The beginning of a season is one of my favorite things - it always feels as though that season is the one I love most of all. Right now (of course) it's summer. I love the sunshine and how nice it is to be outside all day long. I love that cherries and berries are actually affordable and delicious. That dinner is always as simple as it gets, and rarely requires cooking that doesn't happen on a grill. And that it's light out until bedtime. So it's really no surprise that today's inspiration board is easy going and totally simple. Iced tea and honey jars, sun dresses and a picnic basket. Sounds like a delightful way to spend the day, whether or not you're getting married in the summer months.
Mood: sweetness and light Palette: sunshine, honey, wheat
I know a lot of you (A LOT OF YOU) hated it, and I can't blame you. Two years ago, my least favorite thing about LOST was the mystical element. I wanted scientific abnormalities. I wanted nefarious government, rich guy ne'er do well intrigue. I did NOT want to hear anything else about this bullshit Jacob guy that I was convinced Ben had invented. I did not want to see Smokey ever again.
But here we are. And at the end of the journey, I'm finding the revelations delicious. And I especially love being right.
Last summer, we were re-watching the first season and I started taking notes to track common themes (lame, I know) and I started noticing that backgammon seemed to be imbued with significance.
Don't know anything about backgammon? Yeah, me either. But I looked up the Wikipedia, which basically said backgammon is the oldest board game for two players in the world, and takes luck and strategy to win. A player wins when all his pieces are removed from the board. Players can also raise the stakes in the game.
Hm...that sounds a lot like a game played for a bajillion years by Smokey and Jacob, except they play with people. And perhaps to win the game against Jacob, Smokey has to remove all his pieces from the board (i.e. the LOSTies).
But that could be a lot of mumbo jumbo on my part. Another thing I loved about this episode was that it set Jacob and Smokey up as brothers, just like Jacob and Esau. At the beginning of this season, I mentioned on this blog that I thought it would be interesting if the MIB and Jacob turned out to have a similar story to those Biblical brothers, who were lifelong enemies. Welp, look who gets a cookie! That's right...ME!
The thing I'm struggling with is whether it's good to be right. Because as much as I'm glad I was able to accurately predict some elements of the episode, I don't know if that necessarily made it great storytelling. The whole backstory was a little too simple...when you give a bad guy an empathetic backstory, it becomes kind of boring...like showing us Anakin before he was Vader.
Anyways, let's hit the big notes:
ADAM AND EVE: Well, I was right about the white and black stone being game pieces (not sure if it's backgammon or not). I was not right about the skeletons having to do with time travel. They are the boys' adoptive, murderous mother and what was once the Man in Black.
The Man in Black has a corpse?! If Jacob killed the Man in Black, but we've seen him interact with Richard, then how was that possible? The only thing I can figure is that Smokey figured out how to take form, especially in bodies that could really haunt the people they came in contact with.
The Man in Black is nameless: Did no one ever name that little boy? He was, truly, an afterthought, but from the moment of his birth, the adoptive mom (played by the glorious Allison Janney) seemed to recognize his potential and removed his own mother from the picture.
Why is he special? Is it because he has the power to see dead people? Or because he has the power to lie?
Wine = birthright: In the story of Jacob and Esau, Jacob offers Esau stew in exchange for his birthright. I thought it was interesting that in the LOST world, the power of Island Protector passes through a gulp of wine.
What is that light anyways? Okay, so the island has crazy magnetism and light coming from beneath. Will we ever get an explanation to this? I thought it was cool to see that the MIB had the idea to build the wheel, which we now know only moves the island. But his whole plan was really weird and I thought, "Why does he think this plan will work?"
Why did the light turn him into Smokey? I don't have any theories, but the entire scene reminded me of the scene in Indiana Jones when the Ark of the Covenant explodes with light and you're NOT SUPPOSED TO LOOK!!
How did the Adoptive Mom get to island? She said it was an accident. How did she come to be the Keeper of the Light? I also wondered if she had the same abilities to sway people and infect their brains like the MIB. She seemed to know exactly what to say to both her boys.
Smokey mentioned before that he had a crazy mother, and boy did he. But have you noted that her influence still dictates many of his actions? He still has no qualms about murder (like her) of men, because they are corrupt.
I think, of every line spoken on the whole damn show, Allison Janney spoke the most telling when she said, "Every question I answer will simply lead to another question. You should rest. Just be grateful you're alive."
Again, the show was back in the thick of the faith vs. science debate, and I really do believe that's what the show is about. At times, it seemed like it was about many different things, but at its core, it's always been about different world views. Is it better to question everything and search for answers, or better to have faith in a greater power and accept one's fate as it is? The show seems to have been a six-year-long pros and cons list for both, and I think most of us wrestle with the desire to just go with the flow or to seek for more.
One note about this week's episode: While it was super corny, I found myself disappointed to see that next week, we'll rejoin the castaways. Has anyone else come to hate most of them the way I have?
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TitleLost in Translation (2003) - Insomnia
Well, what is there to say about "Lost in Translation"?
If you've seen the movie you'll know why I chose to make a video about it - and if you haven't watched the movie yet you should definitely give it a try. :o)
"Lost in Translation" is one of the very few movies that I remember watching more than once at the theater (instead of waiting for the DVD release).
The underlying sad truths and the uplifting note (yep, both there at the same time) lingered with me for quite a while, and even made me think about a couple of things (or lack thereof) in my own life.
"I just don't know what I'm supposed to be."
"You'll figure that out. The more you know who you are, and what you want, the less you let things upset you."
:o)
I had a hard time finding a song to go with all the scenes I wanted to include (way too many by the way, but I hope I still managed to combine my favorites without making an unstructured mess), but eventually settled for Electric President's "Insomnia".
Apart from the fitting title, it matches the mood of the movie very well, being both tragic as well as hopeful...
And speaking of hope, I hope you enjoy watching this. :o)
Music: Electric President - Insomnia
Cast:
Bill Murray (Broken Flowers, The Royal Tenenbaums)
Scarlett Johansson (The Prestige, Match Point)
Giovanni Ribisi (Cold Mountain, Saving Private Ryan)
Anna Faris (Brokeback Mountain, Scary Movie)
Title:Lost in Translation - Coldplay "Trouble"
Clips from the movie Lost in Translation
Song: Trouble by Coldplay
Documento sin título
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1. Stop Smoking 2. Get into a Habit of being Fit 3. Lose Weight - the Battle of the Bulge 4. Enjoy Life More. 5. Quit Drinking 6. Organise Yourself - this is one of the keys to reaching your goals 7. Learn Something New 8. Get out of Debt 9. Spend More Time With Family 10. Help People.
Videos Relacionados:below I show related videos and not so related to this article.
TitleThe New Year's List
Download this video at www.skitguys.com! Bob's got his list of resolutions that he's convinced will make his life better, but his friend Jim isn't buying it.
Title:Resolutions
2009... Let's make a list of the things you intend to do.
I will keep this list and by the end of 2009, I will post it here again and you may comment on it. What you fulfilled and what you postponed for 2009.
I look forward to your list and in the meantime I wish you a wonderful 2009.
Weekend Shopping I'm teetering on the line of a migraine, so I don't feel like coming up with much to say. On Saturday I did some shopping, and here's the recap.
Bath and Body Works candle sale. 2 for $20. I picked up two Sea Island Cotton, one Tropical Breeze (w/odor eliminator, we'll see how that works), and one Green Tea and Pear. Mom sent me a coupon for a free signature item with purchase, so I picked up Sea Island Cotton body creme.
At Old Navy I picked up a pair of white jeans (mine are trouser style, no photo online), a maxi dress, and jean skirt. I got another cute striped dress, but there aren't any pictures online. Wishing that they had this romper- hopefully they'll get another shipment. It'd be great for our honeymoon. Have you bought any spring goodies yet?
I've been following the work of photographer Polly Alexandre for awhile now, and today I get to share her beautiful work with you, with Fiona and Niels lovely wedding. As soon as they were engaged, Fiona says that she and Niels knew they wanted a small wedding in their adopted hometown of London, and that's just what they had...
Fiona's 1930's-inspired gown was beaded by hand with Swarovski crystals taken from her mother's wedding dress and Miyuki satin beads. She completed her look with a pair of silver and drop crystal earrings given by her parents when she moved from Scotland to London years ago.
How amazing is this hat! Made by milliner William Chambers, who also made Fiona's gorgeous headpiece.
Guests were treated to a short tour of London before going on to the reception in a red Routemaster bus. Says the bride, "The night Niels and I first met, he insisted on waiting with me for my bus (No. 139) in Bond Street, London. I will never forget the sense of certitude when I got on that bus that I had met someone quite special. So, as a surprise for Niels, I arranged for the red bus to be mocked up as the No. 139 bus."
Fiona describes their ceremony site: "We came across the historical church of St. Bartholomew the Great (built in 1123 AD) long before we got engaged and were struck by its heritage and beauty. Unbeknown to us, the church has played many a starring role in films, including Four Weddings and a Funeral."
"Our reception venue was located on the banks of the River Thames with stunning views of St. Paul’s Cathedral. This restaurant and brasserie is attached to Shakespeare’s Globe and we instantly fell in love with it, not only for the location but also for their ethos of serving seasonal produce in a relaxed atmosphere." Fiona and Niels love to throw dinner parties at home, so this was the perfect wedding reception for them: 38 guests joined them for dinner around one large table, allowing everyone to feel included, and allowing the couple to interact with each of their guests.
The wedding cake was a small square fruitcake. Also, Fiona says, "My mum is famous for her shortbread, so we asked her to make small individual heart shaped pieces for the reception. I forgot to thank her on the day so can I take this opportunity to say thank you so much, Mum!"
"Our first dance was to Glen Campbell's Grow Old With Me, as we think the lyrics say it all."
Photographer Polly Alexandre had entered Fiona and Niels into a contest to win wedding videography, and they won! Renaissance Studios shot this 8mm film of Fiona and Niels' wedding:
Best wishes Fiona and Niels! Thank you for sharing a bit of your beautiful wedding with us, and thank you to Polly Alexandre for sharing these gorgeous photos - you can see even more from this wedding over on Polly's blog. Oh, and I just have to share this funny story from Fiona with you: "Niels and I decided to spend our wedding night at home as we live only five minutes from the reception venue and we weren’t leaving for our honeymoon until Monday morning. On arrival at the threshold Niels discovered he didn’t have any keys on him as they 'spoiled the look of his suit.' He had his iPhone with him but no keys!"
Alison Bank from First Comes Love Photography sent over this charming wedding, and I think both the photos and the story from the bride are great reminders to anyone out there who feels like pulling their hair out over wedding planning. Says the bride, Carolyn:
"Don't plan too long or too hard. You have to listen politely to the suggestions of family and friends but in the end this is your day and it should be what you want so don't feel bad about saying no. We planned our wedding in less than 5 months with very little stress and I think that relaxed and fun attitude came through on the actual day."
And they came through in the photos, too!
Close friends played music during the ceremony and reception.
Carolyn wore a sundress by Ralph Lauren for her August wedding.
From the bride, "We had a lot of help from friends with various areas of expertise which really helped keep our budget down. The invitations, flowers, wine, music, and some of the produce for the dinner were all provided free of charge by friends in those businesses. We purchased all our liquor at Costco and hired a bartender, which greatly reduced cost of the open bar. We let the setting be the decor and kept the linens and decorations simple."
Introductions Hello, my name is Sarah...and I've been a bad blogger. For those of you who follow me on twitter, you know that I a) have bronchitis b) just started a new job and c) am in the process of purchasing a house. Needless to say, things have been a little crazy over at Chez SE these last couple weeks. I try and keep up with everybody's blogs and tweets during the day, but I'm not able to post on my own.
So the posts will continue to be less frequent than before (ie 4 posts a day), but I'll try to post more now that I'm starting to get over the bronchitis. This is how my past three weeks have gone: 5:30 get home from work; 7:00 eat dinner; 9:00 go to bed; 6:00 am get up and do it all over again.
Mr. SE and I have been dealing with some complications on the wedding front, along with an ever decreasing budget. I'll be sure to fill you in on the details once things calm down. Please stay around- I promise I'll be back for some extremely fabulous posts next week. (ps- I lost a follower this week! Sad day!). In the meantime, here's some dresses I'm interested in. But wait- Miss SE, why are you posting dresses from DB? I thought you were going to hit up a fab salon where they served champagne and gushed over how beautiful you are. Yes, my friends, I was. That was before Mr. SE and I had a heart to heart about the budget and what is really important: our love, and honoring the friends and family that mean everything to us.
This weekend we're attending a wedding for the Goddaughter of Mom and Dad SE in Virginia. Mama SE is doing a reading in the ceremony- I'll try and take a picture. Before the wedding, mom and I are going to try on my FIRST wedding dress. I wanted to hit up DB first just to get a feel for the style that I wanted. While browsing their paper and online catalogue, I found some surprisingly lovely styles that I'm really looking forward to trying on. Here's some styles I like...
wedding planning ideas, developing a wedding checklist, organizing wedding flowers, catering, photography. wedding planner is a professional who assists with planning and organization of weddings
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