The Fall Five: 2010 Edition

Every year I pick out the top 5 movies, books, events, whatever...that I am looking forward to in the fall. This year it was especially difficult to narrow things down because there is SO MUCH going on and its all so exciting! I think I have finally narrowed my list down and come up with a satisfactory final product. Remember: even if something isn't on the list, that doesn't mean I'm not excited about it.


BOOKS: I always look forward to a good read. I still have SEVERAL books in my "to-read" pile but I am slowly and surely inching my way along. My current project is to reread the last 3 Harry Potter books before the new movie comes out (don't worry...I'll talk about that later) Here are the newest additions to my "to-read" list. These haven't been released yet, but they will be before you or I know what hit us!
1. Vanished is the next novel out by my favorite writer, Kate Brian (aka Kieran Scott...look her up I'm should be connected to her blog on here!) This book comes out August 31 and let me tell you, after the shocking cliffhanger at the end of Scandal I can't wait to see what happens next! I've been holding my breath since the spring waiting for this novel! Kieran's books always make my list....at least once! Usually 2 or 3 spots are taken up by her books....and this year is no exception!

2. Book of Spells is another book by Kieran...It is another prequel to her best selling (and way awesome) series "Private." There has been one prequel already giving background on why one of the main characters goes crazy... This one is going to be even better because we finally get some questions answered that Scandal brought to my mind. What is Billings really about? Is the spirit of Billings still alive---(no not in a ghostly way...) Has the original intent of the Billings Society been manipulated and misinterpreted...and in what ways...Book of Spells is like a historical novel for Private readers....I'm really looking forward to seeing how Billings was started and why. What is the purpose of the specific rituals?

MOVIES: AHHHH! My passion! Ask anyone and they will tell you , I am a true cinephile. I love anything and everything that has to do with movies. So of course, the newest releases are a staple on my Fall Five list. I am obsessed with film! I collect DVD's and spend way too much time and money at the movie theater...and I don't discriminate either! I'll go anywhere. AMC, B&B, Dickenson, Harkins, Silver Cinemas, Tinseltown, and hopefully one day soon I will have my very first "Warren Experience!" There are so many good movies coming out. This was the hardest section for me to Narrow....but alas, I had to choose my top 2 movies to put on the list. Here is what I have come up with.

3. Duh. Of course Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows would be the #1 movie on my list. After all...I am a self-proclaimed Potter genius and I have no problem admitting I have an obsession. Harry Potter is my favorite everything. Book series. movie series. scene it game....I've named pets after characters from the books (my bird was Ronald Bilius Weasley Gordon). I have dressed up as characters for Halloween (Bellatrix Lestrange...complete with Dark Mark temp tattoo on my forearm.) I've flown to Minneapolis, Minnesota for an opening day showing, been to midnight movie showings and midnight book release parties. I've even taken part in a wizards duel! (using sparklers on 4th of july several years ago!) I have special edition DVD's and all the books in hardback, paperback, and audiobook format, and you can bet anytime there is a Harry Potter weekend on ABC Family, that I'll be watching. The seventh book in J.K. Rowling's best selling series, Deathly Hallows, has been divided into 2 movies (which they should have been doing all along) is hitting theaters November 19th. There is no way I won't be at a midnight showing. NO. FREAKING. WAY.

4. The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader-December 25. This series by C.S. Lewis is so great for everyone. Kids, teens, and adults alike can enjoy this series. Everyone on the planet should read it once before they die! I have all these books too...and the audiobooks. There are 7 books in all. Usually I would suggest reading books chronologically, but I am breaking my rule for this and suggest you do too. I would read 1. The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. 2. Prince Caspian 3. Voyage of the Dawn Treader. 4. The Silver Chair. 5. The Horse and His Boy 6. The Magician's Nephew. 7. The Last Battle. Magician's Nephew is written as a prequel to LWW but it really doesn't make much sense if you try to read it first. When I first read the series I tried starting with MN but spend the majority of the book asking lots questions and doing a lot of googling. So READ AS-WRITTEN...NOT CHRONOLOGICALLY!!!!!! Anywho, the new movie comes out on Christmas Day! My whole family loves Narnia (or Narnicle as my dad would call it) and we always try to watch a movie on Christmas so I would be willing to bet we end up voyaging out to see this flick (unless a freak storm ruins Christmas again)

TELEVISION: If you haven't heard by now, I watch A LOT of television. Thank God for DVR because I would never be able to watch everything if I couldn't fast forward through all those commercials....

5. The final thing I am excited about this fall is the return of "normal televison." I hate that all the good shows go on hiatus during the summer months and they leave me to choose between the re-runs I've seen time and time again, or trash TV reality shows like Big Brother (which I admit I have a love/hate relationship with...it is my guilty pleasure) I miss Gossip Girl the most though. I'm about to break out my DVD's and have a catch up Party. We are gonna watch seasons 1, 2, and 3! Then Season 4 starts September 13th! (3 Days before my birthday! Expect my full wishlist to pop up on this blog sometime this week!) Rumor has it that season 4 is going to be a lot better than season 3...thank goodness...it was beginning to get a little boring. Blair loves Chuck, Chuck loves Blair, no one know, fewer care, Dan is lost withough Serena, Bart Bass dies, why won't Georgina? Lily and Rufus can't figure things out. Nate is clueless...without a doubt. And then there's skanky "Little J" I wish she would move to Hudson and stay.

And thus concludes my annual "Fall Five" list. I hope you enjoyed my little Gossip Girl poem there at the end....no actually, I hope you enjoyed the entire post...not just the poem. That is a lot to read if you only came for the poem.

-Mattie.

Working Hard? Hardly Working.

Well..I guess technically I've been hardly working lately. But in my time without a job I have kept my mind busy. I've been working on a project I call my Me Book. My me book has all kinds of things about me in it. One page are cutouts and stickers of things about me. Words that describe me or my philosophies. Other pages have pictures of things I hope to own someday. I have everything from Rosetta Stone (so I can learn french!) to KitchenAid Standing Mixers to sights I want to see (Like Big Ben in London!) I've even got pictures of the 2 fish I hope to own someday, Francis and Wilhelm (pronounced Froncis and Vilhelm). The page I've been working on recently is my Bucket List page. There are lots of things I hope to accomplish. Right now there are 16 things on my list and only 1 of them have I accomplished. I need to get a move on! Here I have decided to share my list with you all today.

1. Befriend a Celebrity--not sure this will actually happen but with technology today, who knows, right? Maybe I will visit California again sometime soon and "accidentally" bump into one. Lol!

2. Be first in line for a midnight movie premiere.--On March 11, 2010 I was first in line to see Robert Pattinson's "Remember Me" completing this wish.

3. Be thanked at an awards show--again. Another unlikely one but who knows. Maybe I'll even win an award depending on how this next entry goes!

4. Publish on of my stories.--It has been a lifelong goal since I was about 12 so doing this would really mean a lot to me.

5. Visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort.--I consider myself to be somewhat of a Harry Potter expert so going and existing in his world would be one of the highlights of my life. The books changed my life and set me on a path. I owe a lot to that fictional wiz kid.

6. Travel to London.--I have been talking about going to LondonTown for many many many years and to actually go and see anything and everything I have dreamed would probably kill me I would be so giddy.

7. Travel to Greece--I think it would be so amazing to visit a place like Greece. There is so much culture and history and beauty all in one place and I can't wait to go!

8. Visit the Lourve--there are no words.

9. Throw a fancy dinner party--I could do this at any time...but that would require I have more friends than I actually have, more money than I currently possess, and better cooking skills than I have aquired to date.

10. Watch the RedSox play at Fenway Park in Boston.--I love Boston. I love baseball. I love the BoSox. 'nuff said.

11. Visit New York City--The real-life Gotham is (as Jay-Z and Alicia Keys say) a "concrete jungle where dreams are made of." Every american should visit the city once in their life (so I hear) so naturally it is on my list.

12. Buy a new car. Preferably an Aston Martin or a Lamborghini....but I'll settle for anything new. I just want a car that has no history. I want to make history. Not be just another notch on the belt.

13. Take a convertible on a roadtrip--sure it will mess up my hair but I would gladly trade my 'do for a ponytail to drive cross country in a convertible. It just seems like "The Great American Roadtrip" should be done right, and by done right, I mean with you best friends and your GPS.

14. Go to the Coachella Music Festival.--Everyone who is anyone goes to Coachella. I know because I read that on twitter. So it seems like the perfect place for wannabe up-and-comer's like myself and future somebodies of America to rub elbows with society's elite. Plus you get to hang out and listen to some really great music!

15. Go to the South Beach Food and Wine Fesival--As you can tell, I like festivals...and I love food...so I felt it was only necessary that I attend one of the biggest food festivals around. I just heard about this festival yesterday on the food network. This is basically just a big party for all the food network stars to come and share their gifts. Duff Goldman. I want some of your cake.

16. Visit the Library of Congress--I like books a lot. And this is the biggest library around so you probably understand why this is on my list.

Its almost time.

As you can see, I have given my blog a much needed makeover. But that is not what I am blogging about today. I am blogging about how in exactly one week from this very moment I will be sitting in Harkins Theater in Bricktown watching Twilight, New Moon, and then the much anticipated latest installment, Eclipse. This is probably more for my benefit than anyone else...It is my game plan for the coming events leading up to, and including the midnight premier. So hold on to your britches... (and take time to abandon ship if you don't care to hear my plans)

TOMORROW, Wednesday June 23, 2010
-Ashley is coming over to my house and we are going to begin the tie-dying for our Twinprov/Team ________ shirts. (depending on the person....Mine, for example, will be Team Jacob)

Thursday, June 24, 2010
-this is most likely the day that I will get the lettering done for our tshirts. Final designs have yet to be written in stone.

Friday, June 25, 2010
-the list of needed food items will be completed. If you are coming with me, let me know what you are hoping I bring...and let me know if you are bringing stuff so I won't duplicate!

Saturday, June 26, 2010
-Shopping for *materials* (aka food from the list made friday, line entertainment, etc...)

Monday, June 28, 2010
-Every last bit of food preparation, cameras charging, gathering of line entertainment stuff, everything I will need to spend 9 hours in a hallway and 9 hours in a movie theater will be gathered and packed away for easy access the next day. This includes a possible change of clothes and makeup refresher kit... by the end of Monday, it will literally be too late to turn back from anything. No....by the beginning of monday it will be too late....oh who am I kidding...its already too late... But little detail has to be in order and ready by the time I go to bed monday night (which hopefully will be relatively early considering my hours the next day.)

Tuesday, June 29, 2010
The BIG day.
-7:30-8:45 am. Wake up. Get showered, dressed, and stoked (as if I won't be already) for a fun filled day with my fellow twi-hards.
-8:45 am. My chariot leaves. Details on the chauffer are yet to be determined...most likely my sidekick and fellow mastermind Ciara will be at the wheel as I am no good at what we call "Downtown Driving"...especially not in the AM.
-9:00 am. Arrive at Harkins Bricktown Theater, tickets in hand, and march to our post in line where we will sit and await our beloved Jacob and Edward fix.
-6:00 pm. Hopefully they will start letting us into the theater at 6! If not, it will be shortly after.
-7:00 pm. The Twilight Trilogy showing begins. First, Twilight, then New Moon.

Wednesday, June 30, 2010
-12:01 am The Twilight Saga: Eclipse hits theaters everywhere and I'm gonna be one of the first!
-approx. 2:30-3:00 am. Twilight induced ecstacy/adrenaline rush....quickly followed by a crash coma.
-3:00pm "Where am I...What happened? What Day is it? Oh yeah! I SAW ECLIPSE LAST NIGHT! WOOOOHOOOOOO! Woah...Don't get too excited...you will fall off your bed again." begins to bubble in my brain.
-4:00 pm. begin making dinner. Life resumes to normal.

THE END!!!!

My Expirament of the Week!

Hello Readers! Welcome to June! (I know it is the 2nd) Yesterday I spent my entire day fixing a delicious meal (if I do say so myself) for my whole family! I have decided to share my menu with you and maybe you can join me next time I make it!

I started my day yesterday by sticking a box of sourdough bread in my bread machine. It isn't exactly homemade, but it is a lot easier and quicker and I know it tastes good!

After I got that going I gathered all the ingredients I needed to make my Aunt Susan's Lasagne. Let me just tell you now, this is a HUGE recipe. It will serve about 12-15 people!

Here is what you will need:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 lb. italian sausage (I used the kind with sweet basil)
• 1 T. minced garlic
• 24 oz. tomato sauce
• 1 T. sweet basil (fresh from my mother's garden!)
• 15 oz. ricotto cheese
• 17 oz. cottage cheese (the recipe says 16 ricotto and 16 cottage cheese but the ricotto comes in a 15 oz. package so I just made up for it in cottage cheese)
• 1/2 c. Parmesan (I prefer to use the kind in the green shaker)
• 2 T. Parsley flakes (also fresh from my mother's garden)
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 lb. Mozarella cheese
• 6 Lasagne noodles, cooked
• 1 9x13 pan

Here's what you do:

Start out by cooking your noodles. Once they are cooked all the way through, set them aside in a bowl of water. (I made that rule up. I don't know if it hurts to go ahead and put it in the pan or not).

Now that your noodles are done, you can start making your cheese sauce mixture. In a large bowl, mix ricotto, cottage, and parmesan cheeses together. Add in the parsley and eggs. Mix all that up and then put it in the fridge.

Now onto the meat/tomato sauce. Brown the ground beef and the sausage together in a pan along with the minced garlic. Drain. After you drain, you can add the basil and tomato sauce. Let that simmer.

It is now time to throw everything all together. In your 9x13 pan, layer in lasagne noodles, cheese mix, mozarella cheese, and meat sauce in 2 layers. Bake at 325 degrees for 45-60 minutes. After the Lasagne comes out of the oven, let it set for 10-15 minutes before serving.

It is a fairly simple recipe, but I must say I was very nervous about making it. I had never made lasagne before and I was so worried I would mess up that I actually convinced myself that I had! But fear not, I made it through and everyone loved it!

All in all I ended up making 3 loaves of sourdough bread (served with my secret recipe blend of garlic butter), salad, lasagne, and cherry dump cake. The cake went the fastest. I still have leftovers of everything else but that darn cake just didn't last. Maybe someday I will share that recipe with you all! Hope you enjoy this recipe! I know we certainly did...do...are....whatever. Let me know if you use the recipe or if there is anything else you want me to write about. I'm am now currently taking requests! Lol! Hope everyone has a good morning, afternoon, and night!

-Mattie

It's A Twister!!!!

Ahhhhh! Tornado season is upon us here in Bethany, OK and tornado alley is alive with action! This is one of my favorite times of year. I know it sounds odd but I LOVE the feeling I get when I think a tornado is gonna head right for us. I don't really get scared. I panic a little but that only lasts a minute or so until I realize I know what to do and I've already taken precautions. Since I was 10 years old (or so) i've had a tornado kit that I keep packed year-round. It is filled with peanut butter, water bottles, whistles, radios, batteries, socks, coloring pages, crayons, and an old useless analog television (don't worry...I took that out yesterday). The only things I have to worry about are 1) my dog, Gundy, and 2) do I have enough time to get to one of my 4 safe places?

Unfortunately, every time I watch the news--which is frequently as my favorite show are often interrupted by Gary, Rick, or Mike--I get an urge to watch my digital copy of Twister on my laptop, iPhone, or my DVD of it on the TV. Twister is my favorite movie. I watch it ALL. THE. TIME. I'm watching it now as a matter of fact.

You know I'm a true okie because I really am one of those people who hears the sirens and goes outside for a peek. I'm always talking about leaving Oklahoma and living in Massachusetts. (I even picked out the house... www.realestatebook.com/homes/listing/101-3000373541/refer=yahoo ) but I would really miss this weather too much. I would have to come back for the entire month of May.

Here are some of the reasons I love this weather.

Aren't they beautiful... :)

These Days

So. Yesterday was Mother's Day. What did you do for your mother? Some of my presents didn't exactly get here on time....but we told her what we got and told her it would be here soon during the week. She did however get to open 2 real life presents. A book on tablescapes (her favorite thing to do in the entire world) and a game called "Things". We went to church, had lunch at my Aunt Jeanie's. Then we went to see an advanced screening of Letters to Juliet. Unfortunately we didn't get tickets, so we went to Iron Man instead. After the movie we came home and as a family we played the game and laughed and had a good time and at tacos from one of Joey's favorite restaurants. That was the Gordon's Mother's Day in a nutshell.

The new thing going on in my life is test monitoring. I've been volunteering up at Bethany High School. I go in every morning at 8:45 to set up the tests on the computers and write their "seal codes" on the board. Then after the tests are set up the kids come in and I pass out their papers that have their login id's and other information. I stay until the kids finish their test and I record their scores and alphabetize the papers before I leave for lunch. Then, I go to lunch, come back, and start all over again for the afternoon session. I re-launch the test program on all the computers, rewrite different seal codes, pass out papers, record scores, alphabetize and then when all the tests are turned in to me I go home. It doesn't sound like much but I'm actually having a pretty good time.

I have dubbed this week at the official "JM Barrie Week." in honor of Sir James Matthew Barrie, creator of a world where children never have to grow up. And there will always be a part of me that lives in Neverland. If you haven't already guessed (or didn't already know) Mr. Barrie is the author of "Peter Pan" the infamous tale of a boy who never grew up. This whole week I am celebrating him and his literary genius. All week I will be watching Peter Pan related movies in honor of him. This is my schedule for the week:

Monday: Finding Neverland
Tuesday: Peter Pan (animated)
Wednesday: Return to Neverland
Thursday: Hook
Friday: Peter Pan (2003)

"To live would be an awfully big adventure."


I will be starting my new "job" of staying with my Granny soon. I will be taking care of her and helping her out a little bit. Drive her around and fix her dinners and keep her company so my family will have a little bit more peace of mind where she is concerned. I'm also going to make a facebook for her. That will be a lot of fun (for me) and I have a feeling she is going to join my team for Gossip Girl trivia...(don't be fooled though...it's just me. She doesn't watch GG haha!)


The only other thing I have to report is that I've started sailing lessons! I've been to 2 so far, I have one tomorrow night, and after that I'll only have 2 more then I will be able to rent boats from the YMCA and sail out on Lake Hefner! I'm having such a good time learning all these different ways to tie knots and assemble my boat. I've learned about the mast, boom, sail, rope/line/sheet, centerboard, rudder, and the tiller. I've learned about the hull of the boat and the bow and port, the starboard, and stern. I even did figure 8's around booies (sp?) in the boat! Yeaaaahhhhhh!

All in all I'm having a good time right now. Things are good and I don't have a bunch of stuff to worry about. I'm feeling good! Have a good week!

I'll try to post again soon! I know there was a nice gap between postings last time...but I'll try to be better! Lol!

Some new poetry.

Here are some of the poems I've been working on.

The Journey:

Eyes like an abysmal sea
churning waves to comfort me
I drink them in like liquid suns
my heart beats fast, my fever runs.
My thoughts are quick--
my words too slow.
But you, my love, already know.
You hold me tight.
I breath you in.
Your touch is soft against my skin.
Your breath is warm upon my face
as you lean in for this embrace.
Now here we stand to start our life:
The Journey of husband and wife.



Swimming:

From the moment the water touches my skin I'm gone.
Nothing in this world is as thrilling as the rush of the ocean,
waves beating down, crashing over my body.
The sun pours down warmth on me and I smile.
Shall I swim? No. I think for now I will float.
Soon I will ask myself, "Will I drown if I go out too far?"
Probably, but who knows.
If I am to die today I will not be afraid.
The guiding light will bring me home.
I will finally feel the joy of swimming through clouds.


In Your Eyes:

When I look in your eyes
I see specks of light that
reflect in the sun. As shadows
pass, your inner light streams
from a face that I, your lover,
see as nothing short of a perfect face.

When I look in your eyes
I see a man struggling with
the fear of the unknown. He
sinks deeper into his feelings
of inadequacy. Seeking comfort
in the eyes of a stranger.

When I look in you eyes
I see desire. Always searching
for the one way to move forward
and make your dream a reality.
on to gain the upper hand.

When I look in your eyes
I see a future. Two children
playing in the yard, Happy,
free from all the evils of the world.
Smiling faces shining down on their
father who loves them so much
he would die for them and their
safety and happiness.

When I look in your eyes
I see love. I see a man who
is not afraid of going after
what he wants. No obstacle is
too great to stand in the way
of you accomplishing your goals.

When I look in your eyes
my eyes see no flaw, no
imperfection. Because when I
look in your eyes. I see the man
I love, The man I want to wake up
to in the morning tomorrow and the
rest of my life.

When I look in your eyes
i know peace.