*Sigh* The Phlegmatic in me isn’t motivated to do another post….
I said in an earlier post that if later if I were bored, I would do a post about the 5 love languages, the 5 languages of apology, and Personality Plus. Well, it’s later, and I’m bored.
All of the concepts together are too vast and complicated to put in one post, so I’ll just pick one concept and try to uncover the tip of the iceberg. Since I mentioned Phlegmatic in the title, I’ll stick with Personality Plus. Of course, reading the book by Florence Littauer will give you a more rounded perspective. I’m just giving a brief explanation.
Basically what Personality Plus tries to teach is that there are 4 different personality types in human beings. The Popular Sanguine, The Perfect Melancholy, The Powerful Choleric, and the Peaceful Phlegmatic. Usually, people exhibit a combination of 2 of these, one being stronger than the other.
Popular Sanguine is talking, Perfect Melancholy is thinking, Powerful Choleric is doing, and Peaceful Phlegmatic is watching.
Here’s a brief exerpt from Personality Plus that will help explain what a each of them are.
“Popular Sanguine is off swinging on a star, bringing moonbeams home in a jar. Popular Sanguine loves the fairy tales of life and wants to live happily ever after. The typical Popular Sanguines are emotional and demonstrative, they make work into fun, and they all love to be with people. Popular Sanguines see excitement in each experience and repeat the flavor of each occasion in color descriptions. Popular Sanguines are outgoing and optimistic…. Popular Sanguines always expect the best.”
There are of course, weaknesses to the Sanguine temperment. When it says ‘repeat the flavor of each occasion in colorful descriptions’ that also means that when Sanguines tell a story, they’re prone to exaggerate, almost to the point of lying, in order to make the story more lively and entertaining. Their bubbly personality and charisma draws people in, but they have to be careful they don’t go too far. They aren’t very reliable in making and keeping appointments. Sanguines are very talkative; you can easily pinpoint a Sanguine in a group by locating the one who’s talking the loudest and telling the most entertaining stories.
Then there’s the Perfect Melancholy:
“Even as a baby the Perfect Melancholy appears to be thinking deeply. He is quiet, undemanding, and likes to be alone. He follows schedules right from the beginning and will respond best to a parent who is well organized. Noise and confusion will bother him, and he will not adapt well to being dragged around to different places and having his routine upset.
“As adults Perfect Melancholies are the thinkers. They are people who are serious of purpose, dedicated to order and organization, and appreciative of beauty and intellect. They don’t dash off in search of excitement but analyze the best plan for their lives….
“Where Popular Sanguine is an extrovert, Perfect Melancholy is an introvert. Where Popular Sanguine loves to talk and throw everything out in the open, Perfect Melancholy is deep, quiet, and thoughtful. Where Popular Sanguine views life through rose-colored glasses, Perfect Melancholy is born with a pessimistic nature, and foresees problems before they happen and counts the cost before building. Perfect Melancholies always want to get to the heart of the matter. Perfect Melancholy doesn’t take things at face value, but digs into the inner truths.”
Some of the weaknesses of the Perfect Melancholy is that they’re very sensitive and very emotional. They are usually the doom-and-gloom pessimists of the world that nobody necessarily likes to hang out with. Their feelings are easily hurt and they seem insecure, having a low self-image. It’s unfortunate because Perfect Melancholies have the greatest potential for success, but tend to be their worst enemies.
Then you have the Powerful Choleric.
“Powerful Choleric is the dynamic person who dreams the impossible dream and aims to reach the unreachable star. He feels, like Robert Browning, ‘A man’s reach must exceed his grasp or what’s a heaven for?’ Powerful Choleric is always aiming, reaching, succeeding. While Popular Sanguine is talking and Perfect Melancholy is thinking, Powerful Choleric is achieving. He is the easiest temperament to understand and get along with, as long as you live by his golden rule: ‘Do it my way NOW!
“Powerful Cholerics are similar to Popular Sanguines in that they are both outgoing and optimistic. Powerful Choleric can communicate openly with people, and he knows everything will turn out all right-as long as he’s in charge. He gets more done than other temperaments, and he lets you know clearly where he stands. Because Powerful Choleric is goal oriented and has innate leadership qualities, he usually rises to the top in whatever career he chooses. The majority of our political leaders are primarily Powerful Choleric.
“Powerful Cholerics not only like to achieve goals, but they thrive on opposition. If Popular Sanguines set out to accomplish a task, and someone says it can’t be done, they thank the person profusely- and quit. Perfect Melancholies regret the time they’ve spent in planning and analyzing. But tell Powerful Cholerics it’s impossible, and it just whets their appetite”
The weaknesses of the Powerful Choleric are painfully obvious; they’re bossy, have little need for friends, are compulsive workers, look down on everyone as ‘idiots’, and are always right. They feel guilty if they relax, and must realize they’re heart attack candidates if they don’t take a break. They like to argue and cause trouble, they tend to manipulate people, they don’t see any weaknesses in themselves, and don’t know how to apologize well. In his mind, saying ‘I’m sorry’ is a sign of weakness, when it’s actually a sign of humility when you apologize sincerely.
And last, but not least, the Peaceful Phlegmatic.
“Peaceful Phlegmatic is the easiest of all temperaments to get along with. From the beginning, little Peaceful Phlegmatic babies are blessings to their parents. they will be delightful to have around; they will be happy wherever they’re placed, and they will tolerate a flexible schedule. They like friends, but are happy to be alone. Nothing seems to bother them, and they love to watch people pass by…
“Peaceful Phlegmatic is the closest there is to being an balanced person: one who does not function in the extremes or exceses of life, but walks solidly down the middle road, avoiding conflict and decision on either side. The Peaceful Phlegmatic person does not offend, does not call attention to himself, and quietly does what is expected of him without looking for credit. While Powerful Choleric is the ‘born leader’, Peaceful Phlegmatic is the ‘learned leader’ and with proper motivation can rise to the top because of his outstanding ability to get along with everyone. While Powerful Choleric wants to run everything, Peaceful Phlegmatic tends to hold back until asked and is never pushy…Peaceful Phlegmatic never wants to cause trouble and will quietly accept the status quo rather than ask for a change.
“One of the most admirable traits of Peaceful Phlegmatic is his ability to stay calm in the eye of a storm. Where Popular Sanguine screams, Powerfu Choleric lashes out, and Perfect Melancholy sinks down, Peaceful Phlegmatic rides cool. He backs up and waits a minute, and then moves quietely in the right direction. Emotion doesn’t overwhelm him; anger doesn’t enter his heart. ‘It’s just not worth getting upset over’ he muses. ”
Because Peaceful Phlegmatic’s strenghts are low-key, it’s weaknesses are also low key. The Peaceful Phlegmatic’s greatest strength is his lack of obvious weaknesses. But they do have weaknesses; they’re not easily excited, they resist change, they seem lazy and procrastinate, they have a quiet will of iron, and are indecisive.
This is of course a poor representation of what you can learn when you read the book, so again, I heartily recommend you buy a copy and read it. It’s a tool that teaches you how to better understand people by understanding yourself.
Here’s a link for an free online Personality Plus Test: http://lynn_meade.tripod.com/id139.htm
Now, do NOT take these concepts and use them as an excuse to get away with anything you want. “Oh I’m a Choleric. It’s who I am to blah blah blah. It’s acceptable to do that, so you shouldn’t criticize me.” Or “I’m a Phlegmatic. It’s my nature to not be motivated. So don’t expect anything other than my nature.” NOOOOO!! When you do that, you’re missing the point!! The point of the book is to teach you how to better relate to people and shows you the weaknesses YOU struggle with. Once you know your weaknesses, you have a responsibility to correct them. This is encompassed in “working out your salvation in fear and trembling”. You’ll never be able to overcome your weaknesses on your own, which is why we must rely on God to perfect us in His timing.
Also do NOT let this knowledge give you the big head. A friend of mine’s mother is the one who originally introduced me to these concepts, and I’ve noticed that in her particularly, she uses this knowledge to psycho-analyze everyone. It’s like when she figures out that you’re a so and so, she can predict every decision you make and knows why you do everything you do. I don’t think that’s fair. Nobody is going to act EXACTLY the way it’s spelled out in Personality Plus. We are all different and unique, and a book cannot tell you who you are. Only God can do that. Now, she might not be meaning to do that at all, in which case I apologize, but that’s the way I feel about psycho-analyzing people. 😉
Anyway, I hope this was somehow enlightening to either your weaknesses or of strenghts of people around you. 🙂
Ttfn.
Turn to me and be gracious to me….
… for I am lonely and afflicted. (Psalm 25:16)
Lately, that’s how I’ve been feeling.
Today was pretty hard on that account. At 9 I had a geometry class I’ve been dreading since last Friday. (But God was good; the thing I’ve been dreading got pushed to Friday) Then for the rest of the day, I had to babysit my cousin’s baby daughter. (Her name’s Liliana Marie. Isn’t that a prettiest name?) It was a very humbling experience; newborns are a lot more work than I thought.
When my cousin(the baby’s dad) got home, it was really sweet to watch them together. My cousin Nick has been having a lot of struggles lately, this baby in fact was the result of a mistake he shouldn’t have made. I’m NOT saying that the baby is a mistake, but if he had kept to the plans God had for him, his life would be a lot easier.
Anyway… you can tell when you watch him how much he loves her. He would do anything for her, and she’s only 3 months old. He’s technically a single parent at the moment, so his whole world revolves around taking care of her while simultaneously trying to find a job. He probably changed more diapers while at my house than my dad ever changed in his entire life. My dad’s a big wimp when it comes to things like that.
While I was watching them, I of course kept thinking about my dad and all of the things that have happened lately. At one point, Nick muted the TV so we could hear a lullaby he had composed for her. The love that shined in his eyes as he rocked her to sleep almost brought me to tears. It was a very beautiful scene to watch.
Lately, since my dad’s been working so much, I’ve had to pick up the slack on a lot of things. Things like cooking and cleaning and laundry, all of which I’m not so much a fan of. Domestically inclined, I am not. (Although laundry is tolerable…. 😉 ) So tonight my dad gets up, and my mom is doing something else for him, so he asks me to serve him some dinner. I try not to complain and do what he says. I give him the food, then I commented on how he hadn’t really seen Lily yet today. I didn’t mean the comment to sound pushy or demanding. I actually meant to tease, but since my dad can’t read between the lines, he took it as nagging.
A look of sheer exhaustion and misery crosses his face. He looks at me and says “I’m operating on 4 and a 1/2 hour’s sleep. What more do you want from me?!”
This is coming from my dad, who’s the eternal optimist of the world!! He’s one of the most patient, level headed, positive people I know! He’s only raised his voice at me maybe twice in my life, and I’ve only seen him cry once. He looked like he was about to cry tonight.
So of course me, being me, I’m apologizing all over myself to make him feel better. I’ve been struggling with my dad’s work hours for a couple months because of how little sleep he gets. It’s starting to interfere with his life. He’s forgetting things more often than usual, and his face looks more drawn than it used to. I don’t get to see him much anymore because whenever he’s at home, he’s sleeping. Now whenever we spend time together, we’re watching a movie, because that’s all he has time for. But that just makes the movies more special to me, so I guess I don’t mind as much in that regard.
Of course, 5 minutes later, my dad’s back to his happy cheerful self, although it continues to bother me for awhile. Watching Nick and Lily today and remembering all of the things I felt when I watched them, then thinking about the situation my dad is in now was overwhelming.
I really miss my dad. A lot. Just thinking about it is bringing a lump to my throat. I’m a total daddy’s girl (who isn’t?) so his missing presence has been bothering me a lot lately. But I won’t complain, since God has him working these hours for a reason.
So lately I’ve been feeling…. lonely. And tired. Very tired.
Since I’m an only child, I learned how to deal with loneliness at a very young age. Fortunately, God gifted me with a tolerant, optimistic, extroverted personality, so I’ve been able to handle it pretty well. Just throw headphones in my ears, and I forget that fact that I’m alone. But it’s those nights when Dad’s at work, and Mom’s on the computer playing her online games that I feel the most lonely. Mom pretty much forgets that I’m there, and I’m not going to bug her about it because I want her to have that time to talk to her friends and do something she enjoys. So I’m trying not to complain. But still…. I feel lonely.
Tonight was also a good testament to how tired I’ve been lately. I was making myself a bowl of cereal. Or rather, I was trying to make myself a bowl of cereal. First I went to the cabinet were the glasses are and tried to find a bowl, even though there in the opposite cabinet on the other side of the kitchen. Then I try to look for the cereal in the fridge. After I pour the cereal, I try to put it BACK in the fridge, even though it goes in the pantry in the other room. After that, I had to concentrate really hard to make sure I could find the stupid milk.
I’m even having trouble typing a coherant sentence!! I apologize now if this post turns out to be gibberish. 😦
However, I will confess, the reason I’m tired is mostly my fault. I’m the one who’s choosing not to get enough sleep. Because of my crazy sleeping habits, my brain has been programmed not to wind down until after midnight. (That’s why my posts are usually late at night. 😉 ) Like tonight. If I get to sleep within the next 20 minutes, I’ll be lucky to get 6 or 7 hours sleep. That might sound like a lot, but for me, it’s not nearly enough. I’m not at my best unless I have at least 10 hours.
Because I had to babysit all day, I didn’t have time to do my Biology homework, so here I am, working on questions about the circulatory system at 11 at night. So not only am I physically and emotionally tired, I’m also mentally tired. Learning about how exactly the heart works can be very exhausting. If you’re me, that is…. 😉
With that said, I think I’ll sign off now. 🙂 Sigh.
Live long and prosper.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28
The best question is one that makes you think…
Got this today in an email and thought I would share. 🙂
Why, Why, Why?
Why do we press harder on a remote control when we know the batteries are almost dead?
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Why do banks charge a fee on ‘insufficient funds’ when they already know there is not enough money?
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Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars; but have to check when you say the paint is still wet?
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Why doesn’t Tarzan have a beard?
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Why does Superman stop bullets with his chest, but ducks when you throw a revolver at him?
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Why do Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
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Whose idea was it to put an ‘S’ in the word ‘lisp’?
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If people evolved from apes,
why are there still apes?
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Why is it that no matter what color bubble bath you use the bubbles are always white?
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Is there ever a day that mattresses
are not on sale?
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Why do people constantly return to the refrigerator with hopes that something new to eat will have materialized?
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Why do people keep running over a string a dozen times with their vacuum cleaner, then reach down, pick it up, examine it, then put it down to give the vacuum one more chance?
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Why is it that no plastic bag will open from the end on your first try?
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How do those dead bugs get into those enclosed light fixtures?
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When we are in the supermarket and someone rams our ankle with a shopping cart then apologizes for doing so, why do we say, ‘It’s all right?’ Well, it isn’t all right, so why don’t we say, ‘That really hurt, why don’t you watch where you’re going?’
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Why is it that whenever you attempt to catch something that’s falling off the table you always manage to knock something else over?
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In winter why do we try to keep the house as warm as it was in summer, when we complained about the heat?
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How come you never hear father-in-law jokes?
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And my FAVORITE……
The statistics on sanity is that one out of every four persons is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Think of your three best friends — if they’re okay, then it’s you.
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😉
A word to the wise….
A word to the wise aint’ necessary; it’s the stupid ones that need the advice. -Bill Cosby
….. don’t expect to have a intelligent conversation with your father at 12:15 in the morning when he’s doped on Nyquil. Aint’ gonna happen.
How do I know this? Well how do you think I know it? I tried to have a intelligent conversation with my father at 12:15 in the morning while he was doped on Nyquil. (My dad’s been having major allergies).
In order to understand why I thought this was so funny, I need to let you in on a little secret: my dad can’t read between the lines if his life depended on it. His mentality is “Well they told me___. They must be telling the truth, right? They wouldn’t say one thing and mean another, right?” My mom has been telling me that he’s improved a lot since they first got married. I find that hard to believe at times.
My mother has also been telling me. “God put your dad in my life so that he can tell me how life’s supposed to be. God put me in his life so that I can tell him how it actually is.” To this day, they have yet to disappoint me on that account.
Another small piece of information you might need to know. I kinda, sorta, technically have two rooms. One room I actually sleep and live in. The other is where I have a table and a desk and a few bookshelves. That room I call the loft. I also have an extra bed in there in the event that we have company or I want to relax on the bed and read. Such an occasion has yet to arise.
However, because of my dad’s crazy work schedule, he sometimes goes to sleep up there where it’s more quiet and warmer. That’s what he did last night. So he goes up there around 9, while me and my mom do whatever it has we happened to be doing at the time. My mom was playing LOTRO and I was finishing last minute GB homework. Eventually we finish what we’re doing, and we start to get ready for bed. So I go upstairs and start to talk to my dad. The conversation went something like this:
Me: “Okay, Dad, you can go to bed downstairs now.” Dad doesn’t move. “… unless you want to stay up here.” (don’t know exactly what possessed me to say that.)
Dad: (blankets shuffle) “Umm….. well the alarm clock isn’t working right. But it is warmer up here.”
Me: (I’m half trying to be nice and half trying to be subtle about him needing to go downstairs) “Well, I can fix that for you if you want.” Note: the alarm clock is like 2 feet away from the bed, barricaded by telescope I never use. Plus the alarm clock is an hour off from the correct time because I was too lazy to fix it when the power went out a month or so ago.
Dad: “You go ahead and do that. Thanks dear.” My dad has a habit of making his requests sound more like demands, so I feel like I don’t really have a choice.
Me: “Uh… ok.” *trips over telescope and crouches in awkward position.* “What time do you want me to set it for?”
Dad: “Uh… 3:30.”
*Just about dies from shock at such a ridiculous hour. Finally fixes the alarm clock 5 minutes later*
Me: “There. It’s fixed. But since it’s over on the book shelf 2 feet away from the bed, you’ll have to get up to shut it off.”
Dad: “Uh…..”
Me: “… or I can move it over to the nightstand?”
Dad: “Ah, thanks dear. That would be great.” This again feels more like a demand than a request, so I capitulate.
*trips over telescope again. Moves a kleenex box, a lamp, and 3 books in order to make room on the nightstand*
Me: “Okay, there you go.”
Dad: silence.
This whole time I’m trying to subtly point out to him through almost killing myself setting the alarm and rearranging the nightstand that he should probably going downstairs. Throwing all subtlety to the wind, I say:
Me: “Mom’s not gonna be happy if you don’t go downstairs.”
Dad: silence.
Me: (fidgets) “You want me to go tell her?”
Dad: “That would be great. Thanks dear.”
Trying to not let out a sigh, I romp down the stairs towards my parent’s bedroom. I proceed to tell my mother the whole story, and she sighs. “You’re a good daughter. Thanks for trying.”
And thus is my father.
You might not think that’s funny, but I thought it was hilarious. Then again, at 12:15 at night, I think everything is hilarious.
My dad’s an engineer. This might also explain why I thought it was so funny. My entire life has been filled with moments like these.
Anyway, hope this made you laugh. 🙂
“An optimist will tell you the glass is half-full; the pessimist, half-empty; and the engineer will tell you the glass is twice the size it needs to be”
“Play it again, Sam….”
…. not sure how many of you know this, but “Play it again, Sam” is the #1 misquoted movie line in all of history. You don’t believe me? Then go actually watch Casablanca. 🙂
Which brings us to one of my favorite hobbies… movies!! As those of you who know me well can attest, I know a fair amount about movies. That’s because I come from a family who really likes watching movies, especially my dad. Every time I turn around, my dad will tell me “Hey, there’s a movie called ___ on Saturday. Have you seen it?”
To which I would probably reply. “I’ve seen the second half of it.” Or “I’ve seen the last 5 minutes of it.”
Seeing the second half of movies is my curse. I’ve seen the second half of so many movies it’s not even funny…. okay, maybe it is a little bit. But you won’t think it’s funny if you came in on the second half of the third Bourne. Or the second half of the third Terminator. Or the second half of The Last Brick Maker in America. Or the second half of Frailty (that movie was really strange)…. Anyway, you get my point.
Just this weekend, I saw 3 movies I haven’t seen before. So I’m constantly adding to my movie database. I’ve seen more movies than most homeschoolers my age. And I google famous actors in my spare time. Sad? Yes, but it’s worth it when I can pull some random useless movie fact off the top of my head and impress everybody with my Hollywood knowledge.
It has always been my personal philosophy that if you want someone to remember something you say, you have to make it funny. People might remember something profound, but they will more likely remember something funny. So me, being me, I thought it might be a good idea to put both together: funny movie lines. That got me thinking. How many movie lines can I come up with?
So here’s a rather small list:
In order to clarify the confusing that might ensue, I’ll point out that I listed the movie by the ACTOR’s name (not the character they played in the movie, unless otherwise listed) and the movie they were in. Sorry about 3 of the quotes farther down the list. I couldn’t figure out how to fix that highlight thing…. You’ll notice that I don’t repeat a movie or TV show. I had to come up with 40 different quotes…
“Most teenagers want a car for their 16th birthday, not a country.”Anne Hathaway, The Princess Diaries.
“Evil… does not wear… a BONNET!” Sean Hayes, Cats and Dogs.
Vega: “Do you even know how to use that thing?”
Alejandro: “Yeah. The pointy end goes into the other man.” Anthony Hopkins and Antonio Banderas. The Mask of Zorro.
Rosalie: “Is she even Italian?”
Emmett: “Her name’s Bella.” Nikki Reed and Kellan Lutz. Twilight.
“I feel like I’ve been incarcerated in a blueberry. This car makes me want to weep and then die.”Tim Curry. Psych, The American Duos, Season 2, Episode 2.
“These cans are defective!” Steve Martin. The Jerk.
“Disturbing the peace! I got thrown out of a window! What’s the charge for getting pushed out of a moving car? Jaywalking?” Eddie Murphy. Beverly Hills Cop.
“Are you telling me that the former president of Albania is in there robbing a bank?” Denzel Washington. The Inside Man.
“You take a really hot poker, stick it up your nose, scramble things about a bit, and then rip it all out from your nostrils.” Rachel Weisz. The Mummy.
“You are evil and must be destroyed.” Shirley MacLaine. Steel Magnolias.
“I’ve had a really lousy Christmas, you’ve just managed to kill my New Year’s. If you come back for Easter, you can burn down my apartment.” Sandra Bullock. While You Were Sleeping.
Vivian: “You’re late.”
Edward Lewis: “You’re stunning.”
Vivian: “You’re forgiven.” Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. Pretty Woman.
“Nosus Decipio. It’s Latin. Loosely translated it means ‘We Cheat’.” Stephen Campbell. Amazing Grace
“This baby never sleeps. It’s working for me 24 hours a day, God bless it’s little Pentium chip heart.” Stockard Channing. Must Love Dogs.
[teaching poker to young actors]
Rusty Ryan: “Barry, your turn”.
Barry Watson: “Uh… four.”
Rusty Ryan: “You don’t want four. You want to fold.
Barry Watson: “I do? Is that a good thing?” Brad Pitt and Barry Watson. Ocean’s Eleven.
Albert Mondego: “Who are you and why are you doing this?”
Luigi Vampa: “We are bad men and for the money.” Henry Cavill and JB Blanc. The Count of Monte Cristo.
“Who wants to go down the creepy tunnel inside the tomb first?” Justin Bartha. National Treasure.
“I’m in a dress, I have gel in my hair, I haven’t slept all night, I’m starved, and I’m armed. Don’t mess with me.” Sandra Bullock. Miss Congeniality.
“This is Yzma, the emperor’s advisor. Living proof that dinosaurs once roamed the earth.” David Spade. The Emperor’s New Groove.
“I shall call him Squishy and he shall be mine. He shall be my Squishy.” Ellen DeGeneres, Finding Nemo.
“I don’t think we need to pick apart the Alice-Cooper-wants-an-antique-chair theory.” Ted Levine. Monk. Mr Monk and the Garbage Strike. Season 5, Episode 2.
“You want dull? I can be dull. What a lovely shade of gray. How about some white bread with mayonnaise? Let’s watch golf on TV.” Dom Deluise. Stargate SG1. Season 3, Episode 16.
Izzy: “O’Connell, if you give me that gold stick there, you can shave my head, wax my legs, and use me for a surfboard.”
Rick: “Didn’t we do that in Tripoli?” Shaun Parkes and Brendan Fraiser. The Mummy Returns.
“Well I saw Witness too, and they don’t wear Armani shades!” Kristie Alley. Richer or Poorer.
“The FOB is MIA.” Jennifer Lopez. The Wedding Planner.
“When you’re breaking into someone’s house, it’s always better to have a white chick with you.” Omar Epps. House: MD. Pilot.
Mr. Ping: [after Po told him he had dream about noodle] “This is a sign, Po!”
Po: “Uh, a sign of what?”
Mr. Ping: “You are almost ready to be entrusted with the secret ingredient of my secret ingredient soup. And then you will fulfill your destiny and take over the restaurant just as I took it over from my father who took it over from his father who won it from a friend in a game of mahjong.” James Hong and Jack Black. Kung Fu Panda.
Elizabeth Swann: “There will come a time when you have a chance to do the right thing.”
Jack Sparrow: “I love those moments. I like to wave at them as they pass by.” Keira Knightly and Johnny Depp. The Pirates of the Carribean 2. Dead Man’s Chest
“Some of you may die, but that is a sacrifice I am willing to make.” John Lithgow. Shrek
“There’s no reason to become alarmed, and we hope you enjoy the rest of your flight. By the way, is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane?” Julie Hagerty. Airplane.
“It’s amazing the clarity that comes with psychotic jealousy.” Rupert Everett. My Best Friend’s Wedding.
“The time traveling is just too dangerous. Better I devote myself to study the other great mystery of the universe – women!” Christopher Lloyd. Back to the Future II.
Dirk Pitt: “I’m sorry, I don’t speak English”.
Gunboat Officer: “You are speaking English right now.”
Dirk Pitt: “No, I only know how to say, “I don’t speak English” in English.” Matthew McConaughey and some extra’s name I can’t find. Sahara.
“Stop browbeating her! Can’t you see she is sexy?” Steve Martin. The Pink Panther.
“Well, you see, this is the problem with terrorists. They’re really inconsiderate when it comes to people’s schedules.” Arnold Schwarznegger. True Lies.
Robin McCall: “I think the important thing is not to make it look like we’re panicking.”
Andrew Shepherd: “See, and I think the important thing is actually not to BE panicking.” Anna Deavere Smith and Michael Douglas. The American President.
“People always live forever when there is an annuity to be paid them.” Harriet Walter. Sense and Sensibility.
“You mean you’re our real uncle? Because we’ve already got a fake uncle.” Daryl Sabara. Spy Kids.
“I’m a guy. Since when do we get anything right the first time?” Will Smith. Hitch.
…. and finally, the last one. I saved this one for last because of the *cough* colorful *cough* language *cough*. 😉 But still, it’s pretty funny. Imagine her speaking with a strong Jersey accent.
“Imagine you’re a deer. You’re prancing along, you get thirsty, you spot a little brook, you put your little deer lips down to the cool clear water… BAM! A f***in bullet rips off part of your head! Your brains are laying on the ground in little bloody pieces! Now I ask ya. Would you give a shit what kind of pants the son of a bitch who shot you was wearin?” Marisa Tomei. My Cousin Vinny.
And there you have it: a glimpse into my movie database. Just fyi, I’ve seen every movie on this list. 🙂 Let me know if you can think of any more. 🙂
To read or not to read…..
No book that will not improve by repeated readings deserves to be read at all. –Thomas Carlyle
So I was relaxing in my room, avoiding biology homework, (We’re working on Punnett squares. Ick) when I noticed a copy of the Five Languages of Apology on my dresser. I bought it when I was at the Writer for the Soul conference in Colorado Springs. I’ve already read the Five Love Languages along with countless other similar self-help books, and it just kind of hit me.
I read a lot more than I think I do.
That’s a good thing, I suppose, since I want to be a writer. The #1 tip professional writers will give to aspiring writers like me is to read, read, read! I was watching Jeopardy once and the winner told Alex that she had read at least 751 books since the early 1970’s. I heard that and I though “Only 751? That’s not much.”
Ha.
All last year I had kept a list of all the books I had read. That included books I had never read before and had actually finished before December 31. Me, being me, I of course was reading book #40 at 11:30 the night before my self imposed deadline.
You can always tell a lot about a person by the books on their shelf. (You can also tell a lot about a woman by what she has in her purse, if she even has one, that is. I don’t have one. Purses are way too girly…. But I digress.) So if you want to get a better look into the complex infrastructure known as the Aspiring Author’s Mind, here’s a list of things on my bookshelf. Or rather, a list of the piles of books stacked up on my dresser next to the recliner chair I rarely sit in.
*(The aforementioned)Five Languages of Apology- Gary Chapman and Jennifer Thomas.
*The Five Love Languages- Gary Chapman.
*Personality Plus- Florence Littauer.
*Captivating – John and Stasi Eldredge. (Absolutely AMAZING!! It definitely changed my thinking)
*Wild at Heart- John Eldredge. (Just as amazing as the other one, even if I don’t relate to it as well. Look ’em up if you don’t understand what I mean. 😉 )
Lies Young Women Believe- Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Dannah Gresh.
The Art of Fiction- John Gardener.
The Scene Book- Sandra Scofield.
Getting into Character- Brandilyn Collins. (I actually got to meet this woman in real life. She’s really cool.)
Fiction Demystified- Thomas B. Sawyer. (Have you guess yet what genre I want to write?)
*The Great Divorce- C.S Lewis.
*23 Minutes in Hell- Bill Wiese. (This book is really cool.)
*90 Minutes in Heaven- Don Piper.
(Pretty large stack, huh?)
….. and Fiction!!
*Lord Foulgrin’s Letters- Randy Alcorn. (A contemporary version of the Screwtape Letters.)
*The Ishbane Conspiracy- also Randy Alcorn. ( If you are the age of 28 or younger, you MUST read this book!!)
The Lightening Thief- Rick Riordan.
Like Dandelion Dust- Karen Kingsbury. ( I got to meet this woman in real life too. She autographed my copy) 🙂
*The Screwtape Letters- C.S Lewis.
Unpretty- Sharon Carter Rogers.
Any book with a * next to it, I heartily recommend you read!! They’re totally worth it and will change your life, (or at least your current thinking).
…. so yeah. I read a lot. When I get bored, I’m sure I post and explain what the 5 love languages are along with the 5 languages of apology. I’ll also post about Personality Plus and the concepts Florences Littauer demonstrated. I love books like that because I like to understand why people think and act a certain way and why I think and act a certain way. But again, I digress.
Ttfn. 🙂
A book worth reading at all is worth reading more than once. —William Gerhardie
What have I gotten myself into….?
Maintaining a blog is a lot harder than I thought it’d be.
You think it would be simple: set up the account, change the settings so that it doesn’t look so white and boring, and post something. I did the setting-up-the-account part. The settings part might be a bit more complicated than I thought, but I know I’ll get it eventually. I will not tolerate white and boring.
As for the posting something part… that might be more of a challenge. *frantically bashes head against desk in an effort to think of something*
Well I guess I’ll start with the name. As you can see, this is bestseller2b’s blog. That’s because I plan on being a bestselling author whether anyone likes it or not. I’m usually not a goal-oriented person, but this is a goal I wholeheartedly embrace and will not back down from. Failure is not an option. I’m meant to be a writer. I know that’s what God wants me to do.I might not be a good writer now but I will be eventually, so look out world, here I come. 🙂
Okay… *continues to bash head against desk*
I guess the next thing to point out is the purpose of this blog. I don’t quite know what that is yet, but I think it might have to do with writing down topics close to my heart.
However I’m sure most of this blog’s posts will come into existence because I’m trying to avoid homework and the millions of other things I’m supposed to do but really don’t want to. I pray I’ll affect lives (or at least give someone food for thought) while I’m not doing what I should be doing.
Like right now. I should be doing geometry. A fan of sines and cosines, I am not. Or I could be doing Great Books homework. A fan of intensive mind boggling reading I’m not so much of either…
What am I a fan of? Well…. I like movies. Does that count? I know more about movies and actors than most homeschoolers my age. I’ve even met Jim Caviezel in real life. (If you don’t know who Jim Caviezel is, then why the heck are you reading this blog?)
I like reading. Mostly fiction that doesn’t contain big words and demands I keep a dictionary close by. That pretty much disqualifies everything in my GB class. *Sigh*
I like playing piano. A lot. Piano practice would probably be included on the list of things I need to do that I actually like doing. You can imagine that would be a very short list.
I also like listening to music. All kinds of music. I like about every type of music out there. Rock, classical, jazz, R&B, pop, country, alternative metal… Anything that sounds cool or pretty. I don’t like screamo. But screamo isn’t music, so I think I’m safe. 🙂
I like hanging out with friends and talking. (Words of Affirmation and Quality Time are my love languagues. I’ll explain what that is later). I have unlimited text on my cell, so if you ever track me down, I’ll be happy to text you. You should probably get unlimited too though. I tend to talk more than I should.
*Tenderly touches bruise on forehead*
And of course, I like writing. That’s a given, since I want to be a writer. I’m sort of, kind of, working on 3 different stories, though I’m primary focusing on one. Christian fantasy. A genre easier read than written.
And that’s pretty much all I can think of at the moment. Feel free to read, ignore, or comment on my randomness. 🙂
A place to unwind... 
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