No one told me he dies...

It's a Saturday afternoon and I decided to watch a movie. 


Many people would call this one of their favourite movies. I would not.


My first reaction to watching E.T was:

No one told me he dies.... </3

I don't think I would like this movie if I were a child. I was definitely creeped out by the little E.T and I can imagine I would be petrified as a child. The movie itself was okay but I wouldn't call it my favourite. I watched up until he died...I was so disappointed that a children's movie would have the little thing die, so I went out. When I came home I thought I would give it another shot. I finished watching the movie and found out he does come back to life which makes the movie slightly better. I also think that the movie would have been more awesome if Elliott went home with E.T, I seriously thought he would go home with him. I would have if I were him. It doesn't look like he's got much going on at home. Personally my favourite thing about E.T is his neck, his long giraffe like neck.


(Question: How many of you understood everything in the movie when you first saw it? I was confused as an adult. Am I just dumb or?? I did not understand at the beginning when there were these peeps searching for E.T what they wanted him for- I thought they were studying him and he escaped and they were just looking for him and they'd give up. Then I didn't understand why E.T was dying. Did Elliott not feed him right, did he need more than Reese's Pieces and beer or better tasting beer? I also thought he missed his alien planet just. I thought he just wanted to make a phone call to his blood. I didn't know he wanted to get the heck outta there. I also didn't understand why his heart started glowing at the end... maybe I was just not cut out to understand sci fi. E.T would have had to spell it out for me and say a little more than just E.T phone home. I'd tell him he is home...)


After the movie, I did a tonnnn of googling about it. I wanted to know who the who played E.T's voice, if it was a computer generated thing or animatronic? I found out a lot of cool things that made me like the movie more. Firstly, it being a movie made in 1982 E.T looks quite real...


The internet told me that E.T's voice was played by a woman who was a long time smoker and it was crazy to find out she was only paid around $350 bucks (I wonder if she could ask for more now??) I was pretty sure that E.T was animated and not real but Wikipedia says he's a costume. There was a lot of work apparently put into his costume- I think he's worth a millie. Then I was shocked when I found out who played E.T- 2 midgets and a kid born without legs/feet.... WOAH didn't see that coming. There are some scenes where E.T is wobbling, stumbling and falling and the kid without legs played those parts walking on his hands giving E.T a more realistic look. 


All in all the research made me enjoy and appreciate the movie more- for a movie made in 1982, E.T was ahead of his time looking so dang real. E.T was a big hit at the box office too, it was released twice making more than a billion dollars total. E.T was number one in sales until Jurassic Park.


I googled for images of E.T to put up on my blog and this has to be my favourite: 

Photo Credit: www.camp666.com

You know he's popular when he takes awkward family photos with MJ...  

Bazinga!

People say there is no "i" in team and I hadn't been until last year...

I had never been on an organized sports team ever. I am not athletic or competitive. I always tried my best to not participate in gym. You might be wondering what kind of sport would accept a player like me? 

DODGEBALL! 

A friend mentioned she played dodgeball a few nights and week and how she thought I might like it. She was aware of my unathleticness and I think their team was so good they had to even it out with "players" of my level. At first, the sheltered me said:

"Nooo. Sheltered Christa... that would blow your mind." 

But I told Sheltered Christa to shut up and joined.

I started playing on a team called Bazinga. I have to say I thought dodgeball was a simple, fun recreational activity. Especially playing in a women's league. Oh no. These ballers take the game very serioso. There are also many athletic players who's skills are too superior for this league.

I quickly realized: I suck at throwing the ball. Also I can't catch. Most the time when I threw the ball someone caught it and I rarely caught the ball. Maybe once. My skills are laughable.  

Anyway, the first few times I "played"  I stood on the court watching what rules not to break. I think I broke all of them before the season was over. My first game I barely touched the ball and I did more dodging than catching or throwing. 

I can confidently say today that I can dodge a wrench. 

(and yes...I have seen the movie Dodgeball)

I remember in one game, a girl whipped the ball in my direction and I unathletically allowed it to hit me square in the face. That ball hurts. I think that was the point when I really learned how to dodge and not to misjudge the person throwing the ball. 

We won most of our games (I think we lost once) and we made it to the championships (yes there are championships for dodgeball). It was more than I could have ever dreamed of- the first time joining an organized sport and we made it to the championship?! What's even better is that:

WE FREAKIN WON. 

I was on the winning team. We won. We got a trophy- that we spent the evening with. Drinking with, eating with, taking pictures with, singing karaoke with....I guess that's what winners do.

Parents you should put you child on a team. Doesn't matter what kind of team, doesn't matter if they suck but you really should. Especially seeing the outcome here...

I learned a lot about what being on a team really means:

 winning is everything and losers suck! 

 

 

The VELO-SAP-TOR

Many of these stories come from work because let's face it, that’s where I spend most my life. Last week I saw this in the kitchen at work:

 photo credit: www.theitcave.com

It said that we had been 2 days free from a
VELO-SAP-TOR sighting. 

 

I thought to myself, “what the what is a VELO-SAP-TOR?” 

I had heard some buzz around about how the sign came from another office and how we would appreciate the humour but no one would fess up to the sign. If any of you know me,

                       *I’m one nosey person*

I can’t handle not knowing something so I set out to find out who deemed this a VELO-SAP-TOR free workplace and furthermore what a VELO-SAP-TOR was. There were only three people who it could be- Sandy, Sandy Junior or Liza. I narrowed it down to Liza or Junior and I walked up to Junior and asked “Did you place that VELO-SAP-TOR sign up there??” and she started to laugh and asked me “What is a VELO-SAP-TOR?? And no, I did no such thing.” I asked her well how do you say it then? She said 

 

“veh-loss-ih-RAP-tor”

As I watched her expression, I decided she did it. She denied it. I also wrote down the word velociraptor as I had a hard time pronouncing it without reading it. Then I went to email the other office where said sign came from. I got an email back saying “I think it was Sandy Junior…. it was posted here and Junior thought it would be funny to have at your office.” Sandy Junior denied the accusation again and said “I just showed interest! Only interest!” I kept investigating Junior, questioning her about how she knew the correct pronunciation of the velociraptor and she just said she likes dinosaurs.


I said to Junior that I thought that picture was of a T-Rex and it came out that I’d never seen Jurassic Park. Junior then started telling me all about this velociraptor feller and how I should see the movie. It just so happened that the movie was playing in 3D in the theatres so I planned to go. Meanwhile, I’d emailed the other office again persuading them to tell me about the sign and confessed my shelteredness. I was emailed some time later, confirming indeed it was Junior. Junior laughed when I told her. She informed me she was phoned before I received the email to get her permission to tell me, they felt bad that I was so sheltered and should know the truth. They felt I was missing out not knowing what a velociraptor was and that I must see Jurassic Park. I had never been big into dino’s and wasn’t sure if I’d like Jurassic Park but I thought, if it’s in 3D 20 years later it must be good.

First of all- this movie is scary as hell in 3D. No wonder I’ve never seen it, dinosaurs are scary. And loud. I absolutely loved the concept of this movie, who would have thought about a dinosaur park with real dinosaurs? It also made me wonder: are little Dominican’s still mining for mosquitoes trapped in sap with the possibility that they are carrying dino DNA??  If so, that would be awesomeeeee. On a small scale.  

The movie is also pretty funny. My favourite quote is when everyone first arrives at the park and they are all on a ride to show them what goes on behind the scenes and one of scientists asks, “Are these characters auto erotica?” wtf why did he ask that?? I laughed so hard. Also, the effects were so well done for a movie that is almost as old as me….

It was almost like a horror movie and I jumped a lot. First of all, the one dino that keeps following that guy who plays the wrestler in Billy Madison (I have also been informed he plays Newman on Seinfeld which I have yet to see) and spit on him looked so cute at first. Then BAM his head flaps fly out and he’s jumping and spitting at him. WOAH. I don’t even care to know what kind of dinosaur he is.

The T-Rex scream is piercingly loud and look so real. Even though their arms are short and not menacing, the teeth. The teeth…

I finally got to see and hear about the velociraptor! They are like baby T-Rex’s. BUT: they have some sharp talons as Napoleon Dynamite would say and they don’t travel alone. They quietly surround you and use some crazy flanking techniques to kill you.I thought that the T-Rex would have been the focus of this movie as he is on the cover of the movie but no they like velociraptors for some reason.

All in all this was a great movie and I think its better I never saw the movie until now because I got to experience it 3D! YAY 3D. The 3D also made it scary.

In other news, I found this in my office and I will say I will beware. I am afraid of the VELO-SAP-TOR.

photo credit: www.gnulnx.net

William, I promised Bangs would make an appearance, and here he is to tell you I've been taken to the movies.  

Ah HAAA. Shawtttty.

So Sheltered I could die…

Many people my age or older have had the pox of a chicken at some point before now.

Not me. I have never had the chicken pox.

There are pros and cons to never having the chicken pox:

I have always been able to refuse to babysit or care for anyone who has it. You can get out of a lot of responsibilities if you use the power wisely.

Another plus is I don’t have any scarring from those awful bumps and I never had the pleasure of having an oatmeal bath or whatever it is that soothes the chicken pox.

But, working with the public poses a threat as many people have young children who are at the ripe chicken poxing age or are carrying the dreaded pox bacteria. I could get really sick I hear, shingles even… WebMd says that shingles are caused by the herpes zoster ophthalmicus virus…. I could get herpes…This just got real people.

Apparently there is a new vaccine out there to prevent the chicken pox and it has been suggested that people like me should get this vaccine. This person is scared of needles so I did some research .

After reading up on the vaccine, I found out I don’t know if I’d rather have the chicken pox instead…

www.CaringforKids.cps.ca says

 “It is very safe.

With any vaccine, there may be some redness, swelling or pain at the place where the needle went into the arm or leg. This is not dangerous and will only last a day or two.

Some people will get a very mild case of chickenpox (less than 50 spots) 1 or 2 weeks after they get the vaccine.”

photo credit: meme-pictures.feedio.net

So even if I get the vaccine I could get the chicken pox…and I wonder if I’m going to get vaccinated as an adult does that mean that I would get a mild case or get a normal to crazy bad case and could have just done without the vaccination in the first place?

There are some discrepancies about why I have never contracted the spots. My mother is from South America and did not get the chicken pox until coming to Canada. She cannot recall when she had them (how convenient), if she was married or if she was pregnant or if was when she first came here. I assumed that she had it when she was pregnant with me, hence why I did not get it. But then I read this:

“Babies who get chickenpox from their mothers before birth could be born with birth defects. Some examples of these birth defects are skin scars, eye problems or arms and legs that are not fully formed.” – www.CaringforKids.cps.ca

I got my arms, legs and no defects that I know of... Except my eyes- I have glasses…does that count??

My sister has had the pox as well and I didn’t contract it from her, so I’m assuming I had it in the womb- the best place to have it.

Another reason maybe not to get this vaccine is that you need to get it twice. Two is never a good number when talking needles. I made it this far so I guess I will revisit the issue if I decide to ever have children- either get the vaccine so they don’t infect me or use it for a free vacation!



Party on! Excellent!

Photo credit: Paramount

 

There are several movies on a list entitled “haven’t seen it yet”. Being sheltered, I have not seen many popular movies that most people have such as: E.T, The Never Ending Story, Beetlejuice, Ghostbusters…

So  I started with WAYNES WORLD! (No Way! WAY!) I have to say this had to be one of the funniest movies I had ever seen and I’m so sad I missed out until now. I also couldn’t believe how many jokes I now understand but now too late to tell. After I watched the movie I couldn’t stop thinking about all the funny things said in the movie like:

"Do I frighten you?" "No." "Do you want me to?"

“Garth, marriage is punishment for shoplifting in some countries.”

"A gun rack? A gun rack. I don't even own a gun, let alone many guns that would necessitate an entire rack."

"I once thought I had mono for a whole year. Turns out I was just really bored."  

I was talking to my Mom the next day, telling her how I’d seen Wayne’s World and how funny it was. She laughed and told me how she thought I had seen the movie and she didn’t really understand my bewilderment with the movie. So I thought I could impress her… I told her how in the movie they say

“That’s what she said.”

And how I always thought this came from the show The Office (which I have seen). She started laughing and replied “Everyone knows that it came from Wayne’s World!” One would assume that a sheltered person is bred by sheltered parents, but no. Even my Mom knew about “That’s what she said.”

Wayne’s World inspired me to keep watching more movies that I hadn’t seen growing up and to ensure that I kept up to date with current movies- I don’t want to miss out on any more jokes!

POUTINE

This time I tried poutine.

Another lunch time was passing by and I was asked if I wanted to order anything like a BLT (haha) or something. We started discussing other things and my secret was revealed: 

I've never had poutine. 

I guess most Canadians have had poutine and I had to try it. Didn't realize this was such a pressing matter until my coworker heard this she ran out to buy me some for lunch telling me I HAD TO TRY IT! So she came back with this:

Fries. Gravy. Cheese. 

Tasted pretty good I have to say. 

Although, this particular species did not have cheese curds.  

Side note: last summer was the first time I tried cheese curds and for a cheese lover like myself I'm actually shocked and appalled that I'd never tasted such squeaky greatness!

I've been told by coworkers and friends (jokes on you sheltered people don't have friends lol) that the best kind of poutine is poutine with gravy and cheese curds, some even specified the type of gravy.  I still have not tried poutine with cheese curds. Let me know people is it worth it? What's the best kind of poutine? Does the type of gravy really matter?

Who has the best poutine around?

BLT sandwich vs. BLT Burger

Lunch time at work is always interesting to say the least.

On one particular day last year, we decided to order lunch. We looked through the menu and I decided I wanted a BLT. Fast forward to the time when a coworker and I go to pick up lunch and we are sitting in the restaurant chatting until our lunch is ready. I mention to her casually that I haven't had a burger in a while and how this BLT will be so great. Her reply was that I never ordered a burger, I ordered a BLT.

Just then, our food came out and I had to look at this BLT she spoke of. Low and behold I found out

"BLT is a sandwich not a burger with bacon lettuce and tomato"

photo credit: Arby's

At that point, I decided since I do not like tomatoes, a sandwich with bacon and lettuce did not seem appealing to me so I had to order a cheeseburger. After waiting another 30 mins for my beloved cheeseburger, I came back to the office to find out if anyone else knew if a BLT is a sandwich or a burger...

Up until this point I really had thought that a BLT was a hamburger dressed with bacon lettuce and tomato like at Burger King....but no. Every single person I asked assured me that BLT's are sandwiches made with bread. Bacon. Lettuce. Tomato. I still have not tried a BLT as I do not think I'm missing out but I'll still always believe that a BLT is a burger not a sandwich.

Do people consider a BLT as only a sandwich? What do you call a burger that is dressed like a BLT??

Soon after our lunch outing, it became a thing for my coworkers to ask "have you ever?" with many "no" as the most common answer. 



Owning a car

Where to start...

I've done many things like travel, drink, have my own place, eaten lots of stuff etc.

But...

There are a few key things I had never done until last year. One of the biggest was buying my own car. Yes, I've had my license for some time and yes, I have had a car but never have I ever purchased or have had said car in my own name. So I purchased my first car. I thought this would be a glorious thing. I was wrong. I tried to purchase my own car but soon realized I don't even qualify for a loan and I have no credit (these are staples of being sheltered).  At 26 years old I was unable to buy my own car. I quickly found a solution- I had to ask my Mother to cosign a line of credit so I could purchase my very first ride. She agreed and after searching high and low for my perfect ride I found it:

 a 2006 Acura RSX, standard.

Yes, you read that correct: standard, I can drive stick. Surprising for a sheltered person? So, off we went to buy my perfect car and then another thing came up: The salesman asked me about my license plate and if I wanted him to transfer it. No idea what he was talking about...first time for everything I guess. So, today I still have not ever had to transfer or purchase a new license plate, I guess that will come up in a few years. Then, my birthday rolled around and I guess that means you have to buy a sticker. So I asked someone about what to do just like any normal person and my coworker laughed and ensured I would be fine and that I just need a few pieces of information. I mosied on over to the MTO and forgot some pieces of that sacred information which turned out okay because the MTO rep found out it was my first time and assured me that lots of people my age have never done this before, then she looked at my license and realized I was 26 and laughed.

I kinda bought my own car.

What is being sheltered anyway?

Urban Dictionary's definition of

"Sheltered"

1. Someone who has been secluded from the real world.
2. A person who is sheltered is usually naive and does not know how the world works in reality
3. Promotes unawareness and makes them vulnerable to be taken advantage of by corrupt, evil and manipulative people.Anything fun is presumed to be evil.  

Ok, so it has been made aware to me by my colleagues that I am what you would call "sheltered". There are many, many, many movies I have not seen, food I have not eaten, activities I have not taken part of. I do not consider myself naive or easily taken advantage of just simply I've missed out on a few things. In the last year I have caught up with some movies such as: Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Good Will Hunting, Fight Club, Beetlejuice just to name a few. I held a baby, tried poutine and french toast.

Lots more first times to go...