Wreck This Journal

I was walking in Provo the other day and came across this graffiti spray painted on the sidewalk. Provo is a special place in that almost 100% of graffiti is either clever, intriguing, or hilarious. I thought this was a great sentiment.

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About a year or so ago, I discovered something called Wreck This Journal that looked to be incredibly fun. You basically just completely ruin the book, which hurts me simply because I love books so much. But I made an exception with this one, since it really wasn't a book but a creative journal. And its brilliant! 

I got it a few weeks ago & I'm about halfway done with it. It has really given me a creative outlet & made me think out of the box. It is an EXCELLENT gift for perfectionists, children, teens, and young adults. You can find it on Amazon or in your local bookstores. 

Here's a few pictures of what I've done so far! So fun! Painting, drawing, coloring! 

this is actually from google...

also from google...

ok....i actually did the rest myself :)

my roommate burned it on the stove....the whole apartment smelled terrible

YA is Not Just For Teens

I've been to the library twice in less than 24 hours. I just really like books, okay? Plus, for some obnoxious reason, all the books that I have had on my wait list, magically all became available within the last couple days. And that means marathon reads for me!

Almost every morning for the past two weeks, I've spent at least an hour reading with my feet in the pool, catching some rays. I smell like chlorine and Coppertone. And it's fantastic! And, yes, I have a fantastic sandal tan line design huh?

By book shelf is full of YA novels. My pile from the library is all YA novels. Some may find this embarrassing. After all, YA is a genre "aimed" at 12-18 year olds. I'm about 5 years above that "cutoff." However, I have tons of friends my age & older discussing YA fiction late into the night. 

I did a bit of research and found some interesting articles, editorials, and comments. New research has shown that 55% (possibly more) of YA books are being purchased by adults (over 18), with most of those adults buying the books for themselves. Perhaps the Harry Potter franchise, later followed by the Hunger Games and Twilight series, spurred this interest in adults (I'll rant about books becoming movies later). The bandwagon has a lot of new jump-ons.

I ran across a few very angry adults. One of which said he can't take adults who read YA seriously. They're too "childish" for him. He says, "I'll read the Hunger Games when I finish the previous 3,000 years of fiction written for adults." Well, I'm sorry for your loss, sir. Because it is quite the loss; you're missing out. 

Once I waded through the haters, I found some great articles about YA novels are fantastic and completely okay for adults too. Hallelujah, there are people who agree with me!

Here's some reasons I gathered up about why YA is awesome for ANYONE 12+:

They are good.

They're compelling and action packed. They can make you cry or laugh. And they for sure make me stay up reading very late into the night! I can't remember the last time an "adult fiction" book had me up all night reading. Plus, I'm willing to bet ANY YA book is better than what's available on most shelves in the adult section of the bookstore (i.e. Fifty Shades of Gray).

They are an escape in our complicated, neurotic adult lives.

YA novels allow creativity and imagination that is not always available to us in the "real world." How much fun did you have imagining exactly what Hogwarts would look like? The writing of YA is easy. It's not like Dstoyevsky. They're light, easy, and comforting to jump into after a long day.

They remind us of who we are and who we want to be.

YA books are extremely relatable (even if they do involve vampires). We can see ourselves in the characters, how we used to be, and how we got to be where we are. We see the characters' fight for identity and purpose as our own fight.

They are current. 

One of these days, you'll be out of the loop. You'll have to Google what certain phrases or shorthand writings mean. You'll not have any idea who the next Justin Bieber turned out to be. But if you're reading YA, you have something in common with the "younger generation," you'll know what they're problems are at their time in life, and you could end up being the "cool" parent or role model because you understand. And you have an interest in what they have an interest in.

One columnist said, "We want to read things that apply to us, that tap into our emotions and make us feel, and we want to read things that don't put us to sleep right away, because at the end of the day, we are grownups and we are tired." 

So don't be embarrassed of your stack of YA novels. Because I think you're pretty awesome for reading them. 

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I get a lot of requests for book recommendations, so I thought I'd post a few here. Enjoy! 

The Fault in Our Stars, by John Green

Someday, Someday, Maybe, by Lauren Graham (yes, from Gilmore Girls)

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak

An Abundance of Katherines, by John Green

Outliers, by Malcolm Gladwell

Warm Bodies, by Isaac Marion

To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (CLASSIC)

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs

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And, ah yes, my mini rant: I despise the relatively new major trend to transform books into movies. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Harry Potter, and I'm sure the Hunger Games is fabulous (no I haven't read it or seen it), but it just seems like Hollywood can't come up with any of their own original ideas anymore. And doing this sometimes makes the books become obsolete :( It's sad. And they often change things, which also saddens me. *Sigh* But I guess I'll have to live with it.

Happy YA Reading! 

CicLAvia

No, I don't live in Los Angeles, but I do LOVE what they do every few months. They close off main streets in LA and only allow bikes and pedestrians (dogs as well) to occupy the street. It's genius. And I totally wish my town did something like that too. Heck, I just wish my town had bike lanes on every street! That would make my life a whole lot easier.

And yes, a subject like CicLAvia brings me directly back to people I talk about all the time. But I think they're fantastic people, so I'll just keep writing about them! A few years ago, actors Stana Katic and Seamus Dever teamed up to create The Alternative Travel Project, which encourages people around the world to give up their cars for at least one day and use public transportation, bikes, or their own two legs to get around. It helps the environment, but it also helps you! You build up muscles walking and biking that normally simply lay dormant when traveling in a car. And who doesn't love the fresh air blowing through their hair?! Plus, its proven that biking makes you happier! 

Scared to give up your car? It's really quite easy. At least where I am. I'm blessed with a city that is fairly connected to the surrounding cities. I can take the bus practically anywhere, quite a few of the main streets have bike lanes, and almost every business has bike racks to park at. I've been without a car for 4 years, and I love it (for the most part--snow is not so fun to bike in)!

For more info on Stana & Seamus' ATP initiative, check out their YouTube videos (a few shown below) and their website: www.alternativetravelproject.com.

They even recruited some of their castmates to join in the ATP fun! And for some kicks, check out actor Jon Huertas' hilarious PSA on bike safety (excuse any language, please)!

ANYWAY....back to CicLAvia...last month, Los Angeles shut down iconic Wilshire Boulevard for a day. Stana Katic was there to support the effort in conjunction with her own Alternative Travel Project. She rode the famous street with kids on either side. 

It may seem "hippy" to some people, but I love the camaraderie and sense of community that appears when cars simply disappear in a city. It's brilliant. To see a massive street in one of the worlds largest cities completely full of bikes instead of cars is just awesome; empowering even. 

There are some amazing people in this world and unfortunately we're all secluded from each other in the bubbles of our individual cars. With walking, biking, and public transit, you meet people that you would never otherwise meet. I think that may be my favorite part! I've met some fascinating people at the bus stop, on the bus, at the bike racks... Waiting at a stoplight allows for conversation; believe it or not, people are very nice! Get to know some of them! Don't keep your mouth shut at a crosswalk; wish someone a happy day; wave at a fellow cyclist. It's amazing how much more connected you feel when you step out of your personal car bubble and enjoy the world and people around you. 

Enjoy your city!

Enjoy the sunshine!

Enjoy the wind in your hair!

And remember your helmet!

The next CicLAvia event is October 6, 2013.

**All photos courtesy of CicLAvia Facebook**

Monsters University

I've never been a huge fan of sequels following fantastic original films. Mulan II was a disappointment, Cinderella apparently has 3 or 4 sequels that I simply have no interest in, the Air Bud films should have ended after 2, and the Saw movies shouldn't have even started at all. The only sequels I really enjoyed were Toy Story (2 & 3) and Lion King 2. So call me skeptical when a sequel movie is announced for any series. Especially when said sequel comes out very soon after the first or over a decade later...

But Pixar caught my eye on this one. 

 First of all, its been 12 years since Monsters, Inc. And that was one GREAT movie. I really didn't want them to mess up the legacy of the first film. I thought the original was such a touching film, with it ending in laughter as power instead of fright. Brilliance.

So, when Disney Pixar announced a sequel to Monsters, Inc, I had no idea what to expect. I was thinking, "What? Are they going to bring Boo back as a teenager or something?!" I wasn't so sure they could pull it off.

And the thing I was least expecting was a PREquel! I think that was the key to this film's success. Everybody loved where these two best friends were in Monsters, Inc., and finding out how they got there seemed to be the perfect route to take. Bravo Pixar!

I was EXTREMELY delighted to hear that Billy Crystal (Mike) and John Goodman (Sulley) would be reprising their roles. Nothing annoys me more than sequels (or prequels) with different actors. They think they're convincing when they do that, but NO.

And then they announced my man Nathan Fillion would be voicing Johnny Worthington, and I was sold. 

So here's what I thought of Monsters University! 

[[SPOILERS AHEAD]]

This little guy is the most adorable thing I've seen in my entire life. Baby Mike Wazowski totally caught my attention right off the bat at the first of the film. In Monsters, Inc., we see Mike as a very positive little guy, helping his best friend Sulley in the Scare Department. At first glance, Mike is not what you would call "scary," and it was great to see Monsters University take us to Mike's childhood and see why he is who he is as an adult. 

I also loved that I could connect with Mike on some level. When he visited the Scare Floor for the first time as a child, one of the monsters gave him his Monsters University baseball cap and from then on, all Mike could think about was going to MU and becoming a scarer. When I was younger, my parents took me to Purdue University for basketball games and such. I got t-shirts and basketballs with the college logo & set my life on a path towards Purdue (which was later changed, and all turned out for the better). Baby Mike may have been my favorite part.

More connections to my life? When Mike set foot for the first time on Monsters University campus. 

Every door was open to him and he was where he had wanted to be all his life. 

He was decked out in MU apparel (typical freshman), covering his dorm room walls with Scarer posters (mine were more of the Patrick Dempsey variety), and always ridiculously prepared for class--bunches of pencils, notebooks, all of his textbooks. 

I was totally Mike when I started college. Anything seemed possible. One building held my future, and I'd sit and stare at it between classes just like Mike. I had hands full of luggage too (however, I wonder what on earth Mike could have in all those bags when he doesn't wear any clothes...). I loved reliving my first year at college through young Mike.

Oozma Kappa. What can be said about them. They're the strangest group of misfits on campus, but also ridiculously endearing! 

They were amazing side comedy. Loved every single one of them! 

And then the big guys on campus: Roar Omega Roar. 

The meanies. BUT, I couldn't hate ROR president, Johnny Worthington, simply because he held the voice of my beloved Nathan Fillion. **sigh**

It was also great to see through ROR how Randall came to be the bad guy he is in Monsters, Inc., and why he and Sulley had such a big rivalry later in life. 

I love that they made him a little nerdy and strange, trying to fit in just like the rest of the monsters in his class. It was great to see some side characters from Monsters, Inc., wandering around in the film as well, such as crabby receptionist Roz, a young Mr. Waternoose, and the Abominable Snowman (pre-banishment). They were great hints to those who had seen and loved the original film. 

I also thoroughly enjoyed the relationship between Mike and Sulley throughout the entire film. It started off very shaky, with Mike outsmarting Sulley in the Scaring classrooms and Sulley thinking he was "all that" just because he held the Sullivan name and could do one great scare face. It was great to see a relationship between rivals becoming a relationship between friends and partners. So great! Now I know why Mike stuck with Sulley in Monsters, Inc., despite the madness surrounding Boo.

I think my favorite thing about Monsters University is that it didn't end in the stereotypical way. Sulley broke the rules, he and Mike went out into the "child's" world without permission, they scared a whole bunch of cops, and got expelled from the university. They got themselves jobs in the Monsters, Inc. mailroom and worked their way up, through janitorial service, scream can service, and other things until they made it as a team to the Scare Floor, where we see them in the first film. Great storytelling for sure! 

So, if you haven't already, run & go see it! It's totally worth it and I can't wait until it comes out on DVD! That is how a sequel should be done! Well done Pixar!