OCR Text |
Show AggieLife Wednesday, Nov. 17, 2010 Page 7 A new look at being thankful this year Kids clad in paper bags posing as Native Americans. The fresh smell of cornbread stuffing. People actually rooting for the Detroit Lions. Only the finest and most nostalgic pleasantries are alive during the miracle that is Thanksgiving, also well known as the "Festival of Pie." Every November we come together to celebrate family, happiness and a really, really huge well-basted bird. For this reason I've decided to honor this holiday by speaking of a few things I'm most thankful for. Psych. Tricked ya. Oh, come on. Did you really expect me to participate in what may be the most cliche article topic in the history of holidaybased columns? Some may see it as a rite of passage, but I am no one's monkey. Besides, giving thanks has become so commonplace in recent years. We seem to be thankful for the same stuff every year, subliminally chanting the same inward message, "the quicker everyone at this table comments the sooner I can jump into my gravy-covered paradise." I think it's about time we evaluated things. Let me get the ball rolling, while the green beans are still baking, to rate a few of our most favorite things we're thankful for, or as I like to call them "thankies." "I'm thankful for my family." Of course there is nothing wrong with liking your family, but is that really the best you can do? This is the biggest day to be grateful, the Wimbledon of thankies the world over, and there is no need to fall back on a subject you should show thanks for all year anyway. If your goal is to show love and appreciation to your Uncle Dan for teaching you the Rubik's cube, don't choose the day he'll expect it, surprise him on an offhanded day. Flag day for instance. That'll sink it into him for sure. Overall: 2.5 turkeys out of five. "I'm thankful for the outdoors." This Ansel Adams-themed thankie may sound creative and in some cases sincere. Its real crux, however, is that it just doesn't always seem believable. Think about it - when have the outdoors actually done anything for you? When was the last time Logan Canyon made you dinner? Said you looked pretty in that dress? Balanced your checkbook? The way I see it, before we go into the gorge of gratitude, Mr. Otto Outdoors has a little proving to do. My verdict: two globs of potatoes out of five. "I'm thankful for animals."This one is easy. How can you be thankful for animals when you are ceremoniously eating an animal. That makes about as much sense as the South Beach Diet. The skinny: one flimsy boca burger out of five. "I'm thankful for Sprite Remix." I'm not sure how this one is at all relevant. I just really miss this drink, the staple of my high school a la carte line and the only reason I went to the grocery store on my own. Let's get real here, tropical and lemon-lime? Yummers. No question: five butter knives out of five. And finally, the end-all-be-all of thankies everywhere. "I'm just thankful to be alive." In many ways this is true. If you think about it, however, this is also the biggest cheap shot to ever throw whilst at a dinner table. Being thankful for life is like pointing at everyone at the table and giving a resounding, "ditto." No originality whatsoever. If we're going to postpone dinner for useless banter in an organized form, I expect effort. That's all there is to it. But then again, how can you challenge it? I don't know about you, but I've yet to talk to someone who is happy to be dead. So, by default: three overcooked yams out of five. That oughta give you the right perspective on your choice of thankies this year. Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and Go Lions (I guess). - steve.schwartzman@aggiemail.usu.edu Potter: Upcoming release causing excitement THE NUTCRACKER 1-14- continued from page 6 Thanksgiving -Weekend Yates has stripped away all last vestiges of kid's stuff that adorned the earlier pictures What he locates at the core of Rowling's story is something much more poignant and powerful: The overwhelming fear of a trio of adolescents reckoning with an adult world turned upside down; and the heartbreaking sadness of one young man who keeps watching others being sacrificed on his behalf. "Deathly Hallows" requires a little more patience than most of the previous Potter pictures, especially in the long middle section, which finds Harry, Ron and Hermione traveling around the English countryside, struggling with a locket that has the power to alter their personalities. The movie is also hamstrung by a climactic rescue from a character who literally emerges out of nowhere - a cheat that was in Rowling's novel, and that lamely gets repeated here. But Yates also manages to find new ways to surprise us, which isn't so easy when we're seven films into a big-budget franchise. Three-quarters of the way along, we learn the story of the Deathly Hallows - three brothers who once cheated Death - and for a few elastic, eye-popping moments, the film shifts into animation. (This sequence, supervised by Ben Hibon, might just be the single best thing in all seven films.) In a series now crowded with dozens of well-known actors, Yates also makes room for a few of the supporting actors to shine. Helena Bonham Carter, especially, needs only two scenes to give her Bellatrix Lestrange an epically unhinged majesty, like Stevie Nicks crossed with Cruella De Ville. The fourth film, for all its high-powered thrills, never lost sight of the fact that it was a story of teenagers hurtling too fast into adulthood. By the same token, what makes Deathly Hallows so affecting is that, beyond the elaborate special effects and mythological mumbo-jumbo, this is a film grounded in ordinary, painful emotion. Watch out for a brief bit in which Harry grabs Hermione and forces her to dance, in a bid to take her mind off their worries. As the handheld camera zooms in to follow them, with Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' "0 Children" playing on the soundtrack - an anarchronistic touch that nonetheless feels perfectly judged - these two deeply anxious souls get to be kids, for just a few fleeting moments. Then the music stops. And the panic starts up all over again. Consumer products Worldwide box-office $7 billion $5.4 "Grandma's homemade rolls." - Breanna Allred, junior, math education Ellen Eccles Theater 43 South Main - Logan Theater Box Office 435-752-0026 $1.9 Home video $1.3 Saturday, November 28 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Bullen Center Ballroom $3 per person 00 Cache Valley Civic Ballet i1.7 4,4, Treehouse The Studio Stroll will take place on Nov. 18 from 6-8 p.m. The Print Sale will be the same night from 5-9, but will also be on Friday, Nov. 19 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. There will also be refreshments served throughout the building. "It's a fun, free event. There's great art to buy if you want to, but to just walk around, eat some refreshments, talk to your friends and see the way that others express themselves through all types of art - that's fun," Oarsen said. - kmarshall222®gmail.com What Thanksgiving dish are you most looking forward to? 116 Video games © 2010 MCT Source: Warner Bros., Scholastic Books Graphic: Claudia Eller, Lorena Iniguez Elebee, Los Angeles Times Street Speak - Heidi Cisney, sophomore, psychology Tickets: $8 - $18 Discounts for students Sugar Plum Fairy Tea Party There's more to the Harry Potter franchise than the 400-million-plus books sold in 69 languages. continued from page 5 "Definitely pumpkin pie with lots of whipped cream." • An empire beyond the page Stroll: A look into student's work printed, limited edition, original works of art. We didn't just go down to Kinko's and make copies. That's really rare for such inexpensive prices," Puvey said. She also said the artists will also be there during the sale, so guests can ask questions about their art. The Print Sale will also have samples of each printmaking process. All the equipment used to make the prints will be on display. Guests will be able to buy a T-shirt with their personal choice of graphics printed on it that same night, especially for them. Friday, Nov. 26 - 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 27 1:30 p.m. & 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 29 - 7:30 p.m. "Turkey and cranberries, emphasis on the cranberries." - Mike Smith, senior, political science "Stovetop stuffing and mom's homemade rolls topped with honey." -Jami Dixon, senior, human resource management information and photos gathered by CARL R WILSON E A El I CARE Staged photograph with Fairy & Cavalier $5 www.cvcballet.org Treehouse Pediatrics & Family Care 2010 Nutcracker performance sponsor a `il7 A Fall Creative Writing Con Be Judged By a Jury ofyour Peers! Have an Urge to Write? Categories include: Poetry, Flash Fiction (1500 words) and Short Story (500+ words). Entries are due in TSC 105 by Dec. 1. Winners will be published. Start Today! You have that special poem that you wrote earlier this semester ... you have that short story that just needs a bit of polish. Submit them to the Statesman Writing Contest and see what happens! Pick up an entry form in TSC 105 and submit before Dec. 1. Use Thanksgiving Break tofind that poem, to tweak that short story. USU's Favorite News Source • Since 1902 • Utah State University • Logan And don't forget about the USU Creative Writing Contest, coming up soon. Winners from this contest are published in "Scribendi." Scribendi is the magazine of the USU Creative Writing Contest, collecting the graduate and undergraduate first, second, and third-place winning entries. The contest is open to all USU students from all departments and majors. Each year, the contest receives hundreds of entries, and the judging is often competitive and close. All USU students are urged to cultivate their talent and keep writing—for love of the word and the craft. Submission info can be found at: http://www.scribendi.usu.edu/submissions.htm . Deadline: February 7, 2011. |