Furry Angels with Tails and Devil Horns

I call them my babies. My mother calls them Jingles (due to the annoying bells attached to their collars). You would call them......Kittens! Yes, we adopted two new family members. It might be easier to describe their complex personalities by making them profiles. So, here it goes!

Name: Jinx, after the character in a Meg Cabot (one of my favorite authors) book with the same name.

Sex: Male

Fur Color: Ashy white

Eye Color: Light Blue

Build: Jinx is definitely the fatter one! Our vet says we should be feeding them only twice a day but I think I've been feeding him every time he meows for it. Which is, like, five times a day maybe. The vet says his already overweight (oops!)

Personality: I think Jinx is the Alfa male (judging by the way he dominates the food bowl). He LOVES to sleep and be cradled like a baby. One time I was holding him and I put him down on my bed because I had to use the bathroom. He followed me there and waited patiently next to the toilet the whole time I was using it. When I picked him back up he fell promptly back to sleep in my arms. He also likes to play. He enjoys wrestling with his brother

(this is an especially amusing sight).

Jinx is very bossy and is used to getting his way. If he's hungry he'll start crying and he'll follow you all around the house trying to trip you until you feed him. I've explained to him countless times that he's supposed to be on a diet but he just doesn't seem to get it. But it's worth it. You know, when you have those moments with them all cuddling up with you on your lap so nice and soft and warm. He's a furry angel with devil horns.

Name: Forrest (as in Gump)

Sex: Male

Fur Color: Mostly black, but he has a white spot on his neck and his face is almost totally white

Eye Color: Yellowish green

Build: Forrest is sort of scrawny. When we first go him we could see his ribs. He's normal weight now but still way skinnier than Jinx.

Personality: Forrest is Lennon's cat so he probably knows him better but I'll write what I know. Forrest is probably skinnier because he's a heck of a lot more active. Once, he saw a fly buzzing around in my room and you could tell just by looking at his face that he was totally determined to catch it. And, much to the shock of us all, he did. I'm serious! He leapt into the air and caught the fly in between his claws. Then, much to the disgust of us all, HE ATE IT! I know, gross. Forrest, even though he's skinnier than Jinx, will eat anything. I found a popcorn seed in his poop once. He is also very protective over His Mouse. His Mouse is this stuffed mouse that he absolutely loves. It's his favorite toy and he won't let Jinx touch it.

The babies also love each other. One of the sweetest sights I've witnessed is when Jinx was upstairs sleeping in my room and Forrest was downstairs, crying. Jinx lifted his head and sprang from the bed and rushed to Forrest who immediately clashed into to his brother and began a fur-flying wrestle. To qoute 'X-Men Origins', they totally have the "We're brothers, Jimmy. And brothers look out for each other" thing going on.

Learning Australian

I've mastered my British accent and I do a pretty good Southern accent but I absolutely suck at Australian accents. My goal is to master it as well. A good way to practice is by watching my favorite romance movie, 'Australia' (hey, what do you know this movie also has Hugh Jackman in it......but minus the claws). And when I do master it, I hereby swear to make a video of me using the accent and put it on YouTube no matter how embarrassing it is!

Anyway, back to 'Australia' the best romance movie ever. It takes place in Australia (duh) during World War II. When English aristocrat Lady Sarah Ashley goes to Australia to take care of the ranch that has been keeping her husband away from home, her life changes. First, she discovers that her husband is dead, believed to be killed by the Aborigine medicine man, called King George. Then, she finds out that the man who she believed was helping her run her cattle ranch has actually been deceiving her and she is left to run the ranch by herself. She finally secures the help of a (or the) Drover and finds herself falling in love with him along the way. Her heart is stolen by a newly orphaned Aborigine boy named Nullah who she is willing to fight for.

Nicole Kidman's character is a great role model who never gives up. Nullah nicknames her 'that crazy lady, Missus Boss'. 'Australia' has it all, romance, humor, adventure, admirable accents.

My Latest Obsesion

The Fact: I love X-men Origins: Wolverine. I know every single line in that movie my heart. I've watched it at least twenty thousand times (not that I'm keeping track!)

The Story: I didn't really want to watch X-men Origins because I heard that in that movie they show how Wolverine got his claws and that it involves some surgery scenes. And ever since a extremely traumatic hospital experience that involves a painful fall that resulted in stitches and a fainting mother, I've developed a phobia of hospitals and surgery. Of course, watching the Incredible Hulk movie probably helped, since that movie contains a VERY intense surgery scene (which I can sum up in two words: BIG NEEDLES!) I'm sure you can relate.

That all changed when my dad picked me up one day and all he could talk about was how awesome the new X-men movie was. When I protested he just said, "But, Sam, the surgery is really short! They don't even really show anything!" Ha. He doesn't even think The Hulk is scary. But I couldn't resist. I am fond of the other X-men movies, so I thought I'd give it a try as long as he promised to watch it with us.

I was blown away. No, serious!

Does this have anything do with Hugh Jackman's role in this movie, Samantha? No! Well.....kind of. But this movie is totally awesome!

What about the surgery scene you were so worried about? Oh, that. Well, Dad was right. It is really short and they don't show anything really gory, unlike some movies (yes, I'm talking about you Hulk.) Plus, I've mastered the art of very tactfully excusing myself to the bathroom and timing it so I come back just in time to watch Wolverine get mad at those guys for talking about erasing his memory and jump down the waterfall.

Why do you love this movie so much?

Did I say it was awesome already? It shows the story of what happened to Wolverine and how he became who he is. There is a really sweet love story which ends tragically and some pretty cool fight scenes ("Back to back!")

Do you recommend watching this movie?

Definitely. Just don't watch it with me or Lennon because we will ruin the experience for you by saying every single line before they say it (we've mastered the "Jimmy! Victor!" accents) and will probably laugh deliriously at parts that aren't supposed to be funny. Which, if you ask me is just what happens if you watch the movie as many times as we have.

Pet Peeve

I really hate it when I walk into a movie theater and five minutes into the movie I can totally predict how it ends. I wonder, are movie writers actually writing a story or are they following a (or I should say, the?) Basic Movie Formula?

The Basic Movie Formula

• Introduce main character (s)
• The 'Mains' fall in love and\ or are impressed by (wo) man
• Everything is going okay-happy, happy, happy......
• Movie presents some problem
• 'Main' lies about something and\or makes a deal with villain
• The 'Main's lover figures out the lie
• Every ones glum (lover walks off) cue sad music (did you ever think about how much we are manipulated by music in movies?)
• Villain and 'Main' fight (what I like to call 'The Final Fight'), lover comes back
• Villain dies or becomes good, cue happy music
• The End.

Ugh! You see how you can apply this to films (mostly kids films)? Also, whats up with all these sequels for kids movies? For instance, 'Shrek'. I'm a big fan of the first movie. I would have been perfectly happy to remember Shrek and Donkey and Fiona the way the first movie left off. But then they had to go and install 'Shrek II' and 'Shrek The Third'. Another example, 'Ice Age'. It's my brother's favorite movie. And I'll admit I had some pretty good laughs when I watched the first one for the first time. But the second one? And the third (which I'm too scared to go and watch in the theater for fear of leaving my brain forever scarred)? The stories for both of these films weren't written half as well as the first ones.

Filmmakers seem to have it in their heads that a great way to save a movie that's going downhill is to make it 3D. Maybe they're hoping that animated figures jumping out at us from the screen will distract us from their lack of a good storyline.

Ugh. What's happened?

The Top Five Greatest Villain's Of All Time

Those of you who know me best, know that I love to play villains. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for justice and good guys and all that but it's just much more appealing for me to play a screaming pure evil villain then a save-the-day-goody-two-shoes. But that's just me. I know, I'm really odd. In drama camp (which I joined for the summer) I play the villain every chance I get. I had an idea to write a story from the point of view of a villain instead of the usual perspective of the hero or 'good guy'. I'm still working out the kinks, such as whether I'll create a villain from scratch or take a classic story and re-tell it from the villains point of view (I know I'd have a blast doing that!). Please comment if you have any suggestions on this subject, I'd love to hear other peoples opinions. So, after a lot of villain research I've decided to compose a top six greatest villains list on my own (I've only included females here because that's all I've been researching but I will try to compose a list of evil males as soon as possible)! If I've left out one of your favorite villains, once again feel free to comment. Here it goes:



The Top Six Greatest Female Villain's Of All Time



1: The White Witch, from Narnia. I recently watched Narnia and was once again reminded of the wonderful wickedness of the so called queen of Narnia. The White Witch manages to charm Edmond (who we all know everyone hates) to lure his brother and sisters back into her grasp. The White Witch can also turn the land snowy and spy at you through the ears of the trees, which I think is pretty darn cool.



2: Mrs. Coutler, from The Golden Compass. Nicole Kidmans elegant portrayal of Philip Pullmans scheming villain can't be mimicked (although in the book she's a bit crueler,breaking good witches fingers and things like that)! Mrs. Coulter is in charge of a secret society of kidnappers, using children for scientific experiment's (although she isn't quite so keen on the idea when it comes time to experiment on her own daughter).





3: Crystal Allen, from The Women. I don't believe it's verbally possible for me to convey exactly how much I hate this woman. This character is a mean-spirited, conniving, hussy who couldn't care less who she hurts as she flirts, cheats and charms her way into a relationship with a married, wealthy man. I think it's only fair to mention her in my greatest villains' list because I don't see how anyone would not think she's a horrible villain.




4: Bellatrix LeStrange, from Harry Potter. Bellatrix is a mad Azakaban (from those of you how have never been enchanted by J.K. Rowling's magical world, Azakaban is a wizarding prison) escapee. Bellatrix is one of Lord Voldemort's most loyal Death Eaters. I'm not sure if I like her character better in the books or in the movie (it's been a while). In the movie I absolutely LOVE her evil crackle!



5: Maleficent, from Disney's Sleeping Beauty. Let's not forget our Disney villains. I've surfed the web and most people seem to agree that Maleficent is quite possibly the best villain Disney ever brought to the screen. Voiced by Eleanor Aduley, who also did the voice of Lady Tremaine (the evil stepmother in Disney's Cinderella) another memorable villain, Maleficent is definitely my favorite Disney villain. Not only can she place curses over the whole kingdom and Princess Aurora (who annoys me to death) she can also turn into a dragon! I did my best to portray her in our skit at camp 'Far Far Far Away Love Show' (the link for that skit is bellow for your viewing pleasure). When I was younger Maleficent actually gave me nightmares!



6: Redd, from Frank Beddor's The Looking Glass Wars. At last we have come to my personal all time favorite female villain! In Frank Beddor's re-telling of Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland, Redd is a cruel rejected queen who is determined to place revenge on her good sister and, later, her own niece. This is one of my favorite books and I can't wait to see the movie! I truly hope whoever gets the part of Redd plays her well. Redd with the aid of her flesh eating roses and her assassin The Cat, Redd could easily kick the Queen Of Hearts butt.

Far Far Away Love Show

Recently, I joined a Summer Thearte Camp at UOG. It's really fun! We do different kinds of skits and play acting games everyday. Here's one of our most recent skits (I'm the Dragon Lady). The theme was fairy tale. It's called Far Far Away Love Show. Enjoy and please leave comments!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSA4alExBj0

The Best Grain Thats Not A Grain

If you have never tried red Quinoa with sesame maple roasted tofu then after reading this post and gobbling down this dish your taste buds as you know them are forever changed. While eating this dish, my mom and I couldn't stop exclaiming every few seconds that we couldn't get over how good it tasted! Luck must be on your side today for I'm going to post the recipe here so you can enjoy! First, a little history on Quinoa.

Quinoa was originally grown in a region of South America. Quinoa has been estimated to have been growing since 3,000 B.C. The Incas, an Indian tribe, thought the plant was sacred (I totally agree!). They called Quinoa 'la chisiya mama' which means the mother grain. In celebration to harvest, the Incas drank 'chicha' a kind of beer made from Quinoa. Quinoa is a highly favorited nutritious grain. When you eat Quinoa your eating the seeds of the plant. Quinoa is known to be easy to digest. There are two different types of Quinoa and in this recipe we feature red Quinoa.

Technically Quinoa is not a true grain, but is used as a grain and substituted for grains because of it's cooking characteristics and is more closely related to spinach and beets. It is a complete protein and is high in fiber and magnesium and iron.

And, with no further ado (your mouth must be watering, I know mine is!) here is the recipe.

Healthy Recipe: Sesame Maple Roasted Tofu

Inspired by recipe from Eating Well

Ingredients

1 8-ounce block of tofu, cubed

1 red bell pepper

2 tsp canola oil

2 tsp toasted sesame oil

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 cup quinoa

2 cups water

1 cup shredded carrots

1 tsp fresh ginger

1 clove fresh garlic, minced

1tbsp tahini

1 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 tsp pure maple syrup

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp sesame seeds

Directions

preheat oven to 450 degrees

toss tofu, red bell pepper, canola oil, sesame oil, sea salt, and pepper in a large bowl

spread on a large baking sheet and roast until the tofu is lightly golden on top and the red peppers are browning in spots; 15 to 20 min.

while the tofu and peppers are roasting, make the quinoa

put the quinoa and water in a covered pot, bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer; cook for 10 min.

then stir in carrots and cook for another 5 to 10 min. until water is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy

add in ginger and garlic; cook another 2 min.

whisk tahini, soy sauce, maple syrup, and vinegar in small bowl until combined

remove tofu from the oven, drizzle the maple sauce

sprinkle with sesame seeds; return to oven for another 8 to 12 min.

scoop out quinoa onto a plate and top with maple sesame tofu and peppers

Enjoy! makes 3 servings