What I Did in 2009

A look back.

• I went to the inauguration and took photos
• I learned sign language and fell in love with it
• I got through a tough breakup with my first long term/long distance boyfriend
• I saw Wicked! live (and quietly sang all the songs to myself)
• I started seriously following a paleo/primal diet
• I started this blog
• I came to terms with my disappointment with college and vowed to be happier
• I learned how to record audio and create multimedia pieces
• I attended and took pictures of a Tea Party
• I became a redhead!
• I worked as a waitress and learned a lot about dealing with people
• I was a counselor at deaf camp and had a blast
• I found out my parents were getting a divorce
• I took a last minute road trip to Charleston, SC with friends and met a band
• I decided to change my major (what to, still not totally sure yet)
• I became a godmother
• I was a labbie at Mountain Workshops
• I learned how to do small systems and studio lighting
• I chaperoned for my old marching band at Grand Nationals and learned I definitely don't want to work with teenagers
• I met a whole bunch of Objectivists online
• I saw the season 5 So You Think You Can Dance top twelve dancers perform all my favorite dances live
• I completed my lighting portfolio on dancers
• I saw my first 3d movie

Pioneers! O Pioneers!

I recently have become enamored with this poem, "Pioneers! O Pioneers" by Walt Whitman. Yes, I heard it first off the new Levis campaign, but you can blame my poor public education for not introducing me to more poetry.

I like it, especially read by this guy Will Greer. It's romantic, determined, and courageous. It's about breaking new ground and not settling for complaisance. It's youth as it should be. It make me want to run out into the wild and be a kid again. It makes me want to be among life loving people who seize each day with energy and willfulness. It's inspiring. Just in time for the new year.

Well...

I didn't do much of anything today. Ready to go back to school so I'll have something to do.

1. I did experiment with melting down unrefined shea butter my sister got me for Christmas. She got it for me for my eczema, which has become worse in the past few years. I added virgin coconut oil to it and was able to melt it down and pour it into a mold without the butter becoming grainy. However, cutting up shea is similar to cutting up cheese: it crumbled. But I know better for next time and will have a how-to up soon.
2. I watched Gran Torino for the first time today. I would love to gt a portrait of Clint Eastwood.
3. I'm trying out Google Chrome. It's okay so far, nothing that I find better than Firefox.

Oh, the Weather Outside is Frightful

I despise the cold. Really. I miss my dresses and sunshine and walks outside. Nevertheless, winter does have some bright spots.

1. I got my $60 thrift store couch home today. Thank you Mom for helping me load/unload it in the blistering cold.
   
2. I watched my brother wrestle for the first time today. He's pretty good. First match he pinned a guy in less than 20 seconds. I also realized how adorable elementary school wrestling is and I have plans for a super cute portrait series.
   
3. I went to Waffle House late at night with a few friends and bitched about scholarships, teen pregnancy, and work over multiple cups of coffee.

Now to go defrost.

Google Chrome

I've yet to try out Google Chrome, but I'm in love with their features commercial:



Here's the kicker, everything you saw was done in camera, even the music. It took a team of very creative and patient professionals to create all these concepts live. Kudos to Google for continuing being awesome.


(Videos via Alexx Henry)

Avatar

I saw Avatar in 3D about a week ago. And wow. I have to commend James Cameron for creating such a visual feast. The alien planet Pandora is a conceptual beauty. The flora and fauna in the film are exotic and colorful in a way that reminds me of a coral reef. The jungle pulses with light from the electricity that connects the entire planet, which Dad mentioned was a beautiful way to physically show the connectivity in nature. I really recommend seeing the film in 3D. I took my glasses on and off periodically to compare to 2D and it just wasn't the same. Even the previews were more engaging.

As for the storyline, it was engaging, though somewhat predictable. Watching the main character perform tasks to become part of the native people reminded me of other movies where Indian tribes took in a white man and showed them their ways. I admit while Neytiri (alien girl guide) was guiding Jake (crippled Marine turned alien) through the forest I instantly thought of Pocahantas and had "Colors of the Wind" playing in the back of my mind.

The theme was just as cliche: corporate greed is bad, living in humble harmony with the nature is good, environmentalism for the win. Every detail the movie reflected that. The army base was gray, bare, and cold. The Pandora jungle was alive, bright, and light. The majority of the humans were manipulative businessmen, cruel unthinking soldiers, or weak scientists. The only hero humans were those who lived partly as natives. However, the natives were happy, pure, brave, and peaceful. Even the natives are more interesting in terms of looks. They're blue and light up! Almost everything human is negative while on the flipside everything on Pandora is positive. Given only these two views, the emotional support clearly goes for the pretty blue people over the destructive humans.

Clearly the aim of the movie was to draw parallels between the destruction of Pandora and the destruction of Earth. At one point in the movie Jake is talking to Ehwa (the natives deity, AKA Mother Nature) and says something along the lines of, "There's no green where I come from. We've killed it all, and now we're here doing the same thing." Later on Ehwa literally fights back by sicking wild animals on the human army. By the end of the movie all things industrial, business, and human are forgone for running around in the woods with spears.

Awful themes, but excellent visually. I suggest everyone see it (in 3D!), but keep your brain on.