i want candy

first, let's get this straight: i don't like candy. i like reeses. those things are good. but all other candies i've deemed unworthy of my palate.
on the flip side, i'm obsessed with treats. desserts, pastries, sweet foods... i want them all.
christmas is the best time of year for delicious treats, and at the same time, the worst culprit of bad candy.

exhibit a: delicious treats.

orange rolls. russian cookies. hot chocolate.

exhibit b: bad candy.

orange/raspberry sticks. candy canes. disgusting santa-shaped chocolates.

how terrible.

ode to joy

sooooooo...

i won a free cut and color from metropolitan salon!
i'm super excited because i've never dyed my hair before, and i seriously can't afford a haircut. ha.

any style suggestions? i'm thinking something like this:

jk. this just happened to be a picture that popped up when i googled "curly hairstyles."

but seriously, i need advice.
and one last question: should i even bother coloring my hair? i've heard it's one of those things where if you start you can't stop.

defying gravity

it's sad when someone you love is dying, and there's nothing you can do about it.

so i thought i'd tell you a little bit about my grandma, nedra armstrong anderson.

she loves to read.

she taught honors english to high school students in california.

once, mel gibson taught her class shakespeare.

she was friends with ray bradbury.

(she said once he got famous, he dumped his wife and married a blond bimbo)

she loves to learn.

she has five children. two of them are twins. one had down syndrome.

she and my grandpa eloped (of sorts)... they had a forbidden love.

about a year ago she told me she was still twitterpated with grandpa.

she ran away from home once.

my grandma is the one who got me interested in vampires... before they were cool. (before they turned sparkly and lame, that is.) 

she's led an awesome life, and although i'm sad to see her go, i'm not crying. i know i will see her again. i'm grateful to know that God has created a plan that will let us be together forever.

i love my family! i'm glad i get to be with them forever.

find my baby

it's that time of year again.
the holidays are looming ahead... just around the next bend.

if only i actually had the money to buy the presents that i want.

one of these for drew...

a little one of these for carah...

and a one of each of these for myself.

instead, i find myself planning for black friday. i've never gone shopping on black friday with all the crazy consumers. now, i find myself one of them.
i've been investigating all over the internet... trying to find "leaked black friday ads."
so far, this is my game plan.

target- 4 AM
best buy- 6 AM
michaels- ... whenever they open.

I'M A MONSTER.

i don't actually think i'll go shopping at all on black friday. but if i do... watch out. i'll have a utility belt with my credit card on one side, and a beating stick on the other side to bash in the heads of anyone who gets to that potential gift before i do.

times' a wastin'

i'm obsessed.

i never watched a lot of TV growing up because my family just had the basic public channels. yup. all ten of 'em.

now, my landlords have dish. which means WE have dish. which means i can't stop watching TV. who knew it was so cool? that there were so many sweet shows?

my personal favorites are cake boss, bones, and anything on the national geographic channel.

i used to be grotesquely fascinated with toddlers and tiaras, but that time has passed.
now i need recommendations for more good shows. what do you like?

all that she wants

i'm starting to hate blogs.
too many people blog about too much crap.
do you pass the test? is your blog crappy? here's how you can tell.

1. your blog is all about you and your husband. the title is something like "sally + david." you probably have a little counter on the left side that says "we've been married for ___ days, ___ hours, ___ minutes!" you always write about how cute your husband is, how he's so awesome, and give way too much info about your sex life.

2. your blog is your diary. you tell everyone everything about your life, so that anyone who stumbles upon your blog will know within five seconds: a) how your romantic life is, b) what you are studying in school, c) the best way to steal your identity. you tell about all the monotonous things you do each day. you post pictures of you and your friends and what you do every weekend. you usually use your blog to brag about all the cool things you do and see.

3. your posts are way too long. and way too lame. as in, you just vent or talk politics and want to start a comment war.

if your blog is any of these things, congrats. you have the worst blog in the world.

cool for cats

i hate when people include
i'm just saying
in their facebook status.
we know you're saying something. you're stupid.

sugar, sugar

the other morning i awoke with too many questions swimming in my brain.
what creative project should i do for school?
why was martin luther such a punk?
what should i be for halloween?
how short should i chop my hair?

any answers would be greatly appreciated.

tonight, tonight

there's nothing better than a good book.
that is a very cliché, very true statement.

when i read a good book, i bite my nails.

i might not have any nails left when i finish the one i'm reading right now.

smooth criminal

vote for palmer.
because he is a stud.

compromise

fine. i'll do it. 

but only because you're making me. just kidding.

i didn't want to put a wedding album on facebook. for some reason, i knew the minute i released my photos to the world, they wouldn't be special anymore. everyone would see them, and they would be "common" (as my good friend anna put it).

but here they are. or, at least here are some of them. i'm keeping the real gems to myself. and there's nothing you can do about it.

check it out. it was a perfect day.

i'm coming out

i have lots of pet peeves. 
kids with runny noses. girls who dress slutty. 
one of my biggest pet peeves is when couples put registry information on their wedding announcement.
oh, the loathing! how classless, inconsiderate, and tacky.

my husband agrees with me. interestingly enough, when he mentioned this on facebook, he got a lot of backlash. WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE WORLD? or, should i say, what's wrong with mormons? it's mostly LDS couples who are guilty of this crime.

hate me if you must, but the rest of the world agrees with me.
when i googled "registry information etiquette," these were the top five results. (hint: TOP FIVE. that means it's true.)

"You're not supposed to put registry information on your wedding invitation. It's left up to friends and family to inform everyone. However, you can put gift information on an insert in your bridal shower invitations."

"DON'T...put your registry information on your wedding invitations -- ever! Get the word out by posting the info on your wedding website or asking friends and family to spread the word."

"It is perfectly acceptible to include gift registry information inside your wedding shower invitations, however, registry information should never be included in your wedding invitations."

in this forum, the answer is: "yes, it is poor etiquette."

"Never mention gifts (gift choices or gift registry) on the invitation."

it's NOT hard to find out where people are registered. literally, you just google their name. or you go to registry.com and type in the bride's name, and voila! all the places they registered at pop up right before your eyes.
a simpler solution: ask the couple. or their parents/family members. IT'S EASY.


GAH! this makes me so frustrated. maybe i'll go blow up bed bath and beyond.

rich girl

must purchase. immediately.

because

let's play a game. it's called, "guess that organization!"

these people are the biggest bunch of hypocritical, conceited individuals on a power trip who care nothing except for their own personal gain.
oh, and they're ugly, too.




on a side note, i'm getting married the day after tomorrow. smiley face!

On a side note... BABIES!

I thought I loved babies. I'm not so sure anymore.

Relatively new: Sherlock Holmes

The trailer for Sherlock Holmes gave me the impression it was mildly inappropriate. Rachel McAdams scantily clad, Holmes handcuffed to a bed; it certainly portrayed him as a ladies' man. I was quite angry that Hollywood changed the original braniac character into something else. For this reason I put off seeing the movie until it showed up at the dollar theater. Then I saw it a few months ago and absolutely loved it.

The cast is great: Robert Downy, Jr., Jude Law, and my personal favorite Mark Strong (who deliciously plays Septimus in Stardust). The plot is new and exciting. Even though Holmes' character is different from the books, I like the new "mad" touch Downey gave him.

The plot follows Holmes as he solves the mystery behind a convict put to death who seems to rise from the grave due to black magic. Holmes and Watson (Law) must reconcile their friendship since Watson is leaving his roommate for his new bride. It's funny, clever, and outrageously entertaining.
Good:

• The new twist on the Sherlock Holmes character is fabulous. It's different but still makes Holmes a braniac. It also helps that Downey, Jr. is attractive.
• The cast in general is awesome. Mark Strong is the epitome of a villain. He plays the part well.
• The cinematography allows the viewer, at times, to get into Holme's head. You see what he is thinking and it explains his brilliance and madness.
• It's extremely family-friendly. The trailer is misleading.

Bad:

• We're left in suspense for a sequel.

Rating:
4.5 stars

On a side note... 3D movies=waste of $$

I think 3D movies are a waste of money, and Roger Ebert thinks 3D movies are a waste of money .

what do YOU think?

Mystery Monday: The Prestige

The Prestige is a film you either love or hate. The ending is so different from how the movie begins, that many don't know how to react. The first time I saw the film I thought the surprising ending was pretty cool. I've seen the movie again since then, and knowing the ending, it's fun to catch little hints thrown in that I didn't notice before.
The story follows two attractive magicians who are extremely attractive. Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman create the ultimate hot man duo. The two spend their lives trying to outdo each other with their illusions, and Angier (Jackman) goes crazy after Borden (Bale) creates what seems to be the ultimate trick. He dedicates his life to attempting to ruin Borden. David Bowie makes a fabulous appearance as Tesla, an electrical engineer inspired by a real person.

The movie can be frustrating because it is rather depressing and the characters are irrational. However, it's visually stunning and a great brain teaser.
Good:

• Overall a captivating film. The magic tricks are a delight.
• It makes you think. It's a great movie to talk about with friends.

Bad:

• Scarlett Johansson (Bale's love interest) needs to crawl in a hole and die. She can't act.
• To this day, I'm still not sure if I love this movie or just like it. I guess that's a bad thing, but it's certainly made an impression.

Rating:
3.5 stars

Friday Flashback: Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theater

Shelley Duvall hosts this star-studded series that ran from 1982-1986. Just look at some of the names that appear in the series:
Mich Jagger, Christopher Reeve, Robin Williams, Susan Sarandon, Vincent Price, Liza Minelli, Anjelica Houston, Billy Crystal, James Earl Jones... and many others.

This series is the epitome of the 80's: synthesized music, terrible effects, and dated clothing. In other words, it's everything I love.

The entire collection includes five seasons of hour long fairy tales. My favorites include Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, and the Frog Prince. Even though these gems aren't on television anymore, you can watch them for freeeeee online! SCORE.

Good:

• An infinite source of inside jokes. ("You steal my rose... the one I love the most." -Beauty and the Beast)
• Everything that was good in the 80's is now extremely hilarious. When Shelley Duvall gives her hostess speech before each show, her outfits are truly remarkable... bless her heart. The special effects are also wonderfully dated.

Bad:

• Some episodes (The Nightengale in particular--should be renamed The Nightmare) are too slow-paced and boring. Make that extreeeeeeemely boring.

Rating:
3.5 stars (although a select few episodes are indeed 5's... and others 1's)

Relatively New: Alice in Wonderland

Confession: Tim Burton is one of my favorite directors, and Johnny Depp is one of my favorite actors. Call me a wannabe or say I've jumped on the band wagon, but it's true. Interestingly enough, Tim Burton's latest Alice in Wonderland left me unimpressed with both of them. Tim Burton certainly let his creativity show, and Johnny Depp was satisfactory, but it was Helena Bonham Carter who stole the show. She was a brilliant Red Queen.
The story is actually quite different from the book or Disney version; in this version all of the characters in Wonderland are convinced Alice has "returned" to save them from the Red Queen. She must learn how to help them before the Frabjous Day arrives--a day prophesied to bring about the Red Queen's demise.
I saw the film in 3D on opening night with all the creepy emo children and my sister (clarification: my sister is neither emo nor creepy). The 3D was fun, but probably not worth the extra dollars.
Good:

• Helena Bohnam Carter is smashing as the Red Queen. I might even say she is one of my top 10 favorite movie characters. 
• It's preeeetty. Every scene is eye candy. Seeing it in 3D is not necessary at all, but still fun.
• It pays homage to a lot of Lewis Carroll references, including the brilliant poem, "Jabberwocky."

Bad:

• I'm actually not sure if this is a bad thing or a good thing, but I feel as if I would have been lost if I wasn't familiar with the true blue Alice in Wonderland stories of original author Lewis Carroll. If these words sound unfamiliar to you, you might want to read the book before viewing the film: bandersnatch, jabberwocky, jubjub bird, Frabjous Day.
• Overall, I felt that Tim Burton was trying a little too hard. I appreciate his weirdness, but in this film it didn't feel natural.

Rating:
3.5

Random Mid-Week Movie: Raptor Island

It's true that you have not lived until you've seen Raptor Island, and considering that most people haven't seen it... I guess no one has truly lived a full life. Raptor Island is low-budget cinema at its worst (or, if you're like me and enjoy ridiculing the ridiculously terrible filmmakers of the world, it's low-budget cinema at its best).

Raptor Island was released on television in 2004, and I discovered it on Netflix a few months ago. The plot follows a group of  American soldiers who have crash-landed on an island "somewhere in the South China Sea." Little do they know, the island is infested with vicious RAPTORS.

 The script is awful, the actors are talentless, and the dinosaurs look like they walked out of a bad video game; the effects are truly horrible.
Best quote:

Bad guy who betrayed the others (shouting): "I should have killed you when I had the chance!"
'Hot' babe who's actually not hot at all (shouting): "Yeah you shouldv'e... But you didn't!"

spoileralert!spoileralert!spoileralert!spoileralert!
Perhaps what's even better than that quote is the ending. The soldiers are rescued by a helicopter (just in the nick of time, of course), and the last thing seen on screen are the raptors wading in the sea, following the aircraft to fetch back their escaped prey. Thus, Raptor Island 2 is born. No, I'm not even kidding. There is a sequel, and I won't see it. Unless you watch it with me.
Good:

• See this movie for one reason only: to mock it mercilessly. The "special effects" when the soldiers shoot the raptors are especially craptastic. Little blood fireworks burst from the dinosaurs without leaving so much as a scratch.

Bad:

• Everything. Ironically, that's why you should see it.

Rating:
1 star (I give it credit for making me laugh)

final countdown

unveiled:

a new blog.

www.dailycamille.blogspot.com : my new daily book and movie review.

also, vote for my brothers' videos. give them five stars.

• steven
• andrew

For the Kid in Me: Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Last summer I read all five Percy Jackson books by Rick Riorden. I inhaled them. They're fast-paced and simple--the type of books you read purely for plot.
Percy Jackson is a young teenage boy who is actually the son of Poseidon. He goes on quests to destroy the evil forces of mythology and to learn more about his heritage. Percy does it all. He's the type of boy every seventh grade girl falls in love with. I know when I was that age, I was just waiting for a dashing prepubescent lad to slay a minotaur and sweep me off my feet.

My favorite was book four: The Battle of the Labyrinth. Once you read the series (or at least the first book, The Lightning Thief) I suggest seeing the movie which came out in February. Come to think of it, I saw it for a Valentine's date. How romantic! The movie was super cheesy but entertaining, and Uma Thurman as Medusa was enticingly horrifying (if that's even possible).

Good:

• The books are super entertaining. Just remember they are written for a younger audience.
• The film is entertaining as well. Good effects, good music.

Bad:

• The language in the books is sometimes a little too simple, like doing a homework assignment that is insultingly easy.
• One of the characters *cough*Annabeth*cough* makes me want to vomit. I hate her.
• I was so excited to see the film because I loved the books so much. When I found myself in the theater practically gagging from the cheesiness oozing off the screen, I remembered that the books were written for children. Ooops.
• Of course the story was adapted for the screenplay, and, of course, the adaptation was worse than the book.

Rating:
Books: 3.8 stars

Movie: 3 stars

killer queen

we got our engagement pictures back. i look fat in all of them. why didn't anyone tell me i'm fat?
i'm going on a diet. it's called: oatmeal for breakfast, a carrot for lunch, and a piece of bread for dinner. wish me luck.


however, i thought this photo turned out quite nicely.

Mystery Monday: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

It's thrilling, fast-paced, and unpredictable. The late Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is today's Mystery Monday.

Caution: this book is not for the faint of heart or stomach. Larsson is brutally honest with his character's lives and gives gruesome details about murder and assault.

For those of you who can get past all that brutality... you're in for a treat.

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo takes place in Sweden and follows two main characters as they try to crack the case behind the disappearance of a girl in the 1960's. I loved the foreign language thrown in every now and then--I felt like I was constantly reading an Ikea catalog. Interestingly enough, the author died in 2004. His manuscripts were published by his girlfriend after he died. There was a Swedish film made after this book, and rumors are flying that a Hollywood film is next.

Good:

• Very unique characters, especially Lisbeth Salandar. She's a private investigator covered in tattoos and body piercings. She's a walking conflict: very relatable and different at the same time. 
• The storyline is divided into subplots, and all of them have surprises. It's not very often you read a mystery thriller that is as unpredictable as this one.

Bad:

• As I said before, if you can't handle explicit material, don't pick up this book. Or... you could always just skip those parts.

Rating:
4.5 stars

beauty school drop out

today i got my first manicure.
it was delightful.
i'm a terrible nail biter, so it took weeks of self-control to stop from nibbling off any whiteness. but now, all my weeks of not biting have paid off. i have pretty fingers.

but i'm starting to think that i should have gotten them teeth style.

i'll fly away

i love airports. yesterday i was in three of them. in the past eight months, i have been on a plane eight times. that's eight different airports. six of those flights were crammed within three months. i am a pro at navigating airports.

before i flew to paris last september, i hadn't been on a plane since i was five years old (except for the time i went skydiving, but that doesn't count because i jumped out of the plane). i was nervous and didn't know what to do. i called up my cousin-friend laura and told her my fears (cousin-friends are nice. you should get one).

she said, "airports aren't bad. in fact, i love them because you are always going somewhere exciting or coming back from somewhere exciting."

and just like that, i knew i would love them. and i do.

i always sit next to the window. i love to look at the clouds and imagine what it would feel like if i was a giant goddess and i could run my fingers across the fluffy things. the two coolest things i have ever seen from a plane are the grand canyon and iceland.

i love to fly.

rebel yell

guess who can't audition to be an anchor for the daily news at noon because her hair is too long?

your's truly.

retaliation is inevitable.

prince paul's bubble party

things i find hilarious:

camille lafollette,

and

this commercial.

dear fiance,

you can start wearing old spice now.

love,

camille

bulletproof

i want to be her.

a heart full of love

Dear Camille,

There is a holiday called Valentine's Day coming up shortly. And, well, it seems to be more confusing than it used to be. I feel lame not doing anything for that certain someone, but yet don't want to go over the top on the romantic side, and ultimately am lacking any ideas of what I should do. Do you have any advice?

clueless in love

dear clueless,

ah, valentine's day. the ultimate marketing scheme. It's worse than christmas.

i have three solutions:

1. if your goal is not to lead him on, make an easy, generic gift. not a thoughtless one--but one that you can give to both the certain someone as well as your other friends (including me). for example, make a CD or bake treats. then, make sure that certain someone knows they were not the only recipient of the gift. this way, they will know you thought about them on valentines day and it wasn't a misleading gift.
2. if you want a more personalized gift specifically for the certain someone, give the gift that keeps on giving: chocolate. or candy. it's thoughtful (especially when it's nice truffles or the like), especially if you just include a card or note. the note will be the best part of the gift, anyway.
3. just make your own valentines and cookies and be happy. who needs a certain someone?

if it were up to me, i probably wouldn't even give a gift. i think valentine's day is a sorry excuse to go buy something pink, fluffy and covered in hearts. instead, i would use it as an excuse for a date. and be careful if you go out to eat or to a movie. p-town is guaranteed to be packed with tons of twitterpated students. instead, do a stay-at-home activity like decorate valentines cookies, watch a movie, play games, or heart-attack someone.

good luck.

dead end

i just realized that my list of blogs has risen to 6.

2 are for classes,

1 is a group blog,

1 is this blog,

1 is dead,

and 1 is almost dead.

+__

6

interesting.

this blog is almost dead as well, considering i have nothing to write about because all i do is mourn the loss of europe. well, not exactly... but i am running a little low on inspiration lately.

in order to overcome this i am making my next post a question-answer blog. post a comment with your "dear abby"-style question, and if you're lucky, i'll answer it in my next post.

good luck.

in for the kill

well, folks, i did it.

i finally changed my facebook status to "engaged."
oh, the horror! the inhumanity!

and just as i suspected; as soon as i did so, within thirty seconds of my status change, i had two posts. two posts! in thirty seconds!

don't fret. i quickly deleted all the traces of my disgraceful act from my news feed, wall, as well as all of those pesky comments.