers anyways. :)
Dave is currently packing for New Orleans, he's going there for work this week. I'll join him Wednesday night. I'm excited about the short work week!
Lots of things have happened. I turned 30 (yikes!) and will post pictures soon. I should post more pictures in general here, but they're on Dave's laptop and I don't use it very much. He's taking his laptop with him, so the earliest you will see anything with pictures is later this week.
On my actual birthday (which was a Friday), Dave, Megan, Jackie, Bruce and I went to Carson Street for a bar crawl. We started at Primanti's to get some dinner (and of course drink some beer) and went from there to: Bar 11, Jack's, Carson City Saloon (might have screwed up the name) and Tiki Lounge. Someone tell me if I missed one. Mandy joined us at the Tiki Lounge, too.
The next day we had a party at a fire hall, and a good number of people showed up! Thanks to everyone who did. :) I have a good group of friends. Megan (my sister) and I were still decorating when the first guests showed up so we got some help. I hate being the center of attention and I avoided it for the most part.
I presented at work for an information session and was really nervous. It showed. I didn't start out too well, but got comfortable. I need to continue doing this so that my nerves calm down a bit. I know I will do 10X better at the next one! They had a dinner at the Heinz History Center, so Kyra (who also presented) and I went and it was fun. We didn't get to see much of the museum though, so I want to go back.
And the worst part was when I got back to my car- someone had hit it, and a cop left his business card in my window. So thank goodness, the lady actually left her information. I'm currently working on getting an estimate (got one that was $800 and she decided to go through insurance so now I have to get another one through the insurance company). She did hit it decently hard, for being in a parking lot, and it damaged some stuff internally. Not anything major, thank goodness, but it's not just a matter of replacing the bumper. It's weird because if I were to take a picture of it; other than the emblem being missing and some scratches, it really doesn't look bad. But looking internally you can see the energy absorber crushed and one of the brackets to hold the front is broken. Maybe I'll try to take a picture and post that, too.
Alright, that's enough to catch up on right now. Dave and I are busy as usual- it seems like we don't have any free nights anymore!
Dave is currently packing for New Orleans, he's going there for work this week. I'll join him Wednesday night. I'm excited about the short work week!
Lots of things have happened. I turned 30 (yikes!) and will post pictures soon. I should post more pictures in general here, but they're on Dave's laptop and I don't use it very much. He's taking his laptop with him, so the earliest you will see anything with pictures is later this week.
On my actual birthday (which was a Friday), Dave, Megan, Jackie, Bruce and I went to Carson Street for a bar crawl. We started at Primanti's to get some dinner (and of course drink some beer) and went from there to: Bar 11, Jack's, Carson City Saloon (might have screwed up the name) and Tiki Lounge. Someone tell me if I missed one. Mandy joined us at the Tiki Lounge, too.
The next day we had a party at a fire hall, and a good number of people showed up! Thanks to everyone who did. :) I have a good group of friends. Megan (my sister) and I were still decorating when the first guests showed up so we got some help. I hate being the center of attention and I avoided it for the most part.
I presented at work for an information session and was really nervous. It showed. I didn't start out too well, but got comfortable. I need to continue doing this so that my nerves calm down a bit. I know I will do 10X better at the next one! They had a dinner at the Heinz History Center, so Kyra (who also presented) and I went and it was fun. We didn't get to see much of the museum though, so I want to go back.
And the worst part was when I got back to my car- someone had hit it, and a cop left his business card in my window. So thank goodness, the lady actually left her information. I'm currently working on getting an estimate (got one that was $800 and she decided to go through insurance so now I have to get another one through the insurance company). She did hit it decently hard, for being in a parking lot, and it damaged some stuff internally. Not anything major, thank goodness, but it's not just a matter of replacing the bumper. It's weird because if I were to take a picture of it; other than the emblem being missing and some scratches, it really doesn't look bad. But looking internally you can see the energy absorber crushed and one of the brackets to hold the front is broken. Maybe I'll try to take a picture and post that, too.
Alright, that's enough to catch up on right now. Dave and I are busy as usual- it seems like we don't have any free nights anymore!
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