Me and my cousins, and you and your cousins...

It's that time of year again....

Okay, so only one of us in this picture will be actually traveling from Oregon...

My family will be arriving in town sometime this upcoming Thursday, which means that for a week I'll probably disappear from blogger and most of the internets.

Just so you know.

But before that happens, hopefully I'll be able to share some pictures from a pretty awesome wedding we just finished this past weekend at work. It all depends on how they turn out. Fingers crossed.

Summer Movies: Captain & Cowboys

No movie spoilers anywhere in this post.

I actually posted several days ago about my final thoughts on the first season of LOST. But blogger decided to eat that post and I was miffed enough that I haven't rewritten it. Mrr.

Instead, since I just returned from Cowboys & Aliens, you're getting a different review. This was the closing movie of the summer for me - sure, there may be others I see, but this was the last big summer blockbuster I was looking forward to in a season that was full of them.

But wait, I skipped Cap! We have to rewind.

First off, can we just say that both these movies had an awesome looking poster?





I mean, really. Those are awesome.

Okay, here we go.

Captain America: The First Avenger
Solid. That's the best word for this movie. This was a very solid movie.

It's very good - I wouldn't change a thing - and I really enjoyed it. Somehow, though, it still felt slightly...formulaic. Like Marvel has figured out the best way to make a comic book movie and just did their thing. Or maybe it's simply we've watched so many superhero movies now that you already know the pattern - the hero has to start out weak, gain his powers, learn to use them, grow into them, and become his fully fledged self. That's just how it goes.

I don't know. It just didn't feel quite as fresh as some of the others, somehow.

That being said - again, I wouldn't change a thing. The ending was beautiful, there were some really lovely bits of humor, the acting was totally top notch (Chris Evans as Rogers is fantastic) and the storyline was great. The 40's feel to the movie was brilliant. Go see this movie. I'm just saying - for some reason- it just didn't feel quite as, well, fresh as the others.

I liked it, it's just not my favorite.

And the after-the-credits scene in this one? Wow. Wow, wow, wow.

Cowboys & Aliens
(I have no comparison to the comic book with this movie. Until a few days ago when Brad told me it was originally a comic book, I had no idea. So this is strictly movie based alone.)

Ha. Oh, this movie. This movie drew many different responses from us and they're all totally understandable.

This is what I wanted: I wanted to watch Daniel Craig beat up some aliens. That's all I wanted out of this movie. If Harrison Ford beat up some as well, even better. Enough of a plot to carry the movie, some great western scenes and cowboys taking out the aliens. That's it.

So, for the most part, I enjoyed it.

Truthfully, I don't have much interest in alien premises - I'll wave aside most movies that include them - the idea of "are we alone" is interesting, but that's about it. It's kind of like zombies for me - I'm not that interested in zombies. Sure, there are a few movies I won't mind seeing that include them, but I'm certainly not going out looking for them. There's just no desire there. But I wanted to see this one because it seemed like such a fun mashup. Cowboys versus aliens? Yes, please.

First off, this movie has some beautiful scenic shots and an even more perfect soundtrack. I loved the music for this movie. (Apparently the music was composed by the guy who did Narnia's soundtrack, which was also amazing. Good memory, Holly!)
Secondly, you're going to see western cliches. Its stylized that way.
Thirdly....sigh. There is a point in the movie - about halfway in - that may make or break it for you. I was sooo disappointed for about twenty minutes and ready to give up on it, when it went back to the original alien/cowboy showdown and I was content again. But at that point, blah. Blah blah blah.
Not to mention we were all sick of the trailer. Eric & I made the same joke at two separate times - at least in going to see the actual movie, we wouldn't have to sit through the trailer for it.

If you came out of this movie hating it, I wouldn't even have to ask you why. I would already understand. You may be better off renting it or finding it at a local dollar theatre. As for me, this was my summer action flick. Had it continued down the path I thought it was going to push, I would've been done with it. But it did right itself for me after that twenty minutes.

So the biggest factor on your enjoyment level all depends on what you're going in for.

Tbat's the last of my summer blockbusters! What a great year. We do still have an incredibly promising next season: 2012 brings about both The Avengers and Dark Knight Rises. Those two movies alone carry the whole waiting period.

Dark Knight Rises Teaser Trailer: It's the bat-man....

This was not what I expected.



Mind you, I don't think its bad or disappointing. It just blew me away on the grounds that I didn't see this kind of trailer coming at all.

Well, what did you expect then?

Eric had actually given me a heads up the day before the opening of Harry Potter that the trailer had been leaked and that he had seen it and it did include new footage. So I knew to no longer expect just a voiceover over the logo like they did for Dark Knight.

So. I expected the now iconic shot of Bruce Wayne climbing the mountain from Begins and a few shots from Knight, etc. etc and then flash-bang quick action shots with a resounding boom as the title screen appeared and Bane's famous "I will break you."

That's exactly what I expected.

So. The opening footage rolling by, there's the mountain as anticipated, the cave, things are moving along --

Whaaaat? Gordon!? GORDON!? Is that GORDON?! On a HOSPITAL BED?!

Mind. Blown. I was so stunned that at the end of the trailer I had no idea how to intially react - and apparently no one else in the theatre did either because an eerie quiet came over. (I've read reviews of the teaser that mention the same response happening in several different theatres. Mind you, it also didn't help that it was difficult to understand what Gordon was saying.)

SO. This puts an entirely different feel than I was anticipating for the next movie and I'm excited by this because I now feel that same sort of Dark Knight curiosity, "How are they going to manage to work all this into one film? And where on earth is this going?" And GORDON!

Only 364 days away.

Speaking of trailers, and because I love them, here's a couple more you might have interest in.

The Amazing Spiderman



The Woman in Black

Ragtime Review: I never heard no music quite like yours...

Tonight I finally had the opportunity to see Ragtime at the Lyric Theatre.

First Impression: It was deeply satisfying to hear some of my favorite melodies being played out on stage.

General Review:
There are so many pretty moments in this show. From tiny little instrumental details to beautiful backdrops. I would love to see it again, especially later in their run. They seemed to be having sound issues tonight that should work themselves out as the show progresses.

The show has an interesting set up - its narrated throughout by the characters themselves, so there is a lot of breaking the fourth wall going on. But I personally never felt like it detracted from the show - there's so many minor characters and instances where it really helps serve to move along the story.

The one thing I really was unsatisfied with was in the character of Sarah, who is the female counterpart to Coalhouse Walker. Coalhouse is incredibly strong willed and therefore Sarah has to be as well - otherwise there's nothing to push against and the relationship falters and feels onesided. Which means that when she runs to the President it feels like you're watching some ditzy dame screaming mindlessly at the President - not that its a desperate woman with the guts to try to reach him since he's her last chance.
And in this production - for some bizarre reason that I can't quite figure out - Sarah was weepy. And whimpy. In fact, she was sobbing a bit too theatrically during "Your Daddy's Son" which, is an incredibly sad and moving song...but not weepy. You could liken it to "Pity the Child" from Chess - sad song, but with such a strength of anger and hurt and fierceness that you don't cry through it. Then you lose the power behind it. Silly.

The music itself, though, is lovely as ever. I soaked it all in, hearing some of my favorite theatrical songs sung live and finally able to put some of the mysterious voices into context. Listening to "Sarah Brown Eyes" sung by two strong voices was wonderful and I have to admit - it's just one of my favorite songs from musical theatre. That's all there is to it.

"Now she is haunting me, just like a melody, the only song I seem to know is Sarah Brown Eyes...."

(Okay, so that's technically from "His Name is Coalhouse Walker" but its the same melody and I love that line.)

And "Back to Before" was just outstanding. I don't remember who was playing Mother, but wow she really sold that song. It was so well done. And the lead up to it was handled beautifully as well. That was a great scene.

The tough part about this show (at least, in terms of watching it) is obvious - its central themes deal heavily with race in the early 1900's and that can be really rough to watch and to listen to. So should you ever see this show be aware of that going in. While there is some cursing, its mostly some of language used at the time that will make you wince.

Speaking of the time period, I'm really curious about it. I assume most of what occured really fell in that time slot, I just simply haven't done the research on it to confirm it. Did I mention I would love to dramaturg this show? It would be insane and overwhelming, but I suspect oh so rewarding at the same time.

Final Thoughts:
Should you go see this show, I recommend you borrowing the cast recording first. You'll be able to follow it without knowing what's going on, but you'll have a much clearer understanding. There is a ton of ensemble music in the show and like tonight if you have a rough sound system then it's going to be even harder to understand some of the lyrics. Also, there's about four storylines going on throughout and you'll have a much better sense of what's going on. Ragtime won't be for everyone (another reason to check out the cast recording first) but if you're looking for more a classically styled musical with some beautiful melodies and harmonies and lots of opportunities for character building then definitely give it a look. Now that I can finally say I've seen it in production, it remains one of my favorites.

Summer Movies: Goodbye Harry.

There are major spoilers ALL OVER this post. I assume by this point most people reading this have read the books. Also, there's movie spoilers as well, so tread lightly if you don't want to know.

I came into the series a little over its halfway point. Book 5 had just come out the summer before and Holly had finally convinced me to give them a try. And so began "Mr. & Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive..."

It feels so strange to look at that sentence knowing where it eventually ends up.

I was not sold on the first book. I thought the end was crazy and creepy and great, but I wasn't sold. But I read Chamber of Secrets anyway, and then what really hooked me was Book 3 - Prisoner of Azkaban.
It was not only a great read, but it also brought along Sirius Black. Who I ended up loving dearly.

And then Goblet of Fire was amazing and wonderfully wild. I couldn't imagine being a reader having to wait years in between the two books - I couldn't imagine the return of Voldemort without being able to immediately pick up the next one. I read through 4 & 5 voraciously.

But then I reached the end of Book 5.
I remember mentally watching Sirius Black fall through the veil as I scanned the pages. Devastation. I had just proclaimed to Holly how Sirius had become my favorite, even throughout the solemness of Book 5. It was actually really late when I reached that point - probably 2:30 in the morning - and I remember running the few steps down to her door, seeing the light still on and busting in demanding answers. She merely sent me back to reading. Sob. Sirius. This could not be.
This continued the unfortunate recurrence of all my favorite characters dying. That spell has since been broken - also by Harry Potter - but I still get leery.

(Later, I would find a shirt online that I bought and still enjoy: In Sirius Denial. True.)

Then it was my first wait. And began the heavy theorizing with friends. And curiosity. The checking of Mugglenet daily waiting on news of the next book.

I'll be honest - I don't actually remember how I bought book 6. I just remember when the cover was first revealed and Holly & I discussing what it could possibly be. Besides the Birdbath of Doom.

My favorite memory of Book 6 is actually how I finished reading it. Holly & I were at our apartment and she had finished it a few hours beforehand. I was sucked into the final few chapters and had read all night. The sunrise was just beginning to peek out, so I went for some fresh air. And happened to be sitting by the pool in the morning light while reading the chapter about Dumbledore & Harry get attacked by the creatures in the water at the cave.
I don't recommend reading that chapter by a body of water.

Book 6 was okay. It was not my favorite, but we felt like it was necessary. We figured it had to be a slower book to make way for the finale. We waited.
And waited.
And obsessed. And theorized.
And waited.
And checked her website.
And waited.

And was at the midnight release party at the local Waldenbooks with Holly & Brad, in line, having ordered our copies weeks before. This was it. Although there were still a few movies to come out at this point, the wait would essentially be over. One way or another we would know how it was going to end after all our discussion.

I have to be honest: I was pretty bitterly disappointed.

In truth, I would like to go back and reread the series again. I feel like now that I know where its going and without the years of waiting and wondering and questioning, that I would probably like it a lot better. I just expected so much more than chapter after chapter of walking through the woods. There were some great elements - my favorites include the entire scene at Godrics Hollow where Harry finds his parents graves, in the forest where his family walks him to his death, Neville having his moment, etc. It just wasn't what I expected at the time.

All that being said, I loved the seventh movie(s). Really. Sure, I can nitpick it, but don't misinterpret that as disliking it. I felt like they handled the final battle really well- for the most part, you got to actually see all the action instead of being forced to watch fast cut sequences of battle. The moment in the cemetery and the moment in the forest with his family are both incredibly lovely.

This is one of the few occurrences where I will tell you I feel like the movie served the story better than the book. But again - I haven't read it since that first time and I know I do need to go back and reread it. I know several people who love the last book. I'm totally willing to give it another chance without all the hype.

There are two things I really missed. One, I wish they would have left Neville's moment alone. Sure, he does eventually kill Nagini. But by stretching it out and not giving it to him at the moment where he's just had his throwdown with Voldemort I felt kind of took away from it. He was equally my favorite character throughout the books alongside Sirius (and Luna slighly underneath them) and I was so thrilled to see that moment in Book 7.
And for a brief moment in the movie I thought they were actually going to give that moment to one of the others and I was going to be ticked.
The other thing is actually not one of my favorite moments in the book, but I know it is to a lot of the fandom and I feel they did it a disservice. Molly's "Not my daughter" went by so quickly that I didn't even realize Bellatrix was fighting Ginny until Molly flipped around. They should have given that moment some more weight. It simply went by too quickly.

Outside of those two things, the only thing I really missed was one tiny detail from the final battle. And that was Trelawney throwing her crystal balls in the fray. I know it wouldn't have fit the feel of the film, but that was my favorite part of the final battle in the book. :)

One of my favorite moments of the movie, however, (outside of those just mentioned) had to be when the professors were beginning to lay down the defenses for the school. I just loved the visuals. I loved watching the professors getting to do their thing. I loved seeing them work together. And I loved McGonagall's "I've always wanted to do that spell!" :)
(Also, riding the dragon out of Gringotts was pretty cool.)

But I was not a fan of the epilogue. Again. Both in book and movie, I'm just not a fan of that. I've invested myself into your world and attached myself to your characters for seven books...for what? A four page epilogue? That's all I get about how all this ends? (I don't actually remember if it was only four pages. It felt like only four pages.)

After downing the seventh book so much I feel I need to add a disclaimer: I still love Harry Potter. When the dust settles from this final film, and whenever I'm caught up on books, I do want to go back and rediscover its magic and all the beautiful world and characters. Its still one of my favorites. I just felt like it went way too far off track from how it had been set up at the time.

And truth be told, I'm glad to see the final film. I know it means its over, but that's okay. It feels like the end of something special, something a lot of people worldwide enjoyed as one and now its come to a rest.

So farewell Harry Potter. I'm glad I met you at your height. I'm glad I joined the fray. I'm really grateful for all those long nights up talking with friends about how you might end or who might make it even if that means you drove me crazy some of the time. I wouldn't have traded it.

And thanks J.K Rowling for letting Neville live. Because by that point I was really beginning to develop a complex.

Lots of love.

Movies: The Beginning & The End

Are you ready for the Dark Knight teaser?
Of course. I mean, that's why we're here, right?
Yes. We paid $7.50. To see a teaser. That's probably 30 seconds long.
It's a minute and a half.
It's a teaser!
It's a minute and a half!
So. A minute and fifteen of old footage. And $7.50 for 15 seconds of new.
Yes. But it will be fifteen seconds of awesome.

Oh, you know I would've been there for Harry Potter 7.2 with or without the teaser. Still, it made it even sweeter.
No spoilers here, folks. Not until its (officially) hit the internets.

Harry Potter....review? Thoughts? Farewell? Forthcoming!

Victory.

I am typing. On the internet. From my home. On my own computer. And, wait for it, wait for it - wirelessly.

After the havoc its been since May trying to keep everything working together, this is a pretty sweet victory.

Victory dances at the ready, everyone! Take it away, Nyan Cat!

Don't know why you say goodbye, I say hello....

It is with a sad heart that I say goodbye to my former desktop, Sirius.

Sirius, you were awesome. You were not only a great friend, you were excellent with finishing out my college career, keeping me in touch with friends and helping me discover videos like Numa Numa. Thank you.

Nonetheless, we must part ways. You are gone.

So (after much, much agonizing) I am now in touch with a new companion. My first laptop. And I didn't want a laptop at first. I mean, really, really did.not.want.

But this keyboard and I, we connected. I'm a fan. I think we're gonna be pretty good together. I'm looking forward to new adventures. New Youtube videos. New blogs.

It's all good.

Welcome to the family, Jon Snow!

I still don't have internet access at my house. In all this mess, apparently my modem decided to die. Sigh. Oh well. But this may be why my wireless router wasn't working wirelessly. And at least now I have something to access it from, after I make a few phone calls tomorrow and (hopefully) have another headed my way soon.

The Birth of a New Country

Indeed, it is official now: we have a new country in the world. :)
CNN: South Sudan a New Country

The Republic of South Sudan.

If you have been following anything coming out of Africa, you will probably have at least heard of the Sudanese genocide. The simple version is that there has been bloodshed and violence for decades in their country. Essentially, a constant civil war. The South has been devastated. And devastated is an understatement.

I don't understand all the details. There are too many cultural intricacies that I can't understand. Nonetheless, with the little I knew, I never, ever expected South Sudan to even have the opportunity to vote for separation. I just assumed it would never be allowed to happen. But the vote was allowed. And it was overwhelming the numbers to split. And after much anxiety, the vote was actually honored. And as of Saturday, well.... This sentence brought a smile to my face, that even surprised me how much I was pleased to see it:

"South Sudan took a seat at the world's table early Saturday as citizens of the new country took to the streets to celebrate."

That leaves me pretty speechless.

That is not to say, however, that there won't be pitfalls immediately following their jubilation. Now decisions have to be made, especially the establishment of government and the decision between the North & South over their oil. Please pray for both countries. There is so much pain. And there is now so much hope in their eyes. I'm so grateful for that hope. Praise God.

Anticipation

I dozed on and off most of the afternoon. It was delightful.

Also, it officially reached 110 today according to weathermen. By our thermometer at home it reached 113. Woo! We're breaking records!

Also also, I've managed to destroy the clip on my ethernet cord so now if I move it falls out. I apparently should not be allowed hear computer devices at this time. Sigh.

Okay, so it's no surprise I hope to see Harry Potter 7.2 this coming/opening weekend, but with this you know I can't wait. I had heard rumors about it appearing before the movie all along, but its still exciting.

So it's only a minute and a half? True. But the one for Dark Knight was only a minute long and hearing Ledger's fantastic voice and laugh was gold. So I'm hoping something - even along those lines - will be revealed. Plus, it's only a teaser.

BECAUSE THERE'S STILL A YEAR TO GO. (Woot!)

The Summer Heatwave

Truth be told, I'm not missing winter any. When the weathermen started announcing promotions lasting until Labor Day yesterday, I was a little sad. Really? We're already talking about Labor Day?

I mean, I like winter. For about a month. Right after Thanksgiving to New Years. Then I'm done. Vamoose.

(Side. Freaking. Note. I'm really beginning to detest laptop keyboards. How on earth do you guys seriously use them? I've lost more text by accidentally deleting it or suddenly having the cursor appear on an entirely different section of the screen and its about to drive me crazy. I can't imagine having to actually prepare a document on one.)

Ahem.

I think this development has only happened within the last two years. Suddenly last year my mood entirely changed when spring arrived. This year, same occurrence. I'm loving this 100+ plus heat. Admittedly, I'm not in a place of extreme heat, so I realize that could totally change with my location. But for right now, it's just about perfect. There's not even a touch of chill in the air. It's over 90 degrees right now, at 10:30 at night. Awesome.

You tell stories like your hands play tunes.

I'm a little (re)obsessed with Ragtime.

It's not that it ever went away, mind you. It just kind of faded into the background for awhile with the rest of my musicals.

However, with Lyric's upcoming production of Ragtime so near, I decided to reacquaint myself. And admittedly, I've just fallen in love with all over again. Swoon.

First off, a confession: I have not actually seen this musical. So I always have to preface my "favorite" tag with that notation. It is my favorite - I know the book, all the beautiful music and pictures, but with having yet seen it I still don't know well how it works in production. Sad, isn't it?

But Ragtime is a very large show. Traditionally, the set is massive, the cast is massive and the orchestra needs to be massive. It can potentially be very hard for expense reasons alone. So it doesn't necessarily get a lot of opportunities, at least not here. I can't express to you how excited I am that Lyric is taking this on, especially when the few shows I've seen in these recent seasons have been knocked out of the park. Actually, they were supposed to attempt it last year (it was on Civic's calendar, but never officially announced) and then it was removed without warning. Lame.

And that's just expense. Honestly, the talent needed to really pull of this show is intense as well. I often liken Coalhouse to the Phantom, in the sense that in order for the audience to fall in love with him he has to have a larger than life personality, gorgeous voice and tons of charisma. Brian Stokes Mitchell plays Coalhouse on the OCR and while I'm not a fan of him in everything, he's absolutely perfect for this role. And Sarah? Audra McDonald. Who is pure brilliance.

Here, just listen:


This song is so simplistic on the surface, yet it just gives me chills. They're voices are so lovely, there's so much character there. (I had actually never noticed Coalhouse's vocal fall at 1:40 until tonight and it's just beautiful.)

Okay, so part of the reason I'm so smitten is because of the Original Cast Recording. Its true.

But listen to those beautiful orchestrations. The touch of ragtime. If you were to ask me for my favorite working composer today I would be hard-pressed to choose between Adam Guettel and Ahrens & Flaherty (lyrics & composition alike, but they almost always work together.) Both sets tailor their music to the world they're creating so well that I believe they're unsurpassed in today's theatre. (You will know Guettel for Floyd Collins & Light in the Piazza, whereas you will known Ahrens & Flaherty for Once on this Island, Seussical and of course Ragtime. Flaherty also did the music for the animated film Anastasia.) I wish I could find a solid recording online of "Henry Ford" because it really showcases Ragtime's sound use of gears and steam.

And I have hope that Coalhouse will be well-handled. I recently discovered that actor was coming off of Broadway's Scottsboro Boys which I saw performed on this years Tony's and there is not a bad voice in the lot.



I keep considering buying the cast album to that show. (I'm not as crazy about the minstrel opening, but I love the train song.) The voices alone may be worth it.

And while I'm here, could you imagine trying to dramaturg this thing? It would be a monster. Yet, I still think it would be fun to try. (Ha, maybe one day I should build up a dramaturg's book just for the sake of curiosity.)

Honestly, this is the most excited I've been about getting to see theatre in awhile. This show has always been top on my list from the first time I heard it. Which happened to be in Sarkey's at 3 AM with Susan while trying to finish our final lighting design project.

(For those curious, the top of the must-see list now belongs to In the Heights with Caroline, or Change following close behind.)

(EDIT: Oo! And Floyd Collins! Can I add another one? Floyd Collins sharing the second spot with Caroline.)

Considering it's not for another two weeks or so yet, there's a small wait. I apologize in advance. I'll try to keep my blathering to a minimum.

Passages from Gilead - Lovelier for it.

I'm so torn. Laptop? Or all-in-one? Laptop? All-in-one?

My brain is too sleepy to fully sort through reviews so that task may have to wait until tomorrow.

In the meantime, I really loved this passage from Gilead. I mean, there are a lot of beautiful passages in Gilead, but this one just really caught my ear. So here it is.

Sweet dreams, world.


"I feel sometimes as if I were a child who opens its eyes on the world once and sees amazing things it will never know any names for and then has to close its eyes again. I know this is all mere apparition compared to what awaits us, but it is only lovelier for that. There is a human beauty in it. And I can't believe that, when we have all been changed and put on incorruptibility, we will forget our fantastic condition of mortality and impermanence, the great bright dream of procreating and perishing that meant the whole world to us. In eternity this world will be Troy, I believe, and all that has passed here will be the epic of the universe, the ballad they sing in the streets. Because I don't imagine any reality putting this one in the shade entirely, and I think piety forbids me to try."
- Gilead, by Marilynne Robinson (p. 57 )

Fourth of July huzzah! Time with Family

Grandma and I had a lovely time this afternoon spending it with the Kime's & the McBride's. It can be tough to get everyone together anymore, with all our schedules, so time spent is sweet. I'm lucky to be close to my cousins on both sides, especially when you consider how large that number has grown over the years (including kids & spouses: 23.)

I did manage to snag more than one picture, but unfortunately they're not uploading right now. (I'm so bemused by my router. I no longer understand how it works at all.)

However, one was emailed to me, so for now it'll do.

I promise, Lexie is not crying. She was actually giggling. I promise.

Although with that scary man in the background, it might cause one to wonder. ;)

The Return of Internet Access

I am, to a degree, back.

My computer appears to be dead. :( Blue Screen of Death and all.

I am currently typing away on a laptop kindly lent from Brad who has been at the center of this computer ordeal with me. I'm very grateful for the return of internet access. I'm also glad to be borrowing a laptop specifically - its potentially what I'll be buying next, instead of a desktop. I've never owned a laptop. And I'm not really that crazy about laptops. So this is a good way of seeing what I think of it.

Currently, I don't care for the keyboard, but I'm sure I could adjust to that.

In other news, its the Fourth of July weekend. Grandma and I don't get too into the holiday - fireworks worry me even in the best of conditions. With this years drought, I'm much less inclined to be around them. Maybe if we feel crazy we'll go watch the ones at the casino.

All that being said though, I'm always excited about a three day weekend. Yaaaaay.

Any computer advice?