It's My Birthday and I'll Cry if I Want To...

Once again it's my birthday! I am another year older and wiser too. According to my mother, this year is significant because my birthday falls on a Monday and I was actually born on a Monday. In recognition of the blessed event I decided to post some pictures of birthdays past.

Presents!!! Yes please.

I like to party!

P.S. Since it is my birthday now would be an appropriate time to leave a comment especially if you never do!

Rockin' the Library!

Disclamer: Nerd Alert! I know but I am ok with that.
Fact: This weekend I was introduced to the wide world of wizarding rock. I had no idea that there was such a thing but apparently there is and it is huge. Don't believe me? Check this out.
Event: Saturday night "Harry and the Potters" performed live at the SLC Library with special guest "Draco and the Malfoys". It was seriously the awesomest concert I have ever witnessed. I don't know which band I liked better they were both so excellent. My favorite things about "Draco and the Malfoys" were that their opening song was "Party like your evil" and before every song they said "our next song is about this kid at Hogwarts who gets too much attention for his own good". For samples of their songs check out Draco and the Malfoys' myspace. I highly recommend the song "Potions Yesterday". My favorite thing about "Harry and the Potters" was the ridiculous amount of energy and enthusiasm they put into their music. They also had excellent songs especially "Save Ginny Weasley".
Evidence: This is a video of me and Clark at the concert to prove that we were there, we rocked and we bought the T-shirt!
Added Bonus: If you enjoyed this segment on Wizard Rock then here is another link you will enjoy. This is by far my favorite wizard rock song of all time (time being the last 2 days)... The Whomping Willows and their hit song "House called Awesome". It is a song about how the whomping willow wants to be sorted but he can't because he is a tree so he starts his own house and it's called "Awesome".

Well-Mannered Frivolity!

In recognition of the long awaited release of the seventh and final Harry Potter book I decided to pay tribute through blog. Last Saturday night, at 11:00 pm, my brother Clark and I joined the many Harry Potter fans at the U of U bookstore to receive our copy of the long anticipated book. We decided to take advantage of this opportunity to wear our Harry Potter outfits for what may possibly be the last time. Me in my Professor Trewlany glasses and Clark in his wizarding robes (he was crushed that he couldn't find his "Magical Me" book as a tribute to Professor Lockhart).

The Harry Potter Party at the bookstore was fantastic!! As soon as we walked in the door we were all sorted. I was sorted into the Ravenclaw house which we all know are known for their intellect (rightly sorted I believe). Then we received 5 galleons to spend on various activities such as wand making, butterbeer and Bertie Botts every flavor beans at the Hogshead Tavern, quidditch, face painting, Weasly's Wizard Wheezes, ect.

Brett, Aaron, Me, Clark and Steve.. all proud owners of the last Harry Potter book!

Some people couldn't wait to get home before they started reading. Steve read as he was driving us back to his apartment. I even read the entire first chapter out loud to Clark as he drove us home.

What you cannot see here is Brett because he is under the invisibility cloak!

Now I would like to take a moment to share some personal thoughts on the last and final Harry Potter book. I have to be honest here and say that I was a little disappointed. Not only because she killed off one of my

favorite characters but because the epilogue was incredibly chessy. Some may disagree but it kind of ruined the book for me. After giving it some more thought I have concluded that probably the main reason I was disappointed was because now the mystery and intrigue is over. There is nothing left to look forward to, nothing to try and figure out. This last book was bittersweet. I have enjoyed the fantasy that was Harry Potter. I guess I will just have to get on with my own life but what fun is reality?

We've Only Just Begun...

Last week I traveled back in time (or so it seemed) and went to Las Cruces, New Mexico. It was great to see some of my favorite friends of all times... Chacha, Sean E. Boy, Esmer, Lisa, Erika, Corby, James ect.
It was much like old times with the daily trip to Walmart and of course lots of movie watching. Thanks to Corby, we saw three movies in the theater over the course of two days and only paid for one of them: 1408- Freaky! Ratatouille- Lame! Harry Potter- Awesome!

During this trip I had the pleasure of going to the Gila Cliff Dwellings. I had never been before and it was quite spectacular. I have always felt that I was a Cliff Dwelling Indian in one of my past lives. That kind of stuff fascinates me.

Overall, pretty good trip. I think that James Davis said it best when he said, "Alina, I haven't thought about you once in 2 years and now that I see you I totally miss you!" The feeling is mutual with the exception that I actually do think about my New Mexican friends all the time.

A Jew? Here?

OK so I know this is totally random but it is seriously one of the most awesomest things I have seen in a while. To preface this wonderful discovery I would like to thank my fantastic home teacher Matt who not only concerns himself with my spiritual well being but also inspires me to branch out into discovering new musical genres which has truly enriched my life in more ways than one. It is like two of my most favorite things together... Hasidic Jews + Reggae music = the wonder that is Matisyahu.



And for all of those instant fans out there you are in luck... Matisyahu is coming to Salt Lake, August 16 on tour with 311! Does it get any better than that?

I Like To Cruise It, Cruise It...

Earlier this month we took a mini-cruise as a family for our yearly family vacation. And when I say "family" I mean what is left of it.... me, Clark, John, Taylor and of course mom and dad (someone's gotta pay). Since we have downsized in the family department, we invited our neighbors the Brincks. This mini-cruise included stops in San Diego, Catalina and Ensenada.

"And if a double-decker bus kills the both of us, to die by your side, the pleasure, the privilege is mine."






So before leaving for said mini-cruise we stopped at our Grandma Clark's house in Santa Monica for a pre-cruise "weigh-in". John's goal was to achieve a 10 lbs. weight gain during our one week cruise. Grandma thought this would be feasible thanks to the constant cruise buffet. After the cruise we went back to Grandma's to report. The result is evident in this picture...

... OK fine. Apparently Grandma's solar powered scale broke while we were on the mini-cruise due to water damage. But when we got there she said, "Don't tell John the scale is broken just have your camera ready". Well if that wasn't enough you should have seen my mom's face when she stepped on the scale. Priceless!

I Spent Last Night...in LOUISIANA!

The great thing about working in a year-round school is that I have a break about every nine weeks. During my last break I went to visit some of my favorite former roommates Erika, Mark and Brandino in New Orleans.
This is us on a swamp tour. The great thing about a swamp tour is that one is able to learn the definitions of many words such as: "camp"- a temporary living place, "residency"- a permanent living place, and "hollow"- empty inside. A very educational experience overall and yes we saw several alligators!

Since this was my first visit to the South we decided to do it right and we had a crawfish boil thanks to the "cuisenairey" expertise of Mark. First we played with the live crawfish, then we threw the little guys into a pot of boiling water and then we ate them.
It was fantastic!

To enhance my New Orleans experience Erika and I decided to take a ghost tour through the French Quarter. Much to our disappointment the ghost tour was... well let's just say that half way through Erika asks our tour guide..."Do you know where Brad and Angelina live?" Of course he did and it ended up being the highlight of everyone's tour. Unfortunately they were not home!