Repeat

I have several movies that have been watched hundreds of times. Started, then fell asleep to. Watched while studying. Memorized. Most of them I owned on VHS and during my becoming-an-adult years, they were like old friends, helped shape me in that way that characters do when they get in your bones. Maybe that's just the dramatic part of me acting out, but regardless, here's the list of the ones I love and can't live without.

1. As Good As it Gets
2. Sliding Doors
3. Emma
4. Shakespeare in Love
5. Clueless
6. Fifth Element
7. Marie Antoinette
8. Little Women
9. Sabrina
10. Ever After
11. Far and Away
12. Runaway Bride
13. Gone with the Wind
14. First Knight
15. My Best Friend's Wedding
16. You've Got Mail
17. Practical Magic
18. Sleepless in Seattle
19. Hanging Up
20. The Thomas Crown Affair

Watched While Ill

So sickly.

Stayed home from work.

In delirium, watched two of my favorite movies in hopes of soothing my ravaged head.

Emma.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

"How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!

The world forgetting, by the world forgot.

Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!

Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd"

Grumpy Gills

SO.
I started my period yesterday and it turned me into a mean monster.

Usually my time of the month comes and goes with nothing more than a slight disruptance in my love life. I tend to be tired and a generic cloud of ennui follows me around. But I have noticed that when I'm not eating much and exercising hard (like I am now), the hormonal changes seem to effect me more.

The morning started out with cramps but I managed to do my hour of cardio okay. Oh but wait -- mid-workout I had to make an emergency trip to the bathroom because I had begun menstruating which jumpstarted a day filled with things that annoyed me.

• the movie theatre was cold
• my husband kept getting up to pee during the movie -- a record THREE times
• I didn't/shouldn't/couldn't get fries at In N Out
• Target no longer carries the pet carpet cleaner I like
• I was hungry all day
• when we laid down to take a nap, the puppy kept making a throw up noise
• which made me have to take the puppy outside but not before she threw up on the carpet
• and I have no good pet carpet cleaner (see item four)
• friends came over for the basketball finals ... enough said
• friends brought over red wine which I don't like
• on period and couldn't have sex
• didn't sleep well; had a crick in my neck

And now it's morning. I'm at work. I'm feeling better. But man oh man. Yesterday was one of those days when I should have just quarantined myself away from all humans and read a book. I hated everything and everything pissed me off. Thank all the gods my husband is understanding and has a sense of humor. Before our nap he told the puppy: "you and mom have one thing in common: you're both bitches."

And I actually laughed a little before I rolled my eyes and kept being one.

Sometimes it's therapeutic to be a bitch.

Image

Movies to Rent

I'm feeling like staying on the couch and renting all those movies not deemed "worthy" of the price of a movie ticket. I've accrued quite a list because I've been watching all the GOOD movies in the theatre, like 'The Fighter' and 'True Grit.' So now it's time to give the B-list movies a viewing. Hopefully I end up finding one that I absolutely love.

I heard this was fantastic but my husband would never agree to go.

Ditto.

It looks funny/touching in a couch-potato sort of way.

Possibly hilarious, like "Drop Dead Gorgeous."

Kept meaning to see this but never made it.

I like to rent Angelina Jolie movies.

This is going to be hilarious or stupid.

I am obsessed with Rachel McAdams!

What is not to love? Ferrell and Pitt?

I read this book a couple years ago.
Also, I have to indulge my love/hate relationship with Keira Knightley.

Any other suggestions out there?

24/7

I don't know how I survived the week.
In addition to tackling new projects at work --
Monday: Bought a new car.
Tuesday: Signed the lease for our new house.
Wednesday: Ballet -- last day in the "baby" class.
Thursday: Attend Advanced Class, then go to dinner with Caitlin and Cam.
Friday: Advanced class again, this time with pointe. Then dinner and Iron Man 2, followed by an after party that lasts until 5AM.

I was awake for 24 hours. I haven't done that for a very long time.
Now it's time to tackle the hated mountain of laundry.

Rachel Getting Married

Whilst bedridden, I watched Rachel Getting Married again.

It left me pondering and full of feeling ... feeling sad yet hopeful.

And in awe at the beautiful disaster that is life.

My favorite part? The groom's serenade vow.

The groom is mostly silent the entire film, despite the yelling and crying from everyone else.

A pillar in the storm.

And when everything has come to a head and nothing is resolved and life moves on ...

He sings:

She used to work in a diner

Never saw a woman look finer

I used to order just to watch her float across the floor

She grew up in a small town

Never put her roots down

Daddy always kept movin', so she did too

Somewhere on a desert highway

She rides a Harley-Davidson

Her long blonde hair flyin' in the wind

She's been runnin' half her life

The chrome and steel she rides

Collidin' with the very air she breathes

The air she breathes

His voice carries over the wedding guests.

Not loud, not even "good"

But that makes it better for some reason, truer somehow.

And that moment in the movie makes me feel all the power of life --

including love and hate and mistakes and regrets and perfect happiness.

All at once.

Because that's how life happens:

All at once.

Curious Indeed

I have now seen 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.' And I can sum up the movie in a few words: (don't worry, I won't give anything away) Brad Pitt is good. Cate Blanchett is better. The beginning feels long. The end is beautiful.

I think it's worth it to go see, despite the length. The message (or theme or lesson or whatever you want to call it) of the film seems to be that love is an experience worth having, regardless of the end, regardless of pain, regardless of circumstance, regardless of selfishness. In order to have a full and happy life, we need to open up to new experiences and new people so that we can learn more about ourselves and die, if not necessarily "happy," at least content that we lived life and loved many.

Quick - To the Movies!

This is a great time of year because lots and lots of fantastic movies enter the scene in hopes of winning an Oscar. I totally love the Oscars and I love to see as many of the nominated movies as possible. Of course, at this point, we don't know exactly who/which will make the cut - but we can get a pretty good idea. Here's what's on my list:

• Revolutionary Road
• The Reader
• Milk
• Gran Turino
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Rachel Getting Married
• Slumdog Millionaire
• Doubt

And just for fun, I also want to see these:

• Yes Man
• Madagascar Escape 2 Africa
• He's Just Not That Into You

So, yes, I'll be a bit busy over the next couple of months with film-going and then Oscar-watching. Eee! I can't wait.

8s Tag

Okay, I normally hate this tag bullshit. But I'm bored and this should be quick and painless. Also, this "8s Tag" only had 6 topics. What the fuck? I added 2 more. If you already did your 8 but it was actually only 6 - you better do the 2 I added.

8 Fears

1. Scary movies
2. Spiders
3. Mirrors in a dark room
4. Tom's death
5. Nightmares you can't wake up from
6. Vacuuming while home alone
7. Childbirth
8. Falling from a great height

8 Favorite Movies

1. Pulp Fiction
2. Fight Club
3. Marie Antoinette
4. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
5. Closer
6. Moulin Rouge
7. Lost in Translation
8. Clue

8 Pet Peeves

1. Women with mustaches
2. Panty lines
3. Nose breathers
4. Dirty fingernails
5. Bad dye jobs
6. Ear and nose hair
7. Pit stains
8. Crumbs on the counter

8 Favorite TV Shows

1. Friends (duh)
2. Sex and the City (duh, again)
3. Bones
4. Battlestar Galactica
5. Damages
6. Pushing Daisies
7. Entourage
8. The Closer

8 Favorite Restaurants

1. Mimi's Cafe
2. Mee Kong Cafe
3. Olive Garden
4. Happy Sumo
5. Rumbi
6. Taco Time
7. Cafe Rio
8. Rubio's

8 Things That Happened Yesterday

1. I took a shower
2. I went to work
3. I was bored
4. I packed a pot pie for Tom's lunch
5. I had a meeting
6. I was paid overtime
7. I walked
8. Kenley called me

8 Things to Look Forward to

1. Being thin
2. Moving into the new apartment
3. Finishing projects (like quilts and blankets and scarves)
4. New season of 'Damages'
5. Buying furniture
6. Writing
7. Thanksgiving
8. Christmas

8 Things On My Wish List

1. World travel
2. Education
3. Fulfillment
4. A Wii
5. Continued health
6. A pet
7. End hunger
8. World peace

Done.

Ruggedly Good

Saw the new James Bond movie. Daniel Craig does not disappoint either with his acting nor with his appearance. I grew up with the Brosnan version of Bond, and I thought he was great. But that was until Daniel Craig entered my life. I know that some people out there do not think he is a good Bond - he's too this or too that.

These people are wrong.

Daniel Craig is tough - the toughest James Bond ever. He has no wimpiness whatsoever. And his face is ruggedly handsome, like he's so good looking he doesn't ever have to try and even if the lack of trying makes him a little uglier, it doesn't matter because it actually makes him sexier. Weird how that works, huh? It's really sexy how he throws his body around and just punches people and kills them without caring. None of that "shaken, not stirred" nonsense, just drinking, shooting, killing, and looking damn good. That's the real James Bond. And I love him.

The Duchess

Having been left to my own devices (Tom had to go into work at the last minute) and not wanting to be stuck in the house with food and all the problems that could bring about, I decided to drop Tom off at work and then go see a movie.

What movie?

"The Duchess"

Now, I hate Keira Knightley - well, I hate her enormous jaw and occasional underbite. But I love Ralph Fiennes and I hear that she can sometimes be an exceptional actress and the movie seems to have been custom made for the demographic of me. I love that time period in Europe - Marie Antoinette (with whom the Duchess of Devonshire was good friends) and beheadings and political upheaval among the classes and fashion and excess - OH! It is just such great stuff.

And, of course, the movie did not disappoint. I was completely mesmerized for the entire film. I bought the book on the way to pick Tom up from work. Happy day.

A La Garden

This is a very yummy time of year. Vegetable and fruit stands are popping up along city streets and everyone's gardens are yielding delicious foods. In particular, tomatoes.

Nothing compares to the tastiness of a freshly picked tomato. Whether they are warm or cold, with salt and pepper or in a dish. They are one of the only vegetables that CAN NOT be matched at the grocery store. Even the "on the vine" variety available for purchase do not come close to home grown goodness. The flesh is soft and tartly sweet; the seeds are salty and savory. And when the tomato is added to soups, salads, and sandwiches, whatever soup/salad/sandwich is taken to another level of scrumptiousness. I enjoy nothing more than slicing a tomato in half to salt and pepper it - then bite in and suck out the juices.

This is also the only time of year when you can get green tomatoes. Ah, the green tomato. Breaded and fried and then dipped in fry sauce. A fantastic summer treat that tastes like nothing else. If you've never had a fried green tomato, I recommend eating one this summer, watching the movie, or reading the book...or all 3!

Now, I don't have a garden, so I have to bum this fresh stuff from friends and family. Today my mom gave me 13 tomatoes, ready for eating, and then my friend brought me in 3 more at work. What luck! I'm sure my mom's garden will be giving me several more before the winter freeze and I will be love-ing every tomato (red or green) from it.

I'm a Nerd

Everyone has certain things that they do that they don't want anyone else to know that they do. Does that make sense? For example: some of you out there may watch an excessive amount of E! Television (I know I do) or you may read a lot of romance novels (I do not). Lately I've been doing something even my husband gives me a hard time about. As soon as I begin he calls me a "nerd" and makes jokes like "you're starting to smell..." or "you're losing your social skills" and so on. It's funny, and all in good humour, but it is true that I'm a little embarassed.

I'm reading a graphic novel. For those of you who think I'm talking about a dirty book - let me enlighten you to the nerdier side of life with this link. However, in my defense, the graphic novel I'm reading is 'Watchmen.' The only graphic novel to win the Hugo Award and the only graphic novel to appear on Time's list of "100 Best English-Language Novels."

How did I come across this gem? Simple - they are making it into a movie, due to come out 03/06/09, which (nerd alert) someone pointed out to me are the other numbers on the clock besides 12. Cool. And after seeing the preview I wanted to know more about it. A friend lent me the novel and BOOM - I am become nerd. But it's okay because I love the story, so much that I'm overlooking the stereotype and just indulging in this interesting genre.

Oh, ABBA

Who can deny the fabulosity that is ABBA? No one.

When I first started hearing about "Mamma Mia!" (exclamation point built into the title) I was instantly interested because of my intense love of ABBA. However, I never saw the Broadway version, so imagine my excitement when Hollywood made the musical into a movie. My "mamma" and I went to see it today - it was great great great!!!

The following songs made it into the movie; lots of classics and even some B sides. You can preview the soundtrack here. If you don't know these songs, please go out and buy an ABBA CD immediately or go see the movie or you could watch "Muriel's Wedding," as you are missing out on something fantastic.

• Honey, Honey
• Money, Money, Money
• Mamma Mia
• Dancing Queen
• Chiquitita
• Our Last Summer
• Lay All Your Love On Me
• Super Trouper
• Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
• The Name of the Game
• Voulez-Vous
• SOS
• Does Your Mother Know
• Slipping Through My Fingers
• The Winner Takes It All
• When All is Said and Done
• Take a Chance on Me
• I Have a Dream
• Thank You for the Music

No, ABBA, thank YOU for the music.

Cinema

Tom and I love going to the movies. And we show that love by going...a lot. Obviously, we've been in China, and away from American movies. We've been missing them...

So tonight we went to see "The Dark Knight" and it did not disappoint. If anything, it took the breath away. It is incredibly dark (as the title suggests) and incredibly sad. Its sadness comes from two places; the fictional drama, and the reality of Heath Ledger's permanent absence. However, despite the unhappy material, the movie is fantastic. Fantastic performances all around - in particular, Ledger (duh). Fantastic story line, as well as character development.

I'm sorry this post is a lot of blah blah about the movie, but it's SO exciting to watch a movie again! And the movie was so damn great!

I recommend it - and that's not just China talking.

Robot Love

Friends, I just saw "WALL-E."

And I am here to tell you that it is fantastic.

I am in love with him.

I didn't care too much for EVE.

She was sort of a bitch throughout most of the movie.

WALL-E can be my boyfriend.