Presidents' Day Pics

I spent Presidents' Day this year primarily marathoning Doctor Who with my sister so it wasn't the most active day for me. However, I did take my dog, Lottie, for a walk out back. Lucky for us, it was quite a nice day out, compared to how it has been for the last few weeks, and I was able to get a few nice shots.

My dog really loves the snow. She leaps through it and she is always sticking her head into the snow. It's very fun to watch her play around in it! It has snowed a ton up where I live to the point where she wasn't all that happy to go outside. The snow was so deep in my backyard that she actually had difficulties moving in it. Thankfully, the snow melted to a point where she could roam freely again.

While walking, I noticed that one of the trees had a huge hole in it that definitely wasn't there a few weeks ago. A bit further on I found a tree that was covered in holes. My dad and I are pretty sure they were made by woodpeckers but I sadly haven't seen any yet. I'm keeping my fingers crossed though!

One side of the woods behind my house borders the cemetery down the road. I hadn't seen it in winter because it is normally closed off but I'm glad I got the chance. It looked so peaceful and beautiful!

Winter Weather

I took these pictures a few days ago. This is the first snow that really accumulated and actually remain on the ground. Fresh snow is so pretty! I love snow but I'm the type who tends to want it to go away about two weeks into January. So, I decided to photograph it now before I stop wanting to see it every time I look out my window! I think that the one with the red barn in the background is my favorite in this set.

I took a picture of my backyard yesterday morning. you could barely tell that there was any snow on the ground the day before! The weather where I live has been so weird this year. Luckily, I believe we're supposed to get mostly snow this week so I still get to look forward to a white Christmas.

New York City!

Last weekend, I finally got to visit New York City! I had never been there before and I was so excited. I went with a group from my school and we had so much fun! We only spent one day in the actual city but we managed to experience a lot in that overall short amount of time. 

Our hotel that we stayed at was in Albany so we had to take a 6 A.M. Amtrak into the city. The ride itself was around two-and-half hours long but I didn't mind. I brought a book with me, however, I found myself paying much more attention to the scenery. Between the changing leaves, the beautiful river, and the rising sun, I found myself content to stare out the window for most of the ride. I also liked to see the different stations as we stopped. 

We arrived in New York by way of Penn Station. Our trip happened to fall on the same weekend as Comic Con so it was fun to spot all the cosplayers as they arrived at the station. Just looking at them made me want to go to Comic Con(well, even more so than I already want to)!

When we finally stepped onto the actual street, I think, that's when it truly hit me that I was in New York City. All the smells, the people, the billboards, the buildings, the lights! I've never lived in a city and none of the cities I've ever traveled to were quite like this. NYC is almost like its own mini country. It has its own way of life and being a visitor, you try to learn it.

We walked through Time Square a few times that day. All I can say is A) it's not all that square-ish, I don't think and B) it's a lot smaller than I thought it would be and C) the Forever 21 and Disney Store's electronic displays were pretty cool. The other stores and billboards were also quite cool.

One thing that I loved in not just Time Square, but other parts of the city that we traveled, was seeing all the theater billboards and just the theaters themselves. My friend and I had this little game going where we would try to find as many theaters as we could. Between you and me, I think I found the most. I think Cinderella had my favorite theater front. Sadly, I didn't managed to get a good picture of it. 

I also got to see The Phantom of the Opera which has been a dream of mine ever since I first heard the soundtrack when I was nine. The play was absolutely beautiful. The actors, the singing, the costumes- everything was beautiful. If you haven't ever seen the stage play, I highly, highly, recommend it. 

The last thing that we did in the city that day was the Harbor Lights Cruise. I got to see the Statue of Liberty, the BMW (Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Williamsburg) bridges, the Empire State, and a bunch of other buildings all lit up in the night. My pictures didn't turn out the greatest due to the night lighting. The buildings at night looked much more awesome in person. 

I really loved New York City! I hope to go again at some point and really get to explore not just the tourist spots, but some of the less known, NYC resident suggested spots and also explore some of the other boroughs that I didn't see this time around.

The Fault in Our Stars

"Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten.

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning-author John Green’s most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love."

         -Taken from Amazon.com

I always get really excited about the personal reading that I get to do over the summer. However, if I'm completely honest, I only finished one book this summer. Pleasedon'tjudgeme! There are a couple reasons for that: I was busy; I moved and most of my books were packed; I just didn't feel like it. For whatever reason, I only read one book this summer. That book happened to be John Green's The Fault in Our Stars.

I had heard about it from many different people. It was constantly talked about on line and I saw it all the time in stores. Seriously, this book seemed to be everywhere. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and so I picked it up from the library to read on a trip I was taking that day. I refused to go into the book with high expectations. I didn't want to be disappointed  I remember starting An Abundance of Katharines and only getting a few pages in before I completely forgot about it. I open the book and settled in. Let me tell you, I read that book until I got to my destination, on the way back to my house, and I even continued to read it up in my room until I had finished the whole thing.

I don't know what happened. It's like I got stuck in the book and wouldn't be free until I finished reading it. I think that there are a few reasons why I loved this book so much. I can't say I truly enjoyed reading it because it was one of, if not the most, painfully heartbreaking novels I have ever read. Anyway, here are a few reasons:

• Hazel Grace- Her narrative, I thought, was beautiful. Her thoughts about life and questioning of her existence in the universe were really captivating to me. I thought John Green did an amazing job of writing her.
• Hazel Grace and Augustus- I loved these two in general. I thought they were beautiful together. I loved their relationship dynamics and thought that how they interacted with each other was portrayed well in the novel.
• The quotes- This was probably one of the most quotable novels I have read in a very long time. I mean: "My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations."- How can you not want to quote that!

This book left me with a ton of feelings. It's really hard to put all that I thought and felt when reading this novel into words but I can say this: I cried so much throughout this book and I sobbed when it was over. I tried explaining the plot to my mother after I was finished but I was crying to hard. She kept trying to remind me that it was just a book. I know that it is "just a book" but good books have a way of making the reader become attached to the characters and feel pain when those characters wither die, feel pain themselves, or the book ends. The Fault in Our Stars was a great book and I couldn't help but get attached.

So, if you haven't read this book, you should really give it a try. (I'll post the links to Amazon and John Green's website down below) If you have read the book, what did you think of it? I would love to know!

John Green's website: http://johngreenbooks.com/the-fault-in-our-stars/

TFiOS on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Fault-Stars-John-Green/dp/0525478817

The IMDb movie page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2582846/

*Note: All pictures in this post are mine so if you are interested in using them for any reason, please give me a little notice first.

Whodunnit?

source: www.51minds.com

I never really get into summer shows. Most of the shows I watch start in the fall and I just don't watch much television in the summer months. However, I made an exception to this summer. This summer I became obsessed with the ABC show Whodunnit?

For those of you who don't know, Whodunnit? is a murder mystery reality game show. Thirteen guests were invited to the luxurious Rue Manor and placed in the care of Giles, the butler. Things begin to go awry when one of the guests is found dead later on. She was murdered by one of the other guests.

source: robhasawebsite.com

The remaining contestants, after learning that they could not leave the manor, were able to go to one of three places: the morgue, the last known whereabouts, and the crime scene. After finding the clues and learning clues from others, the contestants were taken away individually to state their cases in the library in front of a camera. The contestants had to first state their theory on how the crime was committed and who was responsible. At dinner, Giles, inserting as many puns into his speech as possible, would then read a note from the killer telling how (s)he pulled the  murder off. Cards would then be handed out to the contestants. The person who had the most accurate theory was exempt from elimination as were most of the other contestants. However, the two(or more) players with the worst theories faced the danger of being eliminated. The bottom player would be "killed off" and the cycle would start over again the next week.

source: www.ctv.ca

The game would eventually dwindle down to the last two remaining contestants. One of which is the killer and the other being the winner. The winner gets to walk away with a quarter of a million dollars and the killer goes to jail.

Giles' puns, the ridiculous deaths, and the fact that the contestants took everything really seriously (as did some of the audience who thought that the contestants were actually being killed off) greatly added the fun of the show. It was cheesy and extremely fun to watch. Even more so when watched with multiple people who are all guessing along with the show. It was flawed and most of the deaths were extreme to the point where they were improbable. I mean, one contestant even suggested that the killer had a trained monkey at one point because he had such a difficult time figuring out what happened. However, the show's flaws can be mostly overlooked because it accomplished what it set out to do and that was to be a fun summer show.

source: www.tvguide.com

Sadly, Whodunnit? ended last night but you can watch all the episodes on Hulu. There are also two companion e-books: Murder in Mystery Manor and Murder on Mystery Island which will be released on August 27th.

So, did any of you watch it and if so, what did you think? Are you hoping for a second season just as much as I am?

-Elle

Moulin Rouge!

source: tumblr.com

Yesterday, I watched Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! for the first time. I have been listening to the soundtrack, which my sister owned, for years. It's one of my favorite cds to listen to. My sister also used to own the movie but I never got around to watching it. Also, the only Luhrmann movie that I had watched before this was Romeo + Juliet with Leo DiCaprio and Claire Danes which I really disliked.

That said, I decided to forget Romeo + Juliet and go into Moulin Rouge! with an open mind. Guess what? I loved it. I thought the story was beautiful as was the art direction and I even found myself getting teary eyed at the end.

For those of you who haven't seen the movie, Moulin Rouge! is about a young writer named Christian (played by the lovely and talented Ewan McGregor) who moves to Paris to be at the heart of the Bohemian revolution. He gets involved with his theatre troupe neighbors after wowing them with his lyrics. They convince him to help them get their play performed at the Moulin Rouge.

source: vunzooke.com

Through a series of mix-ups, Christian ends up meeting with and falling for the star of the cabaret, Satine, who falls for him as well. However, Satine (played by the beautiful Nicole Kidman) is also wanted by the Duke of Monrath (Richard Roxburgh), the man who is financing the show. He is quite creepy, has a terrible temper, and does not like to share his things. Sadly, for Christian and Satine, the duke thinks that Satine is his. Add on top of that dilema that Satine is very sick and you have yourself one drama filled, heart wrenching movie.

source: www.epipoca.com.br

The soundtrack for this film was magnificent. I loved the mixing of well known songs in the film. The singing was pretty great as well. Ewan McGregor especially has an amazing voice which really shines through in everything he sings, "Your Song" especially. Nicole Kidman in "Come What May" also made me shed a few tears. Richard Roxburgh and Jim Broadbent, who plays the owner of the Moulin Rouge, sing a rendition of "Like a Virgin" that will leave you feeling uncomfortable as well as wondering what exactly you just witnessed which I believe is what Luhrmann intended.

source: www.fanpop.com

The costumes and sets were so over-the-top crazy and beautiful. I wish I could have seen them in person so I could study them better. I'm the type of person who loves to look at costumes and these were so detailed. They were amazing.

source: www.fanpop.com

One problem that I had, that I also had with Romeo + Juliet was the editing. Not all the time though. Mostly just in the beginning. The scenes were edited to move so fast that at some points I felt like I was getting whiplash. I think that's just a Baz Luhrmann movie trait though and it didn't seem to be as bad as the movie progressed.

I would really recommend this movie to anyone who loves musicals or romance movies. Be warned: their is quite a bit of adult stuff in it which is a given considering the fact that is centered around Moulin Rouge. If you're okay with that and you don't mind "loud" movies with fast-paced editing, you should really give it a go. You might really like it!

source: www.daleelak.tv