Gotta Love a Good Movie

~ Highlight of the Day: watching my new 4th favorite movie ~

 

I have a massive test in my Ancient Near East class tomorrow morning. I started studying today. . . I also watched a movie called Sallah Shabati. It's an old Israeli film, and it's amazing. Think Fiddler on the Roof with a twist of The Three Stooges.

 

You should all watch it.

 

and for fun

 (because I don't really want to be studying for ANE)

here's my top five movies list:

 

1.Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

2. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes

3. Pippi Longstocking (animated version)

4. Sallah Shabati

5. Captain America: the First Avenger 

 

Yep. That's a pretty good list, if I do say so myself :) I'm not quite sure on the order of some of them, but that's good enough for 11pm on the night before a huge test :)

 

 

Midterms : Almost Done

~ Highlight of the Day: getting 105% on my Palestine midterm! ~

Yep. I'm going to just revel for a little bit in getting more than 100% on something. It's not happening again, so I'm savoring the moment. . . :) I definitely put my study time in this time too. I was up until midnight doing a study group, and then got up at 5am to study some more.

And if it wasn't five minutes to twelve I'd tell you everything I now know about Islam. Unfortunately it is nearly midnight, and like the wonderful college student that I am, I'm still up. I have all day tomorrow though, so perhaps I'll get around to putting some pictures up :)

Oh yes, and I watched Kung Fu Panda and Kung Fu Panda 2, back to back. So cool. It makes me want to listen to Tenacious D/Jack Black's song "Wonder Boy". If you haven't heard it, you should look it up :)

Ah! I also went to Synagogue in West Jerusalem today - it was amazing! Details to come :)

One Last Day in Seattle

~ Highlight of the Day: Spending 3 hours in my most favorite store ever - Value Village ~

Today was really busy, a lot of fun, and just a teensey bit productive :)

Um. . . I've sort of hinted at this in the last few posts, but I should probably mention it officially at some point - my family is moving to Arizona. So I'm in the middle of packing for Jerusalem and for moving. Not to mention that I should be sort of fixing up the yard and I want to say goodbye to my favorite places. It's much too much to do in 6 days. Maybe I could have done everything in two weeks, but my parents didn't even know until last week.

So what did I do today? I savored my last shopping trip to Value Village (probably what I'm most sad about leaving behind. . . ), and went to the Science Fiction museum at the EMP (Experience the Music Project) in Seattle!

 

 

 A DALEK! Ahhhh!!! The first two episodes of season 7 (Doctor Who) are supposed to make the Daleks scary again. . . I can't wait :)

 

There was an exhibit all about Avatar. . . we had a staring contest. He won.

 

And there was an exhibit on horror movies!

 

 

I now want to see a few old thrillers. . . definitely not 'Texas Chainsaw Masacre' though. That one looks gross. 'The Wicker Man' seemed fascinating, but it apparently has a lot of yucky stuff of a different nature in it. . . and it's rated R.

 

I saw this though and thought it was hilarious :)

 

 

I will have to watch this with my Provo buddies during Winter semester! I definitely learned more about horror film than I every thought I needed. I came away with an appreciation for the immense history of horror, and an intense desire to watch Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.

 

After all the dark scary stuff we took a walk outside. . .

Gotta love Seattle! My family may be moving, but I will still find reasons to come back here. I love the Northwest too much not to!

 

 

~ Quote of the Day: "Oww! I can feel it in my livers!" - Rebekah ~

 

SVU!

~ Highlight of the Day: Talking to Grandma about mum festivals :) ~

Well, Ben is officially a freshman. We checked him in, fretted over him enough to be embarrassing, ate at the cafeteria he'll be eating at for the next 8 months, and then went on our way!

Southern Virginia University is a small but cool campus. There are some really old buildings with interiors that resemble the beast's mansion (from Beauty and the Beast), and a huge statue of a knight out front. Can you get much better?

(The College Freshman in his natural environment)

After dropping Ben off we drove back up to Baltimore and decided to catch a movie with our free evening. . . We didn't have much to choose from so we settled with Hope Springs. It's got good people in it, including Steve Carrol, so it should at least be funny, right?

So wrong. I'm not sure what audience they were going for, but it was just awkward, inappropriate, and way boring. So we left in the middle to see if there was anything better. . . all we could find was Paranorman. Also really odd. Humorous, yes. Sophisticated or appropriate for small children, no. It was better than old people talking about sex though, so we stuck with it.

I think I'll just take action and violence next time around. . . 

How Many Plants?

~ Highlight of the Day: Adopting two adorable baby cycads ~

Here's a joke for you:

How many plants can you take on an airplane?

It depends. . . how many has Rachel managed to accumulate in 3 months?!

Ok, maybe it's not a funny joke. But honestly, I don't know when to stop. I'm flying home in 18 days, and my 'Plants to Keep' list keeps growing. . . Here are my two most recent additions:

They are Cycas circinalis (I think), and are practically baby dinosaurs. . . or at least dinosaur-aged. They're both male, having been vegetatively propagated from the huge Cycas circinalis (again, I think) in the Palm House of the Conservatory, which has been there since . . . 1951 or something like that. Anyway,  they are cool, and they will somehow make it to Washington, be it by carry-on or checked luggage or mailed package!

 

I don't usually name my plants - but these are my baby dinosaurs, so they need names. I'm thinking Luke and Lyle, but that could easily change . . .

Also noteworthy - I watched Dirty Dancing for the first time tonight. Totally not what I expected it to be. . . but better :) Dance movies always make me want to learn. . . why isn't life like a dance movie? I just need some dramatic events, a problem or two, and an incredibly attractive man so I can learn to dance professionally in a matter of weeks!

Mums, Music, and Star Wars

~Highlight of the Day: Watching it rain for nearly 30 minutes like Noah was on his way ~

I was recruited for potting and cutting mums (chrysanthemums) down in the lower production greenhouses today. So I looked at mums for eight hours. . . the 'Seaton Ruby' cultivar to be exact (not that you can tell mums apart when they're small green twigs with a few leaves anyway).

To clear my head of mums when I got home I delved into some bands I've recently discovered:

The Asteroid Galaxy Tour

and

We Were Evergreen

By recently I mean yesterday and today. And I wouldn't be surprised if everybody else has heard/listened to them before - I tend to be at least half a decade behind when it comes to these things. . . Anyway, both a little different from each other, and both a little (maybe a lot in the Asteroid Galaxy Tour's case) odd/unique. I really like them both though.

And of course the only way to properly wrap up such a Friday is to watch Star Wars:  A New Hope. I slept through the climax of course - saw everything up to the moment before Luke blows up the Death Star, and then woke up in time for Han to be flirting with Princess Leia during whatever ceremony they've got at the end of the movie. May I just say, Harrison Ford is probably the single most attractive actor that ever was or will be. I mean, this is the man who made Han Solo and Indiana Jones the ultimate manly adventurers they are! And we can watch as much of him as we want - we should all take a moment and appreciate just how lucky we all are :)

One Productive Thursday

~Highlight of the Day: watching a Pileated Woodpecker check out all the trees around the porch ~

I accomplished two very important things today. First, I learned how to play the intro to More Than Words by Extreme on ukulele, which included learning a new way to mute/hit the strings (yay for new strumming patterns!) Second, I watched the Goonies. For the first time. Ever.

I feel rather accomplished :)

Almost the 4th. . .

~ Highlight of the Day: talking Doctor Who and emergency spoons with my now 16 year old sister ~

All that's been comming to mind today when I remember it's the 4th tomorrow is that I won't be watching Independance Day with my family. I'll be having an entirely alienless 4th of July! Hoorah! Don't get me wrong - it's a great movie. We just bring it along on every long drive we go on, and are also rather inclined to watch it on it's namesake. That's a little too often for me. . . 

So here's to fireworks

Longwood puts on a
pretty decent show,
even from a forest away :)

And here's to not being invaded by scary, deadly aliens

Three New Things

#1. Chaco Sandals!

Here comes the Chaco tan lines. . . I can't wait!

Look! They're already making friends with all the other shoes!
This is the most popular shoe hangout in the room -
right next to the computer desk :)

#2. A Journal!

I was rather dismayed when I realized I'd forgotten to pack an

empty journal from Washington, but this one will work perfectly!

It reminds me of the Leonardo Dicaprio version
of Romeo and Juliet. . . over the top gaudy with
some gangster vibes. but I like it.

#3. The Lumineers Album!

It's rare for me to get an entire album. . .
but I liked all of their songs. . . so I did :)

Ho Hey is my favorite, but Stubborn Love is
a close second.