Last night Cookie and I went to the Build-a-Bear Workshop in the Avenues Mall. I have to admit, although I have made fun of the place in the past, it was a fun time! It sounds kind of hokey at first, but it really is neat to build your own bear.

First you pick out which bear you want to make (although they do have animals other than bears). I picked a white bear with a pink nose and pink belly-button. When you start out, your bear is flat, and you have to go to the Stuffing Station to fluff him up. Before they sew the bear up, you pick out a heart to put inside. I had to kiss the heart to make it come to life, rub my forehead to make it smart, and rub my funny bone to make sure it has a good sense of humor. Hehe.

When you are done with the stuffing, you pick out what clothes you want to put on your bear. I just put angel wings on mine. They look really good on the white bear. The next step is making your bear's birth certificate. It's all very cute, and quite enjoyable. Build-a-Bear is highly recommended by yours truly.

I watched The Fellowhsip of the Ring last night, and again this morning. I also watched a good deal of the special features. It's so interesting to me how they made these movies. I am blown away every time by the scenery. I wish I could live in a place like Rivendell... I think they should make a resort that is an exact replica of it. I'd definitely go.

There are a few short featurettes, each about five minutes long. One was behind the scenes at the sword fighting lessons for the crew. I would love to learn to do that! It would be so bad ass to have a sword like one in the movie and know how to use it! There was another featurette on the dialect in the movies. A few cast members were talking about having to learn their lines in Elvish, and how they had to be coached on how to say the words properly. I wish I could speak Elvish. Even though it was made up by Tolkien, I must say it is the most beautiful language I've ever heard! I've found a few sites that claim to teach it... we'll see...

I can't get over the costumes, especially Arwen's. They are exquisite, and so is Liv Tyler. I know a lot of people don't like her, and don't think that she is attractive at all, but I think she is gorgeous. My favorite part of FOTR has got to be, "If you want him, come and claim him!" I love it. I watched that part more than once this morning. I wish I could be an Elven princess like Arwen, or at least play one in a movie someday (I know, it's a long shot). Just getting to say a line like that would make my day, not to mention the lovely costumes, cool name, and immortality.

I have yet to read The Return of the King. The release of TTT is making me want to. I'd also like to read some of Tolkien's other books, such as The Silmarillion. I'm not quite sure what it is about, and this is the best description I came across: "The Silmarillion tells of the rebellion of F�anor and his kindred against the gods, and of the war, hopeless despite great heroism, against the great Enemy. This is the ancient history of Middle-earth, the foundations of the world and its peoples before the great events recorded in The Lord of the Rings." So I guess it is something of a prequal to LOTR.

I went to the mall early this morning to get one last gift for Cookie. I'd tell you what I got him, except I'm afraid he might read this before tomorrow, and that would spoil the surprise. So I will wait until then to tell what I got for him, and for everyone else.

When I was at the mall, I stopped by the Disney Store. I've been going in there a lot lately, and I've come to the conclusion that I want to get a job there. I can't right now because I'm in the work program and I'm not allowed to leave Target (we have to keep the same job all year). Not that I want to leave Target. I just want to get another part-time job, and I think it would be a blast to work at Disney. Hopefully they will be hiring over the summer...

Today was the first day in months that I stayed in my PJ's all day (well, with the exception of going to the mall this morning, but that was only for an hour, and I changed back right when I got home). It was great. I helped my mom bake a cake and some "seven layer" cookies (ask me for the recipe if you want it... they are soooo good!), then we watched FOTR as well as The Count of Monte Cristo (oh, the costumes in that movie!). I also wrapped a few presents. I had a relaxing, yet productive, day.