With all this talk about Generation Y or the Millennial Generation, I sometimes wonder where I fit in.  I'm just shy of 29, depending on which Sociologist's timeline you look at I am either Generation X or Y.  I remember all the talk about Generation X back in the 1990s and thinking I related to them. I watched movies like Reality Bites and Empire Records, listened to grunge, and was happy to relate to the whole Generation X Scene. That is until I was a little older, and I started working in the education field.

Suddenly I am faced with people/students that are a little bit younger, and in some ways are so different than I am…and sometimes the same.  Generation Y is known for their television viewing habits, their love of technology, naively optimistic outlooks, and an over all lack of responsibility.  I find myself getting frustrated with their (in my mind) glaring shortcomings. I just don't my students who can't be bothered to read the syllabus and expect me to spoon feed them each week' s assignments. It annoys me that I have to lock their computers or I will be fighting MySpace and Facebook for their attention.  
Continue Reading

Popularity: 15% [?]

It’s really hot outside. We hit 100 degrees yesterday (June 27th) which was our 4th time to hit 100 this summer. Sadly, it’s not even July yet. But one thing we can all agree on, in this time of political debates, technology debates and any other debate… it’s hot outside.

Dallas, from the four years I’ve lived here, has always had hot summers. Most everyone knows that. But doesn’t it seem to be getting hotter as each summer roasts by? I recall moving here in August 2004 and instead of frying and praying I wouldn’t get a heat stroke, I was actually pleasantly surprised to see the temperature gauge read 81 degrees! It was 4:00pm when I read the temperature. It was truly an amazing, beautiful and not-hot day! Now, I realize, that was an anomaly.

Continue Reading

Popularity: 20% [?]

Music is a very important and evident aspect of film.

Musical cues in films help the audience to feel a certain way, whether it is happy or sad with sappy violins or pianos, alerts of upcoming danger with sharp and eerie notes, or signals the end of a film by playing upbeat Top 40 songs.

I just finished watching Jurassic Park, and the musical cues in this film are very evident. The main theme for the film plays throughout the film and becomes very familiar and very comforting. The composer for the film created wonderful scores; most that made me feel for the characters, but more importantly, the dinosaurs. The music within the film is definitely one of a kind and still to this day, is easily recognized, much among the ranks of the music from Jaws.
Continue Reading

Popularity: 18% [?]

As I type this, I have several things going through my mind. It’s hard to concentrate or come up with a good topic for this week’s entry. My distraction stems from two sources. First, I’m getting ready to go to the Writer’s League of Texas’s Agents and Editors conference in Austin and right after I get back from that, I’m going on vacation.

I’m excited about the conference. It’s always a great opportunity to meet and talk to other writers. I’m also a little nervous about it, too. I’ve worked on my pitch and have it memorized. The meeting with my first-pick agent is set. Now I just have to show boundless enthusiasm and sell it.
Continue Reading

Popularity: 14% [?]

Last night I was sitting alone in the DJ booth, I had this totally introspective moment. Sitting in  bar listening to some stranger sing mediocre karaoke is not usually the place where people have deep thoughts, but stranger things have happened.  As I sat there waiting for the song to end, my mind was flooded with  lessons learned. I’m not sure if anyone else can relate to the specific situation, but they are lessons we can all learn from.    

Lesson 1   
Life happens. Had you told me a year ago this would be my life, I would not have believed you. I thought I had my life all figured out. I had a plan and goals. However, things didn’t turn out quite as I expected. My plans didn’t exactly pan out, but that path led me to meeting a Karaoke DJ and his girlfriend. After some prodding, I started singing a song or two at his Wednesday night shows. Then we started going to his Thursday night show.  I’m not  great singer, but I’m not tone deaf.

Continue Reading

Popularity: 12% [?]

A few weeks ago I went to the Bombardier LearJet Indy Car 550 Race at Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth.  Yes, I know; I’m an oddity.  How can the same girl who blogs about movies like 27 Dresses and Sex And The City even stand to get within 20 feet of such an edifice?  Well, not only did I go…I freakin’ loved it!!

Prior to February 17, 2008, I’d watched one racing event in my life, the Talladega 500 in 1993, and the only reason I watched that was because it was the tribute after Davey Allison’s helicopter crashed on the way to the race.  I was only 12, so I can’t really tell you why we watched it, but I know that my dad and I sat there and watched the whole thing.
Continue Reading

Popularity: 18% [?]

When is the best time to buy a new or used vehicle?  Is it at the beginning of the month, the end of the month?  Maybe it is in January or in December?  When is the best time to buy?  The answer, of course, is now.  Now is the absolute best time that there ever will be.
 
Of sure, there have been great sales in the past and it is possible that cars will be sold at a discount in the future, but right now they have got to sell….today!!!  Today is the perfect storm of savings that we will never see again.  It always amazes me how they can always sell the idea to people (myself included) that you need to act and that you need to act right now.
  Continue Reading

Popularity: 13% [?]

Just like Rene Zellweger tells Tom Cruise that he “had her at hello” in Jerry Maguire, the Counterfeiters had me at Nazi and Concentration Camp when I read the synopsis.  I’ve always been fascinated by the European part of World War II, especially the Holocaust.  I didn’t even read past those buzz words, so I was surprised to find that it was based on a true story about concentration camp prisoners who are given preferential treatment due to their special abilities which will help the Reich counterfeit the British pound and the American dollar.

The winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2008 tells the story of these prisoners who succeeded in counterfeiting £132 million in £5, £10 and £20 notes.  Their delay in counterfeiting the dollar was pivotal.  Had they not delayed, the Nazis might have been able to flood the American economy; thereby, possibly causing a very different outcome to WWII in Europe.
Continue Reading

Popularity: 13% [?]

I can not help but have the AC/DC song, “Money Talk” in my head watching the political conversation this week.  For those of you not about to rock, let me salute you and quote for you the verse in particular.  “Come on, come on, love me for the money, come on, come on, listen to the money talk.”
 
The question of course is what role should finance have on a political campaign?  Continue Reading

Popularity: 12% [?]

In high school and university, my friends and I would plan camping trips every summer. It was a cheap way to gather everyone together for the weekend, have fun and create some memories. The camp site/conservation area was a short 45-minute drive from the city where we all lived. It wasn’t remote, but that’s what we liked about it.

The drive to the conservation area did not look any different from what we were used to seeing back home in the city. Pizzerias, brand name grocery stores, McDonalds, you name it, and we drove past it.

Continue Reading

Popularity: 11% [?]

Are you ready to see history in the making? Get your popcorn ready (nod to T.O.). The world stage is about to take yet another step toward the End. Reading this post could be hazardous to your health, as this could get really ugly if certain people comment, so be prepared.

First, know this: I will vote for Barack Obama. But that's only because I believe John McCain to be irrelevant to the most pressing issues facing our country and the world. 

Continue Reading

Popularity: 10% [?]