12.31.2010

December Goals *with Results

End of the year!  Get it in gear!  As of December 11th, I WILL BE DONE WITH THIS SEMESTER!!!  That's the deadline I'm giving myself to finish grading those finals.  YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!  CAN'T WAIT!

1) Work on my relationship with God.  My goal was 495 chapters and 2xs at church.  I went to church once.  Improvement!  I hit 493... I think... I think I hit it but didn't record it?  Let's make next month's goal 75 more chapters.  I'm starting to feel rushed again.
*I passed my 75 chapter goal!  Wheeee!

2) Start my next film.  I wanted to do at least one actual shoot.  And I did!!  December, a week of shoots and make arrangements for my trip to Vegas to get pictures from my great-aunt.
*I did my week of shoots but didn't get my Vegas shoot arranged. 

3) Take the next step in my career.  I did get my application materials together so I want to send out several packages before the end of the year!!
*Oops.  Forgot about this one.  i was exhausted from the semester.  I feel so much freer with that over.  I should be able to get some things done in the first few weeks of the year.

4) Try new restaurants.  I was supposed to "EAT LESS FAST FOOD!!"?  Oops.  This is really making my workouts less effective than they should be.  Week 1: 2 fast food outings. New restaurants-- Burke St. Pizza (decent, not life-changing), Alex's Cafe (some of the worst service I've encountered here. Our waitress actually drove off DURING our meal without a word or backwards glance to us. I kid you not. 0 tip.  Because you're not here to get it and who would I be tipping?).  I don't think we tried anything else other than a restaurant in Charlotte.  It was fine.  Depressing.  I want to eat less fast food this month.  I want my only restaurants to be high end or in other cities.  I hate Winston-Salem restaurants.
*I ended up liking a restaurant in Winston!  Did I mention how much I really, REALLY don't like people trying to feed me normal food for a ridiculous prices?  And i don't like people suggesting those restaurants to me.

5) Cook at least 3xs a week, 2 of those new recipes.  I said, if I can cook once TWICE a week, it will be a miracle.  Week 1: Pretty sure I cooked 0 meals but I did get a meatless meal in there.  Thanksgiving?  I cooked 4 new recipes.  I should probably post those.  Okay so this month I hope I can cook some more.  I don't feel like having goals.
*I definitely cooked more!  It was delightful!  And there's more to come in January!

6) Watch more movies.  My goal for November was 8.  That most certainly did not happen.  If I can get two movies in per week, I'll be happy.  *singing* Lowered expectaaaaations!  Oops.  Only hit 7.  Let's go for 11 to hit 225 this month.  I can do it!!
*Lol.  This is getting comical.  How did I think 11 would get me to 225?  I watched 15!  I got to 219 on the year.

7) Work out more.  I am consistently working out twice a week with my new trainer WHO I LOVE!  I'm still working on getting to three days a week.  IT WILL HAPPEN THIS MONTH!  Since it didn't in November... lol.
*Guess who got to 3xs the last day of the week?  MEEEEE!!!  Only 51 more weeks to meet my goal!

8) Statecations.  I had no statecation goal last month... and I don't have one for this month.  I'm going to Mississippi & Savannah.
*I went to Mississippi & Savannah and nowhere interesting in the state!  Oh wait.  I went to dinner in Raleigh!
  
9) Contact my grandma once a month.  I called her last month.  She will finally get her package this month when I go down there!
*Saw my grandma.  Our relationship will never be the same.  Her miserableness was too much to bear.  She got her stuff, though.

10) Organize my life.  My goal was to sufficiently plan my life so that I don't feel so stressed and overwhelmed by it all for these last few weeks of the semester.  That was a complete and utter failure.  This month I will organize my next semester to make everything awesome.
*Hmmm... I should've remembered this goal.  I tried to do this but I need other people to give me important dates.  So I will give myself partial credit!

I will also actually pay attention to these goals so I have half a chance of achieving them.  I did horribly last month and... I don't even care.  XOXO
*I paid slightly more attention this month but that really just means remembering.  In 2011 I'll be posting my yearly goals so I can achieve every single one!  I'm so excited!!!

12.29.2010

2010 Goals Revisited

Here's how my 2010 goals worked out!  :)

1) Work on my relationship with God.  Reading the bible has been GREAT for my relationship with God!

2) Finish my film.  DONE!!

3) Take the next step in my career.  Yeaaaaah!  Accidentally got a job teaching on the collegiate level that I loved!

4) Try new restaurants.  Y'all.  You knew I would.  I did a GREAT job on this!  So much that I've made this a significant part of my life.  I no longer need this as a goal!  Woohoo!!

5) Cook at least 3xs a week, 2 of those new recipes.  HAHAHAHAHA!!  This went well for weeks at a time then nada.  But I think I did a great job with my real goal: get in the kitchen.

6) Watch more movies.  Lol... I wanted to watch 365 movies and just barely cracked 200.  I cared much more about other things.

7) Workout more. Hiring a trainer really helped me with this!  Now I just have to get myself to 3xs/week.

8) Go on statecations.  Travel within the state is such a neat idea. I wanted to go to the Keys, Tampa and St. Augustine.  Only the last one happened and I'm okay with that.  Finishing my film was exhausting!!

9) Call my grandma once a week.  I amended this to contact her once a month and really?  That was more than enough.

Now tell me some of your great 2011 goals while I finish mine so I can steal some of yours!!  LOL

12.27.2010

Monday Mindspacing Vol. 81

1) I think I'm done subscribing to food mags.  Some months I love EVERYTHING in them, others I like one recipe.  After the month, they're all online anyway.  What's the point?  Especially since I don't have/don't take the time to read them anymore.
2) I forgot to tell you in the tales of Mississippi my family in the country.  My aunt got high-speed internet a few months ago... I promise you I love my family in the country.  They're some of my favorite people... but I don't understand their lives (probably any more than they understand mine).
a) Example: horses got loose scaring everyone driving (the could run out into the road)... I was so flabbergasted I couldn't even explain how outside the realm of my reality this is...
b) They were amazed that work/school is 9 minutes away.  Everything there is 30 minutes or more away.  Their "neighbors" are miles away.
3) One of my vicarious cats, Charlotte helped wrap presents for Christmas.  How sweet!
4) I hooked this couple up 2 years ago and now they're engaged! Wheeee!!  I'm so excited for them!  I LOVE them together!!  So I didn't really hook them up but I invited her to a party she didn't know about and he was there and the rest is history!  But they still credit me with them meeting!  Awwww!
5) I really missed being with my mommy for Christmas.  We will stick to the original plan henceforth: Thanksgiving with his fam, Christmas with mine.
6) It SNOWED in Savannah while I was here!!!  Just flurries but for several hours!  Nothing stuck but it was amazing! It's supposed to be 70 Saturday.  Couldn't we have had THAT weather???  If we'd stayed in Winston-Salem, we'd have had a white Christmas.  I was a little bummed we didn't.
7) How about just the five confirmed people showed up for dinner. . . He had told his mom I was freaking out about the number of people.  She said cook for the people we know about.  Don't worry about all those other people.  When I asked Rashan why she would mention the other people, he said, "That's my mom."  Like that's how she does things.  O_O  --_--
8) One student gave me a mentorship award from her sorority.  Another asked me to write a letter of recommendation!  Awwwww!!  Professor post forthcoming!
9) I got some new rain boots and I LOVE THEM!!
10) Tell me some of your goals for 2011 so I can steal them!  :)
11) I actually watched movies last week and forgot to post them... oops!  Next week!  The last of 2010!
12) We still have no plans for new year's... I really don't care.  I know I've mentioned this before but January 1st is a weird day to me.  Why does it symbolize new beginnings?  I get it on a basic level but it makes me too philosophical and y'all know how much I hate that.  I used to get really excited about it and love watching the numbers change from 11:59 to 12:00 and the ball drop but now with so much technology, it turns 12:00 at 8 different times.  That is certainly no fun.
13) I had some DELICIOUS oysters yesterday!  My word!!
14) I miss Christmas. :(

12.24.2010

CHRISTMAS EVE!!!!

Y'ALL IT'S CHRISTMAS EVE!!!  

I'M SO EXCITED!!!  

I may... have already opened all of my gifts... LOL.  What?

Y'all know I'm not good with surprises!  If you don't, let me tell you I almost always open boxes as soon as I get them.  Doesn't matter the holiday or occasion.  You'd best believe I'll be gleefully ripping the boxes open!  And I love wrapping paper!!!  It ups the intrigue in the most exciting way!

Stace got me theeeee awesomest dress from Ghana!  I look amazing in it!!  I can't wait to wear it!  This dress is half taunt since it's sleeveless and it's currently 39 degrees.  It's supposed to be a white Christmas in Winston and I won't even be here.  That makes me a bit annoyed.  That never happens!

Anywho I LOVE all of my Christmas presents!!  I'm super excited to use each and every one!  Recap coming soon!  XOXO, Loves!  And Merry Christmas!  Listen to the music of my favorite season forever!! :)

12.22.2010

Christmas Dinner

It's a comedic nightmare... a comedy of errors if you will...

As you all know, I asked Rashan's mom if I could help with Christmas dinner.  She said, "I don't have any plans, you can plan the menu!  I was like, say what now?  So I decided to come up with a menu despite the nuttiness of that jump.  I scaled down from my original idea of goose with goose fat potatoes.  I can do that when I'm doing one or a few items but the whole shebang!?!?  Sheesh! 

So Rah tells me it will likely be just 5 people...

HA!

His mom says 5 confirmed and 16 possibles.


Take that in.

Pay attention...


5 confirmed and 16 possibles.
 

HOW ARE THERE 3XS AS MANY POSSIBLES AS CONFIRMED!?!?!?

*whimpers*

Rashan said I now understand the state of confusion that is his mother...

Don't wanna!  So I'm now planning dinner for 20????????????????????????????????????? Or 25??????

The tentative menu: french onion soup (me), whole roasted chicken (me), fried oysters, mashed potatoes and gravy (me), garlicky butternut squash (me), green beans, mac & cheese (Rashan's grandma), collard greens (his mom), cabbage (his mom), sweet potatoes (his mom), cracked earth chocolate cake (me). 

I'm tired already.



Oh... and she asked me when I'm going to be her daughter. . . . .

12.20.2010

Monday Mindspacing Vol. 80

1) I give back my work computer this week.  Let's have a moment of silence for all those games I've gotten addicted to...
2) The other day my momma said she was ready for Christmas to be over.  CHILE BYE!!!!  How dare you say that to me!!!
3) My mom said she doesn't feel comfortable selecting clothes for me.  Yay for that!  I hate getting clothes from people.  I'm way too old for that and my style is ever evolving.
4) I had lost my Boyz II Men Christmas cd AGAIN until YESTERDAY!!  I was ready to play it over and over again!  PattiLabelle's Christmas = AWFUL!!  That 1983 sound for a cd made in 2004 #fail.
5) My reader got up to 119 while I was internet-less in Mississippi!!  There are usually about 30 per day.  It's now clear & I hope I never have to let it get that bad again!!  My cousin lives in a dead zone where she can't get internet. . . . . Yes, I know the whole state isn't like that but son...
6) My aunt moved out to our family land in the country 32 years ago.  She didn't have a telephone and the water company had to dig a line to her house to get water.  Everyone else in the area had wells.  I. can't.
7) My mom and I visited my grandfather's grave yesterday morning.  By the time we were leaving, people were pulling up and we accidentally met some cousins my mom hadn't seen since her childhood!  That is hilarious and weird!  This church is literally in the middle of nowhere!!!  But the graveyard is full of relatives including 4 great-grandparents, multiple great-aunts and uncles, some of whom died before my mom was born.
8) My grandma is a really unhappy woman... but I don't think she knows she's unhappy most of the time.  She thinks her lonely existence is normal.  It's really crazy and interviewing her was infuriating.  She was revising history not remembering the things she's told me before and having no clue the things other people told me.
9) Why did I ask Rashan's mom if I could help with Christmas dinner to have her reply I don't have any plans, you can plan the meal.  O_O  . . . . Da heezy!?  How we make that giant leap??
10) I'm a little worried about how long it will take me to lose the Mississippi accent I pick up when talking to my mom and all of these people down there.
11) Y'all, my momma is the MOST unsentimental person.  It's so crazy.  But then I hear these stories about my family and marvel that she's as normal as she is.
12) If you didn't know, I'm making a film about the grandfather I never met.  He died 40 years ago in February and participated in the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi.  I got some great interviews and some not so great ones.  To be expected, I'm sure.  Some will turn out to be better than I thought in the editing room.

12.15.2010

Wednesday Wanderings

I'm sorry if y'all need a real post.  You know I don't have the internet this week (which is killing me ever so softly...) so you get Wednesday wanderings.  Know that I'm doing this because I miss you bunches!  And I mean that from the bottom of my heart!!  This is the Mississippi edition so you can consider it all about Mississippi... because it is.  Let's start with the positive.

1) I met Nerd Girl and Pserendipity and loved it!  They were so fun!  In my head I'm still referring to them by their blog names.  LOLOL  We shut down one of Jackson's Indian restaurants.  And yes we talked about y'all!  Ha!  The food was tasty! 
2) Hold up... I'm not trying to be funny but how does a Mississippi city have MORE THAN ONE Indian restaurant!??!
3) Can you check my email for me?  I really should've asked Rashan to do that Tuesday night but I didn't think of it until he was already asleep.  Does that make me too much of an addict? InternetIsCrack
4) Pserendipity brought me the Ina Garten cookbook I wanted for Christmas!!  Wheeee!!  That is so nice!  I love Ina's cookbooks.  They make me feel rich!  After less than 2 hours with the book I now know what to look for when shopping for caviar.  *sniff* *snooty look over my non-existent reading glasses*
5) Do you have any mean grandparents?  I do.  Only one grandparent is living (been like that for 20 years) and she doesn't know how to talk to people, doesn't care how to talk to people or a combination.  I was so nervous NG or P would have had some interaction with her meanness and I would have to apologize!  Yes, she's that bad.
6) Example?  Within the first 5 minutes, she said, "Ooh! You gettin fat!" and cackled. The next day she poked me in a fleshy area of my back...  I am in one of the fittest states of my life.  I'm coming to the realization I will probably never be a 2 again and may never be a 4 but yes, I can still wear 8s and sometimes 6s (vanity sizing LOL)..........  Fat.  Did I mention I'm the second smallest of her grandchildren only to my 18yo cousin?  Grandma is a hater.
7) My grandma and mother snipe at each other CONSTANTLY.  It is so incredibly annoying.  When someone other than me (a stranger) is around, they're civil.  I NEED THIS.  I will only return with Stace, my sister or Rashan as a buffer and/or a hotel room.
8) I brought two movies with me but have been too agitated being around their constant fussing.  IN JUST OVER 24 HOURS, Y'ALL!!  God bless P & NG for getting me out of the house!  I kind of forgot the movies were here.  I think they're both heavy.  Not exactly an escape...
9) Now that my grandma's older, her house is full of non-perishables.  This doesn't work for me since my mom raised me to disdain canned foods.  I know you didn't think my food snobbery was anything but learned!!!  She cooked almost every night growing up.  No non-veg frozen foods (no, I'm not still on that) and only beans occasionally out of a can.  Boxes of mix?  Yeah right.  These things were always fascinating to me.  Anyway, I can't eat that and I hate the grocery stores in Jackson.  WholeF...?  What?  Chile bye.  So if I really am fat when I get back to Winston-Salem, it's because I said FORGET IT and ate all the delicious-looking fat-filled food I could find between home and grandma, around the state of Mississippi and back!
10) And I haven't gotten a workout in this week... that never bodes well for 3xs a week when I don't have ONE in by Wednesday.  Help me, Lord!
11) No school work or internet means I'm getting in some good Bible reading!
12) I sure wish I had another book to read that was halfway interesting and not covered in an inch of dust... i.e. had been moved in the last 3 decades since my mom lived here...  I accidentally left TheHelp at home after starting it and was HURT!!  I almost turned around.  I half wished I'd left my phone so I'd have a valid excuse to go get it.  I knew it was going to be a boring time... Got to mom's and I had only left my horrible airplane mindless chick lit.  WHYYYYY??  I have AT LEAST 6 new books at my place.
13) Why did my mom try to convince me some tater tots left in the microwave here were mine?  Like seriously trying to jog my memory.  One, I don't save tater tots. Two, if I did I wouldn't be reheating them in the microwave.  Three, HUH!?!  You're gonna convince me of food I never had???  Do you know there's another person in the house?????  Grandmas can't eat tater tots?  Lol.  That does sound funny.
14) I'd like to thank everyone on twitter for @replying me!!!  Those coming to my phone really got me through!  I felt so much less cut off from the world.
15) Y'all.  My momma let me sleep as much as I wanted on the way to MS!!  That NE.VER HAPPENS!!  She used to scream on me for not "helping keep the driver awake."  As a result, this was one of the best drives I've ever had down here.  I should say rides because she refused all my offers to drive. 
16) Did you see Mariah Carey's Christmas special?  She killed it!!!  But I'm still stealing her wind machine for Christmas.  My gift to her stans.  Mimi, you know I love your every Christmas bone but gently billowing hair for the birth of Christ?  That's a bit much.

And I'm out.  *drops MC glitter mic* *mariah hands*

12.13.2010

Monday Mindspacing Vol. 79

1) I know a girl with short hair who talks about it all the time.  She gets it cut and colored and styled... and I never notice a difference.  Ever.  When she talks about it, I find myself staring at her head trying to figure out just one thing different about it.  I got nothin...
2) I'm in Mississippi this week to see Grandma... and I'm also going to meet Nerd Girl & Pserendipity!!  I'm so excited!!
3) I hate when people say "authentic Mexican" food.  It's so snobby.  Yep.  Me.  The food snob.  I just said that.  If I say that, you should stop.
4) Why have I still not had food in WS I like?  The latest disappointment is a breakfast spot called ScreamingRooster.  Really hard toast.  Ham, swiss & gouda omelet tasted mostly of swiss.  Just the slightest amount of filling and a ton of egg.  Unwashed, manhandled grapes as garnish.  I expect fruit garnishes to be edible.  This most certainly was not.   If you want to tell me about your amazing local meat, you should care more about the execution of the food.  Snap.
5) And I probably should never eat with you if you would ever say, "It's just breakfast."  JUST!?!  Breakfast is a very important meal (some would say THE most important) and too easy to make delicious.  A diner can make a delicious breakfast. Get your life together.
6) Your mom.
7) Sometimes I have to make myself go to bed.  The days I don't I end up staying up until 5 a.m.  That's no good.
8) Why do people have to be so "deep"?  And by deep I mean cryptic.  From twitter to facebook to blogger.  I'm not talking about one day the spirit hits you.  I'm talking about every time you open your mouth or at least once a week you have to be on some RevRun stuff.  "An apple is not an orange and neither is a tomato.  All round, all shades of red, but all distinctly different."  :?  Just say what you mean.  NOBODY's that deep.
9) Please stop getting so bent out of shape over these fb things.  If people want to tell each other stuff via numbers, just let them.
10) I lost 4 teeth in February of my first grade year.  Just thought you wanted to know that.
11) I don't understand why people who don't like Christmas have to steal everyone else's joy.  Keep that grinchness to yourself.  It's like sharing your negativity any other time of year but worse BECAUSE IT'S CHRISTMAS!!!  Who tries to kill Christmas?!?!  Go hibernate until February, please.  (I'm still coming down from my Christmas high in January.)  Did you know December 26th and August 24th are the two worst days of the year?  They are.  #themoreyouknow
12) I hate when someone who trusts my fashion opinion buys something excitedly and can't wait to show me.  When it's ugly I have to be all tactful because... you already bought it.  What do you want my opinion for now?
13) I am a vicarious cat owner.  What does that mean?  Tweeters but not bloggers, the enfianced Bakima (half of them is a delightful commenter), own eight FIVE cats between the two of them!  Methinks that's plenty of cat to share!  So I nurture those kitties via twitpics and fb.  I e-love those cats I've never met!  Sasha, Paris, Oliver, Nigel and the best, most ferocious, rambunctious, "DIS MINE-inest" kitty in the world, CHARLOTTE!!!  She likes to help out around the house.  She helps pick out clothes, wash them, type, tweet.  She even answers the phone.  Thanks Char!

12.08.2010

Christmas List

1) Diamond stud earrings
2) A trip: a vineyard, Atlanta (I haven't stopped missing it) or somewhere we have to fly
3) Le Creuset: I haven't told you because I was crushed... but mine broke.  You have never seen a person bemoan an item.  I want the enameled cast iron 3.5 qt.  I'll also take the stoneware but I need something big enough to cook in.
4) Lorna Sass's The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook.  I will continue to ask for this until one of you gives it to me.  And the Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.  Pretend I didn't take a picture of the 15 cookbooks I already own.
5) This boatneck tee in bright seaport (S).  This bangle.
6) A large room air purifier by Holmes.  Yes, I still hate my neighbors.
7) This swan sweater! (S)
8) Stuff from my etsy list.  Especially cowls, hats and headgear!!  PLEASE get me some of this stuff before I die!!  Pink or teal or purple if you're looking at knit/crochet stuff.
9) This clutch. 
10) Saffron, truffle oil (and or truffle salt), fleur de sel, tagliatelle and pine nuts.  What a foodie!  LOLOL.  These are the ingredients I really want that are way too expensive for me to buy on my own without a stern look from a certain hater boyfriend.
11) This shirt in pink. (4P) This tank in black (PS).  This shirt in white (4P).  These shoes in 8N, navy please.

12.06.2010

Monday Mindspacing Vol. 78

Oops.  I just realized I hadn't posted this yet... Some of you are at work cursin me!

1) Ironic tweet: Someone called "Blessed & Highly Favored" said, "We just fried an egg with vodka! Oh snap!"  Why ironic?  Because I know too many people who spew blessings and cursings from the same mouth.  I have a hard-earned skepticism for people who call themselves things like that.  Plus can we talk about how gross that sounds?  Yuck.
2) I realized I'd rather buy food and go on trips than pay for a wedding.  No, I'm not engaged yet but the closer I get to it, the less I want the drama associated with the day.  A big or even moderate wedding?  I'm talking 75+.  It's not gonna happen.  I'm not gonna be stressed out about inviting a bunch of people I don't want there or all these details over EIGHT HOURS!!  MAX!  I just can't.  I'm not that person.  I want a party and a pretty dress.  But most of all I want a successful marriage.
3) I went to the dinner party from Hades the other night.  Beautiful restaurant, the menu looked like it was up to my food snob standards (turns out the execution wasn't that great...), my sister and I looked great, AWFUL company.  We were surrounded by people she knew marginally who acted like they had never eaten anywhere better than GoldenCorral.  Complaining about the menu, asking for a menu in English (IT WAS IN ENGLISH, PEOPLE!!!), complaining about gratuity included in the check when there were 15 people there~~~  For real?  Just tacky.  I hated being seen with them.
4) Please don't let me eat cooked salmon anymore.  I just don't like it.  Smoked?  All over it.  Raw?  I can take it.  Cooked?  Blech.
5) My mom thinks I'm crazy for all the goals I have (30 Before 30, 35 Before 35, 40 Before 40, monthly, yearly).  Rashan's just amused by it.  I feel like I have the type of personality that needs something to keep me on track.  Otherwise I just look up weeks later and can't say I've contributed anything to my personal, professional or spiritual development.  If I create just a few goals, I can get a lot more out of life.
6) Why is this MM so detailed?
7) People who use their first initial intrigue me.  I always want to know what's behind that.  Is your first name too hideous or too pedestrian?  You just want to intrigue me?  Success.  Now tell me the deal.
8) I was thinking the other day about how unfair it is that women's lives get put completely on hold when they get pregnant and men's don't.  If I had gotten pregnant in grad school (not possible so don't go there) and was due during the semester, it would be a problem.  I would have to put all my plans on hold.  And God forbid I was on bed rest.  Complete plan ruination.  A guy?  He's as empathetic as a he can be but he gets to continue his life pretty much the same.  I know there's nuance but I'm really thinking about the people in my program who are married.  This may not even be their reality but it's what I'm projecting.
9) Rashan hates when I speak in Spanish at Mexican restaurants.  I can't say gracias???  That's straight up hate!  He just doesn't want me to find my Mexican chef husband.  HATE, I say!
10) I have 7 more days standing between me and the end of the semester!!  I CAN'T WAIT!!!

12.05.2010

Movies 2010, Weeks 44-48

Notice there was a week where I watched 0 films?  O_O  Do you also see how many films I watched in the last month? o_O

November 7-13, 2010
202) Coal Country. Documentary about the effect of mountain top removal coal mining on West Virginia communities.  Pretty good.  I liked that it showed both sides.  You know I can't stand being propagandized.  There was still a very clear agenda, though.  3.5 stars

November 21- 27, 2010
That's right, I watched 0 movies last week.
203) Someone Else. British film (I saw on Sundance) about a guy's dating woes.  Pretty interesting.  Predictable start but did not continue in that vein, which was fun.  Short.  It actually could've been a little longer... That will be the last time I ever say that.  LOL.  3.6 stars
204) Bright Leaves. Personal documentary about the filmmaker's search for his great-grandfather's legacy.  I didn't love it.  Lasted a little too long.  3.4 stars

November 28- December 4, 2010
205) How to Train Your Dragon. Kids movie... self-explanatory.  Dude... I have GOT to stop letting Rashan's mom pick my movies!  Every time she goes to see a kids movie and really likes it I put it on my queue.  Why???  I don't have any kids and don't want any right now.  Completely my fault.  It was fine.  Good for kids.  3.4 stars

11.29.2010

Monday Mindspacing Vol. 77

1) Ad fail: For a limited time get a Le Creuset 6 quart stockpot with any Le Creuset $274.95 purchase.
2) Dear BBC America, Don't show previews for the next Luther when you're showing the replay of this week's. UGH!!!!  That show is the best.  You should absolutely watch it.
3) I now see why people stan for Idris... Carry on.
4) I hate raw cauliflower.  But I'm really starting to love it cooked.  Thanks Rach!
5) I love pumpkin-flavored stuff... but not those pumpkin spice doughnuts.  That layer of glaze kills it for me.  Also, it is confirmed that I am a Krispy Kreme girl and Dunkin Donuts is for people without taste glands.  Glad I grew up trained in the right way.  (And when they are old, they will not depart from it.)
6) Thanksgiving was a rousing success.  I love vegetarians... but not on Thanksgiving... Sorry Liz & Nerd Girl!  I like my greens and green beans with some meat/chicken broth!  My veg homie didn't come and veg-wise?  I think that was for the best.
7) I added roasted carrots and parsnips to my recipes (for that missing vegetarian)... of the 6 people at the table, none of us had ever had parsnips.  And we all liked them!  (Except Rashan... he doesn't count.)  They're like pale, meaty carrots.  Awesomeness! 
8) Because I read blogs on reader, I get confused when y'all talk about your new blog design.  I can't see any of that, kids.  (And sometimes I don't feel like going to look... Also if your design is lame, I feel like I wasted my time bothering to click the link to go look.  Moral: If you're going to re-design, make it good.)
9) I want to re-design my blog but really don't have the patience or the care to be bothered right now.  This design isn't me anymore.  It's also been a while since I changed the name so it's about time for that, too.  I know it confuses some of you and I understand that but I get bored.  You'll get re-used to it... and then I'll change it again.
10) Rashan watched every episode "Friends" WHEN THEY AIRED.  For real???  Gimme your card.
11) I can never complain about new fb because the second I see it I forget any distinguishing features of old fb.  LOLOL!  I seriously can't be bothered to remember every technological change when they come 17xs a week.
12) Speaking of stupidly frequent updates... ITUNES.  Are you serious?  I don't need a new version weekly.  Quarterly is just fine.  And honestly, at this point, I would be delighted with monthly.  Keep v.3.8.9.
13) You'll be delighted to learn I got into a rhythm writing my 20-page paper.  Once it started flowing, it didn't stop.  I had to stop myself to work on other stuff.  AND I got an extension.  HALLELUJAH!!  I'm more than halfway there!  If the rest of it flows like this?  Golden.  Not a chance of a problem.  Wheeeee!  

11.26.2010

Thanksgiving

The act of Thanksgiving improved my mood immensely!  I loved it!  Me and my momma DID THAT!!  Our food was delicious and semi-nutritious!  (Ahem, mac & cheese, you know you're at fault for that "semi.")  The vegetarian had a headache so she didn't come.  I hope she feels better but it was seriously stressin me OUT thinking about all the dietary issues at hand!  My mood most certainly improved when I felt less pressure from preparing enough food that she would be able to eat.  Chile we had so many sides I, JAMEIL, almost didn't want the turkey...

Yeah... I said it... TURKEY.  WHY, LAWD, WHY????  Because cornish hens were $2.48/lb. and turkey was less than $.50/lb.  Math.  Math made me eat turkey.  Math sucks.  But actually, I don't mind saying that was one of the most delicious turkeys I've ever eaten.  I took a 7.7 lb. turkey breast and Rachael Ray'ed it.  That thing had not a dry drop in it.  Meat was almost wet!  (Insert joke from "The Office"...)  I have NEVER had a turkey that tasted like that.  No, not even fried for all you fried turkey stans.  Ooh!  Rashan and I are getting a turducken next year!!!  We're already incredibly excited and we're still full from this year!

It's been a while since I did a post like this.  Things have been nuts.  Y'all know how I get when I'm in the thick of it.  Obsessive and at times... unpleasant.  I apologize to those around me.  I hope to be better incredibly soon.

Hey!  Two crazy things happened this holiday.  My sister is apparently allergic to shrimp when touching them.  She was standing over the sink after peeling the shrimp for the bisque, scratching her hands and looking mildly concerned.  I was like, "Your hands are itching?"  Her, nonchalantly, "Yeah."  I look and they're covered in little bumps.  Me, "EW!! You're allergic to shrimp! Stop touching them!"  It's hilarious in retrospect that she was so calm about it and I was so alarmed.  She actually said, "Yes!" when I told her to stop peeling them.  REALLY????  You needed to be told to stop???  Crazy.  Number 2, I'm apparently allergic to something I ate.  I started sneezing and blowing my nose and haven't stopped for at least 3 hours... I'ma need that to get outta my body.  You, sir, are not welcome.  (I just know this allergy is a crotchety little old man... Speaking of little old men.  My mom likes to attribute things to "a lil ole maaaan" with a drawl.  She'll make some outrageous statement about something in her fridge making noise.  I again with shock and awe and alarm say, "LIKE WHAT??"  "I don't know! Probably a lil ole maaaan."  ROTFL!!!  She's so funny.)

Rashan also said I made his birthday great!  Yay!  This despite the fact some loser tapped his bumper at a stop light when he went on a grocery run for us and made him wait for police even though there was no damage!  HUH???  Fix yo life, please.  IT'S BIRTHDAY AND THANKSGIVING TIME!!  NOT TIME WASTING TIME!!  IT'S NEVER TIME WASTING TIME!!  Okay I'm gonna go take some of this excess energy and grade some papers and eat some wait WHAT??  My stomach took over and wrote that.  WE ARE NOT HUNGRY!!!  Straight foolishness.  I'm gonna grade some papers and find some allergy meds, STOMACH.  Jeez.  Also, Rashan just told me BlackEyedPeas for the Super Bowl half-time show and NOW I'M EXCITED!  WHEEEEEEE!   And I love this post from da momma.

11.24.2010

:?

I'm in a terrible mood and taking it out on everyone.  I feel bad about it and I'm also really stuck.  I'm in this awful mental space because of the massive amount of stuff I have left to do in the next two weeks.  Maybe just listing it all will help me feel better (or for you to commiserate with me).  Due by Tuesday: A CV, cover letter, creative statement, teaching philosophy, demo reel, lecture, 21 packages to grade, and my favorite-- a 20-page paper.  I also have at least 4 movies to watch to go into that paper.  Did I forget to say I'm in charge of Thanksgiving dinner? With a (non-seafood-eating) vegetarian & a no pork or alcohol Muslim coming.  Recipes turned completely upside down.  I'm not making everything but enough.  And I really want Rashan's birthday to be great... and he doesn't care.  I'm gonna go work on my attitude.

11.22.2010

Monday Mindspacing Vol. 76

1) After all the hype, someone wanted to taste FourLoko before it was pulled from the shelves but couldn't find anyone who would share it...
2) I went to my first tailgate!  It wasn't actually that fun...
3) When people act like a film isn't that much work, I black out for a second.
4) Is this semester over yet?
5) I added shrimp bisque to the Thanksgiving menu.  I let Rashan choose the soup since Thanksgiving Day is his birthday.  My love will be 36!  Olllllllld maaaaaaaan.
6) Rashan found a job up here! Yay!!!!!!!!!!
7) I really hate watching people self-destruct via social media.  I don't like train wrecks.  If you can't get it together, do I have to watch it?? I DON'T WANT A FRONT ROW SEAT!!!  But I'm sometimes to nosy to not watch...
8) I hate when I tell people I don't like turkey because it's dry and they ask me if I've ever had a fried turkey.  Only for about 13 years.  Still don't like the flavor enough to eat it for 8 days.
9) If I die before Rashan, DO NOT LET HIM WEAR A SWEATSUIT. EVER!!  Nope, not dying, just ornery. 
10) I watched 0 movies last week. O_O
11) Can we stop acting surprised when women are knowledgeable sports?  Not we.  Can YOU stop that?

11.19.2010

Thanksgiving Bust

Remember that break I was supposed to get for Thanksgiving?  It's not happening.  And I'm not pleased.  I just want to be done with this year.  Not 2010, with my degree.  It's time to go.

11.15.2010

Monday Mindspacing Vol. 74

1) Facebook post of the week: I wish facebook would come up with an "I don't care" option you could click on after you read a post.
2) Do you know what's gonna kill me?  When y'all's kids grow up and you don't blog about them and they don't blog about themselves.  All of a sudden these people I have been following from birth or 8 will be out of my life.  I am someone's grandma.  Their nosy neighbor down the interweb if you will. 
3) Two of my fave bloggers have the same item of clothing I find appalling.  I would blog it out but... yeah... they know about my blog.
4) I don't want her working with me!  But I secretly want her to keep working with Mrs. TDJ.  If you haven't met her, familiarize yourself with Bambi....  I. DIED!!!! LOLOL
5) I burp... a lot... sometimes if I forget my surroundings, I do it really loudly.  BAD.
6) Stace mentioned lizards the other day... I had completely forgotten their everpresence in Florida.  The ONLY time I found one in my house, I screamed bloody murder!  It was the tinest thing but the thought of it in my house turned me into a lunatic!  I kill bugs with my bare hands (Yes, I know it's disgusting...) but LIZARDS??? I am NOT a Floridian!
7) Okay apparently I'm confusing people... If you're new or haven't been around for a while... I don't like massages.  I don't like being touched by strangers.  Yuck.  Back up off me.
8) I was at my mom's house this weekend.  When I returned home it was SMOKE CITY up in this piece.  DE-SGUSTING.  Can't even spell it.
9) The DVR is trying to stress me out.  Why do I have so much stuff on it and hate it?  I'm gonna start deleting stuff without watching it.  Yep.
10) I left my charger at my mom's house and my phone is dead.  FAIL.
11) Hampton is playing Wake in basketball today.  I WILL BE IN THE HOUSE!!  YEAH!!!  In case you were wondering, you shouldn't have to ask but THE HAMPTON PIRATES are getting my cheers!!  BORN AND RAISED A PIRATE, BABY!!  Mom went there, too!

11.10.2010

Recharge

I have lots of enthusiasm for the remix challenge, less for the myriad of stuff ahead of me in the next 36 hours.  Wednesday is currently a very not fun day.  There's always way too much stuff to do because I'm on campus all day Thursday and I need to be prepared for it.  I'm delighted about Thanksgiving.  Right around the corner and a much needed break.  TWO MORE WEEKS.  I can do this.  Especially because after Thanksgiving, there is ONE week of classes, two exams (one to give and one to take) and I'M DONE for the semester.  My 8-10 page paper due next week?  I'm on page 3.  *shimmies*  My goal is one page per day to be done before the due date.  I'm not sure how that's going to happen today but we'll get something done.  As long as we get something done...

Remember how I was talking about saying no?  The social stuff I can wiggle myself out of with increasingly little care.  But here's the thing... my program is over-scheduling me.  Weekly non-class commitments on top of everything else I'm doing?  Too much to ask of me.  Especially when some of it isn't even marginally helpful.  What if I just stop showing up to stuff?  Heck!  Maybe I'll even start with tonight!

11.08.2010

Monday Mindspacing Vol. 73

1) Heidi Klum doesn't seem like she should speak German.  She's pretty for one.  And two... just because.
2) There was an inflatable Santa on the roof of a building near my house on November 1st.  Not. ready.  Just because I've been listening to Christmas music for months doesn't give you the right to rush me with the decorations!!!
3) "How I Met Your Mother" CRACKS ME UP!!! LOLOL!!
4) A terrible coupon = any amount off if you buy multiples.  Especially at Whole Foods.  Dude.  It's not okay to try to trick me like that.  So, in your Whole Foods example, you buy two items at $4 each and you save what?  One. whole. dollar.  Yeah right.  Let me also take a moment to call out Borders.  Buy a cookbook, get a $10 coupon which is only valid for a week.  YEAH RIGHT.  Makes me not want to shop there.
5) I wish I didn't need/want stuff.  Stores have really been pissing me off lately.  Good thing I'm not buying anything for a while.  Hence number 6...
6) Today began my 30 for 30 remix challenge and I'm SO SCARED!!  I had to go buy 3 items to get 30 items in my closet I might like enough to wear over and over for 30 days... but I'm hoping to make it happen.  Such an optimist, huh?  I don't even care if that makes you judge me!!  I'll be documenting it here.  Do join me!  Literally (buy doing it, too!) and figuratively (by cheering me on when I'm ready to end it all).
7) Old people make me sad sometimes.  Not just because they die but because they like to do it so unexpectedly!  You never know how much longer you have with them.  Yes, I know it's like that with us all but I feel like they have so much more to offer than some 28-year-old ninny or 45-year-old twit.
8) Why yes, yes I have been watching an extraordinary amount of "A Different World."
9) If the drive-thru NC chain Cookout had its way, I would be the fattest person in America just from ice cream products.  Rashan and I split a Cheerwine float & a caramel cheesecake Heath toffee milkshake.  BOTH OF THEM OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!  I'm nearing salivation saturation just thinking about it!  We almost returned the following night for more.  Just fat!!
10) You're not going to convince me to see ForColoredGirls any more than any other TP production so stop. Stop trying to make fetch happen.
11) It's daylight SAVING time.  No 's.'  Please don't use the 's' or you'll make me crazy. XOXO, Jameil

11.07.2010

Movies 2010, Weeks 41 & 42

October 24- 30, 2010
196) Murderball. Documentary about quadraplegics who play wheelchair rugby.  Great stylistic elements with a story line it's easy to get into.  A fun watch.  Rashan didn't enjoy this but I think part of that is that there are definitely some unlikeable characters.  4 stars
197) Sleepers. Film starring Brad Pitt, Robert DeNiro and others about four boys who were sexuallyabused at a juvenile correctional facility in the 1960s.  Slow start but the film became riveting.  4.5 stars

October 31- November 6, 2010
Hey! I hit 200 finally in November! Yay me! Lol.  I watched all of three of these on Saturday.  IDK what got into me.  But I do know if I make it to 250 this year, it will be a Christmas miracle!  O Holy Night, shawty!
198) Just Wright. Queen Latifah and Common star as a trainer rehabbing a man with a knee injury.  As cliché as you thought it would be but not terrible.  3.3 stars
199) Rabbit in the Moon.  Documentary about a woman looking for the legacy of her family in Japanese internment camps during WWII.  Riveting.  It was great hearing from people who were there about a shameful segment of American history.  4 stars
200) Inheritance. Documentary about a woman living with the evil of her father's (AmonGoeth) N.azi leadership in WWII.  It follows the simultaneous story of the young woman forced to work as a slave for the family.  Pretty fascinating and at times disturbing.  4 stars
201) Zombieland.  Amusing-ish zombie movie starring Woody Harrelson, Abigail Breslin & Emma Stone.  Not my kind of movie (too much unnecessary cursing and a bit of gore) but I can see the appeal.  3.6 stars

11.05.2010

November Goals

1) Work on my relationship with God.  I think I hit my October goal of 415 total chapters but I lost count at one point. My goal for this month is to hit 495 chapters.  I did not make it to any churches AGAIN but I want to go to 2 this month so I'll work on that again. There's a guarantee to go to my home church in two weeks for my sorority's Founder's Day celebration.

2) Start my next film.  Hmmm... I went back and forth on this one so I said done but I want to get out of pre-production this month and do at least one actual shoot.

3) Take the next step in my career.  I didn't send out any job applications.  What a loser.  My goal this month is to get all of my application materials together so I can send out several actual packages before the end of the year!!

4) Try new restaurants.  I did try some this month.  I've also tried one more already this month.  Now if I can just find some I more than kind of like okay.  I'd like to make an addendum to this: EAT LESS FAST FOOD!!  This is really making my workouts less effective than they should be.

5) Cook at least 3xs a week, 2 of those new recipes.  I was going for one meatless meal a week and cooking at least 3xs a week trying to get my mojo back again.  Not even close since I don't count not eating meat for breakfast as meatless.  Oh well.  If I can cook once TWICE a week, it will be a miracle.

6) Watch more movies.  My goal for October... was 20.  That most certainly did not happen.  If I can get two movies in per week, I'll be happy.  *singing* Lowered expectaaaaations!

7) Workout more.  I am consistently working out twice a week with my new trainer WHO I LOVE!  I'm still working on getting to three days a week.  IT WILL HAPPEN THIS MONTH!

8) Statecations.  This month I wanted to go wine tasting....  AGAIN.  And can we didn't go look at the leaves in the mountains.  But guess what?  I don't care.  There was way too much happening in my life to really think about any of that stuff.  I can honestly say I have no statecation goal this month.  If it happens, it happens.  If not, eh.  Maybe this is a stupid goal for me.
 
9) Contact my grandma once a month.  I don't know if I called her this month.   I know I didn't send that package.  I might go down there this month.  We'll see.

10) Organize my life.   This crazy semester is so OUT OF CONTROL!!  Seriously?  I'm going, going, going all the time until I feel like I'm gonna go nuts.  So my goal is to sufficiently plan my life so that I don't feel so stressed and overwhelmed by it all for these last few weeks of the semester.

*I just realized I'm so unexcited about this list of stuff.... that's wack.  I need to re-evaluate.

11.03.2010

Thanksgiving Meal Planner

So technically this probably goes on the food blog but that will be the redux after I cook these items.  My mom and I are tag teaming this meal with some of our favorites and some of Rashan's and some new things.

Cornish hens
Ham
Oysters
Cornbread dressing
Mac and cheese
Jellied cranberry sauce (Rah's fave)
Whole berry cranberry sauce (Mom's fave)
Broccoli-rice casserole
Greens
Green beans
Sweet potato pie

Complete and utter deliciousness.  I still haven't read my Rachael Ray Thanksgiving mag but methinks something may come from it!

11.01.2010

Monday Mindspacing Vol. 72

UPDATED: I forgot I had stuff to add.
1) I thought about daily blogging this month for National Blog Posting Month.  The idea is to... you guessed it: blog daily for an entire month.  It's what originally attracted Rashan and I to each other.  We turned it into a hilarious competition. I was going to be devastated if he didn't do it this year.  He did last year but you know he hasn't blogged in months.  I decided not to do it because I'm already crazy and he's not posting either (because he hates me).  If you've never done it before or if you have, give it a shot!
2) Here's a little tip for you: If you can't attend an event, don't put an overly explanatory note about why not on the event's page.  Your surgery?  You can keep it to yourself or tell them later.
3) I don't like when people shorten my name.  "Mel" is not attractive... at all for a female.  I (sometimes) like that you feel comfortable with me but that's not the way to show it.
4) I don't appreciate it when people give up blogging, tweeting and facebook for purely selfish reasons.  It's like you've forgotten your purpose in life: to entertain me!
5) I was so energetic and crazy when I lived in Pittsburgh.  My old blog posts are absolutely HI-LARRY-US to me!  Sometimes it's really weird having so detailed an accounting of your life.  Especially because I write exactly how I speak.
6) The write-speech connect is why Rashan told me I couldn't do the anonymous professor blog about the crazy things that happen with my students because my voice is so distinctive.  BOLLOCKS!!  This distinctive voice better pay off for me OR ELSE!
7) I hate the silver insoles in Nine West shoes.  They rub off if you don't wear stockings which I most decidedly do not most of the time.  WHY???
8) If fonts all look the same to you and you're trying to look professional or impress people, please let me vet your presentation!  PLEASE!!  Comic sans is not okay!!
9) People who use their first initial intrigue/distract me.  What does that first letter stand for?  I can't focus.  Oh look!  A nickel!
10) Can you make people stop talking about facebook like it's a new method of communication? Please?
11) THIS JUST IN!!!!  THE 30 FOR 30 REMIX STARTS NEXT MONDAY!!! I can't wait to start!  I'll be posting outfits on The Record Dish.  Don't get it?  Here are the rules!  Email fashion blogger extraordinaire Kendi if you want to get on her list!
Fall30for30logo

The 30 for 30 Fall Challenge, starting next Monday, November 8th.

Get your engine running -- or at least your closet organized because the fall remix is here. If you'd like to participate in the remix, EMAIL Kendi your name and blog address with the subject line 30 for 30 and She'll put you on a link list that I'll publish later this week. You have from now until Friday, November 5th to sign up to be on the link list for the challenge.
 
Ok so... what is the 30 for 30? 

The 30 for 30 is something I came up with in April to help me learn my way through my closet by remixing my clothes. So here is the basic premise, I take 30 items from my closet (shoes included) and mix them into 30 different outfits over about a month period.

So you want to try it out? Good for you. Here is how to do it.

1. Pick out 30 items from your closet. Shoes are included in the count, coats and accessories are not. (I won't use a coat yet here in Texas, but you might in say Chicago so I don't want to penalize you for Mother Nature's wily ways.)

2. Remix the 30 items into 30 or more outfits.

And that's it! Ok -- not totally.

3. No shopping for 30 days. 

Eek! Why in the world would I add insult to injury? Well so that you'll learn to work with what you've got and you'll learn to appreciate it. Learning to shop your own closet will in turn help you learn to shop outside of your closet. When you have to get creative with your wardrobe you discover other ways to wear a shirt or skirt, that you might not have thought of. Or you might just discover that you really like a certain type of skirt or that you gravitate towards a certain type of jacket, etc.

So what if you don't have 30 items? Then this challenge is perfect for you. It's about working with what you've got. I am a style blogger, an overabundance of clothing is a given. So don't worry about that, maybe for you it's a 15 for 15 or 20 for 20. It doesn't matter what you start with, it matters what you can make out of it. 

Are you in? If so, email Kendi (and let Jameil know in the comments!) by Friday and post your 30 for 30 items by Sunday. Let the remixing begin!

10.27.2010

Thinking Thanksgiving!

I'm so excited about Thanksgiving!  I can't wait to eat yummy food and cook it and spend time with my mom and my Rashan and my sister.  If I could get Stace up here, it would be the perfect Thanksgiving!  I love having all of my favorite people in one place.  Preferably all at arms reach.  You didn't know I was spoiled?  I'm SO spoiled!!  It's great.  I've been planning my menu for weeks.  That part is Aretha's fault.  She's been planning hers for MONTHS.  Yeah... ol psycho self!  Lol.

Okay it's raining really hard right now as I write this at 1:30 in the morning.  It's crazy.  I don't feel like focusing.  I'm trying to clear off the DVR and I saw this shiny gold glitter nail polish by OPISephora.  I tested it out on my thumb nails and I adore it!  I am looking for any excuse to buy... not it but a cheaper version of it.  The glitter is in assorted sizes and so cute!  it almost looks like paint splotches.  So cool!  My friend suggested WetNWild.... Honey... that is NO sub for OPI.  And it's really not okay for you to suggest it.  I'm a SallyHansen girl myself.  Cheap but effective!

I went a little crazy on makeup the other day.  The ELF makeup array?  HORRID.  It DOES.NOT show up on even moderately dark skin.  Seriously?  Who does that work for?  The colors look incredibly vibrant in the palette... and they're NOT.  Fail.  And I want my money back.

Dear Life, Can I get back to cooking?  And learn to say no when people ask me to hang out?  Please?  Love, Jameil

I need furniture.

I want some chicken...

10.25.2010

Monday Mindspacing Vol. 71

1) Last Monday: I have reached the, "This sucks portion of the semester."  I hate everything right now.  This Monday: EVERYTHING doesn't suck... but some things do... a lot.
2) Post of the week: What's in the freezer?  Probably not for the faint of heart.
3) Tevrow & Chase ... found the brand on a fashion blog and now want to marry it....  It was from this post.  LOOK AT THAT SKIRT!!!  And included the best phrase ever (she was working in the church nursery unexpectedly): They may just be toddlers but it's not too early for them to learn about fabulous.  Indeed.
4) Guess who got engaged last weekend??? My bff Adei!!  Yay!!!  Everybody congratulate her!!
5) Is it bad that I very soon afterward started wondering what I'll be wearing to her wedding? LOL
6) The Record Dish would be growing cobwebs if not for Stace finally posting over there.  I have two computers right now and to keep myself from going nuts I do the majority of stuff on the work computer and end up doing almost everything here.  But I put pics on The Record Dish which requires me to use my personal computer.  Too much hassle and I never get around to it.  I'm at least 3 recipes and 3 outfit posts behind.  Oops.  I have posts scheduled for the week, though!
7) My friends retweet an ex and it makes me SO glad we parted ways.  It was a toxic relationship and he has NOT evolved.  If he has, he hasn't evolved enough.
8) I hate when people misuse the word "well."  "What would look well."  You mean good.
9) Can someone make it possible for me to cook more?  Please??  Thanks.
10) I need to start researching my paper due in a few weeks.  Let me get that together.  Mk?  :)
11) I've seen so many episodes of "Say Yes to the Dress" in the last two weeks that I don't know if I need to see another.  I will... but I won't like it... all.
12) There's also NOT A CHANCE my future husband will see me in my dress before I walk down the aisle on our wedding day.  Roll out.

10.24.2010

Movies 2010, Weeks 39 & 40

October 10-16, 2010
191) Godfather II.  I know, I know.  You can't believe I'd never seen it.  Really good movie!  4.1 stars

October 17-23, 2010
I really wonder how many movies I'll watch this year at this rate but who has time to watch movies?  A lot of people, I'm sure but if I'm ever going to watch tv or leave the house or cook, not me.
192) Summer Stock. Judy Garland and Gene Kelly's last film together about a theater troupe that arrives at a farm to practice for a play.  Weak start, decent middle, kind of odd abrupt end.  I liked hearing "Get Happy."  3.6 stars
193) City Island.  Indie film about a family full of secrets.  Quite amusing with some good acting on multiple fronts.  The end had some dissatisfaction, but mostly I liked it.  4 stars
194) In the Loop.  Amusing British satire about the start of a war.  Silly and ridiculous but in a smart way.  3.8 stars
195) No End in Sight.  Documentary about the botching of the reconstruction of Iraq .  Y'all know I have a sensitive propaganda meter and read a lot anyway so I didn't feel like this covered any new ground and it made the "opposition" look foolish or evil.  That's always annoying to me.  It also felt repetitive.  It would make a point, then continue to make that point some more.  Why?  3 stars

10.22.2010

Friday? Again? Already?

I hit that "I hate life" portion of the semester this week.  I walked out of class on Monday hating the world and everybody in it.  I hated all the work I had already done, all the work I was in the middle of, and all the work still to come.  Yeah... that bad.  I've since recovered...  That was quick...  While I love teaching, it makes me impatient about being a student.  I'm just ready to get that part over with so I can get on with the rest of my life.

Now I'm like where the heck did the week go?  I seriously feel like I looked up last night and was like, "Tomorrow's Friday???"  I go all week long non-stop, come home and watch tv and work then work some more.  It's such a ridiculous pattern but I think I can handle it and thankfully, now I know the rest of this year will go ahead and get itself behind me.  Yippee for that!  Peace out, loser!

10.20.2010

Fitness Update

As you remember, I started working with a trainer on campus a few weeks ago.  Things got off to a rough start when the kid front desk didn't know whether or not they took debit cards, then I had to run all over campus to get cash.  What on earth?  Why don't you know basic info???  So I was late and my trainer had an attitude.  I have enough attitude for the both of us, I don't need yours.  She rushed through the appointment.  It was a very unpleasant experience.  So unpleasant that I voiced my displeasure to the trainer coordinator.  Apologies all around.  Next time, I still don't really like my trainer's personality.  She's too abrupt and almost manically energetic.  Not in a good trainer way, in a please sit down somewhere way.  Scattered.  Yes.  Perfect word.  I also never felt like we were really working toward my goals.  If we were, she never really mentioned my goals unless I asked and then it was like ehhh...  I want to lose 7 lbs. (I know that's odd but it will make my clothes fit better), to be more toned and to be able to run a 5k without stopping.

The other thing is I was beyond the good sore after each session.  I couldn't walk, sit or stand for days.  Yes, I know I'm supposed to feel sore and learn new muscles but I also know we were moving too quickly.  And I didn't feel like she was listening when I told her it wasn't really a good sore.  I know a good workout sore and that ain't it.  I was wondering if it was me or if personal training wasn't for me.  I had gotten to the point where I didn't want to go workout.  That's never good.  So I looked up things about what to expect from a trainer (should be certified, ask you about injuries, etc.) and she had all the makings of a good trainer or paper.  I also looked up how to break up with your trainer.

Finally, after pushing through my dislike for 6 sessions, I called it quits with my trainer.  The trainer coordinator set me up with a woman who's run marathons and done triathlons for 18 years.  She thought she would be a good fit but she said that about the last one so I was still skittish.  I don't want to be in a situation where I hate working out and feel like I can't ever get personalized instruction.  I also don't want to waste the 6 sessions remaining that I paid for.  I enter the gym cautiously optimistic.  I meet my trainer and right away feel much better about her personality.  Then she starts talking and she's friendly and knowledgeable.  We do some really cool exercises and at the end I feel 10xs happier than I felt after the best session with the other trainer.  I also felt like I should have listened to my gut.  I knew it wasn't working out but I kept going.  After our first session, I felt moderately sore.  I can go further than I went and work harder.  I'd rather know that than feel like I may have injured myself.  We're back on track!  Yay!!!

10.18.2010

Monday Mindspacing Vol. 70

1) Rashan hates that I listen to the intro to "A Different World" every single time the show comes on even if it's been recorded.  What?  I like the intro.  I do the same thing with "30 Rock."  That intro is brilliant!
2) Please don't ever type "Happy Birthday."  Why would you end a joyous declaration with a period?  It's so final.  Like this is yo LAST birthday.  Enjoy.  Sucka.
3) Tweet of the week goes to Tim Siedell, "Full of peace and calm this morning. Googled my symptoms and found out I died in my sleep."  LOLOL!  I convinced myself I had a torn rotator cuff the other week!  All because of the Google!
4) I want to get Rashan a JustinBieber calendar for Christmas.
5) My fave roomie is nuts!  She called to ask for my blog address then went back to comment on 6 or 7 posts....... lol
6) Why am I so popular?
7) Why did I have a student contact me during fall break, less than 24 hours after the mid-term, to ask when I would be posting the grades?  Girl, go play!!
8) I feel good about my mid-term because I gave them a list of things I would ask about and didn't stray from that.  They didn't all get the same questions wrong so I know the things they missed weren't my fault!  Yippee!!!
9) There's nothing worse than giving a disgruntled baby mama a facebook page.  Wait.  A CURRENTLY PREGNANT disgruntled baby mama....
10) I'm in the midst of a situation requiring tact (not number 9... lolol) and I really don't feel like having tact... at all.
11) I'm tired of being a student.  My last class ends April 27th.  6 months (not including the fact that I'm off December 10th- January 12th).  I can do it.  And I know it'll pass in the blink of an eye.
12) It's weird to not be making plans to go home for Christmas break...  I have an apartment, I'm already an hour and a half from home, I've seen my mom more in the last 2 months than I ever have during a school semester.  Hmm...

10.15.2010

Open Letter to Ann Taylor Loft

I love the clothing in your stores.  But I hate the service.  I have been in Ann Taylor Loft stores up and down the eastern seaboard and have been continually ignored.  From Coconut Grove, FL to Gainesville, FL to Winston-Salem, NC.  Every time I walked into your stores I saw people joyously greeted, asked if they needed help.  Conversely, I was ignored or followed like a criminal.  On the off chance I asked for assistance, I was given a cold response, then further ignored.  You have lost hundreds of dollars at a minimum from poor service from which I can put two and two together: my kind isn't wanted in your stores.  I have continued going into stores to test my treatment and have been continually disappointed.  I WILL NOT spend my money where I am not wanted.  I am tired of being ignored in Ann Taylor Loft stores.  If black customers are not welcome, put it on the front door.  But for me?  That sign isn't needed any more.  Your response to my annoyance was insufficient (We're sorry, we'll tell the district managers to fix that, please give us another chance).  After 6+ visits in different cities with the same outcome, I'm done.  Boycott of Loft?  ON.

10.13.2010

#26: Go To An Opera

Since I'd never been to an opera, for my 30 Before 30 list, I decided the time is NOW!  I thought I would be going to one in Charlotte but I found an opera right here in Winston.  Then I saw a Groupon for a show and it was kismet.  Rashan and I went to see "Il Trovatore" about a girl torn between the rich man who loves her (in whom she has no interest) and the poor man she loves.

Verdict?  Really not that great.  My mom says I need to go to a show with a big name.  I'm willing to give opera another shot... but not in the next week... maybe not in the next month or few months.  Know what I want next?  Salsa lessons, then "The Nutcracker"!!!!  Yay!!!  Here are a few more pics of us on our adventure.

10.11.2010

Monday Mindspacing Vol. 69

1) How do chefs look so collected when chopping onions on tv?  I am RARELY (see: maybe twice in my whole cooking life) without tears and sometimes I have tears and snot to fill the Seine.  You're welcome for that visual.  Delicious ain't it?
2) Why do I think in such vulgarities now?  it's the fact that everyone in my whole life curses up and down a blue, red and yellow streak.
3) Don't ask me to do nothin between 3pm Friday and 11am Sunday.  Not one single thing.  I got sick sometimes between Wednesday and Thursday but had a full day Thursday.  I was on campus for 12 full hours.  NOT FUN.  I got home and refused to leave when I woke up feeling worse Friday.  So 9pm Thursday to 11am Sunday = mine. :P
4) I don't ever want to smell another cigarette.  Ever.
5) Can I have Project Runway babies?  I will name them Michael Kors, Heidi, Nina Garcia, Christian Siriano and Mondo.  They will design, critique and model for me.
6) Please make people stop saying "Sorry for your lost."  I can't take you seriously when you don't speak properly.  Yep, I'm a cold-hearted snake.
7) I think it's been long enough. Pandora can stop calling itself a "new form of radio."
8) I pulled out the Christmas music this week!  Yep!  Show did!  Lolol
9) Facebook post of the week: "Why are you at Disney on Ice eating cotton candy, wearing Toy Story hats, buying up souveniers, and getting all excited if you ain't got no ---- kids with you?"  LOLOLOL
10) Guess who's giving her first mid-term this week???  That'd be me!  Can't wait!  I think they'll do well.  I'm doing a review tomorrow.

10.10.2010

Movies 2010, Week 38

October 3-9, 2010
I'd better speed up if I'm going to watch 15 more movies this month!
188) American Hollow. HBO doc by Rory Kennedy about poor people in Appalachian Kentucky.  Pretty interesting but I can see how people saw it as exploitive.  If it was about poor black people, I would've been irritated.  4 stars
189) Dumbstruck.  Ventriloquist documentary about the people behind the dummies... and the dummies.  Funny at times, also sad at times.  The story moved nicely at the beginning then slowed a bit toward the end.  Still, worth watching.  3.7 stars
190) Elvis and Annabelle.  Indie film about a girl who dies and is brought back to life by the undertaker's kiss.  Blake Lively stars.  I was intrigued by the fact that this was like one of the best shows ever cancelled, "Pushing Daisies" and in some respects I wasn't disappointed.  It took some unnecessarily predictable turns, but took some sweet and/or surprising turns.  The end was not nearly as strong as the beginning.  3.5 stars

10.06.2010

Peeves of the Pet

Hello children!  I know you wanted to know all about my many pet peeves... Here are just a few...

1) Open cabinets and drawers.  This includes drawers to the cd players.  Close it IMMEDIATELY after you finish using it!!
2) Standing with the refrigerator door open.
3) Cooking in a dirty kitchen.  Gross.
4) Peeking through the blinds by pulling them apart rather than lifting a slat.
5) Smoking neighbors.  OMG!!  Get me my own house STAT.  My next city I am TOTALLY renting a house rather than an apartment.  I thought having 2 neighbors wouldn't be a problem but with the heat on, their smoke CIRCULATES through my house.  OH  HECK NO!!  All kinds of ventilation options are under consideration.  Something's happening STAT.
6) Monopolizers on my time.  Y'all bought to have to miss me, shawty!  I know you don't have anything to really occupy your time but, I'm about to start opting out of things.  I need people breaks.  I have been doing stuff non-stop for a few weeks now and everybody's about to get cut off.  I also hate that I feel so compelled to particpate.
7) Leaving the refrigerator door open.
8) Leaving water running.
9) Leaving lights on when no one's in the room.
10) Conversely, sitting in the dark for no apparent reason.
11) Eating the components of my meals separately.  I'll eat this but this isn't ready so I'll go ahead and eat what's ready and take the rest as it arrives.
12) Food that's supposed to be cold being left out for more than the exact amount of time it's in use (milk, butter, cheese).
13) Improperly wrapped food.

Yes, I know I'm a psycho.

10.04.2010

Monday Mindspacing Vol. 68

1) When it's rainy for 2 days... I don't feel gloomy or depressed... because I've survived YEARS of that in Pittsburgh.  I know MONTHS of sunless skies.  Outside of Pittsburgh?  I know it'll be sunny and beautiful in a few minutes by comparison.  Lol.  I sound noncommittal and vaguely disinterested when people mention it to me... because I am.
2) Google instant isn't fast enough to me.  I'm so serious, too.
3) I LOVE NEW TWITTER!!  Can you make people stop automatically hating things just b/c they're new?  I was immediately drawn to the sleekness of the new look.  Please find a real reason not to like something.  "It's not like it used to be" is not enough.  P.S. I seriously cannot explain twitter to people who don't get it because I don't "get" what they don't "get."
4) When I'm creating my PowerPoints for class, it takes me almost as long to choose the design and font as it did to write the rest of the stuff.  Creativity can be such a curse.  But not so much that I want it gone.  Lol
5) I have 7 million pet peeves and things that make me crazy.  They have all become more apparent since I've been in Winston-Salem.
6) Somebody make me eat better.  What's the point in working out if your food is all of the fast variety.  Ok not all just some, you know who you are.  Bojangles, Cookout (with your dumb delicious strawberry cheesecake shake that tastes EXACTLY like GOOD strawberry cheesecake), both of you are just shameful in your taunting.
7) Son.  Did you really just schedule something for a Sunday morning?  I don't care if you go to church, you have to be here instead.  Fail.
8) Remember last week when we talked about going NOWHERE on the weekends?  Didn't happen this weekend and I have an idea it'll bite me in the booty this week.  That picture?  That would be my schedule for the month of October SO FAR.  But I'm still very happy about my life. :)
9) I'm going to the opera tomorrow!!!!  I'm so excited!!  I love getting all fancy!  And crossing stuff off of my 30 Before 30 list!  Wheeeee!!!
10) I'm horrible at blog tags.  I can never remember to add them.  I do it for 3 posts then forget again.  It's a little more intuitive on my food blog for some reason.  Can you imagine how many tags I would have if I had been tagging for 5 years?  You would never have to wonder where "that post" was.  You'd just go to the tag and it'd take you to 90 related posts.  LOLOL.  For the record, they didn't have tags when I started blogging lo these many years ago.  LOL.  I think future-dating posts was also impossible or really complicated.
11) My neighbors on either side both smoke (which I can smell through the walls... GROSS) & have at least one small, yippy dog.  How?  How did this happen to me?  I don't like either of those things!!  And snarl at both of them!  Yep, I snarl at small, yippy dogs.  If that thing's gonna bark, it should bark like a man. 
12) I did these exercises that are supposed to help runners with their hips... and now my hip hurts... FAIL, ExerciseTV.  FAIL.
13) Not riding the bus is really murdering my magazine-reading schedule.  I just can't convince myself to give myself time to do that.  I'm two months behind in BOTH of my food mags.  Uhhh... oops.  Also, don't tell anyone, but I just bought two more cookbooks because they were on sale at Borders.... (after I told Aretha not to buy anymore books until she read what she had.......... *waves at kettle*)

10.03.2010

Movies 2010, Weeks 36 & 37

My goal is to watch 20 films this month so I'd better get a move on!

September 19- 25, 2010
182) The Town.  Ben Affleck directs and stars in a film about a Boston criminal gang.  Some of his monologue scenes had me rolling my eyes but the action sequences were amazing!  3.6 stars
183) Monkey Business. Cary Grant (swoon) and Ginger Rogers star in a film about a chemist looking for a potion for youth.  When he stumbles upon it, him and his wife take some and insanity ensues.  Marilyn Monroe makes a few appearances as the ditzy (of course) secretary.  Quite funny at times.  3.8 stars

September 26- October 2, 2010
184) Now Voyager.  Bette Davis stars in a film about an unloved woman who has to get from beneath her mother's thumb to find herself.  2hrs 14mins felt like 2 or 3 movies.  You saw what seemed like several lifetimes, but not in a bad way.  A bit soap opera-y.  Entertaining and pretty well-written.  4 stars
185) Leap Year.  Cute enough film starring Amy Adams about a girl determined to propose to her longtime boyfriend on leap day in Ireland.  What you would think it would be with a few unexpected moments.  Not bad at all.  3.5 stars
---
186) Iron Man 2.  Second installment of the Robert Downey Jr.-starred film, this time with an appearance from ScarJo.  Yes, there were some good action sequences, but Downey's character was annoying, and the story line was bad and boring.   I kept waiting for it to end.  3 stars
187) Calendar Girls. Helen Mirren stars in a film about old ladies posing n.ude in a calender to raise money for a leukemia fund and the backlash that comes along with it.  Nice, low key enjoyable film.  3.6 stars

10.01.2010

October Goals

1) Work on my relationship with God.  I finished II Samuel (I wrote I Samuel but I had already completed it.  I meant II Samuel), the first book of Psalms (which contains 5 books to divide its 150 chapters) and Zechariah.  I hit my goal of 335.  On the nose!  Whoohoo!!  My October goal is to reach 415 total chapters, an increase of 80.  I'm not sure about my book goals just yet.

I did not make it to any churches AGAIN but I want to go to 2 this month so I'll work on that again this month.  I have such a mental block with churches.  I don't want to be disappointed again.  This is my third search in my third city in less than 5 years.  I'm tired of finding a church!!! And considering I probably won't be in Winston-Salem next year... there we go again.  But there's one right down the street from me that comes highly recommended so there's really no excuse!!  I'm going to make this happen!!

2) Start my next film.  Woohoo!!!  Check!

3) Take the next step in my career.  I did some networking and training, a conference and there is more networking and training to come this month! So exciting!  I want to send out job applications by the 15th.

4) Try new restaurants.  I actually found a few places I liked this month! WHEEEE!! One Mexican, one Latin.  LOLOL.  I love it.  I'd like to find one or 2 more this month.  LET'S DO IT!

5) Cook at least 3xs a week, 2 of those new recipes.  I started posting again!  I am going for one meatless meal a week and cooking at least 3xs a week.  I'm trying to get my mojo back again.  You know a busy semester wreaks havoc on my cooking!

6) Watch more movies.  My goal was 15.  LOLOL.  I am such a mess.  I watched 11.5.  Fail.  My goal for October... is 20.  Whoa...  LOLOL

7) Workout more.  I was shooting for 3xs a week.  That didn't happen again but I did a weight loss challenge for September.  I lost my goal of 6 pounds AND started working with a trainer!  I'm in injury-recovery mode right now though. :(  Hurt shoulder.  I decided I want to lose about 5 more pounds.

8) Statecations.  This month I wanted to go wine tasting... didn't happen.  AGAIN.  Enter sadness.  :(  Somebody please take me wine tasting... PLEASE!!  And can we go look at the leaves in the mountain before Thanksgiving?? :(

9) Contact my grandma once a month.  I was supposed to finally send her a package of my stuff from graduation & screening.... I didn't do that.  Lol.  I am so wack.  But I called her!  And she loved it as usual!   Another call due in to her in the next week or so.

9.29.2010

Birthday Party!

Me, my mom, my sister & Rashan went out to lunch at a Mexican restaurant, then Krispy Kreme-- YUM!, then dinner at what's supposed to be the best sushi in town.  Why was that sushi terrible?  All the fried stuff was fried too hard and had too much breading.  HORRID.  I also took a look at the reviews after going there and they were like, "Good FOR WINSTON."  Are you serious?  Not good, but good for here???  I'll be saving up my sushi visits for other cities, then.  Greensboro isn't that far.  They've got to have better sushi.  That's just not right.  I was pissed.  I wanted to have a delicious meal, possibly trying a meat I've never had before.  I ended up disappointed. 

I'm sure of my list you want to know what I actually got accomplished or received.

1) Nude or grey pumps (like these)-- No, put my godmother sent me enough money to get both! :)
2) A Giada de Laurentiis cookbook & An Ina Garten cookbook BOTH from Stace! YIPPEE!! :)
3) An awesome meal in a cute, delicious restaurant -- EPIC FAIL
4) A yummy trip to one of the many bakeries or ice cream shops here-- INDEED!  Kernel Kustard absolutely did it for me!
5) A tour of the Krispy Kreme Doughnut Factory (WHICH IS JUST MINUTES FROM MY HOUSE!!!!!)-- Tour is too strong a word.  I stood and watched doughnuts get drenched with glaze. MMMMM.  I'll take it.  Lol.
6) A film.  Ooh!  Got it!  I'm going on a search for the history of the grandfather I never met.
7) To win that awesome & incredibly expensive mattress I entered a contest for!  FAIL. :(  I was really convinced I'd win.  Blech.
8) Find the random items I'm missing from among my things (my silverware, a bag of shoes I haven't been able to find all summer, aluminum foil (see what I mean by random??))-- I didn't find ANY of this stuff.  Scowl.  But Ladynay will be pleased to know I did get some replacement foil.  LOLOL
9) A really sharp knife.  Why?  Ask me no questions, I'll tell you no lies. OMG!!  I won a contest on Therapeutic Musings' blog and she sent me one.  WHY have I ever cooked without this knife??  Cooking is so much more a joy with a good sharp knife!!!
10) Le Creuset wasn't on my list and it's a stretch to call this a birthday gift but since I loved it and we're talking about kitchen stuff, I LOVE this brand and got my first piece the other day.  I salivated, sighed and smiled.  I may have hugged it, too but I'll never tell.  So in love are we two!

Overall, pretty great though I was soooo disappointed in the food.  I have tried to more than make up since then!

9.27.2010

Monday Mindspacing Vol. 67

1) Dooo Yoooou Knooow What Tomorrow Issss? It's my bloggerversary!  The day for me and meeeeeeeeeeeee!!  Tomorrow I have officially been blogging for five years!  Wow!  My life is completely different than it would've been if I wasn't a blogger.  I feel very enriched for this experience.  Yay!!!
2) I hate when I'm talking to someone and they're looking all around and past my head.  Do you have somewhere else to be?  With someone more important?  Please go there.
3) Is anyone else in BettyWhite overkill mode?  Yeah, me too.
4) If a full arm tattoo is called a sleeve, what's a full leg tatt?  Rashan and I decided on a stocking.  Lol
5) I like to throw around the fact that I'm a faculty member.  It makes people straighten up and act right.  You're talking slick?  I say I'm a faculty member and you quickly change your tone.  That's what I thought.
6) I'm at least 4 recipes behind on The Record Dish so expect posts daily or near daily this week between 11 and 11:30 a.m.  Lol.  Oh specificity.
7) I had to wake up at or near the crack of dawn LITERALLY TWO TIMES last week for things I needed to do.  Let's not repeat that this week... or ever.  But I'll settle for not this week.
8) I really like taking trips with people.  I went to a conference a couple of towns over and it was fun to chat with people in the car on the way and make stops on the way back.
9) My trainer is trying to murder me.  I NEED TO BE ABLE TO WALK, SIT AND STAND!!  I'm picky like that.

9.22.2010

Hey! Guess What??

I love teaching!  I'm so excited to learn that!  You know that was one of my goals before 30, right?  Woohoo!!  But I decided to wait until finals to declare it officially.  So this is my unofficial non-announcement non-declaration.  I love watching the little light bulbs of understanding go off in their heads.  I also think it's cool that Stace and I can be educational bookends!  She gets them in kindergarten, I get them junior and senior year of college.  Wheeeeee!!  I'm super busy between teaching, class and down time.  I'm not saying I won't be blogging but I really am thinking about it only in the realm of I guess I should do that... 

Oh yeah!  And I started personal training last Monday.  It's quite awesome!  I'm learning lots of exercises I will use to whip Rashan into shape!  TWOFER!  My proper eating is sporadic.  Have I ever mentioned how much I despise detoxes?  I find them ridiculous in their unrealisticness.  And why are there so many of them?  There's no PERMANENT quick, easy fix.  Sorry to be the one to break that to you. (No I'm not.)

9.20.2010

Monday Mindspacing Vol. 66

1) Can I please get more consecutive hours of sleep?  Please?  Thanks.
2) Please stop including grape or cherry tomatoes in your recipes.  I hate how those things taste.  My tomato pickiness hasn't ended... if you thought it had.
3) Sometimes I just want to lay in my bed and ignore the whole world.  I'm not depressed.  I just do a lot during the week.  So on the weekend?  I'm like, "Bye y'all!!"
4) I stopped saying y'all when I went to Hampton and people were making fun of me.  Foolish New Yorkers.  I think being in NC I'll get my y'all back!!
5) When I comment on your blog minutes after you post it, I PROMISE I'm not stalking you.  You're just on my google reader blog roll... which I check constantly some hours of the day.  Just wanna throw that out there.  Lol.
6) Rashan said sometimes he thinks he has more in common with Stace than with me.  ROTFL!!  At least I know my love and my BFF can get along!  Don't worry, this does not mean the end of us and the start of them.  LOLOL.  Y'all so messy!  Rah & I have complementary personalities.  Both of them are insanely laid back... as am I... LOLOL.  I couldn't even finish that with a straight face.
7) I miss Atlanta. :(

9.19.2010

Movies 2010, Weeks 34 & 35

At this rate I'll never make it to 300 films this year!  Whatev...

September 5-11, 2010
176) Beetle.Queen.Conquers.Tokyo.  Documentary about people in Japan and their love affair with insects, including beetles.  No real story line.  Felt like it meandered to an eventual conclusion.  The director admitted to not liking this 56-minute "tv cut," preferring her 90-minute theatrical version.  Okay... but seeing that makes me wonder how on earth you could pull a 90-minute film out of that material.  Also, how do you make a film you don't even like?  And then show it?  *confused*  2 stars
177) Ahead.of.Time.  Documentary that opened in NY on Friday about a nearly 100-year-old journalist who has covered and/or participated in a ton of amazing events.  She was interesting... but the film tried to cover too much ground making most events feel underplayed and unfulfilling.   There were some great scenes and wonderful moments but the full piece didn't move me like I'd hoped.  I did have a wonderful epiphany during this film so I guess I got something out of it.  3.5 stars

September 12-18, 2010
178) Date Night.  Steve Carrell & Tina Fey star as a boring New Jersey couple who steal someone's reservation and find themselves on the run.  Really funny at times, too ridiculous at times.  3.5 stars
179) The Joneses.  David Duchovny & Demi Moore star in this film about people trying to keep up with them... the Joneses.  But the Joneses have a secret.  Interesting enough concept.  It took 3-7 minutes too long to reveal.  As in they told you just about everything you needed to figure it out, then waited 3-5 minutes, then told you the rest and the pay off wasn't enough.  An okay watch.  3.4 stars
180) Diary of A Wimpy Kid. Amusing kids film about a boy entering middle school and determined to be cool.  3.5 stars
181) I Love You Again. William Powell and Myrna Loy star as a couple divorce-bound because of her boredom.  When he suddenly remembers an exciting, dangerous past, she reconsiders.  Very cute!  4.8 stars