Exit Music

Today has just been one of those days, so I decided to pop in Ok Computer. There's nothing that a little 'power trio' can't cure.

The Evolution of a Bald Man

The Best of Both Worlds

The top story on Friday night's newscast was that Hannah Montana would be opening up another show in Salt Lake City. So what did I do on Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. sharp? Go online and get four tickets before they all sold out! Okay, actually, Tyler's sister called Friday night and asked if we would get online and try to score some tickets for them. Her 8- and 6-year-old daughters are obsessed (and I later found out her 3-year-old is too). She recuited some brothers-in-law as well as us to jump on to get them tickets, since they'd be gone at soccer games. Since Tyler has a laptop with wireless internet, we both got on to double our chances. Tyler was actually trying to buy tickets for himself (that Miley is so hot!). Okay, he wanted to make a profit by selling them on eBay. But he had no such luck. All sold out. The brothers-in-law had no luck either. I guess I'm the only one with the magic touch, because I got them four tickets at the price they were looking for. I guess I'm the favorite aunt for a while.

Apparantly Hannah Montana is all the rage among pre-teen girls (and girls like my 21-year-old sister). I've seen the show a few times on Disney Channel and I do admit to liking it more than their other shows. But I'm not into the music. I've always been pretty picky about what I like to listen to, and even when I was little I didn't get into all the popular stuff. For example, in jr. high when everyone was crazy about Q99, I stuck with X96. After high school, all my friends loved Dave Matthews Band. My friend Holly even bought me a $50 ticket to their concert in Denver. A bunch of us drove there in her parents' Suburban, but the concert still didn't sway me (and I quickly got sick of listening to them on the drive). My tastes are very particular, and I'm usually not one to go crazy about something just because it's popular. In fact, I'm quite the opposite. I wonder what Ada will be like when she gets older. If she gets into all the stuff that every other girl is crazy about, I'll support her. But I wonder if something like music taste is inherited? I guess we'll have to wait and see.

Twilight

For anyone who hasn't read or finished these books but plans to, stop reading now! I just felt like voicing my opinion on Stephenie Meyer's series since I've heard so many people talking about it lately.

First of all, the only reason I read the books is because my mother-in-law insisted I read Twilight. All the girls in the family had read it but me. I'm normally not a bandwagon jumper (I've never seen 'The Office', even though everyone and their dog raves about it), but I borrowed a copy and read it. I didn't really like it. Something just didn't sit right with me. It has taken me a long time to figure out why, but I think there are a couple reasons. First, I didn't quite understand why Bella and Edward so quickly fell madly in love with each other. Did Bella just like Edward because he was so good-looking? Did Edward just like Bella because he liked her 'scent'? I couldn't stand the fact that they were constantly fighting and keeping things from each other. Also, most of the book seemed really slow-moving, until the very end when it was suddenly action-packed. The whole book just sat weird with me.

I almost didn't read the other books, but I'm glad I did. I really liked New Moon and Eclipse. I liked Jacob a lot and I liked who Bella was with him. They told each other everything and really got to know each other. I was sad that she was leading him on so much. Even though she did have feelings for him (and he knew that; that's why he was constantly pursuing her), she shouldn't have let things get out of hand like they did because she knew that she could never be without Edward. She told Jacob that, but she always left him with a glimmer of hope nonetheless. I got to like Edward a lot after he stopped being so overprotective. He really was more mature than Jacob and I was glad that he started giving her more freedom. The ending was good, but I was really sad for Jacob. Overall, I did like the series. Most people seem to like the first book the best, but it was definitely my least favorite. Also, I've talked to a lot of people who hated Jacob, but I really liked him and sympathized with him. It's not great writing or anything, but it is entertaining and makes for good discussion.

Cereal Obsession

Lately Ada has been obsessed with cereal. Not her baby cereal, but our cereal. We used to keep it in a cupboard below the counter (the only one we can't lock because it's a single), but it had to be relocated because she kept making messes with it. She still freaks out every time we pull it out though. One of her favorites is Magic Stars (fake Lucky Charms). She used to pull out handfuls, pick out the marshmallows, and throw the rest on the floor. She also loves Honey Bunches of Oats and Fruity Pebbles. I'm afraid she's already taken a strong liking to sugar. She knows what the good stuff is!

Ada is getting smarter all the time. She can identify lots of body parts (eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hair, hands, belly button, legs, feet, toes) and knows several animal sounds (dog, cat, duck, bird, cow, pig, bear). She is such a cutie. Check out the coat I couldn't resist buying her. Isn't she adorable?

In Rainbows

Has anybody gotten the new Radiohead album yet? You can only get it from their website, either by download or diskbox. The best part is that if you download it, you can pay as much or as little as you want! Can Radiohead get any better? We downloaded it last night and paid 2.50 pounds. I would have gladly given more if we weren't so poor! And it is very good. I've only listened once, but I really, really like it! I didn't know what to expect after 'Hail to the Thief', but this die-hard fan is not disappointed!

The Big Dance

No, it's not March yet, but Tyler and I did go to the U of U Homecoming dance a couple of weeks ago (I'm a slacker for waiting so long to post). It was lots of fun. Tyler got me flowers (pretty pink gerbera daisies) and we dressed up. Jordan & Morgan came over after Ada went to bed and we went to the tower at Rice-Eccles Stadium. They had chocolate fondue fountains and a big screen that showed the music videos to all the songs they played. We had fun talking and dancing (even though they didn't play many slow songs). We hadn't done something like that for ages, so it was great to get out and go on a real date.

Abby

My youngest sister Abby goes to the MTC in less than two days. I'm excited for her because she's really looking forward to going, but I am very sad that she'll be gone for 18 months. She and Ada will hardly know each other when she gets home! She and I have always been very close and we have a lot in common. We always laugh a lot when we get together and like to play jokes on each other & the rest of our family members. Besides our brother, I'm the only one who seems to appreciate her humor. To quote my mom, she's "fixated in the anal phase". She is so funny and so much fun to be around. Abbay, I'll miss you a lot! I hope you work hard and have fun. I love you!