Movie 18: Due Date

Due Date was pretty funny. I love Robert Downey Jr. and thought he did a great job! This isn't a must-see, but I gave it four stars because it was an easy watch, and has some pretty memorable quotes. It's from the director of The Hangover, and flows in the same way.

Movie 17: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I

Harry Potter was great! The film was really well done and I really liked the music (composed by the same man who did New Moon). I was really on the edge of my seat, since I haven't read the books yet and wasn't quite sure what was going to happen.

This is a good one to see in theaters, the special effects and cinematography are amazing.

Cirque du Soleil Review

Ovo was amazing! I think it would be impossible to pinpoint my favorite part: the costumes, the music, the acrobatics, it was all equally stunning.

I'll start with the costumes. They were great. The colors were incredible, and the attention to detail was unbelievable. Since the show was based on insects and insect life, the costumes ranged from grasshoppers to flies to spiders and everything in between. Those that were not dressed as specific insects were colorful and creative enough to pass.

The music was great, too. I liked that the musicians were visible and became a part of the show during some scenes. The woman who sang was amazing. One of my overall favorite songs of the night was called "Legs." I can't find a link to embed it, but if you want to hear it you can click here to listen on the Cirque du Soleil site.

The stunts and acrobatics themselves were amazing. Some were cool and interesting, and some were really freakish. The flexibility and strength it takes to perform with Cirque is truly incredible.

Overall, I really enjoyed the night and I'm so glad I finally went. The tickets are a bit expensive, but the tour only comes along every couple years, so it's not the end of the world. I think I'll have to see a different themed show before deciding whether I'll become a Cirque regular!

Book 18: The Shack

The Shack was okay, but I was disappointed. I started noticing a trend when several of my friends had this book listed among their favorites—so I figured I'd give it a read and see what all the hype was about. It wasn't bad, but it didn't touch me in the way that the review promised it would.

I think that the writer is truly gifted—I really felt like I was in some of the scenes he described. I also had a few "ah ha" moments when he perfectly worded concepts that I've never been able to describe myself. The overall concept was good, the story was good—but it just didn't do it for me.

Ah well, back to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo!

Book 17: The Kite Runner

Oh. my. goodness. The Kite Runner is intense.

I've been wanting to read it for a while—a few people recommended it but I just hadn't had the time. I ended up acquiring the movie this summer, but promised myself I'd read the book before indulging in the DVD. Well, Jury Duty came as a blessing is disguise this week, allowing me the forced downtime I needed to get some reading done.

I'm definitely going to read Khaled Hosseini's other book A Thousand Splendid Suns—though I already have my next book out and ready for another long day in the court room tomorrow: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I can't wait!

UFC 119 Recap

The trip was amazing! There are so many highlights to include; I'm trying to remember everything.

Indianapolis is a great city, the people were incredibly friendly, and everything was easy to walk to. We stayed in a great hotel in Monument Circle in the heart of downtown with easy access to White River State Park and Mass Ave (a popular arts district). We spent Friday walking around downtown and exploring, eating at a couple of great restaurants and of course testing out the desserts!

Saturday we got up early and searched for breakfast, before heading to White River State Park and the Canal District. Just as we got going we passed Chris Lytle on the street! We spent several hours walking around and along the canal, considered renting a paddleboat, but instead sat along the waterside relaxing. On the way back to the hotel we passed a cute bar and stopped in for an afternoon drink. Around 5:45 we made our way toward Conseco Fieldhouse--the streets were packed! We got into the arena around 6:30 and made our way to the balcony. We had great seats with the exception of a couple of our neighbors. The guys behind us talked the WHOLE time. Every punch. Every takedown. Every move. Another guy a few seats down from us must have had a lot of money riding on the fights, because he was going CRAZY! He was really into it and yelling pointers to the fighters by name as if he knew them. Though, considering the target market, and the fact that they sold alcohol at the venue, it really wasn't that bad.

The fights themselves were pretty good. We saw a bunch of good preliminaries. Among the highlights was when Julio "The Dominican Demon" Paulino walked out to "The Climb" by Miley Cyrus. Of course, he lost.



Melvin Guillard beat Jeremy Stephens, Sean Sherk beat Evan Dunham, Chris Lytle beat Matt Serra, and Ryan Bader beat Antonio Nogueira. The main event was the least exciting even though my favorite fighter was in it, and won it. I was really disappointed in Frank Mir last time I saw him fight, but I thought that it was because he had bulked up too quickly and was fighting at an unnatural and unhealthy weight. This time he was much smaller and a lot quicker, but he seemed a little tentative. I was hoping he'd be a bit more aggressive, particularly against someone as tough as Mirko Cro Cop. They spent much of the first two rounds locked up and getting split up by Herb Dean, something you generally see more in boxing than UFC. Finally, in the third round Frank threw what looked like a fluke knee that hit Cro Cop flush in the head. After a few punches Cro Cop was unconscious and Mir had won. The knockout was great, but the rest of the fight was pretty painful.

The next morning we got up early again, had breakfast in the hotel restaurant, and headed out. It was about 30 degrees cooler than the first two days in the city, but we bundled up and walked over to Mass Ave. We wandered the gift shops for a bit and then went back to pack and head to the airport. While at the Delta check in we saw Antonio Noguiera, but decided not to bother him for a picture--then, on the way to our gate we walked past Joe Rogan and a couple other fighters we’d seen in the prelims.

All in all, it was a great trip to a great city!

UFC 119 Preview

We leave for Indianapolis this Friday and I couldn't be more excited. I'm starting to get a little nervous though, I really want Frank Mir to win!

I can't wait to post pictures from the trip!

OMG I GOT A BIKE!

That is all.

University & College Designers Membership

I received my membership packet to the University & College Designers Association today! I'm really excited, I think it will be really fun to network and attend conferences with other designers and developers who specialize in such a specific niche.

Also really excited to finally be able to cross this item off my list! My Thirty before 30 is really coming along :)

I went to NASCAR!

We had a great time at the NASCAR race last weekend! Luckily, we went to the Saturday race so parking was free and easy and it wasn't overcrowded. I was shocked to find out that you are actually allowed a 14x14x14 cooler filled with whatever you'd like (except glass bottles). I was even more shocked to see how many cans my cooler held!

My friend Jessica and I made it our business to get Atlanta Motor Speedway coozies right away (though I was hoping to get an authentic NASCAR one!) and we found our seats. She picked a great location for us in the upper level of the Champions grandstand overlooking the finish line. We stretched out and enjoyed the qualifying laps for the Emory 500 that took place the following day. I really enjoyed watching them, and didn't find the noise too loud...until all 45 cars went at once. Luckily, they had $2 ear plugs that did the trick.

We relaxed and enjoyed the sun while the race started and then watched an amazing fiery sunset. All in all it was a great experience and I'd do it again!

On the road to my PMP

The confirmation came today—I am officially a member of the Project Management Institute! In addition, I've registered to join the Atlanta chapter of the organization, and another component for Women in Project Management. I'm really excited—this is my first step toward networking with other project managers and working toward my PMP certification.

The paperwork for UCDA is still being processed, so I'll post an update when I get that confirmation!

UFC Update

I just heard about an update to the fight card for UFC 119! Here's the word:

Former UFC heavyweight champion Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira has been forced to pull out of his upcoming UFC 119 rematch against fellow former champion Frank Mir with an undisclosed injury.

A source close to the Brazilian fighter told Fighters Only that "Big Nog" suffered an injury in training that will require surgery. Nogueira is apparently expected to be sitting out until 2011 at the earliest and is "incredibly frustrated" at having to pull out of the fight.

The UFC has already found a replacement for "Big Nog" and that fighter is Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic. Cro Cop, a Croatian kickboxer and former law enforcement officer in the elite police Special Forces tactical unit, is a legend in the sport. A former K-1 and Pride fighter, Cro Cop holds notable wins over Josh Barnett, Eddie Sanchez, and Wanderlei Silva. He is on a two-fight winning streak after defeating Anthony Perosh and Pat Barry. At the age of 35, though, Cro Cop doesn't have quite as much spring in his step. Still, Pride fans nationwide still reminisce about the Cro Cop of old; the Cro Cop who won Pride's Open-Weight Grand Prix tournament in 2006.

Frank Mir is known for his brutal submissions. He holds notable victories over Tim Sylvia (armbar), Antoni Hardonk (kimura), Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (TKO punches), Cheick Kongo (guillotine choke), and Brock Lesnar (knee bar).

Mir has all the tools to win this fight, particularly if it goes to the ground. Mir certainly has the ability to take it there. Mir's fight strategy will also determine where this fight will go. Cro Cop brings years of kickboxing and boxing experience to the table and is stronger on his feet, but Mir is practically unstoppable on the ground.

NASCAR

Though we haven't secured the tickets yet, I'm planning to attend my first NASCAR race in a few weeks!

The Great Clips 300 will take place at the Atlanta Motor Speedway just south of ATL. I'm not quite sure what to expect yet, but I hear that night races are a lot of fun—and I can't wait to tailgate! I just hope that I don't get addicted to this like I did with UFC—I don't have time for another hobby!

Movie 16: Inception

I loved Inception! This is definitely a movie worth seeing, and I think the big screen adds something to it. The concept was great, the visual effects were amazing, and the acting supported it all. I'd definitely recommend seeing this one!

I Painted Something!

I left "paint something" open-ended for good reason—I wasn't quite sure where this item would take me, but I was confident that it would be interesting enough to blog about—as it turns out, I was right!

Last night, my dear friend Lisa and I attended Sips n Strokes. It's simple: bring your favorite beverage and paint a picture along with an instructor as they show you step-by-step how to paint a beautiful masterpiece—and you can take it home at the end of the evening!

The website offers a calendar view with thumbnails of the painting for each day, so you can choose your date based on the type of painting you'd like to make. Most of the options are abstract, as that's generally easier for beginners to paint—we chose a beautiful cherry blossom tree.

We had such a blast, and everyone there was really nice. This would be a great place to have a party, too—we sipped some wine, but noticed that many of the other groups brought picnic stuff and munchies. Check out the website if you're interested: www.sipsnstrokes.com



Here's a photo of us with our finished products:

Movie 15: The Other Guys

The Other Guys wasn't BAD, but it wasn't good either. There were a couple funny parts, but it's not a movie I'd want to see again or get on DVD. If you're in the mood for some mindless activity—this is your movie.

3/11 Day Update....Already!

That was fast! The announcement has been made: 3/11 will be celebrated with a 311 Cruise!

"You are invited to cruise with 311 for 4 days & nights through the Caribbean! 311 are taking over the Carnival Destiny Cruise Ship! This will be a party unlike any party we've ever thrown!! The band will rock a few shows on-board and cruise from Miami to the Turks and Caicos Islands with you – and a few other great bands & DJ's! Are you ready to hit the high seas with 311 and friends?! Let’s do this!!! Get on board with 311 on 3-3-11!"

The ticket price includes:

• Roundtrip cruise from Miami to Grand Turk (Turks & Caicos islands)
• Cabin for 4 nights
• All food (restaurants & 24 hour room service)
• All Non-alcoholic / non-carbonated drinks
• 311 shows
• Shows from support bands & DJ's
• 311 Q&A
• Photo with the band
• Other on-board events for all 4 days & nights.

My wheels are already spinning trying to figure out how to get myself aboard this cruise and check two big items off my list!

3/11 Day Breakthrough?

You may remember that I missed 311 Day this year and was completely disappointed.

Well, I have a couple pieces of good news:

1. I attended their concert this summer in Atlanta and it was wonderful.

2. I have tickets to attend a special show at the Fox Theater in Atlanta on Halloween, where they will play their first album—Music—it its entirety, and promise other hits, classics, and special surprises.

3. Their website says to stay tuned for a very special announcement regarding a 4 day event in the first week of March 2011! I would imagine that this special event is because March of 2011 will also be 3/11. So—this event might count as a 311 Day celebration and get checked off the list. I can't wait to hear where it will be taking place—I hope I can make it.

I'm headed to Indianapolis!

It's official—I'll be headed to Indianapolis in September to attend UFC 119!

I've always wanted to see UFC live, but never thought I'd have the opportunity until recently when they began moving the fights away from Las Vegas, and closer to the east coast.

I am particularly excited about this event because one of my favorite fighters—Frank Mir—is participating in the main event with Minotauro Nogueira.

The rest of the fight card includes:
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs Ryan Bader
Matt Serra vs Chris Lytle
Sean Sherk vs Evan Dunham
Melvin Guillard vs Jeremy Stephens
Matt Mitrione vs Joey Beltran
TJ Grant vs Julio Paulino
Mark Hunt vs Sean McCorkle

I'm also really excited to see Indianapolis—I've never been there before, but it looks like a great place to visit! We're staying right downtown by Monument Circle, so I'll be sure to take some great pictures!