Adventure Weekend Part I: Hip-Hooray for Hollywood!

It really is true what they say: 'When it rains, it pours!' Luckily, I love the rain...especially when 'rain' is a metaphor for out-of-town adventures!!
This past weekend I ventured over the grapevine for the second time this month (two weeks in a row!) This time, not only did I have a travel-buddy...but I was also relieved of any and all driving responsibility. I literally didn't have to do anything but sit back and enjoy the ride! And enjoy it I did!! A good friend and some good music and we arrived in no time! Our destination: Jess's apartment!
Jess had a beach day planned...so after getting settled, and gathering our beach gear we were off to Malibu...but it wasn't nearly as warm as we were expecting (but that didn't stop us from having fun!)
We decided to leave the beach and head back for a little tourist action. Jess lives pretty close to Hollywood, so after she gave us a tour of the studio she works for...we headed into Tinseltown.
I had seen parts of the Walk of Fame before...but it's always exciting to look for your favorite star's star!

'The Producers' have adjacent stars!!

We wandered down the boulevard a bit and all of a sudden there it was:

Grauman's Chinese Theatre!! 

It is so much fun to see all the hand, foot (and sometimes hoof) prints of so many movie legends. I was having a hard time containing my excitement...I mean, almost all my favorites were there: Doris, Bing, Julie, Dick, Danny, Frank, Johnny, Rock...and then there were these three:

The hand, foot & wand prints of Emma Watson, Daniel Radcliffe & Rupert Grint (aka Hermione Granger, Harry Potter & Ron Weasley!)

The newest addition to my personal Walk of Fame mug collection

We ended the night with delicious burgers at Mel's Drive In...
...the weekend was much too busy to contain to one post, the adventure will continue in part II

After all this time...

I just sat (and sniffled a little) through 118 minutes of loud noises, battles, unnecessary blood-shed, the most awkward hug you've ever seen and a long overdue kiss. For the second time. And it was wonderful.

I took my goddaughter to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt 2. This movie has everything a Harry Potter movie should have: Harry being a hero, whether he needs to be or not. Hermione being kind of bossy, whether she needs to be or not. Ron being...well, Ron (and awesome!). Seamus Finnigan blowing crap up (although, this time, he is instructed to do so...BOOM!) and Professor McGonagall being her bad-ass self.

I loved Helena Bonham-Carter acting like Emma Watson playing Hermione while acting like Bellatrix Lestrange. Cause...she looked like HBC, but acted and sounded exactly like Emma...it was like real polyjuice potion.

I cried. Lily, Remus, Tonks, Fred, Sirius and James...all made me cry in turn. Even Snape made me cry (though I'm pretty sure there is no such thing as the Hogwarts boat house.)

Draco and Voldemort hugged. And it was painful and awkward to watch, but also awesome.

Neville decapitated a freaking snake. Because he's a true Gryffindor.

Ron and Hermione kissed. It only took 7 books and 8 movies, but it happened!

...and the wizard mother of year award goes to Molly Weasley!

It was nearly perfect, I even liked the epilogue!

I just can't believe it's over. No more books. No more movies. It has literally taken me half my life to read these books and watch these movies. I mean, my children will probably read and watch, but they will never know the feeling of waiting by the mailbox and attacking the postman the day the newest book is released. Or what it's like to go to a midnight premiere, and spot your geology professor and his wife in line between the guy dressed up as Hagrid and the rowdy group of Slytherins.

This series/franchise may be a fad, or it may continue in its popularity. But, no matter what I will always re-read these books and re-watch these movies.

ALWAYS!

Accio Butterbeer (cupcakes)

With the final film coming out tonight at midnight (eek!), Harry Potter-mania has taken over yet again. I picked up the first book about 12 years ago in middle school and I was immediately sucked in to the magical universe J.K. Rowling geniusly created. My sister and I are re-reading our way through the books, and in an attempt to bring this whimsical world to life, I decided to whip up a batch of Butterbeer cupcakes from a recipe I found online (and modified slightly).

First I laid out all my ingredients:

Flour

Baking Powder

Baking Soda

Salt

Butter

White Sugar

Brown Sugar

Eggs

Vanilla

Buttermilk

Cream Soda

Then I mixed together all my dry ingredients (2 C flour; 1 1/2tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1/4 tsp salt)

Then, I creamed 1 stick butter; 1/2 cup white sugar & 1/2 cup dark brown sugar

Mixed in 3 eggs; 1/2 cup buttermilk; 1/2 cup cream soda; 1/2 tsp vanilla & all the dry ingredients

I filled my cupcake cups about 3/4 the way full, baked them for 15 minutes at 350 degrees...

...and let them cool over night before frosting

So...I forgot to take pictures of the frosting-making process, but I melted a bag of butterscotch chips with 1 tsp of butter and about half a cup of pre-made frosting (it is VERY sweet) and used that to top the cupcakes. I also added a shake or two of sprinkles for some extra sparkle!

(I used green, because that's what we had; not because I'm a Slytherin, 'cause I'm not. If anything, I'd probably be in Hufflepuff, but I digress...)

The finished product:

They are delicious, 'Honeydukes quality', if I do say so myself...

Now I'm going to take my nerd self, curl up in a chair with one of my confections, and finish reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Red Velvet Cake and Harry freakin' Potter

Last night I went on a 'roomie date'...yes, I currently live alone, but the girls I lived with in college (though most are now married) will always be my 'roommates'.

Last night Kathy was in town, so we decided to take in a movie at the cheap theater...and I can say that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 has actually gotten better with multiple viewings!

Looking at this movie, compared with the book, I think that the movie is paced better (even with all the depressing camping scenes.) I feel like in the book -and I could be remembering it wrong- that interspersed with all the camping and apperating and such that there were moments of 'Meanwhile, back at Hogwarts...things still suck royal hippogryff' and it's possible that, even with all it's flaws and inaccuracies, I might (gasp) like the movie better...that never happens to me.

Last night, my focus seemed to have shifted to wardrobe...how much fun would it be to design the costumes for the HP movies? Like who decided that Elphias Doge should look like he's wearing five coats at once? And who picked out Luna's sweet romper? And Hermione's wardrobe? Seriously, she gets the best clothes!! I also love that the Snatchers kinda look like they could be extras from a cross between Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson (minus the SexyPants) and American Idiot...

Anyway...it was a great excuse to see the movie again and a fantastic chance to catch up with a great friend. We ended the evening with some red velvet cake at TGIFridays and ended up staying out until, like 11...whoa!

There's no place like home for the holidays

Sometimes I wonder 'at what point in my adult life will I stop referring to my parents house as 'home'?'
My apartment in Simi Valley is very home-y, and when I am somewhere not in Simi I always refer to my return as 'going home', however, any trip up to Visalia can also be classified as 'going home'.
And talk about 'from Atlantic to Pacific, gee the traffic is terrific'...I think driving to the Atlantic coast would have taken less time than I spent on the 405. It took me 5 whole songs, and at one point I'm pretty sure I was part of a convoy...there were so many trucks, it was redic!
But I made it...I made it home to Visalia. Hanging with the 'rents watching Dog the Bounty Hunter.
I get to go to church with the fam tonight, and get to see some of my CLC peeps that I haven't seen in about a year, including my goddaughter.
I have been a terrible godmother lately, it's hard when you live so far away...but for a few short days I get to be around family and friends and to be surrounded by all Visalia stuff that for some reason I tried so hard to get away from.
When I come up here, I have little to no time to relax, my time is pretty booked because I have so many Visalia things to see and Visalia things to do.
Tonight is soup and church and PIE SOCIAL!!
Tomorrow gotta get up in time for the parade, Thanksgiving 'linner' and watching 'A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving' with the sis
Finding time over the weekend to watch Deathly Hallows with Becca, and Tangled with the bff...hopefully going down and getting some lunch or at least a tea at 210 (assuming they're still open on Saturdays) and squeezing in time to be bummed about missing the "Monday after Thanksgiving Visalia's Candy Cane Lane Christmas Parade"

**SPOILER ALERT**

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My attempted (and extremely subjective) review of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt 1 if you haven't see it yet, and are sensitive to spoilers...you have been more than fairly warned NOT to read on...

It was good. Really good. Almost worth the three hour wait in line that seemed to get about 10 degrees colder once they let the 12:01 folks into the theater leaving us 12:05-ers to freeze our fannies off for an extra four minutes.
Once I got in, finding a place to sit was a challenge...but there was an empty seat in the middle of a row, it was a really good seat, too. But I ended up between two groups of people who hadn't read the book, and were very vocal about how confused they were. Several times I just wanted to shout "let's find out together"...but I kind of realized that there is a 'Catch 22' that comes with making a Harry Potter film...you're either going to confuse the people who haven't read the books or piss off the people who have. During the first half hour, I think I counted 7 things that got left out. Semi-important stuff. Like the 'expelliarmus' thing, Krum at the wedding...other stuff that was significant but I forgot because it was past midnight and I was tired. But they did a really good job with everything. Plus, there was hardly any Michael Gambon, which was great...because even though he's been in four (now five) of the movies, he's still the 'new Dumbledore', and I think Richard Harris was the best...but without the use of a resurrection stone, he won't be re-joining the cast.
Yeah...there was loads of depressing camping, but I knew what I was getting into because I read the book! Oh and RON!! I love Ron! Ron has always been one of my favorites...even though he got his wizard-shorts in a twist and split, he still managed to redeem himself. Even though he's a main character, I think Ron is underestimated or used as comic relief--to the people who say that, I ask them "who stabbed the locket?"

It ended in the perfect spot-not too abruptly no awkward cliffhangers...

homemade caramel corn

...makes a big mess!!
But it tastes delicious and will be the perfect thing to sneak into the theater tomorrow night for Deathly Hallows!!



It also makes my house smell like Disneyland!!

Too Stinkin' Cute

It's New Directions as toddlers...

***
And in nerdalert news I am now the proud owner of a ticket for the 12:05 showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I and I'm super excited!!

Trick-or-Treat!

After weeks -nay- months of deliberation...I have finally landed on a Halloween costume!! I don't think it has ever taken me this long to come up with something. Mostly because when my mom used to sew our costumes, my sister and I had to come up with our ideas pretty early so mom could be sure they were done in time, and this is a habit that has stuck with me even since mom stopped making our costumes. When it comes to dressing up, I have definitely run the gamut, using both my mad sewing skills and my arsenal of dance costumes. I have been pretty much everything from a hobo to a princess, from a sock hopper to a hippie, from a mouseketeer to a drag queen (yes, I was a girl dressed as a boy dressed as girl). Last year I was Sleeping Beauty, but the Brier Rose version. For a brief moment I thought Marge McDougall from Promises, Promises would be fun, but very few would know who I was. Then I kept bouncing between a Harry Potter version of myself (a.k.a. if I were a Hogwarts student), a candy corn (since I already had a yellow skirt), or just 'I dunno' and wear my pink wig and top hat...like an extra from Moulin Rouge or something. Then Saturday, like a bolt of lightening, it hit me. The perfect costume...
Lucy van Pelt!!! I am so excited! I'm sure I could run the risk of people not knowing who I am, but some might, and I will...so I don't care. I got this black wig and I'm working on styling it kinda curly-ish on the ends, I bought socks at Target yesterday that have ruffles on them, and a blue dress with some black buttons and I'm good to go!

Sharing is Caring

I'm going to start what is sure to be a pretty frivolous post with something somewhat deep...no one owns anything. Sure you can buy things, or have things, or even find things, but there is nothing in this world that anyone can claim sole ownership of.
And now, I rant.
People who like musicians that are 'on the verge' of discovery, or artists that have managed to stay under the radar tend to get very possessive of "their" findings. You may appreciate a certain actor/singer/whatever that not many have heard of yet, but that doesn't mean you're the only one allowed to be a fan. I recently read an article and a corresponding comment that has spurred this post.
The article was brief, but stated that Darren Criss will be joining the cast of 'Glee'. Darren Criss is probably most 'famous' for playing Harry Potter in the fan-based, YouTube broadcasts of 'A Very Potter Musical' and 'A Very Potter Sequel'. Both are hilarious and I highly recommend them to fans of Harry Potter and/or humor! He has also released a five song EP called 'Human'. It will be interesting to see how his voice translates into Glee, but he's a good singer, so I imagine he'll do well. He wrote most of the songs in AVPM and AVPS, so he's pretty talented and in being so, has quite a few fans. Not nearly as many fans as the internationally renowned Glee, however. Which brings me to the comment I read attached to this article. The gist was basically that this person seemed to think that they (and perhaps a select few others) were the only ones allowed to like Darren Criss because they already know who he is. The word 'disappointed' was mentioned. Disappointment in Darren for choosing to come out of obscurity to make his dreams of being famous come true, perhaps? Yes, I realize the more well-known a musician is the more he or she can charge for concert tickets, which can be a bummer. A concert for some unknown singer/songwriter in a dingy club can cost as little as a $5 cover, whereas someone who has established a name for themselves can play huge arenas for upwards of $50. Heck, Elton John sold out the Hollywood Palladium, and those tickets started at around $200!! But, just because you're a fan of someone doesn't mean that their talent shouldn't be shared with others. So dear anonymous commenter, you do not own Darren Criss. He is a very talented guy and I think the world deserves to experience what he has to offer. I'm sorry you 'do not approve', but unless you are Darren's agent, I'm guessing your opinion had very little weight in this situation.
That's all.

How I will spend my Spring Break

How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying:
Previews: February 26; Opens: March 27
Al Hirschfeld Theatre
Directed and Choreographed by Rob Asford (Tony nominated for Promises, Promises)
Starring Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter, Equus) as J. Pierpont Finch
Anything Goes:
Previews: March 10; Opens: April 7
Stephen Sondheim Theatre
Cole Porter. The End.
Starring Sutton Foster (Les Mis, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Drowsy Chaperon, Young Frankenstein, Shrek, all together awesome)as Reno Sweeny
Catch Me If You Can:
Previews: March 7; Opens: April 10
Nederlander Theatre
Music and Lyrics by Scott Wittman & Marc Shaiman (The team that made Hairspray happen)
Starring: Norbert Leo Butz (Wicked) as Carl Hanratty and the man-god Aaron Tveit (Hairspray, Wicked, Next to Normal) as Frank Abagnale Jr.

I'm not going alone, so who's with me?

Career change...

...don't get me wrong, I really like my job, but I think I need a job that comes with a fat paycheck and a TON of time off.
A job that would allow me to spend my days at Disneyland and my nights at Broadway shows.
Or maybe, I can work during week days, go to Broadway shows in the evenings and Disneyland on the weekends.
Okay, I don't need to go to Disneyland EVERY weekend, or even a Broadway show EVERY night, but it'd be nice to have the option. Besides the fact that I lack both the money and the time to make that lifestyle possible, the geography of the United States and my inability to apperate negates the time/money argument entirely.

There are a ton of things that don't thrill me about living in Southern California, and of course proximity to Disneyland isn't one of them. In fact, I visited the Happiest Place on Earth just this weekend, and as an annual passholder, I appreciate that it only takes about an hour and 15 minutes to get there. One of my biggest beefs with my SoCal location though, is lack of proximity to the Great White Way and the theatrical options New York provides. Not just Broadway, but off-Broadway, and off-off-Broadway. Theatres upon theatres upon theatres filled with acting and singing and dancing. L.A. does the movie thing, I get that. There are a couple theatres in Hollywood that get Broadway tours (like the Ahmanson where I'm going to see Next to Normal in December-ish). But only mega-shows get the tours, and the tours don't necessarily get the new shows, or the revivals, or the names, (although Alice Ripley will be Diana in N2N, and I saw Eden Espinossa and Megan Hilty in Wicked in LA and Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp in Rent in SF) Also never appearing LA? The shows you only want to see because the actor made famous for playing the wizard formally known as 'the boy who lived' will be starring in a musical.
So, I'm trying to figure out a plan of attack for the revival of Anything Goes with Sutton Foster as Reno, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying with Daniel Radcliffe as J. Pierpont Finch (if I do see this expect a full report on Harry Potter vs Ferris Bueller), and the show that has me constantly watching clips on YouTube: Catch Me If You Can with Norbert Leo Butz as Carl Hanratty and...wait for it...wait for it...
AARON TVEIT as Leonardo DiCaprio Frank Abagnale Jr.
Now for a bombardment of video clips so you can be excited as I am about this:

And if Aaron's voice isn't the most perfect most beautiful most sexiest thing you've ever heard in your life...you're lacking a pulse.

'A rit-dit-doo'

When the character of Andy Bernard first joined the cast of The Office, I thought he was the most annoying person on the face of the Earth. I almost hated him more than Dwight (and I can't stand Dwight). But he grew on me. Yes, he is very annoying. Yes, my heart still belongs to Jim Halpert. But Andy is just such a clueless goof that you can't help but laugh. I definitely would have rather had Jim mug, it's true. But Jim didn't go to the party; if you know which episode this mug is from, you'll understand.

I'm not going to lie, I think I'll be glad after tomorrow when this mug thing is done and I can blah-g freely about random stuff again. Not that I haven't been doing that throughout this, but I feel a little locked in to writing about the mug of the day and trying to tie that in to something that makes sense.
For instance, I'd love to write about the re-awakening of my Harry Potter obsession. It's been pretty dormant for a while, but...it's baa-ack!
I was watching Sorcerer's Stone last night. Everyone is so little in that movie. I can't believe it's been ten years since it came out.
There is a part near the end, when they are trying to get to the Stone, and they have to play an epic game of Wizard's Chess to get through. Ron is telling Hermione to be a castle, Harry to be a bishop and then he says: "As for me, I'll be a Knight"
This part is so special for me because my grandfather's name was Ron Knight. I know it's just a weird coincidence. JK Rowling didn't know my grandpa, but for some reason...I don't know.

deviation

I'm going to take a break from the mug thing. Well, not really since I posted a mug today and will do so again tomorrow. But here is an extra little tid-bit of a post. More of a 'tweet' on steroids, but whatevs.
Anyway...here we go:
I need to finish reading Eat, Pray, Love. I have really enjoyed it, and I'm soclose to the end. But it's starting to get me depressed. Mostly because reading it has hit me with an incredible wanderlust that I can't give into because I'm poor and I have a job that I don't want to get fired from for just up and leaving. Also, I am noticing quite a few similarities between me and Liz. Well, I seem to share a lot of her 'downs' notsomuch with her 'ups' though. I have switched, for the time being, to re-reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It's the only HP book I haven't re-read yet. In part, I'm gearing up for the movie (though one could argue that E,P,L is already in theaters and HP won't be out until Nov 19, so I'm jumping the gun a little bit). But it's nice to read a book about a protagonist I have absolutely nothing in common with. Am I British? No! Am I a Wizard? No (although, it'd be cool if I were) Am I being pursued by the most evil being ever to exist who has split his soul into seven pieces and wants to kill me dead? No! (Thank God).
Sometimes getting lost in a work of fiction is just what the doctor ordered.
I would like to take this moment to invite reality to bite me.

Now, would you like a Bertie Bott's every flavored bean? Or perhaps, a butterbeer??

Nox.

I came, I saw, I fixed the problem

I got in my car this morning, and one of the hieroglyphics on my dash board was trying to tell me something. There was this little symbol lit up in orange (the -warning- color) that looked like an exclamation point inside a cauldron. Was my car trying to tell me I was late for potions class? Then I remembered I don't go to Hogwarts. So, I decided to try and decipher this message using my decoder (aka-owner's manual); the verdict: low tire pressure...so I look up the tire section of the manual and I'm supposed to be packing 32lbs psi in each tire.
I went to the service station on my lunch break, and after getting over the initial shock that the Shell station charges for air--I was very proud of my self for fixing the problem on my own. While it's probably a completely normal thing for people to put air in their tires, and I shouldn't feel special for having done so-I always feel a little 'I am woman, hear me roar' whenever I can tackle a car problem by myself.

That's the story of the day. The End.