Dark Angel Bat Girl

I hosted a Halloween party at work today. I decided that a prize would be given to the person with the best costume. I bought the prize--a "really cool prize". The soap bottle glows in the dark. Guess who won? Me!!! Funny, I bought the prize and I won! I have to admit that I really wanted to win it. Thanks all those co-workers who voted for me. Well, the costume that won it for me is a bat--quite possible the coolest bat ever! I don't have a complete pic of me as "bat girl" yet, but that will be on a future post. A guy I work with thought I was a dark angel. I gave him a hard time for that, but now I sort of like it. Maybe I can be "dark angel bat girl". Does anyone remember the show "Dark Angel". I loved that show. Well, the second season was sort of weird. Really can't believe that the guy in NCIS was in that show. Anyway, I posted a face shot of my dark angel bat girl costume with this post. That's not my real hair, its a wig! Enjoy!

Thoughts from a mad woman. . .

The last couple of week’s mornings have been ominously dark. Not only has the weather been changing, but the amount of sunlight in the morning has progressively become less and less. It practically feels like the middle of the night in the morning. I keep thinking, when are we going to change our clocks? The funny thing is I can distinctly recall having had two dreams this week where I woke up late because I didn’t change my clock. Subconsciously, I must be worried about this bi-yearly event of changing the clocks.
Right now, ladies and gentlemen, I’m going to take the first step to stop this insanity before it drives me crazy. And just in case you don’t know the answer, I will supply the answer for you. I really hope that I’m not the only person in this world who doesn’t know when we change our clocks? That will really make me crazy and feel a little sheepish too.

“Google is my friend,” I say as I type, C-H-A-N-G-E C-L-O-C-K-S 2-0-1-0, into Google Search, and then I scan for the site that will quickly supply the answer. I read, and I have the answer.

And the answer is. . .

Drum Roll

Clocks change on November 7 and will fall back an hour. That means that I will get an extra hour of sleep. Not only do I love chocolate, as you found out on my last post, but I love sleep even more. Zzzz. . .

I hope that this post helps you, and me, rest assure that time will keep going even when we gain an hour on November 7. Isn't that contradictory? Anyway, I hope that it helps all those lost-in-space-kind of people like me who don’t know when clocks should be changed to cease having nightmares that they wake up late because of not changing their clocks.

Have a pleasant-absence-of-light-in-the-morning kind of day until November 7 when the mornings will be a bit more cheery. Ciao.

Chocolates Anonymous

I am munching on Pretzel M&M’s. They're deliciousness in marble-sized form. Have I mentioned that I love chocolate? I have an undeniable sweet tooth. Alright, I can deny chocolate, but it's still tempting. I should form a group called Chocolate’s Anonymous (C.A.). C.A. would be a chocolate treats potluck group, but blindfolds would be required to protect the identity of its members. Why not enjoy the chocolaty goodness with others, even if you have no idea who they are.
You may ask, “How would you know who to invite without knowing their identity?”
“Oh, technicalities, technicalities,” I shrug.
“Well, aren’t such groups supposed to help someone quit doing a bad habit?”
“Oh, technicalities, technicalities,” I repeat and move on with my train of thought.

Anyway, here my favorite chocolate treats that I would bring to C.A.:

1. Chocolate Chip Ice Cream with Cheerios. Yes, you read correctly. When I was a little girl, my sweet tooth was biting, so I plopped a few scoops of chocolate chip ice cream into a bowl. A strange thought popped into my mind to put Cheerios in the ice cream. “It just might taste nummy,” I thought. I took notice that the ice cream was too solid to mix the Cheerios in, so I started to stir, stir, and stir it some more until it was smooth. This was before my family got a microwave. Yep, I’m that old. JK I poured some of the cereal into the chocolate chip ice cream and stirred some more. With anticipation of its taste, I spooned some of the ice cream cheerio concoction into my mouth. The moment I tasted it, I was in love.
2. Hot from the Oven Cookie and Ice Cream Sandwich. Make some chocolate chip cookies. Right when you take them out of the oven, put one in a bowl and place a scoop of ice cream on it. Put another cookie on top of that and add more ice cream. To finish it off slid another hot cookie on top of the ice cream and drizzle chocolate sauce on top. Voila! You have a delicious treat. By the time you eat it, some of the ice cream will have melted. I prefer to use cookies and cream ice cream for this one.
3. Pretzels dipped in Nutella. If you've ever tried Nutella, you'll know this is to die for.

My Pretzel M&M’s are gone now, but the sweet tooth has been appeased. I don’t feel like eating chocolate anymore—at least for today!

Thriller

Last night I saw Thriller performed by Odyssey Dance Theatre in Salt Lake City, Utah. For those who do not know what this is, I will tell you. Basically, the dance group performs multiple dance routines based around different scary Halloween themes. Of course, Michael Jackson's Thriller is the opening and closing dance of the production. Yep, they do the whole Thriller dance and that's exciting in it’s self, but the other dances are just as great. I was impressed.
Before and after the performance, Zombies and other demonic and scary creatures crept through the auditorium terrifying the guests. My friend and I had a system to watch out for the zombified women who did all they could to scare the guests. While we chatted, I watched one side of the auditorium and she watched the other. We were never approached. Phew! The zombies crawled on seats and sneaked up on people to get their desired reaction, screams. One girl was so scared of them that the zombies kept on taunting her to get her to scream some more.
As for the dances, my favorite had to be Frankenstein and his Bride. Frankenstein’s bride flawlessly played the part of a limp, dead person after Frankenstein inadvertently broke her neck. She is dragged around the stage and flung around like a rag doll due to Frankenstein’s failed efforts to bring her back to life. My second favorite dance was Dem Bones. The dancers wore glow-in-the-dark bone costumes. All you could see were the glowing bones while they tapped away a scary, yet comical dance.
For many years I have wanted to see this dance production, and now that I finally have, I think that it is going to become an annual event. You should go see it sometime if you are in SLC during Halloween! BTW, my camera wasn't cooperating, so the pictures didn't turn out too great.

Matched - by Ally Condie

This book looks really really really good. Check out the trailer.

http://bit.ly/btHUfw

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Trailer 2 [HD]

The movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 is scheduled for release on November 19, 2010; however, many of us “witches” and “wizards” will stay up late to enjoy it at a midnight showing. I, for one, have watched three of the HP movies for the first time at a midnight showing, as well as multiple other movies. This time around, I will be seeing it at a pre-showing on the 18th at 5 p.m. Don’t be mad! I got lucky this time around and won’t be staying up late to see it.
But, there is something to seeing a midnight movie before it’s released. I feel more excitement for the movie then I would have otherwise because of the anticipation that builds up inside of me throughout the day of the showing. Plus, there is a social aspect to midnight movies—friends gathering together way early to wait in line is all part of the fun. The midnight movie is a great way to hype up the diehard fans, even to the point that they dress up! Way fun to see! And, I would think, there is a method to midnight movie madness—making more money on opening weekend.
So, I’ve had my ticket for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 for a little over a month now, crazy, huh? What is even crazier is that I had a ticket to see The Twilight Saga: Eclipse for about 3 months before the movie was released.

Do you have your ticket for HP yet? Why do you like midnight movies? What makes you stay up late to see a midnight movie when you otherwise could be warm in your bed asleep?

BTW, enjoy the trailer! It has made me all the more excited for the movie to come out!

The Holiday Season

Autumn has somewhat of a bittersweet feel to it for me. I will miss the warmth of the previous season. However, I love autumn changing the color of the leaves and the crisp feel in the air. I love breaking out my fall and winter clothing; however, I do not like the decrease in the temperature. I tend to run cold, thus the cold weather doesn’t agree well with me. My teeth chatter. My knees shake. And I never can get just warm enough. Although, I enjoy sipping hot chocolate and wearing warm clothing, especially scarves. But the best part about the weather changing and autumn charging its way in is the holiday season draws near.
I constitute the holiday season as four holidays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years. There really isn’t another time of the year that grants us so many entertaining holidays within a three-month period of time. I adore these holidays because they get people together for fun parties and gatherings. Friends join together to watch scary movies and trek through haunted corn mazes. Families gather together to eat delicious meals and enjoy each other’s company. Tricks are treated. Blessings are realized. Songs are sung. Trees are decorated. Service is offered. Gifts are given. A new year offers a regeneration of spirit. And love is shared.
With that said, what are your favorite parts of the holidays? Do you have a favorite holiday during this time of the year? You may even share a story that you can remember about a previous holiday season memory.
The holiday season is the best time of the year! I hope that you all enjoy 2010’s holiday season. With love, Julia!

PS: I can't say which holiday season holiday is my favorite, but it would be a toss up between Thanksgiving and Christmas!

Blog Name

You may be wondering why I named my blog “Writing Jewels”. Well, here is the answer. My nickname is Jules. Yes, spelled J-U-L-E-S! When I thought of spelling it Jewels, instantly the singer Jewel came into my mind and I did not want to be mistaken for her - I am such a great singer, NOT (emphasis added for sarcasm).
Sometime during my high school years, a couple of friends started to call me Jules. I really liked the sound of it. It was delicious to my ears. Coworkers started to call me Jules. In college, roommates and friends automatically referred to me as Jules without me even telling them it’s my nickname. People still call me Jules – not as many though. Sad, huh?
In my senior year of high school, I had a little crush on one of my teachers. One day during role call, he called me Jules. Out came, “He called me Jules!” followed by a squeal. That was supposed to be one of those inside comments but on accident was vocalized. I was quite mortified because I was a little shy back then.
Oddly enough, my family members have never once called me Jules.
So, when I had the idea to start a blog for my book and other tidbits, the first idea that popped into my head was “Writing Jules” but I didn’t like the look of it. Jewels looked much better. The blog became “Writing Jewels”. It turned out to be a play on words too. Julia (Jules) writes and Julia (Jules) is writing jewels through her novel and posts.

SYTYCD Favorite Pick #1

I got to thinking today about my favorite So You Think You Can Dance routines. The next three posts are my top 3 favorites. Enjoy!

Ramalama (Bang Bang) choreographed by Wade Robson (Season 2)

Why do I like this twisted dance routine? Well, it dips into my darker side. Yes, I have a dark side despite anyone who would dare to beg to differ. I put up this angelic facade but you should know better. (Hehe - devious smile on my face.)

For the 100th episode of SYTYCD, Wade Robson choreographed himself into the routine that took place many seasons previous. I love this routine because of it's edginess, border lining creepy. And, of course, makes me think of Johnny Depp in all his sinister glory! The music drives the depths of death and despair that is portrayed in the dance. It's positively, in the most horrifying ways, delicious!

SYTYCD Favorite Pick #2

#2 Chelsea and Mark - Bleeding Love choreographed by Tabitha and Napoleon (Season 4)

First of all, this song is simply irresistible. Secondly, Nap and Tabs (choreographers) have never done something that I didn't like. Thirdly, the choreography and the dancers pulled off the pain and struggle of the depicted couple with intense and perfect passion. Even the facial expressions believable. My heart skips a beat for this routine.

SYTYCD Favorite Pick #3

Jamie and Hok - Hummingbird + Flower choreographed by Wade Robson (Season 3)

This routine took my breath away. Why? Because Jamie and Hok became the hummingbird and the flower. They weren't humans anymore on any level. The chemistry between couple was phenomenal. The music beautiful.

What do you collect?

You may be wondering what in the world this photo could be. Do you think that it’s a quilt? If that’s what you thought, sorry, it’s not. Better luck next time!
Last week I posted that I had prepared something cool for a post this week. Well, this is it! I spent all of an hour arranging this photo so that it looked like a quilt, but as I said before, it’s not. You probably want to know what it is, right? Ok, I will tell you. The photo is my entire pajama bottom collection laid out neatly on the carpet. Can you tell that I am a perfectionist? Well, I am. That’s all of my PJ bottoms and I want more. I collect them; have been for some time now. I salivate when I see a cute pair of PJ bottoms. Not only are they comfy but they are super cute. I even wear them to the store. Yes, I am one of those people, not that it's bad. I especially love PJ bottoms that have dog or monkey prints. When I was younger I collected pennies, but not anymore. You could say that I collect passport stamps because I travel a lot. But when it comes down to it, I collect PJ bottoms.
I had a friend who collected pencils of all varieties. They were cool.
Now, I want to hear about your collecting obsessions. What is it and why do you collect it? You may even post a photo of your collection. Share the collection with the world!

I wonder who has the strangest collection. We’ll never know unless if you post. So post, post, post away!

Great Chinese State Circus - Swan Lake

How does someone even get to the point that they can do this??? Is it even humanly possible? Wow! Thought this was amazing enough that I would share it with the blogger world. Enjoy!

Blogging Tip

I noticed that I am constantly thinking of ideas for posts but forgetting the ideas. I decided that I would write them down in a notebook so that I don't forget them. I had a super silly idea for a post last night so I ended up preparing it for a future post. I can't wait to post it. Are you all in suspense now? Well, you should be. It will come this week, I promise.

Tweet Tweet Tweet Away

So, I joined Twitter yesterday. It is somewhat of an odd feeling to be a tweeter now. This is one thing that I simply vowed never, ever in a million years to do. Well, I did vow never to go back to school but I am in a French class now. Guess that I shouldn’t vow not to do things anymore. ☺ Hehe! It was a cool experience to not be near a computer today and send a tweet through my cell phone. I felt all giddy inside, like I am really into the social networking grove now. Just now I logged onto twitter and there the tweet be in all its glory. Anyway, this is just another step to progressing to becoming a published author. Hallelujah for social networking. Well, now I get to tweet away and feel excited every time that I do. If you are on Twitter, lets follow each other. @writingjewels1 or http://twitter.com/WritingJewels1 is where you can find me.

For some reason, whenever I think of Twitter, Tweety Bird pops into my head. Does that happen to you, or am I just weird?

Writing Conferences – A Must for any Writer

I enjoyed my first writing conference yesterday. It was invaluable. All writers, aspiring all the way to published writers, must take advantage of the opportunity. Not only did I learn valuable information and writing tips, but also I gained one piece of much needed advice; I need to be in a critique group. Chris Schoebinger, a publisher who attended the conference, said if you want to be published, you must be in a critique group.
While at the conference, I found my critique group. Yah!!! A few of us decided that getting published was important enough to follow through with the advice. This excites me and should excite all aspiring writers to take this important step to making the dream of being published a reality.