Plannns!

Since V will be MIA for the next week or so I'm trying to come up with ideas on what to post. And since I live somewhere where most of you don't (i.e. middle of nowhere Nebraska) I thought I'd introduce you to the Sandhills and our way of life. So get ready for one big master post coming Saturday (MARK YOUR CALENDARS PEOPLE). I'm going to take a bunch of pictures of the ranch and cattle and my dog and such and then make a movie (tentatively) because I love making movies and do a big write up on the history of the ranch. This should be interesting. I should probably start charging my camera now...

In the mean time, have a kitten. *awws*

I'm out to check cattle and document the experience. Byeeeeee

<3 Sara

Music Monday - Pick Me Up (literally)

Pick Me Up - Air Traffic Controller

when nonsense makes more sense - The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls

Title: The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls
Author: Claire Legrand
Rating: 4.8/5.0

"Victoria hates nonsense. There is no need for it when your life is perfect. The only smudge on her pristine life is her best friend Lawrence. He is a disaster—lazy and dreamy, shirt always untucked, obsessed with his silly piano. Victoria often wonders why she ever bothered being his friend. (Lawrence does too.)
But then Lawrence goes missing. And he’s not the only one. Victoria soon discovers that The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls is not what it appears to be. Kids go in but come out…different. Or they don’t come out at all.
If anyone can sort this out, it’s Victoria—even if it means getting a little messy."

This is one of the few books that I bought because I liked the cover on a whim. I had heard some good things about it on Goodreads and decided to buy it. After it shipped I looked a little deeper into the reviews and realized that it was written for a younger demographic than me. It was something that I would have read when I was in sixth grade. Needless to say I was worried that I'd wasted money on a book that was far too easy for me. I was afraid that the plot would not be complex enough. Once the book arrived I put it on its shelf where it stayed for three months. I was too afraid to open it on the chance that it would be awful.

Finally, a week ago, I got up the courage to try and read it. I wasn't expecting much at all. I was pleasantly surprised. From the first paragraph it was obvious that this was not your average middle-grade novel. The word choice is superb and is indicative of Coraline and The Mysterious Benedict Society. Once I got started I just couldn't stop.

Our heroine, Victoria Wright is our competent and likely heroine. She's the best at everything. Top of her class. Perfect hair. Perfect parents. Perfect house. Perfect city. Not so perfect friend. Well, friend is a loose term. More like project. Lawrence Prewitt, in Victoria's exact words, “...lived in a dreamer's world of ivory keys and messy shirts, unconcerned with the people around him.” And in a perfect town such as Bellview something as strange as Lawrence was not permitted. Victoria doesn't have time for friends. They slow you down. But something needs to be done with Lawrence. He's just not right and it's her job to fix him. He's obsessed with music, playing his piano whenever he gets the chance. He refused to look neat and tidy like the rest of the children. Instead, he walks hunched over, hands in his pockets, humming the tune of his favorite concerto. He's a freak. A degenerate.

But when that degenerate goes missing, it's his only friend's job to find him.

“Being nothing felt quite the same as being something. Maybe she had never been something at all.” 

Why doesn't anyone remember Lawrence? Why are his parents unconcerned with his disappearance?  And what is up with these black bugs? Victoria searches for the answer to these questions and realizes they all have one thing in common. The Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls.

Along with the beautifully written text comes some amazing illustrations by Sarah Watts. I really enjoyed them throughout the story. They brought it to life, adding a beauty and creepiness to the book.

moderate spoilers ahead: skip the following until the next red text

Now, let's talk about my likes and dislikes. Usually I start with the things I didn't like...but I can't really narrow any down. So we'll just jump right into things I liked. 

First thing I liked: I didn't dislike anything! It's always nice when you run across a book that you can't say anything bad about. So you're probably wondering, why the 4.8 rating then? Because it didn't do anything that jumped out at me. It wasn't like TFioS where I cried and felt all the emotions of Hazel Grace. There are no memorable quotes that will serve me later in life. But that also wasn't the point of the book. It's supposed to be creepy and crawly and it does just that. So 4.8 because it's still a children's book and...okay so it should probably be a 5.0. But I'm being stubborn and I hate giving out 5.0's.

Second thing I liked: The parallels between Victoria and Mrs. Cavendish. It was great to see the subtle hints given throughout the book showing just how similar these two were. You really hated what Mrs. Cavendish was doing. It was wrong and unwarranted  But what was so different between what she was doing with the kids and what Victoria was doing with Lawrence?

Third thing I liked: Speaking of subtle hints, I really liked how the author was able to keep it mysterious throughout the entire book. Everything that happened in the beginning tied into something at the end. The gofers for instance. Their eyes and the candy. That was creepy. The meat and the children. The puppets and the people. The garden and Vivian. 

Fourth thing I liked: The ending. It was very "Harry Potter-esc"seeing her all grown up on her way to visit Lawrence. It gave you the closure you needed without throwing it in your face. But we all know that the epilogue for Harry Potter was crap and that it was definitely not what we wanted. Admit it. You were hoping that Voldemort would come out of the train and steal Albus Severus Potter away and the trio would whip out their wands and it would start over again. Admit it. You know you wanted it. And that is where this book really triumphs. The author restarted it over again and left it open for interpretation. I absolutely loved it. It's so hard to end it and she did it with style. 

Fifth thing I liked: It had a subtle lesson!!! It teaches that being different is okay. Not everything has to fit into your, or everyone else's idea of normal. If everyone was the same then no one would care about anything. Society is mixture of everyone's tastes. That's what makes it so interesting to be alive. What you think is important is what is important to others. 

Now I could go on about the things that I liked about this book like it's innocent puppy love, or the imagery  or the length, or plot twists, or who knows what else. But I'll stop at five for the sake of length and keyboard cramps. 

you are safe now my children: no more spoilers from here on out

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was disturbing and beautiful at the same time. I found the plot to be intriguing and the characters very likable and unique. The author planned this book meticulously and it shows. Everything ties together perfectly. I would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting a creepy but not terrifying read. 

Parents: If you're a parent you may want to look it over to see if it's something you want your child reading. If I was ten years old, it would give me a few nightmares. There are also a few very disturbing parts that even I read with my mouth agape. But I don't really see anything wrong with a middle-schooler reading this. There's nothing obscene or overdone. 

If you were a fan of Coraline then the Cavendish Home for Boys and Girls is definitely up your alley. I recommend it with no reservations. It's a quick and easy read, but is definitely not unforgettable in any way. I'll be reading it again. 

behind the armor : Iron Man 3

Title: Iron Man 3
Director: Shane Black
Starring:  Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle
Rating: 3.8/5.0

"When Tony Stark's world is torn apart by a formidable terrorist called the Mandarin, he starts an odyssey of rebuilding and retribution."

 Let's just start by saying that Iron Man/Tony Stark is by far my favorite Marvel character. I love that he has no superpowers (like a lot of Marvel characters) and gets by on sheer determination and intelligence. I fell in love with Iron Man and have re-watched it many times. Iron Man 2 definitely fell short in my opinion. So when the third movie of the Iron Man franchise was announced I had high expectations along with serious doubts. I've never been able to shake the whole "Spiderman Franchise Dilemma" in which the first movie was brilliant, the second one was "meh" and the third movie was disturbing.

example number one

Anyway, that up there worried me. Would Iron Man 3 be just as awful? I'm glad to say that it wasn't. But I do have to say that it left a lot to be desired.

First, let's talk about the movie itself. In the first movie we saw Tony Stark become Iron Man. In the second we saw what all the fame did to Tony. In the third installment we see the inner struggle between the suit and the man inside it. We also see post-apocalypse New York Avengers Tony. He's having nightmares and anxiety attacks. He's paranoid and spends all his free time developing the suits. But just when you begin to think that Tony has finally gotten over his ego he goes and invites the world's newest terrorist to dinner. See below trailer: 

I don't want to give too much away so I'll stop there. Just know that it's not the best Marvel movie I've seen, but it definitely out-does Iron Man 2 (which isn't that hard). 

Okay. Now we get to the SPOILERS!!!

Let's begin with things I liked:

• The little kid and his love/hate relationship with Tony
• The premise of Tony going back to his roots
• The CG effects and set pieces
• Human Tony Stark
• The guy who played the Mandarin
• The flashback story with the botanist/evil lady
• All the easter eggs for the die-hard fans
• The ending with Banner was perfect
• RDJ's acting because he couldn't have done it any better

Things I did not like:

• The Mandarin getting a complete overhaul
• The botanist/evil lady turning good and then immediately getting shot (called that one)
• The lack of dedication when it came to writing (There was so much potential for this story. But they screwed it)
• Tony's half-assed character arc
• The total waste of such an amazing actor such as RDJ

While we're on things I did not like, let's talk about what happened to the Mandarin. When I saw that first teaser trailer, let me tell you, I was freaking excited. The Mandarin is the only magical foe that Tony ever faces. It's something that really tests his will in the comic books. He's not just going up against brute force anymore. He has to beat magic. But what happens in the movie? They take this really amazing and unique character and turn him into a joke. Don't get me wrong, it was a crazy twist and completely hilarious when Tony found out. But seriously? I didn't really feel like there was anything all that evil for him to fight. Also, the whole Pepper saving Tony was kinda weird. I'm not sure I feel about that yet. 

That being said, the effects were superb and RDJ sold every moment of the sub-par script. The humor was there, sometimes too much. I guess it kinda lost me at the end. But maybe it will be like the Hunger Games and come back into my graces. Only time will tell. 

What are your thoughts and opinions?

A few words (before I "disappear" again...)

Hi all, so this week is officially hell week (aka prom + Baccalaureate + packing + move out + senior dinner + graduation week). I am currently a little very much caught up in things. I shall be back promptly afterwards though--promise!

And since I already wrote something, let's just end this blogpost with a funny (and slightly inappropriate) picture:

xx

Vanessa :]

Tea party outfit ideas

Summer is fast approaching, and a great idea for spending summer afternoons is throwing (perhaps themed?) tea parties with friends and family. Some fun themes include Alice in Wonderland, good old nail-painting-and-tea-sipping girl time, High Tea, vintage tea parties (see Pinterest board for more).

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Some amazing outfits for tea parties are:

1. pastel blushing pink dress

this dress is very simple yet cute and absolutely elegant. Just imagine wearing it, lounging around the porch with a cup of Early Grey in hand. Pair with some metallic silver flats or gold strappy sandals and it'll be gorgeous!

2. emerald and white striped shirt

this shirt is, again, a simple design, but very classy and definitely comfy (the fabric is soft as a baby's skin!!) What I love about this shirt is its color. You don't see emerald green striped shirts very often, do you? Pair with distressed jean shorts to dress down and lace shorts or chino shorts to dress up.

3. button-up shorts

Something you have to know about me: I adore buttons on shorts. ADORE. They're just sooooo adorable!!!!

4. Mesh mint dress

beautiful color, sexy dress--need I say more? ;)

Happy summer! Throw awesome tea parties, be beautiful, and have a heck lot of fun!

xx

Vanessa :]

Okay, so first I'm gonna talk about graduation :D

I graduated last Saturday. It was amazing!!! Our graduations work a bit differently than most people's because we're a small school. The ceremony itself only takes around 15 minutes, but we drag it out to around 45 minutes just to make it worth the time. The rest of it is about the same as yours is (minus the fact that there's only 17 of us so the walk in is pretty quick).

My gorgeous class :D

My best friend Hannah (left) and me!

The only thing that we did differently this year was a special flower. Because there's only seventeen of us we have a lot of time to kill, so we do a flower ceremony where we all run around the gym and give flowers to important people in our lives. Moms, grandmas, aunts, cousins, sisters, etc. This year we did something a bit different. Last year one of our classmates died from muscular dystrophy  His mom and brother came to the ceremony so after everyone got done with our flowers we went to the back of the gym where she was sitting and presented her with a flower in honor of Trevor. It was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. He was a great kid who deserved a much longer life.

But enough sad (sorryyyyy). It was a really great time. I got to see all most of my family that I hadn't seen in ages. We had a pre-graduation party at my house the night before with all my parents close friends and family. It was great. My cousin has triplet girls who are in fourth grade and they were quite the handful. And then once everyone finally left (around 2 a.m.), Dad and I stayed up talking until 4 a.m.. We had a moment :')

Anyway, that's my excuse update since I hadn't posted in forever!

Plus!!!! no more tests :DDDDD

<3 Sara

I'm alive!

Heyyyyyy...so I've been kinda MIA for like two weeks, and I'm really sorry about that. It was graduation week and it's been crazy stressful (like i lost five pounds stressful).

Me this entire week.

But I'm back now and I've got tons of stuff to write about :D
I've got a movie review of Iron Man 3 coming up, as well as a book review! Plus I just got my computer back and I can actually access the internet again on something other than my phone and my mom's ancient PC.

More Gatsby Awesomeness!!

The Great Gatsby Official Soundtrack from holdenshuntinghat on 8tracks Radio.

xx

Vanessa :]

Momento Mori: The Great Gatsby (2013)

 

Title: The Great Gatsby

Language: English

Year: 2013
Director: Baz Luhrmann
My Rating: 5/5

"The Great Gatsby" follows Fitzgerald-like, would-be writer Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) as he leaves the Midwest and comes to New York City in the spring of 1922, an era of loosening morals, glittering jazz, bootleg kings, and sky-rocketing stocks. Chasing his own American Dream, Nick lands next door to a mysterious, party-giving millionaire, Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), and across the bay from his cousin, Daisy (Carey Mulligan), and her philandering, blue-blooded husband, Tom Buchanan(Joel Edgerton). It is thus that Nick is drawn into the captivating world of the super rich, their illusions, loves and deceits. As Nick bears witness, within and without of the world he inhabits, he pens a tale of impossible love, incorruptible dreams and high-octane tragedy, and holds a mirror to our own modern times and struggles."

Done in Luhrmann's iconic theatricality, the Great Gatsby is one gem/explosion/firework/insert noun describes something spectacular of a film. From beginning to end, the film is loaded with drama, symbolism, extreme attention to details, and the pursuit of perfection.

Set in 1922, as the plot summary says, "an era of loosening morals, glittering jazz, bootleg kings, and sky-rocketing stocks," every scene is done with glimmer to the max. The extravagant party scenes, Gatsby's mansion, the trips to New York City, everything is purposefully over-the-top, overwhelming the audience with as much amazement as disgust towards their lavish ways of life.

Two personal highlights: 

- the cinematography

Okay, I gotta admit, this is a bit way too broad, but the cinematography is so excellently unconventional or unconventionally excellent (you could say both, really) I have to mention it. The angle from which the camera films is at times deliberately unusual, and fantastically genius. One example is when Carraway is invited over to the Bucchanan's for dinner. The dinner is mostly shot from overhead, the camera gliding over the table over and over as the dinner carries on. Bits of conversation (mostly gossip) "floats" in the background, giving the audience just enough information to keep up with the story without wasting time on unnecessary minutia. 

- symbolism of the green light

I loved this theme when I read the book two years ago (which I believe I should certainly revisit over this summer). The green light, anchored right at the front of the Bucchanan household, is the source of Gatsby's endless hope and motivation. When he stares at the green light night after night, he sees not the light but Daisy, the potential of their past and future. He sees hope--but unattainable hope. Once he and Daisy spark up the old flames, the hope is, in essence, lost. Once the hope is gone, there is nothing to keep Gatsby going, and greed makes him yearn for ever more. At the end of the movie, Carraway stares at the green light, still blinking unchanged, through the bay fog, despite Gatsby's death; he sees what Gatsby must have seen in that thin beam of light, and realizes how much has been forever lost.

A few beautiful GIFs to end this post!

xx

Vanessa :]

Me Gusta! Molecular Gastronomy

As y'all probably know already, I am an absolutely true die-hard foodie, meaning I have a burning passion for all things food-related, such as cooking, eating (binging and food-sampling are both welcome), drinking, etc.

This term I am taking an organic chemistry course at school. The course is called the Chemistry of Food, which is essentially four periods per week of intense cooking and learning about the chemistry behind the cooking! How EXCITING, I know.

insert Monica Geller's I KNOW! face

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Anyhow, our most recent project (after making ice cream, marshmallow, mozzarella cheese, and chocolate mousse, all from scratch!) revolves around the forever-fascinating topic of molecular gastronomy, aka molecular cuisine. For those of you who aren't familiar with the term, consult Wikipedia. Or here's my (perhaps incorrect) explanation/definition: a food science that breaks the conventional understanding and tastes/textures of food. If you ever get the chance to go to a good molecular cuisine restaurant, it will be more like visiting a lab. You will get to taste spectacular things such as lobster foam, or cocktails in jelly-like spheres. 

For a Me Gusta! (:P) effect, here's a picture that I found online of a sphere cocktail:

(source)

In class, we made raspberry raviolis, and honey caviar, using a technique called spherification, which reconstructs the molecular structure of some of our every day food items. 

Here are some pictures of these yummy dishes:

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Right now the class is split up into multiple two-people groups, each working on an independent project focusing on a specific molecular cuisine dish. My partner (and best friend ;) and I are making s'mores spaghetti! The other groups are making things such as transparent potato chips, mango foam, etc. There are also some non-molecular groups that are working on creating root beer, strawberry mochi (I tried their test batch yesterday, yummmmmmmm), and the like.

Next Friday we are presenting for our school's Science Soiree, and my partner and I are serving s'mores spaghetti on graham crackers! From trying out or test batch, I can positively guarantee you that the tasting experience is like none other: your tastebuds tell you that this is s'mores (meaning chocolate and marshmallow!! :D), but your tongue tells you you're eating spaghetti! The combination of the two sensations confused and amazed me to no end.

If what I've rambled about above interests you, go Google some molecular cuisine recipes! Some of them are easy--you can make them at home! Cooking is always fun for me, and extremely relaxing. Or better yet, if you find a good restaurant that features molecular cuisine, I promise you it's going to be money well spent. Go ahead and feast your sensations.

Happy weekend!

xx

Vanessa :]

What's your biggest change this past year?

Okay, I guess this question is more applicable for those of you reading who are still in school. As the end of the school year draws near (or, for some public schools and colleges, has already happened), I want to challenge you to this question: What's your biggest change this past (school) year?

How have you changed? How have you become a better person? How have you changed other people, for better or for worse? 

Are you proud of the changes? Of who you are now?

(And yes technically what I'm doing here is called cheating because I basically just bombarded you with questions. But but but!! All of these tie back to the main question in the title—what's your biggest change this year?)

Let's hear it (them?).

xx

Vanessa :]

Graduation Planning!!!

Guess who forgot to hit the "Publish" button? That's right. It's fashion Saturday again everybody :D

It's almost graduation time (I'm sure you're sick of me saying this)!!! And there are things that everybody needs:

1. A diploma
2. Money
3. Graduation gifts for friends and enemies
4. More money
5. DRESSES

I'm a huge dress wearer (even though I don't get to do it very often). I love buying dresses for no reason at all. But graduation is definitely a good reason to go shopping. So I've picked out my top three dresses for graduation:

Number One: 

Strapless Chiffon High-Low Dress from debshops.com

I love high-low dresses so much and this one looks really comfy. And even better yet? It's only $29.50! That's a steal
















Number Two:

Chiffon floral-embroidered dress from madcloth.com

This dress is beautiful. I'd never wear it but I can think of a few people who would look gorgeous in it. But...the catch is that it's $115. And if you're going to college and you're paying for it yourself that might be an issue. Still amazing, and it'd make a good homecoming dress.
I found this one in Teen Vogue and I would like to point out that the title of the article ironically is:
"20 Graduation Dresses under $200. These pretty dresses are just right for your big day and won't break the bank." You know how many books I could buy with $115 right?

Number Three:

Floral A-Line Dress from forever21.com

And making our way back towards affordable ($22) is F21 with this gorgeous piece. I love floral and I love this style.