misspianoforte's Xanga

My Calling

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 01:47:23 GMT

Once in a while, I forget why I’m doing what I’m doing - helping people through biblical counseling or just giving them a shoulder to cry on and a listening ear. And then things happen so that I remember, like this:

Someone Else: dude
Someone Else: your'e like my therapeutic helper
Someone Else: ever thought about psychology?
Lizzie: *lol* Yes, actually, I'm going into counseling =P
Someone Else: good
Someone Else: you should

Rejoice! Yaaay!

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 17:53:27 GMT

Hey guys,

First of all, thank you for praying for my great grandmother. She apparently broke her foot and is now making the nurses in the hospital mad. I can totally see that, and it means that she's finally regained some of her old slightly testy nature and stubbornness back.

Secondly - I just got my semester exam grades back. They make me happy, for the most part. I know you all don't care but I'm gunna put this up anyways.

Shakespeare: 94.5% (final)
Government and Constitution: 91.1% (final)
French: 89% (semester, minus two tests which haven't been graded yet)
Vocabulary: 96% (semester)

I don't know about either science or math yet, and not everything from my home classes have been graded. =P

Semester Classes:

American History
American Literature
Geometry
Natural Science I
Constitutional Law
French II
God in All Worlds
Philosophy and Culture
Vocabulary

Yaaaay. =)

Friday, February 02, 2007

Fri, 02 Feb 2007 00:21:34 GMT

O Love of God, How Strong and True
Horatius Bonar, 1858

O love of God, how strong and true,
Eternal and yet ever new,
Uncomprehended and unbought,
Beyond all knowledge and all thought!

O love of God, how deep and great,
Far deeper than man's deepest hate
Self-fed, self-kindled like the light,
Changless, eternal, infinite.

O heav'nly love, how precious still
In days of weariness and ill
In nights of pain and helplessness,
To heal, to comfort, and to bless!

O wide embracing, wonderous love!
We read you in the sky above,
We read you in the earth below,
In seas that swell, and streams that flow.

We read you best in him who came
To bear for us the cross of shame
Sent by the Father from on high
Our life to live, our death to die.

We read your pow'r to bless and save,
E'en in the darkness of the grave;
Still more in resurrection light
We read the fulness of your might.

O love of God, our shield and stay
Through all the perils of our way!
Eternal love, in you we rest,
Forever safe, forever blest.

We will exalt you, God and King,
And we will ever praise your name;
We will extol you ev'ry day,
And evermore your praise proclaim.

---

These dudes really had it down.

Please Pray

Thu, 18 Jan 2007 20:13:59 GMT

Hey guys,

Can ya'll please keep my great-grandma (Gammy) in your prayers? She's 93 years old, and my Grandma just called and told me that she had been put into the hospital. Considering her age, this isn't very startling, but she's not a Christian - please pray that she'll come to know Jesus as her Savior. That's the most important thing of all.

Thanks,
Lizzie

The Pursuit of Happyness

Mon, 15 Jan 2007 21:38:28 GMT

Rating: PG-13 for language & themes
Director: Gabriele Muccino
Featuring: Will Smith, Jaden Smith (father and son)

What's the deal? Chris Gardner (Will Smith) tries to sell bone-density machines for a living, but it doesn't go well. His wife leaves him, he and his son (Jaden Smith) get evicted, and he gets taught how to become a stock broker (while he's living on the streets). Fun stuff.

How long, Oh Lord? 117 minutes - it seemed like the perfect length to me. I was ready to be finished, but I wasn't dashing from the theatre afterwards.

What was cool? Will Smith & Jaden Smith are actually father and son, and you could really tell when they were on screen. It was awesome. And Will Smith wasn't funny - it was a nice change to see if he could actually act, which he definitely could.

What was n't? While overall the movie promoted good things, it fell down on the job when it came to honesty. That wasn't cool, but it was pretty obvious, so it didn't bother me too much.

Cautions: Language. The kid uses the f-word once or twice, and other than that, I didn't really notice it. There wasn't much besides that to avoid in particular, but I definitely wouldn't recommend this movie for younger children.

The result? I enjoyed it. I didn't really think I would (and the grammatical error in the title didn't make me happy, but it does have a purpose, I promise!), but I was pleasantly surprised. Recommended for older teens and adults.

Night at the Museum

Sat, 06 Jan 2007 20:54:03 GMT

Rating: PG - mild action, brief language, and brief rude humor
Director: Shawn Levy
Featuring: Ben Stiller, and a whole slew of other people

What's the deal? Ben Stiller can't hold onto a job, and he's about to get evicted, so he goes and gets a job at a museum as a night watchman. And, surprise surprise, the things come alive. Personally, I'd kill for a job like that, because it would basically be amazing.

How long, Oh Lord? 120 minutes.

What was cool? Well, the concept is really neat. And the animation and effects and things were good, and overall, it just made me laugh. Seriously.

What wasn't? Hmm. I actually can't think of a lot of things that I didn't like. Which is surprising, all things considered. I could tell that when some things were supposed to be funny, but I just wasn't laughing, but other than that, there wasn't a whole lot wrong with it.

Cautions: None.

The result? I liked it. We're going to watch it for a family movie night when it comes out, because my sister can watch it and my dad won't hate it. (Those are the two most important factors!)

Monday, December 18, 2006

Mon, 18 Dec 2006 16:55:27 GMT

Rating: PG
Director: Stefen Fangmeier
Featuring: Edward Speelers (Eragon), Jeremy Irons (Brom), Sienna Guillory (Arya), Rachel Weisz (Sapphira)

What's the deal? Eragon gets this dragon, Sapphira, and then does things with her. And he gets taught by Brom. And then he decides that he's fallen in love with this elf chick, Arya.

How long, Oh Lord? Far, far too long. 104 minutes .

What was cool? Sapphira was pretty cool. Like, her animation, and things. Her lines were awful, as was, well, the character, but the animation wasn't bad.

What wasn't? Everything else. Everyone saw the third Star Wars movie, right? And we all know how that script was, right? Well . . . this one was about ten times worse. When people were being all dramatic and things, Audrey and I were sitting there snorting and trying not to annoy the people next to us (it didn't work). All the characters were extremely flat. Nothing happened. At all. And Eragon decided to be cool and set fire to some dudes on a wooden village that was conveniently situated in the middle of some random body of water. And, get this, nothing bad happened. The wooden planking thing that they were standing on didn't even catch on fire. That part mad e me laugh, man...

Cautions: Boredom. It's unlikely that anybody will actually enjoy this movie - little kids are too, well, young to enjoy it, and teenagers are generally either (a) too cynical or (b) like good movies or (c) liked the book Eragon, and since the movie basically changed everything except for the names, they won't like it, either. And adults just probably won't like it, period. People who like animation and things might, but don't spend money at the theatre. Wait until it comes out. Then you can spread the love.

The result? Waste of time, but an entertaining waste of time. Be sure you wear your awesome shirts if you go to see it.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Mon, 11 Dec 2006 15:45:33 GMT

Rating: R for language and some sexuality
Director: Michel Gondry
Featuring: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Elijah Wood, Kirsten Dunst, Tom Wilkinson

What's the deal? Jim Carrey (Joel) and Kate Winslet (Clementine) fall in love. And then Kate Winslet decides that she doesn't like Jim Carrey anymore and gets him erased from her memory. (Yes, this can happen in this movie.) Then Jim Carrey decides that he'll erase Kate Winslet from his memory, and then he decides that he actually loves her, and wants it to stop. And then more things happen with a twisty ending. And, no, these aren't spoilers because that's basically what's on the back of the case.

How long, Oh Lord? 108 minutes. It didn't seem to drag, nor was it over too quickly. Very cool.

What was cool? Kate Winslet's hair, man. It changed colors about 5 times. And they were always weird colors, like bright red and orange an d electric blue and neon green. It was awesome color. As usual, she makes any movie sparkle. Much though I regret to say it, Jim Carrey was great. I don't generally like him as an actor because he's just so comical (and, while I'm all for humor, it's never the subtle kind that I enjoy so much). But he was good. As was the rest of the cast.

What wasn't? All the language. Normally, I don't mind it too much, but this was every other word, man.

Cautions: Language. And sex. But mostly language.

The result? I liked it. Eternal Sunshine was a brilliant concept and it had a great cast. The cinematography was good, too. Overall: I'd recommend it, but with cautions. It depends on how high your language & sex tolerance in movies go, or if you have TV guardian or whatever that is. Great movie; some things I didn't like too well.

<3
Lizzie

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Wed, 06 Dec 2006 02:15:09 GMT

Have you ever had that feeling where, even though it's early, you have to find some expresso and have to find it fast, and resort to propping open your eyelids using pencils in your search for caffeine lest you fall asleep whilst walking down the stairs, thereby creating a problem?

...Yeah.

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Sun, 03 Dec 2006 23:19:35 GMT

Thank you all for the book suggestions. I really appreciate it! I've got them all written down, and hopefully will be reading them soon.

Now, for all you Shakespeare enthusiasts out there - which of his plays do you think are the best? Which comedies, tragedies, and histories would you recommend? I just got Othello at Empire Books (and was treated to the guy and girl at the checkout raving over Shakespeare in general - lol, I love book stores) and I'm going to begin reading it soon, hopefully.

What are you all planning for Christmas? Do you have any plans? For now, I'm just trying to get through my shopping - it seems to become more and more of a big deal every year. I like it, though; I enjoy getting things for people. =)

Oh, speaking of money, I've only got about $300 more dollars to earn until I've paid off my trip to England next summer!! Yeah, I'm a liiiitlle bit excited about that, heh.

I saw The Illusionist again yesterday for $2. That was exciting. And yes, it's still just as good as ever. Very artsy and things.

Love!
Lizzie