A Treasure Hunt in Two Parts
Part One: History
I have never really been what one would call a history buff. I appreciate learning about the past as much as the next person and have been known to even get a couple of historical questions correct on Jeapordy before. But if asked right now the exact date the constitution was signed I will admit I have no idea. (But I would totally Google the answer later!) I memorized important dates in history for tests but as soon as I left the classroom, so did their calendar significance. People and places I remember better, I can recall important people from the Alamo and lots of people involved with the civil rights movement. Talent, I know.

My lack of historical brilliance always leaves me in awe of those who know all of the details. Remembering founding fathers and when presidents served in offices--that's a pretty cool talent. So I was more than intrigued when the movie National Treasure came out last fall. I just got around to seeing it a couple of days ago and it was so cool! Not only is there buried treasure but there are all of these clues hidden in the important historical landmarks in the United States. I watched it with the intensity of a Streisand movie because I couldn't wait to see how it ended and how all of the pieces fit together. I even rewound it a couple of times to see if I had missed some clues along the way. And at the end, when they finally discover the treasure, I was grinning from ear to ear.**

Part Two: The DVD
Now you might think that once the movie ended the fun would stop, but you would be wrong! Bonus features play a major part in my at-home movie watching experience. I have become spoiled by that particular part of a DVD and have, on many an occasion, scoffed out loud when reading the back of the case and realizing that good extra material is lacking. And I am not ashamed to admit that I spent no less than two hours, including internet secret searching time, trying to find all of the hidden treasures on this DVD. You think the regular extras are all you are going to get, but then these secrets clues pop up at the end of each feature and lead you to more clues. And because I don't have my personal Ghostwriter around to help me decipher clues, I had to use my good friend the internet because I was having a little bit of trouble. But it was all so much fun. I learned about secret codes throughout history and about real life treasure hunters and all kinds of other cool stuff.

I am telling you know, if this master's degree thing proves to be a waste of my life's fortune, I'm becoming a treasure hunter. Or, at the very least, Nicolas Cage's side-kick in the sequal.

**Oh relax, I didn't ruin the ending. We all know that if Nicolas Cage is going on a treasure hunt, he's coming out of it with some gold in his pocket or else the movie ain't worth watching. Besides, how he gets there is the best part anyway.