I have often spoke of the wonders of Pixar and their films. I have yet to be disappointed in a story line or their animation. I am amazed at the skill that goes into that kind of computer animation and you can tell that they take time to make the perfect picture. This summer I saw Monsters University (read it here) and tonight I watched Monsters, Inc. I love this story! It is so sweet and creative. Just like Toy Story their movies often highlight things that some of us thought about as children. What did our toys do when we were not around? Is that monster under our bed or in the closet real? Monsters, Inc does a great job of showing how monsters are not so scary. They just have a job to do like the rest of us!
Screams are a form of energy in Monstropolis and monsters get those screams from the scarers at Monsters Inc and their efforts to share children at night. Mike and Sully, our two main characters, learn that screams do not produce the maximum joules or watts or whatever they are referred to in the Pixar universe. Their adventures in learning that and about how wonderful small children really can be is just wonderful. The 93 minutes of film pass by so quick you are actually sad for it to be over.
Once I studied off campus in Washington DC, I was so excited to get there but we came early. Now, since I was an RA in college I knew that early arrivals were quite the headache and that it was ridiculous to ask for such permission. But the window to get me to Washington DC on American University's time table did not work for my transportation, i.e. my father. So I called and gained the proper permission to arrive earlier than anticipated. But once I got there- it seems that no one was expecting me. They did not have anything ready for me to check in, including a keycard to have access to the doors of the building. So once I had access to the residence hall I was sort of stuck there for the 4 days before everyone else moved in.
My family stocked my window sill (it was winter and one of my other roommates was bringing the fridge so I did not have one yet) will some food and drink and left to go back to MI. In those days I had one possession- a computer built by my boyfriend at the time. I had that, two DVDs (Monsters, Inc. and Amelie), and some John Grisham novels. So in order to pass the time in this room alone, I would watch a feature film one day and all of the special features the next. Needless to say I learned a lot of things about working at Pixar and the making of Monsters, Inc through those special features. I am not sure I ever fully appreciated those features until those fateful days along in our Nation's capitol. Side note: Is it possible to say "Our Nation's Capitol" without thinking of Forrest Gump?
If I were an RA using this film there are a couple different options for this film. One- you could take the eco route and program about energy conservation in the halls. Most colleges and universities have student organizations that you could partner with or a college initiative for sustainability that could help provide resources for a program like this. Two-you could also take the "fear of the unknown" angle as well. The monsters in Monstropolis are afraid of children and have been taught their whole like that they are toxic and dangerous. How similar are those lessons to what we are taught as children or even as adults to fear the unknown? This program could introduce or continue to educate your residents about the Muslim faith or another culture that we might have developed a fear of the unknown in our lives. Hopefully the lesson will be the same in that type of learning as it is in this great film!
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Sunday, November 24, 2013
For My Fan- Mental Health in Higher Ed
Greetings blog readers! It was requested that I take a quick break from the film reviews and RA programming to share something a bit more personal with all of you. Have any of y'all seen any of those blogs floating around out there talking about mental health in student affairs? Things started to circulate the web with a HuffPost article and some other blog responses (Kristen Abell Amma Marfo Becca Obergefell Renee P Dowdy Ann Marie Klotz).
All of these posts talk specifically about mental health in higher ed. I know there are other stressful fields out there and that as humans we need to stop and smell the roses sometimes. But as I work in student affairs, these articles hit me particularly hard. Dealing with crisis, that almost always is someone else's crisis, can take a toll on anyone. A year and a half ago I was handed a particularly difficult personal crisis that forced me to think about the world very differently. I would describe myself as a fairly anxious person, I believe I have been this way since the womb. I worry about others to such a point that it is a good thing I ended up in residence life- I cannot think of another career I am better suited for! I am also fiercely independent, so much so that romantic relationships have been threatened by my inability to let someone else in. (side note: I have learned a great deal on this front in the last ten years and my current romantic partner challenges me enjoy the feeling of someone else in the driver's seat.)
So what happens when the calm head in crisis who has all the answers is in crisis herself? I cannot imagine a safer place to be then in higher ed when disaster like that strikes. My supervisor, well versed in crisis, responded to me and my concerns perfectly. I got more emails of support from coworkers and people connected to the College in the time I was out of the office than I do during housing selection in April. I was given as much space and support as I could have ever wanted. I was given room to breathe but I was not left too alone to be able to resist the assistance that everyone, except me, knew I needed. There are lots of steps in recovering from a crisis and in my own case, I took a long hard look at myself and decided to "practice what I preach."
How often did I recommend my students to see a counselor? How often did I encourage them to consider my office a safe space and that sometimes just saying things out loud was therapeutic? Could I even quantify the number of times I assisted a student in making the first step to getting help and solving their problems? I knew I would not be able to look those students in the eye if I did not take my own advice and get the help that my heart (and head) desperately needed. I started to see a counselor, Gretchen, and I can honestly say that was a life changing decision. Once I was open to that kind of help I was able to gradually put myself back into control of my own destiny. But I also had to change the way I approached my job and the situations that I thought I could control. I had to think critically if I still had the ability to handle other peoples crises, and reflecting on the support and warmth I felt from my College community I could imagine leaving that environment. So after some time away from the controlled chaos of Residence Life I had to get back in the saddle.
I knew the key to being back in form at work was to be able to separate the work anxiety from the personal anxiety and that at times it would be harder than anything I had ever tried to do before my own crisis. When a student grieves the loss of someone close to them I have to ask myself if I am the best advocate for them, I have to recognize my limits. The most important part of that recognition is accepting that this was not a weakness or fault. It is one thing to remind the RA staff again and again that they are not alone on duty or when disaster strikes, it is quite another to role model that behavior.
Once I recognized I had reached a limit I had to be honest with myself that I needed help at work- something I was not used to asking for, that tricky help. Student Affairs is a great place to find ice breakers, extroverts, and hard working folks. But it is also a place to find great support. Relying on each other and playing to each others strengths is the best asset we have in higher ed. As we enter the short work week to celebrate Thanksgiving, I challenge you to be thankful for the support all around you and take a moment to let them know you are there to support them too. It is important that we do not take that for granted and that we nurture that support so it is there when we really need it.
All of these posts talk specifically about mental health in higher ed. I know there are other stressful fields out there and that as humans we need to stop and smell the roses sometimes. But as I work in student affairs, these articles hit me particularly hard. Dealing with crisis, that almost always is someone else's crisis, can take a toll on anyone. A year and a half ago I was handed a particularly difficult personal crisis that forced me to think about the world very differently. I would describe myself as a fairly anxious person, I believe I have been this way since the womb. I worry about others to such a point that it is a good thing I ended up in residence life- I cannot think of another career I am better suited for! I am also fiercely independent, so much so that romantic relationships have been threatened by my inability to let someone else in. (side note: I have learned a great deal on this front in the last ten years and my current romantic partner challenges me enjoy the feeling of someone else in the driver's seat.)
So what happens when the calm head in crisis who has all the answers is in crisis herself? I cannot imagine a safer place to be then in higher ed when disaster like that strikes. My supervisor, well versed in crisis, responded to me and my concerns perfectly. I got more emails of support from coworkers and people connected to the College in the time I was out of the office than I do during housing selection in April. I was given as much space and support as I could have ever wanted. I was given room to breathe but I was not left too alone to be able to resist the assistance that everyone, except me, knew I needed. There are lots of steps in recovering from a crisis and in my own case, I took a long hard look at myself and decided to "practice what I preach."
How often did I recommend my students to see a counselor? How often did I encourage them to consider my office a safe space and that sometimes just saying things out loud was therapeutic? Could I even quantify the number of times I assisted a student in making the first step to getting help and solving their problems? I knew I would not be able to look those students in the eye if I did not take my own advice and get the help that my heart (and head) desperately needed. I started to see a counselor, Gretchen, and I can honestly say that was a life changing decision. Once I was open to that kind of help I was able to gradually put myself back into control of my own destiny. But I also had to change the way I approached my job and the situations that I thought I could control. I had to think critically if I still had the ability to handle other peoples crises, and reflecting on the support and warmth I felt from my College community I could imagine leaving that environment. So after some time away from the controlled chaos of Residence Life I had to get back in the saddle.
I knew the key to being back in form at work was to be able to separate the work anxiety from the personal anxiety and that at times it would be harder than anything I had ever tried to do before my own crisis. When a student grieves the loss of someone close to them I have to ask myself if I am the best advocate for them, I have to recognize my limits. The most important part of that recognition is accepting that this was not a weakness or fault. It is one thing to remind the RA staff again and again that they are not alone on duty or when disaster strikes, it is quite another to role model that behavior.
Once I recognized I had reached a limit I had to be honest with myself that I needed help at work- something I was not used to asking for, that tricky help. Student Affairs is a great place to find ice breakers, extroverts, and hard working folks. But it is also a place to find great support. Relying on each other and playing to each others strengths is the best asset we have in higher ed. As we enter the short work week to celebrate Thanksgiving, I challenge you to be thankful for the support all around you and take a moment to let them know you are there to support them too. It is important that we do not take that for granted and that we nurture that support so it is there when we really need it.
Monday, November 18, 2013
"You Can't Sit More Than Two in a Chair Noah!"
Another movie lost in the collection with my inability to alphabetize and read. The Notebook is probably one of the more recent and most often referenced love story in America. My brother and his now wife once went as Noah and Allie for Halloween because they feel that this story is their love story- minus the actual plot of the film because none of these things happened to them in real life and they are not old now. But they did get married- click here if you want to read about those amazing nuptials.
Now this movie has all of the cliche things you would expect from a movie about love and more love. How many of y'all ever danced to no music? It is quite romantic if I do say so myself. One time in college I was lucky enough to have one of those moments where someone sweeps you off your feet and dances with you when there is no sound to be heard. It is a silly as you would imagine :)
Well there is so much kissing in this movie that I almost cannot watch it with anyone else. Remember in A Philadelphia Story when I was commenting on old time moving kissing looking so painful? The Notebook redeems Hollywood 64 years later with the kissing in this movie. It does not look as painful and it looks like actual kissing. But for real- so much kissing.
So this story is a retelling of a love between a wealthy, young woman vacationing in a coastal town and her hard working, saw mill employee townie. This movie has a bit of a twist as we are watching the story being retold by Noah himself. The end of this movie is where the water works start flowing and I will not ruin it if you are one of the 15 people in the world who have not heard already how it ends. But it is so sweet that you will at least get a little verklempt if you have a heart.
The casting in this movie is just perfect too. The actors that play in these starring and supporting roles make this story more wonderful. It helps that Rachel McAdams (Allie) and Ryan Gosling (Noah) had a real life romance. They probably were not acting too hard about their chemistry that was so sweet and angry at the same time. There is another love interest in this film too- James Marsden. He plays Lon Hammond and he is so sweet and absolutely dreamy with those blue eyes that viewers will immediately like him. I am sure that was purposeful for the plot but it makes me sad that his minutes in the film are small in number. Overall this film is a great story put to screen- Nicholas Sparks knew what he was doing when he put his spin on this love story. He tied together all these lovely moments and plot lines to make sure an enjoyable and heart warming story that renews your faith in true love forever.
RAs will probably have no trouble getting residents excited to watch this film. But to add a program in I would focus on the part where Noah wrote to Allie for an entire year after she left that summer. It wasn't over for him but Allie did not get any of his letters. As a floor I would spend some time writing letters to loved ones. Not just romantic loved ones, but to anyone that your residents feel that they should appreciate. Everyone loves getting snail mail and the only cost to this program would be the stamps to send out these letters once your floor has finished. Good old fashioned love letters through the mail are pure gold, pure gold.
Now this movie has all of the cliche things you would expect from a movie about love and more love. How many of y'all ever danced to no music? It is quite romantic if I do say so myself. One time in college I was lucky enough to have one of those moments where someone sweeps you off your feet and dances with you when there is no sound to be heard. It is a silly as you would imagine :)
So this story is a retelling of a love between a wealthy, young woman vacationing in a coastal town and her hard working, saw mill employee townie. This movie has a bit of a twist as we are watching the story being retold by Noah himself. The end of this movie is where the water works start flowing and I will not ruin it if you are one of the 15 people in the world who have not heard already how it ends. But it is so sweet that you will at least get a little verklempt if you have a heart.
The casting in this movie is just perfect too. The actors that play in these starring and supporting roles make this story more wonderful. It helps that Rachel McAdams (Allie) and Ryan Gosling (Noah) had a real life romance. They probably were not acting too hard about their chemistry that was so sweet and angry at the same time. There is another love interest in this film too- James Marsden. He plays Lon Hammond and he is so sweet and absolutely dreamy with those blue eyes that viewers will immediately like him. I am sure that was purposeful for the plot but it makes me sad that his minutes in the film are small in number. Overall this film is a great story put to screen- Nicholas Sparks knew what he was doing when he put his spin on this love story. He tied together all these lovely moments and plot lines to make sure an enjoyable and heart warming story that renews your faith in true love forever.
RAs will probably have no trouble getting residents excited to watch this film. But to add a program in I would focus on the part where Noah wrote to Allie for an entire year after she left that summer. It wasn't over for him but Allie did not get any of his letters. As a floor I would spend some time writing letters to loved ones. Not just romantic loved ones, but to anyone that your residents feel that they should appreciate. Everyone loves getting snail mail and the only cost to this program would be the stamps to send out these letters once your floor has finished. Good old fashioned love letters through the mail are pure gold, pure gold.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
"Can I Stay A Bit Longer?"
Today we are graced with the wonderful presence of Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant. And of course in incorrect alphabetical order. I have lost two movies in the cabinet, and by lost I mean I just looked at them and did not register that they were movies that started with an N and I should wait on the Ms. Oh dear. But the movie is Notting Hill. I forgot all the wonderful intricacies in this story. You know how I said I only purchase movies that I have seen many a time? Well that is true, but this movie is obviously one I have lost in the rotation. Since making the bold decision to get rid of any TV channels I have missed those Saturday afternoon matinee showings of this film on TBS. If you, my millions of blog followers, hadn't noticed I have many movies to choose from and this is an unfortunate side effect of that luxury.
This film is about an American actress Anna Scott and her on again and off again relationship with a travel bookstore owner Will Thatcher. We follow them from his crush on her from afar, similar to how I would not kick Ryan Gosling out of my bed for eating crackers (if you know what I mean :)) to a time when they are actually introduced in person. As viewers we have a front row seat to love and hate and love again. Take note readers of our Ryan Gosling reference- our next film is an even better love story that makes me cry EVERYTIME I watch it- just like those beginning scenes of Up (click here to read about my tears in that movie.)
There is some great dialog in this movie that seems really real to me. I wonder if the writer Richard Curtis actually heard some of these lines in his relationships:
"Don't think about it we'll sort it out." Isn't that the best thing to hear from the person you love? Just that total feeling of someone being on your side and in your corner when the bell rings to start the round.
Then there is that familiarity of knowing someone so well in the scene where they are reading in the living room- even though they are just together in that one day. I hate to write a post about love in a lovey dovey kind of way but that is how this film struck me today. I think that my heart must be in a love mood with all this wind and scariness outside. But goodness this movie is so sweet! I am in love with Hugh Grant today! Even more than Anna Scott. And his character's last name is Thacker so that makes it even better!
There are also some funny lines in this film- like when they are laying head to toe in bed and Anna Scott asks "What is it about men and nudity- about breasts? What is all the fuss about?" Will actually takes a quick look to be sure he can answer that question! So funny!
And one of the many sweet parts in this film, when Anna asks "Can I stay a bit longer?" and Will answers "Stay forever." Ahh my heart melts.
Then she just destroys him with the line "I will regret this forever" after she is photographed in one of his dashing blue and white striped shirts. She looks quite nice for just waking up and forgetting the jam downstairs. I would not have minded that beautiful of a photo of me taken! And finally probably the most famous line from this movie, "Don't forget, I'm just a girl standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her." When Anna utters those words and Will's self preservation kicks in you just want to get off the couch and watch the rest of the film jumping around the living room. Well at least that is what I want to do! Ok, I will admit it- I did jump around the living room for the last few minutes of this film.
If an RA were thinking about this wonderful film and its great dialog I would recommend planning a program about roommates. Spike is Will's roommate in this film and he plays a crucial role in the plot. After your residents see Will and Spike's relationship they might be grateful for the roommate that they have! No one can be as bad as Spike! Maybe include a worksheet so they can document all of the roommate courtesies that Spike violates through the film. Then each roommate pair can hang that on the back of their room door as a constant reminder of how not to treat each other.
This film is about an American actress Anna Scott and her on again and off again relationship with a travel bookstore owner Will Thatcher. We follow them from his crush on her from afar, similar to how I would not kick Ryan Gosling out of my bed for eating crackers (if you know what I mean :)) to a time when they are actually introduced in person. As viewers we have a front row seat to love and hate and love again. Take note readers of our Ryan Gosling reference- our next film is an even better love story that makes me cry EVERYTIME I watch it- just like those beginning scenes of Up (click here to read about my tears in that movie.)
There is some great dialog in this movie that seems really real to me. I wonder if the writer Richard Curtis actually heard some of these lines in his relationships:
"Don't think about it we'll sort it out." Isn't that the best thing to hear from the person you love? Just that total feeling of someone being on your side and in your corner when the bell rings to start the round.
Then there is that familiarity of knowing someone so well in the scene where they are reading in the living room- even though they are just together in that one day. I hate to write a post about love in a lovey dovey kind of way but that is how this film struck me today. I think that my heart must be in a love mood with all this wind and scariness outside. But goodness this movie is so sweet! I am in love with Hugh Grant today! Even more than Anna Scott. And his character's last name is Thacker so that makes it even better!
There are also some funny lines in this film- like when they are laying head to toe in bed and Anna Scott asks "What is it about men and nudity- about breasts? What is all the fuss about?" Will actually takes a quick look to be sure he can answer that question! So funny!
And one of the many sweet parts in this film, when Anna asks "Can I stay a bit longer?" and Will answers "Stay forever." Ahh my heart melts.
Then she just destroys him with the line "I will regret this forever" after she is photographed in one of his dashing blue and white striped shirts. She looks quite nice for just waking up and forgetting the jam downstairs. I would not have minded that beautiful of a photo of me taken! And finally probably the most famous line from this movie, "Don't forget, I'm just a girl standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her." When Anna utters those words and Will's self preservation kicks in you just want to get off the couch and watch the rest of the film jumping around the living room. Well at least that is what I want to do! Ok, I will admit it- I did jump around the living room for the last few minutes of this film.
If an RA were thinking about this wonderful film and its great dialog I would recommend planning a program about roommates. Spike is Will's roommate in this film and he plays a crucial role in the plot. After your residents see Will and Spike's relationship they might be grateful for the roommate that they have! No one can be as bad as Spike! Maybe include a worksheet so they can document all of the roommate courtesies that Spike violates through the film. Then each roommate pair can hang that on the back of their room door as a constant reminder of how not to treat each other.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Love Autopsy
Another great movie in our collection is one that I enjoyed with my friend Molly. She is a good movie watching partner. She let's me convince her that the upcoming film is really good and I get to watch what I want to watch anyway. It is great.
Today I am writing about the wonder that is Music and Lyrics with Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant. It also stars Brad Garrett and Kristen Johnston as some supporting characters that are important. The best part about this movie is that it kind of recaptures the awesomeness that was movie musicals that I loved to watch growing up. There is some singing, the people who star in the movie do the singing and the soundtrack is very much available for purchase and repeat listening. When I first saw this film I bought the soundtrack for everyone I knew- especially Amelia. I knew she would appreciate it and she did. Amelia is a great friend to share music with- she loves the traditional musical soundtrack and humors you when you want to show her something new. Those are the best friends to keep around.
Hugh Grant plays part of an 80s music group called Pop and could be defined as a "has been" Alex Fletcher. Sophie is an adorable yet quirky former English major played by Barrymore. Alex is commissioned by a modern pop diva, Cora Corman, to write a new song and he needs a lyricist. Together Sophie and Alex make an excellent pair and an awesome song that you will find yourself singing as the film continues. As a viewer you cannot help but love them and their awkwardness. Well I could not help it. Maybe because I could see myself in Sophie's "squareness." I am about as square as they come and I am oddly mesmerized by characters that are still cool when they play it straight edge. Or maybe it is that Sophie is slightly neurotic but something about her is attractive to formerly too suave for his own good but sarcastically funny Alex Fletcher. Look, let's just say that both of these characters have traits that I can relate to while watching the film which is why it is one of my favorites. But seriously, who does not love a romcom.
At the end of the film, after some conflict, you want to dance to the music and have your own 80s pop star romance. But if you were watching this as part of an RA program you would have to have more of a substantive program for it to be approved. I suggest thinking about this program in terms of the song writing process. When I was in 7th grade we were challenged to write another verse to Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire." The fact that I remember Mrs. Stafford giving us that assignment is one thing, but I remember loving that task and being so proud of the final result. How fun would it be for your floor to write another verse to record a verse of "A Way into Love?" I bet your campus radio station also has the capability to record your floor singing the song including their very own verse. What an awesome memory and a great way to have a floor keepsake that everyone can load onto their iPods and listen to for years to come.
Today I am writing about the wonder that is Music and Lyrics with Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant. It also stars Brad Garrett and Kristen Johnston as some supporting characters that are important. The best part about this movie is that it kind of recaptures the awesomeness that was movie musicals that I loved to watch growing up. There is some singing, the people who star in the movie do the singing and the soundtrack is very much available for purchase and repeat listening. When I first saw this film I bought the soundtrack for everyone I knew- especially Amelia. I knew she would appreciate it and she did. Amelia is a great friend to share music with- she loves the traditional musical soundtrack and humors you when you want to show her something new. Those are the best friends to keep around.
Hugh Grant plays part of an 80s music group called Pop and could be defined as a "has been" Alex Fletcher. Sophie is an adorable yet quirky former English major played by Barrymore. Alex is commissioned by a modern pop diva, Cora Corman, to write a new song and he needs a lyricist. Together Sophie and Alex make an excellent pair and an awesome song that you will find yourself singing as the film continues. As a viewer you cannot help but love them and their awkwardness. Well I could not help it. Maybe because I could see myself in Sophie's "squareness." I am about as square as they come and I am oddly mesmerized by characters that are still cool when they play it straight edge. Or maybe it is that Sophie is slightly neurotic but something about her is attractive to formerly too suave for his own good but sarcastically funny Alex Fletcher. Look, let's just say that both of these characters have traits that I can relate to while watching the film which is why it is one of my favorites. But seriously, who does not love a romcom.
At the end of the film, after some conflict, you want to dance to the music and have your own 80s pop star romance. But if you were watching this as part of an RA program you would have to have more of a substantive program for it to be approved. I suggest thinking about this program in terms of the song writing process. When I was in 7th grade we were challenged to write another verse to Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire." The fact that I remember Mrs. Stafford giving us that assignment is one thing, but I remember loving that task and being so proud of the final result. How fun would it be for your floor to write another verse to record a verse of "A Way into Love?" I bet your campus radio station also has the capability to record your floor singing the song including their very own verse. What an awesome memory and a great way to have a floor keepsake that everyone can load onto their iPods and listen to for years to come.
Sunday, November 10, 2013
My Biological Clock is TICKING!
One of the funniest movies I have ever seen comes to us in the form of a clever comedy called, My Cousin Vinny. This movie includes Marissa Tomei's Oscar winning performance as Mona Lisa Vito and Joe Pesci as Vinny. They are the best part of this film, hands down. Their portrayal as a lawyer trying his first case (a murder case) and his fiance is dead on balls accurate.
Ralph Macchio has found himself in trouble, in the south. A case of mistaken identity has his friend Stan and his character Bill accused of murder and they are being represented by Vinny. He is not sure how to proceed and makes Herman Munster without his makeup angry every time he opens his mouth. The film takes us through some stereo typical southern things too, like how to make grits and a variety of accents. Vinny has to earn the respect of a southern judge, another lawyer, as well as his cousin Bill and Stan as they are convinced they are going to be put to death in a southern legal system. The film is funny and exciting as you watch through the court case.
As I said earlier Vinny and Mona Lisa are just awesome in this movie! That must be why Marissa Tomei won an Oscar and the film is on TV all the time. Vinny promised to marry Lisa as soon as he won his first case. But he has taken seven years to pass the bar exam and this case in Alabama is the New Yorker's first. There is a scene where Lisa is telling Vinny that she does not want to add any more stress to this trial, but her niece, the daughter of her sister, is getting married now and Lisa's biological clock is ticking so loud that she demonstrates that by stomping her high heeled foot. I am sure all of you have seen this part of the film or at least know of it, but if not I recommend you watch this movie as soon as possible. There might even be a youtube clip of it out there. Lisa turns out to be the most valuable person in Alabama when the trial hits a snag. She has lots of knowledge about lots of things and her help, although momentarily pushed away by Vinny, is crucial. I figure I am kind of like Lisa, follow me here. I am often complaining like her, I want to help out the people I love and often feel helpless, but when they push me away I still come through with that piece of information that saves the day. Plus I look awesome in purple velvet, jumpsuits, and my New York accent is just as good as Marissa Tomei's.
If I were to program around this movie I might actually program about the unrealistic expectations that college graduates might have as they approach Commencement. Some students are certain they are going to be hired the minute they graduate, make over $60,000 at their first job and will be a middle, if not upper level, manager. An RA could use their resources from the Career Development Office to get a list of what last year's grads are up to and even the alumni would are five years out of College. Sharing that list of reality should bring people back to the realization they have to work for their first job and also that maybe taking the bar exam seven times is not too crazy!
Ralph Macchio has found himself in trouble, in the south. A case of mistaken identity has his friend Stan and his character Bill accused of murder and they are being represented by Vinny. He is not sure how to proceed and makes Herman Munster without his makeup angry every time he opens his mouth. The film takes us through some stereo typical southern things too, like how to make grits and a variety of accents. Vinny has to earn the respect of a southern judge, another lawyer, as well as his cousin Bill and Stan as they are convinced they are going to be put to death in a southern legal system. The film is funny and exciting as you watch through the court case.
As I said earlier Vinny and Mona Lisa are just awesome in this movie! That must be why Marissa Tomei won an Oscar and the film is on TV all the time. Vinny promised to marry Lisa as soon as he won his first case. But he has taken seven years to pass the bar exam and this case in Alabama is the New Yorker's first. There is a scene where Lisa is telling Vinny that she does not want to add any more stress to this trial, but her niece, the daughter of her sister, is getting married now and Lisa's biological clock is ticking so loud that she demonstrates that by stomping her high heeled foot. I am sure all of you have seen this part of the film or at least know of it, but if not I recommend you watch this movie as soon as possible. There might even be a youtube clip of it out there. Lisa turns out to be the most valuable person in Alabama when the trial hits a snag. She has lots of knowledge about lots of things and her help, although momentarily pushed away by Vinny, is crucial. I figure I am kind of like Lisa, follow me here. I am often complaining like her, I want to help out the people I love and often feel helpless, but when they push me away I still come through with that piece of information that saves the day. Plus I look awesome in purple velvet, jumpsuits, and my New York accent is just as good as Marissa Tomei's.
If I were to program around this movie I might actually program about the unrealistic expectations that college graduates might have as they approach Commencement. Some students are certain they are going to be hired the minute they graduate, make over $60,000 at their first job and will be a middle, if not upper level, manager. An RA could use their resources from the Career Development Office to get a list of what last year's grads are up to and even the alumni would are five years out of College. Sharing that list of reality should bring people back to the realization they have to work for their first job and also that maybe taking the bar exam seven times is not too crazy!
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Knock Three Times
Again I am failing you, my faithful blog readers. Even though I have spent seven years in post secondary education getting degrees and 10 years living and working at a college, I cannot alphabetize. I am sure it is a skill that will eventually become obsolete as Microsoft Office will just sort things for us in alphabetical order as necessary, but I am ashamed that I have had to publicly prove to all of you that I cannot do it!
Today's film is Now and Then, a classic film for someone who was coming-of-age in the 90s. You know its true when it reads "coming-of-age" on the DVD cover. What does that even mean? In this film it meant that four friends, about 12 or 13 years old, spend their summer making a pact that they will be there for each other whenever one of them needs it. We see these friends played by our favorite 90s childhood stars, Christina Ricci, Thora Birch, Gaby Hoffman and Ashleigh Aston Moore. They have some adventures in their small Indiana town in their last summer before they have to really deal with life, romance, and growing up. This part of the film takes place in the 1970s. We see snippets through the movie of these four friends all grown up and played by Rosie O'Donnell, Melanie Griffith, Demi Moore and Rita Wilson respectively.
I read somewhere once that TV shows and movies that accurately depict college life and college students do not appeal to grater audiences because that is not the experience that the majority of TV watching Americans had growing up. According to the US Dept of Ed over 21 million students were enrolled for the fall 2013 semester. That is a lot of TV watching people. Once you count in all those that are graduated I think there is a strong audience for college comedies or dramas. These shows could be the real coming-of-age programs for today's young adults. I recognize that there is a lot of growth in those adolescent years but the college years are a just ripe with change for young people.
Watching a student change from their first year to their senior year is so fascinating. Once you have the luxury of working at the same institution for four years and see one entire class matriculate and graduate you have really seen it all. They write books and theories about student development and what stages they will most likely progress through as they discover their self, sexuality, personality, career, friends for life, some of them their significant other, and religion. But nothing compares to getting to see that happen first hand in the residence halls. I have been able to see many classes go through that cycle now at my current job and it never ceases to amaze me to see students change through the years.
I was just visiting with a former student and we were discussing how different she was in her sophomore year to her senior year. Her priorities changed from parties and negative attitudes about anything not related to parties to one where she started to see the benefits of her RA position, classwork, and other extra curricular activities. That switch was easy to see in her attitude and in talking with her. She grew up right before my eyes and I was fortunate enough to see it first hand. If there was a way for TV producers and writers to not only make the sets more realistic (I mean really Felicity- you did not live on campus in those nice of digs) but also to capture the outside of the classroom stuff that is beyond alcohol and parties it would make for excellent coming-of-age TV that would appeal to many viewers.
Today's film is Now and Then, a classic film for someone who was coming-of-age in the 90s. You know its true when it reads "coming-of-age" on the DVD cover. What does that even mean? In this film it meant that four friends, about 12 or 13 years old, spend their summer making a pact that they will be there for each other whenever one of them needs it. We see these friends played by our favorite 90s childhood stars, Christina Ricci, Thora Birch, Gaby Hoffman and Ashleigh Aston Moore. They have some adventures in their small Indiana town in their last summer before they have to really deal with life, romance, and growing up. This part of the film takes place in the 1970s. We see snippets through the movie of these four friends all grown up and played by Rosie O'Donnell, Melanie Griffith, Demi Moore and Rita Wilson respectively.
Watching a student change from their first year to their senior year is so fascinating. Once you have the luxury of working at the same institution for four years and see one entire class matriculate and graduate you have really seen it all. They write books and theories about student development and what stages they will most likely progress through as they discover their self, sexuality, personality, career, friends for life, some of them their significant other, and religion. But nothing compares to getting to see that happen first hand in the residence halls. I have been able to see many classes go through that cycle now at my current job and it never ceases to amaze me to see students change through the years.
I was just visiting with a former student and we were discussing how different she was in her sophomore year to her senior year. Her priorities changed from parties and negative attitudes about anything not related to parties to one where she started to see the benefits of her RA position, classwork, and other extra curricular activities. That switch was easy to see in her attitude and in talking with her. She grew up right before my eyes and I was fortunate enough to see it first hand. If there was a way for TV producers and writers to not only make the sets more realistic (I mean really Felicity- you did not live on campus in those nice of digs) but also to capture the outside of the classroom stuff that is beyond alcohol and parties it would make for excellent coming-of-age TV that would appeal to many viewers.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Gosh!
Remember when Napoleon Dynamite was super cool? Remember when everyone thought this quirky, no budget film was the best thing to happen to pop culture? Well, not everyone thought that. I certainly did not when I first saw this film. I could not understand what all the hype was about, I could see the humor in the John Heder's character but that was it.
Then I watched the film with my 10 year old brother. It is crazy to see something through another set of eyes and suddenly find humor in it. I wonder if my too serious self could not appreciate the simple, clean, and just silliness that is Napoleon. I had just graduated from college and had started my first grown up job when the film came out. Listening to my brother laugh and giggle, he would never admit now that he used to giggle- he is too cool for that nowadays, made that movie great for me. Probably since the first time I saw that cute little guy smile I was bound and determined to make him laugh. When he was a toddler I would make faces and do silly things to make him smile and when he was ten we decided that we were Kip and Napoleon. I perfected that impression in my spare time so that when I called him I could do the whole conversation in character and when I went back home for a visit we would pretend to be those Dynamite brothers all evening.
So that is why Napoleon Dynamite is in my movie collection. It is a fond memory of my baby brother and when I watch it I think of him, now that he is not such a baby anymore! I also think movies like that are part of my higher ed education. Back in 2004 and 2005 that was the movie that all college students had seen. We went to an RA conference and I swear each role call skit had incorporated some part of Napoleon's famous dance into their routine. We did not win with our originally written song to the tune of Barbie Girl by Aqua because of Napoleon. But I recognized the dance immediately which gave me some street cred with my students back then- and boy did I need street cred. It is hard to break into the cool kid scene when you are living a pinterest lifestyle before pinterest even exists!
I also LOVE Tina Majorino. After Andre, When a Man Loves a Woman, and Corrina, Corrina I was concerned that I would not see much more of her, another victim of childhood fame. But she reappeared and according to IMDB she has been in other things as well that I just did not notice. It is funny now that I think about it, that I do not own Corrina, Corrina. It is just a wonderful film and when I had TV channels I used to stop whatever I was doing when it came on. I promised myself I would not buy any more films until this project is over so I will to wait to purchase it. I am sure I can get a great deal on a used copy nowadays.
If I were an RA and I were going to plan a program around this movie I think I would take the food angle. There are lots of scenes with food. There are tater tots, cakes, delicious bass, Tina's snacks, quesadillas, steaks, you name it they ate it the film. There is even a scene where you can incorporate body image into the program with the scene where Deb is drinking 1% milk when she could be drinking 2%. I would take the opportunity to share with my residents the joys of making different meals in the school cafeteria. For example, taking applesauce from the salad bar, adding cinnamon sugar, and then microwaving it to make warm cinnamon applesauce in the fall. Or taking hot cocoa from the beverage line and adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a sweet dessert. There are even opportunities to get a wrap from the sandwich station and shredded cheese from the salad bar to make your own quesadilla too! The possibilities are endless if you think outside the box of the traditional meals that are served in the cafeteria. Encourage your residents to think creatively by printing out the menu for dinner the following day and trying to come up with different options based on what is listed for the meal.
Then I watched the film with my 10 year old brother. It is crazy to see something through another set of eyes and suddenly find humor in it. I wonder if my too serious self could not appreciate the simple, clean, and just silliness that is Napoleon. I had just graduated from college and had started my first grown up job when the film came out. Listening to my brother laugh and giggle, he would never admit now that he used to giggle- he is too cool for that nowadays, made that movie great for me. Probably since the first time I saw that cute little guy smile I was bound and determined to make him laugh. When he was a toddler I would make faces and do silly things to make him smile and when he was ten we decided that we were Kip and Napoleon. I perfected that impression in my spare time so that when I called him I could do the whole conversation in character and when I went back home for a visit we would pretend to be those Dynamite brothers all evening.
So that is why Napoleon Dynamite is in my movie collection. It is a fond memory of my baby brother and when I watch it I think of him, now that he is not such a baby anymore! I also think movies like that are part of my higher ed education. Back in 2004 and 2005 that was the movie that all college students had seen. We went to an RA conference and I swear each role call skit had incorporated some part of Napoleon's famous dance into their routine. We did not win with our originally written song to the tune of Barbie Girl by Aqua because of Napoleon. But I recognized the dance immediately which gave me some street cred with my students back then- and boy did I need street cred. It is hard to break into the cool kid scene when you are living a pinterest lifestyle before pinterest even exists!
I also LOVE Tina Majorino. After Andre, When a Man Loves a Woman, and Corrina, Corrina I was concerned that I would not see much more of her, another victim of childhood fame. But she reappeared and according to IMDB she has been in other things as well that I just did not notice. It is funny now that I think about it, that I do not own Corrina, Corrina. It is just a wonderful film and when I had TV channels I used to stop whatever I was doing when it came on. I promised myself I would not buy any more films until this project is over so I will to wait to purchase it. I am sure I can get a great deal on a used copy nowadays.
If I were an RA and I were going to plan a program around this movie I think I would take the food angle. There are lots of scenes with food. There are tater tots, cakes, delicious bass, Tina's snacks, quesadillas, steaks, you name it they ate it the film. There is even a scene where you can incorporate body image into the program with the scene where Deb is drinking 1% milk when she could be drinking 2%. I would take the opportunity to share with my residents the joys of making different meals in the school cafeteria. For example, taking applesauce from the salad bar, adding cinnamon sugar, and then microwaving it to make warm cinnamon applesauce in the fall. Or taking hot cocoa from the beverage line and adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a sweet dessert. There are even opportunities to get a wrap from the sandwich station and shredded cheese from the salad bar to make your own quesadilla too! The possibilities are endless if you think outside the box of the traditional meals that are served in the cafeteria. Encourage your residents to think creatively by printing out the menu for dinner the following day and trying to come up with different options based on what is listed for the meal.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Am I too Nice of a Boss?
Recently I came across an article about being a "nice" boss. Check out the article here if you are interested. I have often thought about this, in higher ed and more specifically Residence Life, I feel like there are lots of nice bosses. You can spot a ResLifer a mile away- they are the people introducing themselves before the meeting starts with interesting conversation starters. They then turn to the side to include the person next to them, "Hello there, I just met Jan and she has a beta fish in a stinky cage! How do you feel about pets?" They are classic includers, whether they are introverts or extroverts, they are a pro a working a room.
When you think about the ResLifers who are supervisors you think of brag boards, staff squishies, buckets of love, traveling trophies, and things that are warm and fuzzy in a staff meeting. We come from experiences where each conduct meeting started with a conversation about Johnny's recent football win and his collie from home and end with him thanking you and shaking your hand. Lots of pleasantries can be found in all of these exchanges that have shaped us into supervisors. That is one of my favorite parts of working in the field! It is easy to mistake they warm and fuzzy parts as being too nice. It is easy to assume that there is a lot of positive reinforcement and maybe a lack in the constructive criticism department.
Thinking about the Residence Life professional deep down inside and reading this article has made me question whether I am sufficiently challenging as a supervisor. Do I spend too much time talking about the things that are going well and gloss over the parts that are hard? Do I spend enough time pushing them to do better by sharing my disappointment with the status quo? I am worried about rocking the boat and making waves and those fears cause me to take less risks or advocate for less change at work? Do I steer conversation away from topics that are difficult to discuss or difficult to change in order to stop my staff members from brainstorming ways to make their jobs better?
No, I am not too nice. Sure, there are ideas and topics that I realize are not possible within the scope of what my department and its limited resources has the ability to change. But I encourage big picture thinking and brainstorming- I like to encourage the type of thinking that results in changes or programs that we have the ability to change. I do think that I push my staff to be better residence hall directors, better people, and ultimately better professionals at their next jobs. I share constructive criticism and feedback about events, programs, and ideas without dashing hopes or crushing spirits. I welcome all sorts of hard conversations (as long as they are coupled with possible solutions) for making things or people work better in our department. I do all of this within that touchy feeling environment of ResLife that I am comfortable operating in.
I like being a nice boss. I might change my evaluation for this semester to reflect some of the thoughts in this article just to be sure, but I think I am just right in the nice department.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Andrew!
It seems that I am determined to deprive all of you of a good read lately. This sunshine has encouraged continued time outdoors. Apologies all around. Today's post is about the movie Overboard but also about trust. I watched this film a couple weeks ago when my Dad and Rhana were in town, but recent events have caused me to change up this post a bit from the original.
Overboard is a great film from 1987 that takes place in Elk Cove, OR. I have mentioned in a few other posts about the whole picture of a movie when you add the character development, music, sets, and camera angles to the plot and how I notice and appreciate that in films. This one was no different. I was not kidding when I mentioned that my movie collection is THE best one out there.
Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell star in this film, and yes for those of you who are curious, they started dating in 1983 so they were romantically involved during this film. Knowing that really does make the film so much better. Hawn stars as Joanna, a rich heiress who is living the life on a large yacht with her husband, Grant and her butler Andrew. The best example of her personality is when Joanna is getting a pedicure from Andrew while her manicure he recently finished was drying. She looks down at her fingernails and there were some tiny bugs that had landed to their doom on the surface. In the most haughty and condescending voice, Hawn declares that now she has "dead corpses" all over her fingers and Andrew must fix it.
Kurt Russell stars as Dean Profitt, a carpenter, that suffers the wrath of a bored and too rich Joanna, when he remodels her closet in the yacht. As the title suggests, Joanna falls overboard and develops amnesia, forgetting her former life. Dean steps in and as payback convinces her that she is his wife, Annie. He then proceeds to torture her with chores, pig sty living, and rowdy children, in retaliation for her behavior earlier in the film. Joanna has no choice but to trust that Dean is telling the truth that he is her husband.
Another fun fact in this film is that Hector Alizondo is in it! I love him! He plays the skipper of the garbage crow that finds Joanna floating in the ocean and brings her to shore.
While Dean is deceiving Joanna, they start to enjoy each other's company. The four boys start to do better in school, the house is clean and respectable, and Annie/Joanna starts to fall in love with Dean. Towards the end of the film Joanna's husband Grant reluctantly comes to retrieve her from her life with Dean and once she lays eyes on him she remembers her former life on the yacht and the sweaty carpenter that pretended now to be her husband. Oh boy- you can imagine! Joanna is furious (rightfully so) and leaves to go back to her rich roots. While back on the yacht she realizes Grant left her there in Elk Cove with amnesia and he was no better than the lying Dean. But in classic Hollywood style-scripted design, true love prevails. Joanna goes back to her life with Dean that is filled with love.
Trust is an interesting thing. I mean when you think about it, we are all just trusting in trust until we are given reason to doubt it. Millions of people look the other way or unconsciously ignore the warning signs of doubt in order to live the life that seems easiest. Living on a yacht having everything that you desire along with people to serve it to you seems like a great deal. For the purpose of this post, I liken that to trusting while ignoring the warning signs that something is wrong. Joanna had the unique opportunity through the wonders of modern movie amnesia to experience the other kind too. The blind trust that love and hard work engenders. In those situations when that trust is violated it changes EVERYTHING and nothing can return to the status quo.
When Joanna realizes her trust in the ones she loved and her trust in herself was violated not only by her "warning sign ignoring" self but also by her "blind trusting" self, she has to decide what to do from that point on. That is the funny part about the trust that has been built by love and hard work- it can sometimes be rebuilt. Joanna decided to take the chance with Dean and the movie ends so we do not really know what happens. But I like to think that once her trust was violated it did change everything. Joanna and Dean were not going to return to the status quo in Elk Cove. But instead they decided it was worth fighting for a new trust in a new life together.
Everyone you meet in life has their own stories and different paths that lead them to the spot where those paths crossed yours. Working in higher ed has given me a healthy exposure to honest and hard working people. I have seen lots of love between parents and children, so much care for a co worker in crisis, and people in a community connected only by the College itself trusting blindly in one another. Don't get me wrong, I have seen lots of deceit, trust violating, and pain too. But being exposed to both of those sides of the coin causes me to reevaluate what my trust in others looks like on a regular basis. I have come to rely on the inherent goodness humans possess and that love and compassion can take us a long way in relationship building and maintaining. Right or wrong, smart or stupid, I am second chance giver and overall strong supporter of trust rebuilding. I optimistically think that anything is possible. Now if only I could convey that to disgruntled roommate pairs :)
Overboard is a great film from 1987 that takes place in Elk Cove, OR. I have mentioned in a few other posts about the whole picture of a movie when you add the character development, music, sets, and camera angles to the plot and how I notice and appreciate that in films. This one was no different. I was not kidding when I mentioned that my movie collection is THE best one out there.
Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell star in this film, and yes for those of you who are curious, they started dating in 1983 so they were romantically involved during this film. Knowing that really does make the film so much better. Hawn stars as Joanna, a rich heiress who is living the life on a large yacht with her husband, Grant and her butler Andrew. The best example of her personality is when Joanna is getting a pedicure from Andrew while her manicure he recently finished was drying. She looks down at her fingernails and there were some tiny bugs that had landed to their doom on the surface. In the most haughty and condescending voice, Hawn declares that now she has "dead corpses" all over her fingers and Andrew must fix it.
Kurt Russell stars as Dean Profitt, a carpenter, that suffers the wrath of a bored and too rich Joanna, when he remodels her closet in the yacht. As the title suggests, Joanna falls overboard and develops amnesia, forgetting her former life. Dean steps in and as payback convinces her that she is his wife, Annie. He then proceeds to torture her with chores, pig sty living, and rowdy children, in retaliation for her behavior earlier in the film. Joanna has no choice but to trust that Dean is telling the truth that he is her husband.
Another fun fact in this film is that Hector Alizondo is in it! I love him! He plays the skipper of the garbage crow that finds Joanna floating in the ocean and brings her to shore.
While Dean is deceiving Joanna, they start to enjoy each other's company. The four boys start to do better in school, the house is clean and respectable, and Annie/Joanna starts to fall in love with Dean. Towards the end of the film Joanna's husband Grant reluctantly comes to retrieve her from her life with Dean and once she lays eyes on him she remembers her former life on the yacht and the sweaty carpenter that pretended now to be her husband. Oh boy- you can imagine! Joanna is furious (rightfully so) and leaves to go back to her rich roots. While back on the yacht she realizes Grant left her there in Elk Cove with amnesia and he was no better than the lying Dean. But in classic Hollywood style-scripted design, true love prevails. Joanna goes back to her life with Dean that is filled with love.
Trust is an interesting thing. I mean when you think about it, we are all just trusting in trust until we are given reason to doubt it. Millions of people look the other way or unconsciously ignore the warning signs of doubt in order to live the life that seems easiest. Living on a yacht having everything that you desire along with people to serve it to you seems like a great deal. For the purpose of this post, I liken that to trusting while ignoring the warning signs that something is wrong. Joanna had the unique opportunity through the wonders of modern movie amnesia to experience the other kind too. The blind trust that love and hard work engenders. In those situations when that trust is violated it changes EVERYTHING and nothing can return to the status quo.
When Joanna realizes her trust in the ones she loved and her trust in herself was violated not only by her "warning sign ignoring" self but also by her "blind trusting" self, she has to decide what to do from that point on. That is the funny part about the trust that has been built by love and hard work- it can sometimes be rebuilt. Joanna decided to take the chance with Dean and the movie ends so we do not really know what happens. But I like to think that once her trust was violated it did change everything. Joanna and Dean were not going to return to the status quo in Elk Cove. But instead they decided it was worth fighting for a new trust in a new life together.
Everyone you meet in life has their own stories and different paths that lead them to the spot where those paths crossed yours. Working in higher ed has given me a healthy exposure to honest and hard working people. I have seen lots of love between parents and children, so much care for a co worker in crisis, and people in a community connected only by the College itself trusting blindly in one another. Don't get me wrong, I have seen lots of deceit, trust violating, and pain too. But being exposed to both of those sides of the coin causes me to reevaluate what my trust in others looks like on a regular basis. I have come to rely on the inherent goodness humans possess and that love and compassion can take us a long way in relationship building and maintaining. Right or wrong, smart or stupid, I am second chance giver and overall strong supporter of trust rebuilding. I optimistically think that anything is possible. Now if only I could convey that to disgruntled roommate pairs :)
Monday, September 16, 2013
Barney, Barney Rubble, Trouble!
Ocean's 11 is such a crafty film. It has a similar baseline plot to the 1960 Rat Pack version with Frank Sinatra but it is updated for the 2001 version and that resulted in some plot changes. I am not usually one for the special features part of the DVDs but I have been checking them out for this project. There is a special about the costumes in this movie that was really interesting. It is fascinating to see all the pieces of a movie come together. The clothes that they are wearing really does change the character and the impression we get as we watch the film.
The next time you watch it- look at what Andy Garcia's character, Terry, is wearing and how severe it is. There is also a strong Asian influence which apparently was intentional to add to the straight-lacedness of his look. It makes him look very no nonsense and just like the villain we are supposed to think he is. He looks just like a guy I would want to steal 160 million dollars from actually. Funny how they pegged that just right eh?
There is a lot of humor in the dialog of this movie. There is also only one woman who stars in this movie- Julia Roberts. Once this project is done it will be interesting to see what my film ownership says about me. I feel like every movie I write about in this project is funny and has something notable about the women in the films. We shall see. Anyway one of my favorite lines is from Carl Reiner in his role as Saul, he is trying to convince Rusty (played by Brad Pitt) that he is out of the game- no longer a criminal. "I'm seeing a nice lady that works the unmentionables counter at Macy's..." That is just funny. Watching that special features business about the costumes really helps to see why so much money is spent in movies today. But even when you think about the copyright to play music in a movie it must just add up. In another humorous scene Elliott Gould playing Reuben is telling us about the three casino robberies there are three different songs playing that help you to identify the eras he is mentioning and that scene is less than 5 minutes long!
Well I suppose by now you have figured out that this is a movie where George Clooney (Danny Ocean) and his criminal friends (his 11) rob a casino owned by Terry Benedict in Las Vegas. There are some shenanigans and mistakes that make the viewer root for the robbers as they twist the story into an incredible and unpredictable plot. Unpredictable for viewers like me, I think we have already established that I am slower than most to figure out the next step when I am watching a film.
My advice to any RAs who might show this movie- do not be surprised if your residents want to steal things after watching this movie. They make it look so cool! But seriously this is a good movie to talk about residence hall safety while watching. Maybe there can be a craft- like decorating hooks to put up by the door so that your residents always remember their keys so that they can lock the door on their way to class. Or it is a program that encourages your residents to write down the serial numbers for their electronics and keep that list somewhere so if something does get stolen they will have some evidence that they owned that item. You can never be too safe- and criminals are pretty crafty folk!
The next time you watch it- look at what Andy Garcia's character, Terry, is wearing and how severe it is. There is also a strong Asian influence which apparently was intentional to add to the straight-lacedness of his look. It makes him look very no nonsense and just like the villain we are supposed to think he is. He looks just like a guy I would want to steal 160 million dollars from actually. Funny how they pegged that just right eh?
There is a lot of humor in the dialog of this movie. There is also only one woman who stars in this movie- Julia Roberts. Once this project is done it will be interesting to see what my film ownership says about me. I feel like every movie I write about in this project is funny and has something notable about the women in the films. We shall see. Anyway one of my favorite lines is from Carl Reiner in his role as Saul, he is trying to convince Rusty (played by Brad Pitt) that he is out of the game- no longer a criminal. "I'm seeing a nice lady that works the unmentionables counter at Macy's..." That is just funny. Watching that special features business about the costumes really helps to see why so much money is spent in movies today. But even when you think about the copyright to play music in a movie it must just add up. In another humorous scene Elliott Gould playing Reuben is telling us about the three casino robberies there are three different songs playing that help you to identify the eras he is mentioning and that scene is less than 5 minutes long!
Well I suppose by now you have figured out that this is a movie where George Clooney (Danny Ocean) and his criminal friends (his 11) rob a casino owned by Terry Benedict in Las Vegas. There are some shenanigans and mistakes that make the viewer root for the robbers as they twist the story into an incredible and unpredictable plot. Unpredictable for viewers like me, I think we have already established that I am slower than most to figure out the next step when I am watching a film.
My advice to any RAs who might show this movie- do not be surprised if your residents want to steal things after watching this movie. They make it look so cool! But seriously this is a good movie to talk about residence hall safety while watching. Maybe there can be a craft- like decorating hooks to put up by the door so that your residents always remember their keys so that they can lock the door on their way to class. Or it is a program that encourages your residents to write down the serial numbers for their electronics and keep that list somewhere so if something does get stolen they will have some evidence that they owned that item. You can never be too safe- and criminals are pretty crafty folk!
Surrey with a Fringe On Top
There is a great scene in When Harry Met Sally, well there are many great scenes in such an awesome film, but there is one in particular that relates to today's film. Sally and Harry are in a Sharper Image type store to buy a house warming gift. They come across a karaoke machine and the song of choice is "Surrey with a Fringe on Top." While Sally is singing, in a wonderful voice I might add, Harry runs into his ex wife. Such a good scene. This wonderful song comes to us from the film Oklahoma. I consider this another one of the classics that everyone should own. The movie was made in 1955 and it is the first project that Rogers and Hammerstein worked on together.
There is a lot of wonderful singing and dancing in this film. It stars a young mama Partridge, Shirley Jones, and boy can she sing! "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" sounds so great coming from her and her beautiful golden blond hair really convinces the viewer that she is a farmer's daughter in the Oklahoma Territory before it become a state. Similar to Seven Brides for Seven Brothers this movie makes me want to put on a dress with a good twirl factor and dance around the living room. Laurey (Jones) is in love with Curly (Gordon MacRae) but there is an evil ranch hand that wants to ruin their love story. The story is about their love, this ranch hand, Oklahoma as a territory, and a peddler romance. The peddler is played by Eddie Albert who is another one of my favorite actors. Did you catch my review of Roman Holiday?
This is one of those films that has a long entr'acte in the middle. I just learned that literally translated, an entr'acte means between acts. Which makes sense that there is a dance and singing routine in the middle of this film. At first it makes you think the movie was made in the trippy, hippy 70s but then you reread the movie case and remember it was made in 1955. It is then that you can appreciate that what you are seeing is just wonderful. The background scenery changes and it seems to be unrelated to the film, but these dancers are really talented. I love to watch that kind of stuff. I cannot guess how many movie stars dreamed of their careers in Hollywood after watching movies like this as a kid.
While this movie is in full color and has choreographed fights, fire, and a kaleidoscope of pretty girls with a hidden switchblade inside, you still might have a hard time convincing some residents to watch it. You are looking at a time commitment and as my friend Eric kept saying "What in the world are we watching!" But if you are successful in introducing your residents to the wonder that is Oklahoma you have a couple programming options. The first is to review some of the interesting history of the United States. The movie takes place before Oklahoma is a state and there might be some good nuggets of information to share about the state you live in before it was part of the Union.
Another program option might be to try your hand at lassoing. There is some fancy dancing with the lasso and also some actual lassoing of cattle by some ranchers in this movie. Finding a piece of rope and learning how to lasso the armchair in the lounge or a bush outside of the residence hall sounds like a lot of fun to me!
There is a lot of wonderful singing and dancing in this film. It stars a young mama Partridge, Shirley Jones, and boy can she sing! "Oh What a Beautiful Morning" sounds so great coming from her and her beautiful golden blond hair really convinces the viewer that she is a farmer's daughter in the Oklahoma Territory before it become a state. Similar to Seven Brides for Seven Brothers this movie makes me want to put on a dress with a good twirl factor and dance around the living room. Laurey (Jones) is in love with Curly (Gordon MacRae) but there is an evil ranch hand that wants to ruin their love story. The story is about their love, this ranch hand, Oklahoma as a territory, and a peddler romance. The peddler is played by Eddie Albert who is another one of my favorite actors. Did you catch my review of Roman Holiday?
This is one of those films that has a long entr'acte in the middle. I just learned that literally translated, an entr'acte means between acts. Which makes sense that there is a dance and singing routine in the middle of this film. At first it makes you think the movie was made in the trippy, hippy 70s but then you reread the movie case and remember it was made in 1955. It is then that you can appreciate that what you are seeing is just wonderful. The background scenery changes and it seems to be unrelated to the film, but these dancers are really talented. I love to watch that kind of stuff. I cannot guess how many movie stars dreamed of their careers in Hollywood after watching movies like this as a kid.
While this movie is in full color and has choreographed fights, fire, and a kaleidoscope of pretty girls with a hidden switchblade inside, you still might have a hard time convincing some residents to watch it. You are looking at a time commitment and as my friend Eric kept saying "What in the world are we watching!" But if you are successful in introducing your residents to the wonder that is Oklahoma you have a couple programming options. The first is to review some of the interesting history of the United States. The movie takes place before Oklahoma is a state and there might be some good nuggets of information to share about the state you live in before it was part of the Union.
Another program option might be to try your hand at lassoing. There is some fancy dancing with the lasso and also some actual lassoing of cattle by some ranchers in this movie. Finding a piece of rope and learning how to lasso the armchair in the lounge or a bush outside of the residence hall sounds like a lot of fun to me!
Monday, September 9, 2013
Follow that Blog: The Choice Blog
Have any of you heard about The Choice Blog? Click here to read about it and explore the posts.
I have made an effort to follow/read different blogs since I have started blogging myself. I am drawn to those higher ed blogs that will help me in my day to day work. The Choice Blog is all about helping people make the right choice about their College or University. It is written by a woman named Maggie Pavlick and has lots of promising material on it already!
Check it out if you get a chance!
I have made an effort to follow/read different blogs since I have started blogging myself. I am drawn to those higher ed blogs that will help me in my day to day work. The Choice Blog is all about helping people make the right choice about their College or University. It is written by a woman named Maggie Pavlick and has lots of promising material on it already!
Check it out if you get a chance!
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Hoover Fixer Sucker Guy
Oh I love great weekend where I can catch up on my reading and blogging. I might not have this again for a while so I took advantage.
I saw today's movie Once at the 9pm showing and my friend Hikari and I were the only people in the theater. We did not know anything about it when we bought the tickets but when we walked out we were the biggest Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova fans and also their band The Swell Season. This movie is great. It is one of those great stories that does not have any sex or much swearing (I think when people swear in an accent it is not really swearing) but you really connect with the characters.
The story follows a guy who repairs Hoovers and plays heartfelt music that he writes in the streets of Dublin and a girl who plays piano. They meet each other and end up making beautiful music together. There is a little bit of a love story there too. The song that made this movie famous is "Falling Slowly." I believe that it won an Academy Award. The movie is shot with what looks like home video quality. The camera zooms in and out and such. According to Wikipedia it was shot with a $160,000 budget. But that really adds to the overall feel of the movie that I think they were looking for, just nothing fancy. Just music and the emotion that goes along with that music.
During their journey to make beautiful music we also get to see what it is like to live on little income in Dublin and see some beautiful shots of the city. It is amazing to see what Glen can do with a guitar that has a hole in it and in duos with Marketa on pianos in a music shop. They both also wear their scarves through most of this movie. I think that might have something to do with the current trend of wearing scarves all the time, no matter the weather. Even though this movie was made in 2005/2006.
There is a part in this film where the guy goes to have dinner at the girl's house and they speak a lot of Czech in front of him (he does not speak Czech). It reminds me of when I went to France and everyone spoke a lot of French in front of me. I had no idea what was going on because they were speaking so fast and casually. My French learning was so formal, slow, and so American that there was no way I could keep up. But I loved just listening to them- it sounded beautiful.
I know in an earlier post I mentioned that as a floor you could make a video to accompany a film. But I think that making a song as a floor is the best way to program with this movie. You could get together whatever kind of talent you have among you and create an original floor production. Maybe you could even keep that video and use it as part of your RA interview when you reapply. It is fun to see residents and RAs doing something awesome like that together. I can just picture some table drums and the nose harmonica being featured in this song. I love it.
I saw today's movie Once at the 9pm showing and my friend Hikari and I were the only people in the theater. We did not know anything about it when we bought the tickets but when we walked out we were the biggest Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova fans and also their band The Swell Season. This movie is great. It is one of those great stories that does not have any sex or much swearing (I think when people swear in an accent it is not really swearing) but you really connect with the characters.
The story follows a guy who repairs Hoovers and plays heartfelt music that he writes in the streets of Dublin and a girl who plays piano. They meet each other and end up making beautiful music together. There is a little bit of a love story there too. The song that made this movie famous is "Falling Slowly." I believe that it won an Academy Award. The movie is shot with what looks like home video quality. The camera zooms in and out and such. According to Wikipedia it was shot with a $160,000 budget. But that really adds to the overall feel of the movie that I think they were looking for, just nothing fancy. Just music and the emotion that goes along with that music.
During their journey to make beautiful music we also get to see what it is like to live on little income in Dublin and see some beautiful shots of the city. It is amazing to see what Glen can do with a guitar that has a hole in it and in duos with Marketa on pianos in a music shop. They both also wear their scarves through most of this movie. I think that might have something to do with the current trend of wearing scarves all the time, no matter the weather. Even though this movie was made in 2005/2006.
There is a part in this film where the guy goes to have dinner at the girl's house and they speak a lot of Czech in front of him (he does not speak Czech). It reminds me of when I went to France and everyone spoke a lot of French in front of me. I had no idea what was going on because they were speaking so fast and casually. My French learning was so formal, slow, and so American that there was no way I could keep up. But I loved just listening to them- it sounded beautiful.
I know in an earlier post I mentioned that as a floor you could make a video to accompany a film. But I think that making a song as a floor is the best way to program with this movie. You could get together whatever kind of talent you have among you and create an original floor production. Maybe you could even keep that video and use it as part of your RA interview when you reapply. It is fun to see residents and RAs doing something awesome like that together. I can just picture some table drums and the nose harmonica being featured in this song. I love it.
A Story Philadelphia
Another selection from the good ol' movie cabinet, The Philadelphia Story. It is not going to surprise any of you when I say I love this movie! Another classic black and while film staring Katherine Hepburn, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart among others. This film is an adaptation of a successful play. Some say it reignited Katherine Hepburn's career. It was also remade into another film, High Society in 1956. I have yet to see that one but it is on my movie viewing wishlist.
Tracy (Hepburn) is getting married...again. Her first husband shows up with a plan to avoid some embarrassing family blackmail that forces Tracy to agree to let her ex, C.K. Dexter Haven (Grant) , and some reporters to cover her wedding for the society pages. Then it seems that everyone falls in love with her! C.K. Dexter Haven still pines for her, Macaulay Conner (Stewart) the reporter thinks shes wonderful, and her most recent fiance George Kittredge is also in love. Shenanigans ensue and the movie explores socio-economic classes, alcoholism, and some self discovery. Poor Tracy! But in the end the movie works out just as you wanted from the very beginning.
This movie has wonderful style. From the clothes and hairstyles to the kissing! I love old movie kissing. It looks like it hurts. There is a lot of arm squeezing and face smashing that makes me giggle. But I suppose all of that is to convince the viewer that it is a passionate embrace. I just think that my arms would be bruised and my lips swollen after a kiss like that. I also think that older movies put so much more dialog into their films. They never stop talking and they talk so fast! Perfect for me since I myself am quite the fast talker. My brain is used to comprehending much faster. There is something special about movies with no CGI or even color to enhance the experience. They are just pure entertainment.
I think the sets in films like this are also pretty great. The black and white of the film makes for lots of contrast in the background and I like that. This movie was portraying how the rich society lives so it was pool houses and grand ballrooms and lots of silver wedding gifts being displayed. The sets in movies and on stage can be so impressive. They play as important a role in the film as the actors.
The media plays a bit of a role in this film. The "Spy" magazine that covers the society pages and the reporter and photographer who are sent to cover Tracy's wedding for the magazine in exchange for not publishing an embarrassing story about Tracy's father. It would be publicly humiliating for the Lord family if Tracy's father's affair with a dancer became public.
I think an RA program could take that angle. The obsession that we have with the media's opinion of how we should look, feel, act, etc. could pair nicely with this film. First I would start with a big pile of magazines. Then have your residents find pictures of healthy relationships in those magazines. They can see pictures of two people and describe why they think that relationship is healthy. It could be because of how they are looking at each other, how they are positioned in the picture, who else in the picture, the expressions on onlookers faces, anything that they can see that tells them why that relationship is healthy. For some residents this will be very difficult. Maybe they will only find pictures of couples making out or in positions like that and it will be hard for them to determine if it is healthy or not. Or maybe they will find two people with their family and come to the conclusion that is a healthy relationship. Regardless, you will start the conversation about what is healthy and what is not in your residents' minds. Tie that back into how Tracy looked with Macaulay, Dexter and George in the movie and you have a program!
Saturday, September 7, 2013
Signs You Work at A College
Working at a College helps to keep you on your toes. There are a few signs that you should look out for that can help you identify others that work in Student Life at College.
10. Their summer ends July 4 as you start preparing every minute for students to move back to campus. Your last hurrah is that celebration of America. I like to think the fireworks are for me, just welcoming me into a new academic year.
9. They always go over their cell phone minutes in August, December/January and May but never come close any other month. This is mostly due to move in, the semester closing, and Commencement. The other months they are in their office with a phone ringing off the hook, so not as many calls come to the cell.
8. They stopped doing shots and drinking 40s long ago after seeing what it does to college students. This one still shocks my brother, along with the next one.
7. They make all of their family members consume safely and at weddings their family and friends call them the fun police too. This happened to me recently at my brother's wedding. I think I have developed an unhealthy level of concern for others when alcohol consumption is on the horizon. But really- when you have seen as much vomit, hospital transports, and overall bad decision making while alcohol was concerned you develop these fears that it will happen to someone you love. It is just part of me now, no use fighting it or making fun.
6. They are brave! Their job almost requires that they have no stage fright. You often have to be the first one to sing karaoke to get the crowd ready, or you have to be brave and start the open mic night if students are slow to feel comfortable. You have to think on your feet so people can either emulate or laugh at you (whichever is appropriate for the moment).
5. They have family that thinks they are still in school. It is hard to explain some of the student life careers to your parents and grandparents. My great Aunt still asks me how classes are going and I always answer sweetly. She must think I have changed my major twenty times, since according to her I have been in college since 2000.
4. They can come up with ten transferable skills for every task they ask a student or student group to perform. We just have to be ready with those things.
3. Their wardrobe consists of clothes from the bookstore, training events, conferences, student fundraisers, tournaments, or the sports team booster. They might have them sorted into what looks good with khakis, jeans or when you really have to dress things up with some slacks.
2. They have dual memberships on facebook, twitter, pinterest, tumblr, etc. One for personal use and one for the College. Often they forget which one they are logged into and post some weird stuff to their personal accounts.
And the number one sign that someone works in Student Life at a College is that they start a blog to talk about it! The posts focus on things that might help students but they try to be anonymous so that the students do not find out it is them and tease!
10. Their summer ends July 4 as you start preparing every minute for students to move back to campus. Your last hurrah is that celebration of America. I like to think the fireworks are for me, just welcoming me into a new academic year.
9. They always go over their cell phone minutes in August, December/January and May but never come close any other month. This is mostly due to move in, the semester closing, and Commencement. The other months they are in their office with a phone ringing off the hook, so not as many calls come to the cell.
8. They stopped doing shots and drinking 40s long ago after seeing what it does to college students. This one still shocks my brother, along with the next one.
7. They make all of their family members consume safely and at weddings their family and friends call them the fun police too. This happened to me recently at my brother's wedding. I think I have developed an unhealthy level of concern for others when alcohol consumption is on the horizon. But really- when you have seen as much vomit, hospital transports, and overall bad decision making while alcohol was concerned you develop these fears that it will happen to someone you love. It is just part of me now, no use fighting it or making fun.
6. They are brave! Their job almost requires that they have no stage fright. You often have to be the first one to sing karaoke to get the crowd ready, or you have to be brave and start the open mic night if students are slow to feel comfortable. You have to think on your feet so people can either emulate or laugh at you (whichever is appropriate for the moment).
5. They have family that thinks they are still in school. It is hard to explain some of the student life careers to your parents and grandparents. My great Aunt still asks me how classes are going and I always answer sweetly. She must think I have changed my major twenty times, since according to her I have been in college since 2000.
4. They can come up with ten transferable skills for every task they ask a student or student group to perform. We just have to be ready with those things.
3. Their wardrobe consists of clothes from the bookstore, training events, conferences, student fundraisers, tournaments, or the sports team booster. They might have them sorted into what looks good with khakis, jeans or when you really have to dress things up with some slacks.
2. They have dual memberships on facebook, twitter, pinterest, tumblr, etc. One for personal use and one for the College. Often they forget which one they are logged into and post some weird stuff to their personal accounts.
And the number one sign that someone works in Student Life at a College is that they start a blog to talk about it! The posts focus on things that might help students but they try to be anonymous so that the students do not find out it is them and tease!
If You've Got It Flaunt It
I started this post in the middle of RA training and I had a few moments during dinner and decided to watch a movie. Because it was August, I promptly fell asleep. Lucky for all of us, I saved this post in my drafts so I could post it in September!! As you continue reading, just pretend you are in an old RA training tshirt and dead tired so that it feels realistic.
Tonight I watched The Producers, the 1967 version with Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder. Before I could even enjoy this film I had to break a nail opening the case. I was also quite hungry-so of course I cried a bit from over emotionalness. Once the film started and I was having a snack things started looking up. This film is about Max Bialystock a down on his luck and broke Broadway producer who helps little old ladies find thrills for their pennies. He has an accountant Leo Bloom with a blue blanket that comes up with a brilliant money making scheme.
Have you ever seen the remake of this film with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick? I believe it came out in 2005 or 2006 after it was on Broadway again. Well, because Mel Brooks is a genius both films are awesome. The dialog is the same and the jokes are funny in this version and that one! I love timeless films like this.
The plot of The Producers is that Bialystock and Bloom are trying to produce a flop of a show to make a quick buck. They choose the script Springtime for Hitler and found the best of the worst directors to direct the play. He adds music and dancing Hitlers to the production and the show goes on. The characters in this film make it worth a watch. They plan on raising a lot of money from investors and once the show flops they can keep the unspent money in creative accounting. Spolier alert! Their plan backfired! The play takes a turn from what is supposed to be serious tribute to the fuhrer to a comedic romp that delights audiences.
There are delightful characters in every scene in this film. It is worth a watch just to see them! The little ladies that "invest" in Max's productions are a hoot and so are the people involved in making the show happen. Well defined characters that really help tell the story and keep your attention for the whole film. I sometimes wish I was around when all of my movies were first out in the theater. There is nothing like watching a film as it debuts with a group. I can clearly remember the feelings and emotions in every Harry Potter movie I saw, the audience gasps together and jumps together when appropriate and claps at the end. I love the feeling you get in those crowds at the movies. I can just imagine what the feeling was like in watching the Producers on opening night.
Would you believe that this is another film I did not come up with a program for!? That is outrageous. I am ashamed at myself. Thankfully for you I had an extra couple weeks with this program and fresh "September" eyes to think about a program. It seems that Bialystock and Bloom are trying a get rich quick scheme and of course it did not work out. Well everyone wants to make a quick buck right? Spending money, some extra cash to use for a trip to the local one screen theater, or coffee at the coffee shop, whatever your motivation fast, easy cash is always on a college student's mind. I would suggest getting together and coming up with a money making entrepreneurial plan as a floor. Maybe it is offering to vacuum students' rooms in the residence hall for $1 or a Starbucks delivery service for $5. Or maybe it is offering to do things in the local community. Raking leaves for a small fee or shoveling snow after a large storm. People in a town like this are ready to pay with cash on hand for things like that-but an organized group of floormates can really make that lucrative One Saturday of snow shoveling might pay for your next floor program to be out of sight!
Tonight I watched The Producers, the 1967 version with Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder. Before I could even enjoy this film I had to break a nail opening the case. I was also quite hungry-so of course I cried a bit from over emotionalness. Once the film started and I was having a snack things started looking up. This film is about Max Bialystock a down on his luck and broke Broadway producer who helps little old ladies find thrills for their pennies. He has an accountant Leo Bloom with a blue blanket that comes up with a brilliant money making scheme.
Have you ever seen the remake of this film with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick? I believe it came out in 2005 or 2006 after it was on Broadway again. Well, because Mel Brooks is a genius both films are awesome. The dialog is the same and the jokes are funny in this version and that one! I love timeless films like this.
The plot of The Producers is that Bialystock and Bloom are trying to produce a flop of a show to make a quick buck. They choose the script Springtime for Hitler and found the best of the worst directors to direct the play. He adds music and dancing Hitlers to the production and the show goes on. The characters in this film make it worth a watch. They plan on raising a lot of money from investors and once the show flops they can keep the unspent money in creative accounting. Spolier alert! Their plan backfired! The play takes a turn from what is supposed to be serious tribute to the fuhrer to a comedic romp that delights audiences.
There are delightful characters in every scene in this film. It is worth a watch just to see them! The little ladies that "invest" in Max's productions are a hoot and so are the people involved in making the show happen. Well defined characters that really help tell the story and keep your attention for the whole film. I sometimes wish I was around when all of my movies were first out in the theater. There is nothing like watching a film as it debuts with a group. I can clearly remember the feelings and emotions in every Harry Potter movie I saw, the audience gasps together and jumps together when appropriate and claps at the end. I love the feeling you get in those crowds at the movies. I can just imagine what the feeling was like in watching the Producers on opening night.
Would you believe that this is another film I did not come up with a program for!? That is outrageous. I am ashamed at myself. Thankfully for you I had an extra couple weeks with this program and fresh "September" eyes to think about a program. It seems that Bialystock and Bloom are trying a get rich quick scheme and of course it did not work out. Well everyone wants to make a quick buck right? Spending money, some extra cash to use for a trip to the local one screen theater, or coffee at the coffee shop, whatever your motivation fast, easy cash is always on a college student's mind. I would suggest getting together and coming up with a money making entrepreneurial plan as a floor. Maybe it is offering to vacuum students' rooms in the residence hall for $1 or a Starbucks delivery service for $5. Or maybe it is offering to do things in the local community. Raking leaves for a small fee or shoveling snow after a large storm. People in a town like this are ready to pay with cash on hand for things like that-but an organized group of floormates can really make that lucrative One Saturday of snow shoveling might pay for your next floor program to be out of sight!
"It was so good I almost peed my pants!"
On a cloudy summer day one should always pop in a great flick like Pretty Woman. There are lots of people who do not like that this movie glorifies prostitution, but I think it is a great story! Plus there is a part in this movie where Vivian is watching the very end of another great film Charade. Vivian is played by Julia Roberts in this role that made her famous. Richard Gere is great too in his stoic and no nonsense role as Edward. And I have yet to find a film with Hector Elizando that I have not enjoyed.
The movie is a bit of a love story with some a lot of funny parts in it too. Like when Vivian does that Arsenio Hall "woo woo woot" arm movements. Kills me. She is so cute and funny- just the right amount of hair and personality. Great casting. But I wonder if I would think that if someone else got the job and put their personality into it? I am sure that I would. We are all just fortunate that this movie turned out the way it did. For those of you unfamiliar with the film it is about Richard an out of town exec who picks up Vivian on Hollywood Boulevard and offers her $3,000 for the week and their adventure continues from there.
I think if I were to use this movie as an RA program I think I would go with the heart angle. I love how the hotel staff just loves Vivian and Edward gets so protective as the movie continues. The way the clerks in the clothing store treat Vivian and Stuckey's reaction to finding out she is a "lady of the night" are other good examples how heart plays into this movie. Those experiences are hard for me to watch but they make the good parts- like the necklace in the box part- so much better. The heart angle even spills into Richard's business dealings in town. Don't you remember that part!? It is so heart warming!
I would program around the Golden Rule. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Think positively and it will change your outlook. You can also do an activity, start with a piece of paper for each resident. Have them put their name on the top and pass the paper to the left. That person starts at the bottom of the page and writes something positive about the person named at the top and folds the paper over to hide their phrase but leaves the rest of the paper open for the person to their left. Get it? That way no one can see what each person writes but then when it comes back to its owner they can unfold the joy and start smiling!
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Selfie Times Two
I love this Mexican restaurant and when they sing for you on your birthday!
One minute this hat was on the wall, the next it was on my head! I was the second birthday of the night- the woman at the table next to me wore the hat too. I did not even inspect it for lice or dust bunnies before putting it on, that is how excited I was to wear it!
Nice Peeps
I have some of the nicest friends. I really do. You know that day once a year when you wake up and there is a different number assigned to your life? Well I am having that experience today.
Working at a College has kept me young and I do not take myself too seriously. But for some reason this year's number is hard to swallow. I think because it is the start of a new milestone countdown. I realize that numbers do not mean much and my gray hair and crow's feet were telling my story before I opened my mouth, so in honor of today I have come up with a list of the top ten (or six) reasons the people I know are the best.
1. They buy me ice cream cake! I love ice cream cake. No matter the maker or the flavor. It is my hands down favorite things about birthdays since I have gotten older.
2. They drive from far away to see me for lunches or craft projects. Or to share ice cream cake. Or to surprise me after they go to China One.
3. I have great friends to talk me into walking 5Ks (exercising in general) or volunteering with other projects that I always end up enjoying.
4. I have mystery candy deliveries in my mailbox on important mornings like this. Whoever dropped those delicious reeses pieces in my mailbox you are my hero. Breakfast...check.
5. I have voicemails and text messages already and I am not really awake yet. That is dedication people.
6. I am lucky to have such a friendly office too. I work with some pretty sweet people that make sombrero wearing the best time ever. I go to the same Mexican restaurant every year for my birthday with the ResLife staff. I love refried beans. This year I got to wear the sombrero while they sang Happy Birthday. It was awesome.
On a scale of one to ten today I feel like an eleven. I feel pretty great for an old broad.
Working at a College has kept me young and I do not take myself too seriously. But for some reason this year's number is hard to swallow. I think because it is the start of a new milestone countdown. I realize that numbers do not mean much and my gray hair and crow's feet were telling my story before I opened my mouth, so in honor of today I have come up with a list of the top ten (or six) reasons the people I know are the best.
1. They buy me ice cream cake! I love ice cream cake. No matter the maker or the flavor. It is my hands down favorite things about birthdays since I have gotten older.
2. They drive from far away to see me for lunches or craft projects. Or to share ice cream cake. Or to surprise me after they go to China One.
3. I have great friends to talk me into walking 5Ks (exercising in general) or volunteering with other projects that I always end up enjoying.
4. I have mystery candy deliveries in my mailbox on important mornings like this. Whoever dropped those delicious reeses pieces in my mailbox you are my hero. Breakfast...check.
5. I have voicemails and text messages already and I am not really awake yet. That is dedication people.
6. I am lucky to have such a friendly office too. I work with some pretty sweet people that make sombrero wearing the best time ever. I go to the same Mexican restaurant every year for my birthday with the ResLife staff. I love refried beans. This year I got to wear the sombrero while they sang Happy Birthday. It was awesome.
On a scale of one to ten today I feel like an eleven. I feel pretty great for an old broad.
Sunday, August 4, 2013
What Happens When Your Brother Gets Married
Well this weekend was quite the weekend. One of my little brothers got married in MI and I traveled back to be part of the festivities. This is the first time that one of us three kids got hitched. Lucas is a bit young still, but there were bets out there that he will be next. I am rooting for ya kid.
Here are some things I learned that I think will help the rest of you when your next sibling takes a trip down the marital aisle. This list is probably the most comprehensive list out there so please feel free to pass it along to your friends :)
1. Try not to forget your deodorant or your bling in a different state. If you do you will have to take some trips to Wally World on the big day. I bought bangles for the junior bridesmaid and myself.
2. When choosing books on CD for the trip be sure to pick up Penny Marshall's memoir, "My Mother Was Nuts." She is pretty funny. I love Carole Brunette too, but she set me up for a catnap in the McDonald's parking lot. I am saving that one for shorter trips.
3. When you spend the night at your Dad's house bring your own sheets. He might forget to put some on the bed in the spare room. Believe me, after fighting with him to stay until the last dance he will not be willing to find any when you arrive home either.
4. If the other bridesmaids are decorating the hall and you are a new smart phone owner- you should take lots of "artsy" photos instead of helping.
5. It is probably a good idea for any of your cousins who might be angry with your uncle to leave early, or just to be reminded to keep their dukes safely tucked away for a stranger's wedding. Also be sure to calmly inform the staff when one of the guests vomits in the bathroom before the reception even starts as to not alert everyone else there. For a few minutes I felt like I was at work with all of those shenanigans.
6. If you have to walk down a set of brick stairs, thank yourself for buying flats.
7. You should also know the difference between a gazebo and a pergola. Otherwise you will not be able to correct your Aunt or the classical guitarist who played the ceremony music. Knowledge is power.
8. Stand as close as possible at all times to the person who looks most like you in the room. People will tell you how cute you are all night!
9. Engage in conversation about corsets and wedding gowns while silently giving too much thought to the class differences in olden wear-a-corset-everyday times. Be thankful that Downton Abbey has another season in January too. There are corsets in that show. Make note to be sure you do not ruin any spoilers this season by looking at Wikipedia too...darn internet.
10. Most of all, spend the evening not giving much in the way of cares when your brother's friends get upset that you spill things, take photos, talk too loudly, dance wildly, or overall are obnoxious. I mean honestly-didn't they hear me the 15 times I yelled that I was the groom's sister? I repeated it often just for their benefit. It was necessary to get across the "I am more important than you tonight and I am related to half of the room" attitude out there early.
It was a pretty fun evening. My family is not one sponsored by dull moments so I am glad to be home in the recovery stages. Oh- I forgot one last tidbit: when you are setting up the sibling picture with you and the groom, do not forget you have another brother there. Because that is embarrassing when you have to redo it and admit in front of him and the rest of the bridal party that you forgot you had two brothers. He probably felt like chopped liver but his facial expression never moves on his 19 year old face. He always looks distracted, disinterested and annoyed at the same time. Poor guy. That is his natural resting facial position. We started a program at the reception though to work through it. His smile steadily improved throughout the evening.
Here are some things I learned that I think will help the rest of you when your next sibling takes a trip down the marital aisle. This list is probably the most comprehensive list out there so please feel free to pass it along to your friends :)
1. Try not to forget your deodorant or your bling in a different state. If you do you will have to take some trips to Wally World on the big day. I bought bangles for the junior bridesmaid and myself.
2. When choosing books on CD for the trip be sure to pick up Penny Marshall's memoir, "My Mother Was Nuts." She is pretty funny. I love Carole Brunette too, but she set me up for a catnap in the McDonald's parking lot. I am saving that one for shorter trips.
3. When you spend the night at your Dad's house bring your own sheets. He might forget to put some on the bed in the spare room. Believe me, after fighting with him to stay until the last dance he will not be willing to find any when you arrive home either.
4. If the other bridesmaids are decorating the hall and you are a new smart phone owner- you should take lots of "artsy" photos instead of helping.
5. It is probably a good idea for any of your cousins who might be angry with your uncle to leave early, or just to be reminded to keep their dukes safely tucked away for a stranger's wedding. Also be sure to calmly inform the staff when one of the guests vomits in the bathroom before the reception even starts as to not alert everyone else there. For a few minutes I felt like I was at work with all of those shenanigans.
6. If you have to walk down a set of brick stairs, thank yourself for buying flats.
7. You should also know the difference between a gazebo and a pergola. Otherwise you will not be able to correct your Aunt or the classical guitarist who played the ceremony music. Knowledge is power.
8. Stand as close as possible at all times to the person who looks most like you in the room. People will tell you how cute you are all night!
9. Engage in conversation about corsets and wedding gowns while silently giving too much thought to the class differences in olden wear-a-corset-everyday times. Be thankful that Downton Abbey has another season in January too. There are corsets in that show. Make note to be sure you do not ruin any spoilers this season by looking at Wikipedia too...darn internet.
10. Most of all, spend the evening not giving much in the way of cares when your brother's friends get upset that you spill things, take photos, talk too loudly, dance wildly, or overall are obnoxious. I mean honestly-didn't they hear me the 15 times I yelled that I was the groom's sister? I repeated it often just for their benefit. It was necessary to get across the "I am more important than you tonight and I am related to half of the room" attitude out there early.
It was a pretty fun evening. My family is not one sponsored by dull moments so I am glad to be home in the recovery stages. Oh- I forgot one last tidbit: when you are setting up the sibling picture with you and the groom, do not forget you have another brother there. Because that is embarrassing when you have to redo it and admit in front of him and the rest of the bridal party that you forgot you had two brothers. He probably felt like chopped liver but his facial expression never moves on his 19 year old face. He always looks distracted, disinterested and annoyed at the same time. Poor guy. That is his natural resting facial position. We started a program at the reception though to work through it. His smile steadily improved throughout the evening.
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Bond, James Bond.
I love James Bond. I really do. I love James Bond movies and stories. I have yet to watch a Bond film and be disappointed. Even when James Bond is played by Roger Moore.
I do not own many of the films though. I have some Sean Connery collections but they are multiple movies on one disc so not included in this project. I have a few others here and there. Today I enjoyed the wonder that is fancy, fast cars and British Intelligence in Quantum of Solace. Daniel Craig is our Bond here and of course looks great in a tuxedo.
The action in Bond films is so good, it is the sitting-on-the-edge of your seat kind of action that makes a two hour movie feel like it lasted 20 minutes. James Bond is just so cool. It helps that he has some awesome technology that seems awesomely cutting edge no matter if the movie was filmed in 2008 or 1958.
Each director, writer, and producer that makes a Bond film does such a good job that you can tell a Bond film from every other action movie as you watch it. I may have mentioned this before, but fortunately I have one of those minds that does not figure out plot twists quickly or easily. I will remember those little nuggets that are placed throughout the film but I will not be able to connect them to the plot until far later than the average movie-goer. I like to think that helps me to enjoy films to the end. It also helps when I rewatch them because I cannot remember how everything fits together right away and it makes the movie fun time and time again.
This Bond film has a weird and creepy bad guy that is working with multiple other bad guys in a variety of countries. Of course. They have an evil plot for personal financial gain. Of course. Bond breaks rules in an attempt to save the world. Of course. This movie is a sequel of sorts to Casino Royale also starring Daniel Craig. And I know you are assuming that from my previous paragraph that I do not remember what happens in that movie, you are correct. But that does not mean that I enjoyed this film any less. James is onto a lead that there is a man named Dominic Greene who is trying to control a precious resource and get some money while doing it. He is a pretty nasty and creepy for sure. I do not want to ruin the story for you- let's just say that you do not know what to expect with Bond.
Like most good action movies there is a plot that relates to the real world problems we are facing. This Bond film was no exception. It relates to the lengths that people will go to for natural resources and their control as those resources become scarce and those that are necessary for life. An RA could partner with an office on campus or student organization that has an eco focus and plan a program around natural resources to pair with this film. Working to preserve water in our bathrooms or start a campaign about energy conservation in the halls could pair with this film. And who does not like a great spy film with lots of action and hydrogen fuel cells built in? Sounds like a hit to me!
I do not own many of the films though. I have some Sean Connery collections but they are multiple movies on one disc so not included in this project. I have a few others here and there. Today I enjoyed the wonder that is fancy, fast cars and British Intelligence in Quantum of Solace. Daniel Craig is our Bond here and of course looks great in a tuxedo.
The action in Bond films is so good, it is the sitting-on-the-edge of your seat kind of action that makes a two hour movie feel like it lasted 20 minutes. James Bond is just so cool. It helps that he has some awesome technology that seems awesomely cutting edge no matter if the movie was filmed in 2008 or 1958.
Each director, writer, and producer that makes a Bond film does such a good job that you can tell a Bond film from every other action movie as you watch it. I may have mentioned this before, but fortunately I have one of those minds that does not figure out plot twists quickly or easily. I will remember those little nuggets that are placed throughout the film but I will not be able to connect them to the plot until far later than the average movie-goer. I like to think that helps me to enjoy films to the end. It also helps when I rewatch them because I cannot remember how everything fits together right away and it makes the movie fun time and time again.
This Bond film has a weird and creepy bad guy that is working with multiple other bad guys in a variety of countries. Of course. They have an evil plot for personal financial gain. Of course. Bond breaks rules in an attempt to save the world. Of course. This movie is a sequel of sorts to Casino Royale also starring Daniel Craig. And I know you are assuming that from my previous paragraph that I do not remember what happens in that movie, you are correct. But that does not mean that I enjoyed this film any less. James is onto a lead that there is a man named Dominic Greene who is trying to control a precious resource and get some money while doing it. He is a pretty nasty and creepy for sure. I do not want to ruin the story for you- let's just say that you do not know what to expect with Bond.
Like most good action movies there is a plot that relates to the real world problems we are facing. This Bond film was no exception. It relates to the lengths that people will go to for natural resources and their control as those resources become scarce and those that are necessary for life. An RA could partner with an office on campus or student organization that has an eco focus and plan a program around natural resources to pair with this film. Working to preserve water in our bathrooms or start a campaign about energy conservation in the halls could pair with this film. And who does not like a great spy film with lots of action and hydrogen fuel cells built in? Sounds like a hit to me!
I Love Him So Much!
Watching all of my movies has really illustrated how many great films I own. It makes sense that I would like all of my movies but honestly- some of them are so funny. Raising Arizona is one of those movies. The Coen brothers have brought us many good films, but this one is one the best. 1987 was a good year for H.I. and Ed, our two main characters. H.I. is played by Nic Cage and he is a convicted convenience store robber a few times over and Ed played by Holly Hunter is the police station photographer. They fall in love and their lives get more complicated when Ed wants a child real bad. When conventional methods do not result in a child, they hatch a plan to have a child any way they can.
The battle between good and evil (the police and criminals) is a constant theme in this movie. As viewers we watch H.I. tell the story of how he navigates through his own internal war with good and evil. There is quite a bit of funny in there too. I personally think that Holly Hunter is one of the best actresses out there. She can be funny and serious, I am sure she can sing and is a dancer too. You know, one of those triple threats.
The little guy that plays little Nathan Jr in this movie is also the cutest little guy around. Even when he is part of a bank robbery. Poor little guy, exposed to crime so early. Even Dr. Spock recommends you wait until they are at least school age. And we all know he wrote the book on how to raise children correctly.
This film is also a little bit violent, not in a Quentin Tarantino kind of way but in a guns, knives, explosions, man hunter, woody woodpecker tattoo, teeth falling out kind of way. It seems necessary to tell this tale. If I was forced to pick a theme that comes out of this movie, I think it would have to be about family. H.I. and Ed are a family and they want so desperately to be one of those respectable couples with kids. Ed felt the world was so beautiful that every minute you did not have a kid, you were robbing them of that beauty.
I am struggling this afternoon to find a good RA program to put with this movie. I suppose there could be a program about not giving up. H.I. did not give up on his career aspirations, or lack there of, and Ed did not give up on having a family. But more importantly at the end of film, viewers can extrapolate that H.I. and Ed did not give up on each other. They appeared to be opposites to the very core but they worked through things together. Well, I am going to break with the blog promise to find a program for every movie. For the second time (click here for the first time) I am going to refrain from posting one. But if you watched this film and have some ideas- feel free to post them in the comments so we can all learn something!
The battle between good and evil (the police and criminals) is a constant theme in this movie. As viewers we watch H.I. tell the story of how he navigates through his own internal war with good and evil. There is quite a bit of funny in there too. I personally think that Holly Hunter is one of the best actresses out there. She can be funny and serious, I am sure she can sing and is a dancer too. You know, one of those triple threats.
The little guy that plays little Nathan Jr in this movie is also the cutest little guy around. Even when he is part of a bank robbery. Poor little guy, exposed to crime so early. Even Dr. Spock recommends you wait until they are at least school age. And we all know he wrote the book on how to raise children correctly.
This film is also a little bit violent, not in a Quentin Tarantino kind of way but in a guns, knives, explosions, man hunter, woody woodpecker tattoo, teeth falling out kind of way. It seems necessary to tell this tale. If I was forced to pick a theme that comes out of this movie, I think it would have to be about family. H.I. and Ed are a family and they want so desperately to be one of those respectable couples with kids. Ed felt the world was so beautiful that every minute you did not have a kid, you were robbing them of that beauty.
I am struggling this afternoon to find a good RA program to put with this movie. I suppose there could be a program about not giving up. H.I. did not give up on his career aspirations, or lack there of, and Ed did not give up on having a family. But more importantly at the end of film, viewers can extrapolate that H.I. and Ed did not give up on each other. They appeared to be opposites to the very core but they worked through things together. Well, I am going to break with the blog promise to find a program for every movie. For the second time (click here for the first time) I am going to refrain from posting one. But if you watched this film and have some ideas- feel free to post them in the comments so we can all learn something!
Little Chef
After another great week of RHD training I decided to take some time to watch another film from our Z-A collection. Today Pixar brings us another masterpiece, Ratatouille. This movie is just as great as other Pixar films. The animation is great and the story is wonderful and uplifting. The theme that anyone can cook can be really inspiring and this movie makes sure you want to make some delicious chow.
It is funny how rewatching these films at different times helps you see things you did not see the last time. It seemed like everything in this film had some sort of connection to RHD training. Honestly! You should go through RHD training and then rewatch this movie and then get back to me. I swear you can here Remy talking about how anyone can be a hall director if they have enough heart! Or that you can trust people that are different from you even if you cannot communicate with a common language. Or that you can be brave and decide that you might believe things that are different from your family based on what you learn in College and that is ok!
The story is about a rat named Remy who turns Paris and its culinary world upside down while working with Linguini and his job in Gusteau's restaurant. Gusteau left his restaurant in his will to his sous chef and the plot continues from there. As you can imagine there is a bit of a problem when you think about a rat cooking in a famous Parisian restaurant, especially when none of the rats have French accents.
Remy is often joined in the film by the ever smart and optimistic chef Gusteau's ghost to help him through some of the rough spots. You might see this as a stretch but I thought the ghost of Gusteau represented the ghosts of RHDs past. You know, guiding current RHDs through old files saved on the computer, training manuals, stories, etc. A little bit like a Christmas Carol but in a Disney Pixar/My Imagination kind of way.
There are a couple scenes in the movie where Remy or others taste different food and it takes them on a taste explosion that is animated differently that conjures up that theory that a smell, taste or sound can take you back to a certain moment in time. With the large variety of things that happen at college and the times that those moments occur when a RHD is watching, it is hard to imagine that when you retire from this lifestyle you do not have flashbacks. For example, I find it hard to see a case of Milwaukee's Best without being taken back to a memorable time when I helped a student dispose of it because he was not 21 years old. There is also an odor that is associated with one of our residence halls, it takes me back to when I worked there and is still oddly comforting. Or the ring of the bowling alley phone that sounds too close to the duty radio ring that it can cause a pit in your stomach at the thought of what might be on the other end of that call.
It would be easy for an RA to programming about cooking, healthy eating, or residence hall microwave gourmets while watching this film. If I were them I would take it one step further and program about things that will take them back to memories from before they were in school. This program should start a few weeks before it is scheduled to happen with a simple survey of your residents about their favorite childhood memories. Ask them to give you a couple and explain how you are thinking of working those things into your next Throwback Thursday bulletin board. But instead I would collect things that would smell, sound, or look like those memories for your residents. Maybe it is a game you can borrow from someone, a smell like Spaghetti-Os, or a picture of Lambeau Field. Then put all of those items in paper bags and one by one have your residents sniff, peek, or feel to guess what those items are in the bags. They can share with each other the memory and you can all have a great throwback to your childhoods together.
It is funny how rewatching these films at different times helps you see things you did not see the last time. It seemed like everything in this film had some sort of connection to RHD training. Honestly! You should go through RHD training and then rewatch this movie and then get back to me. I swear you can here Remy talking about how anyone can be a hall director if they have enough heart! Or that you can trust people that are different from you even if you cannot communicate with a common language. Or that you can be brave and decide that you might believe things that are different from your family based on what you learn in College and that is ok!
The story is about a rat named Remy who turns Paris and its culinary world upside down while working with Linguini and his job in Gusteau's restaurant. Gusteau left his restaurant in his will to his sous chef and the plot continues from there. As you can imagine there is a bit of a problem when you think about a rat cooking in a famous Parisian restaurant, especially when none of the rats have French accents.
Remy is often joined in the film by the ever smart and optimistic chef Gusteau's ghost to help him through some of the rough spots. You might see this as a stretch but I thought the ghost of Gusteau represented the ghosts of RHDs past. You know, guiding current RHDs through old files saved on the computer, training manuals, stories, etc. A little bit like a Christmas Carol but in a Disney Pixar/My Imagination kind of way.
There are a couple scenes in the movie where Remy or others taste different food and it takes them on a taste explosion that is animated differently that conjures up that theory that a smell, taste or sound can take you back to a certain moment in time. With the large variety of things that happen at college and the times that those moments occur when a RHD is watching, it is hard to imagine that when you retire from this lifestyle you do not have flashbacks. For example, I find it hard to see a case of Milwaukee's Best without being taken back to a memorable time when I helped a student dispose of it because he was not 21 years old. There is also an odor that is associated with one of our residence halls, it takes me back to when I worked there and is still oddly comforting. Or the ring of the bowling alley phone that sounds too close to the duty radio ring that it can cause a pit in your stomach at the thought of what might be on the other end of that call.
It would be easy for an RA to programming about cooking, healthy eating, or residence hall microwave gourmets while watching this film. If I were them I would take it one step further and program about things that will take them back to memories from before they were in school. This program should start a few weeks before it is scheduled to happen with a simple survey of your residents about their favorite childhood memories. Ask them to give you a couple and explain how you are thinking of working those things into your next Throwback Thursday bulletin board. But instead I would collect things that would smell, sound, or look like those memories for your residents. Maybe it is a game you can borrow from someone, a smell like Spaghetti-Os, or a picture of Lambeau Field. Then put all of those items in paper bags and one by one have your residents sniff, peek, or feel to guess what those items are in the bags. They can share with each other the memory and you can all have a great throwback to your childhoods together.
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