El Dorado

For some reason, "El Dorado" is one of my favorite John Wayne movies. I'm not really sure why but I just really enjoy it. Maybe it has to do with the undercurrent of humor that runs throughout the movie. Or maybe it's not supposed to be funny. Oh well I am entertained. 

I never really realized before that James Caan was in this movie. He looks so young... and attractive. Ah, Mississippi. How you make my heart pound. Ha ha. Not really. But he is pretty attractive. The sad thing is though... he can't shoot a gun worth junk. He is pretty nifty with a knife though. And I like to think that he ends up with Joey MacDonald, cuz that girl has got some volume going on with her hair. It's like a shampoo commercial. 

Of course, John Wayne did an excellent job as Cole Thornton, a hired gun. And Robert Mitchum was also very good as a drunk. Although I did feel bad when he had to sober up and he kept clutching his stomach. Made me want to throw up for him. Not that I need to throw up... just sayin'... 

My one thing is that I'm not really sure what the whole thing was with McLeod and the sheriff and Cole. Was it over the water rights that Jason was after from MacDonald? Or was it something a little more personal, for McLeod anyway? Was he out to try and best Cole as one of the fastest guns around?

All in all, it was a good night... except for when my roommate Kelli asked "Which one is John Wayne?" Talk about a sucker punch to the gut. How can you not know who John Wayne is!? That's simply unpatriotic! 

Next movie is "The Cowboys."

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence

I've seen this John Wayne movie before. Well... I've seen the end of it before. I'm sure that I've seen it all but I wasn't paying attention at the time. Or something to that affect. Okay just don't worry about it. But know this, I forgot how much I also like Jimmy Stewart.

Jimmy Stewart does an excellent job, in my opinion, in this movie. He makes me feel bad because he doesn't know how to shoot... but then again... I'm not very good myself.

Unfortunately I wasn't paying enough attention when watching it this time around to find a quote that I really like. All I really remember is John Wayne calling Jimmy Stewart 'Pilgrim' often.

It's a good one and that's all I really have to say about it.

Next one to watch is "El Dorado".

Red River

Movie number three was "Red River", made in 1948. Although the story was compelling and fraught with tension and action I have to admit that so far didn't enjoy this movie as much as the last too. John Wayne did an excellent job as Tom Dunson but I didn't like him as much in it. He was just too much of a hard A for my tastes.

And I was little stressed out by the cattle drive. I don't know that I could handle driving cattle that far and that long. And then when Tom Dunson went crazy. That was pretty intense. I didn't find a quote that I really liked from this movie. Although there was one about trusting people but it was so negative. I didn't feel like remembering it.

Montgomery Clift was excellent as well. And he was kind of attractive I have to admit.

So not my favorite but really well done anyway. Next one is "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance".

Hondo

The second movie in my John Wayne Movie Marathon was Hondo, made in 1953. It was a good one. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It started rather abruptly but I felt that it was effective in introducing the characters and the story. This movie was in color unlike Stagecoach, but it could've been in black and white and it still would have been awesome!

I have to say that John Wayne's character, Hondo Lane, was really great. He exuded the usual John Wayne arrogance and had a way of making the audience, me, like him even if he is a little rough around the edges. "A man ought to do what he thinks is best." 

Of course I enjoyed the little romance that blossomed between Hondo Lane and the recently widowed Angie Lowe. I thought that it was sweet. Especially because Angie's husband was a total dirtbag who abandon his wife and son and tried to kill Hondo. My all time favorite line from this movie: "I don't guess that people's hearts got anything to do with a calendar." How cute! And then he kisses the crap outta her! OH YEAH!!! 

Anyway, I found this movie to be exceptionally well done and I enjoyed it immensely. It did end a little fast though. There was the intense Apache chasing them scene and then suddenly it just ended and they kept on going. It could've possibly ended a little better but all in all it wasn't too bad of an ending.

Next on my list: "Red River". 

Stagecoach

The first movie in my John Wayne Movie Marathon was the 1939 classic "Stagecoach". I don't think I have ever seen this movie before and at first I really had no idea what was going on. I think next time I'll pay better attention to the beginning when the characters are being introduced to the story. 

Overall I really did enjoy the movie. And John Wayne was so young looking and... ah... so arrogant. Yet he was the only one who really paid attention to the... well I think she was a saloon girl who got driven out of town. They were the two outcasts and he made it seem like it was all his fault. Like Ringo Kid said "...Well I guess you can't break out of prison and into Society in the same week."

It did feel, however, that the climatic part was with the Apache Indians chasing after the stagecoach. But that's only part of the story. What about when Ringo Kid went to face down the man who murdered his father and his brother? That part was slightly climatic but I was also half asleep at the time, maybe that's why it didn't seem very interesting. 

When Ringo Kid and Dallas got to "escape" from the marshal and go start their life together I thought it was so sweet. Especially because they'd barely met the morning before and he was prison escapee and she was former saloon girl. Ca-ute!

My next viewing will be of.... "Hondo" as prescribed by Dad.

Ain'tcha Never Seen a Western?

I asked my dad the other night if I could borrow some movies from him. Now normally I don't ask to borrow movies, I just go and pull out the ones I want. My dad, however, keeps his favorites or his 'special' ones in his room. And John Wayne is both special and a favorite. I specifically requested a couple of John Wayne movies for the following reason: I'm writing a paper on Westerns with an emphasis on John Wayne, mainly because when I think of Westerns I think of John Wayne.

Dad says he'll find me a couple and I don't worry anymore about it. He disappears into his room for a rather long period of time and then he comes out with a stack of movies in his hands. He puts them in a certain order before handing them to me. "You need to watch them from this one to this one." The first movie is  "Stagecoach" and the last one is "The Shootist". My younger brother Logan thrusts one more into my hand. It is "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence."

So now I have this stack of nine John Wayne movies in my hand and I'm not quite sure what to do.... How about a John Wayne Movie Marathon! And even better how about I write about my experience watching these movies! Every time I watch one of these movies I'm going to post my experience and my feelings and my views of the movie.

Buckle up... it's gonna be an interesting week!

I never really cared until I met you...

I was at work the other day and I couldn't help but cogitate on why I enjoy writing like I do.  By writing I mean when I write my fiction. And I guess you can count my blog as well.

I like to think I've always been a dreamer. I have a very detailed imagination. If you've ever had the joy hearing about one of my dreams you'll understand at least a little. When I dream I DREAM! I blame it on my extremely over active imagination. I think that's one of the things I like about writing. It gives me a chance to put my imagination down on paper.

So I was thinking about my writing. And what do most writers want? To be published? To have people read their stuff? Not so much with me. It'd be cool if I ever did get published but it's really not what I'm looking for... at least this point in time.

Me, well honestly I just want someone to read my writing and feel like they've left real life, at least for a little bit. I want the reader to finish and, even if the story is ridiculous and totally unrealistic, to feel like they've experienced a little bit of.... well magic I guess.

Now the question is... can I create this magic? I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Oh... I thought you said the great... Bambi.

No, I didn't answer my phone while driving on the freeway. 

My friend Makae and I took a road trip (ha ha ha) down to Ogden to go to the mall (because we all know how AWESOME the Cache Valley Mall is). I wanted to visit Victoria's Secret and then I figured we do a little window shopping after I got what I needed. 

We were able to leave Cache Valley earlier than projected so we were both in good spirits and then the radio was kind to us. So we made it out onto the freeway, just jamming to tunes and having a good time. I got off on the wrong exit though. So we were in Riverdale and the traffic was rather heavy for me. I'm used to main street in Logan which is pie compared to what it is in the Ogden area. 

I was waiting to turn , at the light, into the parking lot of the mall. I was feeling anxious and I saw that there was a car coming. But I didn't realize how close it was and how fast it was going. We nearly got T-boned. It was a frightening thing but we made it out alive and unscathed. 

We pulled into the parking lot and I finally had a chance to check my phone. I wasn't expecting anything more than a text message so I was surprised when I saw that I had missed two calls and a voicemail. They were from my oldest brother, Jared. I was a little thrown because he doesn't normally call me. I checked my voicemail where I heard, "Call me when you get this." 

Makae and I walked into Dillards as I called Jared. Basically he chewed me out because I was lost and I didn't tell anyone where I was going. I felt, briefly, like I was in high school again. I informed him that I had in fact told our mom that I was going to be in Ogden on Tuesday. His reason for calling me was to invite me to dinner with him and his wife. Which I was obliged to decline of course. 

After the little phone call fiasco, Makae and I proceeded to do what we had come to do. We window shopped. We tried on a dozen different headbands and looked at prom dresses, expressing our personal preferences. And then we ate at Chickfila (or however the heck it's spelled.) 

We drove through Ogden and we stopped in Farr West to get gas. Whilst getting gas we were approached by a semi- unkempt man who inquired if we could spare a dollar because his bike tires were flat and he had to get to North Ogden and he was going to miss some class or something like that. Unfortunate for the man I don't usually have cash with me. Fortunately for me I really didn't have any cash with me. I told him that I didn't have cash and apologized to him. He left us and the gas finished pumping. Makae and I very quickly got into the car and I locked the doors. It was kind of creepy. 

Back on the freeway we made plans to stop in Brigham City at Wal-mart so I could pick up a Dr. Pepper and pick out a five dollar movie that we could watch. We picked out the movie and I got my Dr. Pepper and a couple of candy bars for us and we stood in the 20 items or less line. When I went to pay I realized that my wallet was missing. Panic breifly caught me in the stomach but I calmed down because I assumed I had accidently left it in my car after getting gas. I proceeded to write a check. After handing the check to the cashier she asked for ID. Uh... how can I have ID if I don't have my wallet? Stupid Wal-Mart! They'd never pull this crap at Maceys if I wasn't writing it over a certain amount. So I asked if she'd jsut put the items aside and I'd just come back with my wallet. 

But it wasn't in my car. Makae and I tore my car apart looking for it. I was certain that I hadn't lost it at the gas station in Farr West because I remember snapping it closed and getting straight in the car after the money guy left. Panic fully engulfed me. 

We went back into Wal-Mart to check and see if I had dropped it at all during our browsing. No luck. I told Makae that if we didn't find it I'd have to go to Tremonton so my parents could help me get stuff cancelled and whatnot. I tried to control my breathing as I decided to check at the service desk before leaving. I almost left. 

I asked the woman if a wallet had been turned in. A green wallet that snaps. She nodded but I was scared to hope. It couldn't be my wallet. I couldn't be that lucky, could I? Her manager came and and retrieved the wallet from a locked room. I felt relief sweep over me and my knees weakened momentarily. Some honest person had found my wallet and turned it into the service desk. I checked inside and everything was in place. It didn't even look like they'd looked in it or anything.

We went back and I purchased my things and we walked back out to the car, laughing at the situation. Once in the car I cracked open the Dr. Pepper and took a giant swig. It had been a very adventurous evening and I was tired. I just wanted to go home and watch the movie and just relax.

We made it back to Logan with out any other major/minor incidents. But I certainly am more paranoid about where my wallet is now. I don't have much in there but what I do have is pretty darn important to me. And I am forever grateful to the person who was honest enough to take some stupid 20 year old girl's wallet to the service desk without stealing anything. I will never underestimate what something like that can do for a person. 

Thank you, whoever you are!

I'm sorry. We don't have Victorian tanning beds here.

Tonight. Tonight I did the thing I always said I'd never do. I went TANNING.

I've never been a fan of "safe tanning" because in all actuality it's not the safe. But I figured I'd never do it so I wouldn't worry about it. Well... my friend Michelle... invited me along with her. And I was kind of curious so I complied.

Let's just say that it was both of our first and LAST times going tanning. I really just didn't really care for it much. Not that it was bad or that I got terribly burnt because I didn't. I just didn't feel all that comfortable. Tanning just isn't for me. I'll stick with a blanket and a book in the summer sun at a park from now on.

I'm rather comfortable with my paleness. It makes me kin to the Victorian women of yesteryear. Even though my dad doesn't understand how I can wear skirts and show my pasty legs I don't really care that much.
So... now I can say that I've tried tanning and it's just not for me.

And hopefully I won't become a statistic concerning skin cancer and tanning beds.  

Shots of Nostalgia

 Something about this time of year just sends memories rushing to the surface. I think it's the weather warming up that does it. The way it teases us with warm days, like a sample of what's to come. It just doesn't get here fast enough. It gets my thoughts thinking on summer and thoughts of summer get me thinking on the past. Because I don't have many thoughts on the future. Yet.

Summer...

When I think of summer I can't help but think of summers as a kid. Riding bikes through the neighborhood, before it went all "wrong side of the tracks" like it is now. Playing in the sandbox and swinging. Eating slushies on the front porch.

And when I started reading books, I remember summers spent in the shade on a blanket, totally absorbed in a book. Walks to the library with my big bag of books.

If I had to choose between being in a refrigerated room or a stuffy, hot room I'd totally pick the stuffy hot one. I can't stand being cold. I'd rather be hot. I'd rather be comfortable but when is that ever an option. So... basically this time of years sets the extreme longing for summer rushing into my life. And summer sends memories into my brain. A dose of nostalgia.

His voice...

"I don't miss him at. Except... his voice. When he sings he makes me melt like a popsicle on the forf of July."

So I have a singer who, well to put it plainly, makes my knees turn to jelly. I absolutely love to listen to him sing. Oh my goodness! I just love to listen to his voice. And he is practically perfect. He's a family man with two little boys. His wife is in his band; she's his piano/keyboard player. So his family gets to travel with him. He's just an all around good guy.

Oh, and he is very, very good looking.

When I first heard Josh Turner's voice I thought it belonged to an older man. A much older man. I was watching the music video for "Long Black Train" when it showed him and I just couldn't believe that his voice actually belonged to him. If you've never listened to him before he has a very, very (sigh) deep voice. Knee weakening in fact. Oh goodness.

Okay, well most people probably don't want to hear anymore about Josh Turner so I'll shut up now. I just wanted to give a shout out to him because I love to listen to him sing.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH1Z9DEDqpk

On changing the title

If anyone who actually cares enough to read this blog may have noticed... I changed the title of my blog. I was never truely content with the title I originally chose. It was okay but I just felt it was missing... well.... something. I was driving to work this afternoon and it just popped into my head. And this title feels more like me. (In my own opinion.)

So here you go... my new title. And I changed my background to go with it.

The content will be the same because I can't change that much.

Keep on reading... if you actually read this thing.

Pearls Before Swine

 This cartoon pretty much sums up my job at Maceys.

 

Anyone who has worked in the service industry, whether it be fast food, retail, or a grocery store (would that be considered retail?) knows that this happens far too often. 

I've had people ask me some of the stupidest questions. Now I know that the Providence Maceys is a large store but seriously people! USE YOUR HEAD.

"Where's the frozen aisle?"

   "Hmm, maybe where the freezer's are!"

"Can you tell me where the paper plates are?" 

       "Oh we like to keep them on aisle one with the cereal. Just to shake things up." 

Okay, so those are only a couple of the questions that have been directed to me. I was going to go into more detail but I really just don't feel like it anymore. Just know that people really irritate me. Just use your head! I understand that certain items are hard to find. Like Worchestershire sauce and pickled pigs feet (No, I'm not sure we carry something like that, although you can get pigs feet from the meat department.)

But for the no-brainer stuff... just THINK! 

I am now done ragging on the stupid people that wander this earth searching for answers but always asking all the wrong questions. Just enjoy the comic. I know I did.