Sunday, September 30, 2012

Anne of Green Gables

I just finished re-reading my all time favorite series, Anne of Green Gables. In my opinion these books should be considered a classic! They are entertaining, heartwarming, and clean (no sex, violence or foul language in these books!). The writing is superb! And all the characters unique and dynamic. There is no other book where the characters seem so real to me. And there are so many life lessons that you can learn from the experiences of the characters. I truly believe that some of the stories are probably from the author, Lucy Maud Montgomery's, own life and experiences. I dream of some day traveling to Prince Edward Island. Hopefully my daughters will love these stories as much as me and we can take a "girls trip" someday. 

Does anyone else love these books? 


And if you don't ever read the books, please watch the movies. They are excellent and perfect for a relaxing Sunday afternoon. Although, I will admit the 3rd one is a great movie, but does not follow the books one bit! So maybe you should just read the books :) 


Aren't they adorable? And Gil is not too bad on the eyes either! :) 
I would love to name one of my kids Gilbert, but my husband isn't to keen on that idea. I have no idea why! Is there anyone else who has considered naming a child after a favorite book character? Or anyone named after one? 

Laughter

I recently heard this quote about laughter, "A day without laughter is a day wasted." I started reflecting on the past few days of my life and how much I had laughed. And I was reminded of a movie that I had just watched on Netflix, I.Q. This movie made me laugh more than any I had seen in a very long time! It takes place in the 1950's and is about a uneducated mechanic who falls in love with Albert Einstein's niece, played by Meg Ryan. This young man becomes friends with Einstein and his 3 buddies, and together they device a plan to make this man appear brilliant so that Meg Ryan will fall in love with him. Well their plan works, for a while, and I am sure you can guess their ending. But one of the funniest parts of the whole movie was when Einstein and his buddies "assist" the mechanic with an IQ test.


Please tell me you laughed as much as I did?! 

Saturday, September 22, 2012

17 Miracles


It has been a while since I have watched a truly inspiring film. But this past Sunday my husband and I watched 17 Miracles. Neither of us had seen it before and man did it pull at the heart strings! I enjoy church history and have read a few books on the pioneers, but this movie made their story truly come alive for me. The emotions of the actors were so real and poignant. I don't usually cry during movies but I was pretty near balling, and my husband's eyes were glistening a bit (although he wouldn't like to admit it). I kept thinking of the mothers that lost their husbands or children along the trail and the determination they had to keep going despite these terrible trials. If there are couple things I can take away from this film it is that through faith in our Heavenly Father we can do anything- things beyond our physical capabilities. These Pioneers truly conquered the impossible! And in the words of our dear friend, Albert, You are Superb!!! And don't ever forget that :)

And as a side note with this film: Dallyn Vail Bayles, who sings one of the songs in this film, has such a beautiful voice. I had the opportunity to attend President Monson's Birthday Celebration and Brother Bayles was one of the performers. He was amazing! I am kind of obsessed! :)

Friday, September 21, 2012

Media at Work

I work for the Circulation Desk for the Law School Library. One of our responsibilities is to digitize old court briefs for the State Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. The pages of these briefs fade and rip, but through today's advanced technology we are making this one type of media available to future generations and preserving important records. I know this is a very exciting form of media, but it is still media, and I am grateful that I can have a part in preserving it. Go Media!

Friday, September 14, 2012

Advertising at its Not so Finest


Now, we all know that there are really good commercials, and really bad commercials. And Commercials that are so stupid they are actually funny, like the Geico ones. 

A favorite Geico commercial of mine is the Possum one. I love the "its just playing possum" line. Makes me laugh every time! 


Has anyone seen the new Velveeta commercials? I don't have TV, but they keep playing on Hulu and they are terrible. You don't even know what they are advertising until the last couple seconds on the commercial and they make absolutely no sense. 


See? In my opinion advertising is supposed to compel you to invest in their product, not leave you wondering  what the heck just happened. 

Geico: 1 Velveeta: 0 
                                                          


Thursday, September 13, 2012

Advertising at its Finest

Lately advertising has been on my mind. Probably because I never really considered it as a form of media so now I am seeing advertisements in a whole new light.

Now we all know Old Spice has an excellent advertising team. Their recent commercial is proof!


But I never really considered the advertisements they have on their actual deodorant until the other day when I saw my husband's deodorant on the bathroom counter.


Now this is advertising at its finest, at least in my opinion. If this would female deodorant I would buy it just for how funny it is!

Well done, Old Spice. Well Done!

Monday, September 3, 2012

Columbo

I always love when I come across a random jewel of a show on Netflix. My most recent find, Columbo, a homicide detective show from the 70's. I don't know exactly what it is that I love about it, but I do. The cinematography is certainly nothing to rave about, nor are the supporting actors or plot lines. But it is a nice breath of fresh air to find a show with little foul language, or gorey murder scenes (although I do love those ones, like Bones or Castle).

And Peter Falk, does an amazing job of playing quirky Lt. Columbo. Your non-traditional police officer, who is always wearing his trench coat, with a cigar in his hand and hair that, more often than not, looks like he just rolled out of bed. To some he might seem not so bright, and his methods not the most conventional, but he always solves the crime! I love watching the show, knowing that Columbo has known from the very beginning who the murderer is, but trying to figure out just how he knows. Plus, he is always talking about his wife, nephew, cousin or some other family member, proof that his family is an important part of his life (or at least I like to think so).

Some Columbo highlights:

 And nothing beats the music they play right before something bad happens:

Columbo is no White Collar or Burn Notice, but it is a classic show that you might just end up loving. So give it a chance and let me know what you think!