21 before 21

My list of 21 things I want to do before I turn 21 (next year...oh yeah.)

          Usually these sort of lists go by decades but I decided (especially since I’m turning 20 in less than 4 month) to extend this list until I’m 21. So I decided to look online for lists of things to do before you turn 21.

Some of the lists had some good ideas (‘get a drivers license’ ‘learn to bake’ ‘take a road trip’).

Other had not so good ideas (‘get wasted’ ‘get a tattoo’ ‘date a bunch of boys at once’) …seriously? Those are some great ambitions right there. So I decided I don’t need someone else telling me what I ‘should’ do before I turn 21. I can just make my own list. (duh!)

So, I took in consideration that some of them are good ideas but basically everything on the list comes from what I’ve always wanted to do.

What I want to do before I turn 21:

1. Walking the entire Centennial Trail (in one day…I will accept biking as an alternative but I have wanted to walk the entire trail since my friend Heidi did it awhile back.)

2. See over 10 musicals (sadly, I realized I have only seen about five and that just wont do. Some of my siblings have seen musicals in Europe so I would accept seeing a musical play in Europe as have seeing 2 plays in the states.)

3. Go to Warped Tour (I’ve been to over 7 concerts…which is a lot for me and I don’t plan on going to very many more. However, before I retire my concert going years I would love to go to a Warped Tour with my favorite bands.)

4. Finish my AA (I am currently (roughly) 15 credits from getting my AA.)

5. Get a job in phlebotomy

6. See the Atlantic ocean (I was close once)

7. See/be on the Statue of Liberty, Big Ben, Eiffel Tower, Tower of Pisa, Coliseum (sp?), Old Faithful, and Golden Gate Bridge (I’ve seen the latter but wasn’t able to be physically on it. =/ )

8. Go surfing (despite my fear of water I have ALWAYS wanted to go surfing)

9. Get my drivers license (definitely) and learn to drive a stick (yup)

10. Get a real ceiling and real walls in my room! (Currently I have a make-shift ceiling of boards…with a lot of gaps and wood paneling walls …with a bunch of holes. So I would really like to dry-wall the entire thing…paint it and what not.)

11. Learn another language (this one is probably the least realistic one on here because I’m not talking about Spanish. I want to learn Latin or Portuguese.)

12. Get a canvas and paint my own picture (and hang it on my new walls!)

13. See a movie at a drive-in theatre

14. Read 100 books/novels (starting now with Count of Monte Cristo = 1)

15. Watch every episode of every Star Trek (I know I'm a nerd but when aliens attack and only the people who can pass a Star Trek trivia challenge get spared from a horrible death... you'll be sorry ;)

16. Drive to Seattle to get some Turkish Delight (sooo good + there are some good memories for me there)

17. Finish writing my book (and be certain of it enough to let my dad read it…yikes!)

18. Be full vegetarian for at LEAST a month (no...*sniff*...chicken)

19. Abstain (courteously) from fast food, candy, and soda for at LEAST a month (hahaha….ok I lied. THIS is the most unrealistic one on here)

20. Get and IPod, Zune, or MP3 (something that plays music)

21. ****************

If you have ideas for Number 21 please tell me. I have some but I’d like some suggestions.

For everything else (there's MasterCard? jk) I'll keep you informed on how I do. =)

A Movie Moment: The Conspirator

The Movie:

The Conspirator (release 2010) is a drama based around the trial of Mary Surratt, a woman charged as a co-conspirator to Abraham Lincoln’s assassination. The movie stars James McAvoy as Frederick Aiken and Robin Wright as Mary Surratt and co-stars Justin Long, Kevin Kline, Evan Rachel Wood, and Alexis Bledel (and more.)

The Interest:

What initially interested me in this movie was my interest in the Lincoln assassination (which aspired after a very long and thorough essay and presentation I gave on the subject in college.) At first I thought the movie would be centered on the conviction and capture of John Wilkes Booth (the man who shot Lincoln.) But ten minutes into the movie when Booth was already caught and killed I became confused…what was the movie about then?

The Conclusion:

If you have researched Lincoln’s assassination you will have realized the movie cannot end too happily. The pressure and loyalty (or lack-there-of) exhibited by Aiken (Mary Surratt’s controversial Northern lawyer) were only vaguely expressed during the film, only brief scenes here and there. Normally that would not be enough but McAvoy’s performance enhanced the frustration and stress Aiken was feeling without digging too deep into his own life. The movie ended less than happy. Surratt is hung despite the determined efforts of Aiken and no one “changes there mind” about her afterwards.

However, Aiken himself experiences a mild change of heart. At the beginning of the movie he feels anger and hatred toward Mary Surratt and repeatedly refuses to defend her on the account he believes she is guilty. At the end he realizes the prejudice and unjust actions being taken against her during her trial and becomes sympathetic. The movie gives a good glimpse into the life of a Southerner in the North after the war.

The Rating:

Over-all, based on the performance of the actors, the plot, and the fact that I would absolutely watch this movie again I would give The Conspirator 3 ½ to 4 stars and suggest it to anyone who likes historical drama and bitter battles between doing bad things for good reasons and doing good things for bad reasons.    

What is New

Here’s the brief scoop on my life up to this point.

At the end of April my long term boyfriend left for a two year mission to Brazil. For those of you who don’t know this means I cannot talk, see or email him…snail mail only. Never fear. We are both doing well and its sort of (I said sort of) refreshing to return to the old ways of hand writing letters…oh yeah, I said it…old!

The beginning of May I started attending Horizon Medical Institute to study phlebotomy. Recently (like two weeks ago) I took my final and passed with a 93% so I am now officially certified to be a phlebotomist.

Hopefully, the 23^rd of August I will be able to take a national test and be nationally certified as well. This will just look very good on my resume.

My oldest sister had her third child and only baby boy last week. Connor Michael, he is adorable and the sweetest little boy you could imagine, pictures will soon follow.

Also, I changed the look and name of my blog. Le Blogueur is The Blogger in French (not too hard to figure out.) I am simply playing around with different names and styles so stay tuned…

This is all for now. More posts will follow.