Tonight with the joys of having the internet at home once more I am able to finally get back on track with the blog from the comfort of the sectional couch! We have reached a point where I am watching a movie that I have already seen in this project- The Little Mermaid. Before I had strong direction for this blog I tried to blog about this movie, you can read about it here. Now that blog post did not work out as planned. Mostly because of my inexperience in the blogosphere (that is what we are going to blame it on- not operator error and simple-stuff-one-should-know-by-now as an adult in 2013).
Well today I am lazy about writing about The Little Mermaid. I know I should provide you with a synopsis and witty comments about parts of this movie reminding me of my childhood or comments on Disney's creation of the story. Instead all I can think about is how I can dress up as Ursula as Halloween next year and still be able to sit at my desk and be productive. We all know that I have a slight addiction to Pinterest. One of the things that I enjoy about it is the wonderful and creative ways to see what those creative people out there come up with for costumes for Halloween. Don't get me wrong, I really do not like Halloween as a holiday. I do not like scary stuff or scary movies, I eat enough candy that I do not need a holiday for an excuse, and students tend to celebrate with alcohol (which is stressful and concerning for student life professionals). But I love the idea of dressing up and coming up with creative costumes.
I strongly recommend visiting Pinterest right now- go! Click on that blue word that can take you there and look up some great ways to look like Ursula and Ariel or even Scuttle!
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Golden Gun, Golden Bullets
If you did not already know, I love James Bond. I mean really. Click here to see my other blog post about Mr. Bond. I do not own very many James Bond films though, only a few here and there. When I was a kid we used to watch the 24 Days of Bond on cable right between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Did anyone else used to watch that? Well that cemented my love for spies and especially Sean Connery. It is not like I dislike the other Bonds, but Mr. Connery is my favorite, followed by Daniel Craig and Pierce Brosnan.
The Man with the Golden Gun was the Bond film I most recently watched. Roger Moore plays Bond and he is one smooth operator, as to be expected, in this film. The film was released in 1974 and is about an assassin who kills with one shot, get paid a lot, and uses a golden gun and bullets. It is also about solar power and saving something called the Solex. I love how when one watches a James Bond movie you are really transported back in time, in this movie we see actors that were famous in the 70s like Herve Villechaize (he played Tattoo on Fantasy Island), Christopher Lee (what kind of character hasn't his great voice played? Saruman anyone?) and Maud Adams who is in another James Bond movie later. I also love watching the technology in a Bond film. The solar energy parts were pretty interesting to learn about with 2013/2014 technology to compare it to.
Apparently The Man with the Golden Gun is one of the less popular Bond films. I enjoyed all of them but of course I have my favorites- but parts of these films that are cheesy and sometimes feel out of context make it an even better James Bond movie for me. But that is probably because I am also one of those people who can watch the same film multiple times and still be entertained.
If I were to program for college students about this movie I would probably do something fun with the scene where our Golden Gun man trains to be the best assassin ever. There are lots of mirrors and places to hide to not only get caught off guard but also to confuse your target. Once I was part of a training simulation where we broke students up into teams and their objective was to retrieve their assigned type of plastic silverware from the maze. They were blind folded and had some students on the side lines giving them all the information they needed to find their forks. It was a great activity but it was also lots of fun for them and to watch.
The Man with the Golden Gun was the Bond film I most recently watched. Roger Moore plays Bond and he is one smooth operator, as to be expected, in this film. The film was released in 1974 and is about an assassin who kills with one shot, get paid a lot, and uses a golden gun and bullets. It is also about solar power and saving something called the Solex. I love how when one watches a James Bond movie you are really transported back in time, in this movie we see actors that were famous in the 70s like Herve Villechaize (he played Tattoo on Fantasy Island), Christopher Lee (what kind of character hasn't his great voice played? Saruman anyone?) and Maud Adams who is in another James Bond movie later. I also love watching the technology in a Bond film. The solar energy parts were pretty interesting to learn about with 2013/2014 technology to compare it to.
Apparently The Man with the Golden Gun is one of the less popular Bond films. I enjoyed all of them but of course I have my favorites- but parts of these films that are cheesy and sometimes feel out of context make it an even better James Bond movie for me. But that is probably because I am also one of those people who can watch the same film multiple times and still be entertained.
If I were to program for college students about this movie I would probably do something fun with the scene where our Golden Gun man trains to be the best assassin ever. There are lots of mirrors and places to hide to not only get caught off guard but also to confuse your target. Once I was part of a training simulation where we broke students up into teams and their objective was to retrieve their assigned type of plastic silverware from the maze. They were blind folded and had some students on the side lines giving them all the information they needed to find their forks. It was a great activity but it was also lots of fun for them and to watch.
Trained or Untrained
Today's Blog selection from our illustrious film collection is Man on Fire with Denzel Washington, Christopher Walken, Marc Anthony and Dakota Fanning. Oh and Mickey Rourke is in this movie too. Before he looked like he did in his "comeback" movie The Wrestler. It is probably clear that I love lots of different kinds of movies. But sometimes you really just want to watch an action flick with violence that is justified in some sense. I did not expect to have an emotional connection to the story line in this film the first time I saw it- but man! It is a doozie!
This watching my movies in reverse alphabetical order project has really opened my eyes to the different kinds of movies I own. In one post I commented that all of the movies I had been watching to date were full of love stories and cartoons- and in some cases both. But I like Quentin Tarantino kind of films and movies that too.
Washington plays a character who does not smile and looks sad, it is unfortunate that the film does not give us enough time to really develop and understand what happened to him before he came to be a body guard in Mexico City. But once he is hired by a family to protect their daughter from being kidnapped we see her character Pita having a life changing affect on him. It is a good thing that Washington used to be an assassin in another life because he needs some bad ass skills to make this movie happen. There is also some good old fashioned switch on a switch in this movie too that keeps the plot interesting.
There is not a whole lot of sex and stuff in this movie either. I enjoy a movie that can tell a story without a bunch of sex and lots of unnecessary foul language. Sometimes foul language is important to the story line, I feel like Pita's mom in this film uses profanity the way it was intended.
If I were to plan an RA program around Man on Fire I would start by explaining that the injuries that Denzel sustains in this film cannot possibly have been portrayed accurately and true to life. I am confident that no one could function, walk around, shoot a gun for that long of a sustained period of time after being shot so many times. I mean adrenaline can only take you so far. Then I would plan an event where my residents could learn more about adrenaline and how it relates to procrastination and waiting last minute to do your homework, papers, and projects. I would also offer some tips that would make those situations less stressful!
This watching my movies in reverse alphabetical order project has really opened my eyes to the different kinds of movies I own. In one post I commented that all of the movies I had been watching to date were full of love stories and cartoons- and in some cases both. But I like Quentin Tarantino kind of films and movies that too.
Washington plays a character who does not smile and looks sad, it is unfortunate that the film does not give us enough time to really develop and understand what happened to him before he came to be a body guard in Mexico City. But once he is hired by a family to protect their daughter from being kidnapped we see her character Pita having a life changing affect on him. It is a good thing that Washington used to be an assassin in another life because he needs some bad ass skills to make this movie happen. There is also some good old fashioned switch on a switch in this movie too that keeps the plot interesting.
There is not a whole lot of sex and stuff in this movie either. I enjoy a movie that can tell a story without a bunch of sex and lots of unnecessary foul language. Sometimes foul language is important to the story line, I feel like Pita's mom in this film uses profanity the way it was intended.
If I were to plan an RA program around Man on Fire I would start by explaining that the injuries that Denzel sustains in this film cannot possibly have been portrayed accurately and true to life. I am confident that no one could function, walk around, shoot a gun for that long of a sustained period of time after being shot so many times. I mean adrenaline can only take you so far. Then I would plan an event where my residents could learn more about adrenaline and how it relates to procrastination and waiting last minute to do your homework, papers, and projects. I would also offer some tips that would make those situations less stressful!
Sunday, February 9, 2014
P.L. Travers
In December I went to see Saving Mr. Banks with my Aunt, Uncle and cousin. I know, I know- you are asking yourself why it has taken until February for me to blog about it. Even though I do not really believe in coincidences or signs it was the perfect combination of viewage frequency and blogging frequency that made it so that I watched Mary Poppins just before seeing the film. I really enjoyed Saving Mr. Banks and for those of you who have not seen it, it is the story of P.L. Travers and Walt Disney making the movie Mary Poppins and about the author P.L. Travers (or Pamela for those of us who feel like we know her well). If you are anything like me seeing a film that describes the making of a film makes you want to see that original film desperately. I might not have enjoyed Banks as much if I had not just recently enjoyed Poppins.
Mary Poppins is about the Banks family and their need for a new caretaker for their children Jane and Michael. The story follows the wonderful adventures that the children have with Mary Poppins, the most magical governess around. In true Disney style there are some wonderful songs, some great dance numbers, and even some well placed animation in this live action film. Movies like Mary Poppins really jazz up one's imagination. Like many movies based on a book, it also gives us perspective when we read those stories first hand as well. Once I got back from visiting my family I borrowed the first in the Mary Poppins series by P.L. Travers and read it in about two hours. It was impossible to let my imagination create the scenes and characters because Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke were already there acting out the scenes. But it is always interesting to see where Disney stuck to the story, and in this case how Mrs. Tavers made sure that Disney stuck to the story.
I had said many times that working with college students has kept me young. I still get asked if I am 20 something (thank you!) and I am forced to be hip and with it if I am going to stay current in what college students think is cool. So I am always well verse in the latest apps for the iPhone or youtube videos and memes that are circulating the globe. I not only know what the fox says I have seen a room of students explode into applause and dancing when it was played at Yule Ball. Movies like Mary Poppins and even Mary Poppins herself inspires me to feel young. She is a great example of having fun no matter what you are doing and maintaining a positive attitude. I also feel fortunate that as an adult I have not lost my imagination. You know, come to think of it, that must by why my friends call me the baby whisperer. I can play farm with that momma cow and her baby all day long and not get bored. They each have their own voices too.
But imagination has made it so that I can be inspired by anything. That also makes this blog possible. What kind of RA programs can we come up with for Mary Poppins? Let's see. My favorite part in this movie is where they are laughing and float right up to the ceiling. Laughing can be so much fun, it can burn calories, it causes spontaneous knee slapping, and it relieves stress. College students could stand to decrease their stress count for sure. If I were showing this movie I would be prepared to share fun facts about laughter and how it is the best medicine with or without a spoonful of sugar to accompany it. I would also find an old joke book with clean, silly and child like jokes in it and read those to each other. There might be things like this at your public library so that it would not cost you a cent. Have everyone go around and tell these jokes trying to get your other residents to laugh at each other.
Mary Poppins is about the Banks family and their need for a new caretaker for their children Jane and Michael. The story follows the wonderful adventures that the children have with Mary Poppins, the most magical governess around. In true Disney style there are some wonderful songs, some great dance numbers, and even some well placed animation in this live action film. Movies like Mary Poppins really jazz up one's imagination. Like many movies based on a book, it also gives us perspective when we read those stories first hand as well. Once I got back from visiting my family I borrowed the first in the Mary Poppins series by P.L. Travers and read it in about two hours. It was impossible to let my imagination create the scenes and characters because Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke were already there acting out the scenes. But it is always interesting to see where Disney stuck to the story, and in this case how Mrs. Tavers made sure that Disney stuck to the story.
I had said many times that working with college students has kept me young. I still get asked if I am 20 something (thank you!) and I am forced to be hip and with it if I am going to stay current in what college students think is cool. So I am always well verse in the latest apps for the iPhone or youtube videos and memes that are circulating the globe. I not only know what the fox says I have seen a room of students explode into applause and dancing when it was played at Yule Ball. Movies like Mary Poppins and even Mary Poppins herself inspires me to feel young. She is a great example of having fun no matter what you are doing and maintaining a positive attitude. I also feel fortunate that as an adult I have not lost my imagination. You know, come to think of it, that must by why my friends call me the baby whisperer. I can play farm with that momma cow and her baby all day long and not get bored. They each have their own voices too.
But imagination has made it so that I can be inspired by anything. That also makes this blog possible. What kind of RA programs can we come up with for Mary Poppins? Let's see. My favorite part in this movie is where they are laughing and float right up to the ceiling. Laughing can be so much fun, it can burn calories, it causes spontaneous knee slapping, and it relieves stress. College students could stand to decrease their stress count for sure. If I were showing this movie I would be prepared to share fun facts about laughter and how it is the best medicine with or without a spoonful of sugar to accompany it. I would also find an old joke book with clean, silly and child like jokes in it and read those to each other. There might be things like this at your public library so that it would not cost you a cent. Have everyone go around and tell these jokes trying to get your other residents to laugh at each other.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
"It's Not Trash It's a Library Book!"
My favorite book of all time is Matilda by Roald Dahl. Many of my childhood favorites were by Roald Dahl. I secretly stayed up late at night and reread Matilda so many times that the cover is now taped together and is a treasured possession. I also thought that I could be just like Matilda- a girl who read so much that she was extra smart with special powers.
Lucky for me and a generation of kids who grew up with this story- TriStar Pictures made it into a film in 1996 with Danny DeVito, Rhea Pearlman and Mara Wilson. Matilda is presented pretty close to the book, a couple glaring differences but what book isn't changed when the screen play is written? Am I right? It is still an enjoyable couple hours of cinema. For those of you who have not read the book, here is a brief summary. Matilda is an extremely gifted little girl. She teaches herself to read before she can walk and buries herself in the adventures found in book pages to escape her dull, dim witted and just plain mean family. She was desperate to go to school and learn even more things, but she happens to be enrolled in to Crunchem Hall which is run by the Trunchbull- an evil headmistress that Matlida is determined to outwit much like she outsmarts her parents.
I am currently challenging my teenage cousin to a #52in52 challenge. That means that we are both trying to read 52 books in 52 weeks for 2014. I feel so fortunate to have so many books like Matilda on my bookshelf to reread and feel like a kid again. Watching the film inspired me to read the book again and then get to my public library to read other Roald Dahl books that I fondly remember. I am not sure if I am going to get 52 books in this year but I am making a solid effort. Especially if I can count 100 page young adult books :) Reading is reading people. It is also helpful that my internet was on the fritz for a while and that I do not have TV to watch.
There are plenty of complaints and Pinterest pins that talk about the books that have been turned into movies. Of course the book is better- your imagination will always be able to trump what Hollywood can come up with, but a book does not require millions of dollars to make and investors to then please. But is nice to see a Hollywood take on your favorite literary characters sometimes and Matilda does not disappoint in this area.
There are a couple different ways to look at programming around this movie. First of all you could start your own #16for16 challenge with a movie like this- kick off the challenge to read 16 books in a 16 week semester on campus and maybe encourage your residents to make those books they enjoyed as kids. They tend to be easier reads and also uplifting in some way. This would be a wonderful stress relief for college students. You could also program about brain power. Matilda is able to do great things with her mind because she was not challenged enough by her classwork. By encouraging your residents to exercise their brain so that they have the maximum power to focus on schoolwork- they could realize greater potential. Whether it is through timed brain tests like sodoku or word puzzles, or though brain food like crunchy things and blueberries that increase brain function, or even the importance of water in brain health- you can take the program a few different directions.
Lucky for me and a generation of kids who grew up with this story- TriStar Pictures made it into a film in 1996 with Danny DeVito, Rhea Pearlman and Mara Wilson. Matilda is presented pretty close to the book, a couple glaring differences but what book isn't changed when the screen play is written? Am I right? It is still an enjoyable couple hours of cinema. For those of you who have not read the book, here is a brief summary. Matilda is an extremely gifted little girl. She teaches herself to read before she can walk and buries herself in the adventures found in book pages to escape her dull, dim witted and just plain mean family. She was desperate to go to school and learn even more things, but she happens to be enrolled in to Crunchem Hall which is run by the Trunchbull- an evil headmistress that Matlida is determined to outwit much like she outsmarts her parents.
There are plenty of complaints and Pinterest pins that talk about the books that have been turned into movies. Of course the book is better- your imagination will always be able to trump what Hollywood can come up with, but a book does not require millions of dollars to make and investors to then please. But is nice to see a Hollywood take on your favorite literary characters sometimes and Matilda does not disappoint in this area.
There are a couple different ways to look at programming around this movie. First of all you could start your own #16for16 challenge with a movie like this- kick off the challenge to read 16 books in a 16 week semester on campus and maybe encourage your residents to make those books they enjoyed as kids. They tend to be easier reads and also uplifting in some way. This would be a wonderful stress relief for college students. You could also program about brain power. Matilda is able to do great things with her mind because she was not challenged enough by her classwork. By encouraging your residents to exercise their brain so that they have the maximum power to focus on schoolwork- they could realize greater potential. Whether it is through timed brain tests like sodoku or word puzzles, or though brain food like crunchy things and blueberries that increase brain function, or even the importance of water in brain health- you can take the program a few different directions.
The Worst Blog Writer EVER
Oh dear my many blog fans! I apologize that I have been absent for so long without explanation! I will do my best to redeem myself here with this post and I pledge to post about the movies I have seen and ROBBED you of reading about:
Matlida
Mary Poppins
Man with the Golden Gun
As you may or may not have gathered from my some of previous posts I work in Higher Ed and that makes some times of the year (August, December and early January) much busier than normal at work. That explains some of my absence and also I caught the flu! I was out of work for the entire part of Winter Training with my RA staff and missed the start of the semester as well. 294 emails later I returned only to be sent home because I was not well enough to sit for 8 hours. Sigh. I am happy to report that I feel much better and all I have is a stubborn cough that I am willing to live with forever compared to that flu crap. For those of you wondering- No I did not get a flu shot and I still do not intend to any other season. Other than a brief bought of food poisoning this summer, I have not been that sick since I was like 12 years old. If I have to get that sick every 20 years I am ok with that.
For those of you other Higher Ed professionals- yes you read that right- I missed almost the ENTIRE RA training this year. I made it to about 2 sessions and even those I am not sure if I was having fever induced hallucinations or not. That made me feel worse than the flu! Thank goodness I was already training my staff to to be able to run it without me (I had a premonition, well and it was time) and they did wonderfully. The students report that training was great and the RHDs did a wonderful job. I am sad that I did not get to see them in a proud momma kind of way running those sessions and keeping order in a way that I am sure was after my own heart. I am so proud of the things they have learned so far and the resume building experiences they are creating for themselves. That is a great thing for a supervisor to see in entry level employees that are bound to one day leave me and go on to bigger and better things.
Faithful readers might have also deduced that in the last couple of years my mental health has been put to the test. My head and my heart are currently in a bit of battle and that made the holidays and being sick all that much harder. Not surprisingly, I did not reach out to my tried and true support system like I should have, but it feels good just knowing they are there and just that has been helpful. In 2012 I said multiple times that 2012 was going to be MY YEAR. Well that flopped in the biggest way but I have some hope for 2014. It started out a bit too rough for my liking but I am confident all the work I did in 2013 to make things great will work out in 2014. Time is a funny thing- I do not believe it heals all wounds but I do believe that a heart doesn't find its match everyday and time alone cannot change that.
So watch out for these blog posts and much more regular posting in the future. Scouts honor. That is if I was a scout. Which I am not. :)
Matlida
Mary Poppins
Man with the Golden Gun
As you may or may not have gathered from my some of previous posts I work in Higher Ed and that makes some times of the year (August, December and early January) much busier than normal at work. That explains some of my absence and also I caught the flu! I was out of work for the entire part of Winter Training with my RA staff and missed the start of the semester as well. 294 emails later I returned only to be sent home because I was not well enough to sit for 8 hours. Sigh. I am happy to report that I feel much better and all I have is a stubborn cough that I am willing to live with forever compared to that flu crap. For those of you wondering- No I did not get a flu shot and I still do not intend to any other season. Other than a brief bought of food poisoning this summer, I have not been that sick since I was like 12 years old. If I have to get that sick every 20 years I am ok with that.
For those of you other Higher Ed professionals- yes you read that right- I missed almost the ENTIRE RA training this year. I made it to about 2 sessions and even those I am not sure if I was having fever induced hallucinations or not. That made me feel worse than the flu! Thank goodness I was already training my staff to to be able to run it without me (I had a premonition, well and it was time) and they did wonderfully. The students report that training was great and the RHDs did a wonderful job. I am sad that I did not get to see them in a proud momma kind of way running those sessions and keeping order in a way that I am sure was after my own heart. I am so proud of the things they have learned so far and the resume building experiences they are creating for themselves. That is a great thing for a supervisor to see in entry level employees that are bound to one day leave me and go on to bigger and better things.
Faithful readers might have also deduced that in the last couple of years my mental health has been put to the test. My head and my heart are currently in a bit of battle and that made the holidays and being sick all that much harder. Not surprisingly, I did not reach out to my tried and true support system like I should have, but it feels good just knowing they are there and just that has been helpful. In 2012 I said multiple times that 2012 was going to be MY YEAR. Well that flopped in the biggest way but I have some hope for 2014. It started out a bit too rough for my liking but I am confident all the work I did in 2013 to make things great will work out in 2014. Time is a funny thing- I do not believe it heals all wounds but I do believe that a heart doesn't find its match everyday and time alone cannot change that.
So watch out for these blog posts and much more regular posting in the future. Scouts honor. That is if I was a scout. Which I am not. :)
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