Monday, December 26, 2011

Merry Christmas!

Hopefully this slideshow will work, unlike my first attempts at the Halloween one! :) I hope you enjoy these random pictures I collected from the Internet. Merry Christmas!

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Halloween slideshow is working!

Ha! I didn't do anything but the Halloween slideshow below is now working! Must have been a Picasa/Google problem.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

From Pennsylvania to South Carolina: A Puppy's Ride on Top of a Train

by Caroline Golon, http://www.halopets.com/freekibble/donation31.php

As Tina Parker of Pickens, S.C. rode home with her family one Sunday night, the last thing she expected to see when she looked out the window was a small dog – on top of a moving train!

Parker, a life long animal lover, said to her husband, “There’s a puppy on top of that train! Give me your phone!”

After dialing 911 and explaining the situation, Parker says initially the operator thought she was kidding. “A dog?” she said. “Yes! A dog!” Parker exclaimed.

Although skeptical that the message would get to the train’s operators in time to save the puppy, the family followed the train six miles to Liberty, S.C. where Parker says, “Lo and behold, the train stopped!” She was surprised by how gently the conductor stopped the train, presumably to keep the tiny dog from falling off.

Parker later learned that the train company, Norfolk Southern, had ordered its other trains in the area to slow down to a crawl during the rescue and to refrain from blowing their typical “approach” whistle so they wouldn’t scare the puppy.

The Liberty Fire Department arrived on the scene to rescue the dog – a challenging feat due to a steep embankment down to the tracks. But the team of firefighters was able to maneuver a 24-foot ladder down the hill and up against the train.

Tina Parker and her son cuddle BoxieStanding on the bridge above the tracks, Parker watched firefighter Derek Sargeant climb to the top of the car, get on his hands and knees and talk to the little puppy. “Then he scooped her up and put her inside his jacket,” Parker recalls.

Parker says, “After the firefighter climbed back up the hill, he said to me, ‘Are you keeping this dog?’ I said, ‘Yes Sir, I am!’ He said, ‘Good!’ and reached into his coat and handed her to me. She was shaking like a leaf.”

Parker took the dehydrated, cold and scared puppy home to care for her.

The Parkers adopted the three-month-old puppy and named her Boxcar Hunter (Boxie for short) in honor of her harrowing adventure.

Officials say the train, going about 50 mph, had traveled from Pennsylvania en route to Atlanta. No one knows how Boxie found herself on top of the train.

Parker says Boxie has easily adjusted to her new surroundings. Parker’s two Shih Tzu’s, Champ and Addy, have welcomed Boxie to the family and, Parker laughs, “Now all three of them sit on my lap together. She’s completely made herself at home!”

Monday, October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween!

I apologize. The slideshow was here last night when I posted! Let me try again...



I'm not sure what's going on. The code is copied in but the slideshow is a blank spot. I've never had this problem before.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

It's Coming!



Coming in December

Friday, October 28, 2011

Italian Greyhound in slow motion

I was watching animal videos this week after one really sucky day. This cuts to a picture of a lake at the end, so you can stop watching there, but I thought the slo-mo of the dogs running was really interesting, especially how the greyhound kept out-maneuvering the others.

CUTE!

Friday, September 30, 2011

Picture of my nose piercing

Some people have asked to see a picture of my nose ring, so I took this.



Click on the picture to see a bigger picture.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Vote on your favorite duct tape quilt!


The teens at my branch and four other branches created squares to go into a duct tape quilt for each branch. The competition is on, so visit the site and vote! :)

Friday, September 2, 2011

Exercising

What I have discovered about exercise and me:

1. I seem to like cardio that is not too fast-stepping or complicated, and involves some use of weights. My favorite one is The Firm workout with Janet Jones, even though I hate her.

2. I like doing a half hour where I really sweat and feel that I've done something rather than a longer workout where I don't feel like I've gotten as much done. I guess that seems logical. :)

3. I do like exercising with Richard Simmons Sweatin' to the Oldies 2, 3 and 4. He's so darned cute and I don't care what anyone else says or that Becky made fun of me when she brought me my hold.

4. If I don't exercise every day, I don't want to do it the day after no exercise. The same happens on the two nights when I get home late and can only do 10-15 minutes instead of a half hour. If I don't do a half hour a day, apparently, I lose my happy exercise endorphins and become lethargic.

5. I must keep water next to me. Otherwise I have to stop during the routine and go get water. I don't know why I continue to forget this.

6. I need new gymshoes. I have new gymshoes but the left foot is apparently smaller than the right and the shoe scoots around on my foot and rubs my Achilles tendon. I have the same experience with my old shoes. Maybe I should just cut off the rise at the back of the shoe.

7. I have a favorite workout outfit. If I don't get to wear it because it's in the laundry, I don't enjoy my workout as much. I'm thinking of going back to where I got the tank top at the beginning of the summer to see if they still have any left. I should do it fast. They'll probably have winter coats out after Labor Day.

8. Hard wood floors are very cool to lay on after a workout.


Overall, I have been enjoying it. My weight has not changed yet, but I think that's because I've been losing fat and gaining muscle. So far I have lost an inch in my chest, inch in my waist, inch in my hip, and inch in my upper thigh, and a half inch in my upper arm. Pretty cool! :)

Monday, August 29, 2011

Sweet Husband

Kevin decided to bake a cake for me for my birthday. He made a comment about just throwing some icing on so I told him he had to decorate it. He went online and researched how to mix colors, watched a video on how to make frosting flowers, and created these two cakes:





He earned major hubby points. :) So cute!

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Nose Piercing!

I have a yea and a nay for two local nose piercing places. Yes, I got my nose pierced. :) Here's the story.

Friday night after work, Chelle came over and we exercised and cleaned up and went to Grade A Tattoo to get my nose pierced for my birthday. Chelle had narrowed it down to three different places. I think we were both leaning toward Cardinal but they closed at 8 and of course I was impatient so we went to Grade A Tattoos.

DO NOT GO TO GRADE A TATTOOS!!!!!!!!

I had called them and spoken to someone about getting a piercing before. I specifically asked if they had any small sparkly studs. Here is how I phrased it: "I want something that is teeny weeny itsy bitsy so that when you're wearing it people will occasionally get a flash from it and wonder, does she have her nose pierced?" And they said yes. So we went there.

I know this will sound entirely crazy, which is why I did not say it to Chelle when we got there, but they had a Pepsi machine in the foyer and I wanted to turn around and leave. Seriously. I made a comment jokingly about it, but it really did kind of give me a chill. Kevin says I should always follow my instincts. :)

I'm having a difficult time describing the inside. Like worn down or dirty, but not dirty. Kind of bare. Like a single guy's apartment - no real furniture, white walls, kind of grungy feel to it, etc. The staff were hanging around talking and we told one of the guys what we wanted. He took us into a room and started getting the equipment ready. I asked if I could see the jewelry because it seemed like he was just going to put it in my nose without me having a chance to look at it. It looked kind of large to me but he said that was the smallest they were made. I told him I had seen them smaller and he said that Grade A did not sell a smaller size and he would not recommend getting a smaller size because it could slip back through your nose. But it certainly was not the itsy bitsy jewel I had specifically asked about before.

He used betadine and alcohol to wash my nose, then stuck this giant cork in my nostril. I asked him to just tell me when he was going to pierce it and he said he'd give me a countdown, but then he just shoved the needle through my nose anyway. I hate it when people do that, like a doctor or anyone. It's so disrespectful. I made a request so I could be better prepared and brace myself. Because he surprised me I kind of cringed away and then I think he had a harder time doing the piercing.

Plus it hurt like crazy. :)

The guy gave me a half sheet of paper that said to use 1/8 tsp of sea salt in warm water to soak my nose ring and to use antibacterial soap to wash it. But he did not elaborate or give any explanations. We paid and left.

I was giddy throughout the process because of nerves and silliness, and the whole process only took about 5 minutes. Both Chelle and I expected it to take longer for some reason. We went to Cheddar's for dinner and along the way I felt my nose start to bleed. When we got there I went into the bathroom and my nose had been bleeding, so I got cleaned up.

I noticed that when I pressed against the side of my nose, it felt like the post was poking into my septum. I went outside (you can't hear anything in Cheddar's - I never noticed before - they even have music pumped into their parking lot)and called Grade A and told him about the poking and he told me that was just the feeling of the new nose ring. I told him it was a different feeling than that and he told me to spin the post until it felt comfortable inside.

Chelle and I had a fun dinner and then went back home. I went to check my ring in the mirror and noticed that when I twisted it into a position where it felt comfortable in my nose, the end of it was poking out, totally visible. I decided I was going to go back the next day and have them fix it.

Overnight I thought about it and the next day I decided not to go back to Grade A. Instead, I went to Cardinal. The entire atmosphere was different. Their business had hard wood floors done to a high polish, very clean, with a nice waiting area. Their jewelry options were in a display case, along with their business card. The room was done in black and red and looked very classy. There was original art on the walls, along with their tattoo art.

One of the guys - Matt - came up to help me and I asked him if I could see the jewelry and if he had anything smaller than what was in my nose already. He showed me the jewelry and guessed what I had was a 2 mm and what he had was 1.5, so it was a little smaller but not by a huge amount. He gave me the prices. I told him I had had my nose pierced the night before at a different place and asked how much he would charge to put the smaller piece of jewelry in. He said just the charge of the jewelry.

Matt said he could absolutely put in the new piece of jewelry then but he recommended I wait because the nose was already irritated from the first piercing and it was possible the hole would shut when he took out the jewelry and he might have to pierce it again, or it could be difficult to get it in because everyone pierces differently. I told him I would prefer to have it done again right then because I wanted to have the jewelry I really wanted rather than the larger stone.

We went into the piercing room and he started unpackaging the equipment. I was asking him questions about what all he was doing and he was very patient and responsive, showing me individual items and explaining what they were used for. One of the pieces he had on the little tray was a small cork, about half the size of the one the guy at Grade A used. I asked if he had had to pierce the nose again, would he have inserted that into my nose and he said he did not use it that way. He showed me a tube he normally would use. He said when you use a cork you pierce through the nose and into the cork, which stops the flow, then start to push the needle through again. If you use the tube, you can do it in one smooth motion.

Matt checked out my piercing and said he believed he knew why it was uncomfortable for me. He said the person who had twisted the post had done it for the right nostril instead of the left. You twist the post in a different direction, apparently. He then said it was not necessarily wrong, that everyone had a different way of doing things and there was no real right or wrong way. (Indiana does not have a licensing process or requirements of tattoo places or piercing places.) But he said he would not have done it that way.

The insertion of the new ring was kind of painful but not like the original piercing. He was trying to be as careful as he could. He gave me my old jewelry in a little baggie when he was done.

At some point I asked him about how to clean it. He asked if the man who had done it the night before had explained it to me and I said no, he just gave me the paper. So Matt explained that you put 1/8 tsp of sea salt in warm water and soak a cotton ball and press it to the inside and outside of my nose for 10 minutes, changing cotton balls when they cooled. He also asked if the guy had explained the antibacterial soap wash and I said no, so Matt told me to lather up my hands really good and wash around the piercing, being sure to move the jewelry back and forth, and doing the same when I rinsed to get all the soap out.

Matt was super nice and helpful and patient with me and I never felt rushed or patronized. He gave me one of his business cards when he was done and also wished me a happy birthday. It was such a completely different experience than the night before and I have to highly recommend Cardinal to anyone who is interested in getting a piercing. They're located on Spy Run and Elizabeth, where the old eyeglass place used to be.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part 2

Well, we went to the midnight opening of the movie, in IMAX 3D. The theatre was packed and half the crowd was in costume. The theatre did trivia (doors opened at 8pm, so they had to keep the people happy until midnight) and gave away little prizes and had a demo of a Kinect Harry Potter game. That was pretty funny because the audience was watching and cheering on the player, telling them to go left or look out, etc.

We'd brought the book with us because I never did get Kevin to finish listening to it on CD with me, and so he had only gotten up to the part where Harry goes back in Snape's memories. So he was reading while we waited and I was text messaging friends about seeing Darth Vader in the hallway taking out a Death Eater with his light sabre. Pretty fun.

My first impression of the movie was that it was good but I was disappointed it didn't follow the book more closely. I also had trouble with the IMAX making me feel sick to my stomach and I couldn't watch the trip through Gringott's because it was making me queasy. I obviously won't be able to attend movies of the future unless I take a Dramamine first.

Anyway, our audience was wonderful. They were cheering McGonagall, Neville, Ron, Hermione, Harry, Neville again, Molly, etc. They were laughing and crying. We clapped at the end and several people stayed to watch the end credits, which I was disappointed in - the credits for Goblet of Fire were so cool and for the last movie in a series, they should have gone a little more out to make something interesting and memorable. I was also disappointed that at the very end of the credits they did not refrain the original Harry Potter theme from the first movie. That would have wrapped it up nicely. And I always feel a movie properly ends when the last thing you see is the title of the movie. I also hate it when the music is still going but the credits have ended, which is what happened here. But hardly anyone stays to see the credits so I'm probably the only person who cares. :)

I saw it again today with my mom in the regular theatre (which was just as good viewing as IMAX 3D, so save your money if you were planning to see it that way). This time I was able to get more into the movie and not worry so much about how it compared to the book. There were a couple of times where I got teary-eyed, and so did Mom.

I also have to say that in the book, I hated the epilogue. I thought it was pretty cheesy, to be honest. But I thought the movie did an excellent job with it. I thought they could have made the women a bit older looking - it'll be interesting to compare them to their "older" selves when the actors are actually in their mid 30s. :) Loved the potbellies on Ron and Draco, loved how all the "parents" were hugging their kids and looking on them with sadness and affection as they boarded the train.

The whole experience of Harry Potter amazes me. I doubt I'll see another phenomenon like it in my lifetime, really. 7 books, 8 movies, all the merchandising, a theme park, websites dedicated to the actors and characters, big parties being thrown at book stores and libraries for the releases of the books... It really put YA lit in the spotlight and revived interest in reading. Just wonderful and powerful for so many people. Great stuff. I'm gonna miss all of it!

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Movie to Avoid

Kevin and I watched The American, starring George Clooney, this weekend. What a snoozefest! This movie is an hour and 40 minutes of nothing happening and about 5 minutes of people shooting one another, and that five minutes is spread throughout the movie. We both had trouble staying awake, and I eventually started reading a book. Kevin, for some crazy reason, wanted to finish watching the movie. I think to see if anything was ever going to happen. Which it didn't. I had told Kevin that if I remembered correctly, the movie got mixed reviews. At the end of the movie he said, "I don't see how it could have gotten mixed reviews! That was terrible!"

For a better George Clooney movie, rent Out of Sight with George and Jennifer Lopez. Sexy and fun. And stuff actually happens.

Friday, July 1, 2011

Killer Queen by a One Man Band

I hate stupid commercial-before-video crap, but get through the commercial because the video is very cool. Kevin sent it to me and I love it!

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Hunger Games movie updates!

I am so very excited about the casting for the Hunger Games. It looks awesome!

Katniss - Oscar-nominated Jennifer Lawrence
Effie - Elizabeth Banks
Haymitch - Woody Harrelson
Caesar - Stanley Tucci
President Snow - Donald Sutherland
Cinna - Lenny Kravitz

I can't wait to see Woody Harrelson as Haymitch!!!!! And Donald Sutherland is going to make one creepy president.

I also just saw that Danny Elfman has beens igned on to do the music, along with T-Bone Burnett. Danny Elfman has done the music for Beetlejuice, Big Fish, Good Will Hunting, Men in Black, Milk, and The Nightmare Before Christmas, among others. T-Bone Burnetthas won a bunch of Grammies and his film work includes composing for films such as Crazy Heart and Walk the Line, and producing soundtracks for O Brother, Where Art Thou? and Across the Universe. He has an Academy Award for the song "The Weary Kind" from Crazy Heart.

Among other movies, the following have done:
Judianna Makovsky - costume design - X-Men: The Last Stand, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Seabiscuit, and Pleasantville.
Larry Dias - set decoration - Inception, The Village, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, and Transformers.
Tom Stern - cinematography for Gran Torino, Letters from Iwo Jima, and Mystic River.
Ve Neill - makeup department head - Pirates of the Caribbean, Amistad, and Edward Scissorhands.

So it seems the movie is in pretty capable hands all the way around.

Supposed to come out in March, 2012!!!!!

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Ultimate Dog Tease

Thanks to Becky D for forwarding this on to me. Cute.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Toothpick San Francisco

Thanks to Jon for showing me this video!

Monday, April 18, 2011

Harry Potter scene preview

Thanks to Melissa for sending this to me! It has a brief scene from the opening of the second half of the last movie, as well as some other preview snippets.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Monday, February 21, 2011

The Conqueror conquers another heart

Kevin and I watched the most amazing movie this weekend. Truly a classic, it has quickly become one of my all-time favorites. The movie? The Conqueror, starring John Wayne as... wait for it... Genghis Khan, and Susan Hayward as his Tartar bride.

The make-up! Never have I seen so convincing a turning of a white man into an Asian. The costumes! Authentic to the thread! I didn't know they had pink chiffon and sequins in Mongolia.



But the eye is not the only sensory organ so stimulated by this epic. The ears are joyously fulfilled by the smooth handling of the script. The lines simply roll from John Wayne's tongue like ... like... gumballs from a gumball machine, if the gumball machine had some sort of defect in construction. (I was never good with similies.)



And the script - those writers must have been awfully proud. I imagine they wrote home to their mothers as soon as the ink was dry on the page.



Need I mention the acting, with such big names as John Wayne, Susan Hayward, and Agnes Moorhead? If you thought John Wayne was good as a cowboy, you should see him portraying a Mongolian warrior cowboy - I mean, a Mongolian warrior! And Susan hayward as the Tartar princess - simply ravishing in all those white, glittery evening gowns, and the range of emotion expressed in her delicate features is simply spellbinding. (Honey, I think she's angry... or constipated... or in love? I can't tell, what do you think?)



If you have never seen this movie, you really must go rent it. Your life will be empty and meaningless unless you do!

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Annoying Songs Deux

I have had Alanis Morisette's song Ironic rumbling in my head for a few weeks now, and it wants to drive me insane.

I know there was a discussion about this when the song first came out, but I feel the need to rehash it because it's making me crazy.

An old man, turned 98
He won the lottery, and died the next day


Maybe ironic if he'd always talked about winning the lottery and doing things with the money afterward. Otherwise I just don't see the irony of it. In order for there to be irony, you have to create a story to go with it.

It's a black fly in your chardonnay

No. I just think it sucks. Unless the irony is that a black fly is of a lower class than, say, a tsetse fly, and maybe the guy next to you is having a Coke and the tsetse fly landed there instead of your upper crusty chardonnay.

It's a death row pardon, two minutes too late

Okay, that one's kind of ironic.

It's like rain, on your wedding day

Not ironic. Unless maybe you had planned for a rainy wedding day and then decided at the last minute it wouldn't rain and threw away all your raincoats and umbrellas?

It's a free ride, when you've already paid

Maybe ironic. Again, I feel the need to create back-story to make it definite.

It's the good advice, that you just didn't take

Your own dumb fault. Not ironic.

Mr. Play-It-Safe, was afraid to fly
He packed his suitcase, and kissed his kids goodbye
He waited his whole damn life, to take that flight
And as the plane crashed down he thought, "Well isn't this nice?"


Mayyyyybe ironic. Did they discuss the safety record of this particular airplane or captain before they got on board?

A traffic jam, when you're already late

How is that ironic? I think it would be more ironic if you rushed to work so you wouldn't be late for your meeting with the boss and the boss was late. Maybe that would be ironic, if you were always running late and your boss was always early.

A "No smoking" sign, on your cigarette break

What kind of establishment do you work at that thinks it's funny to give you a smoking break and then say you can't smoke? Not ironic, just kind of twisted.

It's like ten thousand spoons, when all you need is a knife

Why on earth are there 10,000 spoons? Are you in the spoon museum? If so, why did you expect to find a knife there?

It's meeting the man of my dreams, and then meeting his beautiful wife

Not ironic. Majorly bad timing on your part, though.

I think Alanis just has no idea what irony is.

Ask.com has a great example of irony:

* I have no doubt your theatrical performance will receive the praise it so richly deserves.

Such a statement is meant to both flatter and insult the recipient at the same time, because the intended recipient infers the statement to be a compliment, whereas everyone else in the room understands the underlying insult hidden within the statement.


Circumstantial irony - I think what Alanis was going for:

Irony can appear in other forms. It can be circumstantial or accidental. For example:

* An ambulance driver rushes to the scene of an accident, only to run the victim over, because the victim crawled into the middle of the street in the darkness of night.


What do you think? Any ironic moments you can share?

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Annoying Songs

I heard this song on the radio this morning and it started to annoy me. First of all, I dislike it because the local stations always put in their own words in the part where the radio announcer comes on and for some reason that drives me nuts. Second of all, what does it all mean?


Say you don't know me, or recognize my face
Say you don't care who goes to that kind of place
Knee deep in the hoopla, sinking in your fight
Too many runaways eating up the night


Wha? Are those lines related to one another at all? What kind of place? How do you sink in your fight? And exactly what does hoopla smell like?

Someone always playing corporation games
Who cares they're always changing corporation names
We just want to dance here, someone stole the stage
They call us irresponsible, write us off the page


Did the corporations steal the stage? Is that why we're called irresponsible?

It's just another Sunday, in a tired old street
Police have got the choke hold, ohhhhh and we just lost the beat


I don't get it! Is this hippie nonsense? Too many drugs back in their heyday?

Then repeat this about a hundred times:
We built this city, we built this city on rock and roll

What does it all mean? Is it just me? What song lyrics make no sense to you?

I'll have another annoying song to discuss in a few days. :)

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Spay Day Online Pet Photo Contest

The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society International are currently hosting the Spay Day Online Pet Photo Contest. To enter the contest, just go to the website and upload a photo. You can also upload a photo memorial of a pet who is no longer with you.

To vote, you need to donate at least $1. More info on that here.

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Favorite commercials update

Last month I posted to find out what some of your favorite commercials are. Here were the ones you mentioned.

Matt's vote for favorite commercial:



Mom's vote:



Mom's second vote:



Mom's all-time favorite:


Yeah, that one's pretty cool.

I'm having trouble thinking of some of my old favorites. I know I've had many. Do you remember any from a few years ago that stuck in your mind?

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Oscars - The Final Two

The last two - Directing and Best Picture!

Directing

* “Black Swan” Darren Aronofsky
(see trailer under best actress)

* “The Fighter” David O. Russell
(see trailer under best supporting actor)

* “The King's Speech” Tom Hooper
(see trailer under best actor)

* “The Social Network” David Fincher
(see trailer under best actor)

* “True Grit” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
(see trailer under best actor)


Best Picture

* “Black Swan” Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers
(see trailer under best actress)

* “The Fighter” David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers
(see trailer under best actor)

* “Inception” Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers
(see trailer under art direction)

* “The Kids Are All Right” Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers
(see trailer under best actress)

* “The King's Speech” Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers
(see trailer under best actor)

* “127 Hours” Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers
(see trailer under best actor)

* “The Social Network” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
(see trailer under best actor)

* “Toy Story 3” Darla K. Anderson, Producer
(see trailer under best animated feature film)

* “True Grit” Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
(see trailer under best actor)

* “Winter's Bone" Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers
(see trailer under best actress)

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Oscars, Huit

The next of our nominees are Film Editing, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Visual Effects! Don't forget to send me your votes!


Film Editing

* “Black Swan” Andrew Weisblum
(see trailer under best actress)

* “The Fighter” Pamela Martin
(see trailer under best supporting actor)

* “The King's Speech” Tariq Anwar
(see trailer under best actor)

* “127 Hours” Jon Harris
(see trailer under best actor)

* “The Social Network” Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter
(see trailer under best actor)


Visual Effects

* “Alice in Wonderland” Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips
(see trailer under art direction)

* “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi
(see trailer under art direction)

* “Hereafter” Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojanski and Joe Farrell


* “Inception” Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb
(see trailer under art direction)

* “Iron Man 2” Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick



Sound Editing

* “Inception” Richard King
(see trailer under art direction)

* “Toy Story 3” Tom Myers and Michael Silvers
(see trailer under best animated feature film)

* “Tron: Legacy” Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague



* “True Grit” Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey
(see trailer under best actor)

* “Unstoppable” Mark P. Stoeckinger



Sound Mixing

* “Inception” Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo and Ed Novick
(see trailer under art direction))

* “The King's Speech” Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen and John Midgley
(see trailer under best actor)

* “Salt” Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan and William Sarokin


* “The Social Network” Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick and Mark Weingarten
(see trailer under best actor)

* “True Grit” Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter F. Kurland
(see trailer under best actor)

Monday, February 7, 2011

Oscars, Lucky Seven

Today we see the nominees for Short Film Animated and Short Film Live Action.

Short Film (Animated)

* “Day & Night” Teddy Newton


* “The Gruffalo” Jakob Schuh and Max Lang


* “Let's Pollute” Geefwee Boedoe
(video not found)

* “The Lost Thing” Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann


* “Madagascar, carnet de voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary)” Bastien Dubois



Short Film (Live Action)

* “The Confession” Tanel Toom
(video not found)

* “The Crush” Michael Creagh
(video not found)

* “God of Love” Luke Matheny
(video not found)

* “Na Wewe” Ivan Goldschmidt
(video not found)

* “Wish 143” Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite
(video not found)

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Oscars 6

Today are the Documentary feature Film and Documentary Short Film.


Documentary (Feature)

* “Exit through the Gift Shop” Banksy and Jaimie D'Cruz


* “Gasland” Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic


* “Inside Job” Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs


* “Restrepo” Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger


* “Waste Land” Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley



Documentary (Short Subject)

* “Killing in the Name” Nominees to be determined
(video not found)

* “Poster Girl” Nominees to be determined


* “Strangers No More” Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon
(video not found)

* “Sun Come Up” Jennifer Redfearn and Tim Metzger


* “The Warriors of Qiugang” Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon
(video not found)

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Oscars 5

Today's nominees - Animated Feature Film and Foreign Film!


Animated Feature Film

* “How to Train Your Dragon” Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois


* “The Illusionist” Sylvain Chomet


* “Toy Story 3” Lee Unkrich



Foreign Language Film

* “Biutiful” Mexico
(see trailer under best actor)

* “Dogtooth” Greece


* “In a Better World” Denmark


* “Incendies” Canada
(English video not found)

* “Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)” Algeria

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Oscars, four

Part Four - Best Adapted Screenplay, Original Screenplay, Musical Score, and Best Song.


Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

* “127 Hours” Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
(see trailer under best actor)

* “The Social Network” Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
(see trailer under best actor)

* “Toy Story 3” Screenplay by Michael Arndt; Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
(see trailer under best animated feature film)

* “True Grit” Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
(see trailer under best actor)

* “Winter's Bone” Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini
(see trailer under best actress)


Writing (Original Screenplay)

* “Another Year” Written by Mike Leigh


* “The Fighter” Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson;
Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson
(see trailer under best supporting actor)

* “Inception” Written by Christopher Nolan
(see trailer under art direction)

* “The Kids Are All Right” Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
(see trailer under best actress)

* “The King's Speech” Screenplay by David Seidler
(see trailer under best actor)


Music (Original Score)

* “How to Train Your Dragon” John Powell
(see trailer under best animated feature film)

* “Inception” Hans Zimmer
(see trailer under art direction)

* “The King's Speech” Alexandre Desplat
(see trailer under best actor)

* “127 Hours” A.R. Rahman
(see trailer under best actor)

* “The Social Network” Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross
(see trailer under best actor)


Music (Original Song)

* “Coming Home” from “Country Strong” Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey


* “I See the Light” from “Tangled” Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater


* “If I Rise” from “127 Hours” Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong


* “We Belong Together” from “Toy Story 3" Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Oscars, three!

Day three - Art Direction, Costumes, Makeup, Cinematography


Art Direction

* “Alice in Wonderland”
Production Design: Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Karen O'Hara


* “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1”
Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan


* “Inception”
Production Design: Guy Hendrix Dyas; Set Decoration: Larry Dias and Doug Mowat


* “The King's Speech”
Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Judy Farr
(see trailer under best actor)

* “True Grit”
Production Design: Jess Gonchor; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh
(see trailer under best actor)


Cinematography

* “Black Swan” Matthew Libatique
(see trailer under best actress)

* “Inception” Wally Pfister
(see trailer under art direction)

* “The King's Speech” Danny Cohen
(see trailer under best actor)

* “The Social Network” Jeff Cronenweth
(see trailer under best actor)

* “True Grit” Roger Deakins
(see trailer under best actor)


Costume Design

* “Alice in Wonderland” Colleen Atwood
(see trailer under art direction)

* “I Am Love” Antonella Cannarozzi


* “The King's Speech” Jenny Beavan
(see trailer under best actor)

* “The Tempest” Sandy Powell


* “True Grit” Mary Zophres
(see trailer under best actor)


Makeup

* “Barney's Version” Adrien Morot


* “The Way Back” Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk and Yolanda Toussieng


* “The Wolfman” Rick Baker and Dave Elsey

Friday, January 28, 2011

Oscars, part deux

Second round - Best Supporting Actress and Actor.


Actor in a Supporting Role

* Christian Bale in “The Fighter”


* John Hawkes in “Winter's Bone”
(see trailer under best actress)

* Jeremy Renner in “The Town”


* Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right”
(see trailer under best actress)

* Geoffrey Rush in “The King's Speech”
(see trailer under best actor)


Actress in a Supporting Role

* Amy Adams in “The Fighter”
(see trailer under best supporting actor)

* Helena Bonham Carter in “The King's Speech”
(see trailer under best actor)

* Melissa Leo in “The Fighter”
(see trailer under best supporting actor)

* Hailee Steinfeld in “True Grit”
(see trailer under best actor)

* Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom”

Thursday, January 27, 2011

How Do People Save Money?

It's a mystery to me. Like my coworker Jon just said, you save and save and then something happens that costs just a little more than the total you've saved, like you have to replace your garage roof, or your water heater, or etc. (Hey, wait, those two have happened to me!)

So I was feeling pretty good because Kevin and I have figured out our internet/cable/phone situation since Frontier's announcement that they are raising rates by $30 per month. And we'll be saving $60 per month from what we have been paying. Terrific, right? Great, right?

This morning on my way to work, driving at 40 mph down Coliseum Boulevard, my front passenger tire blew. There had been a noise going on over there which I had attributed to ice collecting behind the wheel and rubbing against the tire and would then go kick off. Apparently the noise was something else because this morning it got very loud and then my car started to shimmy and then my steering wheel started to shake and it became very hard to steer and I knew the tire was flat. I pulled over and got out to check and sure enough, it was toast. There was also a smoky smell. This made me think, self - this is not good.

The car is 11 years old, for one thing. I drove on a flat tire at 40 mph for another, which means I probably killed the rim. And then whatever was making the noise in the first place. It does not bode well, my friends. If the cost of the repair ends up being more than the value of the car, and the car being 11 years old, do I then need to purchase a newer car? With Kevin's student loans about to kick in? Sure, why not! We'll just get the money off the fairy tree growing in our back yard.

So how do people save money? It perplexes me. It really does.

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

The Nominations Are In!

It's Oscar time!!!!! Send me your votes on who you think will win in all categories. A prize goes to the person who gets the most right! :) The Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 27th. Send me an email with your votes.

I have included videos of all the nominees where I could find them, so I'm going to chop it into smaller posts for you. First group: Best Actor and Best Actress.


Actor in a Leading Role

* Javier Bardem in “Biutiful”


* Jeff Bridges in “True Grit”


* Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network”
(I have not seen the movie, but I love this trailer)


* Colin Firth in “The King's Speech”


* James Franco in “127 Hours”



Actress in a Leading Role

* Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right”


* Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole”


* Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter's Bone”


* Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”


* Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”

Monday, January 24, 2011

Commercials

One of my favorite commercials is the one below, because of the miniature giraffe. I want one. I know it is not real, but I want one anyway.

What are some of your favorite commercials? (Even better if you can include a link!)

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

What the Yuck?

So I just checked out this book, What the Yuck. Some of you may know this because I was texting blurbs of information to you. Until Mandy told me I used up all her texts for the month and Edith informed me I had no filter. Well, actually until I had to go to bed. The filter comment did not stop me.



Well, here are some other interesting tidbits from the book - not the gross kind.

6 Foods That Fight Off Bad Moods
1. steamed edamame
2. yogurt & granola
3. popcorn
4. sunflower seeds
5. bananas
6. oatmeal

Top 5 Metabolism-Boosting Treats
1. White Tea
2. Grass-fed beef
3. Peanut butter for breakfast
4. yogurt
5. a just-ripe banana

It takes a healthy liver one hour to process one drink (12 ounces of beer, one shot, one glass of wine, etc).

Champagne will get you drunk faster than other alcoholic drinks. The bubbles cause the alcohol to be absorbed into your system faster.

Coffee can raise the risk of heart attack for people with heart disease or known risk factors for it (high blood pressure, diabetes, etc).

This one is kind of gross.

Q: I love vintage clothes, but could I catch something from wearing secondhand stuff?
A: The most common stowaways in secondhand threads are scabies - eight-legged mites that burrow into your skin and cause intense itching and blisters. Be picky about your stores - good vintage and consignment shops are careful about what goods they take, so you're less likely to have a problem. Before you wear someone else's castoffs, starve the mites by keeping them in a plastic bag stashed in the garage or basement for a couple of weeks. And wash your clothes well.

Here's a TMI one.

True or False? His penis can break during rough-ish sex. TRUE! They are very rare, but penis fractures do happen. This causes extreme pain and can result in a bent penis. Surgery may be required.

Q: I carry everything in my purse and it weighs a ton. Can I get stooped over to one side from it?
A: Yes. Carrying a heavy purse or bag on one shoulder can trigger shoulder and back pain. It can cause posture issues as well - usually because you compensate for the weight by hunching one shoulder. After years and years it might be very visible!

Monday, January 17, 2011

Neville Longbottom!!!!!



An unofficial still from the upcoming movie. Go, Neville! Kick butt!

Golden Globe winners - Natalie and Colin!

Friday night Kevin and I went to see Black Swan, starring Natalie Portman, and Sunday after lunch Mom and I went to see The King's Speech, starring Colin Firth. Was I surprised that these two won the Golden Globe for best actress/actor? Nah.

I've always been a fan of Colin Firth, ever since Pride and Prejudice - which if you haven't seen, you silly thing, go rent it! The romance! The costumes! Colin Firth being snooty! It's wonderful. As a long-time fan, I am glad he's finally gotten some appreciation. The King's Speech was an English sort of film, and Colin Firth was dandy as the prince who stutters and suddenly finds himself king when his older brother abdicates in favor of marrying the twice-divorced American, Wallis Simpson. This takes place during the birth of radio and the coming of World War II, when he is expected to speak to his people and give them the strength to face what is coming. Good story, good acting, though I was not as impressed with the movie as my mom was. My one big problem - The speech therapist kept describing the prince/king as the bravest man he'd ever known, but I didn't feel like the audience got to see that bravery - he was always on the edge of falling apart about giving a speech or becoming king. Going on, certainly, and getting the job done despite his embarrassing manner of speaking.

But Black Swan really blew me away. Natalie Portman is devastating as a ballet dancer who seeks perfection and is driven to madness. Did that just happen or was it in her mind? Wonderful psychological thriller - not a sweet ballet movie, folks. (I don't understand people who go see a movie without at least watching the trailers for it or reading one review, but I know of a couple people who did not like the film because they were expecting it to be a movie about dancing.) This movie keeps you on the edge of your seat and guessing throughout, and Natalie Portman is simply amazing as an innocent, repressed young woman in a cut-throat world. If she doesn't get the Oscar, it will be a crime.

For those of you who do not want to pay the money to see these in the theatre, they're the kind of movies that will be just fine to watch on the little screen at home. But you should see them. The King's Speech is a slower-paced film about real people and events, and is touching and has some light humor in it. Black Swan is edgy and not to be seen with children or grandparents. :)

Black Swan - A
King's Speech - B