Latin Love

I'm not a big fan of the first one, so I didn't have that whole "sacrilege!" thing going when Melissa, her sister, Amanda, Ben, and about a zillion other people went to "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights" on Saturday with a purse full of Pop-Rocks. Not only worth my $4.75 matinee price, this movie will someday also be worth my $22.95 at Wal-Mart once it arrives on DVD. Why? Have another list:

* First off, one must definitely mention the well-used cute boys with accents motif. Not only was the main character desperately hot (I am such a third grade girl), but most of the supporting cast and nearly all the extras, especially in dance sequences, were also cute foreign boys. Hollywood will never be able to underestimate the value of this trick; and above all when the main cute boy with accent can also act quite well, despite the cheesy lines thrown his way.

* Everyone's picked up that I have a thing for WWII-era clothes by now, right? As this movie was set in the late '50s, the costumes still fit into my time period I adore. Plus, as it was also Cuba in the '50s, they packed in as many spiffy tropical-style '50s dresses as possible.

* I mentioned them before, I'll mention them again: I don't know why I got the idea, but I decided during the previews that I would pile in my mouth as many Pop Rocks as possible and hold the popping explosion wide open for the entire audience to enjoy during every quiet, reflective moment. And then others joined in. Boy, I hope the tweens in the backrow didn't mind.

* I didn't know he was going to be in the thing until about twenty minutes before leaving, but including Patrick Swayze as a dance instructor was a stroke of genius. Not only did this allow the directors to recycle some of his dance moves from the first movie (seriously--that's totally the same dance!), it also provided a fun debate about whether he was a mentor or a creepy guy. I say he was kinda creepy the way he was always around whenever New-Jennifer-Grey did Important Dance Things, but he didn't cross the line to full out creeptacularness.

* Speaking of recycling things, where was the Spanish version of "Time of Your Life" on the soundtrack? Because, dudes, they used that song over and over again, even to the point of one-line-long musical interludes. Besides that, the soundtrack is fabulous. Fabulous enough for me to buy it during the Wal-Mart trip post-movie and fabulous enough to have been copied by two other people during the first few hours of possession.

* But the best thing of all? The title screen, proudly proclaiming the film as "based on true events." Well, yes, I suppose we could beef up the story by making a big deal out of the revolutionary setting and the historical context. Of course, in the same way the first movie could claim the same thing since families take vacations every year.

Either way (or either or either or...), fab movie all around. Totally buying it whenever they deem it ready for DVD, hopefully with lots of extras.

News You Can Use (or Lose)

Screw the weekend, the Past Week (no order) in Bullets:

* After playing "Little Sally Walker" for ten minutes, my acting class decides the prof isn't actually showing up and we all split. Cue "Lunch, Part II" and singing Les Miz songs with my acting partner in loo of actual practice.

* Yeah, three a.m. paper writing/7:15 a.m. wake-up time!

* My acting scene went [actually] way better than I expected...though it probably helped that I took off my glasses and everyone went all fuzzy. And didn't let myself get all psyched out by the other group's wonderfulness.

* The world's shortest professor-led study session in preparation for the linguistics midterm on Friday.

* In "Ah-ha! I mock you Wal-Mart!" News, my stubborness finally pays off as the Simba stuffed animal (original price $18.95) finally fell from its clearance price of $11 to $5.

* So many bubbles. So, so many bubbles.

* Spending the entire episode of "Gilmore Girls" commenting about how my brother forgot about me...only to check my messages after the show and realize he actually called early when I wasn't around.

* I actually used the phrase "drunken sorority girls" during my interview for Student Ambassador. Yes, really.

* Listening to others (and helping) dis Randi's [now] ex-boyfriend who broke up with her over email, instead of telling her on the phone while she was talking to him.

* All manner of dance movies! And one to go!

* Playing the cup game in the SUB with a tiny container of Ben and Jerry's before it ended up knocked all over the floor instead of down in my stomach.

* Something Corporate's "Punk Rock Princess" is my new favorite song and second favorite inside joke, though it fits with the first one ("So...wanna go to the Sunken Garden?")

It's back!!!

The duct tape clothing line is back...and more red than ever! Yay for needing last minute replacement costumes for acting class nonrealism scenes! Hurrah!

Miss you, Caleb

Having platonic guy friends is more like having surrogate brothers. As such, if I end up with a black eye, it's Michael's fault, but I will take full responsibilty for using the shark jaw to break my fall (and all the cuts resulting).

News Alert!

I'm hungry.

Woo-friggin'-Hoo!

Somebody on this blog's officially a business minor now.



What? Me? You think it's me?

How ever did you guess?

YAY AND ICE CREAM!!!

I'll miss you someday, College.

I'm working on Creative Writings and Melissa's covering math (base 8), but we both just managed to sing the entire theme of "7th Heaven."

Quotes from the Weekend or So

(Because it's almost "The Weekend in Bullets," and I miss it.)

* Don't injure your spine over my sexiness!

* I need to stop being in ecstasy.

* I have a very special place in my heart for you and John, but it's getting crowded and soon one of you will have to kill the other.
But I don't want to kill John!
Then it's been very lovely knowing you.

* It's a very third grade girl thing to know.
I'm not in third grade. Or a girl.
We'll, I'm a girl, and I was once in third grade, so that must be where I got it.
I love how you tell stories.

* First of all, I'm not a townie....

* Bulletproof vests hurt. Ooh! Fun story!

* Oh well, Marty survived it for awhile. And then he died. But I'm sure it's not related.

* I didn't realize that everyone was a fan of "Inspector Gadget."

* This is a 2:30 in the morning thing...and it's only 10:30.

I cannot survive!

I'm chewing my last piece of gum, my tin of Ice Breakers mints ran out weeks ago, and my Tic Tacs supply might last another day, day and a half.

Memo to Self:

I you would stop writing such complicated sentences in English, they wouldn't be as painful to translate into Spanish.

Gauntlets have been thrown!

So, Caleb, to quote Melissa (or, at least paraphrase), she had to one-up you. Of course, it's more like five up, but that's not nearly as catchy. So, if you feel the need to add on a top-ten list beyond your five, she'll just up it again.

I like this game. Please, continue telling me how fab I am. You never know when I may need it later.

And, another thing...

Following in the now grand tradition of things that make me happy (something most likely more appreciated than all my tv-driven angsty-ness), I enjoy the feeling of sophistication I feel from actually and purposefully grabbing a copy of "The New York Times" on my way out of OP this morning...even if it was just to read one theatre review.


Oh, and phone messages. I love leaving messages on answering machines.

New form of Happiness

Words cannot express the support and love I have for whoever put the quote about "On a long enough timeline, all survival rates reach zero" on the bulletin board about the rec center.

residual sideaffects

I had no earthly idea how wicked cool owning the Fantasia collector's edition DVD set would make me amongst my group of people.

Those games college students play

One of my favorite ways to mess with my fellow Truman students consists of cutting through the parking lot on my trip between Ryle and Barnett, cutting through all the cars and attempting to see how many drivers I can get to follow me, thoroughly convinced I'm about to get in a car and they could grab my parking spot.

Personal record: three. That was a fab day.

(Have you watched it yet, Caleb?)

I feel all angsty about life like I should be crying my eyes the begeezers out (whatever that means), but I don't really have much of a reason except that, for this week at least, Rory hit a little too close to home on "Gilmore Girls" last night with her busy rant and I would rather skip all my classes today than have more work piled on. Which doesn't make sense, because I'd still have to do the work AND I'd have absentees all over the place. Besides, if I can go to Linguistics, I can manage anything else thrown my way today.

In theory.

Confound you, Becky Becker!

I am a worthwhile human being, and that's not just because I'm eating chocolate.

Just because I'm having issues memorizing lines doesn't mean I personally suck, just my memory.

I'll just finish my Little Debbie cupcakes, check out my email from Broadway.com, chug some more milk out of the carton (because I feel like it), and go back to theatre stuff.

In honor of "High Fidelity:"

(because you should never pass up a chance to watch John Cusack in a movie that shows how wretched guys are at relationships on Valentine's Day)

Hannah's Top Five Parts She Could Never Play (and why)

1. Lady Macbeth - been craving this since high school, but nobody would ever buy me as "evil," so I'm stuck with the nine year old parts

2. Evita - any version, any venue; if I were an alto who looked fab as a blonde, I'd so own this part

3. O'Reilly, Holly Hunter's character from "A Life Less Ordinary" - I love Holly Hunter so much in this movie, and the go-go boots are just icing

4. Audrey from "Little Shop of Horrors" or Adelaide, "Guys and Dolls" (TIE) - both are the blonde with the fab Noo Yawk accent who long for more out of life...and I wish I could do either justice

5. Lois Lane/Bianca, from "Kiss Me, Kate" - her song from the second act, "Always True to You"--I love that song. But I'm not a dancer, and that part totally is, so that's that.

I did not wallow. Be proud.

Yesterday, I spent way too much time in a pretty dress, broke out the silver vintage clip, watched "Little Shop of Horrors" (which meant I sang along with all the songs and quoted half the dialogue), actually managed to do some classwork, shaved my legs for the first time in about three weeks, ate lots of ice cream, and had a Wonder Woman sort of day (complicated).

Scratch that first part--you can NEVER spend too much time in a pretty dress.

System Report

So, I have

* helped a professor work on developing a new play

* not-quite-half a grinder in my fridge from Bellacino's, even more pictures to scan, and "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" on DVD

* agreed that meeting to work on scenes for acting class on Valentine's Day sounded too depressing and therefore am calling it my "hot date" for the afternoon

* fabulous parents and roommate, all who sent me cards for V-Day (2 of the 3 with glitter, and one with money)

* all day to work on assignments, so naturally nothing will get done

Remember that whole "no kids" thing?

I've told many people (including my mother, where it's more for sport than anything) I don't plan on getting married. In truth, it's not that I'm planning on not getting married so much as I'm not planning on marriage.

Talk to lots of people my age (both male and female), and they'll tell you that after college, they plan on getting married and starting a family. Me? Marriage just isn't a given in my future. If I find the right guy for me, cool. Otherwise, I'm not going to go out and marry someone I have lukewarm feelings for (or, even more bleck, that I'm "fond of") for the simple sake of being married. Maybe I've watched too many confounded romantic comedies and chick flicks, or perhaps I'm just taking that Cinderella thing a bit farther than healthy, but I wouldn't mind some drop-dead romantic crap happening to me. Beyond that, eh.

Anyway, it's just like my dating philosophy. In high school, most dating looked like the couples were together just for the hell of it--they wanted to be with someone, and it didn't even matter who. I never want to be in a relationship (or a marriage, which is just a big, full-time relationship) "just because." If I'm going to spend all that time caring for someone, I want it to be someone I can truly care for, not an exercise in toleration.

I don't know that I'll ever find that right person (or, right people, depending on how much dating I ever get around to, like, ever), but I'm not going to spend much time searching for him. I have better things to do with my time, and--if it's the right person--they'll find me.

So, allow me to wallow in my singleness this weekend. I may even dress up for the occassion.

Just in time for Valentines!

I love how I suddenly feel completely surrounded by couples as most of the people I hang with suddenly find themselves attached to other people I hang with.

Victory is mine!

New Addiction Solitare high score? 767 - beat that, y'all.

Senior Year Redux (minus so much stuff)

After oodles of talk of doing so "someday," I finally sent in my paperwork for earning a business minor. Since it's one of those good things that (A) shouldn't add much more to my "longer than four years"-ness and (B) makes my parents breathe a little easier, I'd been meaning to fix it up for awhile. Unfortunately, it required more hours than I was expecting the first time around, so I'm only now applying.

Elsewhere, I officially have to apply for Student Abassador, as both professors I talked to for recommendations agreed to do so. That puts the pressure on for me to actually fill out my own side of the paperwork now that the other half will find its way to the Admissions Office.

But only sorta stuck, like "magic tape"

So, I got stuck in the elevator during stagecraft this afternoon, though it was stuck as in "the elevator isn't going anywhere" but not "the elevator isn't going anywhere and, oh, Lord, the doors won't open." The doors just weren't completely connecting, even with our excellent help (people on each side forcing the doors together). We eventually gave up and walked all the way back to the first floor, but carrying stair pieces back up the real stairs wasn't nearly as convenient.

In other news, Ben totally proved Mom correct and "proposed" during dinner in the dining hall. I forget what was said that led to it, but he actually got down on one knee between tables and offered up his One Ring (from the Lord of the Rings, natch), all right next to Melissa. I sense things won't work out, though, as he's still dating Melissa and was never dating me to begin with.

And, now for the weather! Snow is melting. The temp will probably drop tomorrow, it'll all freeze, and someone will die on the path to Barnett when the metal grate freezes over again.

Bound for the Payless Land

Yes, we already know that I have a thing for shoes, so this list may seem...extravagant. Yet, here, in it's brief entirety, is this list of shoes that I currently "need":

* tennis shoes - my old ones are held together with glue

* sandals - the back of the left one broke apart around November and I still wear them every once in awhile...this must stop

* plain flip-flops - my beloved black pair are about to fall apart completely and thus must be regretfully replaced

* white go-go boots - if you have to ask, you wouldn't understand to begin with

* 50s-style black heels - I'd prefer to wear something other than old dance shoes with my spiffy dress

* something white and beachy - for the vintage Hawaiian dress I just bought off Ebay

Home is Where the Replacement Stuff Is

It must be time for me to go home again because my Norton AntiVirus is about to run out in little over a week.

(Also, my Entertainment Weekly subscription is almost through, so if you still have an extra card, you need to let me know, Mom. Otherwise, I'll foot the bill this time.)

Yummy goodness

There's nothing like that fake cheese smell of a freshly opened pack of Easy Mac.

Lightswitch rave! Lightswitch rave!

I am so digging the technochocolate right now.

As if there wasn't enough proof already

Signs of Valentine's Day # 10 Zillion and Two: My Card-a-Day calendar has featured cutesy heart-splattered pink and red cards for three days in a row now.

(Yay! No 8:30 Linguistics tomorrow...I mean, today!)

This is the first time I've stayed up later than Melissa in ages! On purpose! While not watching a movie! Or just being in another room!

I'm celebrating by going to bed.

already heavily quoted

"You don't need luck if you have bacon."

(Betty Boop likes the snow)

Why does it keep snowing?! Nearly everyday for over a week now, we've gotten snow of some form. I suppose I should be happy it's not so cold it can't snow (didn't you once tell me that was possible, Mom?), but it's still Kirksville. And, the walk to Barnett Hall isn't bad enough (I swear, you really do go uphill both ways) without next-to-zero visabillity because the wind's blowing giant, fluffy snowflakes up your nose.

On the other hand, my breath is fabulous.

Just because they're only 1 1/2 calories each doesn't mean you should snack on Tic Tacs like candy. They're in a plastic dispenser to stay fresh longer, not to make them fun to pour.

Just imagine the uses!

It never ceases to amuse me that my Spanish-English-Spanish dictonary has an entry for "Batman" ... especially as it's the first on the page, so it's always listed as the heading for the page.

Yum Yum Yum Yum

There is so much bacon and ice cream in my freezer right now; all I'm missing is a Banquet Chicken Tenders dinner to make me the happiest girl ever.

"I dunno, I can't really see."

We're not going to dive into the details, but I should never be in charge of navigation again. Ever. Moving on...

"A rickety pirate ship" describes the set and our mindset

So, final hour count: for the FORTY hours I spent awake (from 7:30 a.m. on Friday morning through apx. 11:30-ish on Saturday night), I was asleep for ten minutes. Now do you understand why I haven't posted; I've been sleeping for three days.

(Well, not exactly, but I suppose I'm slowly catching up on my sleep once more...though I'll ruin it again this weekend with obsessive movie watching.)

Anyway, highlights of another 24 hours spent doing theater and trying not to kill anyone by four in the afternoon:

* Subject? Pirates, in "Yarr! the Musical," which equaled lots of jokes about mateys, parrots, and the ocean, plus "yarr" as a general word for anything.

* Hy-Vee at five in the morning (only copy place open), with a cart of fresh donuts and orange juice, desperately trying to add up/multiply/whatever the number of copies Courtney and I just made. ("Hey, Hannah, you know what's worse than a theatre major trying to do math? A theatre major trying to do math at FIVE in the MORNING!")

* the trash bag with red duct tape accented (yeah, skull and crossbones!) Pirate King jacket--so my idea!

* watching the show completely crash down upon itself during the dress rehersal, which featured apx. 5% actual scripted dialogue and plot and 95% "what the crap are they doing" hilarious improv

And, my fav lines:

* Captain: (after the Robot Pirate dies during the Storm Ballet) RUST, you foul chemical process!

* Captain: (during the dress rehersal when the finale completely fell apart, and the Capt. just randomly decided to leave the stage) Ay, mates, I be going off to the great beyond...

* Voice Over: (of Smee) I have fallen for Shannon. I think that he is truly the one for me. (back to Shannon) Stop talking. This is my monologue! Oh, now I lost my train of thought.

* Corporate Pirate: I think I shall burst into song now... and I forget what this verse said, but the only point you need to know is that the ship and the girl will be mine! I guess that's actually two, but I am the Corporate Pirate!

* (CHORUS) He's a dead man dancin'/ No more romancin' / STOP THAT PRANCIN'!/ He's a dead man dancin'!

4. Stir well.

Sure, I've been here for a year and a half, but now it's official. I am a true college student as I just finish my first batch of late-night-Walmart-run-Easy-Mac out of my $.88 back-to-school special bowl with a plastic fork at 11:45 at night.