Trust

Titel: Trust
Genre: Drama
Land: USA
År: 2010
Regi: David Schwimmer
I rollerna: Liana Liberato, Clive Owen, Catherine Keener, Noah Emmerich, Viola Davis

Handling: En förortsfamilj slits isär när den 14-åriga Annie träffar sin första pojkvän online. Efter månader kommunicerandes via chat och telefon upptäcker Annie att hennes vän inte är den han påstår sig vara...

Omdöme: Att göra film om ett sånt här ämne är både svårt och provocerande. Man vill helst inte prata om det och försöker allt som oftast sopa det under mattan. Eller så vågar man inte bemöta problemet som t.ex. i Hard Candy (2005) där det hela bara urartar och man flyr problemet. Det gör man definitivt inte här då man på ett väldigt realistiskt sätt får en inblick i ett av alla dessa fall när 14-åriga Annie (Liana Liberato) och hennes familj dras in i en mardröm utan dess like. En liknande film, men med ett annat tungt ämne, är annars mexikanska Daniel & Ana (2009).



Jag har aldrig tyckt David Schwimmer varit någon vidare skådespelare, men han visar helt klart att han har potential som regissör när han går in så pass seriöst som han gör här. Något som gör filmen så pass trovärdig är att Liana Liberato, som spelar Annie, verkligen är 14 år och inte 17-18 som Ellen Page var när hon spelade 14-åring i nämnda Hard Candy. Och Annie spelas mycket bra också, kanske främst i efterspelet när hon tillsammans med föräldrarna måste lära sig leva med händelsen. Likväl spelas hennes föräldrar bra av Clive Owen och Catherine Kenner.



Det jag också gillar är att filmen inte hamnar i en Hollywood-fälla och byter riktning halvvägs eller lagom till upplösningen. Istället löper man linan ut och avslutar på ett både värdigt och trovärdigt sätt. En film som höll mig intresserad rakt igenom och som definitivt är ett bra exempel på vilka faror som finns där ute för alla minderåriga. Man ska känna något när man ser ett sånt här drama och det gör man här. Sen kan vissa (eller merparten) av de som ser filmen bli skrämnda av realismen och tycka mindre om filmen, men det får man räkna med.



4 - Skådespelare
3 - Handling
4 - Känsla
3 - Musik
3 - Foto
--------------
17 - Totalt

Betyg:
IMDb: 7.2

Trailer - Trust

< / 3

"Wisdom always chooses

these black eyes and these bruises

over the heartache that they say

never completely goes away."

~ Relient K

Urgh. I don't believe in falling in love when you're young. Especially at the age of, like, eight.

So it's really awkward and ironic that it happened to me.

Actually, "falling in love" is probably not the right sentiment. It wasn't mushy. Not really. I was too little for that. I mean, by the time I was thirteen it could have been mushy, but it wasn't. Not really. Even now it's not.

"Falling in love" doesn't really cover it either because A) that sounds romantic and B) it felt/feels deeper.

See, he was like my older brother and he was wonderful. Cocky, protective, hilarious, good-looking, popular, exciting, smart, witty. He loved strange names and reading just like I did, and still had an imagination even though he was "too old." Everyone liked him.

I have a way of getting attached to people by accident. He was my first experience with that.

I knew he would always be there for me, even though I annoyed him sometimes and sometimes he was a jerk to me. I knew he'd always be there. As I imagined myself older, he was there too. He would be there when I needed boy advice, if someone ever picked on me I knew I could tell him. He'd be at my graduation, at my wedding. He had this irreplaceable spot in my heart, my life.

But he didn't know that, I guess, because his family stopped coming to my church, and that was it. We never saw each other. We never talked. It was never the same. I wasn't invited to his graduation. He won't be here for mine. I'll probably hear about his wedding, but only because I'm friends with his sister.

His family left my church about five years ago. I finally got over the whole "heartache" thing sometime last year. I didn't really think about him much, but it wasn't out of denial or anything, I had just moved on. I had great friends, even some brother-figures, and I honestly didn't need him. I wished him well in his life, but our life spheres didn't and wouldn't ever touch. I was okay with that.

Then this week I found a poem I had written about him. Then my friend (his younger sister) wrote a blog post about him and how awesome he is and what he's doing in life, complete with pictures and a poem of her own.

Ever been kicked in the chest by a horse and then shoved onions in your eyes?

Me neither, but I think I know what that would feel like now.

I guess Relient K is right again; some heartache never completely goes away.

~Stephanie

Character Judge

I like to pride myself on being a good judge of character.

LOLJK.

I suck, guys. I unbelievably suck. At least, I used to. In fact, you could almost guarantee that someone would be the exactly opposite of what I judged them to be.

She seems nice! = She's a total bitch.

He's so real. = He's a player.

She's really stuck up. = She's sweet and shy.

He seems like fun. = He's a stick-in-the-mud.

And so on.

Then you have my friend Ellie who's always been a killer character judge. She judges people the instant she meets them--and she's always right.

She's a total bitch.

He's a player.

She's sweet and shy.

He's a stick-in-the-mud.

Except for lately. See lately our personalities have been doing strange 180s. She used to be very gray-area, now I'm starting to see things less in black and white. She used to have commitment issues, now it's me who can't stick to a decision. I used to suck at judging people, now it's her turn.

It all started with her idiot boyfriend. I judged him to be an emotional wreck of a person, manipulative, wussy and weak in his faith. She didn't see it.

I was right. Ha.

*clears throat* Sorry about that...

And she totally didn't see coming what happened in my little love...situation.

What's happening to us?? Things you used to count on, like me being wrong and her being right on, are suddenly falling apart. What's next? Gravity throws us upward? Goldfish don't smile back? Doctor Doofenshmirtz becomes good?

Oh well. At least there's still death and taxes.

~Stephanie

Technical Difficulties! (and a solution)

I just wanted to let you guys know that Blogger seems to have been experiencing some technical difficulties lately and I'm not entirely sure how many people it's affecting.

So the problems for me were as follows:

1) I couldn't seem to comment on anyone's posts

2) My blog wasn't displaying properly on Internet Explorer

3) I wasn't able to change elements of my blog such as the font

So what is the solution I hear you ask? Well, I have found that both these issues are resolved when you use Google Chrome as a browser instead of the bog-standard Internet Explorer.

Hope this helps anyone who was having problems!

Being a Writer

I love it. But it's not the romantic gift it's cracked up to be. I'm sure a lot of you know what I'm talking about.

Being a writer is more like a mental illness than a gift.

When you're a writer, writing isn't really something you can just "not do." I mean, you CAN just NOT WRITE, but then you end up waking up in the middle of the night with your eyes like this O.O thinking, "Oh my god, oh my god, where is my notebook, where is my notebook" and fly out of bed and knock your lamp off trying to turn it on and tear your room apart looking for it. Because you had this one line that sounded good in the dream you were having and you might be able to use it sometime.

Or, you're just living life, maybe babysitting, and you get on the kids' tire swing. Sudden the warm breeze is just right and the sun hits your leg and the tree you're under seems perfect and the way the tire swings is spelling one thing to you: STORY IDEA. And yet here you are again without your notebook so you must as calmly as possible ask the kid you're watching if he has any notebook paper available please???

And, for the record, getting a story idea isn't always {or ever} accompanied by that delicious, dreamy look writers get in movies. You know, as an idea gently floats through their mind and they reach for a neat stack of paper and a quill pen.

Actually, getting a sudden story idea feels a lot like wetting your pants.

It's urgent, unexpected and embarrassing, especially if your eyes do the aforementioned thing {O.O}. For me, when an idea hits me like that, it's like a window has been opened to my soul, bright and blue and pure, and I'm afraid everyone can see into it. I feel the physical urge to cover myself.

{This is giving you a whole new appreciation for the mental illness metaphor I used earlier, isn't it?}

Then, if I'm with other people, it's awkward because 1) My eyes just did the bullfrog for no apparent reason and so 2) I have to play it off with some unconvincing excuse because 3) when that Soul Window is open my lying skillz are way incapacitated and 4) I'm also having to hide the fact that I desperately want to GET AWAY FROM YOU and write.

Then there's also the frequently referenced problem of the voices in your head.

Yeah, I don't get that. The only character who won't shut up is Ember, and she's basically an independent form of myself, so...yeah, however that works.

Buuut anyway you slice it, dice it, or look at it, we writers...

...are NOT normal.

~Stephanie

Small ASOS Haul, Colour Blocking Trend and Origins

I can never resist a good sale and especially when ASOS are hosting it! I only picked up a couple of things (so far) but I love them both.  There seems to be sales galore on at the moment.  If only I was a millionaire and I could buy everything my heart desired...mind you, I would probably just want more.  I doubt I could ever satisfy my hunger for clothes and shoes and bags and jewellery and makeup and....

Actually, the first thing I got wasn't even in the sale so I have no defence your honour.  It's a multi-chains horn bracelet...

I have never seen a bracelet like this before and since I'm a fan of unusual jewellery, I felt obliged to purchase it.  The fact that it was only £6.00 only sweetened the deal!  ASOS actually have some really cool pieces of jewellery at the moment, they also have a delicate skinny bangle with a cross in it that I really like the look of.  You may see it popping up on a future post...

I can justify the next item because it was in the sale, reduced from £42 to £25...sweet!  It's the Mesh and Ribbon Trim Bandeau Dress...

I would describe it as a less scary version of the body con dresses that are around, in that, it's fitted without squeezing the air out of your lungs.  It's a little more forgiving than those Herve Leger-style dresses that have been doing the rounds for ages.  It has detachable straps and I just dumped them when I got it because I prefer it as a strapless dress on me.  The spaghetti straps generally just cut into my shoulders, become annoying and sometimes make me look like a trussed up piece of meat on sunday.  The arrangement of the ribbon detail on the body of the dress is very slimming too.  The diagonal parts draw the eye inwards and show off your figure in a flattering way.  Cue totally unnatural pose...

I've been thinking of what to pair it with and I did spot a bright coral slouchy blazer in Zara that would be the perfect pop of colour for all that black and neutral.  I don't like things to be too matchy-matchy because it can cheapen a look.  I will get my thinking cap on because I'm going to wear it to a birthday bash on Saturday.  Any suggestions on what to pair it with?

Next up, a miracle worker for my skin this week...Origins Spot Remover Blemish Treatment Pads...*cue angels singing*.  My skin started acting up a few days ago and decided it was going to produce some lovely spots for me.  Thanks.  So I got right on it with these miracle pads, applying every morning just on the areas where I needed to banish any blemishes (I cut the pads in half to make the most of them).  When I use spot control products I want them to work and I want them to work FAST.

Each pad is soaked with salicylic acid, which opens and clears blackheads, while saw palmetto, a fruit extract known for its oil-minimising properties, cleans and removes dirt and debris.  I didn't feel any irritation or stinging when I applied it to the spots and it didn't dry my skin out either. 

I have also been using the Origins Super Spot Remover Blemish treatment gel at night applying it with a cotton stick (cue tip) to make sure I'm just concentrating it on the affected area.  This gel is also fantastic and works it's magic REALLY fast.  After just one application, I woke up with noticeably smaller spots and the redness had all but gone.  Impressive!

It also contains salicylic acid, which loosens dead surface cells, you can actually feel and see your blemishes becoming smaller after each application. If you have scarring from previous breakouts or hyper pigmentation, the cucumber and apple extracts help to reduce the visibility, while caffeine will calm skin.

I love these two products and will be reaching for them whenever my skin decides to go all hormonal on me again!  I was sent both of these products from Origins for consideration but as always, I have given my honest views and opinions.  They will be available next week and are priced at £12 for the gel and £22 for the pads.

Now for my new favourite blog/site is Travel In Style, which is a part of CreatorsOfDesire.com, a Dutch fashion blog collective featuring 5 really stylish bloggers.  I found it after visiting The HONEYBEE's Facebook page.  She mentioned the Travel In Style Blog and I'm so glad I checked it out!  The blogger in question is Phuong and I really like her sense of style and the way she puts things together.  Her outfits always seem to have an edge and individuality...

Pics courtesy of www.creatorsofdesire.com

The other fashion blogs on this site are also really inspirational and they all give you ideas about how to put your own outfits together.  Believe me, once you go to that site, you will lose yourself in the posts and surface 2 hours later wondering where all the time went!  Check it out!

And on the last note, I am loving the Colour Blocking trend at the moment...it just gives you the chance to wear vibrant, in your face colours in unusual combinations that shouldn't work but they just do. I'm dying to get a pair of the bright skinny jeans that are around at the moment.  I haven't tried any on yet so I'm hoping they won't make my legs look like tree trunks!

The point of me mentioning this is that I found a great blog post today on the rules to the colour blocking trend here so if you're unsure of how to rock this look, then you can find all the info you need there.  I found it quite helpful in working out which colours to mix and how to accessorize the outfit as a whole.  Hope you find it helpful too!

The Hunger Games

Have you read those books? I've only read the first two. I'm waiting for my friend to give me the third one XD But. If you have. This post will be of considerable interest to you because it's about the

MOVIE.

They're making a "Hunger Games" movie!!! And we all just happen to know someone in it, by the way. Elizabeth is an extra in the movie, and you can click HERE to hear all about her awesome experience.

Because I hate spoilers I'm going to avoid talking about the actual story in this post. I'm going to just give in to my opinionated nature and go after my thoughts on the casting decisions.

Katniss

Jennifer Lawrence

So, first of all, I wanna say that I didn't picture Katniss like this. I think Jennifer is too old and too pretty. But she IS growing on me, and I don't feel like she was a HORRIBLE choice at all. Just not what I imagined.

Some of the other considerations for the part I like a lot better. My two favorites were Saoirse Ronan and Emma Roberts. They look more "Katniss" to me.

Emma Roberts

Saoirse Ronan

Peeta

Josh Hutcherson

My initial reaction to Josh Hutcherson playing Peeta was "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO{OOO}OOOOOO!" Because I don't really like Peeta {*ducks flying objects*} and I really like Josh {at least on a superficial, hottness-wise level}. I pictured Peeta as handsome, yeah, but more of a plain, bold handsome, not so pretty-boy-hott.

Alternate picks for her include Alex Pettyfer and Lucas Till, two even WORSE picks in my opinion. I see Peeta looking more William Moseley or Beau Mirchoff. I'm reeeeeeeally feeling Beau as Peeta. Like, that's EXACTLY what I pictured except Peeta's hair is lighter.

William Moseley

Beau Mirchoff

Gale

Liam Hemsworth

Originally I loved Liam Hemsworth as Gale, but the more I look at him the more I feel like Liam is more of a Peeta. I really like Chace Crawford as Gale actually.

Chace Crawford

Effie

Elizabeth Banks

I like this choice.

Haymitch

Woody Harrelson

GREAT choice! He's the perfect Haymitch.

And that's my opinionated ramble for the day :D I'm not super dissatisfied with anyone, don't get me wrong. I think they'll all do a good job. I've seen a lot worse (IMO) casting jobs!

Can't wait for the movie!

~Stephanie

Out With The Old | Theatre | The Olympics are only The Beginning

(Just don't expect to experience it at the new RSC theatre)

New is an odd concept. The more I think about it, from a book to a pair of trousers to an idea, new is simply about ownership. I have this for the first time, therefore it is new, to me. When you move into theatre, the concept of new becomes slightly perverse. How exactly do you do a new version of Henry V, or Hobson’s Choice or The Seagull.  The coveted descriptions; ‘world premier’, ‘new writing’, ‘recently discovered’ sell tickets and put bums on seats. We live in an era of fast over-consumerism and so the USP that we need in all our dealings is this one of ‘newness’, of ‘first-time-ness’, ergo, of ‘I am privileged’. The problem is, of course, that not a thing in theatre is ever truly ‘new’. Stories, words, paint-frames get used time and time again, albeit they might look different, but there are only so many versions of the same tale said in different ways with another shade of paint on the set. The way theatre and performance counteracts this stalemate is the key to its success, and that is its ‘live-ness’, its ‘happening-now-ness’. It may not be ‘new’ but it is ephemeral and that’s worth a bag of gold.

At a recent professional market-place for street arts (this is, as it sounds, when companies pitch their shows to potential bookers, backers and festivals) at the Greenwich and Docklands Festival, Chenine Bhathena (London 2012 Creative Programmer) delivered her speech outlining the ‘new’ ideas for cultural programming that 2012 was recognising and supporting. Among these were: multiculturalism, large-scale outdoor performance, and circus arts. For the people in the room, who have been making this kind of performance for years, it didn’t sound very new. But I suppose what Bhathena was talking about was a movement away from The Theatre, The Building, and back into the streets; creating a culture of pop-up performance, far away from (and one might say an advance on) the old bastions of theatre. You only have to stand on London’s South Bank where, in one direction you see the (reconstructed) Elizabethan Globe Playhouse, and the 1970’s monolith that is the National Theatre in the other direction, or stand at the doors of the Old Vic and look across the road to the Young Vic to realise this is a tried and tested method. When it comes to crunch time (be that a recession or an Olympic year, or both) then forget the baby, chuck it out with the bathwater. Hell, chuck the bath out while you’re at it.

But new buildings don’t mean new ways of thinking about art as proven by the dismal ‘new’ RSC theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, unveiled earlier this year. What the RSC had the opportunity to do was create an exciting, versatile performance space. Instead they’ve created a Front of House that misdirects you like every good shopping centre should, and they’ve built a playing space that recreates precisely The Swan, and the Other Place. It’s a great space, it’s just an unnecessary one. And it seems too that the golden boy of theatre, Rupert Goold has become stuck his ways, with his new production of Merchant of Venice speaking to every misogynistic, sexist, crass trope of performances at the RSC in the mid 90’s. Here then is the new kid on the block who needs to be ousted, for an even newer model.

So what would be new? Performance has been underground, it’s been underwater, it’s been all-night, it’s been still and static and immersive and terrifying. We don’t really want to get rid of the old, the stuff that works, the stuff that keeps performance ‘live’. But what we do need to do is create a new system of valuing performance, of paying for it, and of recognising it in terms of cultural significance. There’s no money to be made (or to be found) right now in the business of performance, but if we can lay-down some solid groundwork for culture, then this ‘new-ness’ might be a proper revolution.

At the end of her speech Bhathena, who is hugely positive about the possibilities for 2012 (but, like all the politicians of the Olympics, fails ever to mention 2013), was able to introduce the Artistic Directors for the Para-Olympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies. Jenny Sealey, the Artistic Director of GRAEAE (Britain’s most celebrated disabled theatre company), herself profoundly deaf, will take on the closing ceremony and direct the celebrations. Ten years ago this news would barely have elicited a reaction. Last week in a hall in Greenwich this announcement was met with a standing ovation, and a feeling that here was an opportunity to make something “new”, to put Great Britain on the cultural and sporting map for being the first Olympics to truly support, promote, engage with and recognise the achievements and talents of artists and sportspersons in the disabled community. For some it is too little too late, or feels like political spin and box-ticking. But I was in that room, and a revolution happened in the space of a minute. This is not about ‘new-ness’ so much as ‘live-ness’, and about taking the lessons of the past and putting them into practice. By being inclusive as opposed to exclusive, we have created a culture of performance that is constantly changing and reshaping, challenging and regenerating. As far as I’m concerned the mesmerising Danny Boyle (and it will be mesmerising) Opening Ceremony of the Olympics can take a hike, it’s old hat, it’s glorified fireworks – I’m looking to the future of performance and culture and identity- a future that will challenge as much as entertain, and it starts in September, at a very significant closing ceremony to mark the beginning of the next chapter. I’ll see you there. 


Rowan Rutter
Theatre Editor

Reminiscing...

I was chatting to someone the other day about the TV shows I loved when I was a teenager and you wouldn't believe how much fun it is to look back at who your heart-throbs were, which theme songs you knew all the words to and how upset you were when you missed an episode.  Ok, so you you have to be of a certain age range to appreciate this post but what the heck.

First off, my FAVOURITE show when I was a teenager, hands down, had to be My So-Called Life (partially due to my unwavering obsession with Jared Leto at the time!).  I loved Clare Danes character with her red hair and awkwardness and Jordan Catalano was, like, um the coolest, enigmatic rebel in school who sang in a, like, totally awesome band called the 'Frozen Embryos'...

  Swoon...he's not just a pretty face though, he's like totally deep and emotional (ha ha).  Ah the checked/plaid shirt, the floppy hair and the leather thong around his neck.  To my 14 year old self he was a god.  I was devastated when the show was cancelled...my life was over (for about a week then I was ok again).  Let's all re-live the intro (and try and pause it on the bits were Jared Leto makes an appearance! (Not that I ever did that...):

Another show, another teenage crush. Party of Five! Although I could never make up my mind who was hotter...Charlie or Griffin? I pledged my heart to Griffin and my best pal loved Charlie (and still does!).  Hey Pam! Named and shamed. 

 It was another show of angsty goodness with verbally complex, hormonally charged teenagers with a general moral tale running throughout like 'don't get pregnant' or 'don't cheat on exams' or 'don't wear those really high-waisted jeans that make your ass look weird'.  I didn't really care about those hard-hitting issues back then though because I was too busy trying to decide who would be a better kisser out of Charlie and Griffin.  Such was the sadness of my mispent youth! Don't pretend like you didn't do the same though!

Ahhh, Griffin, how I loved thee (not now though because according to E! News you're bloated, spaced out and kinda weird)...

I'm spotting a trend in my teenage lustings...floppy hair anyone? I'm also sure he pretty much lived in a checked shirt as well.  90's fashion...you gotta love it! Altogether now..."Everybody wants to live, like they wanna live..."

Although most of my favourite shows were from the US, this show was one of the exceptions.  Heartbreak High was a teenage drama set in Australia in quite a tough, working class school and it was probably seen to be rather more gritty than other shows at that time. 

It seemed to deal with more controversial subjects and yes, it spawned yet ANOTHER crush...Alex Dimitriades who played Nick Poulos. 

Listing all these crushes, you may get the impression that I am a fickle woman but my heart will always belong to Jordan Catalano! Or maybe Griffin...

Then of course there was Dawson's Creek and the strange thing about this one is that I didn't lust after either of the male leads yet I watched it religiously.  The whole Dawson and Joey 'will they?won't they?' scenario was dragged out and I lapped it up like a dehydrated kitten.  I caught an episode on SONY TV channel on Sky last week and it was hilarious.

It's hard to believe that I ever took the show seriously because they play 15 year olds but look 21, they use the advanced vocabulary of a literary boffin and no one ever dated for more than one or two episodes before they decided that they had to create some convoluted reason as to why they would never work out.  Depressing much? Yes, but as I say, the mind of a teenage girl is a strange place and I'm glad I got a one-way ticket out!

Looking over these shows brings back loads of memories though and it's funny to think back to when you and your friends would swoon over these TV heart throbs, tape the shows so you could watch them continuously and even kiss the posters of them goodnight...you guys did that too right?...no?...just me? Ok. 

What were your must-see TV shows when you were a young teenager? Come on...fess up to the embarassing things you did! It'll be like therapy!

.BEACH RECAP.

Day 1 {Saturday}:

Driving to the beach.

Making horrible faces in the car.

Waves.

Current.

Sun.

Wind.

Spaghetti.

Mint chocolate chip ice cream.

Cookies'n'Creme Extreme ice cream

"Star Trek: the Prequel"

Day 2 {Sunday}:

Church.

Sermon about names {:O MY FAVORITE.}

Lasted less than an hour.

Winddddd.

Waves.

Current.

Impressive sandcastle

Sun.

Finish "Star Trek."

Citrus chicken.

Day 3 {Monday}:

Waves.

Current.

Sun.

Wind.

CRAZY CASTLE.

MASSIVE MOAT.

Long walk/run alone.

Thunderstorm blew up.

Running in the fat raindrops, rolling thunder, streaking lightning, crashing waves and blustery wind.

Amazing feeling.

Frozen pizza.

Watching the castle get attacked by the waves until midnight with a hott guy. {asterisk}

Day 4 {Tuesday}:

Inside day {don't want to tempt my sun poisoning}.

Reading.

Eating.

Watching "Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief"

Reading.

Reading.

Eating.

Sun poisoning showing up anyway.

Reading.

Calling my friend and tell her happy birthday.

Chocolate chip cookies.

Hitting the beach stores.

Day 5 {Wednesday}

Calmer waves.

Rebuilding sandcastle bigger, taller, stronger, faster than before.

Getting sunburned on my back.

Reading.

Tacos.

Getting an upset stomach from Mexican.

Reading.

Finishing the Hunger Games trilogy {*adds another book to the list of books that have made me cry*}

Day 6 {Thursday}

Sleep in day.

Raid the beach house bookshelves.

"Forture" by Erica Spindler.

Reading.

Reading.

MY GRANDPA COMES TO VISIT :D

Celtic necklace. {asterisk asterisk}

Italian foooood!

Hottttttttttttt waiterrrrrrrr. {asterisk asterisk asterisk}

Designated GIRLS NIGHT.

Popcorn.

Ice cream.

Cookies.

Painting nails.

Watching "You've Got Mail."

Giving ourselves those sexy stick-on-with-a-washcloth tattoos.

Watching "17 Again."

Going to bed at 2am.

Day 7 {Friday}

Another inside day.

Reading.

Reading.

Reeeeeeeading.

Walking 4 miles on the beach alone and seeing hott guys.

Day 8 {Saturday}

Packing up.

Coming home.

:(

Asterisk {Watch the castle get attacked by the waves until midnight with a hott guy}:

So. Cassidy and I built this really kick-ass sand castle. Well at least it WOULD HAVE BEEN if we'd had about ten people and three weeks to build. But we didn't. So we built the BEGINNING of a really kick-ass sandcastle. You could easily bury four grown men in the moat. It was about three feet deep and ten feet long. The castle walls were over a foot thick and built really beautifully if I do say so myself.

Unfortunately, we knew when the tide came it that the Steph-and-Cass-Castle would be history. So we decided to park ourselves behind the structure and watch it be destroyed.

It got really dark and really beautiful and really peaceful and really imagination-inspiring. We had some fascinating conversations, peed in the ocean and almost saw Jack Sparrow.

Then around 11, just as the waves were beginning to reach our moat, this figure comes walking down the beach with a flashlight.

We were used to that by then; apparently late-night beach walks aren't that uncommon. We'd been calling to the people to watch out for the moat, because, well, it was pretty damn deep and someone could really get hurt just falling into it by surprise. So we called out to the figure, "Moat! Watch the moat!"

It got closer. It was a guy. Whatever.

"A moat?" He got closer. "Daaaaang."

Me: "Yeah. It's massive." He was an OUR AGE guy. Well, maybe a little older, but definitely not out of range.

Guy: "Good thing you said something," he said. "I just had knee surgery; I'd have fallen right in."

Me: *laughs* "Yeah, that would have sucked." {<--no points for originality, I know.} "We've been building this castle all day and decided to watch the waves tear it down."

Guy: "You just built this??"

Me: "Well not JUST built it, but yeah. All day long."

Guy *circles castle* "Wow. I wanna watch this thing too."

And he did.

He sat down in the sand and I sat down next to him. He was really funny, nice, smart, and polite. I found out he's going to college this fall. And, get this, he lives near me. Like 15 minutes away. WHAT ARE THE FREAKING ODDS??

And then I killed it.

Guy: "So are you guys high school or college?"

Me: "High school." {This is where I should have said we'd be seniors, but DIDN'T. UGH.} "We're home schooled." SH*********************T. >>>.<<< I don't know when to shut up. Truth is we ARE home schooled, but DANG. He didn't ASK.

And then it gets worse.

After a really smooth, fun goodbye conversation, we parted ways happily.

And I never. got. his. name.

-________-

So basically. I suck. I had truelove practically in my reach {ex dee} and I dropped it. I didn't just let the sucker go, I DROPPED HIM. URGH.

So yeah. Sob story over.

Asterisk Asterisk {Celtic necklace}:

This asterisk isn't that long. I took about twenty minutes deciding which Celtic necklace to buy. Chances are you won't know this, but I'm obsessed with Celtic stuff. Culture, jewelry, Ireland, etc.. I love it. I also really get into symbolism. So when I stumbled across these necklaces that held both, PLUS they were really freaking pretty, it was a tough decision.

I struggled between five different choices. If you're actually interested, click on the name and it'll tell you about the necklace. I also took the descriptions into account when choosing; I'm not one to go by just the pretty look.

Dragon - Guardian Spirit I liked the dragons XD

Cerridwen - Transformation, Inspiration I liked the pattern and what it stood for.

Cat - Intuition, Prophecy I liked this a LOT because of the title. It applied to me.

Celtic Cross - Celestial Energy I basically just liked the way this one looked. It was the one that first caught my eye. Unfortunately I didn't like the description that much.

Spirals - Spiritual Growth I liked the description a lot, but not so much the actual necklace.

In the end, Transformation Inspiration won. I liked the look, I liked the symbolism, and it seemed like the perfect thing to take to Europe. I'll hopefully be inspired, transformed.

Asterisk Asterisk Asterisk {Hottttttttttttt waiterrrrrrrr}:

I'll try to make this brief, but it's late at night as I'm writing this and I just can't seem to shut up.

There was a hott waiter at the Italian restaurant. He unfortunately looked a little young, maybe more 16ish, but DAAAAANG he was SO ATTRACTIVE. He reminded me and Cass of Jeremy Sumpter. Like, a lot. He was TALL and lanky {totally my thing} with brown hair and the most attractive face. We both loved his voice {which is a big deal for me} and his smile was absolutely Hayden Christensen-esque. The butter on the table melted.

There was quite an awkward moment between us though. When he was filling my sister's water glass, I was staring at him. I know, bad move, but he seemed really absorbed in the whole icewaterpitcher thing, so I felt safe. Riiiiight.

He looked up. Saw me staring. Oops. I looked down, but it wasn't all that subtle. And THEN. It was time to fill my glass. He had to reach an awkwardly long distance because of where I was sitting, so I decided to help him. I reached for my glass, and so did he. Our hands touched. Oops again. Then we both did the awkward "I'll-get-it-no-you-get-it" dance with our hands a couple of seconds before he said in his smooth, amused, attractive voice, "I got it."

He did. He had it allllll.

So yeah. I really do apologize for being so high school {or maybe even middle school. yech.} about all this. It's just that I'm exhausted and I had the best beach trip ever and I missed two amazing guys, so I'm a little torn up at the moment. Yeah.

That's gotta be it.

Oh. And my sister took pictures. Like, a lot of pictures. Here are some of them. Captions on the bottom.

Me and Cass making the Slug Face. Isn't it absolutely repulsive?

Me and a giant cheetah. Yeah.

So apparently I look cool in the wind like that. With a towel... *sigh* Living with a photographer is never dull.

Tattooooos.

Finish product :D You can't see it well {I might find more pictures later, but I'm TIRED}, but it's a little curve of stars and a dolphin jumping over my belly button.

Building our castleeeee.

Again.

My...eye...

~Stephanie