The Dinner Game

I am taking a French and Italian cinema class this semester. It has had it's ups and downs but this will forever be one of my favorite French films. It is called The Dinner Game


The story: A group of well off, country club going Frenchmen have a weekly dinner where they each must bring an idiot. The goal is to bring the most ridiculous person ever. For example, one of these men is bringing a boomerang collector/player. The main character, Pierre Brochant, is bringing someone that a friend met on a train, François Pignon. This "idiot" makes matchstick models of various monuments and bridges. Not only does he make them, but he shows them to everyone and loves to talk about them.

As these two have not met in person, Brochant is going to have Pignon over for a drink before the dinner. But, they end up staying at Brochant's house and many events unfold. Pingnon just makes everything worse, but he doesn't realize it. I appologize for being bad at summaries. Here is the trailer (sub out "idiot" for "jerk" cuz it makes more sense in American)



It is just absolutly hilarious! You all should watch it. Thats an order!

Charles

Well as I was in the shower yesterday, I was doing some thinking (because as you all know, the best thinking happens in the bathroom). For some reason Charlton Heston's name came to my mind. Not him, just his name, and I got to thinking about how odd a name that is and how you can never call him just Charlton because that's a weird name, you have to call him Charlton Heston because then it at least doesn't sound so weird.

That led to me thinking about the name Charles and how in American, that sounds terrible. The 'r' is just so rounded and silly, like when the British try to say 'world' in an american accent. Really, I don't like the name Charles, no offense to any Charles out there, I have nothing against Charles, just the name and the Ch so close to the r.

That being said, Charles in a British accent is perfectly acceptable because they completly cut out the R sound. "Cha-ls" That is an OK name right there.

The moral of the story: only name a child Charles if you will be living in Britain.

St. Patricks Day

This is the first year that I have been mildly creeped out by St. Patricks day. In grade school, it was fun. Everyone wears green and most people go all out. In High school, they usually gave us free dress if you were wearing a significant amount of green, so everyone wore green. But then in college, not everyone participates and it turns creepy. It's like a bunch of people just happened to wear green all on the same day.

Nobody really even knows what St. Patricks day is anyway. My Religion teacher went on a mini rant about why he was wearing Orange in stead of green and I didn't exactly understand it as most of the class didn't because nobody understands St. Patricks day. I looked it up and it really doesn't have that great of a history. It used to just be a saint's day, then they made it a feast day in the 1600s, and now it just celebrates Irish culture. WE AREN'T EVEN IRISH!!! we are Americans, get over it.

btw, the Irish and Italian flags are exactly the same, but don't let an Irishman or Italian catch you saying that.

Rant on Books

I was speaking with my lovely friend Ashley today and something that has been bugging me for a while came up.

Where is the genre between YA fiction and adult fiction? You go into the bookstore and you have three options for fiction books: childrens, YA, and fiction. I enjoy my YA novels, they are fun times, but sometimes the whole teen angst thing gets really annoying. So then you think "ok, I'll go pick out a book over here" and you search around through all the many many books int the fiction section and find something that looks interesting. Then you start reading it and it's just too much. Take "Time Traveler's Wife" for example. It's a great book, but there is soo much sex! Or you end up with a novel that belongs in an AP Literature class.

Now, that being said, there is also a lot of crap in the YA section, I will admit to the need to be careful about any book you read. Really though, are sex, drugs, and rock and roll the only things that people ever think about? Because that appears the be the only thing people will write about. Where is our modern day Jane Austen? Dickens? CS Lewis? Where is the section of books meant for college age students? Where the protaganist is somewhere between the ages of 18 and 28? I want to read about a protagonist that I can relate to. I can still have fun with the HS freshman and the chick in Austenland is around 30. But that isn't the freshman in college. Seriously, that could be a really interesting genre. If I had a desire to write, I would write about college simply because nobody else seems to do that.

I should be studying but...

I was reading my mother's post (http://mrsbenning.blogspot.com/2010_03_01_archive.html) about her parents anniversary and my dad and that got me thinking about all of the relationships around me. For the most part, all of the husband/wife teams I see are absolutly perfect for each other. True, there are some that are less than stellar, but I can't think of a single unhealthy relationship that I have been a witness too. I am truly amazed at these couples.

For example, my mother mentioned how when her mom was living with us and her dad was still at his house, he would come by on almost a daily basis just to say 'hi' to his girl. I heard them quarrel quite a bit, but I knew without a doubt that they loved each other more than anything in the world. He was far from a prince charming (no offense Grandpa), but that didn't matter to her becuase he loved her.

Then there are my grandparents on the other side. Nana is Grandpa Fritz's second wife (the first having passed away many years ago). She is nowhere close to being an evil stepmother. In fact, I distinctly remember when I found out that she wasn't my biological grandmother. Nobody ever mentioned it and I got very confused. They do all kinds of things together and they are always happy.

However, the couple I see the most is my very own parents. I am so blessed to have them as parents. I cannot remember them ever actually fighting. I was talking with my roommates about this, and apparently its not the norm as I always thought it was. I always thought parental fights only lived on TV in dramatized situations. No, parents fight. My parents disagree, then one of them gives in. As a little girl who never fell asleep in her own bed, I remember distinctly my parents praying before bed. They have always put the Lord first and I think thats part of the trick. They draw closer to Him and love each other and that has created such a tight bond.

Whenever I think of how perfect a dad my dad is, I wonder where in the world am I going to find somebody to be to my children what he was to me. And do I have the strength to do everything my mom has done? (I could do an entire post on my perfect parents, but I'll save that for mothers/fathers day) I am only 19, this isn't a pressing matter right now (not even a little bit) but I have a tendency to overthink and overplan and look very far ahead. Also I go to BYU where most people either are married, engaged, or going on a mission.

well, it's been a while...

It has been about two weeks since my last blog and there hasn't been much to report. I am hoping that in the typing of this blog, something will present itself other than my complaining.


Some of you may already know this, but I got asked out at the gym, oh yes, welcome to BYU. I should have just said yes or suggested we go to jamba juice when we were done working out. But reason got in the way, so I turned him down.


A guy in my ward got his mission call to San Fernando, korean speaking. So if any of you back home meet up with a Elder Flake sometime, I know him.


According to our leadership training meeting today, I am depressed. I disagree.


I still haven't decided what I want to major in. I am currently an English major, but I'm just not feeling that anymore. I really want to get a degree studying religions, but the closest I can get to that at BYU is Ancient Studies which would require me taking either Greek or Hebrew, which could be interesting.


It is currently competition season for my Chaminade cheerleaders and the musical is also just about to go up. I am so jealous of everyone back at Chaminade who is involved in both these things. If I wanted to get involved here at BYU, I would have to be perfect, which I'm not so that's out of the question.

I had a lovely chat with an old friend last night, Kevin. He is over at Catholic University in DC and is doing wonderfully. It was very nice to talk to him and it made me happy. I love skype.


Only a few short weeks before the semester is over and I get to go home for a short while and then go to Germany!!!

Little girls and bathrooms

Some of you may remember the Benning family classic story of one trip to Yosemite. I am not the best person to tell this story as I wasn't really there, but I have heard the story quite a few times. In this particular adventure, the family was on the shuttle from the cabins to the actual lifts. They were all chating it up, having a grand ol' time when one of the other passengers says "uh, busdriver...I think there's someone stuck in the bathroom". Turns out, it was Kimberly, trapped in the bus bathroom.

Well something similar happened on the plane today. I was sitting pretty much in the middle of this family with three girls, the oldest was probably 16 and the youngest 6ish. The littlest one heads off to the bathroom and a few minutes later, we hear a knocking coming from the bathroom. Sure enough, the girl had locked herself in.

I'm beginning to wonder if they should do something about this?