How did you get past security with those dangerous brown eyes?

Ok, sorry. I know I had that freaky man's face up here for way too long. Even I was starting to not like coming here.



So I watched Vicky Cristina Barcelona. I'm torn. I really thought I was going to loathe it, and I kinda did loathe most of the characters. As far as recent Woody Allen goes, it's fine. The two female leads, Rebecca Hall and Scarlett Johansson play fairly lame stereotypes (I'm not knocking the acting...yet), but the former is more interesting. The latter...one-fourth of it is ScarJo's deteriorating acting skills and the rest is a truly pretentious and annoying character.

As Alex so brilliantly put it, more and more she's playing the sorts of characters Lost In Translation's Charlotte would have made fun of. So. True.

The film itself was sort of a pretty train wreck. I did enjoy Vicky's dilemma (trite though it may have been) and the scenery and music made the time pass nicely. But the end especially was just this anti-climatic (which I can normally handle) petering out that sealed its lameness. I don't mean to knock the movie too much, because I never wanted to turn it off and I was certainly compelled to continue. I just wouldn't watch it again.

And Penelope Cruz?



I'm still not on that fan boat yet and this role irritates me that it's even nominated. It's JUST LIKE Marisa Tomei's Wrestler nomination: really? Whereas the Tomei is getting nominated for strutting about topless, I can only guess PC is getting the nod for making out with ScarJo in a darkroom. It's really frustrating. Tomei and Cruz are certainly two talented actresses but give me a fucking break.

(Sure enough, I go online to dig up shots from the film and too many fanboys have, what, taken pictures of their TVs and posted these uber-grainy close-ups of The Kiss. *facepalm*)

But kudos to Javier Bardem.



To be able to do No Country For Old Men and this and be 100% believable as either the scariest motherfucker to walk the earth or the dark, sexy Spanish seducer? That's some talent. (Though in fairness, his No Country haircut really did deserve a large chunk of that Oscar statue...)

Well, Oscars are this weekend and it's really not looking good for my having seen everything. I can't help it. The nominations this year are easily the dullest in years. I just can't be motivated to care. I'm still working on it, though...we'll see.

Good day to ya, pusscake.

Happy Valentine's Day everyone.

Why would the courtesan go for the penniless writer? Whoops. I mean sitar player.

Put up a note?! "Highly classified shit found?"

As tedious as my week has been, I am pretty excited that today is already Thursday. At least I think it is.

I really hate Valentine's Day, regardless of relationship status, and always have. It's commercial bullshit I refuse to buy into. We typically do something like cook dinner or...well, there was that one time we snuck over to the neighboring golf course and took pictures of each other slathered in fake blood. That was fun.

This year I was thinking of taking D to see Zombie Dearest at the Pocket Sandwich Theatre. They do these fabulous melodramas (myself a former castmate of one) where the audience is fed food and beer and given popcorn to throw at the bad guys and weirdos. (I was a weirdo.) But I called last Monday and it's already sold out! Wah!! Stupid Dallas bastards trying to copy my fantastic V-Day plans. Shah.

So my impulse is to go nowhere. I mean, everyone and their dog is going to be out--it'll be worse than New Year's. And you know how I feel about people.

Ok, back to applying for financial aid. Oops, I mean, uh, "working." Yes, that's it.

You need to be less....offputting.

I haven't heard this song in AGES but it started going through my head today. (Uh, no idea why...ok, maybe I've gotten too comfortable lately...)

Bite Sized Goodness: Violent Femmes, Fat

Then that Cobain pussy had to come around and ruin it all.

So I did get to watch The Wrestler the other day, and it was quite good! It's definitely a great role for Mickey Rourke and despite how much I loved Sean Penn in Milk, I don't really mind that Rourke will probably snake the statue.



It actually reminded me of Milk at first (that's right, I just compared Milk and The Wrestler, how awesome is that) in that both directors typically do really artistically driven films (like, PAINFULLY SO sometimes), but these are pretty straightforward in their style and pace. The difference for me here, however, is that I really don't know a damn thing about the topic (i.e., wrestling).

As the hubby used to enjoy it as a teenager, I had to ask him after, "Is wrestling usually that bloody?" I knew it was very showy, fake and crazy, but I guess I just never saw bloody moments before. It was pretty impressive. So whole new world for me, and I really don't need to see more. But the movie was very well done.

Though I do have one question.



Really? Oscar nomination?

I mean, she's totally cute and I'd take her rack any day, but if we're handing out nominations for cuteness and/or hot tits, I've got to rethink my entire list.

Seriously, I kept waiting for her role to BE MORE. No.

I really enjoy Marisa Tomei, but when you think about her last Oscar win for My Cousin Vinny, it's mind boggling. Actually, it's kind of insulting. I mean, same category and everything! Wtf?

And speaking of watching movies for Oscars, I finally bit the bullet and watched Tropic Thunder last night. It should be noted that I was drinking vodka and cooking while I watched it, but it was much funnier than I expected.



Everyone goes on about what a great cameo Tom Cruise has, but I honestly found Matthew McConaughey's turn much funnier. Though I honestly believe Tom should only do non-publicized roles from now on. It's the only cure to his overexposure.

And Robert Downey, Jr. playing a black man was not the offensive monstrosity I feared it might be. It was actually really clever, since the "token black man" is offensive as it is. And they do still make fun of themselves later anyway.



Again, you know I love me some Robert Downey, Jr. but I'm really not thinking Oscar. (That category is basically canceled this year anyway, with all the Heath Ledger drama, so it's not about to come up.) I just hate it when actors do incredible work and then they get nominated or win for some totally phoned in shlock (ok, that's not the case here, I admit I'm totally talking to you, Nicole Kidman). Anyhoo.

But overall, I definitely laughed in a few places I wasn't expecting, but I also recommend drinking and barely paying attention.

More Oscar watching to go; The Magnolia is showing ALL the shorts and goddammit I am really going this year. Really really really. Really.

Bite Sized Goodness: Oscars, Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler, Milk, Tropic Thunder, Robert Downey Jr.

I don't know you very well, you know, but I wanted to ask you - how'd you get Diane Court to go out with you?

Happy Birthday, silly goose!

I hope since the last time we talked that your days have been consistently happier. Getting a new job shouldn't be as intensely gruesome as it often is, especially with a resume like yours. Things will work out, if they haven't already, but at the very least here's hoping you have a great birthday.



I've actually been up fairly early this morning thanks to those incredible winds last night, so I got an early start on a recipe from Fine Cooking...they did a spread on carrot cake--traditional classic vs. updated innovation. And the newer ones look cute and all, but they are made into serving sizes and don't have icing. With carrot cake? Honey, no. Carrot cake is all about the frosting. Speaking of which, time to go lick the beaters. (And here's hoping I remember to turn them off first...)

Bite Sized Goodness: Sarah McLachlan, carrot cake, Say Anything

This is pitiful. A thousand people freezing their butts off waiting to worship a rat.

I am so proud of myself. Yesterday I got my tires rotated like someone who actually takes care of her car. One of the little plastic valves had been recalled, so they took care of that as well. And then I paid someone else to clean the hell out of him. Hans is gorgeous and shiny now, like a new toy.

You're going to think I'm very silly, but I saw Cats! again last night. WHAT? I know. But I felt bad for having assumed D wouldn't like it, so I very whimsically grabbed him and we got to Bass Performance Hall by 730 (curtain at 8), not knowing if they even had seats. It turns out they had 2 sets of paired seats and which would we like? The ones on the 4th level? Or the ones in the orchestra box? Yeah, oh yeah, you know where we sat.

And holy shit! It was a whole new show! It makes me sad to say this, honestly, but so much gets lost the minute you leave the orchestra area. For this show, anyway. I could see detail and movement I had no idea existed; the show opened in darkness with cats in the aisles who had (electric) bright green eyes--totally missed that the other night.

And my tickets were actually cheaper than the other night because I didn't have to pay those stupid fees. And D very much enjoyed the show. I thought one of his favorites would be Mungojerry and Rumpleteazer and sure enough...

Afterwards, we went across the street for dinner at Ferre, an Italian place I've been quite curious about. I had the Sweet Potato Gnocchi (consisting of apple wood bacon, shallots, baby portabellas, filet of beef and cream--sans mushrooms because blech) and there really are few things as toe-curling savory as handmade pasta. Especially with red wine...I lingered to the point where the waiter tried to take my plate! Grr. I hope the bite marks on his hand heal.

Dessert was the Hot Chocolate Cherry Tart (dark chocolate and tart cherries topped with house-made crumble and served with vanilla gelato)--not quite what I imagined but happy warm deliciousness, in any case.

And now it's off to see The Wrestler! Finally starting to hack away at the Oscar nominations...

Bite Sized Goodness: Cats musical, Ferre, best Italian Fort Worth, downtown Fort Worth, handmade pasta

I'm too young for 'A Chorus Line' and too happy for 'Les Miz.'

What a great night! There was everything from sparkling rhinestones to classic douchebaggery, what more can one ask?



First of all, since I went by myself, I had a box seat! That was very cool. Sadly, there were seven other people in my box. There was another single girl, and she and I were equally appreciative of the show and performances, but the other six people? No applause til the end, no laughter...why are you HERE? And all those seats are the same price, but the other girl and I were the two seats at the back of the box. Figures.

I was wrong to knock Cats!, it's really a lot of fun. It kicks off with all these Christmas lights strung up around the audience tiers and stage, very showy. I kept wishing I could have taken Fiona--I think she's at an age where she could sit still for it, possibly? It's just so showy and fun.

Before it began, they did their announcements, one of which was, "Candy wrappers are very distracting to the audience members around you, so if you really must eat candy during this show, please do so with the wrapper on." Word.

The whole thing was very enjoyable, but the Rum Tug Tugger was again a show stealer; he plucked a woman from the second row and tangoed down the aisle. Mr. Mistoffelees was a close second; honey, when I'm a Cat, I want to be the one decked out in a rhinestone outfit. Good thing his number's near the end, he's almost distracting when amongst the others.

After the show, I went across the street to the Flying Saucer (I actually didn't go beforehand) to meet my friend S., who was needing to take a break from her school projects. She was running late due to an accident in Arlington, so I sat at a table and read my book. Cue tipsy moron. (This is why I usually have my laptop...it's much easier to look busy and it's a great excuse why you can't talk...try that with a book, it's far less effective.)

First of all, he asks what I'm reading. I show him and of course he has no idea. He notices my Cats! program and proceeds to tell me how he saw it on Broadway but didn't like it, saying it was very disappointing considering how famous it was. I just said I didn't think it should be taken too seriously and that the nostalgia factor may help.

While I'm praying for S. to walk in the door, this dude sits himself down at my table. And then of course the waitress comes over and takes both our drink orders. I cannot be rude, but I know S. can be if I need her to. Luckily, she arrives moments later (wondering who in the hell has seated himself at my table) and can tell when I have to introduce myself with my fake name (which had yet to happen) where this is headed.

He proceeds to discuss the origins of our names (my fake name is S.'s real name) and S. totally ignores him while checking her phone. I think I noticeably glaze over. She and I attempt to talk about work around him, though I try not to be too rude. Finally, douchebag pays for his drink and leaves. WTF?

Aside from that, it was a great night. I had one beer and a big fat pretzel, so it was an altogether very pleasant evening.

Except for the part where I parked on the 5th floor of the garage. I parked by the stairs (no elevator on that side), so I had to haul my ass up five flights to get home. That sucked.

The person who touches the most celebrity ass without them knowing wins.

I'm totally stealing this from Julie Gong's blog, it's too damn funny.

"David After the Dentist"

Grrrl, you like to fingerbang and that's all right!

It really feels like Friday because it is !!GORGEOUS!! outside the way that should only be allowed on Fridays. And tonight is Cats! I always liked Macavity...



Um. Is it just me, or does it look like I'm going to a KISS concert?

Here, wait.



That's a little better? Right? Whatever, I'm going to have a blast. And yes, I'm having beers first. Oh god yes. But it will be so fun. And yes, Alex, the more I think about it, you are totally right and we did see it years ago. Thank God the Rum Tum Tugger ran up the aisle cause yeah, that's mostly all I recall. Show stealer.

Speaking of show, I plowed through quite a bit of season 2 Project Runway last night; I'm loathing Santino like I'm clearly supposed to. I want to hope it's edited to make him appear like a bastard, but even editing can't explain the shit that comes out of his mouth. Totally excited for him to get kicked off, hope it's soon...

It's hard to talk about my feelings. Plus I'm high most of the time, so there's that.

Applying for financial aid is so much fun! I did get that last form taken care of (for application) for a school waiting to reject me...got it faxed in by a GODDESS at the UNT registrar's office at 4.22pm this past Friday. I may have offered to bear her children. (I did not. Offer, that is.)

Anyhoo. As Michael Keaton says in The Paper, "Sometimes you can just smell a horrendously shitty day on the way." And that is my day today.

Thank God I have the first 2 discs of Project Runway Season 2 arriving today. Because where would I be without my piffle. Also have the final disc of BSG and can then start whacking away at my saved new eps on Tivo, squee! As awesome as Baltar is--rare is the sleazebag you kinda root for--I have been vacillating between patience and loathing.

If you also looked at my queue, you'd see I also have Tropic Thunder (a mix of Oscar and Robert Downey, Jr. duty) though I expect to need several beers beforehand and still detest it. Also, The Wedding Date because A) I have no shame and B) I am having Debra Messing withdrawal, even though I mostly watched Will & Grace for Will's shoulders and Karen.

To assure you that my brain has not completely turned to mush (side note, this commercial is AWESOME, thanks Alex!), I did visit the Dallas Museum of Art this past weekend with my family and loved the new exhibit, Olafur Eliasson's Take Your Time. Their big exhibit right now is actually (the same goddamn) King Tut exhibit I swear is ALWAYS THERE or the Kimball, but this was far more impressive.



At the end of this tunnel was a brilliant YELLOW room and all the people around you appear as if they are black and white. (!!) A separate exhibit below...



This is a (nearly) 360 degrees of a screen that changes colors and changes the way the colors change. If that makes sense. Very cool.

If you live in the DFW area, I cannot recommend it strongly enough. If you have access to pot beforehand, again, I cannot recommend it strongly enough.

Anyhoo, I had a ton of fun and really need to do that (with my family, especially) more often. I am the lame, inactive sort who prefers to stay home and watch movies on my laptop while cooking (and perhaps sipping on something). 24 is most excellent for this--minimum concentration required. Just finished season 5, good stuff.

Look... it could be worse, you could have been Riki Zuela.

Almost forgot to make a post today...I can't believe today is the 50th anniversary of the plane crash...my dad sent me this link about an item that I really don't think I could sell if I did own it...

This is great. "No matter what you think about rock'n'roll..." And I want to be a rock'n'roll specialist!

O Frith on the hills! He made it all for us!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FIONA!! I can't believe you're 7 already! Here are two videos for you...the first is Totoro's birthday (it's a little strange!) and the second is a kitty wishing you Happy Birthday as well!



This is pretty cute...



Miss you! Hope you have a great birthday and I hope to see you soon! Your mother mentioned a gingerbread house...I'm jealous!

Didn't I see you on Cops?

I recently started tracking searches that lead to my blog; a large amount of them are people just searching movie quotes. On the one hand, score! On the other, I apologize that my random habit of memorizing great lines and linking them to what basically amounts to jack shit to do with said line has brought them to this blog.

Classics that have brought a number of people here are:

1. "I usually get kissed before I get fucked." (Black Rain)
2. "Try not to suck any dick on your way through the parking lot." (Clerks)
3. "Dear Josh, we came by to fuck you, but you were not here, therefore you are gay." (Ghost World)
4. "I can do anything I want to baby, I ain't lost." (Pretty Woman)
5. "Now what he said was, 'Sic 'em, boy,' but what I heard was, 'Chopper, sic balls!'" (Stand By Me)

But my personal favorite searches are:

1. "What to say when he ejaculates"
2. "someone just came on your cat"
3. "you got me hotter than georgia asphalt"
4. "no point in mentioning these bats"
5. "gay pump and dump economy exchange breast scheme"

No one knows how to be a good daughter better than a gay son.

That's why I come to Uno's for my pizza. I walk in and my regular waitress spots me, grabs the menu from the host, saying, "Give her to me!" and sits me down. I mention it was a long work day and she asks if I'd like a glass or the bottle. I know she's a little bit serious and she knows I know and that's why I like her.

And she calls me "Ladybug."

I haven't been here since Christmas so I can't remember her name because that was the time I asked. It's something really unmatched to her personality...she's got a punkish no-frills vibe going, but her name is Sunshine or Summer or something. Dang. Maybe with a little wine it will come back to me the way my Japanese and Italian does.

Plus I know she'll leave me alone until I want more wine or until I'm ready for cheeeeeeeeeese. Oh, I mean pizza.

And that's why even though there's a little ice still on the roads and I'm wearing death heels, I still decided to stop off to be fed.

But then I'm going home to curl up with (more) wine and Project Runway. (Just season 1.) Because Austin is almost too obvious to root for at this point...but I don't want to see him get ditched because he's such a delicate flower. And that little bitch with the cropped hair has to go. I didn't use to mind her. Conversely, I've mellowed considerably on the Jesus-guy...tensions are high! I'm there!

That's the only time a menorah got me to first base.

We have quite a layer of ice on our little street!

I did stay home all yesterday and polished off a decent bit of season 5 of 24 (I really like to concentrate on the torture scenes and take notes! Hi dad!) while I made some butternut squash soup, creamed spinach, the yummy sweet potato rolls, and my mom's macaroni and cheese. And of course, for Vel's birthday (of course) I cracked open my Syrah from Texas Hills. God that was good.



These are the veggies before becoming tender and pulverized for a damn fine soup...especially for winter! I love the bright squash.

And after much wine, I may or may not have purchased a ticket for only myself for next Thursday's Bass Hall's performance of Cats! Look, I've said before I have no shame. I only bought one without asking anyone to join me since they were pretty pricey and I certainly wasn't going to drag the husband along. That would be cruel. It's purely nostalgia but I admit, I still do genuinely enjoy it...hee hee.

I forgot Judi Dench (!) was cast as Grizabella for the London opening in 1981 but snapped a tendon and Elaine Paige took over (and though Memory was supposed to be sung by another cat (how that would have worked is beyond me but whatev), it ended up being given to her instead). Needless to say, the cast I'm seeing may not quite be the same caliber as Elaine Paige, but I'm willing to give it a go!



Hmm. In retrospect now that I've dug up pictures...I'm quite nostalgic and fond of the music...it suddenly occurs to me I may need a couple drinks at the Saucer before going in. (They're across the street from each other.) I did see the musical once, but it was about fifteen years ago. And I have a nice seat this time. Figured what the hell, it's only money.

Anyhoo, speaking of Texas Hills and their fine wines, I actually uploaded some Austin pics!



The first stop, Texas Hills. This is around Johnson City/Fredricksburg area, south of Austin.



Here we are with Brutus the Very Friendly Dog. I am really not a dog person but he kinda won me over. He has a big foot fetish, throwing himself down on them at all times. Also, he is apparently really into goldfish crackers.



This was the second stop, Pedernales Cellars. They are brand new, just a few weeks old. They had a killer reserve wine, but everyone agreed the Viognier is the reason to go. Reasonable price and it's quite tasty.



Rachael & Kendra





Last stop, Torre di Pietra! Great wines...we purchased this one to have with our cheese and crackers...it was 80 outside that day!



Rachael, Kendra, some girl who jumped in the picture, and Alexandra



The cat who kept us company while we ate snackies and a bottle of wine. He was a great lap cat but I don't think he ever got what he was after... (Do people usually bring salmon or what?)



Rachael, Alexandra, and the same random chick (she probably just had too many wine samples, who knows)

An evening at Mangia!



Kendra & Rachael (yes, Rachael is drinking Shiner, but let's move on ;P)



Alexandra

It was only a couple days but it was a very nice break from DFW...I am up for that anytime! The weather was so perfect, even though it was so wrong for January.

It was about 80 (maybe 78 in DFW), and that was Friday. As of Tuesday/Wednesday, it has been in the 20s and we are covered in ice (again, DFW, I think Austin just got the threat). I do love the randomness of Texas weather, but it's no wonder most people wander around sick for about four months.

I just hope my mailperson can get disc 2 of Project Runway to my little mailbox, I'm totally dying to see what happens. Hee hee. Thanks, Alex!

That flask had my name on it! It said, "Karen Walker: Bikini Inspector." I got it on spring break!

Happy Birthday, Veloute!



Conditions are perfect!

Wish you were still down here for your birthday...I'll just have to crack open one of the wines we got from the Austin wineries and think of you!

On the other hand, you were wise to leave yesterday, as there is apparently an ice storm ON THE WAY!! EVERYONE HIDE!! So everything is already shut down, even though it's just cold out. Because it might. (Honestly, it probably will.) But in all fairness, I don't think I'll have to work today. So rah rah rah!

On the downside, UNT is closed and I just got an email from the law school I visited back in the fall saying they are missing a form for me--some Dean's Certification/Recommendation form. Sigh. I'm not even sure if I should address this to the registrar's office or the College of Arts & Sciences, because that is where my Dean was located...I assume the latter but there's not a damn thing to be done when it's all iced up, is there?

This would be less of an issue if the form didn't have THIS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY FEBRUARY 1ST all over it. Gee, no pressure. (And I applied at the beginning of DECEMBER!) So I smell an early-morning trip to UNT tomorrow, perhaps? If they would just let me fax it rather than mail it and hope it gets to New England in a timely fashion, all would be well. However, it feels like one of those this-must-have-a-seal-and-be-totally-confidential type things so I'm betting that's out.

*grinds teeth*

And I really hope they know what to do with this form because I sure as hell don't. They seriously want a recommendation from a Dean I never knew (ok, I was a typist for her office but they don't know that) and from a university I attended 9 years ago? They must have some sort of "I'm the Dean and I Approve This Message!" type stamp. I hope.

Of course, in the spirit of looking on the bright side, I was delighted that this particular law school still wanted my form. Like, as if they're thinking about me. It's nice to know my application isn't posted to some bulletin board for all to laugh at before they send the rejection. Or if it is, they're still very particular about keeping up appearances. "We must have EVERY FORM in before we totally reject you."

Anyhoo. Happy Birthday, Veloute! I will now have Business Time in my head for the rest of the day.

Oh, and Weebl and Sometimes Weebl's Friend Bob would of course like to wish you one as well.

What kind of convenience store do you run here?

Laughing my ass off, I got this off Wonkette:



SURELY that's not what she meant. Surely.

Explain that to me again without the numbers and pat my head.

Shit. I was really hoping this wouldn't get nominated. Who was I kidding?



The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is so the new Forest Gump and no one is pretending it isn't. I just have zero desire to see it. And even people who like it are all, "It's LOOOONG."

I have at least already seen and enjoyed Milk and Frost/Nixon, though I still need to see Slumdog Millionaire and The Reader.

I'll watch all of the acting nominees that are still around, of course. There really don't seem to be any big surprises...maybe Robert Downey, Jr. for Tropic Thunder--not really Oscar-type fare, normally--though of course against Heath Ledger...that category's a given. And I guess The Reader is somewhat surprising...but it was still a possibility, nothing truly surprising.

I do hope In Bruges gets Best Screenplay, and I'm hearing great things about Waltz With Bashir, which I would love to see (Best Foreign Film, Israel). Other than that, I'm just really not that excited about anything in particular. I just hope I don't adore Slumdog, loathe Benjamin Button and then have to sit through another Forest Gump beats Pulp Fiction moment. That one still pisses me off.

Here are all the nominations, they air February 22nd (Sunday) and Hugh Jackman is hosting. Hmmm...still don't know about that one. I'm sure he'll be fine, it's just an odd choice.

Wanna come up to my room to watch Iron Chef? It's all about mushrooms tonight.

It's just so foreign to me to not loathe watching the president on TV...and look, he's not lifting his tuxedo pant leg to show us his cowboy boots, it's just...so refreshing! I just can't get over how cool this is.



Though as happy as I am, I was glad to see The Daily Show take a very small jab last night, comparing clips from Obama's inauguration speech with clips from past Bush speeches and how they were largely similar messages. Jon Stewart wanted to know what the difference was, and Jason Jones just got really flustered and upset and said something along the lines of, "I don't know, Jon! Why does cheese taste so good when you put it all over Italian food but if you put it all over Chinese food, it's just really gross?"

(Of course the speech was more than the sum of a few paltry clips, and I thought there were some good parts, having seen the whole thing, but The Daily Show's supposed to be a funny show, kwim?)



And my dad sent me a comment I really loved, from a commenter on yglesias.thinkprogress.org

"I noticed that Cheney was in a wheelchair and looking poorly. Amazing what happens when you cut off his supply of infant's blood and put him out in strong sunlight."

Hee hee.

Ok, shower time. You know it's too cold in the house when the cats won't even get out of the bed to be their usual annoying morning selves. ("Are you gonna fill the food bowl? Huh? Huh?" "Hey, turn on the bathtub water I want drips! MEEEEEEEEOOOOOW!") No, instead they look at me like, hell no woman, and curl up in a ball and mock my having to get up.

That's ok, it's supposed to get near 80 by the end of the week. And tomorrow night I'm off to Austin for a couple days where it should be 81 on Friday. So wrong...I'll be totally sad as I sit outside sipping a Mother Ship beer eating deep dish cheeeeeeeesy Mangia...

I'll hit you so hard they'll arrest you in El Paso for speeding.

So I have been terrible about mentioning recent movie watching...so far it's already a better year than 2008. (I mean movie-wise for me, but then taking today into consideration makes it even better...)

The weekend before last I saw Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino and the much-hyped indie flick Rachel Getting Married. I'm really not the biggest Eastwood fan--I like him just fine, I just can't say I seek his stuff out. But I really enjoyed this one--the less you know about it the better. It's the way the story unfolds and becomes about something different multiple times along the way that I found really impressive.



Sure, his character is a little recycled from characters past, but whatever, he does it well. The other actors...let's just say it, are pretty damn bad. I admire the effort to recruit people from the exact ethnic background as written, and I get that these are all first-timers, etc., etc., but on more than one occasion, the acting is so bad (the dialogue can also be faulted here and there) it nearly takes you out of the movie.

This matters not, it's still a kick-ass movie. And by the end, there was not a dry eye in the house.

Rachel Getting Married is a lot like last year's Margot at the Wedding. If you didn't like the latter, don't watch the former. Grainy indie movie + severe family dysfunction = Good Times.



Rachel is better than Margot, though. It doesn't smother you with angst and it's a more compelling look at two sisters' uh, drama, shall we say. It's not the most uplifting movie, but it's not a downer, either.

This past weekend my sister and I saw Frost/Nixon, which we'd been trying to see since xmas eve, but stuff just kept getting in the way. (Ok, we went shopping instead, arrest me.)



Obviously, it was great...and it didn't really reek of being a Ron Howard film, which is perhaps due to its having originally been a play, who knows. I would have loved to have seen the play, which both Michael Sheen and Frank Langella originally starred in before reprising their roles for the film. Honestly, it seems better suited to film, but I'm sure I could be surprised.

And I'm always thrilled to see Michael Sheen doing something other than play Tony Blair or be in another Underworld flick.

As for DVDs, I'm halfway through Fanny and The Milagro Beanfield War, neither of which I've seen before. The former is so! melodramatic! but it works, and the latter is quite different from what I imagined. I can't tell you what I imagined, but it's different. Hopefully they finish as strong as they start...

This wouldn't have to do with the fact that one of us is president?

Squee!



It's going to take a while to sink in...

Let's touch tummies!

So I love that it's happy hour in downtown Fort Worth, and I am totally on my own, laughing hysterically at random blog posts. Avoid the crazy girl.

I was getting an especially large kick out of this post from a fellow Westerner living in Japan.

I should also probably warn you that I couldn't get it to select that exact post, so I had to search "titties" and then link from there. So all the following posts after it involve, yes, "titties." You're welcome.

Maybe we can't see heaven because one of us is a J-O-O.

So I finally started watching the American version of The Office. The pilot had me worried, as it was just re-doing what the original had already done, but the actual episodes, thankfully, go in their own direction.



And it's hysterical, I love it. The best part is that it isn't true pain like the British one. (Which I did like, but it made it hard, you know...) Honestly, Steve Carell does a great job, but his Michael is just kind of an asshole. When Ricky Gervais did David, he brought a genuinely pathetic element to the character so you really felt bad for him. You hated and pitied him all at once, it made it far more painful.

But the Jim/Dwight dynamic (replacing the Tim/Gareth duo in the original) is fantastic. There was something magic about seeing Jim chunk an ice cream sandwich at the window in Dwight's "workspace" that just made my day, I had to rewind it. (It had been a long day...)

Also, I finally watched Zorba the Greek, a movie my dad has long suggested.



Hmm. I really liked the characters, Zorba especially of course, but that movie had some cracked out moments I just don't know about. Mostly the villagers. I mean, what the hell is their problem half the time? It was quite odd. But overall it was very enjoyable...don't know if it would make my top 100 as it does my father's, but I'm still glad to have seen it and could revisit it in the future.

And last weekend I saw Gran Torino and Rachel Getting Married, which I have yet to blog about, and hopefully today I'll get to see Frost/Nixon. Squee!

Here's your tea. Do you take lemon or peyote in yours?

It's that slow at work, we're debating the meaning of the lyrics of Me & Julio Down By the Schoolyard.



I always thought it was about a homosexual relationship...seems too severe for merely smoking pot, but getting caught by a teacher masturbating also seems to be an interpretation. Naturally, Paul Simon says he "doesn't know." Thanks, internet!

Hey, somebody's gotta be the designated drinker.

Dear Flying Saucer Waitress,

Hi. Just a quick note. So when I walk in and find the one last table and it has no chairs and then I ask you, "hey, are there any chairs around?" well guess what. I don't think you're hiding them in the back. It's just that it might be nice if you'd snag one from another table that isn't being used. You know, to save me (hi! remember me? I'm the customer) the hassle of bothering your customers, making the establishment look inept and then parading that chair back to my table in my six-inch heels. As part of your job, ya know, it might take you all of thirty seconds. You spend far more time standing there looking around telling me, "What you see is what we've got. Had a shortage lately. Maybe someone isn't using one?"

Gee, ya think? And wow, that brain power is simply astonishing, just fyi.

I realize you're busy and hey, for all I know, eight other people called in sick. Maybe the owner and the bartender, too. And guess what. I don't care. I really don't. Years in retail have beaten it out of me. Years of bending over and taking it with a smile have really taught me to respect others who go out of their way for me.

You are not one of them.

So smile when you collect your shit-ass tip.

Ta!

Ellen Aim

I washed down my rage with several vodka martinis and a pill I found on the floor.

Due to my being in and out of the room during red carpet douchebaggery (I mean, it's just the TV crowd right now, who cares? ok, just kidding), I have actually been able to see a few commercials, which I never have to watch anymore (I adore you, Tivo).

There was this Dr. Pepper commercial with a computer animated six-pack dancing to the theme of Cheers as it found the snack aisle. Maybe I'm betraying my age, but it made me want to kill myself a little. Or at least hurt others.

If they insist on making me cry, I'd like to remind them of this blackmail material right here:

Let's go to a family movie and look for gay subtext!

So I watched 3 movies today I'd never seen, trying to catch up on my Netflix. One from 1949, one from 1983 and one from 2006. The first of these was White Heat.

I honestly didn't see many James Cagney movies growing up, as my dad found him especially loathsome. I say "found," as he seems to have mellowed on him in recent years. Either that or I made the 'nog too strong over xmas, as he was actually recommending a few Cagney films to me.



But anyhoo, I've seen parts of this one before, but I really enjoyed the whole thing. It holds up great, with some really clever moments and a nice strong ending. Vaguely demented ending, one might say. Still a really tight film, especially if you're after some good tense gangster action. I could even see owning this one.

Followed that up with Risky Business, which I somehow missed growing up despite it coming from my era. I watched it at Alex's recommendation, and I'm really glad I had some warning that it is completely unlike most 80s movies we know. And particularly from all the iconic crap you see over the years:



you would have NO IDEA that it's a little bit darker and certainly a lot odder than most films of this uh, genre? It took some unexpected turns throughout and I really hope to god there wasn't a moral lesson in there somewhere because I believe I infact learned to be less moral from watching that movie. Not that there's anything wrong with that. (Just kidding... *cough*)

And despite my standard loathing of Tom Cruise (except in A Few Good Men, he is totally perfect in that) I didn't really mind him here. He can do a good job on occasion, it's just that he's so often horrendously miscast when producers seem to think he can do more than those one or two notes and GUESS WHAT. No.

I don't need to own this one, but I did enjoy the overall strangeness of it. It was somewhat disjointed plot- and pace-wise, but hey, it kinda worked for me. It ended up being unusual, which was surprising since by the time you get around to a lot of these iconic films they've been so heavily mimicked and ripped off that it's stale before you start.

After that, I finished up with a German film called Four Minutes. This could have been really eye-glazing feel-good mainstream tripe that I'd still have secretly liked for the piano playing, but it, too, took some unexpected turns and stayed fairly dark and surprising.



First of all, hooray to see Jasmin Tabatabai getting work. She was the lead singer in one of my all-time favorite flicks, Bandits, and she has a minor (but key) role in this. But what is it with Jasmin and prison movies? She does her fiery bitch thing again (only, uh, no good soul this time) and we're again in a women's prison. But this story revolves around two severely socially maladjusted people. One is the piano teacher and the other, one of the prisoners who used to be a child prodigy, playing piano internationally. She now has anger issues, to say the least.

Sure, there's some of the expected bonding moments, but unlike most Hollywood movies, not only does it not make everything better, in the end they are both still severely maladjusted people (for reasons drawn out over the film, naturally) and the film is very consistent with not trying to pretend this is something easily fixed. And it's not the cutesy "I'm shy" type of maladjusted, it's far more "I don't want to hear you play that Negro music" type of socially wrong. And that's coming from the piano teacher.

I thought it started to maybe fall apart a little near the end but then it quickly composed itself (ha ha) and made up for a little sprawling with a very good ending. Definitely recommend and wouldn't mind owning.

And today is Golden Globes day! My dork is showing, I know. First of all, a very special fuck you to Fox, for programming the 2-hour season premiere of 24 right up alongside the awards. (Or as dad likes to call it, my "right-wing propaganda show.") I'm not caught up to this season yet but it's close, so I was going to have Tivo do its thing for me. Wrong again! I guess Kiefer and the show weren't up for an award this year (though looking back it appears they have been nearly every year in the past). Bitter much, Fox?

Anyhoo. Really looking forward to the awards tonight. We all like some hot press conference action, truly, but last year was a bit dry. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go squeeze in about 9 films before 7 pm at the movie theatre...

Looks like everything's set for the wedding. Flowers, clean needles, Jordan Almonds...

So D had an in-house interview at work yesterday (they made him go in on his day off, wasn't that nice) and he thought it went quite well. So I took him to Nick & Sam's to celebrate, a very highly-recommended steakhouse in Dallas.



To give you an idea of the place, let's first explain how excited I get about the free black bean dip at Gloria's and the free queso at Campo Verde. Yum. Well, after you sit down at Nick & Sam's, they bring out the free nibbles, including caviar. And I'm not talking about crappy roe, this was a really nice sturgeon. We both liked it much better than the oestra (which I think is a type of sturgeon...not sure what type of sturgeon we ate last night but it was lighter and better) we had last Christmas. So already, damn.

Now the steak we had was really great, it was, but this place tops anyplace I have ever been, Bern's in Tampa included, for service. Totally. Blown. Away. At first, I was vaguely irritated, as they brought out the dinners but we never saw our promised bread, and there seemed to be confusion as to where my black truffle butter was, as someone had muttered something about garlic butter that arrived at our table. My butter was in a solid form when infact it really should have been warmed if it's a side. Otherwise, I feel like I'm slathering butter on my steak.

Which let's face it, I am.

And I was unimpressed with the black truffle butter. Little more flavor little less BUTTER next time, k? I don't know how Dakota's did theirs but wowzers. And since they no longer offer it, it hardly matters. But what I was impressed with was our waiter apologizing and saying the manager was on his way over to "smooth things over." I wasn't sure why that was really necessary, but he came over and warmed the sauce for me and they had three other sauces brought out, complimentary. A nice bernaise, a peppercorn something or other and a caramelized onion-Marsala sauce (the clear winner) in addition to their house steak sauce (already at our table) which was damn fab itself.

So we got that treatment, which was shocking and delicious. And I don't mean to say the service was superior and the food was not. The food rocked, it totally kicked ass. And they are the only steakhouse in Dallas to offer chateaubriand (granted it's $140 but I think it's for 2 people). The desserts looked gorgeous (including this towering chocolate layered cake I can't seriously imagine anyone ordering after a dinner like that) but we refrained. And I probably wouldn't get the lobster mac and cheese side again...the mac and cheese was kinda...cheesy, for lack of a better word, but my mom's recipe has ruined all others for me, so that may not be their fault. And it was dark, so it was kinda hard to tell just how much lobster really made it in there...

But anyhoo, we finished up and D had a coffee and I a small port (I asked about their digestifs which were not quite up to what one might find at Les Halles, so I opted for port). We had already paid up, and as I finished my little glass, the waiter re-appeared and refilled my glass, again, complimentary.

And then? He left the bottle.

On purpose.

I didn't know if it was because I left a nice tip or what but *giggle*! And really, I've left better tips at worse places, but when the tab runs that high one has to bear that in mind...we figured out I'd left about 28% or so. And while there wasn't a ton of port left in the bottle, by the menu's pricing, I probably consumed at least $50 worth of port by the end! So I requested to have my tab brought back out and I left him a little extra.

So we are eating beans, dust bunnies and cat food for the rest of the month.

Dogs barking, can't fly without umbrella.

Happy Birthday tomorrow, Alex!



A very bouncy song for you. And a video that's a little, uh, different!

And of course, an old favorite:



Though I'm not sure what's worse--knowing how well we know the movie or Dave's haircut in this video.

You're not very nice. I don't think I want to take inventory with you.

Niiiice. Thanks, Vel.

Do you see creamed corn on that plate?

So I had a great Christmas at my parents’ house, watching a bunch of movies, cooking, drinking, working on a Hitchcock mystery puzzle the hubby got me for one of my xmas prezzies...also had a decent xmas at the in-laws. Easily the big drama was D's car dying on his way home from work xmas eve. Good times. I'll get into it on another post, but let's just say that POS is no longer with us and D is now the proud owner of a red 2006 Kia Spectre. She's quite cute.

Otherwise, no drama. Even the cats had a decent car trip, the secret key apparently lying in hard rock or rap to really shut Bourdain up. He was especially fond of Warp 11’s Trekkie Girl and Eminem’s Without Me and Superman. Apparently the misogynistic lyrics really do it for him. But it was a tolerable trip! I'm not saying I didn't have to clean up some poo and barf, but he was pretty quiet and that's really all I can ask.

I have seen a lot of films on DVD recently, and I'm glad, as looking over the past year I need to make more of an effort to see good films. I did watch a shitload of TV on DVD, so that explains part of it.

On a whim a few weeks ago, I was all, "You know, I kinda want to see Philadelphia again." Well, on New Year's Eve around 3am after D had dropped off to sleep I threw it in. Twenty minutes later, I thought, "The hell was I thinking?" Yeah, I sent that back. I mean, it's not bad, and I really respect it for what it did at the time, but not only is it hella depressing, it's not really all that good. Aside from some great acting and a kick-ass soundtrack, we can just sort of admire that one and not watch it again as far as I'm concerned. I do have Silverlake Life: The View From Here and Longtime Companion on my Netflix list, however, in an apparent bid to revisit uber-depressing favorites.

Two xmas movies I watched over the holidays for the first time ever were White Christmas and We're No Angels. And really, I didn't finish the first one. I love me some Bing Crosby but that thing sucked the biggest donkey balls. First of all, Holiday Inn was 1942 and this POS makes a movie around its hit song twelve years later in 1954? What sort of desperate cash cow is that? I just couldn't get through it. Irving Berlin or no, those other songs were fucking pathetic. That "Snow" song was embarrassing as hell.

We're No Angels started out sort of meh, but it really picked up and I quite enjoyed it. And clearly I'm speaking of the Humphrey Bogart version. I'm aware there is a remake out there, but I have a feeling it sort of blows. Lots of cute scenes, I think you do need to be in the mood, but I definitely liked it.

And by god, I am getting to the fucking movie theatre this week if it kills me.

The cha cha is no more ridiculous than life itself.

So I completed my list there off to the side of Top 10 Films of 2008, as seen for the first time. Not theatrical releases. I mean, I guess technically In Bruges was released here theatrically this year, but I saw it on DVD.

More to the point, however, jesus...apparently I watched a whole lot of disappointing films this year. Seriously. Just barely anything good. I mean, I liked Lars and the Real Girl, but not sure if it really merits a place on the list. And honestly, An Officer and a Gentleman just really surprised me. As I mentioned when I watched it, it's got a few flaws but I still quite enjoyed it. Sure, better films might have bumped these off the list, but I guess I just rented crap this year...

I mean, Road House almost made the list. That's what I'm talking about. But the rest of the films on the list I did genuinely enjoy and certainly belong on my list.

But back to In Bruges.



If you have not seen this yet, you really must. It might be the most enjoyable film I saw all year. Great bloody scenes, terrific humor and fantastic dialogue. It's written by Martin McDonagh, so that really shouldn't come as a surprise. But I need to own it. It's a perfect mix of cute and tough and the more I think about it, the more I adore it.

Also, I purchased my New Years dharma doll online this morning (see previous post) and hopefully it will arrive before my rejections start rolling in from various schools! I am absolutely not a superstitious person (though I am married to one of the most superstitious people I've ever met...I've stopped arguing about why I need to eat a black-eyed pea on New Years when it should be satisfying enough for just him to eat it).

But all I know is that several years ago, shortly after the New Year, Drew and I asked our dharma to find us a cool centrally-located apartment in Tokyo and within a week we were moving in. Dharma then lived on our kitchen table and I tried to buy fresh flowers for him whenever possible.

Finding an apartment in Tokyo is not unlike finding an apartment in New York City: mind-boggling fees and hidden costs, not to mention the headache of finding an affordable, available anything in the first place. And preferably less than a 20 minute walk from the station. The hassle of settling everything, waiting forever to move in...

But somehow we wound up with a totally cute place in Osaki, which is located on the Yamanote Line (the snobby line, woot!) and was a 5 minute walk to the station and 10 minutes from Shinjuku and Shibuya, the hub of downtown. And the people from whom we rented gave us the key without our even having paid anything up front. It was unreal.

So yeah, I'm ordering a dharma.

Can't we have one spontaneous conversation without it ending up in one of your stories?

Not a bad first day of the year, really. I know, I know, I haven't blogged in ages. I have tons to catch up on. Got my LSATs a week early.

I was at my computer at work last Monday only to find an email titled, “Your December 2008 LSAT score.” Like any bad news, I really didn’t want to read that at work. And I wasn’t expecting it. Infact, I had planned to take the day off next Monday just in case I screwed the pooch in such spectacular fashion that I couldn’t hide my shame without copious amounts of vodka. But how can you not click on that puppy?

So I did and my score was not so terrible. It was not the glorious achievement I would have liked, but nor is it an embarrassment. Sadly, I do note that it’s lower than what most of my six schools typically go for, so hopefully they’re really looking for older students big on international travel and uh, charm?

I got my first scary email from George Washington telling me they had everything they needed and that I should expect to hear from them after mid-February. Eek!

I will get into xmas and all that (I got to read some great books and two graphic novels and knocked out several movies) but today I just had so much on my mind that I went out this morning intending to go to the Fort Worth Water Gardens and then go from there.

Instead, I sort of wound up on I-35S and drove down to Austin where I spent a very nice few hours at Mangia eating their pizza and surfing their internets. It was so meant to be, I mean, not only were they open, but I picked a booth with an outlet. Hot.

It had an ominous start once I got there, however, as I started to become convinced one needed to flash some tit just to get a little service. Instead, I went up to the bar and said, "Do I just order here, or should I be expecting a waiter?"

My waiter not only apologized before actually serving me, he said my first beer was on the house. Upon tabbing out, I saw that he also did not charge me for my second (and final, thanks) beer. So I had a $14 tab and he got a $10 tip. It all worked out nicely.

It must be the way-too-many-years in retail that sparks off the rage when you get ignored like that. "Hi, can I please give you my money?"

Oh, and then after I got back in my car, I'd made a mental note to see if Momoko was open, as I was sad not to have secured myself a dharma doll for the New Year. (Especially with all this law school nonsense, I could really use a dharma doll!) So I tap into my GPS system and start to look up Momoko. I'm piddling around for a bit trying to figure out how to search in Austin, since obviously I'm not in DFW anymore. Then it occurs to me.

It already knows I'm in Austin.

Either I'm getting too old for new technology or I'm just that slow or hey, both. But anyhoo, so I look it up and bam, there's the number! So I call and yup, they were closed for the holiday. True, it just so happens that Momoko is less than a mile from Mangia, but that's not the point. The point is just how fucking cool my little Nuvi GPS is. I have even downloaded a saucy Australian man to speak directions to me and my car is now a giant bird, a la Kehaar from Watership Down. ("You stupid bunnies! You got no mates!") Anyhoo.

It was a nice day. Even though what I really needed was a nice long drive by myself, I gotta say...the pizza at Mangia really is almost worth that much of a drive. (Plus they have outlets for my laptop, hee hee.) And the Mother Ship beer is magic. But goddamn that's some good pizza.

But now I am back home in Arlington, meeting my friend Sara at Gloria's for a brief New Years drink and then home to maybe squeeze in an episode of House, M.D. (I've been playing catch-up) before passing out.

Happy New Year!