Um, this is kind of AWESOME

I spied it in the library and I HAD to get it. Mostly because I saw a preview of it on another movie and I noticed James MacAvoy was in it as Macbeth, and I was like, DANG, that has to be good. So I finally checked it out and ladies and gentlemen...
It has blown me away. They retell four of Shakespeare's classic plays: Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado about Nothing, Macbeth, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. I watched two today and they were SUPERB. You'd think that there wouldn't be much more that could be said about the Bard, but the way the actors and directors interpreted the play...they seriously couldn't have done a better job. They made it classic and contemporary all at once. Believable yet delightfully imaginative. LOVED IT.
BBC, you've done yourself proud.
Review? Consider it highly recommended.

New Roles, New Hair

In honor of the fact that I will soon be a real teacher, I dyed my hair to a sensible color. Sensible enough for any conservative junior high school.

...It's brown.

It's fine, I guess. It has been one of the few times my sister has actually liked my hair change, which tells you how normal it must look. I just feel so, subdued...
BUT in the world of my dreams, I would really like to do what this picture shows.
Lots of colors in an oh-so-rockin hair style.
*sigh*
If only, if only.

Leo and Diane Dillon

"We once heard a statement, to 'make life an art.' And that really intrigued us because it meant that if you cooked the meal, you should make that art. If you painted your rooms, make that art. Make art everything you touch and everything you do. That must be the ideal of life" Leo and Diane Dillon
I've recently found Pinterest and I've been obsessed with finding things I love online. One of those things, is the art of super creative couple, Leo and Diane Dillon. They have been illustrators for decades and I LOVE their dramatic, evocative artwork.
I love stories and oftentimes, the pictures tell more of the story than the words on the page. A picture is worth a thousand words, right?
Google search their stuff and tell me they aren't some of the coolest things you've ever seen.
Also, this blog here is dedicated to showcasing examples of their work. It's a good place to start.
Enjoy all the pretty pictures!

Bruno Mars + Janelle Monae

 Like I mentioned before, this was my first "real" concert that I've attended. It was loud. Awesome. Overall, it was a good experience. I've included a couple of videos from Bruno Mars' songs. The sound is pretty good, even if the video is lacking. Also, there were these girls in front of us who were beyond annoying, so just do as we did and try to ignore them.
Janelle Monae was super talented and she sang all the songs that I wanted her to sing. Her voice was awesome. She did drift around on the vocal scale a little to showcase her voice which got a little old but still she was absolutely unique.
Bruno Mars was just as talented and a little more mainstream. But oh my goodness, all the pre-teen girls in the audience went absolutely WILD. I wasn't as familiar with Bruno's songs, so I wasn't as involved.
Wahla! My first legitimate concert. Check.

Let's Make Some Music!

Or rather, let's just listen to some music. I have little-to-no faith in my musical abilities, so I tend to leave the creative stuff to people with some real talent.
Liiiiiiike, Mr. John Schmidt here.
My mother has always been a huge fan and we've grown up with his work. Last autumn we went to an outdoor concert of his to celebrate her birthday. It was awesome.
So a couple of days ago, my mother texted me to check this out via youtube and I like!
I am quite partial to the cello. It's so deep and melodious, but it has some kick to it as well.
And thus I am sharing it with all of you.
Again, the blessings of the internet, may they never end.

Things-in the-near-future-that-I-am-looking-forward-to

 

Utah Symphony presents: Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky

Utah Scandinavian Festival in Ephraim, UT

Janelle Monae AND Bruno Mars in Utah Valley, this MAY

Both of them, together. It's like my dreams come true.

 

This comes out in July, so I won't be able to see it until I get back from Norway, BUT! I am intrigued and I have some high hope for this one. Everything I've read about Ryan Gosling is impressive and to finally see him in a romantic comedy? Knock on wood, I hope his performance is just as good as his other work. I also like the other characters: Steve Carell when he's not Michael Scott and Emma Stone was hilarious in Easy A, despite it's laugh-out-loud inappropriateness.
Again, here's hoping.
And of course: 

Norway.
36 more days.

Did I mention how much I love bubbles?

So in my blog hopping mode, I came across this post from A CUP OF JO. I was quite blown away with the photos. They combine two of my favorite things: bubbles and Norway. I ask of you, is there any better way to start the day? I submit, there is not.
Pretty things always make my day better. 

 These stunners are from a Norwegian photographer by the name of Odin Hole Standal and here is his flickr account. Below are some links to a couple of my favorites. I might just have to try this little bubble blowing activity when I get there.
37 days left folks til I am on my way to dear old Norway! SO EXCITED.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/odinodin/3825948756/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/odinodin/3825946144/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/odinodin/3825935088/

I Heart Characters: Janelle Monae

I first heard of Janelle Monae last year? Sometime like that. I love her sound, I love the strangeness, I love the fact that you cannot box her in. She is an artist, which is the highest compliment I can give. I love this new song, which is why I'd thought that I'd share.
Even USA has "character approved" her. See here.
And as we all know, USA knows how to spot characters. Which is why basically any of their TV shows, I'm a fan.
More on characters later...

Easters!

 

As a sort of celebration after this last semester, Shannon and I headed down to Toquerville, UT to spend a couple of days with her parents. And since it was Easter weekend as well, we did the usual activities. 

 

 We dyed eggs all sorts of colors...

 Shannon lost at the cutesy cardboard pop-out matching game. This is a picture of her sad "oh, I lost" face.

  These are all of my cards. (I won!)

 Shannon's mom taught us how to decorate cakes. Key to success? Hand muscles. It is really the only trick, learning how to grip the frosting and move it just right. Having the right kind of frosting helps too. Still, we did it!

 The finished product...

 Isn't it the gaudiest thing you've ever seen? :) Can you find the bunny?

This last picture is all the tips we used. The frosting always got stuck, which was gross, but it sure made for a colorful picture!
Happy belated Easter!

P.S. It's late and so I do this.

Wordle: http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/3462771/Norway_during_WWII
This is a really neat website where you can input any text and the program pulls the most repeated words and you can change the font, colors, layout, etc. It's a super cool way to see at a glance what the main topic of any piece is. This wordle is from my capstone research Hist 490 paper. You can see what I talked about the most. Any surprises? Probs not.
Go Norway!

Creativity and the Genius Behind It

I first saw this clip about a year ago, when another friend posted it to his blog. I was blown away. I recently just watched it again and it's still so good. It's interesting to really think deeply about the nature of creativity. Because I am completely overwhelmed with thinking about teaching, I see a great correlation between creativity and teaching. Not only my role as a an educator (and a creative one at that) but also the level of creativity that comes with the territory of being a student. Too often students are only required to sit quietly and passively while the teacher relays all the information in the world into their open brains. Learning requires more interaction and involvement, on a similar note, creativity requires more interaction than we typically think. I am getting off on a tangent, but it's interesting regardless.
Let me know what you think about Ms. Gilbert and her thoughts.
They are interesting, no?

Cleverly Funny

Source

This is just another reason why the world in which we live in is a beautiful place. And funny. It's a funny place too, don't forget. This story caught my eye when I was on my way to my email.

Apparently a 16 year old budding artist, Nicholas Harrington, decided to put a burnt out baby grand piano in the middle of Miami bay, purely for arts' sake. Can you imagine, just puttering along in your boat and you see a piano, just sitting out there. It's so extraordinary! Anyway, since he is an artistic young man, he's hoping to get into a clever art college in Boston somewhere. I hope this little adventure helps him accomplish his future dreams!

If you want to know the full story, here is the AP release. Here.