Holiday Hiatus

Hello my little chickadees and chickadudes! I realize I've been absent from the blogging world for the past few weeks, but I shall join it once again with gusto after the New Year! It appears that the life of a wife/mommy/entrepreneur/writer/artist/grad student gets pretty busy come turkey time.

Oh! but there have been so many things I've wanted to blog about: New Moon! The db that is Jon Gosselin! Adam Lambert and how he's screwed up his career! R-Patz (my super secret...or not so much...celeb crush)! Turkey Day! SYTYCD! Margaret Atwood and the strange book of hers I recently read! Football...I really could go on, but I won't for now.

So, I will leave you until January with my wish that you have a beautiful and very Merry Christmas! I hope you have the chance to set aside work, school, chores and all the mundane aspects of life, and take a moment to gather the people that are most important around yourself and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

...And maybe catch a good movie or two. I'm thinking Avatar and It's Complicated...

Merry Christmas :)

Media Mondays: New Moon Madness and AMAs

Well, unless you've been abducted by aliens or you've been living in a cave with a tin foil hat on, you know that this past weekend was opening weekend for the second installment of the Twilight saga: New Moon. It made a ton of money from its screaming (and nearly fainting) prepubescent fans...and its "older" fans...making more money on its opening day than any other movie before, beating out The Dark Knight's record-breaking first day revenue.

Oh, yeah, and if you picked up on the "older" part of my previous statement, it should be noted that "older" equals 25+ in the Twilight world. EXCUSE ME?!?!?!?!?!? I'm OLDER?? I think not.

Besides...Edward is 109...that makes him older. I digress.

Check out author Stephenie Meyer's website where she's answered a ton of questions recently posted about Twilight, etc. She's asked if she's surprised by "older" fans & I LOVE that she responded that she wrote it for her 29-year-old self, so no. Check out the quotes and fun answers to a bunch of questions.

Moving on to the other weekend madness: the American Music Awards.

I think perhaps the most memorable moment--though not for good reasons--was Adam Lambert's homo-fest. Sorry; I know I'm not pulling any punches with this one, but that's really what it was. There was a big make-out moment with someone...was it a guy? was it a girl? do we want to know? Oh yeah, and gratuitous crotch rubbing...by faces. *shudder*

And in other AMA news: Lady Gaga gave a laughable performance. She's special.

And Jermaine Jackson needs to remember that he, in fact, is NOT Michael, never has been and never will be and should be ashamed of his behavior.

There were some good performances: the Black Eyed Peas, for instance are always great and Carrie Underwood rocked it out.

Congrats to Taylor Swift for all of her wins and I have to say, the girl's a genius. She wasn't in L.A. for the awards, but in London...Kanye was nowhere close! Love ya, Taylor!

Ah, and here you see that my two subjects intersect! This is better than six degrees of Kevin Bacon!

Taylor Swift (AMA big winner) + Taylor Lautner (New Moon buff boy) = (neither confirmed, nor denied) LOVE!!!

Happy Monday! :)

Thrifty Thursdays: Kroger Ads

Check out Kroger's website for downloadable coupons and management of your Plus card. You can also make up a shopping list so you're careful not to forget all those fabulous 10 for $10 deals! Happy coupon hunting!

Writing Wednesdays: The Dictionary

One of my favorite resources is www.dictionary.com. Now, it is available (with Thesaurus and Reference pages) for your BlackBerry. But, more importantly, it's available for MY BlackBerry! Hehe! Just kidding. This is an awesome resource and I use it daily, and that's really not an exaggeration. It's been pivotal in those random conversations one has while out shopping or having lunch...like: what's the plural for platypus? (It's platypuses or platypi, by the way.) Yay for mobile references! :)

Trivia Tuesdays: The Whole Nine Yards

No, it's not just a movie! :)

I had always heard that this figure of speech (would it be considered that?) had to do with the "whole nine yards" of ammunition in WWII airplanes. But, it turns out that there are numerous explanations and theories about this phrase, some of which have to do with the "whole nine yards" of fabric in a full men's...or wait, is if full women's(?)...suit. Does it have to do with nautical yards...or maybe something related to cement mixing? The theories seriously go on for...well...the whole nine yards!

So, the jury's still out. I'll let you know if I can come across a definitive answer for this one; be sure to let me know if you've found one yourself! :)

Happy Tuesday!

Media Mondays: Musicals!

I love musicals!! As I write this, my daughter is watching one of my favorite musicals of all time: Mary Poppins. Is there a better musical turned movie? And if there is, does it star Julie Andrews?

In looking for a picture for this post, I came across some really neat pics on www.imdb.com, courtesy of MPTV Images. Here are some candid photos that I think are totally cool! Browse over to the third page to view behind-the-scenes photos. What fun! :)



What is it about musicals that we love? I think it's the passion in the music: whether the passion of happiness and jollity, as in Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music, or the darker passions of hopelessness or yearning for love as in Fiddler on the Roof or The Phantom of the Opera.

Whatever may be the case for our love of musicals, I am thrilled to see that they are still popular and patrons flock to the theaters for new musicals such as Wicked (which I hope to see at some point, myself!).

If you haven't watched your favorite musical in a while (and who doesn't have a favorite?), pull it out on the next rainy Saturday, cuddle up with a blanket on the couch and enjoy!

(photo: movieposter.com)

Free For All Fridays: What is a Conservative?

I could get on my soapbox, quote the Declaration of Independence, cite Conservative leaders and wistfully look back to the era of Reagan...or, I could just let Jonathan Krohn do it for me. Author of "Defining Conservatism," this (13 year old) young man is a genius and lays out the foundation of conservatism in precise and easy-to-understand language.

I don't care what your political affiliation may be, this kid is AMAZING! I'm floored and I would seriously love to know what his I.Q. is!

Thursday: Taking a Moment

While I would normally blog about something "thrifty" for Thrifty Thursdays, today I feel that it is more appropriate to remember and say a little prayer for the victims of the shooting at Fort Hood, TX which took place today. As of this moment, the last report I heard is that 12 people have been killed and 31 have been injured.

Watching footage from the post, the sirens signaling an emergency at the fort are haunting. What a terrifying experience for these people. I cannot even imagine, and my heart goes out to the survivors and the families of those wounded and killed. What a senseless and horrifying event.

Please take a moment to say a prayer for the families and the victims of today's tragedy.

Thrifty Thursdays will return next week.

God Bless

Writing Wednesdays: Music to Write By

Writers are individual in their habits and styles, just like they're unique in their "writing rituals," if you will. I, for one, always write to music. Whether it's for enjoyment, an online journal or a massive research project, I have music of some sort streaming through my headphones. I realize this doesn't work for everyone; it's completely distracting for some, but for me, music helps me focus. I can tune out the unimportant noise in the room and really concentrate on the words running across the computer screen.

So, I wanted to post a song that I came across about a month ago. It's been inspirational in some of my free-time writing lately, and I'm just in love with the song. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!




Happy Hump Day! :)

Trivia Tuesdays: M*A*S*H

Did you know that the T.V. show M*A*S*H, which is set during the Korean War ran for 11 seasons? The real Korean War lasted for just three years...well, if you count the 1953 cease-fire as the end of the war. Some would argue that it is still an ongoing conflict, but that's a debate for another time. If one uses the 1953 date, then the television show lasted almost four times as long as the actual war...and was obviously more popular.

Incidentally, M*A*S*H was more of a criticism of the Vietnam War than anything, using the earlier Korean War as its platform and setting.

Happy Tuesday! :)

Media Mondays: Are You Ready for Some FOOTBALL??

Come Hades or high water, I'm a Dallas Cowboys fan. Don't care if Jessica's jinxin' them, if Tony's got butter fingers, even when T.O. was being...well...T.O., I have loved them.

However, I have to hand it to Brett Favre & the Minnesota Vikings. The most entertaining part of this football weekend, in my opinion, was the smack down the Vikings (who picked Farve up after Green Bay dumped him) gave the Packers...and after the Packers fans "boo"-ed when Farve took the field. It would have been one thing if the Packers had actually won, but they didn't & had to fold up their mean signs and go home the losers. Booyah!

(photo credit: Torsten Bolten via Wikimedia Commons)

Free for All Fridays: Life Down Here on Earth

Well Happy Friday, again! This really is my favorite day of the week. Sure, it's a work day, but by 5 p.m., it's the weekend!

Going through my music library last night, I came across an album that I haven't listened to in a long time. It was given to me by my uncle a couple of years before he passed away and I can't help but think of him whenever I listen to it. He was a lot of fun and while we had our differences, there are times when I wish I could hang out with my Uncle Ronnie. Here's one of Kevin Welch's songs, Life Down Here on Earth. The video is a little low-budget, but listen to the song & I dare you not to smile:



And it got me thinking: life down here on Earth is pretty dang good! We are so blessed with so many wonderful things from our Heavenly Father; so many things that are just for our enjoyment!

And so, this train of thought sent me back to a subject discussed in one of my classes last week: national parks. Just look how beautiful this nation is:



Here's Yosemite National Park (photo credit: National Parks Service). How gorgeous is this?!




Vermont! (photo credit: Vermont Geography Portal) While I've never personally been here, it's on my list of stops (in summer) for the trip to the northeast which I plan to take...sometime! :)




And I had to include this pic from Sedona, AZ, taken by my mother this summer(she's a fantastic photographer, huh?!). I simply love the western part of the United States. I always say I want a summer home in Colorado. How majestic are these peaks and cliffs? Gorgeous!

We have been given so many wonderful gifts and are so blessed to live in this special nation. We must protect and be good stewards over everything we have been given, and this extends beyond the physical aspects of the United States:


(John Trumball "Declaration of Independence"; Architect of the Capitol)


My country,' tis of thee,
sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing;
land where my fathers died,
land of the pilgrims' pride,
from every mountainside let freedom ring!

My native country, thee,
land of the noble free, thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
thy woods and templed hills;
my heart with rapture thrills, like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,
and ring from all the trees sweet freedom's song;
let mortal tongues awake;
let all that breathe partake;
let rocks their silence break, the sound prolong.

Our fathers' God, to thee,
author of liberty, to thee we sing;
long may our land be bright
with freedom's holy light;
protect us by thy might, great God, our King.
America (My Country, 'tis of Thee), by Samuel F. Smith
(HymnSite.com)

Happy Friday!

Thrifty Thursdays: Candy Stock Up!

A quick Thursday edition of "Doodles" to remind you to, after Saturday (Halloween), check out your favorite stores for discounts on candy (if the insulin shock of this weekend is just not enough for you), decorations, costumes, etc.

And, here's a fun picture I shot the other day while at my local discount store:



Only at Wal-Mart (and Target...and Hobby Lobby...and Michael's...and, well, you know) can you shop for Christmas trees BEFORE Halloween! I'm sure the Turkey Day stuff was an aisle or two over...

Writing Wednesdays: Robert Frost & MLA Fun!

I absolutely LOVE Robert Frost's poetry, which I understand some may view as cliche, but whatever! Here's one of my absolute favorite poems: "Acquainted with the Night." I first encountered it in high school and am still just as enamoured with it!

I have been one acquainted with the night.
I have walked out in rain -- and back in rain.
I have outwalked the furthest city light.

I have looked down the saddest city lane.
I have passed by the watchman on his beat
And dropped my eyes, unwilling to explain.

I have stood still and stopped the sound of feet
When far away an interrupted cry
Came over houses from another street,

But not to call me back or say good-bye;
And further still at an unearthly height,
A luminary clock against the sky

Proclaimed the time was neither wrong nor right.
I have been one acquainted with the night.

Thanks to www.poemhunter.com:
Acquainted with the Night by Robert Frost




And now for a new resource for those writers who must use MLA out there:

MLA has come out with new guidelines for 2009 which reflect our advancement into the digital/Internet age. The primary change is the addition of "medium." Check this awesome, easy-to-read article out from a writer on Suite101.com! I happened to just come across this a few weeks ago & thought I'd include it here, because though I don't personally use the format in my line of work and study, I know that many schools do require MLA formatting.

MLA Citation Changes 2009


Photo credits: Robert Frost, American Poet, 1941. By: Fred Palumbo, World Telegram staff photographer, Library of Congress
MLA Handbook Cover Shot: www.amazon.com

Trivia Tuesdays: This Week in History & Fun with Google

This is a busy week in history!

*10/26/1881: The Earp brothers and Doc Holliday fought the Clantons, et al. at the O.K. Corral.

*10/28/1965: The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri was completed (I honestly had no idea it was this young!).

*10/30/1938: The War of the Worlds is aired and radio listeners in America panic at the news of an alien invasion!

*11/01/1512: Michelangelo unveiled his paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

And just for fun, here's one of my favorite Google things that I've come across in recent years:

1) Go to www.google.com
2) Type in "French Military Victories" (without quotes)
3) And hit the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button

Hehehe!


Thanks to www.history.com for the "This Day in History" info! See more on this exciting week in history at: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=Landing&displayDate=10/26&categoryId=leadstory

Pictures from Tombstone (1993) & Arc de Triomphe pic courtesy of U.S. Library of Congress

Media Mondays: Artistic Freedoms

Sometimes, artistic freedoms are a good thing. Take, for example, this clip from The Twilight Saga: New Moon:



This scene totally didn't take place in the book like it's shown here, but "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a..." well, you know the quote! I think the movie will be fan-freakin'-tastic!!

And then other times, "artistic freedoms" (if you want to call them that) don't work out so well. Especially when writing for a children's show featuring creepy puppet-esque/Jim Henson's worst-nightmare characters who can't eat anything...especially a banana:




Thank you, Yo Gabba-Gabba once again for another interesting scene...

Free-for-All Friday: Gratuitous Destruction of Landmarks in Movies

Last night, my darling husband brought home a new movie; one which he's been chomping at the bit to see: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I'm into guy movies (and no one can deny that it's a "guy movie," there are simply too many explosions and excessively hot chicks in the film for it not to be a guy flick), but I'm game. About 3/4 of the way through, I'm watching as one of the big bad guy robots (I don't know which one, I just know he's up to no good)starts tearing one of the pyramids of Giza to shreds. You'd swear the landmark--nay one of the Wonders of the World--was made out of cheddar cheese, the way this guy was tearing through it.





So it got me thinking: why is it that Hollywood can't (or rarely doesn't) make an action movie without massive carnage to at least one of our national monuments or famous world landmarks?

In no way is this a criticism of the gratuitous destruction of national landmarks in movies, but simply my musings on what this might mean to us, and what it might mean about us, as humans.

This is a common trend in the big, epic, end of the world and action-adventure flicks. Here's one from Planet of the Apes:



And here's the Eiffel tower, meeting her demise in G. I. Joe:



This image is no doubt disturbing for millions of French citizens, but also for the millions of women out there who were proposed to by their boyfriends-turned-fiances from its towering heights.

And here's a pic from Armageddon, which is too eerily prophetic for comfort:



So, why in these, as in countless other films, are landmarks such as these destroyed so violently? I often tease that I would never want to live in a big city if aliens/terrorists/demons/crazed robots attacked...some massive skyscraper would be sure to fall on my head when I least expected it!

The simple reason is this: these monuments are a testament to human greatness, of our ingenuity and superiority here on Earth. To watch a symbol like the Eiffel tower fall is to watch our human technological advances and a symbol of modernity fall (it was, after all a tribute to advancement at its building). It is also a symbol of love, one of those emotions we humans are generally quite fond of.

Watching the Statue of Liberty fall, blow up, or seeing her dismembered head lying on a beach equals the death of democracy and America herself.

In short, Hollywood knows what affects us as humans in a profound way and understands that images of pyramids being shredded, towers burning and monuments crumbling strikes us as an assault against our very existence.

On a lighter note, while there are also the gratuitous images of cleavage in the second Transformers movie (in addition to the destruction of pyramids, etc), there's also a little eye candy for us girls:



That's right, girls! Your hubbies/boyfriends may get to ogle Megan Fox, but we get Josh Duhamel.

And you thought I'd stick a picture of a shirtless Shia LaBeouf up here! I'm sorry, but he'll always just be whiny Cody Maverick to me!

Images from: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009); Planet of the Apes (1968); G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009); Armageddon (1998)

Howdy!

Welcome to "Doodles on a Notebook," my blog for fun! As a freelance and creative writer and an artist, I have some strange creativity swarming in my head and love to share things I've found and things that inspire me. I'm also a work at home mom (WAHM??) and so value things like coupons and family values. Check back often for Monday-Friday fun!

Here's what's in store:

Media Mondays: music that inspires, movies that I like and news reports of interest.
Trivia Tuesdays: this is just fun. "This Day in History," famous birthdays, word of the week, etc.
Writing Wednesdays: maybe an original poem, maybe a quote from a book, perhaps a new writing reference I've found helpful.
Thrifty Thursdays: deals and steals that I've found as well as recipes, home organization and entertainment on the cheap.
Fun, Freaky, Free-for-All Fridays: my random day of the week. I'll blog about whatever's on my mind, just for fun!

Enjoy!
Love,
Meg