Spy movies are for boys

Or are they? I just saw two really good movies that I felt the need to blog about: The Lives of Others and The Departed. Lives won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film (it's German) and Departed won the Oscar for Best Picture. I can see why. They were great! I was captivated by each one in different, yet equally awesome ways.


The Lives of Others - This movie played at my theater and Eric and I went to see it on the last day it played. It's about an agent of the German secret police who has to spy on a writer/actor couple and ends up becoming really, REALLY involved in their lives. One thing I must mention is that the music for this film was incredible. It was beautiful and also set the creepy, spy-movie tone quite well. Another thing is that the ending is perfect, with a bit of a twist. Overall, I would highly recommend it even to people who don't like to read subtitles (I'm talking to you, Brant).


The Departed - With a cast that includes some of the biggest names in Hollywood, this movie made good use of every single one of the actors. Leo? Showed his acting chops. Jack? Very believable. Marky Mark?! His character was my favorite and I understand now why he was nominated for an Oscar. He was hilarious and inappropriate and had a terrible haircut. I loved him...don't tell him I called him Marky Mark, though. I also love that Martin Scorsese finally won his Oscar for this film. Before I saw the film I wondered if ol' Marty really deserved to win or if he was just getting what was long overdue. He deserved it, in my opinion.

I love when movies live up to their expectations. These two definitely did.

Dancing with the Sanders

Kelly: Can you believe that Steve is dancing with the stars? I think he did great. We should call Brandon and make sure he's watching.

Dylan: Steve? Dancing? Who cares about that? Have you even noticed how fantastic my hair looks today? Do you have any idea how long this took me to fix?

Kelly (aside): Steve Sanders, my first and my only true love. Sigh.

Despite what Dylan thinks, I loved watching Steve (okay I know it's Ian, but he will always be Steve Sanders to me and he might hate it when people only think of him as Steve but 90210 made him rich so he should just get over it) on Dancing with the Stars. I think he did great and when they showed him learning the dance, he seemed like a nice guy. Kind of full of himself, but goofy and lovable at the same time. I could picture myself hanging out with him, though I would probably be forced to call him Ian.

DWTS excites me this season! I flat out like watching Steve. Fatone is ridiculous but entertaining. I hold my breath when Heather Mills and her prosthetic leg take the floor. I missed Apolo dancing but I think he would be fun to watch. I might actually make it past the first episode this season. Yay for DWTS!

THE HILLS are alive with the sound of bitches

Lauren Conrad can't catch an effing break these days. First, she breaks up with J.Whal after having turned down an internship in Paris. Then, Heidi starts to slip away to be with Spencer (who shall from now on be referred to has Helmet-Head), who might be the smarmiest person on earth. And finally, her best friend Jen Bunney (seriously?) goes and hooks up with ol' Brody, the first guy that Lauren liked after Jason. LC is going through some STUFF, ya'll. It's called evaluating friendships and making some changes.

In last night's episode Lauren tore into Bunney about the Brody hookup. Good for her! I'm glad she stood her ground and called out her "friend." When Lauren began to open the door as a cue for Bunney to leave, I knew that I would like to be her friend.

This season of The Hills has been really addicting. And next week's episode features that crazy man who used to work with Anna Wintour...you KNOW he's gonna cause some drama.

Why Do I Care?

After spending half and hour reading about how Tori Spelling is wearing clothes that only non-pregnant women should wear, and how Mandy Moore and DJ AM split, and how Brangelina are adopting again I had to ask myself...why do I care about this?

You know how a lot of celebs say, "Don't buy the gossip magazines, you're just feeding the fire and creating reason for the paparazzi to hound us," in order to make us feel sorry for them? Well, it's not working. I think there are about 50 magazines in the groceries/bookstores/newsstands with a celebrity-gossip focus. And people are buying them like crazy!! Not just "people" like some faceless mass with a credit card. People like...me.

Yes, I am drawn to find out why Sienna Miller gave Jude Law a second chance and why Kate Moss is remotely attracted to Pete Doherty and why leggings are so popular. My question is, WHY? Why do I care what famous people are doing? What is it in me that needs to hear about who's dating who? I can't explain it and I certainly can't make it stop.

I know I'm not alone. Why do you guys care about celebs? And when did Tori Spelling become celeb-newsworthy??

Is that really necessary?

From time to time, you'll see someone walking in a store or down the street and they appear to be having a nice little conversation with themselves. You think, are they crazy? Then you see a little blue light near their ear and you think, oh it's just a Bluetooth.

What I'm starting to think though is that they really are crazy. Just how available does a person need to be and/or how hard is it to hold a phone to your ear??!! I have just a few exceptions to thinking Bluetooths are annoying. One, in the car. Having both hands available for steering is probably a good thing. Two (and this is only a recent exception), in an office. I have seen people walk around here while on the phone and I must say that I'm okay with that. They appear to be very busy and I've only seen one of them walk out of the office with the Bluetooth on. So, I guess I can be okay with it in an office.

But not in a store! I don't need you walking towards me laughing or bitching or yelling into what seems to be thin air, only to realize that you are talking to another human being. What's worse, your hands have absolutely nothing going on. You're not carrying a baby. You're not burdened with a heavy package. You're not signing to anyone. You're hands are free! They need something to do. Why not hand them a little cell phone to hold up to your ear?

Another thing is that I have never seen a meek, humble looking person with a Bluetooth. Never. It always seems to be someone who thinks they are really cool and quite important. Buying a device that sticks on your ear does not make you cool or important. In most cases, it just makes you look dumb.

Give 'em the old razzle dazzle

My theory is that we grew tired of the old blog. The same old layout for months and months?! No. It won't cut it. It didn't cut it! Which is why I'm revamping this ol' baby with a new design. With the help of Blogger's new version on Google (everything's better with Google) this little blog of ours is going to make something of itself. Yes, ma'ams.

I hope to see both of you lovely ladies here on the blog. I'll be here, rest assured. I'll be posting when I find something funny/relevant/absurd to talk about. Or, in some cases, none of the above! Oh blogger, is there anything you can't do?

Yay for Christmas!

I realize we have yet to slice the Thanksgiving turkey, but come on, it's basically Christmas already. That means it's time for PRESENTS!! Yes, presents. I'm just picturing new sweaters and shoes and gadgets and... did I write all that? What I meant was it's time for family and friends and being together and PRESENTS!! Whatever. Everyone likes getting presents.

Anyway, can we come up with a creative gift exchange between the three of us? I was thinking we could put a dollar limit on gifts and then figure out some fun way to buy presents. Maybe we pick a theme or it has to be from a certain store or fall into a certain category. I don't know. I was hoping you guys could think of something.

Substitute

As Brant and I were enjoying a meal at El Porton in Cordova, we were lucky enough to witness an exchange between another customer and a waiter. A family sat down at the table next to us and began to order their drinks. Here is how the exchange between the son and the waiter went...

Son: "Do you have root beer?"

Waiter: "No, we do have Dr. Pepper."

And that's it. Brant and I almost died laughing. We were exhausted from the weekend so I'm sure that helped make it more funny. Still, Dr. Pepper is not a substitute for root beer. The waiter may as well have offered cheese dip as a substitute.

Decision Time

So, who is going to win Project Runway this season? In my perfect world, Michael would win. I like Uli a lot but she hasn't shown enough variety. Same with Laura. Plus, she's weird. Jeffrey is too out there for me, which probably means he will end up winning it all. Anyway, who do you think will win?

My first movie role

I thought I'd let you both know that I'm going to get some practice in before "The Big Day" next summer. I was just asked to play a bride in an independent movie by a girl who works at the theater (apparently I have "THE LOOK"). Seriously. All I have to do is sit and wear a wedding dress and look like a bride or something, so I should be able to pull it off. Don't be confused though, this film is probably not going to be my big break, but I'm definitely going to be putting it on my resume from now on. And if my dress looks anything like this, I'm probably going to ask to keep it.

In Case You Were Wondering

Goldfish Crackers that are packaged in small individual packages are not nearly as cheesy as those packaged in the larger boxes. I bought the individual packages a few days ago, because I tend to have a problem stopping when I start eating out of the box. Clearly, I love Goldfish. Anyway, I was sorely disappointed by the less than cheeserific (duh it's a great word) taste of the individual packages. If you have any contacts at Pepperidge Farm, please notify them of my issue immediately. Thanks.

Project Runway will save our blog!

It's been pretty bleak for awhile here on the blog, but I think I know what can save it! Project Runway!! I know that it's one of my favorite shows on TV, and I think each of you would probably agree that Heidi, Tim, Kors-y, and NEENA GAA-CEEA are the best personalities on reality TV. So, I'm going to start with my thoughts on the last episode!

Well, I was rejoicing at first because disgusting Vincent had been eliminated the week before. If he said, "It turns me on" ONE more time, I was probably going to punch the TV. His designs are terrible and he has a sick infatuation with clothes that isn't very healthy. So, imagine my surprise when they brought him back!! It was the worst choice they could have made, and although it made sense in theory, that every designer who won be brought back for a second chance...it just didn't seem at all possible that Vincent or Angela (aka Rosettes) would come close to winning the competition. I think that Bravo just loves the drama and they thought that those 2 loons would provide some. Well, bravo...uh, Bravo, because you got that right. And that's why I love your blantantly dramatic challenges and previews.

The designs were OK. I think Michael should have won because that white dress was hot. Uli's stuff is starting to get repetitive, so she needs to get it together. And Laura...she's become so much more enjoyable now that she's going through emotional breakdowns with the pregnancy!

My vote for the final three is Michael (who I want to win), Uli (who knew patterns could be so great?) and Laura (who's designs are basically all the same).

Drained

I don't think I have the ability to be clever during this post. Being around young minds all day has the tendency to completely drain me- mind, body and spirit. It's odd to me that I'm a teacher. I don't feel all that far removed from high school myself, yet these students and their actions remind me that I am getting old.

The few cool points I earned with my freshman class came with their discovery of my Napoleon calendar. I bribe my middle school class with candy and fair tickets to gain not only their attention, but their affection. It's weird. I don't necessarily want to be the "cool teacher," but I do want the students to like me. At the same time, it is disruptive to let them use the restroom during class or do other things to make them happy. When I was in high school, I got pissed at teachers who wouldn't let you go to the restroom during class. Now I understand why. That makes me sad, because it makes me feel old.

I told the middle school class that I would play their music in class if they brought music that was appropriate. A kid brought in a Snoop Dog cd. I give him points for being old school. However, as you might imagine, the song was all about getting high and drinking. I refused to play it in class. Does that make me a prude? They said another teacher had allowed them to play it in class. I guess she's cooler than me.

Anyway, that's about all I can think of right now. I would like to post a funny story but I'm just too worn out. I feel kind of like Deb Down. I'm looking forward to a weekend in Fayetteville with the Davies! Wish the bride and groom of 2007 could be there.

If you haven't seen this yet, you're welcome

So, this is the newest video from the band OK GO and it's so great that I had to make sure you both were able to see it. Thanks to YouTube for making it happen. And enjoy...

Adventures in Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor welcomed a new visitor this past weekend! After surviving the "ghetto terminal" and Detroit, Kari made it into Double A safely. The first night, we went to dinner at a nice brewpub downtown and then headed home to crash...at 10pm - we're party animals!! The next morning, we headed out to Cost Plus World Market and then the mall. We were pretty successful, as you can tell from the picture above. We shopped in honor of Brittnee, who must have been channeling some great deals our way because we found a few good bargains! Next time, when Brittnee comes to AA, we might have to retire our credit cards. That night we cooked a lovely dinner at our apartment - complete with rice pilaf! It was pretty delicious.

The next day, the destination was downtown and Kerrytown and we also had some luck shopping there. We found some cute housewares and also hit up Moosejaw for some sweet tees! That night, we put on our "fancy clothes" and had some dessert and cocktails at La Dolce Vita.

Afterwards, we tried out a jazz club (Goodnight Gracie's), but it was kind of smokey and loud, so instead we went to another favorite spot - Leopold Brother's. We drank gin n' juice (like Snoop Dogg) and played Sorry! (we each won a game) and then finished up with some darts. I was terrible, but Kari and Eric were pretty good and things got a little competitive near the end!
Sunday was pretty laid back. We went to lunch at Zingerman's deli and afterwards headed home to lounge all day long! It was pretty relaxing...there might have been some naps, but who can remember? We ordered Cottage Inn pizza and Kari procrastinated packing for about 4 hours. Then, we packed it in so that we could get up for her early flight the next morning. It was a really fun visit! We definitely missed our third musketeer, though. Next time, you're comin', B!

Travelogue: Oahu

I know that I returned from Hawaii a week ago, but I figured that a recap post is better late than never. I can describe the trip much easier through words and some pictures anyway. And so...

Day 1: No major activities to speak of, we got in, went to eat at Cheeseburger in Paradise (very good) and tried to stay awake until 10...we made it to 9:30 before passing out.

Day 2: I will always remember this day because that's when Eric proposed! You've both heard the story, so I won't go into detail, but the experience was magical.

Day 3: After my engagement high, I was brought back down to earth the next morning with surf lessons! It was actually very fun, but my arms got so sore and I was battling a pretty intense case of sea sickness that I headed in about 30 minutes before the rest of the gang so that I could lay on my surfboard and try not to hurl. Here's a shot of me beforehand though, yeah!

Day 4: All the families rented Sebring convertibles to drive around the island and I will tell you that it was pretty fun. We first visited the Dole Pineapple pavillion (I had some sweet pineappe sorbet), then ventured to Haleiwa where we ate lunch and got some shave ice. Then we went on a beach tour near the North Shore trying to find the perfect beach. We went to three (and actually unpacked all our stuff and hiked down to a spot) before settling on the perfect one. It was semi-comical and semi-frustrating doing all that back and forth driving, and things almost came to a head when the keys got locked in our car at one beach. Eric and Sara actually broke in (through the obviously poorly constructed convertible top) and were able to pop it so we could get back in. That night on our way back home we ate at an authentic Hawaiian diner. I had what I will refer to as one of the best burgers of my life at that diner (Flamingo Diner) and I will never forget it!

Day 5: Eric and his stepdad went on a kayak tour out on Kailua beach (about 45 minutes away) in the morning and then everyone else went out to that beach in the afternoon to hang out in the sun. That was the best beach we went to the whole time. It wasn't very crowded and had some sweet waves for boogie boarding! After the beach, we headed back to Waikiki for drinks and then dinner at Tiki's grill.

Day 6: We got up early to hike up Diamond Head, which turned out to be pretty cool. It took about 45 minutes or something and the view was great. However, I think a quote from Eric's uncle Jeff best summed up the experience: "Off the record? A postcard would have been just fine." After a delicious lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, we were bused out to Paradise Cove for a luau! I had a really fun time. We made leis and threw spears and got to watch people shake their hips and stuff. I even tried poi! It was nasty. Here's me enjoying a "Blue Hawaii" - and enjoy it I did!

Day 7: We woke up early to go to Pearl Harbor and see the USS Arizona Memorial. Although we stood in line (which wrapped around twice!) for an hour, it was definitely worth it. We had to go out on a boat to see the memorial itself, which is built on top of the sunken Arizona. It was really incredible. After taking a small tour of Honolulu on the bus ride back to Waikiki, we went back to the beach and did an Outrigger tour. It's basically a big kayak that about 10 people get in and paddle out to sea and then ride back in on waves. It was so fun! That night we went to dinner at Duke's - named for Duke Kahanamoku, Hawaii's famous Olympic swimmer and surfer - and we were able to sit outside and sip delightful cocktails. I don't think I've ever had so many pina coladas in a week, it was great!

Day 8: Our last day was pretty laid back. We hung out on the beach for most of it. Right before we were about to leave, we saw the torch-lighting ceremony that they do on Waikiki beach every night. Guys dressed in nothing but a sarong run down the beach and light all the torches for the night. It was a fun way to end the trip.

All in all, it was one of the best trips I've ever been on. It was tough to leave and face the daily grind again. That's why I propose that the next gathering of the three of us should be in Hawaii! Please keep your calendars open!

He's Just Not Right

Date: July 19, 2006
Time: Around 7:00pm
Location: Texas Roadhouse

Detailed account of events: As I sat with my family for dinner recently, I witnessed something that just wasn't right. Shortly after getting our drinks, a family sat down at the table next to ours. It appeared to be a girl and her husband (in their twenties) and her parents. They seemed nice enough and quite normal. However, that "normal" thought quickly turned. Texas Roadhouse plays country music, somewhat loudly, in an attempt to create atmosphere. This atmosphere came crashing down as the son-in-law at the table next to use began serenading his wife. It could have been cute, maybe. I doubt it, but maybe. Anyway, he couldn't sing, yet she acted as if he was the next George Strait. It was obviously annoying. The worst part, however, is the song he chose to sing. Some of the lyrics are below and please keep in mind that they are dining with her parents:

"Baby lock the door and turn the light down low
Put some music on that's soft and slow
Baby we ain't got no place to go
I hope you understand
I’ve been thinking 'bout this all day long
Never felt a feeling quite this strong
I can't believe how much it turns me on
Just to be your man"

Annoying. Gross. Inappropriate. And like I said, the man did not have a good voice. All in all, he's just not right.

On the Road... Again!

Last weekend, Brant and I went to South Fork with Gary, Steph, Jerrod and Dana. We all had a great time going fishing, golfing, eating and drinking. We caught a few fish, the girls won at golf and a bear visited the cabin one night and left claw marks on the ice chest. All in all, great fun! By the time Sunday came around, we were pretty tired and not looking forward to the three hour drive home. To make matters worse, it rained really hard most of the way home so the drive seemed really long. But we got home and were glad the weekend had gone so well, or so we thought...

After searching through all of our bags, I couldn't find my phone! I pretty much freaked out. I've never lost something so personal before. Plus, my phone is sometimes the only contact I have with the outside world as I sit at home all day. There was really only one option - drive back to South Fork (remember, it's three hours) early Monday, alone, with no phone. So that's what I did. I honestly don't mind driving, but six hours by myself was a bit much. I wouldn't recommend it. On the bright side, and perhaps somewhat random, Gulley was groomed on Monday so I picked her up when I got back to Pueblo and she looks fabulous!

Birthday weekend

Another birthday come and gone, another year older. I had a great birthday, filled with great food, fun shopping and, of course, lovely presents (thanks again to you both!). I think that 24 will be the greatest year ever!

In addition to the birthday celebration, Eric and I also managed to have a very productive weekend. We went to the new Ikea in Canton on Sunday to look for some new furniture. If you've never been to an Ikea, here's a short tutorial: Swedish company; HUGE warehouse filled with mock-up rooms; instead of aisles, you wind through the store following a map; insanely crowded; tons of organizational items; most products are for self-assembling; CHEAP. In a nutshell, it's the perfect store. If there weren't a billion people there that day, I would have run through the warehouse with my arms flailing, yelling, "I WANT EVERTHING! I'LL TAKE IT ALL!" We ended up purchasing a new desk and add-on unit. If you're interested in seeing it, cut and paste this link:

http://www.ikea.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?storeId=12&catalogId=10103&langId=-1&topcategoryId=15600&parentCats=15600*15872*16133&categoryId=16133&cattype=sub

It's the MIKAEL desk and add-on unit in the "black-brown/white." The whole thing was just $100!! I love it, it's the coolest desk ever! Plus, after we returned home from Ikea, we went to another store and bought a Papasan chair and stool to match! Our study is totally reorganized and probably the best room in our apartment now. Redecorating is F-U-N!

A side note: we've been referring to the new Papasan chair as the "Popozao" chair and I don't think we have any plans to quit. POPOZAO!

Double A beckons!

Here's my plea for both of you to visit me in Double A. I have taken the liberty of choosing a few dates that might be acceptable.

Fri, July 28: There is a Guster/Ray LaMontagne concert in Chicago on this date and it takes about 4 hours to drive there from AA. Even if we didn't end up wanting to do the concert, the weekend would still be good for me.
Fri, August 11
Fri, August 18
Fri, August 25

Obviously, what I am thinking is a 3 day weekend trip. However, if you're both interested, you can feel free to do whatever you choose.

If you're STILL questioning AA, ponder this: a good mall with a new H&M, JCrew, Marshall Fields, CPK (Vegas style); DSW shoe store; fun stores and good restaurants downtown; a pool if we wanted to go sunbathing; free movie passes to shows at a historic downtown movie theater! It's a pretty cool town and I think we would have lots of fun. PLUS! we could go dancing at fun clubs and if you got in on Thursday night, we could go to a sweet karaoke bar!