Aug 09 2012

Hollywood Never Gets It Right (Review: “The Story of the Trapp Family Singers”)

Category: Catholicism,Entertainment — Lindsay @ 10:11 pm

The photographer’s grandmother among the cast of The Sound of Music in 1967.
(photo by Sarah Macmillan)

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about and discussing media lately. Aside from my recent post on media discernment, I had a lively discussion with some friends about the same subject, and there’s always another trashy TV show or a movie like Magic Mike to start a firestorm. It’s enough to make you want to give up all movies, TV, and books and go live in a cave.

Well, maybe it’s not that bad. But I do start longing for something uplifting. Real life is tough, but there is hope, and sometimes I need stories that remind me of that. This seemed like the perfect summer to continue my quest to learn the rest of the story. Previously in this column, I discovered that the family behind Cheaper by the Dozen had some madcap moments, and that Yours, Mine, and Ours was much more about faithfulness than either movie version made it seem. Since the hills of Zilker Park are alive this summer (see the bonus at the end), I turned my attention to The Story of the Trapp Family Singers.

Read my review of the real story at Austin Catholic New Media.

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Jul 06 2012

7 Quick Takes Friday, Vol. 179

Category: 7 Quick Takes Friday,Catholicism,Entertainment,Life,Memes — Lindsay @ 12:47 pm

— 1 —

Nickelodeon has rebooted Figure It Out. This sounds like a good idea, except that they’ve apparently done the same thing CTW did to Sesame Street. I haven’t watched Sesame Street since I was about seven, but I’ve heard that the old-school “How to Get to Sesame Street” song has been changed to a ten-second spree of colors and a super-fast song.

Among the problems:

  • I am definitely old, because I have no idea who most of the panelists are. I want Danny Tamberelli and Amanda Bynes back, man.
  • There is a definite lack of Summer Sanders.
  • Each round is supposed to be the same length. It’s not fun if the panelists don’t win every now and then; it just seems fixed. I want kids to win prizes, but I also want to watch a good game.
  • The set is so busy. There are colors and funky shapes all over the place. Bring back Billy the Answer Head!
  • The prize announcer and sound effects are loud, and the kids aren’t super interesting.

I know I’m not their target market, but if you’re going to reboot a classic, at least do a good job. The 90′s Are All That has been so successful! Maybe Figure It Out just needs to be hosted by Stick Stickly.

— 2 —

To celebrate Independence Day, I went with some friends down to Auditorium Shores to watch fireworks against the skyline. There was an amazing reflection off the mirrored windows of the closest skyscraper. I didn’t take any photos of the fireworks themselves, because no camera is as good as my eyes (with glasses), but I had a great time hanging out with friends and getting a bit of fresh air and sunshine.

This blue color was incredible!

— 3 —

On a related Instagram note, IG has redesigned the individual photo pages. They are much more useful now. Check out the page for that skyline photo, and if you’re on Instagram, follow me!

— 4 —

This probably should have been number 1, but today is the feast day of St. Maria Goretti! She is my favorite saint for a number of reasons. I wear holy medals every day, and the only one with an individual saint (besides Mary and Jesus) is one of her. I pray four novenas every year, and I just finished the one to her yesterday afternoon. (I missed a day somewhere, but I caught up, which is my usual novena pattern anyway.) If you’ve never heard of her, you’re missing out. She is one to know for chastity advocates everywhere.

— 5 —

I discovered this week that two of my real-life friends who I didn’t know had blogs… well, do. Brittany at Miss Communication writes about her life as a slightly sarcastic but very lovable counseling professional (the lovable is my assessment, not hers, but it is still true. Pomeranian Catholic writes about the life of faith and his experiences training to become a Camaldolese Benedictine Oblate and as a young adult Catholic living with disability.

— 6 —

I would like to second Jen’s observation that midweek holidays are disconcerting and toss in a vote for weekly Wednesday holidays. Unfortunately, I also have to add the bad news that Halloween is already scheduled to fall on Wednesday. Which weekend do you throw your party: the one that’s clearly too soon or one that will feel too late because it’s several days into November?

Furthermore, Christmas Day is on a Tuesday. UT final exams end exactly one week earlier. When should I plan to fly home? If you’re a Christmas Eve pageant Massgoer, do you go two days in a row (the Fourth Sunday of Advent and then the very next day)? If you go to an actual Midnight Mass at midnight, does it feel like Christmas lasts for three days? (It actually lasts for eight, but that’s a different deal.) If you wait until Christmas Day, what do you do with that odd Monday in the middle?

This bunny and I have similar expressions when our wonderfully comforting patterns get disrupted.
(photo by sgrace)

Leap Day, you are a cute novelty, but why did you ruin the calendar for the rest of the year?

— 7 —

I participated in Hallie’s love song linkup, and then I realized that, aside from admitting to “Love You Like a Love Song,” I left out any other silly choices. Although I’m not big on “Silly Love Songs,” by Wings, I do like silly love songs. I also like some of the super-angsty ones like “Iris,” by the Goo Goo Dolls, even though that will always be associated with someone from my past. This sounds like a follow-up post to me!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

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Jul 03 2012

My 5 Favorite Love Songs

Category: Catholicism,Entertainment — Lindsay @ 12:20 am

I think I’ve mentioned here before how much I enjoy reading Betty Beguiles, a Catholic source for fashion and romance advice. Way to find a niche and fill it, Hallie! Occasionally, Hallie hosts themed link-ups. The past ones have been about how you met your husband or your favorite date night tips and so on. I’ve never been able to participate—until now!

My Favorite Love Songs, in No Particular Order

“Set Me As a Seal,” by Matt Maher: So beautiful, so biblical, and not hard to sing. It’s a duet, so the man and woman get to share this expression of their feelings. It contains actual Scripture quotations. This is love.

“God Gave Me You,” by Dave Barnes: He let Blake Shelton re-record it. I’m hoping this could be like “Your Grace Is Enough” and help get people to notice the original artist. (“Your Grace” is a Matt Maher song. Chris Tomlin is his friend.) My friend Jess actually used this as her first dance song (albeit sung by Blake Shelton). It is the perfect blend between a song that praises the beloved (like secular songs at least try to do) and a song that acknowledges the true Lover. (As a bonus, I also snagged this song free and legally online!) (Warning: You might need your tissues for this video.)

“Beloved,” by Tenth Avenue North: This is another song that makes a very clear statement about where love really comes from and what real love looks like. My favorite part is, “It’s a mystery” This is another good candidate for my wedding first dance song.

“At Last,” by Etta James: Just when you thought this whole list was going to be serious and intense. In the Harry Potter fandom, we sometimes discussed what song Ron and Hermione would use for their first dance. This was a good candidate because it’s about finally being with someone you’ve been waiting for as time passes by.

“Only Hope,” by Mandy Moore or Switchfoot: I love both versions, and I love how it was portrayed in A Walk to Remember. When I was a teacher, I used to show music videos to my students on Fridays in lieu of our standard prayer to start class. I called it Song Prayer Fridays. I fielded student suggestions, and one of my tenth-graders sent me a link to this video. I gladly played it, because if God is love, then every love song is a song about God.

I will also admit to a soft spot for the premise to “Love You Like a Love Song,” by Selena Gomez and the Scene. I like the concept that everything good about love has already been said. It’s like the idea that there are only something like seven stories in the world and every new story is just a retelling of those. Love has been around since the beginning of the world, and it will always remain.

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Jun 29 2012

7 Quick Takes Friday, Vol. 178

Category: 7 Quick Takes Friday,Catholicism,Entertainment,Memes — Lindsay @ 7:21 pm

— 1 —

I’m always a little miffed when a solemnity sneaks up on me. I made a Catholic calendar for Google; you’d think I’d actually read it sometimes. The problem is mostly that I have prayed the incorrect day of Night Prayer.

On the bright side, I realized that it’s a Friday solemnity. That means it’s Meatday again! This is the last one until the Friday after Christmas, so enjoy your Church-approved bacon!

This is like the Friday after Easter! (Click for full size.) (image from Slightly Orange)

— 2 —

Next on the list of things I’ve nearly forgotten, I am now three days into the Novena to St. Maria Goretti, my favorite saint. She’s my favorite saint, so I was super embarrassed to forget to start it on the correct day (Wednesday), but I prayed two days’ worth yesterday, so it’s all good. (And I already did today’s, so hooray!)

— 3 —

I have discovered the benefit of pre-meetings. Get-It-Done Guy has recommended pre-meetings for ages (under “Meeting to Make Decisions”), but I never attempted to actually have one until now. (Sure, that was because my boss/priest asked me to, but that totally counts!) Instead of trying to hash out a plan with six interested parties all at once, I’m trying to meet with four of them individually and use the big group meeting to combine and summarize all our ideas. I’ll let you all know how it turns out.

— 4 —

I try not to turn Jen‘s Quick Takes into mine, but she is going to write about “Somebody That I Used to Know” next week, so I had to watch her recommended covers and share the “five people, one guitar” one I posted here. So, here’s Ingrid Michaelson playing ALL THE INSTRUMENTS!

— 5 —

I did a lot of evening traveling this week. In addition to my usual Monday night holy hour and my new Wednesday night Bible study, I went to a happy hour straight from work yesterday.

On Tuesday, a coworker drove us all the way to Temple straight from work. We had to leave at 5:15 to get there just before 7 p.m. (oh, Austin traffic), but it was worthwhile. I got to see Bishop Joe in his non-Mass fancy clothes (purple cassock and surplice) and to support our student who received the Lumen Gentium Award. It’s an annual diocesan award to the person or couple in each parish who has best been a “light to the world” (as in the encyclical Lumen Gentium, which I am coincidentally reading right now).

— 6 —

I also “traveled” to the eye doctor this week. It’s been five years, so I figured it was time. I have also finally realized that squinting against the summer sun is not a good idea, so I’m going to need sunglasses, and it would be silly to use a five-year-old prescription for them. To my delight, my eyes haven’t changed very much. Frame shopping is always tricky; if I could see how I looked, I wouldn’t need them! My new plan is to take iPhone photos of myself and evaluate that way. We’ll see how it goes.

— 7 —

Here’s some great music as you slide into however much time you get off for Independence Day. Amazon MP3 is offering 20 summer songs (classic and 2012) for 25 cents each! One quarter for “Call Me Maybe” or The Fresh Prince’s “Summertime” (featuring DJ Jazzy Jeff)! (They also have 50-cent Linkin Park songs. Those are less seasonal, but some are equally catchy.)

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

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May 05 2012

Friday Five: Choices

Category: Entertainment,Friday Five,Memes — Lindsay @ 4:19 pm

This week, we have a Five of fives.

  1. List your (current) top five favorite food dishes; include photos if you’d like. Just last night I went to a small potluck dinner. I made a baked potato dip from Allrecipes that goes over very well every time. I also love enchiladas in general, and flautas are becoming a new favorite. There’s always Pasta Lindsay (rotini, ground sausage, marinara sauce, and love), and my modifications to a chicken tortilla soup from Allrecipes.

    2. baked potato dip photo from Allrecipes by Koriekiss

  2. List your top five disliked movies of all time and why. Mystery Men will always top this list because it was weird and I will never live down my family’s teasing that I was the one to choose it for movie night. I hold a grudge against Avatar because the 3-D hurt my glasses-wearing eyes and it had a lame plot. I watched Bad Boys 2 against my will and have yet to see a movie more plotless.
  3. List your (current) top five favorite TV shows and why. I still love Jeopardy!, even if I never do watch the episodes I DVR. I recommend How I Met Your Mother to everyone I meet. I struggle with Grey’s Anatomy, but I love it anyway. I will probably watch Degrassi forever, and I just finished watching last week’s Once Upon a Time, which is the first new show I’ve started watching in a long time.
  4. List your top five favorite places to visit; include photos if you’d like. Does home count? I think it counts. I like going home to Maryland because it’s familiar. I’m counting the National Shrine as a second place because it’s awesome and it requires some traveling from home proper. Other than that, I don’t really like to travel, so I tend not to. Does the bookstore count?
  5. List your (current) top five favorite songs; include video if you’d like. My current favorite song is “Jack Sparrow,” by The Lonely Island, of “I’m on a Boat” infamy. I introduced a bunch of friends to it last weekend and they loved it. I’m really glad that Switchfoot’s current single is “Afterlife,” because it has a similar message to “Stars,” that we know there must be something more beyond just what we know. My personal theme song is still “Vow to Vowels.” Other than that, pretty much anything from the 80′s or 90′s will get my windows rolled down and the radio turned up. I’ll admit to having a sweet solo dance groove to “Party Rock Anthem” a few weeks ago, but that’s it!

The Friday Five

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Feb 29 2012

Top Ten Tuesday: Book Theme Songs

Category: Memes,Top Ten Tuesday — Lindsay @ 11:39 pm

I’m trying out yet another book meme. Don’t hate; I love memes, lists, and books. It was inevitable that I eventually start participating in Top Ten Tuesday at The Broke and the Bookish. For the record, I at least started writing this on Tuesday, even if I didn’t post it until Wednesday. I’m not super broke, but I am most certainly bookish.

Top Ten Books I’d Give a Theme Song To

Just for a challenge and for the love of the band, I’m going to try to do this with all Switchfoot songs.

  1. The Hunger Games: The first CD I listened to on the new stereo I got for Christmas was Switchfoot’s Eastern Hymns for Western Shores EP. “We Are Bound” is the perfect soundtrack to those moments when Katniss acknowledges that the Games are not about death or victory. They’re about power, and his song expresses the hopelessness of the people of Panem.

    Roam in a bitter bliss … / Throw in the timeless fist … / We are bound / We are falling through

  2. Saints Behaving Badly: This book was all about how men and women who had really dark pasts became role models of faith. Sounds like a bunch of “Dark Horses” to me.

    I made my mistakes / I’ve seen my heart cave in / I got my scars / I’ve been to hell and back again / Born for the blue skies / We’ll survive the rain / Born for the sunrise / We’ll survive the pain

  3. Bumped: One of my absolute favorite SF songs is one that was never a single. It’s from the breakthrough Beautiful Letdown album, and it’s called “Ammunition.” So much of what Melody, Zan, and Harmony experience is an explosion based on the world they live in.

    We’ve been blowing’ up, we’re the issue / It’s our condition … / We are the fuse in the ammunition… / Look what a mess we’ve made of love … / We’ve got ourselves to blame

  4. Unplanned: Abby Johnson’s story was a great presentation of how she wanted to help women and find justification for her past choices. Instead, she found herself trapped when her heart changed. I’ve always thought “Circles” would be a perfect movie soundtrack song, and her story is just waiting to be dramatized on film.

    Am I alive? / Am I on purpose? … / Spinning out in circles … / I’ve lost all that I wanted to be

  5. How to Find Your Soulmate Without Losing Your Soul: This was the best book about love I’ve read in a very long time. SF writes a lot about God, so it’s hard to choose just one. I’ll go with “Restless,” for its chorus centered around Augustine’s famous declaration of the restlessness of our hearts looking for God, even when the best we can have on Earth is a husband or wife.

    I am restless, I am restless, I am restless looking for you

  6. Beauty Queens: I had mixed feelings about this book, but it was extremely culturally relevant. SF songs that speak to the culture are usually reaching for deep themes (loneliness, the media, the search for God), but “American Dream” takes a good stab at a general distastefulness at the way the world is today.

    Maybe we’ve been caught singing red, white, blue, and green, / but that ain’t my America / This ain’t my American dream … / I wanna live and die for bigger things

  7. The Giver: Jonas wants to experience everything his world has to offer, not just what the government decides people are strong enough to handle. He tries to make a splash, but the only way he can get out is to flee. He wants to get big and “Rise Above It.”

    Just another lemon into lemonade job / Just another rust and dust facade … / Oh come on! / It feels so typical / Guess I’m looking for a miracle / Rise above it / Rise above it / I don’t care what they’re telling me/ We could be what we want to be / Rise above it / Rise above it

  8. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Harry and Ginny’s relationship was never fantastically developed, but it was much better in the books than in the movies. Since Harry has to be the hero, any girl who’s with him has to be willing to let him do his “saving-people thing” and still love him when he rises from the ashes. He practically asks the lyrics of “Enough to Let Me Go.”

    Do you love me enough to let me go? / To let me follow through, to make me fall for you, my love / Do you love me enough to let me go?

  9. Orthodoxy: Aside from being witty and brilliant, Chesterton walks us through his journey from skepticism to faith. For him, it’s not about make-believe, but about logic and truth.

    When I look at the stars, I feel like myself … / When I look at the stars, I see someone else

  10. The Princess Diaries: Mia is only concerned with being exactly who she wants to be, and she is delightful and endearing in the process. She is “The Original.”

    Yeah, no one can do it / Free yourself / Yeah, there’s nothing to it / Free yourself / Yeah, don’t let nobody try to steal your soul / You’re the original

Hooray! I made it through all ten! This meme might be a keeper.

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