- Playing in the snow
- NBC's Thursday night lineup: My Name is Earl, The Office, Scrubs, 30 Rock
- Tabooisms - remembering old ones or creating new ones during a game of Taboo
- Jon Stewart's Bush impersonation, specifically the chuckle
- Brandon's giggle. Very few of you know him, but he has this loud, high pitched and unique giggle for a laugh.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Friday Five: Laughter
In the spirit of expanding my blog to subjects outside of media, these are five things that always make me laugh.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Oscar Shockers
The Oscar nominations were announced today, and there were some shockers! By now you've guessed that I love movies, so I'm going to comment on the main categories.
1. Best Picture: “Babel,” “The Departed,” “Letters From Iwo Jima,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” “The Queen.”
SHOCKER: Omission of Dreamgirls. I haven't gotten around the seeing this, but if you read Rachel's blog, she loved Dreamgirls. She's into movies and the Oscars as much as me. Dreamgirls was "the movie to beat" before it was even released, and that probably contributed to it's "downfall." Many of the critics raved about it, but there was a lot of negative written about it, mainly that it's all show and no heart, hallow beneath all the beauty. Haven't seen it myself.
2. Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, “Blood Diamond”; Ryan Gosling, “Half Nelson”; Peter O’Toole, “Venus”; Will Smith, “The Pursuit of Happyness”; Forest Whitaker, “The Last King of Scotland.” Whitaker has been winning everything.
SHOCKER. None. This field shaped up as expected. No one knew if Leo would get nominated for Diamond or the Departed. He was great in the Departed, and I guess better in Diamond. I am so excited Ryan Gosling was nominated! He received critical acclaim before, but this is his first nomination. He was great in Half Nelson. Most of you know him from The Notebook.
3. Actress: Penelope Cruz, “Volver”; Judi Dench, “Notes on a Scandal”; Helen Mirren, “The Queen”; Meryl Streep, “The Devil Wears Prada”; Kate Winslet, “Little Children.”
SHOCKER. None. This field has been locked for a while. Helen Mirren has been winning everything in sight, and it will be a HUGE upset if she loses.
4. Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin, “Little Miss Sunshine”; Jackie Earle Haley, “Little Children”; Djimon Hounsou, “Blood Diamond”; Eddie Murphy, “Dreamgirls”; Mark Wahlberg, “The Departed.”
SHOCKER. Where's Jack Nicholson? Mark Wahlberg stole every scene he was in in the Departed, but everyone expected Jack to get a nom. A lot of critics thought he went over the top as the movie progressed, and I agree with them, but he's still Jack.
5. Supporting Actress: Adriana Barraza, “Babel”; Cate Blanchett, “Notes on a Scandal”; Abigail Breslin, “Little Miss Sunshine”; Jennifer Hudson, “Dreamgirls”; Rinko Kikuchi, “Babel.”
SHOCKER. None. Glad Abigail was nominated. She was the heart of LMS. This is Jennifer Hudson's to lose.
6. Directing: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, “Babel”; Martin Scorsese, “The Departed”; Clint Eastwood,H “Letters From Iwo Jima”; Stephen Frears, “The Queen”; Paul Greengrass, “United 93.”
SHOCKER. Paul Greengrass! United 93 has been showing up on all the critics lists, and won many awards from critic groups, but hasn't received any award love. I did not want to watch this movie, but I did and it was good, although chilling and difficult to watch. The decision to make it like a documentary using mostly unknown actors and some of the real people involved was the right choice. Paul directed Bloody Sunday and the Bourne Supremacy.
7. Foreign Language Film: “After the Wedding,” Denmark; “Days of Glory (Indigenes),” Algeria; “The Lives of Others,” Germany; “Pan’s Labyrinth,” Mexico; “Water,” Canada.
SHOCKER. Volver by Pedro didn't make the cut! He has won this category before and has won Best Original Screenplay as well, and Penelope Cruz was a best actress nom for his movie, so this is a surprise. Pan's Labrynth is one of the best reviewed films of the year, so go see it.
10. Animated Feature Film: “Cars,” “Happy Feet,” “Monster House.”
SHOCKER. I guess you could include Monster House as the surprise nom, but it's the only one I've seen and I liked it. Cars or Happy Feet are going to win anyway. Monster House had an interesting backstory (something about Spielberg giving a nobody director right out of college the job or something like that) and Maggie Gyllenhaal voiced a character, so it was a no-brainer for me.
So that is what I think about the big Oscar categories. The Dreamgirs omission is still shocking. It was a victim of it's own hype. And Letters from Iwo Jima got a lot of love, pitting Scorsese against Eastwood, again. Everyone thought this would be Scorsese's year. Leading up to the nominations, Eastwood hasn't won or been nominated for much. But the Academy loves him. I would like to see Iwo Jima because I found fault with the Departed, even though I liked it very much. I need to see that and the Queen to see all five Best Picture nominees. Right now the Queen isn't playing here but should get a wider release.
One of these days I'll write a more personal post, you know, with information about my life.
1. Best Picture: “Babel,” “The Departed,” “Letters From Iwo Jima,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” “The Queen.”
SHOCKER: Omission of Dreamgirls. I haven't gotten around the seeing this, but if you read Rachel's blog, she loved Dreamgirls. She's into movies and the Oscars as much as me. Dreamgirls was "the movie to beat" before it was even released, and that probably contributed to it's "downfall." Many of the critics raved about it, but there was a lot of negative written about it, mainly that it's all show and no heart, hallow beneath all the beauty. Haven't seen it myself.
2. Actor: Leonardo DiCaprio, “Blood Diamond”; Ryan Gosling, “Half Nelson”; Peter O’Toole, “Venus”; Will Smith, “The Pursuit of Happyness”; Forest Whitaker, “The Last King of Scotland.” Whitaker has been winning everything.
SHOCKER. None. This field shaped up as expected. No one knew if Leo would get nominated for Diamond or the Departed. He was great in the Departed, and I guess better in Diamond. I am so excited Ryan Gosling was nominated! He received critical acclaim before, but this is his first nomination. He was great in Half Nelson. Most of you know him from The Notebook.
3. Actress: Penelope Cruz, “Volver”; Judi Dench, “Notes on a Scandal”; Helen Mirren, “The Queen”; Meryl Streep, “The Devil Wears Prada”; Kate Winslet, “Little Children.”
SHOCKER. None. This field has been locked for a while. Helen Mirren has been winning everything in sight, and it will be a HUGE upset if she loses.
4. Supporting Actor: Alan Arkin, “Little Miss Sunshine”; Jackie Earle Haley, “Little Children”; Djimon Hounsou, “Blood Diamond”; Eddie Murphy, “Dreamgirls”; Mark Wahlberg, “The Departed.”
SHOCKER. Where's Jack Nicholson? Mark Wahlberg stole every scene he was in in the Departed, but everyone expected Jack to get a nom. A lot of critics thought he went over the top as the movie progressed, and I agree with them, but he's still Jack.
5. Supporting Actress: Adriana Barraza, “Babel”; Cate Blanchett, “Notes on a Scandal”; Abigail Breslin, “Little Miss Sunshine”; Jennifer Hudson, “Dreamgirls”; Rinko Kikuchi, “Babel.”
SHOCKER. None. Glad Abigail was nominated. She was the heart of LMS. This is Jennifer Hudson's to lose.
6. Directing: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, “Babel”; Martin Scorsese, “The Departed”; Clint Eastwood,H “Letters From Iwo Jima”; Stephen Frears, “The Queen”; Paul Greengrass, “United 93.”
SHOCKER. Paul Greengrass! United 93 has been showing up on all the critics lists, and won many awards from critic groups, but hasn't received any award love. I did not want to watch this movie, but I did and it was good, although chilling and difficult to watch. The decision to make it like a documentary using mostly unknown actors and some of the real people involved was the right choice. Paul directed Bloody Sunday and the Bourne Supremacy.
7. Foreign Language Film: “After the Wedding,” Denmark; “Days of Glory (Indigenes),” Algeria; “The Lives of Others,” Germany; “Pan’s Labyrinth,” Mexico; “Water,” Canada.
SHOCKER. Volver by Pedro didn't make the cut! He has won this category before and has won Best Original Screenplay as well, and Penelope Cruz was a best actress nom for his movie, so this is a surprise. Pan's Labrynth is one of the best reviewed films of the year, so go see it.
10. Animated Feature Film: “Cars,” “Happy Feet,” “Monster House.”
SHOCKER. I guess you could include Monster House as the surprise nom, but it's the only one I've seen and I liked it. Cars or Happy Feet are going to win anyway. Monster House had an interesting backstory (something about Spielberg giving a nobody director right out of college the job or something like that) and Maggie Gyllenhaal voiced a character, so it was a no-brainer for me.
So that is what I think about the big Oscar categories. The Dreamgirs omission is still shocking. It was a victim of it's own hype. And Letters from Iwo Jima got a lot of love, pitting Scorsese against Eastwood, again. Everyone thought this would be Scorsese's year. Leading up to the nominations, Eastwood hasn't won or been nominated for much. But the Academy loves him. I would like to see Iwo Jima because I found fault with the Departed, even though I liked it very much. I need to see that and the Queen to see all five Best Picture nominees. Right now the Queen isn't playing here but should get a wider release.
One of these days I'll write a more personal post, you know, with information about my life.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
Friday Five
My goal is to post a Friday Five list every week. Today I'm starting with the five best documentaries I saw in 2006. If you don't watch documentaries, you are missing some of the best movies every year. I just recently started watching documentaries on a regular basis, and I wish I had started sooner. It was hard to trim my list to just five, but here goes.
- Grizzly Man. Fascinating is the best word to describe this movie. It's about a man that devoted his life to studying bears, believing that they are misunderstood by the human world. He lives with the bears every summer and this movie uses his own footage to chronicle his life until he is mauled to death. Fascinating.
- Devil's Playground. I wrote a whole post about this movie and how it examines the period in the lives of Amish teenagers when they leave Amish customs behind and behave like normal teenagers.
- Murder on a Sunday Morning. This doc won the 2001 Oscar for it's portrayal of a murder case involving racial profiling and ridiculous police brutality and corruption.
- Murderball. Rugby-playing quadriplegics compete for Gold in the Paralympic Games in Athens. Really, that should be enough. Add double crossing coaches and other conflict, and you've got yourself an interesting movie.
- Mad Hot Ballroom. Competitive ballroom dancing in the New York public schools. Awesome! Watching these kids dance the rumba, tango, foxtrot, etc. is super entertaining. And pretty darn impressive.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
2006: Books in Review
These are the best books I read last year, in no particular order. As many of you know, I don't remember many details about the books I read, but I'll try to give a brief description of the book and why I liked it.
- Kite Runner by Khaled Hossein - Set in Afghanistan after Taliban rule, this book tells the story of the friendship between two boys. Simple description that doesn't do the book justice. I hear it's being made into a movie directed by Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Stranger than Fiction). This was the first book I read in 2006, and though I don't remember much about it, I really liked it.
- Girl Meets God by Lauren Winner - I kept hearing all these references to Lauren Winner in Christian circles, so when I traveled to Denver for work via car, I took this book along. It's a memoir about the spiritual journey of a girl that became an Orthodox Jew, but was drawn to Christianity and eventually converted. I remember reading this book and thinking how nice it was to read something by someone who talks like me or whose language I can relate to.
- The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova - This is a story about Dracula that weaves together three different story lines. It was suspenseful and interesting and built up to the discovery of Dracula, which was kind of anti climatic. I still loved the book.
- Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller - I can't believe I'd never read this book. Another spiritual journey story. I remember talking to a student from Tech that was a Leadership Camps counselor about her experience as a Christian on a state campus. Her experiences were completely different than mine, where faith and spirituality were all around. Miller's college experience was similar to hers, but more extreme.
- Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosse - I wrote a whole post about this book, so I won't say much else. But any book that makes you want to change your behavior, even if it doesn't happen easily, is a good book.
Friday, December 22, 2006
2006: Year in Review
Like all the newspapers, magazines, etc, I am going to write a series of posts with my Bests Lists. I am going to start with the Six Best TV Moments. For those of you that may not know, I have a horrible memory. These moments came to me without research or the use of memory devices. When I get to listing movies, books, song/albums, etc, I will be using my Netflix Rental History, Date Added on iTunes and the list I keep of Books Read. Why six instead of five? I refuse to feel constrained by numbers.
SPOILER ALERT. If you aren't up-to-date on LOST, 24 or The Office, don't read my list.
6. NBC Thursdays: This isn't a moment, but the first Thursday that NBC aired My Name is Early, The Office, Scrubs and 30 Rock was genius. I love that all of these shows are non-traditional, no-laugh track, high-quality comedies. I didn't watch 30 Rock until it moved to Thursdays, but it has moments of brilliance. And yea for Scrubs returning before January!
5. Stephen Colbert's rant at the end of his Midterm Midtacular broadcast. Colbert is so funny! I thought about just putting his show in general on the list, but this rant showcases everything great about his show. Here is the text. "Tomorrow you're all going to wake up in a Brave New World, a world where the constitution gets trampled by an army of terrorist clones created in a stem cell research lab run by homosexual doctors who sterilize their instruments over burning American flags. Where Tax and Spend Democrats take all your hard-earned money and use it to buy electric cars for National Public Radio and teach evolution to illegal immigrants. Oh, and everybody's high! Whoo!"
4. The Grey's Anatomy Super Bowl episodes. Who knew this show could be suspenseful?
3. Jim tells Pam that he loves her on The Office. Everything from this point on in the episode was fantastic, and kudos to the writers, because most viewers just expected Jim to tell Pam he was taking a job in another office.
2. Michael kills Anna-Lucia and Libby on LOST! This was jaw dropping! The episode was progressing slowly, and then - BAM - everything changed in an instant.
1. They killed President Palmer on 24! The promos hyped the premier of S5 of 24 by saying, "The first 10 minutes of 24 will change everything," and it did. They killed off another main character, left one in a coma (or in critical condition) and had another one running for her life. I did not see the assassination of President Palmer coming, another jaw-dropping moment on television. Anytime I see All State commercials with Dennis Haysbert, I mourn President Palmer's death on 24.
What are your favorite moments from television? I purposefully omitted sporting events from my list. I haven't decided if I'm going to do a sports list or not. I'll be back with my Top 10 (+ or -) Combined Media List (books, TV, movies, songs/albums) when I get back to my memory devises. (I'll try to think of catchier title.)
Merry Christmas!
SPOILER ALERT. If you aren't up-to-date on LOST, 24 or The Office, don't read my list.
6. NBC Thursdays: This isn't a moment, but the first Thursday that NBC aired My Name is Early, The Office, Scrubs and 30 Rock was genius. I love that all of these shows are non-traditional, no-laugh track, high-quality comedies. I didn't watch 30 Rock until it moved to Thursdays, but it has moments of brilliance. And yea for Scrubs returning before January!
5. Stephen Colbert's rant at the end of his Midterm Midtacular broadcast. Colbert is so funny! I thought about just putting his show in general on the list, but this rant showcases everything great about his show. Here is the text. "Tomorrow you're all going to wake up in a Brave New World, a world where the constitution gets trampled by an army of terrorist clones created in a stem cell research lab run by homosexual doctors who sterilize their instruments over burning American flags. Where Tax and Spend Democrats take all your hard-earned money and use it to buy electric cars for National Public Radio and teach evolution to illegal immigrants. Oh, and everybody's high! Whoo!"
4. The Grey's Anatomy Super Bowl episodes. Who knew this show could be suspenseful?
3. Jim tells Pam that he loves her on The Office. Everything from this point on in the episode was fantastic, and kudos to the writers, because most viewers just expected Jim to tell Pam he was taking a job in another office.
2. Michael kills Anna-Lucia and Libby on LOST! This was jaw dropping! The episode was progressing slowly, and then - BAM - everything changed in an instant.
1. They killed President Palmer on 24! The promos hyped the premier of S5 of 24 by saying, "The first 10 minutes of 24 will change everything," and it did. They killed off another main character, left one in a coma (or in critical condition) and had another one running for her life. I did not see the assassination of President Palmer coming, another jaw-dropping moment on television. Anytime I see All State commercials with Dennis Haysbert, I mourn President Palmer's death on 24.
What are your favorite moments from television? I purposefully omitted sporting events from my list. I haven't decided if I'm going to do a sports list or not. I'll be back with my Top 10 (+ or -) Combined Media List (books, TV, movies, songs/albums) when I get back to my memory devises. (I'll try to think of catchier title.)
Merry Christmas!
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Paint and Snow
I've been painting my "new" bedroom every night this week. Painting red is not fun because it takes so many layers. And I can only paint one layer a day because I can only work at night. It's a slow process. (In case you didn't read Jaime's blog, we are renting a house together starting Jan. 1.) Our nice landlords let us in early to paint and move stuff in, but we don't start paying rent until Jan. 1. I lived in this house for two years when I first moved to town, so it already feels like home. I'll have the same bedroom and everything.
A cold front came in on Monday, and we got a little snow last night. I love snow, even in small quantities. I don't love ice that presents like another layer of paint on your car. Hard to even scrape off. But soon I'll have a garage and won't have to worry about that.
Tomorrow is my last day of work until Jan. 2. Working in higher education has it perks.
The radio stations started playing Christmas songs more frequently once the temperature dropped. I'll admit that I would have thought it strange to hear a Christmas song on Saturday when it was 82 degrees. Wise decision.
The Cowboys are in the playoffs and Tony Romo is in the Pro Bowl!
A cold front came in on Monday, and we got a little snow last night. I love snow, even in small quantities. I don't love ice that presents like another layer of paint on your car. Hard to even scrape off. But soon I'll have a garage and won't have to worry about that.
Tomorrow is my last day of work until Jan. 2. Working in higher education has it perks.
The radio stations started playing Christmas songs more frequently once the temperature dropped. I'll admit that I would have thought it strange to hear a Christmas song on Saturday when it was 82 degrees. Wise decision.
The Cowboys are in the playoffs and Tony Romo is in the Pro Bowl!
Friday, December 15, 2006
Search Kindly
I don't know how many of you out there are like me, but I Google everything. Is Grey's Anatomy new tonight? Google. How do I renew my driver's license online? Google. Where do I want to stay when I visit New York City. Google. And magically, Google answers.
Let me introduce you to Search Kindly. The whole point of Search Kindly is to take something that you'd be doing anyway, like surfing the Internet, and turn it into a really meaningful action. All the money generated by Search Kindly is donated to charity. For November and December, all the money they make is going to Invisible Children, an organization committed to ending the war in Northern Uganda where children are forced to fight as soldiers. For fear of being hunted by the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army), these children commute on foot every night to find safe places to sleep in their town centers.
I've started using Search Kindly for all my search needs. Google provides the search engine for Search Kindly, so it's like nothing has changed, except that with each search, I'm making a small difference. (They aren't making a lot of money, so spread the word!) You can even add Search Kindly to the search bar in Firefox and IE7 to make it your default search engine.
Give it a try!
"If you're going to search, why not Search Kindly?"
Let me introduce you to Search Kindly. The whole point of Search Kindly is to take something that you'd be doing anyway, like surfing the Internet, and turn it into a really meaningful action. All the money generated by Search Kindly is donated to charity. For November and December, all the money they make is going to Invisible Children, an organization committed to ending the war in Northern Uganda where children are forced to fight as soldiers. For fear of being hunted by the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army), these children commute on foot every night to find safe places to sleep in their town centers.
I've started using Search Kindly for all my search needs. Google provides the search engine for Search Kindly, so it's like nothing has changed, except that with each search, I'm making a small difference. (They aren't making a lot of money, so spread the word!) You can even add Search Kindly to the search bar in Firefox and IE7 to make it your default search engine.
Give it a try!
"If you're going to search, why not Search Kindly?"
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Christmas Parade
This is what I've been working on for the last week. The parade was Saturday night. On Friday, I got the converter to power the lights, and our wattage was too high. So I picked up a generator from facilities. The generator didn't have a muffler, so it was crazy loud. The students riding on the float were singers, so I knew we couldn't have a ridiculously loud generator. So on Saturday morning I rented a generator from Home Depot. Life is good. Then on Saturday night, we could not get the trailer to hitch to the truck. It took us 30 minutes! About 3/4 of the way through the parade, the rented generator ran out of gas. I kept the original, loud generator in the truck, so we switched power supplies. It was all downhill from there, until we got the float in storage and tried to unhitch the truck. The hitch would not come off the ball! We had to trick the trailer by raising the "leg" and putting a brick under it. Once we did that, we were able to raise it off the truck. Crazy! This morning I returned the generator. It's over! Until Monday, when I have to rally the troops to strike the float.My weekend has not been restful, but I'm taking it easy this afternoon and willing my Cowboys to a win an important game that probably has playoff implications this evening. If you've seen me watch a Cowboys game, you know it's not relaxing or restful.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Brrrr!
I ran this morning before work, and it was cold! I don't think my legs ever warmed up. You would think that the part of your body in motion would get warm and stop feeling numb, but it was not so. This is the first time I've run in the morning since it's been gloves-and-earmuffs cold. Now I just have to get out there again on Thursday morning knowing how cold it will be.
-------
I can burn TiVo recordings onto DVDs now! And I didn't even have to buy the special software! Awesome! And I can even edit out commercials!
-------
"I'm being very 'American Beauty' right now and taking lots of random pictures, so just ignore me." - student that walked into my office and started taking close-up shots of pictures on the wall, wreaths, etc. Must have an interesting project due in his photography class. You don't hear too many people referencing "American Beauty" these days. I need to watch that movie again.
-------
I can burn TiVo recordings onto DVDs now! And I didn't even have to buy the special software! Awesome! And I can even edit out commercials!
-------
"I'm being very 'American Beauty' right now and taking lots of random pictures, so just ignore me." - student that walked into my office and started taking close-up shots of pictures on the wall, wreaths, etc. Must have an interesting project due in his photography class. You don't hear too many people referencing "American Beauty" these days. I need to watch that movie again.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Holiday Edition
In response to Elisa's blog, here are my answers to the 2006 Holiday Edition of Getting to Know Your Friends.
1. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Yum, especially the fruit flavored ones.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Wraps, sometimes weeks before Christmas.
3. Do you hang mistletoe? No
4. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Dressing.
5. What is your favorite holiday memory as a child? I have very few childhood memories, and I can't recall any holiday memories at this time.
6. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Don't remember.
7. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We open all the gifts from our immediate family on Christmas Eve and exchange presents with my uncle's family on Christmas day.
8. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? With ornaments.
9. Snow! Love it or dread it? LOVE IT!
10. Can you ice skate? Yes, but nothing fancy.
11. Do you remember your favorite gift? What's with these questions that require a memory? I got TiVo as an early Christmas present this year, and that was pretty awesome.
12. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Chocolate Mirange Pie, Chocolate Mint Sugar Cookies
13. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Eating? I can't think of any unique traditions my family has.
14. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? I love finding the perfect gift for someone, which is always my goal, but I like receiving the perfect gift as well.
15. What is your favorite Christmas song? All I Want for Christmas is You by Vince Vance and the Valiants, O Holy Night by John Berry.
1. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? Yum, especially the fruit flavored ones.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Wraps, sometimes weeks before Christmas.
3. Do you hang mistletoe? No
4. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Dressing.
5. What is your favorite holiday memory as a child? I have very few childhood memories, and I can't recall any holiday memories at this time.
6. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Don't remember.
7. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We open all the gifts from our immediate family on Christmas Eve and exchange presents with my uncle's family on Christmas day.
8. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? With ornaments.
9. Snow! Love it or dread it? LOVE IT!
10. Can you ice skate? Yes, but nothing fancy.
11. Do you remember your favorite gift? What's with these questions that require a memory? I got TiVo as an early Christmas present this year, and that was pretty awesome.
12. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Chocolate Mirange Pie, Chocolate Mint Sugar Cookies
13. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Eating? I can't think of any unique traditions my family has.
14. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? I love finding the perfect gift for someone, which is always my goal, but I like receiving the perfect gift as well.
15. What is your favorite Christmas song? All I Want for Christmas is You by Vince Vance and the Valiants, O Holy Night by John Berry.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
SNOW!!
The weathermen were right, and we DID get snow last night! Is there anything better than getting out of bed in the morning, peaking our your window and seeing snow covering everything?
I decided to drive to walk this morning due to the howling winds I heard outside my apartment. The snow was dry and the roads were horrible (drove 10-15 mph the entire way to work), so I should have walked.
When I opened my door to leave, snow fell into my apartment. Due to the wind, my apartment building had snow peaks in front of our doors. I'll post pictures later.
I love the snow!
What is the weather like where you are?
I decided to drive to walk this morning due to the howling winds I heard outside my apartment. The snow was dry and the roads were horrible (drove 10-15 mph the entire way to work), so I should have walked.
When I opened my door to leave, snow fell into my apartment. Due to the wind, my apartment building had snow peaks in front of our doors. I'll post pictures later.
I love the snow!
What is the weather like where you are?
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Let it Snow!
We hit our high at 8 a.m. this morning, and the temperature keeps dropping. We have a 40 percent chance of snow this afternoon and could accumulate 1-3 inches. I don't know if this will actually happen, but just the possibility is exciting. I love the cold weather and I love snow! If it's a dry snow and not windy, and I like to walk to work in the snow. People think I'm crazy, but it makes me happy. With the low being in the teens tonight, I should probably turn my heater on.
I am in charge of organizing my company's float entry in our local Christmas parade. I know absolutely nothing about float building, so it should be an experience. All the major components are taken care of, but I think we have to get a generator or battery on our float to power the minimum of 1000 lights we will have. Not sure how that works. Also don't know how to outline a carriage in lights without damaging it. I guess I'll find out.
I lost half a pound over the Thanksgiving break. I only exercised twice, so I consider that pretty good. Especially since I made five pies, and there ended up only being five people at our Thanksgiving meal this year. Oops.
Saw Casino Royale and Stranger than Fiction over the Thanksgiving break. I like Daniel Craig as James Bond. I liked that most of the cheesy dialogue was mission from the movie. The action seemed more realistic. It's a prequel movie about James Bond becoming a 007, and they set up the character well. It was far too long, though. Stranger than Fiction I liked, but it's harder to describe and not as mainstream. It's like watching a book, but because the mediums are different, some of the more bookish elements didn't' quite work. It's why I think The Producers the movie didn't work. The Producers is made for the stage, and they essentially made the stage production into a movie without adapting it to fit the new medium. Stranger than Fiction works much better than the Producers though. I'm glad I saw it, but it was different.
I love the Dallas Cowboys and Tony Romo is my hero! He has energized not just the team, but the entire city of Dallas and the Cowboys faithful. I also think Romo is adorable. Here is a picture of his cute, smiling face. He's on 26 and he's the quarterback of America's Team! Crazy!
I am in charge of organizing my company's float entry in our local Christmas parade. I know absolutely nothing about float building, so it should be an experience. All the major components are taken care of, but I think we have to get a generator or battery on our float to power the minimum of 1000 lights we will have. Not sure how that works. Also don't know how to outline a carriage in lights without damaging it. I guess I'll find out.
I lost half a pound over the Thanksgiving break. I only exercised twice, so I consider that pretty good. Especially since I made five pies, and there ended up only being five people at our Thanksgiving meal this year. Oops.
Saw Casino Royale and Stranger than Fiction over the Thanksgiving break. I like Daniel Craig as James Bond. I liked that most of the cheesy dialogue was mission from the movie. The action seemed more realistic. It's a prequel movie about James Bond becoming a 007, and they set up the character well. It was far too long, though. Stranger than Fiction I liked, but it's harder to describe and not as mainstream. It's like watching a book, but because the mediums are different, some of the more bookish elements didn't' quite work. It's why I think The Producers the movie didn't work. The Producers is made for the stage, and they essentially made the stage production into a movie without adapting it to fit the new medium. Stranger than Fiction works much better than the Producers though. I'm glad I saw it, but it was different.
I love the Dallas Cowboys and Tony Romo is my hero! He has energized not just the team, but the entire city of Dallas and the Cowboys faithful. I also think Romo is adorable. Here is a picture of his cute, smiling face. He's on 26 and he's the quarterback of America's Team! Crazy!
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
How 'bout them Cowboys?!
I don't think I've been that excited about a Cowboys win since the days of Emmitt, Aikman and Irvin. As we got closer to winning, I moved closer to the TV, and I couldn't stop screaming. I was all alone in the house, jumping in circles with my hands in the air screaming. Anyone who saw me would think I was unstable. Your team beating the undefeated Colts, arguable the best team in the NFL, will make you do that. Now we just have to win again on Thanksgiving day and take that winning momentum with us to the Meadowlands and win us a spot in the playoffs!
I went to ACU's playoff game against West Texas A&M on Saturday, and we lost in overtime. We were up by 15 points with seven minutes left, so we should have won. College football games last too long; that game lasted 4.5 hours. Ridiculous!
Janie and I played tennis for an hour in this fabulously cool weather, and it was perfect. We had to drive around to three separate courts to find one with lights, but it was worth it.
I'm making a pumpkin spice cheesecake this year instead of the traditional pumpkin pie. Hope it turns out well. The second installment of the Biggest Loser Challenge started Friday, so I'll have to eat small portions and get plenty of exercise.
We have the whole week off, so I'm back in GP. I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving, wherever you are and whatever you're doing.
I went to ACU's playoff game against West Texas A&M on Saturday, and we lost in overtime. We were up by 15 points with seven minutes left, so we should have won. College football games last too long; that game lasted 4.5 hours. Ridiculous!
Janie and I played tennis for an hour in this fabulously cool weather, and it was perfect. We had to drive around to three separate courts to find one with lights, but it was worth it.
I'm making a pumpkin spice cheesecake this year instead of the traditional pumpkin pie. Hope it turns out well. The second installment of the Biggest Loser Challenge started Friday, so I'll have to eat small portions and get plenty of exercise.
We have the whole week off, so I'm back in GP. I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving, wherever you are and whatever you're doing.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Vote Emmitt Smith
Tonight is the finale of Dancing with the Stars, and the competition is fierce! Emmitt Smith, the best NFL player ever, faces off against Mario Lopez, better known to many of us as A.C. Slater.
I'm a little worried that all dancing being equal, Mario is going to pull the teenage girl vote, which almost always decides who wins these reality TV shows. I'm sorry, but the NFL's all-time leading rusher, former Dallas Cowboy and three-time SuperBowl champ CANNOT lose to a washed-up, former Saturday morning sitcom actor, even if we all loved Saved By the Bell.
Emmitt needs your vote! You don't even have to watch the show; you can vote on principle. Vote here. (Of course you can't vote until after the show tonight.) You do have to register, but it is a simple registration that doesn't even ask for your address. Each registered email address can vote up to five times. So if you have roommates or spouses, they can register and vote as well.
I'll be honest with you, I haven't been watching the show. I watched the season premier, and Emmitt looked like he was having a blast out there. I've read the same thing in commentaries on the show. But nothing beats hearing from the man himself.
"Cheryl [his 22 year-old partner that won last year] understands my strengths as a dancer, and she keeps the routines as fun and upbeat as possible. She encourages me to shimmy and shake my hips like nobody's business, but mostly I think she does that so she can get Carrie Ann to keep calling me Twinkle Toes. [how cute is that?] Cheryl has adapted each dance so that we can make it our own and give it our own flavor, which is why we have so much fun performing them. I can't help but smile through the whole routine because I really am enjoying myself. I hope the viewers are, too.
"I already have three championships from my days as a Dallas Cowboy, and on Wednesday, let's hope Cheryl and I get another. The only difference is that this championship has a trophy instead of a ring. But I've already told Cheryl that if we win it, we can get it melted down into championship rings so we can each wear them proudly, as I do the ones I've won for my Super Bowl victories."
Let's get out the vote, and help Emmitt Smith win!
Dancing with the Stars is on at 8/7 C on ABC if you actually want to watch. I TiVo three shows on Tuesdays, and there is enough overlapping that I can't TiVo this show. I think I'll only be able to watch the first hour, so hopefully Emmitt dances first.
I'm a little worried that all dancing being equal, Mario is going to pull the teenage girl vote, which almost always decides who wins these reality TV shows. I'm sorry, but the NFL's all-time leading rusher, former Dallas Cowboy and three-time SuperBowl champ CANNOT lose to a washed-up, former Saturday morning sitcom actor, even if we all loved Saved By the Bell.
Emmitt needs your vote! You don't even have to watch the show; you can vote on principle. Vote here. (Of course you can't vote until after the show tonight.) You do have to register, but it is a simple registration that doesn't even ask for your address. Each registered email address can vote up to five times. So if you have roommates or spouses, they can register and vote as well.
I'll be honest with you, I haven't been watching the show. I watched the season premier, and Emmitt looked like he was having a blast out there. I've read the same thing in commentaries on the show. But nothing beats hearing from the man himself.
"Cheryl [his 22 year-old partner that won last year] understands my strengths as a dancer, and she keeps the routines as fun and upbeat as possible. She encourages me to shimmy and shake my hips like nobody's business, but mostly I think she does that so she can get Carrie Ann to keep calling me Twinkle Toes. [how cute is that?] Cheryl has adapted each dance so that we can make it our own and give it our own flavor, which is why we have so much fun performing them. I can't help but smile through the whole routine because I really am enjoying myself. I hope the viewers are, too.
"I already have three championships from my days as a Dallas Cowboy, and on Wednesday, let's hope Cheryl and I get another. The only difference is that this championship has a trophy instead of a ring. But I've already told Cheryl that if we win it, we can get it melted down into championship rings so we can each wear them proudly, as I do the ones I've won for my Super Bowl victories."
Let's get out the vote, and help Emmitt Smith win!
Dancing with the Stars is on at 8/7 C on ABC if you actually want to watch. I TiVo three shows on Tuesdays, and there is enough overlapping that I can't TiVo this show. I think I'll only be able to watch the first hour, so hopefully Emmitt dances first.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Devil's Playground
I watched the documentary Devil's Playground yesterday. I'm sure all of you know what movie I'm talking about, but just in case you've forgotten, here is the premise. When Amish teens turns 16, they have the opportunity to be part of "english" culture: movies, cars, fashion, and lots of drinking, smoking, drugs and sex. At the end of this period, called Rumspringa, which can last any length of time, they can choose to commit to the Amish church and be baptized. Like church of Christers, the Amish don't consider you saved unless you've been baptized.
I did not know this about the Amish. Almost everyone they interviewed said that at the first party they went to at age 16, they got drunk. One of the main "characters" in the movie was an 18 year-old guy that used and dealt drugs. He knew he wanted to become Amish, but wasn't ready.
As I was watching the movie, I wondered what kind of retention rate the Amish church has now. I'm sure decades ago it was much harder to get a hold of the alcohol, cigarettes an drugs. Would the teenagers prefer that lifestyle and not want to give up their freedom or would more teenagers miss the simple life? Turns out the retention rate is 90%, the highest since the founding of the Amish church.
I also found out that the Amish church began when they split from the Christian churches in Europe because they didn't believe in baptizing infants. They thought being Amish should be a choice, thus the Rumspringa period.
They talked about being a chosen people, being the light of the world, being known by their good deeds, living a simple life to focus more attention on God's creation and each other. Those are things all Christians believe in or strive to achieve.
One of the girls that was joining the Amish regretted a lot of what she had done during Rumspringa. No one gave an opinion of whether they though Rumspringa was a good idea or not, probably because they don't question tradition. One guy did say he thinks they have this period so they can experience the outside world just enough to not be tempted later in life, and feel like they had a choice in how they lived their life. And once they are baptized into the Amish church, they are expected to adhere to all the rules, for lack of a better term. They didn't really address how many Amish stray, but it seemed like once they made the commitment, they were happy with their decision and maintained the Amish way of life.
The Amish situation is different because they are raised in isolated communities. The rest of us live in the world and are exposed to what the Amish only experience during Rumspringa all of our lives. For us it's a juggling act. Each person decides for themselves how much they can be in the world without being of the world. Do you watch R rated movies? Do you go listen to a band you like in a venue where everyone is drunk? Do you drink a glass of wine with dinner? Do you watch TV during dinner or sit around the table together with your family?
What do you think of this Rumspringa period? Do you think we would see less hypocrisy in our churches if everyone experienced the temptations of the world and then choose to give that up? Technically that's what we do, but I would guess the majority of people raised in the church didn't experience everything that was out there before they made the decision to give their life to Christ. Do you think you have to experience something to decide if it's something you want or not?
Before you think I'm having a crisis of faith, these are just the things the movie made me think about, so I thought I would put them out there for you to think about as well.
I did not know this about the Amish. Almost everyone they interviewed said that at the first party they went to at age 16, they got drunk. One of the main "characters" in the movie was an 18 year-old guy that used and dealt drugs. He knew he wanted to become Amish, but wasn't ready.
As I was watching the movie, I wondered what kind of retention rate the Amish church has now. I'm sure decades ago it was much harder to get a hold of the alcohol, cigarettes an drugs. Would the teenagers prefer that lifestyle and not want to give up their freedom or would more teenagers miss the simple life? Turns out the retention rate is 90%, the highest since the founding of the Amish church.
I also found out that the Amish church began when they split from the Christian churches in Europe because they didn't believe in baptizing infants. They thought being Amish should be a choice, thus the Rumspringa period.
They talked about being a chosen people, being the light of the world, being known by their good deeds, living a simple life to focus more attention on God's creation and each other. Those are things all Christians believe in or strive to achieve.
One of the girls that was joining the Amish regretted a lot of what she had done during Rumspringa. No one gave an opinion of whether they though Rumspringa was a good idea or not, probably because they don't question tradition. One guy did say he thinks they have this period so they can experience the outside world just enough to not be tempted later in life, and feel like they had a choice in how they lived their life. And once they are baptized into the Amish church, they are expected to adhere to all the rules, for lack of a better term. They didn't really address how many Amish stray, but it seemed like once they made the commitment, they were happy with their decision and maintained the Amish way of life.
The Amish situation is different because they are raised in isolated communities. The rest of us live in the world and are exposed to what the Amish only experience during Rumspringa all of our lives. For us it's a juggling act. Each person decides for themselves how much they can be in the world without being of the world. Do you watch R rated movies? Do you go listen to a band you like in a venue where everyone is drunk? Do you drink a glass of wine with dinner? Do you watch TV during dinner or sit around the table together with your family?
What do you think of this Rumspringa period? Do you think we would see less hypocrisy in our churches if everyone experienced the temptations of the world and then choose to give that up? Technically that's what we do, but I would guess the majority of people raised in the church didn't experience everything that was out there before they made the decision to give their life to Christ. Do you think you have to experience something to decide if it's something you want or not?
Before you think I'm having a crisis of faith, these are just the things the movie made me think about, so I thought I would put them out there for you to think about as well.
'Tis Done
I no longer have a date with the bus driver. He called to see what I was doing Monday, and I told him I couldn't go out with him because the age difference made me uncomfortable. He was nice about it. I'm glad I got it out of the way before the weekend.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Isn't it Ironic?
I was walking across campus today, and a male student I know well was sitting on a swing with a female student. As I was getting close enough to exchange pleasantries, he said, "Hey hottie. How's it going?"
In light of the information I've been sharing with you lately, I found this statement ironic.
In light of the information I've been sharing with you lately, I found this statement ironic.
Weather
I cannot believe it is 90 degrees outside in November! We are supposed to experience a cool front with a 20-25 degree drop in temperatures tomorrow. That still makes the high 65-70, which is too warm for two weeks before Thanksgiving. Crazy.
--------
Elisa commented that judging the Biggest Loser competition by weight loss only might not be fair. I agree with her. I've been running, spinning and toning. I have not lost any weight, possibly gained a half pound, but I am thinner. Probably not noticeable to many people but apparent to me. Most of it is in my upper body and torso, but today when I put on my Capri pants I haven't worn since the summer, they were noticably looser. But when I weigh Monday at the conclusion of the Biggest Loser competition, I probably won't notice a difference. It doesn't help my team out, but it's still good news.
Several people have asked to extent the Challenge another eight weeks to get us through the holidays; I think our office is going to continue participating. My spinning class will be over, but I'll just increase the frequency, intensity and distance of my runs.
---------
I was surprised that Donald Rumsfield resigned.
--------
If you missed the Daily Show/Colbert Report LIVE Midterm Midtacular, you missed one of the signature Colbert rants that makes his show worth watching. I've already rewatched it several times. Gotta love TiVo. Colbert's delivery is half the reason his show is so funny, but here is the text.
"Tomorrow you're all going to wake up in a Brave New World, a world where the constitution gets trampled by an army of terrorist clones created in a stem cell research lab run by homosexual doctors who sterilize their instruments over burning American flags. Where Tax and Spend Democrats take all your hard-earned money and use it to buy electric cars for National Public Radio and teach evolution to illegal immigrants. Oh, and everybody's higigh! Whoo!"
Stephen Colbert was my favorite correspondent on the Daily Show. One of these days I am going to get a copy of the "wrath of God" segment that made me love him. I'll settle for the Colbert Report until then.
--------
Elisa commented that judging the Biggest Loser competition by weight loss only might not be fair. I agree with her. I've been running, spinning and toning. I have not lost any weight, possibly gained a half pound, but I am thinner. Probably not noticeable to many people but apparent to me. Most of it is in my upper body and torso, but today when I put on my Capri pants I haven't worn since the summer, they were noticably looser. But when I weigh Monday at the conclusion of the Biggest Loser competition, I probably won't notice a difference. It doesn't help my team out, but it's still good news.
Several people have asked to extent the Challenge another eight weeks to get us through the holidays; I think our office is going to continue participating. My spinning class will be over, but I'll just increase the frequency, intensity and distance of my runs.
---------
I was surprised that Donald Rumsfield resigned.
--------
If you missed the Daily Show/Colbert Report LIVE Midterm Midtacular, you missed one of the signature Colbert rants that makes his show worth watching. I've already rewatched it several times. Gotta love TiVo. Colbert's delivery is half the reason his show is so funny, but here is the text.
"Tomorrow you're all going to wake up in a Brave New World, a world where the constitution gets trampled by an army of terrorist clones created in a stem cell research lab run by homosexual doctors who sterilize their instruments over burning American flags. Where Tax and Spend Democrats take all your hard-earned money and use it to buy electric cars for National Public Radio and teach evolution to illegal immigrants. Oh, and everybody's higigh! Whoo!"
Stephen Colbert was my favorite correspondent on the Daily Show. One of these days I am going to get a copy of the "wrath of God" segment that made me love him. I'll settle for the Colbert Report until then.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Cancellation
I've decided to back out of my date with the bus driver. He used to drive one of the student groups to events, but they stopped using him. The sponsor had to remind him that these were college girls, and they were uncomfortable with his flirting. A male and female student on this particular truth described him as creepy, and said that he "weirdly hit on" one of the girls.
Those of you that know about the crush I had on a student worker my first semester here probably find this ironic. But I NEVER acted on it, and always thought it was inappropriate. And I was only three years older than this guy. Bus driver is 36 and hitting on 18-22 year-olds. No. And he smokes. If I was cruel I would post a picture of him so you could see for yourself how old he looks, but I won't.
So when he calls back I am going to tell him I am uncomfortable with our age difference, and let that be the end of it.
--------
Tonight the Daily Show and the Colbert Report are broadcasting the Midterm Midtacular live from 10-11 p.m. CST on Comedy Central. Their humorous and ironic take should be entertaining. In case you've never watched either show, they do a great job of pointing out the ridiculous and hypocritical in events, circumstances and people. And they seem to excel during election cycles. Watch it and laugh!
I hope everyone voted. It's probably not too late where you live, so get out there and exercise your constitutional right to help decide which direction our country is headed!Besides, you can't complain if you don't vote.
Those of you that know about the crush I had on a student worker my first semester here probably find this ironic. But I NEVER acted on it, and always thought it was inappropriate. And I was only three years older than this guy. Bus driver is 36 and hitting on 18-22 year-olds. No. And he smokes. If I was cruel I would post a picture of him so you could see for yourself how old he looks, but I won't.
So when he calls back I am going to tell him I am uncomfortable with our age difference, and let that be the end of it.
--------
Tonight the Daily Show and the Colbert Report are broadcasting the Midterm Midtacular live from 10-11 p.m. CST on Comedy Central. Their humorous and ironic take should be entertaining. In case you've never watched either show, they do a great job of pointing out the ridiculous and hypocritical in events, circumstances and people. And they seem to excel during election cycles. Watch it and laugh!
I hope everyone voted. It's probably not too late where you live, so get out there and exercise your constitutional right to help decide which direction our country is headed!Besides, you can't complain if you don't vote.
Monday, November 06, 2006
The Bus Driver Asked Me Out (UPDATED)
I thought it was over. I went to see Billie off for her Branson trip this morning, just like I always do. The 36 year-old divorced bus driver was there. Not much interaction. He called me this morning because Billie asked him to relay a message to me. I come back from lunch and have a message from him. He wanted to talk to me about a trip on Monday. What trip? He's on Billie's last trip of the season. I check the basketball schedule, and he’s not driving the teams anywhere. I call him back, and he’s acting all awkward, and I know it’s coming. The trip is that he wants to know if I’d rather have lunch or dinner with him when he gets back. Oh yeah, that’s how he asked me out. I was kind of shocked, so my reply was, “What?” Hey, it’s better than laughing. Anyway, I tell him, “Sure” and I don’t think he was overly thrilled with my blah response, but I did not expect him to call and ask me out while he’s technically working. For everyone concerned about safety, he returned my phone call when the bus was stopped for lunch. So I told him to give me a call when he got back and we’d figure something out.
I think I'm going to agree to a casual lunch with him, and meet him at the restaurant of my choosing.
Apparently he made a comment in October that his divorce was final or about to be final. So, yeah, I’m going out with a guy that has been divorced for LESS THAN A MONTH!
Oh, a guy in my office thinks he looks much older than 36 due to his grey hair. Mid-40s is the consensus. For those of you that didn't think the age thing was a big deal, he looks much older than he actually is.
I'll keep you posted.
UPDATE. He called me back right before 5 p.m. to make sure I knew that he was serious before, and he wasn't kidding around. I tried to play it cool this time, but I couldn't believe he called to tell me he was serious! I just told him I assumed he was serious. He gave me a chance to get out of the date, but I didn't. I'm just going to assume he was extremely nervous, and after my unusual response, he started second guessing himself. But why would he think I thought he was joking? Who jokes about something like that with a stranger? Definitely a lunch date now. And if he calls me anymore during this trip, I may just have to cancel on him. Just kidding. Maybe.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
