Friday, December 31, 2010
Face it Friday! The Finale
If I'm being completely honest, I feel like a big, fat failure.
When I wrote and posted my 65 in 365 list in January, I was quite delusional in my belief that I would finish every last goal on my list. With maybe one or two exceptions.
I didn't. I didn't even finish half of them.
But, you know what? The fact that I completed anything at all is pretty darned good and I need to take some pride in that. Because, if I've learned one thing this year, it's that I am awesome.
So...let's take a little look. Shall we?
1.
2. Renew my passport.--That was quite an experience...
3. Sing in public (at church or something).--Between Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, a duet in church and a trio at the Stake Christmas program, I'd say this one's covered.
 |
| It was 6 weeks of awesome. |
5.
8. Organize/attend a Blogger Meet Up. I didn't organize it, but dinner at Downtown Disney with Kristina (and Adam), Melanie, Nikol, Kris and PeeWee was so much fun! As was Jennee's weekend-o-fun and meeting Helene's super awesome family at Disneyland. And DeNae at her very own house. Bloggers are cool.
 |
| Jennee's first dim sum. She loved it. |
10. Organize my bedroom.--It's organized. Now I just have to get rid of a bunch of crap. I'm calling this one done.
11.
12. Change my hair.--Boy, did I!
13.
14. Finish raising/saving money for H4H.--Thanks to some VERY generous donors, I did it!
15.
16. Back up all photos and print some of them
17.
18.
19. Try rock climbing.--Haha! Thanks to loopholes and this blogger, I'm considering it done. But I DO want to go for real in 2011. After this one has her baby.
20.
21.
22. Go to one of Little Sis's sporting events.--Rowing meets are kind of fun. Even though there's not much action.
23.
24.
25.
26. Throw or attend an Oscar party. A party of 3 is still a party!
27.
28.
29. Replace the windshield on my car.--And I replaced the car around it while I was at it.
31. Donate to a political campaign.--I need to stop doing this because my candidates always lose.
32. Decide who to support for CA Governor.--I decided. And I can tell you it sure wasn't Jerry Brown.
33. Walk in a park.--I walked in a few of them. It was nice.
34. Watch 25 movies from my Netflix list. 25/25--It's sad how much easier this is than reading books.
35. Visit a museum.--Between Paraguay and Argentina, I feel like I visited dozens.
 |
| This is in Asunción, Paraguay. I just can't remember where... |
37. Girls' Night Out 4 times. 4/4--I love Girls' Nights!
 |
| It was a happy day when Cafe Rio came to Cali. |
 |
| Kel, let's be roomies again! |
40.
41.
42. Buy and wear more professional work clothes.--I didn't buy a whole lot, but I stuck to my jeans-only-on-Fridays rule pretty well.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52. Change the oil on my car--myself.--And I changed the car while I was at it.
53.
54. Sew a skirt and wear it in public.--And I did it without a pattern!
55.
56. Give $$ to a panhandler.
57.
58.
59. Clean out closet and donate clothes that don't fit.--I don't have anything left, but I did it.
60. Get new glasses.--I did and they're super cute.
61. Have my hearing checked.--Turns out it's not my hearing. It's my sinuses. Not sure which is worse.
62.
63. Organize a Pride & Prejudice viewing party.--It was SO much fun! In fact...it's almost time for another one!
64. Invite my family over for dinner.--That was huge. And it was fun. And I can totally cook.
65. Donate $5 for every item not completed. (Readers choose the charity.)--I will. I really, fully, completely intend to donate every penny of the $170 I promised. But because I'm still working out some details with my auto loan and getting used to that whole car payment deal, it's going to have to wait until February.
So...I finished 30 out of 64. *Almost* half.
I am so awesome.
Not as awesome as Jennee. But, still.
So, how did YOU do this year? Please link up below and tell us all about it.
And, this MONDAY, we will be launching Project 52. Whether you have one goal or 52 like Jennee and me, we hope you'll come back and share your goals for 2011. It's going to be a good year.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
The Year in Numbers
I wonder if I'm the only one that does this, but I've been kind of bored the last few weeks, generally discontented with things, and I started to convince myself that nothing good happened in 2010.
And then I realized I must have gotten crack in my Christmas stocking because this was one heck of a year for me. Seriously. Awesome stuff happened and I can't believe that my end-of-year fog has let me forget that even a little bit.
So, here's a run down of my year. In numbers.
Movies seen in the theater: 21 (22 later today)
Live theater productions seen: 3
Live productions performed in: 2
First dates: 2
First dates wherein my date tells me over dinner that he might be autistic: 1
Second dates: 0
Blog-friends that I met in real life: 8
Blog-friends that I love even more now that I've met them in real life: 7. Kidding! 8.
Times I cried during the LOST series finale: 108
Favorite past Angels players met during All Star Week: 2
Times I volunteered for the All-Star Game and ended up on the field for the Opening Ceremony and stood just feet away from Derek Jeter and Torii Hunter: 1
Free tickets for the All-Star Game given by a random stranger and my attentive sister-in-law: 1
Countries visited: 2 (3 if you count one layover)
People who yelled at me in foreign languages and scared me to death: 1
Houses I contributed to building: 1
Rocks I had to lift to help build the foundation for said house: 391,467,184,596
Times I swore I'd learn Spanish as soon as I got back to the States: 300
Times I started studying Spanish when I got back to the States: 0
Contests entered to win an entire library of my favorite author's books plus the chance to help promote his newest: 1
Contests won where the prize was an entire library of my favorite author's books plus the chance to help promote his newest: 1
Gym memberships: 2
Gyms I go to on a regular basis: 1
New cars purchased: 1
Pictures taken: thousands
Memories made: millions
It was a pretty good year, after all.
Was it good for you?
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Confession Wednesday: Grammar Mistakes that REALLY Bug Me
I've had this debate in my head for a few weeks now.
It's about this Confession Wednesday thing.
I don't know if I really want to keep it going. I mean, it's fun, sure. But it's gotten hard to come up with topics each week and I just don't know if I wanna. So maybe I'll cut it back to once or twice a month. See how that goes.
But, I decided to do it this week after reading a heck of a lot of blog posts over the past few days.
I love reading your blogs.
But there are some rampant grammatical travesties that have really been bugging me. Now, I'm not talking about taking poetic license for effect or to have some fun with your writing. I'm talking about the ones that are just plain wrong and that have no good reason for being wrong. And so, a brief grammar lesson.
your/you're
This is one that everyone complains about, and, yet, it seems like nearly everyone does it. "Your" is possessive. That is your blog. "You're" is a conjunction of "you are." It is NOT you are blog. Therefore, it's not you're blog.
their/they're/there
"Their" and "they're" are the same as "your" and "you're." One is possessive and the other is a conjunction. And "there" is a location.
misplaced punctuation
One of you recently gave a great lesson on punctuation that I now can't find. If it was you, please let me know! Here are a few common punctuation problems:
~the period/quotation conundrum: The period goes inside the quotation marks. Yes, always. Questions marks? No, not always.
(POST EDIT: It has been brought to my attention that the rules for quotation marks are different in Britain. So, if you're from an English-speaking country other than the US, you're excused on this one.)
(Thanks Renee and Trinnista!)
~and speaking of quotation marks: They should never be used for emphasis. You know how "air quotes" are used to express sarcasm? Well, the same thing happens when you write them for "emphasis." Want some examples? See the "Blog" of "Unnecessary" Quotation Marks.
~the mysterious semicolon: You use the semicolon for joining two independent clauses. If you don't have two complete sentences, then don't use the semicolon.
alot
It's two separate words, folks. A lot. I am actually shocked every time I see this one. I thought it was common knowledge.
Sally and I
It is NOT absolute. I know your teachers and parents probably drilled it into your head a million times when you were a kid. But you don't ALWAYS use "I" when including yourself in a list of people. Take the other people out of the equation to know whether to use "I" or "me."
Example 1:
Example 2: Jennee is coming to California to visit
Now go forth and be grammatically correct.
But not before you tell me: what grammar mistakes drive you crazy?
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Karen's Blogs of 2010
I did this last year and I liked it, so I figured I'd do it again.
Since this is the LAST WEEKEND of 2010--
(I know. I can't believe it either.)
--these are all the Blogs of the Week for the year. Check out some you might have missed, or revisit a few that you liked but haven't been to in awhile.
Also, if you've been featured as a Blog of the Week, I do have a button for it, if you're into that kind of thing. Just email me and I'll send you the html code for it. If you don't want it, I won't be offended in the slightest.
Without further ado:
Hope for Haiti (temporary--no longer updated)
Sussing Out LOST (With the end of LOST came the end of this blog. Tear.)
Teasingly Diverse (Sadly, Amanda's not blogging there anymore.)
I would like to thank everyone on this list for being awesome and writing stuff I love to read.
If you haven't been picked for Blog of the Week yet, I promise, your turn is coming. Because you're awesome, too.
Yes. I've thought a lot about this and I've decided that Karen's Blog of the Week WILL continue in 2011. There may be some changes along the way, but I really do like featuring your blogs. And I'm going to try hard not to skip as many weeks next year.
***************
I wanted to pick a few of my favorite comments from 2010, but as I was going through some of them, I was stunned to discover there were literally thousands. So, instead, I'll just take a second to thank you ALL for taking the time to read and comment here on my blog. I'm sorry that I haven't always been able to respond to everyone, but I do read them. You make me laugh and cry and think. And I'm going to stop now before this gets cheesy.
Now go enjoy your post-Christmas hangovers!
Friday, December 24, 2010
Face it! Friday: Week 52--Christmas Eve Edition
'Twas the day before Christmas
and while baking their rolls,
not a blogger was thinking
about their yearly goals.'
Okay, so that was pathetic. But the point is that it's the busiest time of year for pretty much everyone. We're probably not thinking about our goals right now. And there is only one week left. One week.
There are a lot of things I'm not going to get to. And I've had to remind myself that it's okay. That doesn't mean I suck.
(Other things do, but not that.)
Anyway, there is still a week to figure out which ones I can do and which ones I can loophole my way through--
(Because there WILL be loopholes.)
--and next week is New Year's Eve. Wow. So next week we'll have a 2010 recap and look forward to 2011.
If you haven't finished the things on your list, don't fret. Don't give up, obviously, because you don't have to start working on something just because the calendar turns to January 1st. And then keep that momentum going into the new year.
I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas. And if you don't celebrate Christmas, have a nice Saturday.
I'm leaving you with a random funny movie clip, just because I feel like it:
Be sure to go read Jennee's post today, too. Because she's awesome.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Confession Wednesday: I'd Rather Be Blog Hopping
I'm having a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year. I think of done a fairly decent job of pretending, and I haven't been wishing it would hurry up and end or anything. I really do love Christmas and I've been trying to enjoy it. I just think my financial situation--
(Don't buy a car in December unless you HAVE to.)
(And, yes, I HAD to.)
--has made it tough. There are so many things I want to do and buy for people and, well, it's just not possible this year. Times are tough. I figured I would get creative, but my creativity seems to be waning, too.
Anyway, I was going to write a whole post about my search for Christmas spirit, but it just wasn't happening. So, instead, I decided to join in Jennee's Favorite Cartoons Blog Hop today. Maybe thinking about my old favorites will put me in a better mood.
Because, let's face it, the longer this rain lasts and the higher the flood waters rise on the city streets, the lower my mood sinks. And that's just no good for anyone.
So, without further ado, my Top 10 Favorite Cartoons. Ever.
10.
 |
| Gummi Bears--Disney, 1985 |
9.
 |
| Duck Tales--Disney, 1987 |
8.
 |
| GI Joe--Sunbow/Marvel, 1985 |
7.
 |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles--Mirage Studios, 1987 |
6.
 |
| Pinky and the Brain--Warner Bros, 1995 |
5.
 |
| The Transformers--Sunbow/Marvel, 1987 |
4.
 |
| "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?"--Hanna Barbera, 1969 |
3.
 |
| Animaniacs--Warner Bros, 1993 |
2.
 |
| Spongebob Squarepants--Nicktoons Productions, 1999 |
1.
 |
| Smurfs--Hanna Barbera, 1981 |
What are YOUR favorite cartoons?
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
The New Car
Which is why I set goals earlier this year to change the oil myself and to replace that cracked windshield.
But then, one day, I was driving home from work and the car started shaking more violently than it ever had before. I gripped the wheel tight and prayed (begged?) not to be stranded on the side of the road. I made it home and refused to drive anywhere else that night, convinced that there were precious few miles left on that engine.
The next morning, while driving to work, things started out fine. But then, about halfway through my ridiculously long commute, it happened again. And I was certain I wouldn't make it to work that day. Somehow, I did. And when I got there, I started researching like crazy to see what kind of price I could get on a new car.
It was Thursday. I filled out some form online to request quotes from local dealerships. Within thirty minutes, I'd heard from five different dealers all offering decent prices on a new car. By Friday, I'd been contacted by 7 salesmen from around Orange County, begging for my business. Only one had called me personally. The rest had been by email. So I made an appointment for Saturday morning with the sales guy who'd had the good sense to pick up the phone. Saturday morning, 9am.
I was scared to death.
Before now, the most expensive purchase I'd ever made for myself was my super comfy bed. And even then I brought Kelli along for help and moral support.
This time, I was flying solo.
I was awake at 5am, excited and scared, a bundle of nerves because I was unsure if they were even going to give me a car loan in the first place. I cleaned everything out of the Avalon and headed for the dealership, arriving at 8:50. There were a few people wandering around, even though they didn't officially open until 9. I walked into the showroom and waited. A few sales people walked back and forth into and out of offices. One even stepped around me once or twice. But no one spoke to me. No one.
I went outside to check out a few models, studying stickers and admiring colors. Still, no one approached me.
It was now 9, so I went back into the showroom and waited some more. Still, nothing. I waited a few more minutes and wandered back outside.
At 9:15, I left.
What kind of a car dealership goes to such measures to ignore a potential customer that was actually a guaranteed sale AND that had an appointment? Garden Grove Hyundai, that's who.
(Yup. Just called them out. Google searchers, don't go to them.)
I ran a quick errand and then stopped by home. I knew Katie would be awake at this point and I needed a bit of a pep rally since I was now headed to a different dealer that didn't know I was coming. And my confidence had waned. I wanted to beg her to come with me, but I also wanted to do this myself. She gave me exactly the boost I needed and sent me on my way. Besides, her brother was coming over and she couldn't have come along with me anyway.
I pulled onto the lot of the other dealership and parked. I was mere feet away from the Hyundai Accents I had come to see and before I could even approach one, a sales woman was walking toward me, all smiles.
I told her what I was looking for, expressed some concerns over my ability to get financed--
(Because, despite what literally EVERYONE was telling me about how easy it is to get a car loan, I just kept thinking about my less-than-stellar credit and the fact that banks are on the tight-fisted side these days.)
(Plus, I barely had a down payment and a trade in that I would be lucky to get anything for.)
Within twenty minutes I was pre-approved and test driving a cute silver Accent. Automatic. I told the sales lady that I wanted a blue one with a manual transmission. She thought they had some blue ones in the back, but tried her best to convince me that I didn't want a manual and that they didn't really have any anyway.
At the end of the test drive, we drove to the back lot to see what colors were available. I'd had the dark Sapphire Blue in mind, but didn't see one. And then she pointed out a little Smurf Blue hatchback that made me smile, so I got out to take a look. And lo and behold! It was a manual.
I was confused as to why it was the exact same price as the automatic, since my fairly extensive research has taught me that almost universally, stick shifts are cheaper than automatics.
Well, it turns out that the one I wanted was not only a cute color and a stick shift, it also had power EVERYTHING, including remote keyless entry. That silver automatic? Power nothing.
The car was exactly what I was looking for.
After an hour or so of waiting and then some paperwork, I drove her home.
 |
| Image credit: Hyundai USA (I wanted to take my own picture, but it hasn't stopped raining long enough to get a decent shot.) |
I'm a grown up.
Which is why it's kind of funny that her unofficial name right now is...Smurfette.
Just until I can think of something better.
Any suggestions?
*I didn't name the dealer where I DID buy my car, because I wasn't completely in love with them, so I don't want to endorse them. But I did get a good deal, so I don't want to chase customers away either.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Currently: Christmas Edition
I stole this idea from Hotpants a loooooong time ago and I still like it. I haven't done one in awhile and so, here's my Christmas edition:
Current Book
Riding the Ice Wind: By Kite and Sledge Across Antarctica by Alastair Vere Nicoll
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
Current Albums
A Lovely Way to Spend Christmas, Kristin Chenoweth
Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure
Cheesy Hallmark Channel Christmas movies like Kristin Chenoweth's The Twelve Men of Christmas.
(I think I have a bit of a girl-crush on Miss Chenoweth...)
Current Drink
Water
Hot Cocoa
Diet Cherry Pepsi
Current Favorite Blog
I do not have one favorite. But you can see some of my many favorites listed on the sidebar as past Blogs of the Week, or under the Favorites tab up at the top. If you're not there and think you should be, let me know!
I do not have one favorite. But you can see some of my many favorites listed on the sidebar as past Blogs of the Week, or under the Favorites tab up at the top. If you're not there and think you should be, let me know!
Current Songs
O Holy Night, Josh Groban
Raise Your Glass, P!nk
Rhythm of Love, Plain White T's
Current Wish-List
I just discovered the Amazon Wish List. Love it. Here's mine.
Current Needs
A better interest rate on my car loan.
A higher monthly income.
Breakfast.
Current Triumph
I bought my first brand new car! All by myself!
Current Favorite Film
I really liked Tangled. I might be heading out to see Tron: Legacy tonight. Not sure.
Current TV Show
The Walking Dead. Amazing. Oh, and Dexter.
Current Celebrity Crush
The recently-single Sexiest Man Alive:
 |
| Image borrowed from TopNews.in. Not sure where they got it. |
Current Indulgence
Driving my car more than I should...just because I can.
Current Outfit
Jeans and a t-shirt. As always.
Current Banes of My Existence
Christmas is coming and I'm not ready.
Current Excitement
I am LOVING the rain! And my new car.
Current Mood
Anxious.
Current Picture
 |
| Phalaenopsis, a variety of orchid |
Such a happy flower.
So what are you currently digging?
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Karen's Blog of the Week: Looking for Luck, Love, and...
But, I'm back today with a new blog for you to add to your readers: Looking for Luck, Love, and...
The Lovely One is the writer of this blog and she has a bit of an unfortunate story. Her former blog was a favorite of mine. It wasn't anonymous, though she didn't go out of her way to let people in her real life know about it. And then one day, she wrote about a real life situation and ended up in a bad position at work and with some of her co-workers--
(Even though she never identified her company, anyone by name, or even the specifics of a particular situation.)
--and she closed up shop on the blog she'd kept for a couple of years, moving to one that is completely anonymous.
She's still the same great person with the fun stories about her kids and her crazy husband and her weekly "All About Me" meme on Mondays. But, sadly, she had to leave behind her old posts and many, many of her followers. So, she's building her blog from the beginning now.
If I had to do that, I would probably cry. But not the Lovely One. She looks at it as her chance to start over fresh and do things differently this time. But she's going to keep being awesome. That's not going to change.
So stop by Looking for Luck, Love, and... and give her some blog love!
---------------
Sorry, I'm behind on my blog reading, so I don't have a list of favorite posts for the week. But I'll get caught up, I promise!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Passion
Well, it will be official tomorrow, but, really, he always has been.
Long before I met him he was creating culinary delights that wowed even the pickiest of pallets. He's got mad skills. For reals.
Tomorrow he is graduating from culinary school and I couldn't be happier for him and for Katie. (His wife, for those of you that are new.) It's been a lot of work for both of them and he's finally going to have a piece of paper to show for all that effort.
Last night, the graduates presented their Capstone projects. Essentially, everyone is required to set up a company complete with business plan, sample products, portfolio, all sorts of things. It's a way to showcase to friends and family what they've been working on for the last 2 or so years, as well as meet with industry professionals who might be looking to hire new talent.
David's Diner 55 was a big hit, but even more impressive to many was his home brewed Worcestershire Sauce. Let me tell you. It's really, really good. Way better than the stuff you buy in the grocery store. And I'm not saying that just because he's my friend. It's pretty fantastic.
Anyway, I was standing near his booth, chatting with his brother and observing David as he talked with the President of the school about his process for creating this (literally) awesome sauce. He was animated. His eyes lit up. He was absolutely in his element talking about something he really loved.
It's amazing the change that comes over someone when they're talking about something they're truly passionate about.
I've almost completely forgotten what that feels like.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Confession Wednesday: Holiday Travel
I once made the gross miscalculation of thinking I could maintain my sanity while flying home at Christmas.
It seemed like a good idea at the time. A ticket on Southwest from Salt Lake to Ontario. Anything beat driving through the treacherous pass between Beaver and Cedar City in the winter time. I've hit snow there in June before. The thought of doing it in December freaked me right out.
I got to the airport two hours before my flight, not because of 9/11 travel restrictions--
(This was 2000 and passengers could still be escorted to the gate by their loved ones way back then.)
--but because I'd gotten a ride from a friend who had a slightly earlier flight than mine. It was no big deal, though. I love airports and all the people watching that comes so easily there.
When I arrived at my gate, however, I knew something was wrong. My flight was delayed. Only by an hour or so, but delayed, nonetheless. This was problematic because I had a connecting flight in Vegas and a very short layover, meaning an hour delay would put me at risk for missing that connection. I took a breath and a seat and tried not to worry.
Until one of the Southwest employees at the counter announced that the flight from Salt Lake to Vegas was going to be delayed by at least another hour and that all passengers with connecting flights needed to approach the counter to make arrangements.
It seemed that everyone flying through Vegas was easily booked onto another flight except me. Ontario Airport had a curfew and mine was to be the last arrival of the night. My choices were to take the first flight out in the morning, or be rerouted to another airport. In this case, my only option was LAX. A 90-minute drive from my mother's house in the best of circumstances. And this flight would arrive at about midnight.
I explained to the girl that I hadn't driven myself and judging by weather and traffic and distance, it would be at least two hours before someone could get to the airport to pick me up. And then I'd be home approximately four hours before it was time to turn around and come straight back.
Do you know that sweet stranger at the counter actually offered to give me a ride? Turned out she was going my way. But I really, REALLY didn't want to accept her generosity. There was still that pesky matter of having only four hours and of having to figure out how to get all the way back in the morning.
I used the payphone--
(Because this was the days before the ubiquity of cell phones. Hard to imagine it was only 10 years ago...)
--to call my mother, who said she would much prefer to see me bright eyed in the morning at the airport down the street.
Which I completely understood. But, really, I wouldn't have been bright-eyed at all because I had decided if she didn't want me to go to LAX that I was just going to spend the night right there in Salt Lake. On the floor. Because I wouldn't get any less sleep than if I went all the way back to Ogden.
Reluctantly, my mom agreed to the switch and I returned to the counter to tell the girl to redirect me. Which she did.
Soon after, our plane arrived from Siberia or wherever it had been stuck due to inclement weather. We boarded and took off, two hours late. But I had a two hour layover in Vegas to look forward to.
When the plane landed in Vegas and I stepped into the terminal, I heard an announcement that stopped me cold.
"Final boarding call for Flight 666 to Ontario."
I ran to the gate to discover that flights in Vegas had been delayed by Air Traffic Control due to fog or something. I never really did get a straight answer on that. And my original flight was boarding at that very minute. I hurried to a pay phone to try to tell my mother that I could, in fact, make it onto the Ontario flight. Except that she didn't answer.
(Ten years later, she still almost never answers her phone. Hmmm. I'm starting to think it's me...)
Sadly, I told the gate agent that I couldn't change my flight back after all. And sat down to wait for the plane to LAX.
Fifteen minutes later, they announced we would be boarding. Whatever crazy Air Traffic Controller situation they'd been dealing with in Vegas had sorted itself out and we got clearance to leave early as long as every got on the plane RIGHT NOW.
I've never seen passengers board so quickly, before or since.
So what crazy holiday travel experiences have you had? Because I know you've had at least one...
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Random Thoughts I Had While Reading the List of Golden Globe Nominees
 |
| (Image courtesy of HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION®) |
No, I didn't turn on the nominations this morning to see them announced live. I save that for the Oscars.
But I did pull up the list of nominees at my earliest convenience. And I had a few thoughts:
- Why are people making such a big deal over Black Swan? It looks creepy and stupid. Even if it wins every award imaginable, I have no intentions of seeing it. Ever.
- The Fighter, though, looks really good.
- I hate boxing, but I apparently love boxing movies. Go figure.
- Except Million Dollar Baby. I hated that one.
- I really need to see The Social Network. I just never got a chance when it was in theaters.
- Interesting Best Picture--Musical or Comedy category. Am very disappointed that Toy Story 3 was left out.
- Yay for Colin Firth and Mark Wahlberg! Love them both!
- Johnny Depp is nominated against himself. Please give that man an award.
- Am I the only one that thinks Anne Hathaway is seriously overrated as an actress?
- Pleasantly surprised to see Emma Stone nominated for Easy A. That was a fun movie and she did a good job. Too bad she's not gonna win.
- Michael Douglas? Wall Street 2? Are you serious? I mean, I know the guy is really sick and all, but come on.
- Should I see 127 Hours? Is it that good?
- Excited to see Inception getting a lot of love.
- AR Rahman did the music for 127 Hours? Gonna have to download the soundtrack.
- I need to watch more foreign films.
- Glad Toy Story 3 was nominated for Best Animated Feature, but it should have been nominated for Best Picture, too.
- Oooh, TV!
- THE WALKING DEAD! THE WALKING DEAD! Really, though, how can a six-episode season compare to the rest of these full-season shows? And why is LOST left out again??
- I love The Walking Dead, but I hope Dexter wins.
- I do or have watched 5 of the 6 Musical or Comedy TV Series nominees. Go Big Bang Theory.
- I never watch the Miniseries and Made-for-TV movies. Temple Grandin IS on my Netflix list, though.
- Does it seem like the Actor nominees are pretty much the same EVERY year?
- Just checked. 3 of the 5 were nominated last year.
- And those same three were nominated in 2008.
- Oh, look. And in 2007, as well. Can we mix things up a little, please?
- I kind of feel like Matthew Morrison and Lea Michele were nominated because they "had" to be. It's not like they're all that special or anything.
- But Chris Colfer totally deserves a nom. Yay!
- Ooh, Julia Stiles for Dexter. I can't WAIT to get to Season 5. Still in the middle of 3.
- The Hollywood Foreign Press really needs to get out more. It's obvious that the 90 or so voting members all watch the same TV shows, which is why we see the same 5 or 6 series getting nominated every year. And yet people still keep acting like they set the pace for awards season. Kind of annoying, really.
- So why do I care? Because it's entertainment and celebrities and stuff. I can't help myself.
Monday, December 13, 2010
I Gave at the Office
(Because when I say "never" I really mean "eventually...")
--there was someone dressed in a white uniform carrying a red bucket. I see these folks often. They aren't from the Salvation Army, but from some other church and they've hit me up for spare change outside the grocery store, at Angels games and even at a concert or two. They're everywhere.
I politely declined and dashed into the store, found what I was looking for and was at the register in under three minutes. Where I was asked if I would like to donate a dollar to feed starving children this Christmas.
It's only a dollar.
And it's for the children, after all.
How could anyone say no to that?
I said no.
Just like I did the last time they asked me to donate a dollar to some cause or another.
And I felt guilty about it. Just like I did last time.
I'm sure they are all worthy causes. Anything that involves helping others, even if it's only a percentage that actually reaches the ones in need, is worthwhile.
But if I gave away a dollar every time someone asked for one, I'd soon have no dollars left for myself. And as someone who now has a monthly car payment and this ridiculous habit of eating food once in awhile, and a diva-esque desire to sleep under a roof instead of under the stars, I have to hang onto some of those dollars.
I already give 10% of my income to the church. Plus some extra, when I can spare it. Can't have those missionaries eating ramen noodles for two years. And I donate a lot of spare time and energy to working with women at church, plus a heck of a lot of free time volunteering with the Job's Daughters. I bought a beautiful fresh Christmas wreath from my step-sister's kids' school fundraiser. I went to Paraguay this summer with Habitat for Humanity (for which I did some fundraising myself). I donate clothes and furniture to a local Goodwill or Deseret Industries, and I sometimes give few bucks to the random guy at the gas station so he can do a crappy job washing my windshield.
I already give.
A lot.
So why do I feel guilty about not giving just one dollar to feed those starving children?
I guess because it really is only a dollar, after all.
But when is enough, enough?
I mean, to be honest, I really do wish I could snap my fingers and give everyone everything they needed, plus a lot of what they want. But that's just not how it works.
So, instead, I have to choose which causes to support. Which is fine. I can do that.
I'm just not sure how to say no without looking like a cheap jerk.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Face it! Friday: Week 50
I hope you are all still working on a few of your goals from this year, but it's also time to start looking ahead to 2011.
Jennee and I have been promising some changes and we're ready to share a few of those changes with you.
For starters, this endeavor is no longer going to be called Face it! Friday. That's partly because, after a purely scientific poll where I interviewed literally threes of readers, we've decided to move our posting day to Monday. I've always felt more motivated on Mondays than on Fridays, which was the general consensus in the conversations I've been having on this subject. So, in 2011, Jennee and I will be writing our posts on Monday and including the Linky so that you all will have the whole week to link up and participate.
(We're sticking with Fridays for the remainder of this year, however.)
Linking up will not only give our participants the chance to share their successes and challenges and motivation, but it will provide an opportunity to enter periodic giveaways that we'll be hosting. We'll have more details on that later, but we're working on some really awesome prizes to motivate, encourage, and support you in your goals.
So what ARE we going to call this thing? Jennee and I put our heads together and decided to go with Project 52. It's not an entirely creative title, but it sums up what we have in mind.
In 2010, I attempted 65 in 365, as many others have around the blogoverse. Jennee went for 10 big goals. And has already finished almost all of them.
I decided 65 was too many and she felt 10 was too few. So we are meeting somewhere in the middle-ish and are each setting 52 goals for the 52 weeks of 2011.
But the beauty of Project 52 is that you aren't bound by a specific number yourselves. If there is just one thing you want to finish in the coming year, make that your Project 52 goal. If there are 100 things on your list, I hope one of them is seek professional help, but that you'll also join us.
Starting in the last week of December, we're going to open up a Linky so that you can start sharing your goals with all of us.
We're so excited for this new adventure and hope you are, too.
Who's with us??
And if you have written about any of your 2010 goals this week, please link up below and share.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
A Community Christmas Party
(Image courtesy of Sony Pictures.)
I work at a community college. So when Community debuted last fall, I HAD to check it out. Especially when we kept getting all these emails about how inaccurate Community is and how it makes California community college students look inept, etc.
Let me tell you. Obviously, it's a caricature of the community college experience, but the Joel McHale sitcom is surprisingly and hilariously accurate.
If you want to know what my job is like, just watch the show. I work at Greendale Community College.
I never miss it. I love it. It's funny and clever and the characters are well-developed. And every episode does a great job of demonstrating the ridiculousness of the rules and bureaucracy and political correctness of low-cost higher education.
So when I got the chance to watch tonight's stop-motion animated Christmas episode early? Well, of course I was all over it.
In tonight's episode, Abed (Danny Pudi) and his friends Jeff (Joel McHale), et al are discussing the true meaning of Christmas when he suddenly realizes that they are all animated figures. Obviously, everyone else thinks Abed is a little crazy, so Jeff and Britta take him to the psychology professor for help. The group ends up walking Abed through his "delusion" by journeying with him to Planet Abed to find the North Pole and discover the true meaning of Christmas.
It's completely silly. And, without having a knowledge of the characters and their personalities, much of this episode would probably not make a whole lot of sense.
But, that shouldn't stop you from watching. The animation is clever and fun, and the payoff when Abed, who is Muslim, finally discovers the true meaning of Christmas, is laugh out loud funny. Seriously, did not see that coming. And I'm not going to spoil it for you either.
This special Christmas episode also does what Community does best. It laughs about our differences and has some fun with them, but without making them stupid or lame. I didn't think it was *quite* as good as last year's when Shirley (Yvette Nicole Brown) was shocked to learn that she was the only practicing Christian in the study group and tried desperately to convert everyone before finally giving in and celebrating a non-denominational winter holiday.
But I loved it and can't wait to watch it again tonight.
Here's a little preview. Enjoy!
Community airs Thursday nights at 8/7 Central on NBC. You can also catch episodes online at NBC.com and Hulu!
**Many thanks to One2One Network for letting me watch one of my favorite shows a little early!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Confession Wednesday: Favorite Christmas Traditions
Growing up, my parents were all about the Christmas traditions.
(Knowing them like I do now, I'm guessing it was mostly my mom that cared about the traditions and that my dad just good-naturedly went along with it.)
Last year, I wrote about the very best Christmas tradition from my childhood. Picking out the Christmas tree.
But we had a lot of traditions that I loved.
Christmas Eve was the best.
As far as I can remember, we were always at home on Christmas Eve when we were kids, because my mother insisted that we wake up in our own beds on Christmas Morning.
So we had kind of a ritual.
First, we were allowed to open one present. It was the same thing every year, but we were always excited to get our new pajamas.
(I always thought my mom was brilliant for coming up with this awesome idea. It wasn't until recently that I learned other families do it, too.)
(Of course, my mom IS brilliant, though.)
So we would open our one package and then giddily run down the hall to our bedrooms to change before meeting up back in the living room, under the tree.
We had (have?) this old nativity set. It's small, and the paint is chipped on most of the pieces, but it will always be my favorite. And I've seen some beautiful ones. Ours was set up right under the Christmas tree, to remind us of what Christmas was supposed to be all about.
Mom would tell the nativity story, using the pieces to reenact the events. It was simple, and some might think it was cheesy, but I always looked forward to it. In fact, I think I tried to make her keep it up every year, even when I was in high school.
I was kind of devastated the year she made ME take the kids while she stayed in the other room to talk to the grown ups.
I have absolutely no memory of who those kids were, but I know they existed. I also know that it was the end of the tradition. After that, I was grown up and Mom never gathered us up to tell the nativity story again.
I miss it.
What is one of your favorite Christmas traditions? Or Hanukkah, or whatever holiday you celebrate? I would love to hear all about it!
Monday, December 6, 2010
My Mid-Life Crisis Started Early
I was getting ready for a dinner at the church and decided to run a brush through my hair in a vain attempt to tame the gnarled mess that a day in a tangled pony tale had created.
That's when I saw it.
Sticking straight out of my head. Mocking me.
A gray hair.
I've had the random gray hair before, of course. One or two where the pigment has inexplicably drained and left behind a silvery white strand.
This time was different.
There was something so permanent about this one. Probably because I almost immediately found another. And another.
(And another the next morning.)
So, of course, the natural thing to do was to start evaluating where I'm at in life. Starting with my car that was, sadly, on its last tire. There's a bad cylinder, a fairly urgent need to replace some thirteen-year-old hoses, brakes, and, of course, that crack in the windshield. All told, it would have been close to $2000 to do all the work that needed to be done. And that doesn't include the timing belt that will be due for a change in 3 or 4 months.
It's expensive to keep a 13-year-old car running. Especially when you haven't been so great about getting regular oil changes.
And since I was lamenting the unexpected passing of my youth and I couldn't afford to make the necessary repairs to my car, I did the next logical thing.
I bought a new one.
The adventure of actually purchasing the car is one that will wait for another day.
But, for now, I am (mostly) happy to say that I am the proud owner of a brand new 2011 Hyundai Accent.
It had FIVE miles on the odometer when I drove it off the lot.
So, okay. Not exactly a mid-life crisis. Just coincidental timing. But I really haven't stopped thinking about those gray hairs growing out of my head. I just thought I had more time before that whole thing started. I mean, when my mom was 38 she was still getting hit on by teenage boys at Magic Mountain.
(Which is also kind of a funny story.)
I never got hit on by teenage boys, even when I was a teenage girl. And now, it's over. Just like that. I'm not just getting older. I'm aging.
I guess I'll go drown my sorrows in New Car Smell.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Face it! Friday: Week 49
Oops.
Week 49. Who can believe that?
This year has passed entirely too fast and now we're looking 2011 square in the eyes. Bring it on, I say. I'm ready.
I mean, 2010 has actually been pretty awesome. Let's just face it. From life-changing trips to South America to the All-Star Game to meeting some fabulous blog friends in real life. It's gonna be hard for 2011 to beat this. But I sure hope it tries. Because I've had more than a few years of suckage and I'm ready for a few years of amazing.
(In my world, suckage is a word.)
But the year is not over yet and I'm still plugging away, figuring out which goals I still have time for and which might need to be added to next year's list.
Because there WILL be a next year's list. And it's going to be great.
And Jennee and I are going to start sharing more details next week so that you can all get prepared to participate.
This week, I finished another book and started on two more. That means I've got somewhere around 5 that I'm in various stages of trying to finish. I know it's a long way from 30, but I'm still optimistic. I may just go spend an evening with The Nephew and read books with him until he can't stand it anymore.
Hey, I never said they had to be grown up books. Because there are lawyers in my family and I think in loopholes.
I also have new glasses coming my way. They are beautiful and I'd like to thank the taxpayers of California for them. Since my salary and benefits come from the State and all.
So that's where I'm at. I was super excited gung ho about the rock climbing, but then one friend had to go and get herself knocked up and another is in the process of working on that and a third is trying to do that too but is also a big old scaredy cat who never wanted to go rock climbing in the first place.
Yeah. So I guess I need to find some
What have you been working on this week? Any big accomplishments you'd like to share?? Because we REALLY want to hear about them!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)