Last night we watched the Academy Awards and in honor of the event, here are some awards that we decided to present:
Biggest Winner: The King’s Speech. Taking home Best Picture, Director, Actor, and Original Screenplay. Does this mean there will be a sequel?
Biggest Loser: True Grit. 0 for 10 – ouch.
Worst Decision: Not having comedians host the Oscars. Count me as part of the crowd that felt Anne Hathaway and James Franco missed the mark. I actually thought Hugh Jackman was decent a couple of years ago, but you need someone with comic timing, who can improvise when a joke presents itself. Poor Anne Hathaway seemed like she was trying hard, but James Franco seemed stoned. I’m not sure he ever looked into the camera; he was just staring off into space. If the Academy wants to appeal to a younger demographic they should go with someone like Will Ferrell or Steve Carell next year. Heck, maybe even Tina Fey or Joel McHale?
Biggest Mystery: Where was George Clooney? Now that the Oscars have retired Jack Nicholson, it seemed like George Clooney was the veteran actor who sat in the front and everyone joked with. Have they sunk so low that Hugh Jackman had to take that role?
Biggest Upset: God of Love winning Best Live Action Short Film over Wish 143 . . . no, I’m kidding. I actually don’t think there were any upsets; all the favorites won.
Most Uncomfortable Moment: Kirk Douglas presenting the Best Supporting Actress Award. What an awkward presentation that kept going and going and was capped with Melissa Leo’s never ending acceptance speech. Couldn’t they have at least given him a co-presenter to help open the envelope?
Best Joke: For my money it was James Franco saying “Congratulations nerds” after they showed the clips from the Scientific and Technical Awards presentation. At least James woke up long enough for one funny moment.
Best Joke (Runner-Up): Colin Firth saying he couldn’t help but feel that he just hit the peak of his career after winning Best Actor. And here we thought it was Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason.
Worst Presenters: Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake. What was Justin babbling about being the voice of? Was the teleprompter broke when they went out? Did they both get drunk backstage playing a drinking game where they had to do a shot each time no one laughed at Anne Hathaway and James Franco?
Presenter Who Looked Most Out of Place at the Oscars: Russell Brand. Although he couldn’t have been more out of place than Miley Cyrus last year.
Worst Dress: Cate Blanchett. Mrs. and I thought that maybe she was wearing it because she was presenting for Best Costume and it was an example. But it seems like that might have been what she picked out for the night. Ok, then.
Worst Beard: Christian Bale.
Biggest Surprise: Marisa Tomei hosting the Scientific and Technical Awards presentation. Mrs. and I always try to guess what B-list actress they’ll send out to that awards show. It’s usually some up and comer who hasn’t reached star status, or a TV actress who appeared in a recent comedy. Last year they had Elizabeth Banks, and I think Jessica Alba and Jessica Biel have hosted in the past. We guessed Kristen Bell or Blake Lively this year, but were amazed they went with Tomei. A former Oscar winner relegated to the “nerd” presentation? This will add a new wrinkle to next year's guess – the possibility of a washed-up former Academy Award winner.
Worst Speech: I’m tempted to say Natalie Portman for thanking everyone involved in the making of Black Swan, including the cameraman, the key grip, the makeup artist, the assistant key grip, and the dude that knocked her up. But I couldn’t do that to the person that gave us the “Natalie Raps” digital short on Saturday Night Live. So instead the obvious winner is the woman who won for Costume Design or Art Direction (something for Alice in Wonderland) and pulled out the notes. It’s fine if you want to read a card to remember a few names, but she read the whole long speech, which even started with some weird story about the background of Alice in Wonderland. Mrs. had the idea that instead of playing music to signal the need to wrap it up, the Academy should just install a moving walkway that the winner stands on and when they start going long, the walkway starts up and away they go. I think this would have worked well with the notecard lady.
Best Speech: Colin Firth. It must have been because I got shushed and Mrs. was glued to the TV screen.
February 28, 2011
February 24, 2011
Read This!: Winter Garden
By Kristin Hannah
I have seen Kristin Hannah books around for awhile and on me and Mr.'s Borders spree, I picked this one up. The description seemed promising.
Winter Garden focuses on the story of Anya and her two daughters, Meredith and Nina. Anya is a Russian immigrant. Cold and unloving when the girls were little, they grew up believing that their mother didn't care for them. However, once they start to understand their mother's past, they begin to understand why she is the way she is.
Now, I have to say, I did not like the first 100 pages of this book. They annoyed the living daylights out of me. I am not hard to please when it comes to books and recommend almost everything I read. This had the potential to become the second Don't Read This! on this blog. But, alas the story picked up after the first 100 pages. Why did I hate it? Well, let me see. The author felt the need to describe everyone in detail focusing on their clothing.
"He stood up in his jeans and Pearl Jam t-shirt".
"She ran down the street wearing her back track pants, white t-shirt, and black hoodie".
It got on my last nerve. These are not actual quotes from the book but convey the idea.
Moreover, I didn't feel the need to spend 100 pages setting up this story.
Anya is cold and distant. Nina does not want to let anyone get close to her but is determined to hear her mother's story. Meredith is constantly caring for her parents and everyone else, not letting anyone, including her husband, in. Their dad is the only thing holding these women together. I managed this in 4 sentences. Why she had to keep reiterating this over 100 pages to the point I was getting annoyed, I don't know. It was definitely beating a dead horse as was the dying of one of the characters. It took so long, it got to the point where I was like "SERIOUSLY???!!!"
Reading the first 100 pages, I felt the writing was amateurish and almost like a romance novel.
That being said, once Anya starts telling her story, I thought the book was really interesting. Her story was extremely engrossing and didn't have the heaviness and awkwardness of the earlier part of the book.
I will add also that it is interesting that of the books I have read recently, this is the third one where the life of a character is depicted via a fairy tale. This was not intentional on my behalf. None of the three books would have let you known from their descriptions that this was the case. Just a fun fact.
My only other comment is that I did feel Evan got cheated in the end. If you read the book, you will know what I mean. I kind of felt bad for him for all he did for Anya with how the book ended.
I have seen Kristin Hannah books around for awhile and on me and Mr.'s Borders spree, I picked this one up. The description seemed promising.
Winter Garden focuses on the story of Anya and her two daughters, Meredith and Nina. Anya is a Russian immigrant. Cold and unloving when the girls were little, they grew up believing that their mother didn't care for them. However, once they start to understand their mother's past, they begin to understand why she is the way she is.
Now, I have to say, I did not like the first 100 pages of this book. They annoyed the living daylights out of me. I am not hard to please when it comes to books and recommend almost everything I read. This had the potential to become the second Don't Read This! on this blog. But, alas the story picked up after the first 100 pages. Why did I hate it? Well, let me see. The author felt the need to describe everyone in detail focusing on their clothing.
"He stood up in his jeans and Pearl Jam t-shirt".
"She ran down the street wearing her back track pants, white t-shirt, and black hoodie".
It got on my last nerve. These are not actual quotes from the book but convey the idea.
Moreover, I didn't feel the need to spend 100 pages setting up this story.
Anya is cold and distant. Nina does not want to let anyone get close to her but is determined to hear her mother's story. Meredith is constantly caring for her parents and everyone else, not letting anyone, including her husband, in. Their dad is the only thing holding these women together. I managed this in 4 sentences. Why she had to keep reiterating this over 100 pages to the point I was getting annoyed, I don't know. It was definitely beating a dead horse as was the dying of one of the characters. It took so long, it got to the point where I was like "SERIOUSLY???!!!"
Reading the first 100 pages, I felt the writing was amateurish and almost like a romance novel.
That being said, once Anya starts telling her story, I thought the book was really interesting. Her story was extremely engrossing and didn't have the heaviness and awkwardness of the earlier part of the book.
I will add also that it is interesting that of the books I have read recently, this is the third one where the life of a character is depicted via a fairy tale. This was not intentional on my behalf. None of the three books would have let you known from their descriptions that this was the case. Just a fun fact.
My only other comment is that I did feel Evan got cheated in the end. If you read the book, you will know what I mean. I kind of felt bad for him for all he did for Anya with how the book ended.
February 22, 2011
The Social Network
So Mrs. and I finally saw The Social Network. We both thought it was good not great. I think that if I had seen it without knowing it was nominated for Best Picture, that nomination would have surprised me. Again, not that it isn’t a fine film; it’s just that it didn’t seem like the kind of film to win an Academy Award. But maybe it was just a down year for movies. Either way I’ll probably have to change my Best Picture prediction to The King’s Speech.
That said, I definitely recommend seeing The Social Network. The script is solid, mixing witty dialogue and humor with an interesting story. The acting is also very good. Jesse Eisenberg does a fantastic job as Mark Zuckerberg, as does Armie Hammer playing both Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (or as Zuckerberg refers to them in the movie – the Winklevi). Hammer perfectly portrays the Winklevoss twins as spoiled rich kids (and I’m referring of course to the characters in the movie, since I have no idea if the actual Winklevoss twins are like that – hey, I don’t want them suing me). And if you were trying to create a name for two spoiled rich twins, could you even make up something better than “Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss”? Just awesome.
I’m not sure how much of the movie is true, but it does make for a good story. Although it didn’t make me want to run and join Facebook, it was interesting to see how it all started and amazing to think that a few college buddies drinking beer and ranking the hotness of female students would lead to a billion dollar company. My friends and I spent many a night like that in college and the closest we came to a billion dollar idea was successfully building a pyramid out of empty beer cans. If nothing else it’s insane that (at least according to Wikipedia) Facebook is currently worth $41 billion and 41.6% of the U.S. population has an account. That has nothing to do with the movie, but shocking to me nonetheless.
That said, I definitely recommend seeing The Social Network. The script is solid, mixing witty dialogue and humor with an interesting story. The acting is also very good. Jesse Eisenberg does a fantastic job as Mark Zuckerberg, as does Armie Hammer playing both Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss (or as Zuckerberg refers to them in the movie – the Winklevi). Hammer perfectly portrays the Winklevoss twins as spoiled rich kids (and I’m referring of course to the characters in the movie, since I have no idea if the actual Winklevoss twins are like that – hey, I don’t want them suing me). And if you were trying to create a name for two spoiled rich twins, could you even make up something better than “Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss”? Just awesome.
I’m not sure how much of the movie is true, but it does make for a good story. Although it didn’t make me want to run and join Facebook, it was interesting to see how it all started and amazing to think that a few college buddies drinking beer and ranking the hotness of female students would lead to a billion dollar company. My friends and I spent many a night like that in college and the closest we came to a billion dollar idea was successfully building a pyramid out of empty beer cans. If nothing else it’s insane that (at least according to Wikipedia) Facebook is currently worth $41 billion and 41.6% of the U.S. population has an account. That has nothing to do with the movie, but shocking to me nonetheless.
February 21, 2011
Freshening Up Our Chairs
I have hated the material on our dining chairs since 2004 or so when I bought the table. I purchased a staple gun at said time in order to recover them. I never picked out material and alas they kept the same ugly fabric. See here:
As you will notice, it is very gray in the picture. It was not so in real life. It seemed more blue than gray. But, we kept it anyways.
Mr. had the idea of doing two of our chairs in reverse and two in the normal side. Since the back of the fabric didn't look like it was the back of a fabric, I did it. Each chair took me about 10 minutes with my trusty staple gun.
Here is the result:
As you can also notice the whitish cover is now dingy and dirty primarily from us standing on them to reach things (hey, we are both shorties and we have a step stool now per Mr's request). They are gross all around.
I was inspired by this post to recover them.
Now, the hard part of this was picking material. I like flair. Mr. does not.
After a long and painful search online and in person, we decided on this fabric as a compromise.As you will notice, it is very gray in the picture. It was not so in real life. It seemed more blue than gray. But, we kept it anyways.
Mr. had the idea of doing two of our chairs in reverse and two in the normal side. Since the back of the fabric didn't look like it was the back of a fabric, I did it. Each chair took me about 10 minutes with my trusty staple gun.
Here is the result:
I have to say, the covers look like reptile skin or something like a lizard. Mr. thinks it looks like a leopard. I did not love it right out of the gate but they are growing on me. I do love that they are unusual for dining chairs.
This is our dining area before:
and after:
I know the light is off in the second picture but it is overcast and there was no way around it unless I waited until later in the week to take a pic and I know how my audience loves immediate gratification. I think though you get the picture.
This chair redo has inspired me to redo our whole dining area. I am on the hunt for curtain material now. All of our rooms in our house are very colorful so I am not sure why we went so neutral with this one. The blahness is boring.
I will keep you posted when the next stage in our dining room redo is finished.
February 20, 2011
I Heart Shoes
I tend to live in flats because they are the most comfortable and my husband is only 2 inches taller than me. In fact, I wore flats to my own wedding. Beautiful satin Mary Janes... If I ever do a flats shoe post, I'll post a pic. But, I have an occasional indulgence in fantastic pair of heels for special events or on days I want to feel especially glamorous. I am more than excited over my most recent purchase. These babies arrived at my front door this week:
And because I love my shoes and to make this a complete "I heart shoes" post. Here are some of my favorite heels:
One of my favorite things was the box they came in. It reminded me of dance shoes box from when I was kid:
And because I love my shoes and to make this a complete "I heart shoes" post. Here are some of my favorite heels:
February 19, 2011
Thursday Night Overload
I’m trying not to blog about The Shows every week, because frankly there are just too many. But I do have a few random comments this week:
After I begged everyone to watch Community a couple of weeks ago of course the next episode would be centered on Dungeons and Dragons. I hope that didn’t scare anyone off and everyone enjoyed the Valentine ’s Day episode and this week’s documentary style show. The last several weeks have shown how different (but still good) the show can be episode to episode. Although I might have jumped the gun on calling it the best comedy on television. It might have to settle for second best right now because . . .
What’s funny about Parks and Recreation is that when the show premiered I didn’t think it would make it past Season 1. The characters weren’t working for me and it got off to a bit of a rough start. But then the show hit its stride in Season 2 and I started to love it. Besides pushing Tom into the background and focusing more on Ron Swanson (and his pyramid of success), and making Leslie more likable and less of an idiot, the show also smartly added Chris (Rob Lowe) and Ben (Adam Scott). Ben was hilarious this week and Rob Lowe has surprised me with his comedic ability. I just wonder how much longer they’ll be on the show. Either way I now think that Parks and Recreation would be the perfect show to replace The Office, but . . .
Despite The Office limping to the finish line, I realize that this will not be the last season. And while I do think the last couple of episodes have been funny, at this point what story is left to be told (or what office romance yet to be explored)? I fear that once Michael leaves the show it will be like the last season of Scrubs (or the season that occurred after the show already had its series finale the previous season), which I’m pretending never happened. And speaking of shows I’m ready to say goodbye to . . .
I checked out of Perfect Couples last week and didn’t watch the last episode, but Mrs. said there was nothing else on and subjected herself to the show again. She has an irrational dislike for the husband from what I’ll call the “normal” couple, and she's even nicknamed him Barney Rubble. I like when she comments on how she dislikes the show even as she’s watching it. Is it wishful thinking to hope that someone at NBC wises up and cancels the show? Either way the six sitcoms in one night thing has to go. The 10/9c time slot for 30 Rock is killing me. I can’t be tied to a couch in front of a TV for 2 1/2 hours. I think the solution is to move Perfect Couples and Outsourced to a different night. Or better yet, cancel both. Otherwise, we’ll have to start watching shows On Demand or get a TiVo.
After I begged everyone to watch Community a couple of weeks ago of course the next episode would be centered on Dungeons and Dragons. I hope that didn’t scare anyone off and everyone enjoyed the Valentine ’s Day episode and this week’s documentary style show. The last several weeks have shown how different (but still good) the show can be episode to episode. Although I might have jumped the gun on calling it the best comedy on television. It might have to settle for second best right now because . . .
What’s funny about Parks and Recreation is that when the show premiered I didn’t think it would make it past Season 1. The characters weren’t working for me and it got off to a bit of a rough start. But then the show hit its stride in Season 2 and I started to love it. Besides pushing Tom into the background and focusing more on Ron Swanson (and his pyramid of success), and making Leslie more likable and less of an idiot, the show also smartly added Chris (Rob Lowe) and Ben (Adam Scott). Ben was hilarious this week and Rob Lowe has surprised me with his comedic ability. I just wonder how much longer they’ll be on the show. Either way I now think that Parks and Recreation would be the perfect show to replace The Office, but . . .
Despite The Office limping to the finish line, I realize that this will not be the last season. And while I do think the last couple of episodes have been funny, at this point what story is left to be told (or what office romance yet to be explored)? I fear that once Michael leaves the show it will be like the last season of Scrubs (or the season that occurred after the show already had its series finale the previous season), which I’m pretending never happened. And speaking of shows I’m ready to say goodbye to . . .
I checked out of Perfect Couples last week and didn’t watch the last episode, but Mrs. said there was nothing else on and subjected herself to the show again. She has an irrational dislike for the husband from what I’ll call the “normal” couple, and she's even nicknamed him Barney Rubble. I like when she comments on how she dislikes the show even as she’s watching it. Is it wishful thinking to hope that someone at NBC wises up and cancels the show? Either way the six sitcoms in one night thing has to go. The 10/9c time slot for 30 Rock is killing me. I can’t be tied to a couch in front of a TV for 2 1/2 hours. I think the solution is to move Perfect Couples and Outsourced to a different night. Or better yet, cancel both. Otherwise, we’ll have to start watching shows On Demand or get a TiVo.
February 17, 2011
Mourning for Bookstores
I love to read if you haven’t noticed. When I was a kid and we would go to the mall, I would say to my Dad, “Can I go to the bookstore?” He would let me run off (love that 80s parenting) and I would lose myself for an hour in the Children’s section.
I still love bookstores. Nothing is better than going through the new releases table or perusing the shelves and coming upon an interesting name or cover. I can spend hours and hundreds of dollars there if left unchecked (so can Mr.). These days, my bookstore of choice is Borders. Not for any other reason than they are in better locations around the city for me than other bookstores. So, you can imagine what a dark day yesterday was when Borders filed for bankruptcy (Not surprising. We were there on Sunday using up “our” (really Mr.’s) gift certificate just in case.). All but one of the stores around us are closing. Sad face.
Why is the hate there for real books these days? Why don’t people want to buy real books? Who to blame for this? (OK I am looking at you, Kindle.) You can’t scope out books to the same effect online. (Says the person who wrote this post with a big Amazon shipment of books sitting on her desk) It is a lot harder to chance upon a new title that you wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.
I tend to overreact to things and may have thrown a mini-tantrum over this yesterday and then threw myself into denial that bookstores and books as we know them may be on their way out. I believe I even shouted at Mr., “AT LEAST THIS WON’T HAPPEN IN MY LIFETIME!!!!” He may have rolled his eyes in response. Hee.
Come on America! Let’s kill some trees and read actual paper books!
Save the bookstores!
I am very put out.
I still love bookstores. Nothing is better than going through the new releases table or perusing the shelves and coming upon an interesting name or cover. I can spend hours and hundreds of dollars there if left unchecked (so can Mr.). These days, my bookstore of choice is Borders. Not for any other reason than they are in better locations around the city for me than other bookstores. So, you can imagine what a dark day yesterday was when Borders filed for bankruptcy (Not surprising. We were there on Sunday using up “our” (really Mr.’s) gift certificate just in case.). All but one of the stores around us are closing. Sad face.
Why is the hate there for real books these days? Why don’t people want to buy real books? Who to blame for this? (OK I am looking at you, Kindle.) You can’t scope out books to the same effect online. (Says the person who wrote this post with a big Amazon shipment of books sitting on her desk) It is a lot harder to chance upon a new title that you wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.
I tend to overreact to things and may have thrown a mini-tantrum over this yesterday and then threw myself into denial that bookstores and books as we know them may be on their way out. I believe I even shouted at Mr., “AT LEAST THIS WON’T HAPPEN IN MY LIFETIME!!!!” He may have rolled his eyes in response. Hee.
Come on America! Let’s kill some trees and read actual paper books!
Save the bookstores!
I am very put out.
February 16, 2011
Read This!: The Mysterious Affair at Styles
By Agatha Christie
The Mysterious Affair at Styles was Agatha Christie’s first book in which Hercule Poirot appeared. (I may have mentioned before that I am a bigger Poirot fan than Miss Marple even though I like them both.)
The story is told by Mr. Hastings. Hastings is invited to stay at his friend John Cavendish’s house. During which stay, Cavendish’s step-mother is poisoned and Poirot is asked to investigate.
Who is the murderer? The strange doctor? One of the step-sons? The daughter-in-law? The husband? I guess you will have to read the book to find out if it is one of the above or someone else I haven’t mentioned.
As a side note, I think it is funny that in the previous book I read (The House at Riverton) they mentioned this book and I had already bought it and had it lined up next. I think I have ESP.
The Mysterious Affair at Styles was Agatha Christie’s first book in which Hercule Poirot appeared. (I may have mentioned before that I am a bigger Poirot fan than Miss Marple even though I like them both.)
The story is told by Mr. Hastings. Hastings is invited to stay at his friend John Cavendish’s house. During which stay, Cavendish’s step-mother is poisoned and Poirot is asked to investigate.
Who is the murderer? The strange doctor? One of the step-sons? The daughter-in-law? The husband? I guess you will have to read the book to find out if it is one of the above or someone else I haven’t mentioned.
As a side note, I think it is funny that in the previous book I read (The House at Riverton) they mentioned this book and I had already bought it and had it lined up next. I think I have ESP.
February 14, 2011
Happy Valentine's Day!
Mr. surprised me with flowers at work for Valentine's day.
I had him buy his own card when we were shopping together.
This about sums up our relationship.
I had him buy his own card when we were shopping together.
This about sums up our relationship.
February 13, 2011
Read This!: The House at Riverton
By Kate Morton
If you'll recall I read The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton a few weeks ago. Mr. surprised me with this book for my birthday and since I am awaiting a shipment from Amazon that is taking more than its time, decided to dive in.
The House at Riverton is told in first person by Grace, the family's maid during the years 1914-1924. As a housemaid and then lady's maid, she is privy to many family secrets and the focus of her tale is not only her own life and experiences but those of the three siblings whose family house is Riverton: Hannah, Emmeline, and David.
At the start of the book, it is present day and Grace is close to 100 years old. They are making a movie about the house at Riverton centering around the suicide of a young poet in 1924 in front of Hannah and Emmeline. Asked to contribute to the story, Grace is soon remember details long forgotten and decides to recount to her grandson (breaking her long silence) the events leading up to the suicide. As you can imagine, there is a lot more to the story that one would guess.
I was surprised by the ending and the big reveal for sure. I had my suspicions on what the truth was but, alas, didn't guess it. I think that is a mark of a good book.
If you'll recall I read The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton a few weeks ago. Mr. surprised me with this book for my birthday and since I am awaiting a shipment from Amazon that is taking more than its time, decided to dive in.
The House at Riverton is told in first person by Grace, the family's maid during the years 1914-1924. As a housemaid and then lady's maid, she is privy to many family secrets and the focus of her tale is not only her own life and experiences but those of the three siblings whose family house is Riverton: Hannah, Emmeline, and David.
At the start of the book, it is present day and Grace is close to 100 years old. They are making a movie about the house at Riverton centering around the suicide of a young poet in 1924 in front of Hannah and Emmeline. Asked to contribute to the story, Grace is soon remember details long forgotten and decides to recount to her grandson (breaking her long silence) the events leading up to the suicide. As you can imagine, there is a lot more to the story that one would guess.
I was surprised by the ending and the big reveal for sure. I had my suspicions on what the truth was but, alas, didn't guess it. I think that is a mark of a good book.
February 7, 2011
Super Sunday
Some leftover thoughts from Super Bowl Sunday:
I’ve seen a few headlines claiming this was the worst halftime show ever (or at least in a long time), but are the halftime shows ever that good? Mrs. and I didn’t think it was that bad, at least not any worse than any other year. They dusted off Slash to join the Black Eyed Peas on stage, but I guess Axl Rose was busy filming Celebrity Apprentice or something. Either that or Fox only opened the wallet for one member of the band and the coin came up Slash.
As far as the commercials, our favorites included:
The Bridgestone ad with the beaver
The Bud Light house sitting ad with the dogs (they’re tending bar!)
The Doritos house sitting ad (“Grandpa?”)
The Bud Light product placement ad (where do we get a Bud Light stained glass window?)
The Teleflora ad – for Faith Hill deadpanning “So you sent that?”
The worst commercial was by far the E-Trade baby. I find these neither cute nor funny. In fact I find them creepy. The fact that people think this is funny makes me lose a little more faith in humanity.
Pepsi Max also shouldn’t win any awards for having a man get hit in the crotch with a pop can, which was funny the first time this joke was done – in 1974. Seriously Pepsi Max, you’re spending millions of dollars on an ad, and this is the best your creative team can come up with?
And speaking of commercials, while not a Super Bowl ad, have you seen the new Kleenex disposal hand towels? Outside of owning a giant gas guzzling SUV is there any better way to give the middle finger to the environment? I mean, what am I missing here? Aren’t we supposed to be “going green”? And here’s Kleenex trying to fill our garbage cans at home with non-reusable towels?
I’ve seen a few headlines claiming this was the worst halftime show ever (or at least in a long time), but are the halftime shows ever that good? Mrs. and I didn’t think it was that bad, at least not any worse than any other year. They dusted off Slash to join the Black Eyed Peas on stage, but I guess Axl Rose was busy filming Celebrity Apprentice or something. Either that or Fox only opened the wallet for one member of the band and the coin came up Slash.
As far as the commercials, our favorites included:
The Bridgestone ad with the beaver
The Bud Light house sitting ad with the dogs (they’re tending bar!)
The Doritos house sitting ad (“Grandpa?”)
The Bud Light product placement ad (where do we get a Bud Light stained glass window?)
The Teleflora ad – for Faith Hill deadpanning “So you sent that?”
The worst commercial was by far the E-Trade baby. I find these neither cute nor funny. In fact I find them creepy. The fact that people think this is funny makes me lose a little more faith in humanity.
Pepsi Max also shouldn’t win any awards for having a man get hit in the crotch with a pop can, which was funny the first time this joke was done – in 1974. Seriously Pepsi Max, you’re spending millions of dollars on an ad, and this is the best your creative team can come up with?
And speaking of commercials, while not a Super Bowl ad, have you seen the new Kleenex disposal hand towels? Outside of owning a giant gas guzzling SUV is there any better way to give the middle finger to the environment? I mean, what am I missing here? Aren’t we supposed to be “going green”? And here’s Kleenex trying to fill our garbage cans at home with non-reusable towels?
February 6, 2011
Read This!: The Thirteenth Tale
By Diane Setterfield
I had read a few things about this book online and it intrigued me so I decided to ask for it for Christmas. Luckily, I received it.
First off, as soon as I started reading, I realized this book was more literature-y than my everyday read. This was OK. Sometimes it is a nice change of pace to read something more intellectual.
So let's get into it. The Thirteenth Tale tells two stories going backward and forwards in time (you know how I love this if you read this blog). In the present day, an antiquarian bookseller and biographer named Margaret Lea is asked to write the biography of the most popular English writer of today, Vida Winter. Not much is known about Miss Winter. In the past, she has always made up stories about herself when interviewed. But, now closing in on death, she is determined to tell the truth which is the main story in the novel. As Miss Winter tells her past, she reveals the secrets of the Angelfield family and Angelfield house particularly concerning the strange twins Adeline and Emmeline. Secrets are revealed and the story becomes more and more mysterious and intriguing culminating in a big reveal.
I have to confess, I didn't see the big reveal coming AT ALL. And when Margaret finally gets it and says "OH!" in her realization, my first thought was "I hope they explain this because I have no idea what the mystery is". Setterfield does explain it and I was not disappointed. I was more like "What???!"
I recommend this if you like a good mystery with a gothic twist. I couldn't put this book down and when I told Mr. I finished it, he looked up in surprise because I had basically devoured the majority of this book while sitting, in one session, on the couch. Ha!
I had read a few things about this book online and it intrigued me so I decided to ask for it for Christmas. Luckily, I received it.
First off, as soon as I started reading, I realized this book was more literature-y than my everyday read. This was OK. Sometimes it is a nice change of pace to read something more intellectual.
So let's get into it. The Thirteenth Tale tells two stories going backward and forwards in time (you know how I love this if you read this blog). In the present day, an antiquarian bookseller and biographer named Margaret Lea is asked to write the biography of the most popular English writer of today, Vida Winter. Not much is known about Miss Winter. In the past, she has always made up stories about herself when interviewed. But, now closing in on death, she is determined to tell the truth which is the main story in the novel. As Miss Winter tells her past, she reveals the secrets of the Angelfield family and Angelfield house particularly concerning the strange twins Adeline and Emmeline. Secrets are revealed and the story becomes more and more mysterious and intriguing culminating in a big reveal.
I have to confess, I didn't see the big reveal coming AT ALL. And when Margaret finally gets it and says "OH!" in her realization, my first thought was "I hope they explain this because I have no idea what the mystery is". Setterfield does explain it and I was not disappointed. I was more like "What???!"
I recommend this if you like a good mystery with a gothic twist. I couldn't put this book down and when I told Mr. I finished it, he looked up in surprise because I had basically devoured the majority of this book while sitting, in one session, on the couch. Ha!
February 5, 2011
Cozy Scarf
I came across this pattern and decided to go for it.
So I bought some flannel and got started.
I decided to leave off the fringe because I am not a fringe type gal and all in all the sewing of the scarf took about 20 minutes. I made two because my flannel was 54 inches wide and what else was I going to do with it? The hardest part was cutting the fabric straight. Usually I rip fabric in order to get a straight line but I didn't think you could really do that with flannel so I kept cutting and measuring. For the most part, I did OK. I used this scarf when I was out in the blizzard but I made it to be my inhouse scarf. We keep our house at cool temps and I am always freezing so I though this would be nice when I am in my jammies reclining on the couch. It is. So win for me!
So I bought some flannel and got started.
I decided to leave off the fringe because I am not a fringe type gal and all in all the sewing of the scarf took about 20 minutes. I made two because my flannel was 54 inches wide and what else was I going to do with it? The hardest part was cutting the fabric straight. Usually I rip fabric in order to get a straight line but I didn't think you could really do that with flannel so I kept cutting and measuring. For the most part, I did OK. I used this scarf when I was out in the blizzard but I made it to be my inhouse scarf. We keep our house at cool temps and I am always freezing so I though this would be nice when I am in my jammies reclining on the couch. It is. So win for me!
February 4, 2011
Snow Angel!
If you'll recall from yesterday's Blizzard!!!! post, there was a picture of our garage with a three foot or so snow drift in front of it.
Mr. and I were too lazy to try to dig it out on Wednesday.
Yesterday, we came home from work to find it completely gone!
We have no idea who took care of this but we were pumped.
I suspect it is one of our neighbors but don't know who.
I am wondering if this karma paying us back for shoveling our neighbor's sidewalk for the past three years with no thank you even though I told Mr. on Wednesday that I refused to shovel theirs again but then felt bad because they are elderly and did it anyways...
So Thanks Snow Angel! You really made our day!
PS Later karma will right things by me falling into a giant pile of snow debris and slush mess.
Mr. and I were too lazy to try to dig it out on Wednesday.
Yesterday, we came home from work to find it completely gone!
We have no idea who took care of this but we were pumped.
I suspect it is one of our neighbors but don't know who.
I am wondering if this karma paying us back for shoveling our neighbor's sidewalk for the past three years with no thank you even though I told Mr. on Wednesday that I refused to shovel theirs again but then felt bad because they are elderly and did it anyways...
So Thanks Snow Angel! You really made our day!
PS Later karma will right things by me falling into a giant pile of snow debris and slush mess.
February 2, 2011
Blizzard!!!!!!!
6PM Tuesday Night
10AM Wednesday Morning
Oh No!
Person Skiing, Seriously????
Shoveling the Roof
Standing in the Middle of the Street
Street! Plow? Where Are You?
Won't Be Driving Until the Spring
February 1, 2011
Kindle Review
I received a Kindle for Christmas as a gift from my parents. Since I’m an avid reader this gift was right up my alley. As I mentioned in a previous post The Picture Of Dorian Gray became my inaugural book on Kindle. Along the way I discovered some of the good and some of the bad of life with a Kindle.
Good – The Kindle is smaller than your average book (especially a hardcover book). This makes it incredibly easy to hold while riding to work on the train. And being able to hit a button as opposed to turning a page when you’re holding onto a pole on a crowded train while holding a lunch bag and wearing gloves is a big plus.
Bad – I don’t know how long the book is in pages. How can I be proud of myself for finishing a 600 page novel? It’s been hard to get used to saying I’m 74% of the way through a book, not “on page 128”. It’s a little like reading a really long internet article.
Good – No one on the train knows what I’m reading with the Kindle, which means no more embarrassment over Jane Austen novels (or movie poster book covers).
Bad – There is something a little impersonal about every book I read looking the same. Hey, I like the covers of books; it’s at least 35% of why I end up reading a book.
Good – It was really easy to download the book I read. It took a few minutes to find it on Amazon, download it to the computer and upload it to the Kindle. Could have done it in my pajamas (and who’s to say I didn’t?)
Bad – How does someone borrow a book from you if you have it on Kindle? How does someone give me a book as a gift? I suppose it will be like i-Tunes where I just get gift cards now instead of CDs.
Good – Free books. There are tons of out of copyright older books that are free downloads. And a lot of these are classic novels that I’m interested in reading. So now they’ll be free. And while the library is also free, you still have to go to the library, hope they have the book (which will most likely be a hardcover with a coffee stain), and return the book, but only after renewing it several times.
Bad – Does this mean the eventual end of bookstores? That would make me sad because I love browsing book stores. This already seems to be putting Borders out of business, and I still have gift cards to use!
Good – No losing your page with the Kindle. It turns on right where you left it.
Bad – The user manual said to slide and hold the power switch for 7 seconds to turn off. It seems like mine takes more like 10 or more seconds, but either way I think turning off the Kindle should be easier.
Good – It has a built in dictionary. I may never use it, but it’s nice to know it’s there to look up words I don’t know.
Bad – It’s not as easy to just flip back to see a previous chapter as with a book. Or to flip ahead to read the ending if you are Mrs.
Good – It seems to have a really long battery life. I charged it once and a month later it is still going strong.
Bad – The battery will probably die without warning when I’m on vacation and without a way to charge it. A book will not die on a long transatlantic flight.
Good – On vacation it’s much easier to bring a Kindle loaded with several books then to drag several books around in a bag.
Bad – Do I need to turn it off during take-off and landing? I’ve never been told to close my book.
Good – I’m embracing technology and finally feel like I’m part of the in crowd – although I’m not (as my Razor phone can attest to).
Bad – I might be perceived as part of the in crowd – noooo!
Good – Our bookshelf can look like this:
Bad – Or this:
Overall my first Kindle experience was pretty good. The positives definitely outweigh the negatives. I’m not sure I’m ready to completely give up hard copy books (I still have about 15 unread on my bookshelf to get through anyway), but I do plan on starting to integrate books on Kindle into my reading life. Here’s to embracing technology. Bring on the flying cars!
Good – The Kindle is smaller than your average book (especially a hardcover book). This makes it incredibly easy to hold while riding to work on the train. And being able to hit a button as opposed to turning a page when you’re holding onto a pole on a crowded train while holding a lunch bag and wearing gloves is a big plus.
Bad – I don’t know how long the book is in pages. How can I be proud of myself for finishing a 600 page novel? It’s been hard to get used to saying I’m 74% of the way through a book, not “on page 128”. It’s a little like reading a really long internet article.
Good – No one on the train knows what I’m reading with the Kindle, which means no more embarrassment over Jane Austen novels (or movie poster book covers).
Bad – There is something a little impersonal about every book I read looking the same. Hey, I like the covers of books; it’s at least 35% of why I end up reading a book.
Good – It was really easy to download the book I read. It took a few minutes to find it on Amazon, download it to the computer and upload it to the Kindle. Could have done it in my pajamas (and who’s to say I didn’t?)
Bad – How does someone borrow a book from you if you have it on Kindle? How does someone give me a book as a gift? I suppose it will be like i-Tunes where I just get gift cards now instead of CDs.
Good – Free books. There are tons of out of copyright older books that are free downloads. And a lot of these are classic novels that I’m interested in reading. So now they’ll be free. And while the library is also free, you still have to go to the library, hope they have the book (which will most likely be a hardcover with a coffee stain), and return the book, but only after renewing it several times.
Bad – Does this mean the eventual end of bookstores? That would make me sad because I love browsing book stores. This already seems to be putting Borders out of business, and I still have gift cards to use!
Good – No losing your page with the Kindle. It turns on right where you left it.
Bad – The user manual said to slide and hold the power switch for 7 seconds to turn off. It seems like mine takes more like 10 or more seconds, but either way I think turning off the Kindle should be easier.
Good – It has a built in dictionary. I may never use it, but it’s nice to know it’s there to look up words I don’t know.
Bad – It’s not as easy to just flip back to see a previous chapter as with a book. Or to flip ahead to read the ending if you are Mrs.
Good – It seems to have a really long battery life. I charged it once and a month later it is still going strong.
Bad – The battery will probably die without warning when I’m on vacation and without a way to charge it. A book will not die on a long transatlantic flight.
Good – On vacation it’s much easier to bring a Kindle loaded with several books then to drag several books around in a bag.
Bad – Do I need to turn it off during take-off and landing? I’ve never been told to close my book.
Good – I’m embracing technology and finally feel like I’m part of the in crowd – although I’m not (as my Razor phone can attest to).
Bad – I might be perceived as part of the in crowd – noooo!
Good – Our bookshelf can look like this:
Bad – Or this:
Overall my first Kindle experience was pretty good. The positives definitely outweigh the negatives. I’m not sure I’m ready to completely give up hard copy books (I still have about 15 unread on my bookshelf to get through anyway), but I do plan on starting to integrate books on Kindle into my reading life. Here’s to embracing technology. Bring on the flying cars!
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