The Holy War

I am kinda sick of the whole Holy War thing. All the facebook statuses and comments and stupid remarks from players and fans alike. Utah fans will hold what Max Hall said against BYU for years, just like BYU fans probably would if a Utah player makes stupid comments as well. Yes, I admit they were stupid comments. But I didn't elect Max Hall to be the quarterback, and neither did the Lord. He should have been responsible about his words. But, I have had many experiences where I have thought the same about Utah fans. It's just too much. A healthy rivalry is fun. I have no qualms about getting riled up and having a good competition. In fact, it's one of my favorite things. I love rivalries, and I am a very competitive person by nature. But there is a limit - there needs to be a balance. Too often silly things like football games are taken far too far. People begin judging each other based on something trivial, and bad blood begins circulates ever stronger. It's like a virus, and all it spreads is unhappiness. I just wish we could all be adults about the stupid Holy War. After all, what does being good at football prove anyway? What does winning a game say about what kind of people we are? It says nothing, and I'm sick of being insulted by Utah fans because our quarterback offended them. We should all take a page out of Elder Bednar's book and choose not to take offense - this includes both BYU and Utah fans. We spend so much time worrying about the rivalry that we forget to have fun with it. That's what it's there for. It doesn't prove anything. In heaven I'm not going to get brownie points because I went to BYU, and the Utes aren't going to be better off because they went to their school of choice. In the end it's supposed to be fun and friendly. Not a war, and certainly not one that determines holiness. I know it sounds cheesy, but it's a question I often ask myself - why can't we all just get along?

Phew...now that's off my chest I can sleep. :)

Retraction

I would like to retract something from my previous post. The more I think about it, the more Transformers was terrible. Awesome action...no plot...too much crassness...lame. Should have been better. No wonder it didn't last very long in the theaters. Just thought that should be known...

I ain't a teenager no more

On June 15, 2009 Jennifer Anne Hardy was declared no longer a teenager! I officially entered the mystical world of young adulthood, but I find that I don't feel older...if anything, I feel younger somehow, like I don't quite fit my age anymore. Then again, that quiz on facebook did tell me that my true age was 6. That feels more right to me. At work the other day someone asked how old I was and I had to think a minute before saying 20. It's just another year, but I guess it's kinda a big deal.

For my birthday I was able to travel to LA to visit my brother and sister in-law, and on my actual birthday I got in to Disneyland for FREE! What are the odds that sort of thing would work out perfectly? I tell you what, wow. In addition to the wonders of Disneyland (where I got to ride all my very favorite rides, even Space Mountain twice thanks to my fabulous family, see Fantasmic, and eat a Mickey pretzel) that weekend we also went to the beach and played in Vegas for a bit. Scott took me out for my first sushi experience when we got home and I'm afraid I've been craving it ever since. The only things missing from my birthday were Mike, Alexis, and Maddux. It's just not right without them, and even though I had a fabulous time, I wish they could've been there. They were there in spirit for sure.

A normal day in the life of Jenny right now consists of KSL internship, then work, then home. Hopefully I squeeze a trip to the gym in there somewhere - Mom and I have decided to go daily, which means we'll probably wind up only going 3 or 4 times a week, at least at first. We'll get better, I'm sure. And a day in my life is not complete without Doctor Who in some fashion or another. I must confess, I am quite addicted. I managed to watch a couple of episodes today as well as numerous fan videos on youtube which I find extremely amusing. Most of them are just slideshows or quickly assembled clips to sappy songs, but there are a rare few that I actually love and are very well done. Some people have way too much time on their hands. Heaven knows that if I had more time I'd for sure be one of the many many nerds posting fanvids all over the place. It's quite a lot of fun for me, getting lost in a show like this. I love getting lost.

I saw Transformers 2 last night...I must say, I did not like it nearly enough as the first. Don't get me wrong, it was awesome - Optimus Prime rules. But it needed more down time, more character development. The action never stopped, which I know is what this movie was gunning for, but I felt there was just too much. It was extreme sensory overload. There's nothing wrong with that - it's just not my cup of tea I suppose. I loved how the first one had a small cast of transformers - I loved each of the Autobots and hated the Decepticons. I know lots of people wanted more robots - I feel this movie had just too many. All this said, it was a very entertaining, though unnecessarily dirty and with poor language, and definitely achieved its purpose of being an action packed exciting adventure.

I discovered after watching Transformers that I have been spoiled by Doctor Who. The beautiful thing about Doctor Who is that it's family friendly, has a strong moral center that I admire greatly, has fabulous writing and story, is full of action, gives the characters room to grow, and gives the actors fabulous roles and situations to bring to life. I know Doctor Who isn't perfect, and I know it's extremely odd, but it is fabulous in so many ways. If I could make films or shows like that, I would be more than content. All the dirty and dumbed-down stories thrown in to so many movies today are often unnecessary. Stuff like that isn't needed to be successful and is most certainly not needed to be meaningful. Regardless, I'll be the first to admit that a movie that's a little shallow on the plot side and just made for good, old-fashioned escapist entertainment is sometimes needed in life. And that's what Transformers and the like are for.

Geekness

So...I've found two new TV shows this summer that I absolutely love. The first is Road to Avonlea, which is basically a spin-off of Anne of Green Gables. It's a bit sappy at times, and not every episode is fabulously written, but it has a magic to it that I loved about Anne of Green Gables. The characters are interesting and lovable. It makes me want to more to Prince Edward Island. Really badly.

But then, thanks to Lucky Mather, I met the Doctor. Doctor who, you may ask? And I would say, exactly.

Doctor Who is my new favorite TV show. I have only seen series 2-4, which star David Tennant as the Doctor. He is fabulous! So talented. The Doctor travels through time and space and does what a doctor is supposed to do - helps people. It is such a fun show, and though there are flaws, I feel it is an entertaining, heartfelt series and the good stuff FAR outweighs the bad. It's produced by BBC and has a great team of writers that I wish I could work with. The Doctor travels in his ship, the TARDIS, usually with a companion. When I first saw Rose I was kinda 'meh' about her, then I grew to love her as a character. She and the Doctor's love story was so sweet. And then she was pulled away from him - saddest episode ever! Then came Martha, who I didn't like because I was mourning the loss of Rose. Then Martha was awesome, but she left. Not quite as sad as Rose leaving, but still. Then Donna came on full time, and I really didn't like her. But by the end of her season, she had the most powerful storyline and character, and now I'm sad she's gone too.

And I don't care what people say about the quality of the show - the writing, the ending of the fourth series, whatever - my personal opinion of these things is that I'd have them no other way. Even the one episode I didn't like, I still wouldn't entirely change. The thing I love most about the characters is not just their quirks and personalities but how they change throughout the series. The Doctor takes normal people, like Rose and Martha and Donna, and helps them become extraordinary and live up to their potential. Oh, how I wish I could travel with the Doctor! The entire cast and crew was and is great. Dedicated and passionate about their work. The only thing I'm sad about is that David Tennant has only a few specials left before the Doctor becomes someone else. Still, it was a fun run, and he was so crazy, so wild, so fun. And so lonely. He has friends - tons of friends, and many companions, but he has to watch them all leave, over and over again. He is never alone, but he always is. My favorite episodes so far are:

The Impossible Planet
The Satan Pit
Army of Ghosts
Doomsday
Human Nature
The Family of Blood
Blink (my very favorite)
Silence in the Library
Forest of the Dead
Midnight
The Stolen Earth
Journey's End

I know...I have lots of favorites... :)

This show brings out the geek in me, and I am proud of my geekiness. In fact, I have my own sonic screwdriver, just like the Doctor's, on the way. I love getting lost in a story, in a show, in a world that I can never live in but am allowed to through these characters. In fact, this is why I want to tell stories. Stories make life better.

Discoveries

I saw Terminator Salvation on Friday with some of the Hardys, and I must admit I was pleasantly surprised. I had read reviews that cast it in an unfriendly light, but I feel it deserved better ratings than what it was given. I thought the acting was great - Christian Bale is always great and Anton Yelchin has quickly become one of my new favorites since Star Trek. I thought the special effects were awesome, which is a major part of any Terminator movie. I have only seen the first two Terminators (edited versions) and I loved both of them. I found this new one a fun take on a familiar story line. However, it did have its flaws. There was not enough heart in it, though you can tell they tried. I never felt that Marcus Wright was truly torn between his human and machine parts. His conflict needed to be more predominant for us to really feel for him. The story feels a little recycled and predictable, but mixed up just enough to make it entertaining. I found it much more enjoyable than I expected.

Today I saw Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. I really liked it, though it was not better than the first one. I loved the first one and this was a fun continuation, but if they do another I think they should make it a bit more innovative story wise - it was plenty innovative on the special effects side. I loved Amy Adams as Amelia Earhart and Hank Azaria as Kahmunrah. They were by far the best parts. Adams continues to please me with her ability to nail a part, and I have always been a fan of the very funny, very talented Azaria. They were fine additions to the already great cast. I felt this installment was a bit more juvenile than the first, more for kids, but still very fun and entertaining. They did very well hitting the proper beats in the film - they obviously knew which parts were most meaningful thematically and made them keenly felt. My favorite visual effect was probably the black and white characters placed in a color world. The lighting and contrast was perfect and I was in awe the entire time. But Amy Adams by far trumps as my favorite part of the movie.

My newest discovery is Stephen Sondheim's musical comedy Company, about a man who is the only single person among his group of friends and examines their marriages to decide whether or not he should pursue ending his bachelorhood as well. The music is fabulous, as it always is coming from Sondheim, and story is understated yet powerful. I grabbed the DVD of this play off of the library shelf, thinking it might be an interesting diversion. Indeed it was, and I highly recommend it. Raul Esparza stars in it and does a wonderful job. The supporting cast is similarly wonderful and talented. My favorite songs are Company, Being Alive, Barcelona, and Marry Me A Little.

This Week in the Life of Jenny

This week I drove to and from Provo more than I think I did all Winter semester. I just finished my first complete week of work at BYU Independent Study on their video crew. This is the first job where I haven't been bored most of the time. I get to help shoot videos for Independent Study courses then edit them using Final Cut Pro. I hope to learn how to use Photoshop and Adobe After Effects while I work there too. You can do some amazing things with the right tools and know-how. The time moves quickly when I work, and I really like editing and going on shoots. It's very good experience as well.

This was also the third week of my internship with the KSL production department. I get to go on shoots with them as well, which I really enjoy. I have met some really neat and talented people while I've been there. They work with Avid editing machines there, and I'm learning how to use those too. I helped write and choose footage and sound for three spots for This Is The Place Heritage Park which will air throughout the summer. I've learned a great deal during my time there. I like the atmosphere a lot, and all the people that work there are great. They're very encouraging and helpful.

My sleeping habits have been terrible lately, but I don't entirely mind until I have to drive home from Provo. That gets a little sketchy. I have to play my music real loud and sing at the top of my lungs to stay awake. I'm sure I'm a sight to behold. I stay up late playing with Josh mostly - watching movies and X-Files and such. We enjoy ourselves. It's getting harder for me to face the reality that he is leaving on his mission. One of my best friends Lucky Mather is leaving very soon as well, and every time I think about it I get close to tears. Josh is my very best friend and I am starting to miss him already, and he doesn't leave until July 22nd. Just have to make the best of the time we have left, I suppose. He and Lucky are both going to be fabulous missionaries. I'm very excited for both of them at the same time that I am sad they're leaving.

Things I have been enjoying lately:

Dr. Pepper on a parched throat
Remington Steele, curled up in my room
Star Trek
X-Files with Josh
Inkdeath and Enna Burning in the bathtub
Long drives to great music, singing loudly
Galaxy Quest special features
Iceberg
Late nights with great friends
Sleeping in (rare, but fabulous)
Warm weather
Curling up on the love sac
Writing stories for fun
Summer movie season
Family

Photography Experimentation

Here are just a bunch of pictures I've taken while goofing off with my dad's fancy camera. I like to play around with them on photoshop-type programs and make them look cool. I have recently begun to develop photography as a hobby. I like capturing natural personality and emotion and I like playing around with color and exposure a little bit. I've been told that if I want to make movies I need to experiment a lot with a camera - so here we go! As you'll notice, most of the pictures are of my brother Josh. I'm not totally sure why. I guess I'm just around him a lot...