Top Ten Movie & Music Combinations That Give Me Goosebumps

Let's be honest first. When I say give me goosebumps, I mean make me cry like a little baby. I cry all the damn time, not just when I'm sad, but all the time. When something is sentimental, or really happy, or really conflicting, or obviously very sad. Music is one of the most important things in my life, and when you pair one of these sentimental/happy/conflicting/sad scenes with good or beautiful music, I will cry forever.

Here is my very carefully thought out list of my top ten movie or television scenes that accomplish this. Obviously I have more than ten - these were just the ones I could think of at this time.

Warning -There will be spoilers. I will try to warn you before each one if it contains spoilers.


10. The ending of Interview With the Vampire
SPOILERS
I love Anne Rice, and her book Interview With the Vampire was one of my favorite's of hers. The movie was also very good. It was released in 1994 and stars Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, Kirsten Dunst, Christian Slater, and Antonio Banderas. The ending was just perfect, the way we see the elusive Lestat one more time, and how it is paired with "Sympathy For the Devil". Unfortunately it does use the Guns N Roses version of the song rather than the Rolling Stones, but it still works quite perfectly.

9. The car accident scene from the movie "Crash"
SPOILERS
This scene is beautiful for a number of reasons. It redeems Matt Dillon's character for his previous crimes, both in the audience's eyes, and the eyes of the woman he treated with so little respect. The addition of Mark Isham's beautifully written score makes this scene a jaw-dropper. Mark Isham is one of my all-time favorite composers, he captures the mood of a scene so well.

Here is the clip from Crash, there is another clip before it, so if you would like to skip right to the scene I am talking about, it starts at about 3:45.

8. The opening scene of Donnie Darko
Donnie Darko will always be one of my favorite movies. Not only is the musical score as haunting as the film itself, but Richard Kelly's choice of music to use in the movie is equally as haunting. I love the opening scene because it starts with Michael Andrews' score, and then suddenly changes into "The Killing Moon" by Echo and the Bunnymen. This clip isn't the best, you can tell it is slightly sped up, because the music is in a higher key. But it is the only one I could find. It is a clip of the whole first part of the movie, but the part I am talking about is only the first 4 minutes.

7. "Cell Block Tango" from Chicago (the movie version).
There are tons of scenes in the film Chicago that give me goosebumps, but the Cell Block Tango tops them all. I don't have to explain it, just watch it and you'll see why...

6. Bella Reborn
SPOILERS
Now I know all you Twilight haters out there are rolling your eyes, but this scene actually is quite beautiful. Bella has just died (a horrific death I might add) after giving birth to her daughter, and Edward tried to save her by injecting vampire venom into her. It appears he was too late, and everybody believes her to be dead. We then see her start to transform, and I believe they did a very good job with this scene. I never was a mega Twihard, I didn't like the first movie at all, and my friends had to actually beg me to read the books before I ever did. I did enjoy the second movie, and the third, but this scene is the one that got to me the most out of the whole franchise (until I saw Breaking Dawn Part 2...). You see this painfully awkward girl that makes you at times just cringe, die a terrible death, and then transform into this beautiful strong and fierce creature. Pairing it with Carter Burwell's beautiful score, and it brought me to tears. I'm pathetic, I know.You don't have to tell me. Really. I know how pathetic I am. I'm a sucker for a beautiful piano piece and a romance story.

5. A bike ride in the sky with E.T.
Stephen Spielberg said that when he created E.T. he was creating what his childhood dream looked like. This clip makes it easy to see how this could be anybody's childhood dream. E.T. has been one of my favorite movies since I knew how to watch a movie. John Williams is and always will be my favorite composer, and this scene is just classic Williams. If you haven't seen the movie, seriously. What the hell is wrong with you? Do it now.

4. Battle of Hogwarts
SPOILERS
In the last Harry Potter film,  we witness the battle of Hogwarts, and the destruction of everything we know and love and that is good in the world. I actually bawled through this whole movie, it wasn't just this scene. But I actually cried a little bit harder at this one. In this scene we witness the Death Eaters blowing Hogwarts apart. We also see the death of Lavender Brown (I didn't like her anyway), and then we see Aberforth Dumbledore cast one hell of a patronus. Put it all together with Alexandre Desplat's almost funeral-ish theme, and it truly does seem like the death of an era. I live and breath Harry Potter. I will never love any book series or characters more than I love Harry, Ron and Hermione, and this scene truly made me realize that the days of waiting in line at midnight for the new book to come out, and then waiting in line at midnight for the new movie to come out, turning pages frantically at 3 in the morning to find out what happened next... they were gone, and this was how they were going to end. Sorry if I'm getting sentimental. I just really love Harry Potter.

3. Moulin Rouge
SPOILERS
So if I could, I would put the entire movie Moulin Rouge on here, but that would be a really long clip. My all-time favorite scene is the ending music scene, but I can't find a clip of it for the life of me. I included the clip of "El Tango de Roxanne" because it is quite an amazing scene. Imagine trying to get however many couples are in this scene to tango in sync with each other? It baffles my mind. The music in this movie is incredible, and every part of it gives me goosebumps.

I am also including an audio only version of the scene at the end that I like the most. It is all I could find, and I wanted to include it anyway. The beginning part is Satine (Nicole Kidman) singing to Christian (Ewan McGregor) telling him that she really does love him, and his singing response is him forgiving her, all in front of an audience for a play Satine was supposed to be performing. It really is an incredibly beautiful scene.

2. The Titanic Sinking
I think we all know the Titanic sank, so I'm not going to mark this one as a spoiler.
If you know me at all, you know what my all-time favorite movie is, and it's Titanic. One of the main things that draws me to the film is the music, how it can be beautifully romantic one moment, and horrifying and heartbreaking the next. James Horner (another favorite composer of mine) does a wonderful job capturing the terror and pain that these people felt as the ship was sinking. This part in the score never fails to bring  tears to my eyes.

1. The Finale of the HBO Series Six Feet Under.

While I am not going to show you the actual series finale to the show Six Feet Under, I will play a clip of a trailer for the fifth season, which uses the same song that is used in the ending scenes.

Six Feet Under was a show created for HBO by Alan Ball (creator of True Blood). It was 5 seasons long, and its story was based around the Fisher family, who owns and runs a funeral home. The ending of the series, at the end of the 5 years, was one of the most thought out, and incredibly beautiful endings I have ever seen for anything, movie or television. If you have not seen this series, I HIGHLY recommend watching it (which is why I am not going to show you the real ending). The show changed my view on life, and I cannot say that about a lot of things.

The song used is "Breathe Me" by Sia.

That is all.


For now.

Fangirl much?

So apparently Fan Community Nicknames are a popular thing now, there always was the Trekkie (and still is)... but for a while that was pretty much the only one people ever heard. Today I realized that without even knowing it, I belong to a lot of these Fan Communities.

I am a...

Backie (Back to the Future)
Ghosthead (Ghostbusters)
Warsie/Jedhead/Fandalorian (Star Wars)
Potterhead/Potterite/Potthead/D.A (Harry Potter)
Ringer (Lord of the Rings)
Twilighter/Twihard/Team Edward (Twilight)
Tribute/Mockingjay/Team Peeta (The Hunger Games)
Team Coco (Conan O'Brien)
Dunderhead (The Office - U.S)
Leaper (Quantum Leap)
Lostralian/Lostaway/Lostie (Lost)
MSTie (MST3K - Mystery Science Theater 3000)
Robot Skeleton Army (Craig Ferguson)
Cortexifan (Fringe)
Trekkie (Star Trek)
Trubie/Team Eric (True Blood/Charlaine Harris book series)
Whoser (Whose Line is it Anyway?)
Unsullied (GoT fan who hasn't read the entire book series, the opposite of Bookwalker)
Beatlemaniac (The Beatles)
Areaologists (David Bowie)
Spuds/Beautiful Mutants/Devotees (Devo)
Ledhead/Zephead (Led Zeppelin)
Muser (Muse)
Boingoloid (Oingo Boingo)
Gianthead (They Might Be Giants)
Candy Cane Children (The White Stripes)
Wholigan (The Who)
Cheesehead/Packer-Backer (Green Bay Packers)


I think the Fringe one might just be the most clever.



P.S. Happy Thanksgiving.

Hey Soul Sister

WARNING: The following blog post will be really long. That is all.

So, first I'd like to say that I hate that song... the "Hey Soul Sister" one. But it fits for this blog entry.

Now that that's out of the way...

So I have always been a very shy person... how I ever made any friends at all baffles me, but I made some good lifelong ones in elementary, middle, high school, and college that have changed my life. This story is about a series of strange coincidences leading up to a friendship that changed my life in the best ways possible.

I have always been a musical person, and always loved to sing. I was always in choir, but I was always too shy to sing in front of people. One day in 6th grade my music teacher did a test where we all had to sing a song in private with her and she gave us a grade on it. I was incredibly nervous, I have never sung in front of anyone by myself before. So I did it and sang for her and she sent me back to class. A little while later she contacted my parents and said that she wanted to nominate me to attend some conference choir in Cleveland, Ohio that was I believe through MKMEA, which is the Midwest Kodaly Music Educators of America? Maybe that's what it was called? It was 11 years ago people. Anyway, the people from this organization send me a tape (yes, a tape) of a woman singing these songs, and then the sheet music to all of them with my part highlighted. Over the summer I was supposed to memorize these songs by myself and then attend a conference in September and perform them with a full choir, with only one day to practice together. I hesitated, but I practiced almost every day, because I loved singing so much.

Finally it came time to actually attend the conference. My parents paid the couple hundred dollars or whatever it was to go, and I started to feel sick. I kept telling my Mom I didn't want to go, I wasn't going to know anybody, I would be one of the only people from Wisconsin there, only 2 other people from Wisconsin had been selected to go. I finally talked my parents into letting me bring my cousin Jasmine along so I would have someone there that I knew, and we left to make the long drive to Cleveland.

The closer we got to Cleveland the sicker I felt. I hated meeting new people... I was terrible at making friends, and what if they made me sing in front of other people? We finally got to the hotel in downtown Cleveland, which was very tall and scared me a lot (this was the end of September, 2001). We parked in the parking garage and carried all of our stuff to the elevator leading us to the hotel lobby. The doors started closing when we heard "Wait!" and we saw a family rushing towards the elevator towards us. It was a Mom and Dad who looked to be close to my parents age, and a young blonde girl who looked to be close to my age. In the elevator our parents got to talking and we found out that they were from Wisconsin too... one of the other 2 people invited to go! I remember being shy around this girl, but our parents kept jabbering away talking about where we were all from and introducing us all to each other. We checked in to our room and eventually I had to go down to the first meeting with the full choir, by myself. No Jasmine there to comfort me. I went down to the crowded room, where groups of kids were huddled together, some joking around and laughing, and others singing their parts to our songs. It was a mixture of boys and girls. Finally I found the girl I met in the elevator, and she refreshed me on her name (I'm terrible with names) Jamie. We started talking and learning things about each other. I learned that she had a brother and a sister, but they didn't come with to Cleveland, she learned that I was an only child. I learned that she was from a small town in Wisconsin called Lomira, and she learned that I was from Appleton, which were only about an hour drive away from each other. I found her very easy to talk to for someone I just met (not sure if she thought the same about me... I probably didn't say too much), and immediately became proud of myself. I made a new friend! The group finally got together and we ended up doing some song exercises and stuff to get to know each other, the whole time Jamie and I stuck together.

I'm really bad at remembering the timeline of everything that happened that weekend, but I don't really remember what else we did the first night there. The second day we were there, we made plans with Jamie's family to eat at the Hard Rock Cafe. The whole time we were at dinner Jamie, Jasmine and myself kept goofing off and joking around with things. Like we knew each other the whole time. I remember we kept putting packets of sugar in our Coca-Cola, because we wanted to be more hyper.

I also remember at one point going to the hotel gift shop and all buying matching necklaces, which I still have :).

That night we roamed the hallways of the hotel causing trouble. At one point asking a group of guys for change so we could all buy sodas.

We then had our concert, which was incredibly beautiful, and I didn't even have to sing in front of anybody by myself. It was in a huge cathedral, probably one of the biggest ones I have ever been in, and we rocked it. That night they had a celebratory dinner for the singers and their families. My family and Jamie's family got a table together and we accidentally set a basket of napkins on fire (kind of a big fire) and caused a big scene. Jamie and I were jumping up in the air screaming, while Jamie's mom tried putting it out.... they came around and took everybody's table candle away after that.

After our fun-filled weekend was over, we said a sad goodbye to each other and our families parted ways. Before leaving the city, we decided we had to visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which was amazing. On our way out of the Hall of Fame, who do we run into? But Jamie and her family! We said one more sad goodbye and parted ways once more.

We were then driving for a couple of hours and were getting close to being back in Wisconsin... I think we might have been in Illinois. We decided to stop at a rest station, and who do we meet inside? Jamie and her family! Again!!! We decide then that our friendship is meant to be, and AGAIN... say one more goodbye before parting ways. A while later on the road, who do we pass on the Highway? JAMIE AND HER FAMILY!!! Seriously, it was getting creepy.

After we got home our lives went on as normal, except Jamie and I started writing letters to each other, and then she invited me to her Birthday party!

Jasmine (left) Jamie (right)

Top row: Jasmine, Me, Kelly, Kimmy, Katie (Jamie's sister), Lori, Jake, Kayla
Bottom row: Robert, Jamie, David, Tim (Jamie's brother)

After that, Jamie and I were constantly making our parents drive us to and from each other's houses. We ended up establishing an American Girl store in Oshkosh as "the meeting point" and always met there. Our friendship just grew and grew...

Jamie and my friend Cassie at my house

Me and Jamie

Me at one of Jamie's plays

Me and Jamie and her dog Ike

Jamie and I dancing

Katie (Jamie's sister), Me, and Jamie

Osama's Mamas

Jamie and I singing Karaoke (I guess I finally got over my fear of singing in front of people!)

Me, Jamie, and Cassie

It was amazing how much meeting Jamie has changed my life. I was suddenly a part of her family, and she was a part of mine. We stopped calling each other 'best friends' and started calling each other 'soul sisters' instead. Because that's what we are, we are sisters that found each other because our teachers decided to send us to some choir conference that I can't even remember the name of. We never got in a fight, she has never said anything cruel or hurtful to me, nor would she. I have never done this to her. I've always been bad at expressing my feelings and my emotions, so she may not realize how much she means to me and how much she has changed me for the better. Each of us has gone through our own obstacles and troubles, but we have gone through a lot together too. Helping each other through break ups, deaths of people in our lives,  school, college, family issues... and eventually... baby issues! :)

When Jamie called me to tell me that her and her fiance Travis were going to have a baby, I cried! (Not a big surprise there... I cry for everything. I get teary-eyed when I have to say goodbye to Jamie. I cried when she graduated high school for crying out loud.) I was so scared, and happy, and excited for her! When baby Amelia came into the world I saw a whole other side of my friend... a mother!

And I got to be Auntie Toni :)

Now, both of us are with wonderful, amazing guys (who get along just as well with each other, as Jamie and I do). Travis and Dan are hilarious, and when the 4 of us (5 including miss Amelia!) get together, I laugh so hard I either pee my pants or throw up.

Not really, I don't do either, that's gross. But I do cry.

Dan, Travis, Me, Jamie and baby Amelia, right after she was born.

Being an only child, I never really understood the closeness between two sisters, or two siblings. Thanks to Jamie, I do understand. While she does have a sister and brother of her own (who I love both to death) I will still always think of my time spent with Jamie as that sisterly experience I never got to have. 

Jamie and I with some friends and the band Lucy's Revenge

At one of our favorite restaurants

Me, Travis, Jamie, Amelia and Katie on another one of Jamie's birthdays!

So I guess I just wanted to say, thank you Jamie, for being there for me, for helping me through all the rough times, for being just the incredibly fun, caring, and loving person that you are. I don't know what I would do without you, and I sure don't ever plan on finding out.

I love you soul sister!

Hallo-WHAT???

HALLOWEEN!

I was looking for costumes online and I came across a large selections of assorted masks... and the pictures of them are HILARIOUSSSSSS so I wanted to share some with you all.

The Crying Baby

A bit creepy...but I still laugh every time I look at it! I would love to see it on a really really fat guy!

The "Gaylien"

The WHAT??? 

The American Pride Eagle

I'm proud to be a 'Merican, where at least I know I'm free to wear a mask that looks like a fetus.

Darth Maul

Okay, So Darth Maul isn't always funny looking... but this guy is just making a hilarious facial expression. It kind of looks like an Eric Wareheim face...

The Goat Man

I think the background just makes this picture even more special.

The Governator

Creepier than in real life! We guarantee! 

And finally.... last but certainly not least. My personal favorite...

The Unicorn Head Piece

No words. 

And I approve this message...

So early voting has started. For some of you, that may mean nothing, but for a lot of people, that means you can vote early and beat the crowds on election day. I won't be able to, because the municipal clerk's office is only open during the time I'm at work (jerks) so I will probably have to wait in line forever on election day and vote after an already long day of work I'm sure. Even though it may seem like a pain in the butt, you really need to go and do your part and vote. No matter what. Seriously, it's like... really important (and I try not to use the word "like" a lot. That's just how important this is).

Let me just say that this post is not endorsing any candidate in particular... some of you may know which way I typically lean, but this post is not about that. I really just want all of you to really THINK about your choice. THINK about what each person can do for you... EDUCATE yourself. That is definitely the most important thing in this election, is educating yourself on each candidate, and thinking about which one may be the best for you and your family.

Some big issues to think about that may be important to you (and are important to me):

Gay Marriage.
Are you for gay marriage? Or do you think marriage should be defined as being between a man and a woman? Barack Obama is PRO gay marriage. Mitt Romney is AGAINST gay marriage.
Because I have very close family members and friends who are gay, this is a no brainer for me. I have to side with Obama.

The Economy.
Whose plan do you think will best fix our economy? Neither candidate has really enlightened us 100% on everything they plan on doing to fix the economy. One big thing Barack Obama is planning on doing to help fix the economy is by raising taxes on the upper class. He has a lot more things in mind that he believes will help the economy, just go on his website and EDUCATE YOURSELF. Mitt Romney is planning on keeping the taxes the same for everybody, but does plan on making cuts to things like PBS, and Planned Parenthood.  Romney also has a lot of steps in his plan, like Obama, so go on his website too and EDUCATE YOURSELF!
I'm not good at economics, so if I'm speaking in all honesty, I have no idea who's plan would work better. I suck at math. I would be a terrible president.

Healthcare.
Obviously Obama is proud of his own Obamacare, where Mitt Romney swears that he will repeal it.
Obamacare consists of a number of different things (again, go on either candidate's website to read about it) including perks like...
People up to the age of 26 can stay on their parent's healthcare plan (which helps me a ton).
Insurance agencies are no longer allowed to turn you away for pre-existing conditions (which helps a lot of people in my family tons).
You are not forced to give up the current plan that you are on if it is working well for you.
Every single person HAS to have health insurance no matter what.
Along with a lot of other things, some you may like, some you  may not.

There are many more issues that need to be discussed like Foreign Policy, Woman's Rights, the Environment... The point is, go to each person's website:

Obama : www.barackobama.com
Romney: www.mittromney.com

And learn a thing or two before you cast your ballot.

I do have to mention one more thing.

STOP HATING ON EACH OTHER!
Quit using hateful words on Facebook (because you're too much of a pansy to say it to someone in person), using hateful bumper stickers, having hateful conversations at work (other people hear you), just quit hating the other political party. They are people too.

The other day I was put into an odd situation. Many of you know I lean more towards the liberal side, although I do have an open mind and am very willing to hear both sides. Dan and I witnessed a hit in run, and it happened in front of a gun shop. We stuck around because we were witnesses to talk to the police, and one of the gun shop employees, she was very nice and hospitable, ushered us inside the shop because it was cold outside. When Dan and I walked inside there were stacks and stacks of bumper stickers, very hateful bumper stickers against liberals and Barack Obama (nothing promoting Mitt Romney or providing any alternative... just flat out hatred towards the opposition). There were also huge Tea Party flags hung all around the shop (along with automatic assault weapons... which may not have anything to do with it, but they still scared the hell out of me). I couldn't help thinking to myself, that this woman, who has been very kind and nice to us... if she found out anything at all about Dan and I, about who we are as people... she would hate us. I know the owners of that store would hate us. And it is just scary to think about (especially since they have access to so many guns). Just don't hate you're fellow humans because they have different views than you. I refuse to hate that woman because of her store, hating her would bring me down to her level, which is one I don't want to be one.

So if you hear that someone is a Democrat and you are a Republican or vice versa, instead of arguing, have a civilized debate about the economy, or gay rights, or planned parenthood, or whatever you want. And keep an open mind. I have a lot of friends and family members who have different political views than me, and I don't think any less of them. I even don't mind Mitt Romney that much. I may disagree with him on some issues, but that doesn't make me hate the guy. He actually seems like a decent guy, I just think he needs to stick to his own beliefs and stop playing for those who are donating to his campaign, but then again, every politician does that. Even Democrats.

I'm Toni, and I approve this message.

More Pinterest ideas that I think kind of suck!

Again, like my previous post with similar content, I must say that there are so many good ideas on Pinterest!!  But there are a lot of dumb ones too, and I just wanted to share a couple with you once more.

The caption below the image says, "A surprise beer cake waiting where the groomsmen get ready. Haha :)"

So there are a lot of things wrong with this pin. First of all being that it is shitty beer. If you want to please the groomsmen, get them something worth drinking.

Second, what bride on this great green Earth would want their groom and all his groomsmen totally loaded before the ceremony?? In my opinion, afterwards they can drink all the beer they want, but during the ceremony I'd rather not have some idiot men ruining MY damn moment, belching, or giggling, or puking or doing other gross drunk man things. Unless your drunk too... and everybody else is drunk, that would be one  hell of a ceremony.

The caption below the photo reads "For anyone who is EVER getting married - this site has AMAZING photo ideas!!"

I'd like to see what other photo ideas are on this site. Is there on of all the groomsmen taking a leak together? That would surely be a moment to capture. 

Ahh.... I don't know. I think I don't really need to explain why this costume idea made it on my list of bad ideas. I don't know why I hate it so much... I just really really really really really really do.

Okay, so this one isn't really a "bad idea" like the others, it is more a "get your head out of your ass" kind of thing. This was included on a strip of images claiming to be fun facts. I looked into this, and no, it is not true. So to all you people out there who are re-pinning this, it is making you look really dumb. http://www.snopes.com/movies/other/mgmlion.asp

Way to waste a crap load of olive oil (it would take more than one bottle to fill that up), and ruin a picture at the same time (a cheaply printed photo would not last sitting in oil).

That's all I have for now! Happy pinning!

The first time I ever finished a book and hated it.

It was a memorable moment for me. I love too many things I've been told, when it comes to movies, books and music... I just love it all! Until now. And "Fifty Shades of Grey" was the one to break me from that spell. I wanted to like it. I tried to like it... but in the end, I hated it more than any other thing I have ever read. Including textbooks. I would rather re-read my Earth Algebra textbook from my Sophomore year of college than re-read "50 Shades" as so many fans call it. I got a C- in that class.

The one thing I don't understand about all these people that love the series, is why the HELL do they actually want this guy, Christian Grey, to really exist???? So he can play mind-games with you?? And trick you into thinking that every time he beats the crap out of you, it was your own fault for not using the safe word?? This is not okay people. I don't understand how this psychotic character even got written into existence, let alone published. But, as I insult Grey, he was actually the only character in the book that had any form of depth. Ana is about as deep as a puddle, although she tries to hide it by claiming to be in love with British Literature. I don't know about you, but if I were Christian Grey I would have the urge to beat Ana with a belt too, every time she mentions her idiot Inner Goddess doing a somersault or her Subconscious and her "half-moon spectacles." (Did someone just rip of J.K. Rowling?) And don't even get me started on Kate, or Jose, or any other idiot character stolen from Stephanie Meyer.

Which brings me to my next point. All the OBVIOUS similarities to Twilight. Let's try and pick a few out from the first novel... SPOILER ALERT! Don't read the rest if you plan on reading either books.

1. Ana is a plain looking brunette who is clumsy, but that somehow makes her desirable by an incredibly powerful and rich man. Bella is also described as a plain looking brunette who is also clumsy and desired by the most eligible bachelor in high school.

2. The story takes place in Washington state. Just like Twilight.

3. This is the one that REALLY drove me nuts.... Bella has a good friend named Jacob, who is in love with her, and is Native American. Ana has a good friend named Jose, who is in love with her, and is Mexican. Wow.

4. Ana's mom lives in the south with her umpteenth husband... Bella's mom does too.

5. Ana's Dad, who she calls Ray, is good friends with Jose's dad. Bella's Dad, who she calls Charlie, is good friends with Jacob's Dad.

6. Ana drives a beat-up car, until Christian buys her an Audi. Bella drives a beat-up pick-up truck, until Edward buys her a Mercedes.

7. Ana has a friend named Kate, who is over-bearing, and valedictorian, and doesn't like her dating Christian Grey. She gives the speech at graduation. Bella has a friend named Jessica, who is over-bearing, and valedictorian, and doesn't like her dating Edward Cullen. She gives the speech at graduation.

8. Ana works at a hardware store, that her friend Paul's family owns. Paul also has a thing for Ana. Bella works at a sporting goods store that her friend Mike's family owns. Mike also has a thing for Bella.

9. Christian Grey plays the piano, so does Edward Cullen.

10. Christian Grey's family is very excited that he has actually found someone. The Cullen family is very excited Edward has actually found someone too.

11. Ana was a virgin. Bella was a virgin.

12. Christian warns Ana to stay away from him, and that he is dangerous. Edward warns Bella to stay away from him as well.

The guys are both over-protective, everyone is always in some sort of danger, guys leave girls speechless, both guys are incredibly jealous.... the list goes on and on.


So if I had to say honestly... I wasn't the biggest fan of Twilight when it first came out, but I would recommend those books over these any day. At least the characters have a little more depth, and believe it or not, the writing is better. I'm going to give you some of my "favorite gems" from Fifty Shades of Grey now. Enjoy.

"I had no idea giving pleasure could be such a turn-on, watching him writhe subtly with carnal longing. My inner goddess is doing the merengue with some salsa moves."

Ana's inner goddess and a friend.

"My insides practically contort with potent, needy, liquid desire."

Sounds painful.

"My inner goddess is beside herself, hopping from foot to foot. Anticipation hangs heavy over my head like a dark tropical storm cloud. Butterflies flood my belly - as well as a darker, carnal, captivating ache as I try to imagine what he will do to me."

Ana's inner goddess - quite beside herself.

"That's the bottom line. I want to be with him. My inner goddess sighs with relief. I reach the conclusion that she rarely uses her brain to think but another vital part of her anatomy, and at the moment, it's a rather exposed part."

So Ana, if your inner goddess is a part of you, does that mean that you rarely use your brain to think?

“The remaining subclauses of this clause 15 are to be read subject to this proviso and to the fundamental matters agreed in clauses 2-5 above.” 

This contract makes more sense.

Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)

I like to plan things. My favorite thing to plan is dinner... I love to cook more than most people should! It really is relaxing to me. This morning I got up at 6:30 for work, went and got my cold press coffee... was in a great mood! I was driving to work planning out what I would make for Dan and I for dinner this evening... I was going to make lasagna! So easy and so delicious! Then I get to work. It was one of the crappiest craptastic days on record. I worked 11 hours without a break because the phone was ringing NONSTOP (Seriously, I hated every person on Earth at this point)! Then towards the end of my shift I started planning dinner again... I thought to myself "Okay... Lasagna is easy, it'll be perfect. I still have enough energy to make Lasagna... seriously, you can do this Toni. Take a breath. Drink a Red Bull." Then I drive home and it takes me FOR...EVER because of people going to Country Jam (UGHHHHHHHHhhhhHhHh) and then I get home and there is a concert in the park across the street tonight so there are no parking spots at my own apartment so I have to park a million miles away.  I get to my apartment finally and look in the fridge and the ricotta cheese I bought specifically for making lasagna was expired. So I f***ing ordered us a pizza.

So as I wait for the pizza, and for Dan to get home from work, I decided to warn everybody about the dangers of not wearing sunscreen. Don't all you fellow 90's kids remember that one song on the first NOW CD? "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" by none other than Baz Luhrmann (ummm what?). I wish I would have actually listened to that man instead of laughing at him at that point in my life.

My story begins the week of my birthday in June, when I went kayaking with Dan and his family. I love kayaking and was looking forward to it. I knew I would get sunburned because I always do, no matter what. This time though, we were in kayaks where your legs were exposed and you were sitting on top. My legs have never ever burned before so I wasn't too worried when I accidentally left my sunscreen at the hotel. So we were kayaking and it was super fun and everything until we got to the point where it wasn't fun anymore, and everyone was just really pissed off. That happens... it usually takes about an hour, to an hour and a half, but it happens. We kayaked out to this island called Horseshoe Island but we were all so tired and pissed its new name was Horseshit Island (har har).

So anyway, we got back to the hotel and that evening I fully understood the severity of my burn. I was all feverish and shaking and crabby and miserable, and my legs looked like this.

They weren't really a red... but a dark magenta color. It was awful. I didn't sleep at all, even a bed sheet was too painful to lay on them. One night I had the genius idea of falling asleep with wet cold towels on my legs. The towels fell off in my sleep and onto the bed which caused me to wake up at 1 in the morning in a panic, positive I had wet the bed. I was still in a hotel too... so I'm thankful I never had to make that unfortunate trip to the front desk, telling them I peed in their bed...

A couple days after this my feet swelled up really bad. My Old Navy sandals were even cutting into them and they looked super gross. I had cankles for sure.

Then, after visiting a doctor and him prescribing me Prednisone and Tylenol + Codeine (yesssss) my legs started to blister and it was really gross. Every time I walked my legs would start dripping gross fluid. There were a couple times in public where I had to whisper to Dan "We have to go soon. My legs are leaking."

So that lasted days... and then this weird thing started happening to my legs where huge chunks of my skin were just falling off, leaving these disgusting looking holes in my legs. I definitely looked like I belonged on The Walking Dead. I didn't take a picture of that stage because I would have barfed.

Then I started getting all these sores and scabs on my legs, which were incredibly painful.

I had all these red spots all over my legs at this point and some of them itched, while others were really quite painful. I went back to the doctor and it turned out to be an infection, something like sun poisoning maybe? I never even heard of sun poisoning before. All I know is it sucked, so they put me on antibiotics, which I'm still on. My legs are clear for the most part now, just a couple spots left on them.

So I know it's gross, but I think people need to know what happens when you're dumb like me. Wear freaking sunscreen people! I don't care if you want a tan... you're going to end up like this and then you're going to cry and be a big baby and nobody likes that. 

So now I would like you all to watch the music video for Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)... which is actually a pretty cool song, and take Mr. Luhrmann's advice seriously.

Ugh. The pizza guy is late.

Just kidding. He just got here.

Do NOT repin that!

I love Pinterest... just like any other girl. But sometimes I come across ideas that are so DUMB... I want to slam my laptop shut.


Here are some of those.

Okay seriously. I read the blog that this idea came from and even the person who wrote it said it didn't work. She suggested wrapping the pieces of paper in tin foil and then putting them in the crescent rolls. Yeah, because that will make the situation better. Biting into TIN FOIL! One of the most unpleasant sensations ever.

Who wants to sit and pull dollar bills out of a bottle, one by one? That sounds like one of the most tedious and difficult things ever. I looked at the original blog posting and the creator had no tips on how the person receiving the gift (which was $30-40)  is supposed to get the money out. Also, maybe it's just me but crumpled up money is one of the most annoying things to deal with in the world. But I suppose it is the thought that counts. This would have real potential if maybe you could somehow attach all the dollar bills together, and when the person pulls one out, the rest come out with it. Maybe tape them all to a string? Plus I know this is the school's fault from wherever this person is graduating, but those colors are hideous. 

This is one that I have seen people pin quite a bit. It looks like a great idea! Too bad it's fake!! Do people really think that by just injecting food coloring into a lemon, it will turn the inside AND the peel that color? I clicked on the image and it brought me directly to the source. This picture came from a website called Visualize Us, where people display their photography. Directly underneath this photo it says "Excellent Fruit Photo Manipulations"... meaning it is Photoshopped. Sorry to disappoint! 

Those are the three not-so-great Pinterest ideas that I have come across recently. I will say one thing... it is hard to find a bad idea on Pinterest! But when you do... it's usually super bad.

I have a degree in procrastination, with an emphasis in Simlish.

Today as I sat eating my Lean Cuisine and looking for jobs, I thought to myself... how many people are doing this exact same thing right now? Probably a ton. And then I thought, out of those people how many of them are writing a blog about it? And I decided probably a ton of people are doing that too. So why read my blog over theirs? Because I'm not just a Bachelor of Arts... I'm a Bad Ass too, remember? Two BA's in one. (Psh... yeah right. The most bad ass thing I have done is play GTA 4)

So currently I've applied for around 8 jobs since I graduated college. 

I've also gotten a new tattoo, worked some hours at my below average pay receptionist weekend job, forgotten multiple times to send out my thank-you cards, and spent some quality time with my cats, Sammy-Jango and Yoshi (oh yeah, and my boyfriend Dan). At least my Sims family is thriving, my Sim (Toni Launch) is now a vampire married to another vampire and about to have a vampire baby (not like Twilight... this situation is totally different). She's also a famous superstar and likes to paint. She has a hipster son who likes cats and is on the honor roll.

If only life was as easy as the Sims 3 (with the testingcheatsenabled cheat... obviously). Every day you would just log onto the computer and 4 new job choices would be available for you either in the Entertainment, Culinary, Sports, or Crime Fighting industry! 

So what kind of jobs am I looking for? All KINDS OF JORBS!

Any kind of job that has anything to do with art. I studied mainly Photography in college as my emphasis, but also took many painting, graphic design, and drawing classes. I also switched my major 3 times so I also took a lot of Music Therapy and Speech Therapy classes as well... just in case that helps (it won't). 

My minor was in American Indian Studies, which was awesome.

So anyway, welcome to my blog! It used to be a blog about my cats, and I forgot about it. So if you're wondering why the first couple posts have nothing to do with anything, that's why! Time to go write my thank-you cards! And probably check up on that Sim family...

My new tattoo :)