My Celebrity Look-Alike

Last night after institute I introduced myself to girl I sat by during the lesson.  She gave me her name (Melanie) and told me that when I was wearing my glasses I looked like Clark Kent.  I laughed because no one had ever said that to me before until two days earlier.  Catherine (the one I went to the Murder Mystery dinner with) said the same thing to me just the other day.  I thought it was funny that two people said the same thing so close together when no one else ever has.  But as they say, "in the mouths of two or three witnesses" are celebrity look-alikes confirmed!


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One of the Reasons I Like Country Music

It's unfortunate that Jake is on his mission, so he isn't going to read this (at least not for a while).

In the last year and a half I've become a big fan of country music.  Just like any other genre, there are songs that I like, and plenty that I don't like.  But one of the reasons I like country music is because it seems like country artists express religion far more than artists in other genres (gospel music excepted).  I have a few examples of songs that I've become aware of recently:



This is "Love Without End, Amen" by George Strait.  I'm likely to be a fan of any song about father-son relationships, but this one is really good.  I like the shifts in perspective in each of the three verses, especially the last one.  Next is another George Strait song.



The other day I had a very spiritual conversation with a good friend.  We got in the car to head home, and this song was the first that came on.  I really like the humble reflection in the words of the chorus.  Hopefully we don't need to wait for the milestones in our lives to open our eyes.



This one is a previously unreleased song by Johnny Cash entitled "I Came to Believe."  Listen to the lyrics.  I'd really like to learn some more about Johnny Cash and how he changed his life.  I'm hoping to watch the film Walk the Line sometime.
Brandon Flowers, the lead singer of the Killers, sings a cover of this song that I really like.  It's in a short video about the new Johnny Cash CD.  The song starts at 1:03, but I suggest listening from the beginning.  He talks about some of his own feelings about the song.



Hope you appreciate my thoughts--feel free to comment with your own.  Do you know any songs where artists express their spiritual sides more?

Murder Mystery Dinner

Last Saturday night I went on a double date to the Old Spaghetti Factory at University Mall in Orem.  We were there for a Mafia Murder Mystery show put on by performing group Salty Dinner Theater.  It was a lot of fun.  We arrived between 7 and 7:30.  They gave us three menu options, took our orders, and showed us to our seats.  The actors and actresses roamed around the room talking to the guests at all the different tables.  They were really friendly and made it a lot of fun.

The show started after we got our appetizer and continued throughout the evening.  There were several musical numbers too.  I think my favorite was "Come Fly With Me" because I knew the words.  The actors and actresses interacted with the audience a lot, which was fun.  At the end of the show, one of the characters dies, and everyone has to write down who they think it is and what they think the punishment ought to be.  They collected everyone's slips and sorted out the ones who got it right as the ending was explained.  Then they brought in the slips of those who got it right, and the guilty parties (they picked two of the actresses--the one who was actually guilty and the one who most people voted for) had to undergo their punishments.  Some of the punishments were drinking a glass of water sprinkled with parmesan cheese, getting ice cream in the face, and singing I'm a little teapot.

The whole evening was very enjoyable and memorable.  The company had a photographer there, and they put some of the pictures on facebook.  I look pretty ridiculous, so I'm not tagging myself in the one I'm in.  But feel free to look at their facebook page.  I had a great time, and I'd recommend it to anyone.

Notes:
It was a really fun date, and I'd definitely do it again.  It works as a single, double, or group date.  It was a somewhat expensive date (thank goodness she asked me out and told me she'd be paying).  Tickets are $15 each for adults, though I think Catherine said she found a deal on Groupon.  The tickets didn't include dinner, and each of the menu choices was about $10.  The meal included a salad, the main course, and ice cream at the end.  Appetizers cost extra.  I wasn't sure what to wear, so I went semi-formal with a button-up and khakis.  It ended up being a safe guess.  I probably could have gone a little dressier (tucking in my shirt or wearing a sport jacket), but I also saw people in jeans, so it was pretty flexible.  It's nice to dress up though.  If I remember, the show lasted an hour and a half or so.

Note 2:
I saw the director of my study abroad program there--turns out his son was one of the actors!

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2013)

Image Source: Wikipedia

Starring;
Chris Pine*, Keira Knightley, Kenneth Branagh, Kevin Costner
*So we know Rebekah wants to see it.

Rating:
PG-13 for sequences of violence and intense action, and brief strong language.
There's some knife fighting that's a little gruesome.  Lots of gun violence, but not too much blood shown.  As far as language goes, there is one f-word near the beginning/middle of the movie.  Bad language didn't seem very prevalent throughout the movie though.  Ms. Knightley, after exiting the shower, sports a towel for a short bit in one scene.  There's also a flashback to two of the characters laying in bed next to each other (covered by sheets).

The violence is basically necessary to the film--it is an action movie.  And I think the violence isn't over-the-top.  There's basically no objectionable content, as far as sex/nudity goes.  The biggest downer was the f-bomb.  Unfortunately, it's difficult to find a PG-13 movie these days that doesn't use include one.

My Impression:
I was expecting this film to be a stereotypical action flick, and it surprised me a little bit.  It certainly isn't revolutionary, but it was different enough to set itself apart.  Jack Ryan isn't a James Bond--he's a financial analyst with a Ph.D. in economics.  That makes him more accessible as a character.  He seems more real.  I liked the story, and I think I may check out some other Jack Ryan movies, or maybe even read some of the books.  The movie was clearly meant to entertain--it's not one of those "make you think" movies--but it does the job well.  I would recommend this movie, but let me know what you think!

Suspenders

Boys, buy yourselves a pair of suspenders.

The first Sunday of May I wore suspenders (only $6 at Walmart) instead of a belt.  My suit jacket mostly covered them up when I was at church, but as I was giving my old roommate a goodbye hug he realized I was wearing suspenders.  He exclaimed "Oh, suspenders!"  My friend Catherine, standing nearby, said "Are you wearing suspenders?"  When I confirmed that I was indeed sporting suspenders she told me "That is the most attractive thing I have seen all day."  (And it was the afternoon already!)  In addition to the lovely compliment from my lovely friend, I got even more compliments when the elders' quorum president and I went around to all the apartments to meet all the move-ins.

You may think you'll seem old-fashioned, but you will really be classy and dignified!  Have the confidence to be the best-dressed guy around.



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Also, you will feel cool because suspenders are the classiest way to carry a personal firearm.


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Introduction

Because I love you, dear siblings, and because I live so far away from you, I've come up with an idea to stay involved in your lives.  The result is this lovely blog, the background of which I designed myself.  I'll have to add in trees at some point, but it's getting late tonight.  I was having a hard time coming up with a name, so this is what you get.  It might not make a whole lot of sense, but it works well enough, right?

Feel free to leave comments for me--I want to hear what you have to say!

Love,
Nick