The Blog Challenge!!! Blog # 02: My Favorite Movie

The other day I talked about how my favorite song changes from day to day. Well, the same goes with my favorite movie... Well, maybe not EVERY day, but every time I see a really good movie. Let's start with some of my favorite comedies:

Dogma: A really awesome satire on organized religion that has a very important message if you can just look past all the "offensive" surface material: have faith in something, and don't judge others for believing differently.
Down Periscope: I love Kesley Grammer, but really, who doesn't? This is an awesome, underdog comedy about submarines!
Laugh It Up Fuzzball: The Family Guy Trilogy: A parody of the original Star Wars trilogy like only Family Guy could do.
Julie & Julia: Based on the life and cooking of Julia Childs, this comedic biography is juxtaposed against modern day blogger Julie Powell's attempt to cook all the recipes in Childs' first cook book in a single year.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: I just love everything Robert Downey Jr. is in, including this hilarious murder mystery that has more twists than Lady Gaga has outfits.
Liar Liar: I just love some of the things Jim Carrey is in (really, he shines in dramatic roles) but this is one of his best comedies about a lawyer and distant divorced dad who cannot tell a lie for a whole day.
Miss Congeniality: I love everything Sandra Bullock has been in, especially this comedy about a frumpy FBI agent who must, with the help of a pageant coach played by the incredible Michael Caine, get in touch with her feminine side and go undercover at the Miss United States Pageant to prevent it from being bombed.
My Best Friend's Wedding: Julia Roberts and her forehead vein are incredible in every movie they act in, including this mad attempt on the part of a jealous former lover to break up her best friend and his new, young, cute fiance (played by the equally talented Cameron Diaz) before they can throw the biggest wedding Chicago has ever seen.
Out to Sea: The late Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau were incredible in their comedic chemistry, and this comedy about two retired old men seeking adventure and perhaps love, by signing up as dance hosts for a Mexican cruise, is no exception.
Rat Race: It's a race to get money from a locker in a train station several hundred miles away from Las Vegas while high rollers bet on their progress. Need I say more? It's awesome. Just watch it.


Favorite Dramas:

American Beauty: Centered around the mid-life crisis of Lester Burnham, a disgruntled white collar employee, husband, and father, this aesthetic film begs the question: what do we live for and why is life worth living? Is it for money, status, large houses and nice cars? Or is it for love, relationships, and good feelings?
Angels in America: Set during the AIDS crisis of the mid-80s, this multi-main character drama explores illness, power, love, prestige, religion, and the political dynamics of being in and out of the closet.
Brokeback Mountain: A deeply misunderstood film about forbidden love between two cowboys, Brokeback Mountain is nothing more than a potent look at the power true love has, both good and bad. Both extremely fulfilling and extremely painful, forbidden love has the power to make us cheat and sacrifice, lie and cherish. And once you have loved, you will never forget.
Contact: Perhaps my favorite movie of all time, this incredible film looks at the often strained relationship between science and faith in the context of an apparent message from aliens discovered by atheist SETI scientist Dr. Ellie Arroway (Jodie Foster), who ends up traveling to a distant planet in the blink of an eye and then has only her own subjective experience of the event to offer as proof of her journey. In the end, it is her faith in her own senses that allows her to empathize with her love interest, Reverend Palmer Joss (Matthew McConaughey), whose faith in God is increasingly questioned and challenged in modern times.
The Count of Monte Cristo: An incredibly well-done abridgment of Alexandre Dumas' classic tale exploring themes of hope, justice, vengeance, mercy and forgiveness.
Crash: This incredible, modern, multi-main character drama explores racial and social tensions in Los Angeles.
Gattaca: A sort of Cinderella tale of the future, Gattaca explores a future world dominated by liberal eugenics, which determines people's social class. A non-genetically engineered man defies all odds by masquerading as a genetically-enhanced man and becoming an astronaut.
Latter Days: A gay Mormon missionary comes out on his mission when he meets the man of his dreams, and manages to spook the gay shallowness out of him. Awesome drama about the uplifting and oppressive power of religion and love.
Letters to Juliet: Really, who can't adore Amanda Seyfried? She plays an American fact-checker for the New Yorker magazine whose distant Italian fiance is much more interested in his new restaurant than he is in her. When the two visit Verona for a pre-honeymoon, Seyfried's character discovers the magical world of answering letters to Juliet, and gets caught up in a romance with the beautiful British Charlie (Chris Egan) while the pair help Charlie's grandmother track down an old, lost love. It is truly one of the most adorable romantic comedies I have ever seen. Go see it. Now.
The Majestic: By far Jim Carrey's best dramatic role (and perhaps his best performance in a film ever), this tear-jerker is about an amnesic screenwriter who becomes a small town hero for his resemblance to a fallen WWII war hero.
Memento: Also about amnesia, this is a drama told in reverse order. I can't explain it any better than that. Just see it. It's awesome and one of the most unique films ever.
Million Dollar Baby: Boxing trainer Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) helps aspiring boxer Maggie Fitzgerald (Hilary Swank) achieve her dream of becoming a professional, when Fitzgerald suffers a paralyzing accident.
Patch Adams: Robin Williams depicts the medical doctor Hunter "Patch" Adams, whose unconventional and humorous approach to medicine makes him an instant celebrity.
The Prestige: Two rival stage magicians compete to create the best illusions and get caught up in issues of love and vengeance, too.
Pride & Prejudice: An incredibly well-done screen adaptation of Jane Austen's classic novel. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy are clearly madly in love with each other, but struggle to overcome their own pride and prejudice to admit their feelings.
The Silence of the Lambs: Imprisoned cannibal Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) helps FBI agent Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) track down serial killer (and skinner) Buffalo Bill. Bad ass classic film. 'Nuff said.
Red Dragon: Sequel to the not so great Hannibal, which was a sequel to Silence of the Lambs. This time, FBI agent Will Graham is tracking down a serial killer targeting families, again with the help of Lecter (Hopkins).
Shelter: Surfer Zach finds himself in a stressful supportive role for his ailing father and irresponsible sister, whose five year old son Cody becomes basically Zach's sole responsibility. When Zach reunites with the brother, Shaun, of longtime friend Gabe, his sister, Jeanne, starts to question his loyalty to the family and other aspects of his life, as well. Zach and Shaun become fast friends and surfer buddies, and quickly fall in love. In order to provide a good home for Cody and save him from an uncaring boyfriend of Jeanne's, Zach and Shaun agree to let him come live with them while Zach pursues his dream of going to art school. This beautiful coming of age and coming out story explores themes of identity, friendship, love, loyalty, and aspiration.
Sideways: An awesome drama about, among other things, delicious red wine...
Slumdog Millionaire: Growing up homeless in the slums of Mumbai teaches Jamal Malik all he needs to know to win the grand prize on the Indian version of hit TV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Titanic: A love story meets a disaster story. But you all know the story. It's just a very beautifully done film, and Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio deliver knockdown incredible performances.
Traffic: A film about illegal drug trade, explored from multiple perspectives, including a user, an enforcer, a politician, and a traffiker, whose lives become intertwined though they never meet.
Under the Tuscan Sun: A San Franciscan writer who is recently divorced moves to Tuscany and starts a new, exciting life.


Favorite Musicals:

Hairspray: What do I have to say about this one? Great music, great hair, and James Marsden *drool*... Racial integration in the context of awesome music! Gotta love it!
Mamma Mia!: Let's face it, the story is pretty much fluff. The meat of the movie is the ABBA music. But the story is cute, too. Sophie is getting married and wants to know who her real father is, and therefore invites three former boyfriends of her mother, without her knowledge, to the wedding to try to uncover the truth!
Moulin Rouge: Great music, not really sure what the story's about. Love it. Ewan McGregor has a great voice!
The Producers and Rent: My two favorite gay musicals!

Seeing as how I've commented on every single one of my favorite drama and comedies, I will select just a few from my favorite Action/Epic movies to comment on.

Favorite Action/Epic Movies:

Angels & Demons: Based on Dan Brown's novel about symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) who has to stop the secret society the Illuminati, from destroying Vatican City with antimatter. Seriously, it's way better and less geeky than it sounds.
Batman Begins
The Bourne Identity
The Bourne Supremacy
The Bourne Ultimatum: Just have to say this about the entire Bourne series: Matt Damon kicks ass in this adventure series about a U.S. government assasin who fails to kill one of his targets, loses his memory, and then attempts to piece his life back together.
Casino Royale
The Dark Knight
The DaVinci Code: Another Dan Brown adaptation, about the supposed unbroken line of Jesus Christ, who according to Brown, actually did have descendents, which is a closely guarded secret.
The Fugitive
Goldeneye
Gone in 60 Seconds: Nicholas Cage is an awesome actor, and this action film about a big car boost to save his younger brother's life is just a lot of fun!
Inception: If you haven't seen it, you have to. It's about dreams within dreams within dreams (within dreams). And it is about trying to convince people that ideas that come from you actually come from their own subconscious. Really deep and awesome.
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
The Italian Job
Jurassic Park
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
The Matrix
Minority Report
National Treasure: Sort of the American version of The DaVinci Code and Angels & Demons, this treasure hunt movie starring Nicholas Cage is a fun adventure.
Ocean's Eleven: The sequels aren't so good, but this original plot to stage a heist and steal millions from a Vegas casino is pretty damn cool, I have to say.
Pirates of the Carribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Pulp Fiction
Quantum of Solace
Raiders of the Lost Ark
The Recruit: A really awesome spy thriller film starring Al Pacino and Colin Farrell.
Sneakers: Another of my favorite films of all time, this caper film starring Robert Redford deals with computer encryption technology and how it can be used and abused, and how a team of security system testers work together to prevent a man, Cosmo, (Ben Kingsley) gone mad by prison time, from helping an organized crime syndacite hack into computer systems for nefarious purposes, as well as keeping Martin (Redford) out of prison for hacking he and Cosmo did as college students.
Spider-Man
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek: Generations
Star Trek: First Contact
Star Trek: Insurrection
Star Trek: Nemesis
Star Trek (2009): To be honest, this is probably my favorite Star Trek movie to date. The others listed here are all excellent, but the new Chris Pine/Zachary Quinto Star Trek franchise is just heating up and damn, they have good writing, acting, cinematography, the works. In this reboot oof the classic Trek franchise, an alternate reality is create by disgruntled Romulan Nero, who destroys the planet Vulcan with red matter, a technology that can create a blackhole large enough to consume an entire planet. Kirk (Pine) and Spock (Quinto) must then prevent Nero from destroying Earth in a similar fashion.
Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith: As far as I am concerned, the only film from the prequel trilogy that was worth watching more than once. A very dark, Empire Strikes Back-style film, Revenge of the Sith deals mainly with Anikan's fall to the dark side and becoming Darth Vader, as well as the formation of the Galactic Empire and the rise to power of the evil sith Emperor Palpatine.
Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
S.W.A.T.
Taken: Liam Neeson kicks ass. He hunts down human traffikers who have abducted his daughter and kills them all. 'Nuff said.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Trilogy
Tomorrow Never Dies
U571: Really awesome submarine movie about an undercover operation by the American military to break Nazi codes by stealing their Enigma encrypter device thingy.
V for Vendetta: "Remember, Remember the Fifth of November, gunpowder treason and plot. I can think of no reason the gunpowder treason should ever be forgot." The mysterious "terrorist" V, dissatisfied with the increasingly corrupt and oppressive government of England, hijacks the media, blows stuff up, and generally is a badass. In the end, the evil government is overthrown by the newly enlightened populace.
The World is Not Enough


Favorite Thrillers:

Psycho
What Lies Beneath (only because seeing Harrison Ford go on an insane, maddened killing spree is excruciatingly hilarious)


So yeah, those are a few of my favorite films and why I love them. Again, it is really hard to pick a single favorite because they are all so incredible. Plus it just kind of depends what I'm in the mood for when I want to watch a movie. Film has such power: to convey feelings, ideas, opinions, values, to explore different facets of the human condition, or just to show the audience a good time. I love film.

The Blog Challenge!!! Blog # 01: My Favorite Song

To tell you the truth, my favorite song changes from day to day. Even the genre changes. It just kind of depends on the mood I'm in and what I feel like listening to. One song that has been stuck in my head today, for example, is the Glee version of the Beatles' "Hello Goodbye." Awesome song. Not necessarily my favorite, but a really good classic.

One song that has been one of my favorites lately is "Love the Way You Lie" by Eminem and Rihanna. I love the juxaposition of Eminem's mad rapping skills with Rihanna's beautiful, melodic voice. If you haven't heard it, download it. It is an awesome song.

Of course, Rihanna herself has some really great songs, including "Disturbia" and "Take a Bow," which will always be two of my favorites in the pop genre.

Sadly, I left my iPod at home today, but I can tell you that the songs I have been listening to lately mostly come from the Glee soundtrack. Darren Criss' version of "Teenage Dream" by Katy Perry kicks ass. I also have recently been in love with their version of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler. One of my favorite Glee songs ever is their rendition of "Over the Rainbow" at the very end of the season one finale. And of course, all the Journey they do is pretty incredible, if you're into that sort of thing. I just hope they don't do any more Journey, ever. It's done. Over. I hope... I also love their version of "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Misérables. "Marry You" and "Just the Way You Are" are two of my more recent favorites from Glee, as well. One of my all time Glee favorites is "I'll Stand By You" as performed by Finn, originally by The Pretenders.

Going back to Rihanna briefly, I never became interested in his music until the story broke of how he beat her up, but Chris Brown has at least one good song, "Forever."

I am probably totally emo for saying this, probably, but I love the All American Rejects. Some of my favorites are "Gives You Hell," "Move Along," and "Dirty Little Secret." I love listening to their music especially when I work out. Their music is full of energy.

The only American Idol artist whose music I have really enjoyed is also from my very own home state of Utah, David Archuleta. I love basically his entire, self-titled debut album, especially his version of "Angels" by Robbie Williams, and a few select songs from his new album, including "Something 'Bout Love." He has an incredibly pure voice and great vocal range. Love his singing, music, and melodies.

As far as the punk/rock genre is concerned, a few of my favorites will always be Green Day, especially "American Idiot," "The Grouch," "Waiting," "Good Riddance," "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," "Wake Me Up When September Ends," "21st Century Breakdown," "Know Your Enemy," and "21 Guns." I also love Goldfinger, particularly "99 Red Balloons," "Open Your Eyes," and basically the entire, ska-like album "Hang-Ups."

A few guilty pleasures: The High School Musical Soundtracks...way better than the movies themselves... Taylor Swift's "Love Story." Good Charlotte... Britney Spears' "...Baby One More Time" and "Oops!...I Did It Again." Alanis Morissete's "Ironic" which is TOTALLY NOT AN IRONIC SONG!!! If anything, it's UNFORTUNATE, but I guess that word had too many syllables for her generally lackluster lyrical skills. Okay, enough of that.

Some random loose ends: Bowling For Soup's "Girl All the Bad Guys Want," The Mamma Mia Soundtrack featuring the best of ABBA, Evanescene's "Bring Me To Life," "Call Me When You're Sober," and "Lithium," Barenaked Ladies' "Pinch Me" and "If I Had $1000000," Katy Perry's "California Gurls," Lady GaGa's "Poker Face" and "Bad Romance," Lit's "My Own Worst Enemy," Neon Trees' "Animal," New Found Glory's "Hit or Miss," Owl City's "Fireflies," The Presidents of the United States of America's "Lump," Puddle of Mudd's "Blurry," Simple Plan's "I'm Just a Kid," Smash Mouth's "All Star" and "I'm a Believer," Sum 41's "Rhythms," Third Eye Blind's "Semi-Charmed Life," U2's "Elevation," The Used's "The Taste of Ink," Vertical Horizon's "You're a God" and "Everything You Want," Weezer's "Beverly Hills," "Buddy Holly," "Undone," and "(If You're Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To," and 3 Doors Down's "Kryptonite."

Perhaps my favorite artist and album of all time is Yellowcard and "Ocean Avenue." That's the album that Andrew and I listened to on our first date. :-) It is a totally awesome album and I'm not sure I could pick a favorite song from it. In fact, I think my favorite Yellowcard song isn't even on that album. It's probably "Gifts and Curses" from the Spider-Man 2 Soundtrack. I also love "Lights and Sounds" from the album by the same name.

So if I had to pick a favorite song of all time, I suppose it would have to be Yellowcard's "Gifts and Curses," but really, there is so much music that I love. My taste is very eclectic and I love it that way. It's the diversity and range of my musical taste that makes music itself enjoyable to me. I honestly cannot imagine my life without music. It is probably my single favorite form of media, with close two close ties being the novel and the film. But that's for another blog entry...

The Blog Challenge!!! Yay, finally something to blog about!!!

I stole this idea from Andrew, and I actually do intend to blog once a day...we'll see how well that goes... I will start with #1, my favorite song...

The Blog Challenge Topics:

#01 - my favorite song
#02 - my favorite movie
#03 - my favorite television program
#04 - my favorite book
#05 - my favorite quote
#06 - 20 of my favorite things
#07 - a photo that makes me happy
#08 - a photo that makes me angry/sad
#09 - a photo I took
#10 - a photo taken over 10 years ago of me
#11 - a recent photo of me
#12 - something I am OCD about
#13 - a fictional book
#14 - a non-fictional book
#15 - my dream house
#16 - a song that makes me cry (or nearly cry)
#17 - a piece of art (drawing, sculpture, painting, etc.)
#18 - my wedding
#19 - a talent of mine
#20 - a hobby of mine
#21 - a recipe
#22 - a website
#23 - a Youtube video
#24 - where I live
#25 - my day, in great detail
#26 - my week, in great detail
#27 - my worst habit
#28 - what is in my wallet
#29 - hopes, dreams, and plans for the next 365 days
#30 - a dream for the future

Christmas Wish List 2010!!!

Below is my Christmas wish list, more or less in order of how much I want each item.

1. Nikon Coolpix S81000 Digital Camera: $239.63 at Amazon.com

and

Transcend 16GB Class 10 SDHC Card: $24.49 at Amazon.com

Because my digital camera was stolen. :-(

2. Laugh it Up Fuzzball: The Family Guy Trilogy [Blu-Ray]: $27.99 at Amazon.com

3. Inception (Three-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy): $24.99 at Amazon.com

4. Galaxy Quest [Blu-ray]: $12.49 at Amazon.com

5. Planet Earth: As You've Never Seen It Before [Hardcover]: $26.37 at Amazon.com

6. Hubble: Imaging Space and Time [Hardcover]: $31.50 at Amazon.com

7. Rainforest [Paperback]: $16.04 at Amazon.com

8. Ocean (American Museum of Natural History) [Paperback]: $18.45 at Amazon.com

9. Universe [Paperback]: $18.45 at Amazon.com

10. The Space Shuttle: Celebrating Thirty Years of NASA's First Space Plane [Hardcover]: $26.40 at Amazon.com

Sadly this book will not be published until June 15, 2011, but it looks so cool!

11. Toy Story Trilogy (10-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo + Digital Copy): $64.99 at Amazon.com

12. Star Trek: Original Motion Picture Collection (The Motion Picture / The Wrath of Khan / The Search for Spock / The Voyage Home / The Final Frontier / The ... Captains Summit Bonus Disc) [Blu-ray]: $68.99 at Amazon.com

13. Star Trek (Three-Disc Edition) [Blu-ray]: $19.99 at Amazon.com

14. John Adams [Blu-ray]: $40.99 at Amazon.com

15. An Amazon.com Gift Card

16. An iTunes Gift Card

What is Life?

What is life?

Life is finally finding the motivation to seriously start revising your 40-page senior honors thesis and getting halfway done, only to have your computer stolen when your house is broken into.

This has been my life over the past week.

Life is the closeness, love, and support that is born out of the ashes of such a tragedy. It is amazing how sympathetic people become when a catastrophe strikes. My parents have been very helpful, not expecting any reimbursment for the items of theirs that were stolen. At first, we had thought the thief(-ves) had stolen some tools I had borrowed from my parents to hang up our new TV and a picture my aunt painted for me. But it turns out they dumped the tools into a computer bag that we also thought was stolen and then hastily dropped it in our messy storage room where they escaped by breaking a window. So at least that is something we don't have to worry about anymore. But before we found the tools the other day, my parents had said they didn't expect any reimbursement for their stolen property, even though it was well over $200. It was just a really nice gesture. And my dad kindly paid to have our windows repaired.

Life is having your i-Pod stolen so you have a good excuse not to work out for a week or two until you get a new one. Of course, it might be longer than that because I will have to reassemble my music collection on my new computer. That is one thing I am very irritated about: losing my ENTIRE music library. It was all on my computer an i-Pod. Luckily, I can download what I purchased on i-tunes again. But the vast majority of my music was from CDs, so hopefully I still have them somewhere. Life is ripping a bunch of old music onto your new computer.

Life is getting new stuff that's even better than your old stuff because your old stuff was stolen. My new computer, even though it will be missing all my documents and music, will at least be even better than my old computer (which was really only 3 years old, but that's like 30 in computer years). Faster processer, more RAM, more graphics memory, that kind of stuff. Windows 7 instead of stupid Vista. Good riddance, Vista.

I have been saying for a while now that if anything ever happened to my i-Pod, I would get a better one. I have been wanting an i-Pod Touch for a while now, and it looks like I finally have the excuse I need to buy it. My old i-Pod was a nano and I loved it, except it only had 16GB of memory which I was quickly filling up, and I think I am going to get the 64GB touch, which will take me forever to fill up.

Life is your unemployed roommate being willing to stay home while you're at work because you're paranoid you're going to get broken into again. Mike is staying home this week until Thursday, when the alarm company is coming to install our new home security system. One time getting burglarized is all it took for us to learn...

Life is finding out it costs over $2000 to have your gigantic trees trimmed so that you can get satellite TV service. Craziness... We're getting another bid or two for sure.

Life is certainly interesting. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

The New Job

I always told myself working with my husband would be a bad idea. And now here I am doing it. We work in the same division of Marriott, in the same office, but in different departments. Is that bad? So far we've only had one or two minor problems with it, but I think the benefits have outweighed the costs. We can carpool to work most days (when our schedules coincide), we can have lunch together some days, we can talk about work and know what the other person is talking about. It is awesome. And I am working a full-time job now and getting paid a full-time salary. It's way nice. Can't wait for my first paycheck next week.

I've lost some momentum on finishing off my thesis and my book, but I will find the time as I settle back into my new routine. I just need to finish off the thesis and do all the revisions I need to so I can just put that behind me once and for all and then I can concentrate on my book and the 8 million other writing projects I want to do. Like Nano and a poetry collection and this blog and starting up a blog related to my new job (I'm hoping to create a monthly contest where interested associates write about working in a call center and submit entries to the blog. Winners could get published on the blog). It just sounded like a fun idea. And I think I could find a manager to approve it.

I miss the kids, but I'm too busy to really miss the old job. I don't feel as noble in my profession as I once did, but I certainly feel more wealthy, because I am. Updating soon about the writing projects, hopefully.

An Interesting Couple of Weeks

A few weeks ago, a job I have been waiting for months to come available finally did. I saw the posting online and applied. Lucky for me, they were hiring 25 people. I had an interview the next week (in fact, I was the first person interviewed because I was only the 2nd person to apply because I applied right when the position opened). The woman who interviewed me, a very kind and friendly girl, told me she would call me the next week sometime to let me know if I had gotten the job. I explained that I really did need to give my current job some notice before I quit. That was last week. I was patient and waited all week. She didn't call Monday, obviously, because it was a holiday. She didn't call Tuesday, or Wednesday. By Thursday I was starting to lose a little patience. By Friday, I was annoyed. I finally called her in the afternoon but she didn't answer, so I left a message, explaining that I really needed an answer and convinced I was not going to hear from her until Monday (tomorrow). I called back every fifteen minutes or so between 3 and 4, hoping to catch her before she left for the weekend. But no such luck. Finally, at 5:30, she called me back and told me she had gotten my message. The delay had apparently been due to the third party they use to verify employment and references. Apparently they have been swamped in the past few weeks with their clients' requests for verifications. So it took until Friday for them to verify my information (and they still haven't finished). My recruiter offered me the job and I accepted. She said there was still some verification that needed to be done, but that it should be done by Tuesday or Wednesday and that I really have nothing to worry about. If there was a problem, she said, she would call me. So I have accepted a job working for Marriott Guest Services, my first real, adult, full-time job, and I start at the end of the month. I am way excited!

Last weekend Andrew and I went to Capitol Reef National Park with several members of his family, including his dad, two sisters and their families, and two brothers and their spouses. It was a lot of fun. We tent camped for three nights (but there were showers, yay). We went hiking on Sunday and had to climb down three or four waterfalls, the last of which one had to slide down into a pool below. I wore my swimsuit and my sneakers got soaked. They dried just fine, and are perfectly wearable again, but there is some residual evidence on them in the form of dried red-rock mud. I love it. I need new shoes. And pants for my new job. And some new shirts. It's time to go to D.I. At least for the pants.