Chance it

Hello! Welcome to part two of the amazingness that is Jurassic Park (you can read part one here). We spared no expense. I've had to break it up yet again because, well, it's just so awesome and it's really hard to cut bits out.

Hold onto your butts..

So much for our first tour, two no shows and a sick triceratops. 

It could have been worse, John. It could have been a lot worse.

You know it, Samuel L. Jackson! By the way, why did they change your name? I'm pretty sure you're only ever referred to as Mr. Arnold, but IMDB tells me your character's name is Ray Arnold. In the book his name is John, which I love because there is already another character named John. It's cool because it's so true to life... of course there'd be two Johns in one workplace. It's the little details like that that are cool.

 Anyone want a soda or something? 

No, but I'd really like your mug. And I like your glasses as well while you're offering things.

 Please Nedry, if you're not giving your mug or glasses away can I please at least have some dinosaur embryos? I'd really love the Tyrannosaurus! But please make sure it's spelled correctly.

 As a glasses wearer who has driven in a steamed up car in the rain, I feel your pain.

 Uh uh uh! You didn't say the magic word. 

I'd love to say this to children. Maybe I could annoy them into being polite.

God damn this hacker crap!

 Are they heavy? Then they're expensive. Put them back.

That's my dad right there. I would have put them back, though. Because I was a perfect child, obviously.

 Maybe it's the power trying to come back on?

LOLZ!! It isn't!!

What happened to the goat??

 It served it's purpose.

 Chompity chomp chomp. I love goat!

 Where does he think he's going?

When you gotta go, you gotta go.

I love how calm these two are as they joke about Genaro. While there's a fully grown T. Rex chomping down on a goat just outside the window. Oh, and those electric fences aren't working.

 Lex, you idiot, turn the light off. We're not out in the paddock checking for West Indian lilac poisoning. Her pupils are fine.

 Here's the hero. Showing us how to casually distract a T. Rex.

 Ian freeze! You're pretty cool, you'll never have my flare skills!

 As humiliating as this death is, I'd definately prefer it to something ordinary like a heart attack or cancer. RIP lawyer guy.

 Are we pretty much in agreeance that this is all Lex's fault? If she didn't shine the light in poor Rexy's eyes, she would have just wandered off to find something bigger and tastier to eat. And then once Rexy was distracted with trying to digest a lawyer, Lex has to start screaming. You know, I think she WANTS to get eaten.

 Out of the whole movie, this is the only part that annoys me. The paddock was the same level as the cars before. Now there's a drop of about 50 feet (that was a guess, I have no idea about distances). What's doing there, Spielberg?

 This is the most terrifying dinosaur I have ever seen. It just looks so vicious. 

 We're back in the car again.

At least we're out of the tree.

 Yes! Team Shorts have come to save the day! I like that even though there were five people in those cars, they only bother yelling out to Dr Grant. I get it. We all know who we'd rather find.

 I think this used to be lawyer guy.

I think this did, too.

Ewww.

 Should we chance moving him?

Yes, chance it.

 Anybody here that? It's um... an impact tremor is what it is.

 I'm fairly alarmed here.

 Must go faster, must go faster.

I know he is probably meant to be protecting Ellie in a chivalrous manner, but to me it will always just look like he's copping a feel. 

Hope you enjoyed that as much as I did. Part three coming soon!

Part 3

Paradise Circus

 So far it's been a pretty cool weekend.

I spent Saturday hanging out with my awesome buddy Jess and her cute puppies.We ate brownies and Italian biscuits and she got me addicted to yet another TV show. This time it was The Walking Dead. Looks like some more DVD purchasing for me.

 I walked home from Jess's place and took notice of all the cool (and a little bit ghetto) details of my neighbourhood. Probably a good time to move. 

I've been doing lots of cutting and pasting. On the top of my craft list is a birthday card.

 L is for Lisa.

And some yummy watermelon to go with one last read before it gets cut up. I'm horrible, I know, but this collage thing is helping me with my hoarding. I refuse to pack magazines when I move, so I'm getting all the use out of them now before it's too late.

I'm now watching a Jurassic Park marathon. All three movies are on TV, and I just couldn't say no. Tonight is going to be awesome! (For those playing at home, part 2 of my Jurassic Park post will be up on Tuesday)

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to attend to some raptors in the kitchen.

Saturday Night

 One of my new year's resolutions was to try a new recipe every month. I've never had much luck with brownies. Even Betty Crocker packet mixes tend to fail in my hands. My mum gave me this book for Christmas a couple of years ago and I found a yummy looking recipe for brownies in it and thought I'd give them one last go.

 Being a very visual person, I absolutely love that every step is photographed. I usually give recipes a miss that don't at least have an end result photo, because I like to make sure I'm generally on track. Having a picture of every step pretty much guaruntees no mistakes.

Well, it guaruntees no mistakes if you actually pay attention. I might have taken mine out of the oven a little too early and then forgotten about it, so it fell apart a bit when I was trying to put it on the cooling rack. BUT it was pretty freaking delicious. And since I've never been one for amazing presentation, I just decided that the best way to eat it was in random chunks with a heap of ice cream.

So, a recipe for amazingly tasty, but not too beautiful brownies..

Ingredients:

* 225g butter, softened

* 150g plain chocolate, broken into pieces (I used Green's 70% dark chocolate.. yummo!)

* 225g self-raising flour

* 125g caster sugar

* 4 eggs, beaten

* 75g pistachio nuts, chopped

* 100g white chocolate, roughly chopped (I accidentally bought Lindt Lindor white chocolate, which is gooey inside. Turned out to be a delicious mistake)

* icing sugar, for dusting

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a 23cm baking tin.

2. Place the plain chocolate and the butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir until melted, then leave to cool slightly.

3. Sift the flour into a seperate bowl and stir in the caster sugar.

4. Stir the eggs into the chocolate mixture, then pour into the flour and sugar and beat well.

5. Stir in the nuts and white chocolate.

6. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin, using a pallete knife to spread evenly.

7. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until firm to the touch around the edges. Cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

8. Dust with icing sugar. Cut into 12 squares (or let it break into as many pieces as it feels like) and serve.

I also tried the scones from this recipe book, just to see what they'd be like. I was pretty disappointed. I never use sugar in my scones, but these ones did, and it was all I could taste. I think I'll just stick to my tried and tested boring recipe.

Gimme Shelter

Photo Friday: Pristine

T. Rex Tuesday!

Dr. Grant, my dear Dr. Sattler, welcome to Jurassic Park. Well, make that T. Rex Tuesday.Since I no longer have the wonder of Survivor in my life on a Tuesday night, I've decided to dedicate the day to all things dinosaur. For those of you who have met me, my dinosaur obsession is pretty common knowledge. It began with Jurassic Park (the most awesome movie ever... let's not even bother arguing) and I think that's the best topic to start T. Rex Tuesday with.

Now, I might be a little bit biased because my first viewing of Jurassic Park was pretty much as perfect as you can get. My Mum worked at a drive in and she would always take us along with her and at this time I was the same age as Tim, the little boy in the film. So we were children. In a car. At night. If you recall, one of the most scariest scenes in the movie is when the T. Rex attacks the children. In a car. At night. This was equally cool and terrifying. I assume it's like watching Jaws on a boat, or Speed on a bus, or Snakes on a Plane on a plane.

Here are but a few reasons why I am in love with this movie...

 We start off with a view that will set the scene for this movie. Shorts. It's my opinion that Robert Muldoon, former Kenyan gamekeeper, comes out in front in the best legs competition of this movie.

Shoot her! Shoot her!

 Now we meet Donald Genaro. The blood sucking lawyer that's on Hammond's side. From this introduction it's fairly clear that this is a man who's destined to die on a toilet.

 Unlike this guy. Classic hero. 

 What happened? Uh oh Dr Grant touched the computer. Don't worry Alan, the same thing happens to me whenever I try to use my laptop, and I don't have the excuse of being in the middle of a dustbowl.

  That doesn't look very scary. More like a six foot turkey.

 Who the hell invtited this kid? Don't worry. We're all about to watch him get taught a lesson. And we're going to witness some amazing 90s fashion. I'm pretty sure I had the exact same outfit as that girl in the pink.

For a while there I thought this might have been a young Jake Gyllenhaal. I think I just wanted him to be a fat annoying kid because he's so annoyingly perfect now.

So, my not-Jake, try to imagine yourself in the Creatceous Period. You get your first look at this "six foot turkey" as you enter a clearing. He moves like a bird, lightly, bobbing his head. And you keep still because you think that maybe his visual acuity is based on movement like a T. Rex (remember that for later) - he'll lose you if you don't move. But no, not velociraptor. You stare at him, and he just stares right back.

 And that's when the attack comes. Not from the front, but from the side. From the other two raptors you didn't even know were there. Because velociraptor's a pack hunter, you see, he uses coordinated attack patterns and he is out in force today. And he slashes at you with this...

 ...a six inch retractable claw, like a razor on the middle toe. 

He doesn't bother to bite your jugular like a lion, say... no no.

 He slashes at you here.

 Or here... or maybe across the belly, spilling your intestines.

The point is... you are alive when they start to eat you. So you know... try to show a little respect.

And now Jake pees his pants and Dr Grant becomes even more of a hero to me because he is mean to annoying children.

 You can tell Dodgson is an asshole because he doesn't shut the taxi door. Sorry, I shouldn't have used his name.

 Dodgson, Dodgson, we have Dodgson here! See? Nobody cares. Nice hat! What are ya trying to look like - a secret agent?

Hahaha... rawrrr.. I can't explain the noise he makes. It's just pure Goldblum goodness.

He tied his seatbelt together. Then nodded and winked (yep, I know he winked under those sunglasses). He just trumped Indiana Jones. This is the man you want to spend your time with on this island. If you stay by his side he will make sure you are not eaten while sitting on the toilet. He will not leave you.

Oh hey Ellie, I'm just going to grab your head and make you look at those dinosaurs because they're much more interesting than that extinct leaf you've got there. Also, I totes love your glasses.

He did it. The crazy son of a bitch did it. He made his staff wear pink polo shirts.

T. Rex? You've got a T. Rex?

 Say again?

We have a T. Rex.

 Hello John.

Hello John.
Hello John.
Hello John.
Hello John.

 Mr DNA! I learnt more about genetics from this movie (and the book) than I did in biology class.

 Is that... auto-erotica?

This is one of the most underrated and unnoticed jokes.

 I'm simply saying that life, uh... finds a way.

  You bred raptors? Don't you know they can open doors?

That one... when she looks at you, you can see she's working things out. Yeah, she's working out who's the winner of Jurassic Pants. In my lowly non-raptor opinion... I give third place to Genaro, for trying to rock those shorts with a shirt, tie and suit jacket. And for owning those hairy legs. Second place to Ellie, because just look at her. Those legs are amazing. The winner, of course, is Muldoon. Short shorts, knee socks, ankle boots, legs that rival Ellie's...and the way he leans all over the raptor fence like a boss. I like that he and Grant are just chatting about raptors as if they're discussing their kids.

Dennis, our lives are in your hands and you have butterfingers? Also, you're complaining about being overworked and underpaid, yet you seem to have a whole monitor dedicated to a game of chess.

Quiet! All of you! They're approaching the Tyrannosaur paddock. Also, check out my legs!

Ah, now eventually you do plan to have dinosaurs on your, on your dinosaur tour, right? Hello?

Hello? Yes?

That is one big pile of shit. I love how Grant checks his shoe for poo. His one moment of being not the coolest smartest hero ever.

And that's where we'll stop for today. Looking at Jeff Goldblum standing in front of a pile of dino.. dino droppings.

*****************

(Yes, I know it's not Tuesday. But when I was writing this Tuesday night turned into early Wednesday morning, which turned into "crap, I need to be up for work in four hours". I also planned on just one post, but this already has too many pictures in it because I have so many favourtie moments. So this is part 1 - before shit gets messed up. Part 2 coming soon!)
Part 2
Part 3

All pictures were screencapped by me because I needed yet another excuse to watch it.


You will remember to wash your hands before you eat anything?

Bolte & Dunstan Talk Youth

What an awesome mail day! My Holga and Instax films were waiting for me at work, and then when I got home I had this awesome goody waiting for me.

It's the sweetest bag from Nicola Rowlands. I bought it for one of my best friends for her upcoming birthday. She's someone I love shopping for. She has such awesome taste, so it's like going shopping for myself.. but without the guilt!

I also got her this cute print from Pop Pop Portraits. It kind of reminded me of the two of us (if I was cute and thin and fixed up my regrowth). I'm just hoping that a certain birthday girl isn't reading my blog. I was just too excited not to share :)