My Favorite Movies for Autumn Nights In and Why (NaBloPoMo Day 9)

Before I tell you about my favorite movies, I should begin by letting you know that I am a romantic and I like to watch things that make me feel better (not scared or skeptical or disappointed), or quite often, that make me feel like I'm not alone.  I think the beauty of movies is in the way they allow you to know the characters with no effort on your part. In real life, it can take years to truly know a person. In  characters in the movies that I watch, I can find traits similar to my own, and a sense of familiarity I don't always feel upon meeting people in real life.

But enough of this, let's get on to the movies:

The first I will mention is Paper Man, starring Jeff Daniels and Emma Stone and also some other famous people, but these two are my favorites in this movie. The basic premise is about these two forming an unconventional friendship.  The movie features unexpected plot twists and tense relationships, but what I am most drawn to are these two characters that make me feel like they would get me if I met them.

One of my favorite lines in this movie is when Jeff Daniels' character says, "If only everything in the world could be covered in butter... What a buttery world it would be."

His childlike way of thinking accompanied by her beyond-her-years wisdom is a delight.

This movie received pretty bad reviews from what I've seen, but I think it is heart-wrenchingly beautiful.  Maybe just not for everybody.  I recommend Paper Man for teenagers or adults who sometimes feel alone because of the way they view the world. I think you will definitely find a friend in both Abby and Richard.

Next, is Dakota Skye, which I've probably seen the most times out of any of these. Partially because it's on Netflix Instant, but also because it has an indie romance movie quality that I love. It is about a "too cool for school" kind of girl who has the ability to tell when people are lying and what they actually mean. The things I like about this movie are the music, the hyper-realism portrayed in the actions and personalities of the characters, and the way it pulls off having a superhuman protagonist where her superpower isn't the main focus of the movie. 

My favorite line in this movie is "Same thing, whatever." This is actually a pivotal moment in the movie, but what I love is the way some of the most important and deep words are colloquial and almost like teenage slang.

While I wasn't nearly as cool as Dakota is in high school, I can relate to a lot of the moral dilemmas she faces.  I also really like the male lead,  Jonah.  Ian Nelson, the actor who plays him, has been in almost nothing else, but he does a great job of playing an endearing character I feel truly exists in real life (and one I hope to someday meet). 

I recommend this movie to younger people who don't necessarily feel "too cool for school" like Dakota, because then maybe you won't get it, but if you've sort of been through the high school thing recently so you understand the teenage culture, and also if you ever think about the significant role lying plays in our society.

 Last Night takes place over the course of less than 24 hours and tells the story of a young couple, separated for one night in which both are faced with the opportunity to cheat on one another.  That's basically what the Netflix description said, too, which wouldn't normally make me inclined to watch it, but I guess I just went for it, and I was very pleasantly surprised.  I really like all of the actors in it, and that most of them don't have American accents. 

It features a lot of glowy and aesthetically pleasing settings and I love the way Keira Knightley's character dresses throughout the film. I'm not sure specifically what I liked so much about this one, but I recommend it for people who like movies with romance in them, but not necessarily a big romantic climactic ending, and who like British accents and Keira Knightley looking beautiful in silk robes and comfy socks, etc.

Take Me Home is the movie I discovered most recently out of all of these.  It stars Sam Jaeger who I love on Parenthood, and I found out after I finished and loved the movie that he also wrote and directed it, AND is married to the female lead.  I have to say, I liked his character more than the female lead because she sort of has that "I'm an uptight female control freak like a Catherine Heigl character but you'll maybe change my ways if I'm emotionally vulnerable which rarely happens" thing going on, but I still end up liking her a lot.

Something I like about this movie is that it features a road trip which I always love.  Also, it stars a very handsome and emotionally unstable boy with sad eyes and a sort of beard. And that a lot of the movie sounds like poetry.

Pride and Prejudice is the most famous out of all of these, and rightly so. It is cinematographically (is that a word?) gorgeous. Every single scene.

I can relate more to Elizabeth Bennet than anyone ever, and Keira Knightley, once again, is amazing, and Mr. Darcy is even more endearing than Jonah in Dakotah Skye, and I don't even know what to say. It's a fairly long movie compared to the others, but I don't think there are any parts that could be removed. The characters are extraordinarily dynamic and I think the actors do a great job of portraying the characters from the book.

I just recommend this to everyone. It makes me cry of sadness and happiness and everything.

Waitress is certainly not well-known enough.  I love the emphasis on baking and the kind sounding Southern accents that most of the characters have.  I love Keri Russell and I love Nathan Fillion. The characters in this movie are all quirky and eccentric and I would love to know all of them (except for the protagonist's scary, needy husband).

My favorite line in this movie is "We're going to have so much fun."

A close second is "I can't have coffee, what kind of doctor are you??"

The ending is pleasantly unexpected, and the color scheme and soundtrack of the entire thing are so very comforting.

You should watch it. For real. It changed my life.

And finally, Charlie Bartlett, which you probably know about.  Charlie Bartlett is one of my favorite kind of characters which is the kind with a troubled home life who, in turn, has all the answers and somehow surpasses those awkward teenage years that the rest of us have to awkwardly struggle through and then look back on later (when we're still, let's face it, awkward). Not Charlie though. He's cool but not "too cool for school" like Dakota Skye.

Kat Dennings is totally awesome and inspires me to wear red lipstick more in this movie.  I like the way this movie shows high school students united rather than tearing each other down. It is a comforting image that few people have gotten to experience in real life. Charlie is another character I would most definitely like to know in real life.

I think most people would like this movie, if not for the beautiful vulnerability of teenagers with broken spirits, then for Robert Downey Jr. Who doesn't like him, right? (OK, a lot of people probably) But anyway, this is a fun and light-hearted movie that touches on some really serious human issues, but does so in a humorous and relatable way. Two stars out of two (very funny, Spencer).

Watch with me in mind! (That was weird. But really, I think you should watch one or all of these.)

Love love love,

SRF

Being Relatively Apathetic or why I'm not the best RA

I just cut my hair in the hall bathroom because I was feeling anxious. My hair is kind of drab, not short, but not medium. I decided to cut it, but I did it in a hurry, and it came out kind of jagged and too short.

Now, I have weird-shaped hair and I am not happy about it.

 As an RA, I am not typically peppy or spirited, but I do try to do cheery things.

Here are some examples:

 

I made the Lorax out of string wrapped around a pen. 

And here are some funny or questionable ones:

 

 When it is someone's birthday on the floor, I put up cat pictures. 

 

 

On the above example, I wrote, "This was too funny I couldn't resist, but don't do drugs. Drugs are bad."

 

This is an advertisement for a program serving sundaes.

 

I put these up in the bathroom.

 

I made this for my boss...she has been a teacher and is going into counseling. 

Autumn Inspirationy Objects/Impractical Wish List (NaBloPoMo Day 8)

As much as I love autumn, living in an area with a colder climate for the first time in a while, I'm excited about a hopefully snowy but not too painfully cold winter.  They brought out the red cups at Starbucks, which is a sure sign that winter is on its way (sort of like the concept behind Groundhog Day, but I would imagine fewer animal rights activists are opposed to it).

Here's a list of pretty objects that are impractical to actually obtain, for a variety of reasons, from irrationally high cost to lack of bathtub in college dormitory:

Free People Adorned iPhone Case

Anthropologie Wee Heart Ring

Philosophy Candy Cane Lane Set

Threadsence Fleeting Floral Boots

Topshop Lipstick in Wicked

Lush Gingerbread House Bubble Bar

Sephora by OPI Tinsel Town Collector's Set

Ted Baker Typewriter Laptop Sleeve

Free People Holland Tall Socks

Okay, I know you probably won't because you probably don't have a Blogspot account, but if you do, you should totally leave a comment with things on your autumn impractical wish list!

Merry November!

xo,

SF

What I'm listening to right now: Men of Snow by Ingrid Michaelson

Autumn Makeup Tutorial (NaBloPoMo Day 7)

Okay, first can I just say, it's snowing!! I can tell you, one of the biggest pros on my pro/con list for choosing a college was that it gets wintery around here. It's so beautiful. I haven't been in snow in a long time. Time to break out my Sasquatch hat, I suppose.  

Okay, now I can tell you, this post is an autumn makeup tutorial. Wait, why did I say that? You already read the title. Way to be redundant, Spencer. 

When I think of fall, I think of changing leaves and orange and gold and red, so those are the colors I incorporated into this.

I started with a NARS eyeshadow duo called Isolde (pictured below). I put the lighter gold color all over my eyelids, as well as under by bottom eyelashes and on the inner corners of my eyes.  I think putting gold eyeshadow underneath and in the inner corners always makes your eyes look brighter.

Then, I blended the darker bronze shade into the crease of my eyelids.

I brushed a Maybelline eyeshadow in Champagne Fizz which is just a shimmery white color under my eyebrows as a highlight.

I used L'Oréal Telescopic Carbon Black liquid eyeliner on the outer corner of my top lash line and winged it a little bit.

I curled my eyelashes and then used Covergirl Lash Blast Volume mascara which is really good I think, but why does everything have to have such a long and ridiculous name? I mean, come on.

I swept Rimmel Natural Bronzer under my cheekbones (but not literally, just on my skin under where my cheekbones are, don't get crazy now) which, if you must know, is called contouring in the beauty community (of which I am not a part) (I don't know, maybe. I wear makeup usually. Does that count? SOMEONE'S getting a little rambly, and only on day 7).

I used Stila Love at First Blush Palette (aww) blush on the apples of my cheeks, and dabbed a little bit of Topshop Sunbeam Highlighter on the tops of my cheekbones to do a sort of glowy thing or whatever.

I really like dark red lipstick for autumn. This one is L'Oréal Infallible lipstick in Bold Bordeaux which lasts forever and is really vampy if you put it straight on, so I used a brush to make it a little more subtle.

And that's my deal. 

Try it! If you're that sort of person.

xoxo,

Spencer Rose

What I'm listening to right now: So Long Sunshine by Joshua Radin

A summary of today's thoughts

Dearest, 

Lauren

My Album Cover Unveiling/November 2012 Playlist (NaBloPoMo Day 6)

Hey readers! As you may or may not know, the Spencer half of The Lauren/Spencer Project writes songs and sings and plays guitar, but almost never in front of other people because she's a little scared. And she's a little annoyed by people referring to themselves in the third person, so she's going to stop.

My sister, Tyler, and I decided to have a competition that's not competitive because we're not those sorts of people, to design my first album cover.  I made the one above and she made the one below.

What do you think? Which one would you buy if you were at a CD store if those weren't obsolete and if you judged albums by their covers? How's THAT for a hypothetical?

OK, now for the music that I didn't write that I've been listening to in art studio classes so far this month:

1) She's So Right by Joshua Radin
2) Coin Laundry by Lisa Mitchell
3) Feel Again by OneRepublic
4) R U Mine by Arctic Monkeys
5) Holy Ground by Taylor Swift
6) Comeback Kid by Brett Dennen
7) Modern Love by Matt Nathanson
8) Rhythm of Love by The Plain White T's
9) All I Want by Joni Mitchell
10) Hard to Explain by The Strokes
11) After the Storm by Mumford & Sons
12) In the Middle (acoustic) by Mat Kearney
13) Lonely by Drake
14) Stubborn Love by The Lumineers
15) Amie by Damien Rice
16) Ungodly Hour by The Fray
17) Give Me Love (acoustic) by Ed Sheeran
18) Bloom by The Paper Kites

Kiss your cat for me if you have one,

Spencer Feder

Rather Amusing occurences or life as an RA

Some funny things have happened since I have become an RA this year, nothing spectacular, but reasonably smile inducing. 

Yes, someone let me be an RA. Here is proof:

1. Many people in the hall leave their doors unlocked unless they leave to go to class or the grocery store, etc. When you don't have to stop and get out a key to get into your room, some embarrassing situations can result. For instance, you may think you are opening your own door, but you are actually walking into the wrong room because you were distracted and not paying attention. This has happened to me -- twice. I have walked in to the same residents' room both times. Both times they were in the room and both times I loudly exclaimed from surprise.  My residents should have been the ones who were shocked. I was barging into their room and I screamed...they just looked back blankly with puzzled expressions. 
2. One time I walked into the bathroom and the floor was flooded. I did not understand what was causing the water to overflow, but I heard the shower running and figured someone had forgotten to turn it off. I slopped through the stagnant pool to the showers and pulled back the curtain to the stall where the water was coming from. I was flummoxed to see a bare naked resident standing in the above ankle-deep water. I do not know if she saw me because she was rinsing her face under the streaming faucet, but I was burning red with humiliation. I quickly pulled back the curtain and slopped out of the bathroom. It turns out the drains had been clogged with hair run-off and that is what caused the flooding. I still do not understand why that resident decided to take a shower at that particular time.
3. Each hall has a lounge with a kitchen, a television and comfy chairs for studying. It also has an upright white board that moves around on wheels. When it is a resident's birthday, I remind the floor by writing a message on the board. I bought expo markers for the residents and they use them to wish others a happy birthday. One time I noticed a resident did not get many birthday messages; the board was fairly blank. I had already written a happy birthday message, but I used one of the black markers to write another in slightly different hand writing. A couple days after the birthday I usually clean the board off, and this time the "happy birthday! :)" message I wrote would not come off. I looked again at my markers. The black expo marker was missing and a sharpie was sitting on the table. I had written in permanent marker. Luckily, the maintenance staff was able to remove it. It was not my proudest moment. 

 

Things that make me uncomfortable...

 or make me make this face...

1. When someone opens the door from an uncomfortable distance and I have to skip/walk over to him or her or else I feel rude. 
2. When I am in a public place that is quiet and I am hungry, but when I eat, I feel like every one is tuned into the sound of my chewing. Then I bite tentatively and can't even enjoy my food. 
3. Having to brush my teeth in a residence hall bathroom. I feel like I usually hunch over and foam excessively at the mouth, so I am very aware when other people are around. Then, I over-compensate by brushing like a robot. 
4. I love studying at cafes and libraries, but I feel like the people around me are judging how often I get up or how much I move around in my chair and shift my position. Then, I focus so much on other people that I can't concentrate on my work.
5. Walking amid a large group of people, especially around campus. There was a time when I forgot how to walk for like a year. I often don't know where to direct my eyes or put my hands. I also often walk too fast and get aggravated when a group of people are walking a horizontal line in front of me. 
6. Ordering my drink at Starbucks. I like it a certain way, but I feel badly every time I ask for it because I feel like I am imposing. 
7. Washing my hands in public bathrooms. I don't know whether or not to look at the mirror because I do not want to seem narcissistic, but I also want to see if I have mascara dust all over my face from picking at my eyelashes. 
8. Stopping at a red light when I am in the right-turn lane and another car is behind me. Even though I am going straight, I worry that the person behind me thinks I just don't know the rules and he or she is getting angry with me for not turning. Sometimes I steer my wheels a little bit to the left so the person may notice I am not turning and I know what I am doing. 
9. Tight Pants
10. Clingy, wet clothing 
11. Being hostage to a conversation
12. Pregnancy or wrist-cutting scenes in movies and t.v. shows
13. Sitting with a large party at a table in a restaurant when I do not know where to direct my conversation so I just sit and listen, which is always. 

Those are just a few of the quirks of being me and maybe you. I may had some more later. There are a lot of days in November.

What makes you uncomfortable?

Best, 

 LA