It's been crazy.

Over the past few weeks, a lot of crazy stuff has happened.  For one, I went to D.C. and had an amazing spring break with my roommate, who's been interning there since February.

Another thing that happened to me is that I got a job.  A real-person, big-kid job.

So, all in all, things have been crazy around here. 

OH-- and I saw Whiplash. Twice.  Did I ever talk about how I saw Whiplash twice?

(here's a tweet from me to show you how obsessed I got over this movie)

I wanted to update things on here just because I am notoriously bad at being consistent as a blogger and also because I am about to get really, really busy in the next few weeks.  I feel like I've never really fully dedicated a lot of time and work to a job in the past-- I've either had normal internships or flexible hours from fully part-time gigs.  Now, I'm a necessary cog in a machine.  It's a strange-- and overwhelming-- feeling. 

Some happy news, though-- I am perilously close to graduating.  I use the word perilous because it sort of feels like I'm about to fall headlong off of a cliff, into the unknown.  I have a lot to learn about life not in college...or school in general, I guess.  I've never lived in a world where I didn't have to worry about homework or balancing grades and a social life/a sleeping schedule/a normal person's diet.  This is going to be an amazing next step for me. 

Let's hope it's a good one!

Parade

Man, how I love Fort Collins.  Why?  Well, one of the reasons is that Fort Collins has an amazing local community.  FoCo is always putting on events and festivals and whatnot to celebrate whatever's going on in the world at that moment...or just in Colorado.

Recently (last week, actually...I'm a tad late on this) FoCo put on the St. Paddy's Day Parade in Old Town.  I actually have a few Irish friends, or at least I call them that considering this past summer we all met in Ireland through a work abroad program through my school and have been buddies ever since.

I recorded the fun and compiled the data into a fun, short video, and here's the final footage below:

Writing probs.

Ever since I finished my first novel (it's called Fixed and I can't wait to start the publishing process.  But you know this already...), it's been so hard to dedicate myself to writing a new one.

The funny thing is, I have plenty of ideas.  I'm overflowing with 'em.  I have about four solid paths I can take for my new literary journey, and each one is a completely different genre.  There's fantasy, dystopian, YA romance, and historical fiction.

Do you see my dilemma?



It's hard to even decide which one to "keep coming back to", considering each one fits a different mood.  After I watched The English Patient last week, all I wanted to do was write my 1940's post-war story.  After Copenhagen, my travel romance seemed like the way to go.  The other night, randomly, I wrote two pages of my fantasy story in fifteen minutes.  What's wrong with me??

If you have any advice for a confused, all-over-the-place writer, please give it.  I have no idea where to start and no idea which one to go with and stick with.

(P.S. I just had another idea...and it's really great.  DAMN YOU, MADI!)

UPDATES/This week's movie.

This week has been one of the craziest/intense/most stressful weeks of my life.  We signed the lease on our new house, my best friend skipped town (on an amazing internship,  so go Hallie!) and I had so many appointments, meetings, and assignments, I thought I was going to drown.

But here I am!  Senior year of college can drain a girl, but I still have Netflix and a decent sleeping pattern and honestly that's all I can ask for right now.

Also, after I watched the Oscars this year I realized I really needed to kick my writing back into high gear.  I want to be there someday, guys.  Best Adapted Screenplay has my name written alllllll over it.  I've been working on a novel I finished years ago but never finished editing, and I finally got through it.  It's definitely not as bad as I thought it was, so I'm really excited to see what I can do as far as the publishing process goes.

BUT-- to the task at hand.  My movie of the week!

There were two that I watched this week, but because In Secret was a little dark, disturbing and depressing for me (I still recommend it-- the character development is through the charts but this is honestly the only role I've ever seen Elizabeth Olsen be bad in) I'm going to focus more on Copenhagen.  

The movie stars Gethin Anthony or, if any of you are Game of Thrones fans, Renly Baratheon.  He's basically this philandering character who's sexing his way across Europe while simultaneously looking for his grandfather.

In Copenhagen, he meets this girl named Effy by acting like an asshole to her and then demanding her help (in his character's typical fashion) but they quickly have a connection that's impossible to ignore.  The only problem?  We find out when William finds out-- Effy is 14 years old....half his age. 

The movie had everything I loved-- a love-to-hate-him protagonist, a resourceful and smart female character, an adorable love story, but I will admit, it's definitely hard to get past the age thing.  For one, he's experienced and, if we're being real, manipulative with women and pretty much everyone he meets.  How does this 14-year-old stack up against that?  Luckily, she's mature for her years, but his attraction to her is, at times, disturbing.  

The topic of pedophilia does come up in the film, when William's best friend realizes Will's falling in love with Effy and becomes extremely angry with him (despite the fact that he's been flirting with Effy, too).  He calls him a pedophile on the street, claiming that this is wrong and illegal on so many levels.  And, of course, it is.  

But at the same time, Effy teaches William a lot about women and what kind of life he's looking for.  He doesn't want random affairs and nightclub kisses, he wants a partner in crime.  She just...needs to be four years older than Effy.  

I liked that William learned self-control, happiness, and how to deal with his current relationships when things turned sour.  Despite the creepiness of the age difference, I liked the way he fell in love with Effy.  He liked her for what she was and what she wasn't, and the same went for her in regards to him.  

I loved Copenhagen, and I definitely recommend that you watch it.  It's on Netflix streaming now!

The Academy Awards 2015

Hey, all!

My favorite event of the whole year was on last night-- that's right, the 2015 Oscars.  It's hard not to be around my family when these come on every year since we love the show so much, but I ended up just plopping myself downstairs and making a night of it with my roommates.

Here's my general reaction (that I filmed at 10:30 last night, ha) of the show:


All of my roommates were asleep when I made this-- probably not my best work, haha.

Overall, though, I talk about how I really enjoyed Neil Patrick Harris, my favorite fashion moments (Julianne and Lupita) and this magical surprise:



What did you think of the 2015 Oscars?

This week's movie: The English Patient

I have been avoiding watching The English Patient for a long time now-- I knew it was this dramatic, tragic romance and I have a hard time with those considering how single I am.  BUT, last night, I decided I wanted to snuggle up and watch a movie so I pulled it up on Netflix and hit play without abandon.

And it...was...
INTENSE.

First of all, there was Juliette Binoche and her quiet, gentle, funny spirit.  

I learned after watching this that she won the award for Best Supporting Actress, and she definitely deserved it. 

 And then there was Colin Firth's gullible, reckless Geoffrey...

(Also, yes, Geoffrey!)

And, yes...who could forget the doomed romance between Almasy and Katherine?

And though the relationship had its bumps in the road, it was still swoon-worthy.  Ralph Fiennes was a total babe and Scott-Thomas was perfect as the strong, confident, and yet guilty Katherine, the wife of Geoffrey.   

The movie definitely had its tear-inducing moments, like the one above, which takes place after Kip, Hardy, David, and Hana find out the war is over and take the bedridden Almasy out on a stretcher and run him through the rain.  

The ending is hard to watch, and I'm certainly not going to spoil it for you if you haven't seen it already (don't be like me-- get to it!).  If you don't like sad endings, beware-- this one'll get you.  However the story is poetic and moving and each performance is Oscar-worthy in my book.

I definitely loved and recommend this movie, and if you're at all interested in desert exploration before WWII, look up the backstory on this film.  It's an interesting read.  

Happy watching!

Oscars 2014: Biggest Movie Snubs

This week, I made a new video about the biggest Oscar snubs of 2014.

Honestly, there are a lot more I could have included rather than just my favorites of 2014...movies like Snowpiercer, Only Lovers Left Alive, Enemy, etc...

...but these are fun and amazing and I really did love them.  So here you go!

Graduation pictures!

Today, my roommate and I headed out to the CSU Oval to take some pictures for my graduation announcements.  

There were the serious ones.....

And then there were the not-so-serious ones....

It's all in the legs, baby.  The pale, pasty legs. 

Even though I can't really keep it serious 100% of the time, at least we got some quality shots out of it.  

Graduation is only three months away....

Time flies!

I take it it's been a while since my followers have seen a recent picture of me.  In fact, I think it's been over a year.  So if you're curious, I haven't gone through any radical facial changes or haircuts, but I do look slightly older (and hopefully slightly more dignified):

That's me and one of the pups, Scarlett.  She just looked so dang cute.  

So, changes that have happened in the past year or so?  There have been quite a lot.  First of all, I traveled to Ireland for an intern abroad program through my university, and it was one of the most rewarding and memorable experiences I've ever had.  I worked with The Writers' Guild of Ireland and helped them to rebuild a large section of their website.  I also travelled to a film festival with them, co-delivered a presentation on updates in Irish media, and sat in on several talks with award-winning screenwriters.  

 I traveled through the amazing country and embarked on adventures I'll remember forever.  One of these is immortalized in the picture on the left: cliff-diving!

That's something I'll check off my bucket list.

Now, though, I've been back in the States for seven months now.  I can't believe it's been that long-- I remember the day I got to Ireland, and my hands were shaking violently, and I didn't know how to get Euros from the ATM, and I was terrified to start the journey.

Now it's a memory.  God, time moves fast.

Today, it's February and completely cold in Colorado.  The whole state is preparing for a snowstorm and I'm planning to make the trek to see my parents this weekend.

As far as what I've been doing since I've been in the states, I've mainly been training with a local media company and interviewing at companies all over Fort Collins.  It's almost graduation time, which means I've gotta start looking for a job to support myself, considering the fact that me and my roommates just put a deposit down on an adorable house we're renting next semester.

Next year.  Man, I've got to get out of the habit of college-talk.  Pretty soon, I won't be in college anymore.  

And that's pretty much it!  I'm excited to finally be blogging again, and to rebuild this site from the ground up.  It'll look so much better when I'm done with it.  

For more, check out MadisonScruggs.com, and don't forget to subscribe to this blog.  

Happy reading!