I missed Monday Mindspacing so you're welcome for today.
1) I hate seeing people gathered for national blog events and there are 0 non-white faces. Alllll of the bloggers in the U.S. and you can't diversify AT ALL?? When it's a big company, I write them to complain.
2) Remember how I JUST talked about the show 3 Days to Open? Why did I read that he only did 6 episodes and he won't do any more because they're too exhausting? WHY, BOBBY?? WHY?! Tease.
3) Rashan was off for my birthday... FOR THE ENTIRE WEEK!! It was glorious! Here we are at Tuesday of the next week and I'm still not ready to relinquish him to the world. I love our cocoon. The fact that we have a ball with just the two of us at the house? Awesome. For now, let's pretend I'll do a birthday recap of all celebrations...
4) The worst thing about mommy bloggers is their guilt and over-analyzing when they're doing NOTHING WRONG. Make the best choices for your family. Don't apologize. Eliminate those unnecessary people who make you feel guilty.
5) Do you guys watch the Tia & Tamera reality show? We love it! It also makes me want twins even more one day! I've wanted them since I was 9!
6) At my family reunion I found out my grandma really wanted twins. She didn't get them. But her son had twin girls (my first cousins). One first cousin has twin sons. Another first cousin has twin grandsons. GIMME MY TWINS!!
7) R.I.P. to my 2nd toenail on my right foot. It has succumbed to running. Slamming my toe into my shoe over hundreds of miles this year is the culprit. It turned black first. When the replacement nail finished growing in, the other one fell off. Since I kept it painted, it wasn't terribly noticeable. The replacement nail is raggedy, though. Immediately painted.
8) I ORDERED NEW RUNNING SHOES!!! YAY!! Thanks to my mom for the birthday money!
9) I've been furiously applying for jobs. I get these flurries of inspiration and do a bunch of them at once. The most annoying thing is that most of them are with colleges or universities and they all have similar application systems requesting the same information over and over with no overlap. I can't just my resume and cover letter. I have to also type in my employment & education history with descriptions and dates and times and people ad nauseum. Let's end this by getting me a fantastic job by the end of the month, mmkay? Thanks, God!
10) I'm supposed to be doing something for someone else... they dragged their feet and now I don't feel like it anymore...
11) There is so much mundanity on twitter, an overabundance of stupid picture quotes on facebook and proselytizing on both. Thank God for the unsubscribe button on facebook. If there would be no bad blood, I would follow 17 people on twitter (instead of 75) and friend 8 people on facebook (instead of 450 or so). Those might be slight exaggerations but go with that. I don't even want to hear the opinions on every topic of the people I love most let alone X person's (usually ill-informed) chatter. Have a seat! *steps down from soapbox*
12) Why can't I stop myself from checking stacks of books out from the library? Because I get absorbed into browsing the stacks (judging books by their covers) and pick up everything that looks interesting. I always have to literally shake myself, say "OKAY!," close my eyes, point my body toward the exit and walk to stop grabbing books. My current faves are memoirs. Can't get enough! They're like extended blogs!
8.28.2012
8.23.2012
*AHEM*
I'M 30!!!! My mom would tell you I'm not here yet since I was born at 11:04 p.m. To this I say PSHAW! Welcome to the world, baby Jameil! :) I'll have more on this later!
8.15.2012
A "3 Days to Open" Review... Of Sorts
It's no secret that I'm quite addicted to food television. I like competitions [Iron Chef, Top Chef, Top Chef Masters, Around the World in 80 Plates (this one could have been better), Next Food Network Star, Next Iron Chef, Throwdown]. I like narrative stories (Fat Chef). I like makeovers & takeovers (more on that in a minute). I like travel shows (Diners, Drive-ins & Dives; Man vs. Food; Heat Seekers). It's pretty nuts. The thing that keeps my addiction in check is that I can't watch any of
them on an empty stomach or I will eat us out of house and home.
Shockingly, though this addiction started with cooking shows (Rachael Ray, Giada De Laurentiis, Tyler's Ultimate, Boy Meets Grill, Barefoot Contessa), I don't actually watch many of them anymore. I don't have the patience to sit through the half hour when I could just get the recipe and make it myself. They share good tips on the show that you won't get with the recipe but ehhh... it hasn't been worth it to me lately.
So my latest obsession is "3 Days to Open." I've come to the conclusion that every consecutive Bobby Flay endeavor will only serve to make me like him more. How awesome is he!?!? Very! The premise of this show is a struggling restaurant is opening in three days but is a complete and utter mess. He comes in to tell them all of the things they're doing that will lead to certain failure, then show them how to fix them. Pretty awesome. You can see how generous he is. These restaurants have many many things in common. Some of these things are so basic that the fact that they've missed them makes you think these people have probably never cooked for someone before, let alone eaten in a restaurant. It's so baffling that Mrs. Count (tumbleweed over there...) and I had a lengthy twitter conversation about how it would go if we had 3 Days to Open. It started with a basic, nay, obvious (?) statement and devolved from there. LOL
Mrs. C: Let me get this straight, your restaurant opens in 3 days and you haven't tested the menu yet? What exactly have you been doing?
Logic will get you NOWHERE! IF they have a menu, sometimes they don't have recipes or don't know how to cook, or have a chef, or...
Mrs. C: I think I'll open a nacho stand. In the mall. Next Friday. I'll start planning tomorrow.
Jameil: Okay... but don't research which mall until Tuesday. Forget to arrange care for [your one-year-old son] Judah, too.
These people always forget or completely ignore some basic details. Procrastination is awesome!
Mrs. C: And I'll get my parents to empty their retirement to fund my dreams! This is such a great plan!
Jameil: LOL! Don't forget to make your sister do all the work for free, without thanks.
There is a heavy reliance on other people. Of COURSE you need help from your family/friends but they are often asking way, WAY too much. There's also always at least one person working at the restaurant (usually for free) who has no idea what his/her role is. These poor people wander around wringing their hands and worrying over your poor planning. Select this person as the one you treat the worst. They can take it. After all, you're probably related! Family has to love you even when you show your entire backside, don't they? At the very least, you have carnal knowledge of the other person and that can usually get you pretty far in any business, yes? Yes? Someone say yes. It must be true because I've seen it on tv!
Jameil: Before I sanction this, I need to make sure you're not working with anyone with any restaurant experience. Not so much as McD's.
Mrs. C: Not at all. My 10-year-old niece wants to be a chef. Can I get her to help me after school?
They never have restaurant experience and sometimes "hire" (remember to use this word loosely!) a bunch of other people who don't have restaurant experience.
Jameil: Yes! Make sure you mention this as part of your business plan!
Mrs. C: Business plan? I don't know what you mean.
Jameil: It's that napkin you wrote your restaurant ideas down on last night.
Mrs. C: Oh, I had to use that to wipe Judah's hands. I think I remember most of it anyway.
Jameil: No big deal. No one reads them anyway. Especially with your parents' money!
Unlike housing, it must still be really easy to get business loans. There is often little evidence that anyone has ever even heard of a business plan, let alone had to create one.
You would think knowing this formula, the show would be less interesting. IT NEVER IS. I have loved every episode for the crazy of the "restauranteurs" and the awesome of Bobby. And can you believe it? I still want most of them to succeed.
Shockingly, though this addiction started with cooking shows (Rachael Ray, Giada De Laurentiis, Tyler's Ultimate, Boy Meets Grill, Barefoot Contessa), I don't actually watch many of them anymore. I don't have the patience to sit through the half hour when I could just get the recipe and make it myself. They share good tips on the show that you won't get with the recipe but ehhh... it hasn't been worth it to me lately.
So my latest obsession is "3 Days to Open." I've come to the conclusion that every consecutive Bobby Flay endeavor will only serve to make me like him more. How awesome is he!?!? Very! The premise of this show is a struggling restaurant is opening in three days but is a complete and utter mess. He comes in to tell them all of the things they're doing that will lead to certain failure, then show them how to fix them. Pretty awesome. You can see how generous he is. These restaurants have many many things in common. Some of these things are so basic that the fact that they've missed them makes you think these people have probably never cooked for someone before, let alone eaten in a restaurant. It's so baffling that Mrs. Count (tumbleweed over there...) and I had a lengthy twitter conversation about how it would go if we had 3 Days to Open. It started with a basic, nay, obvious (?) statement and devolved from there. LOL
Mrs. C: Let me get this straight, your restaurant opens in 3 days and you haven't tested the menu yet? What exactly have you been doing?
Logic will get you NOWHERE! IF they have a menu, sometimes they don't have recipes or don't know how to cook, or have a chef, or...
Mrs. C: I think I'll open a nacho stand. In the mall. Next Friday. I'll start planning tomorrow.
Jameil: Okay... but don't research which mall until Tuesday. Forget to arrange care for [your one-year-old son] Judah, too.
These people always forget or completely ignore some basic details. Procrastination is awesome!
Mrs. C: And I'll get my parents to empty their retirement to fund my dreams! This is such a great plan!
Jameil: LOL! Don't forget to make your sister do all the work for free, without thanks.
There is a heavy reliance on other people. Of COURSE you need help from your family/friends but they are often asking way, WAY too much. There's also always at least one person working at the restaurant (usually for free) who has no idea what his/her role is. These poor people wander around wringing their hands and worrying over your poor planning. Select this person as the one you treat the worst. They can take it. After all, you're probably related! Family has to love you even when you show your entire backside, don't they? At the very least, you have carnal knowledge of the other person and that can usually get you pretty far in any business, yes? Yes? Someone say yes. It must be true because I've seen it on tv!
Jameil: Before I sanction this, I need to make sure you're not working with anyone with any restaurant experience. Not so much as McD's.
Mrs. C: Not at all. My 10-year-old niece wants to be a chef. Can I get her to help me after school?
They never have restaurant experience and sometimes "hire" (remember to use this word loosely!) a bunch of other people who don't have restaurant experience.
Jameil: Yes! Make sure you mention this as part of your business plan!
Mrs. C: Business plan? I don't know what you mean.
Jameil: It's that napkin you wrote your restaurant ideas down on last night.
Mrs. C: Oh, I had to use that to wipe Judah's hands. I think I remember most of it anyway.
Jameil: No big deal. No one reads them anyway. Especially with your parents' money!
Unlike housing, it must still be really easy to get business loans. There is often little evidence that anyone has ever even heard of a business plan, let alone had to create one.
You would think knowing this formula, the show would be less interesting. IT NEVER IS. I have loved every episode for the crazy of the "restauranteurs" and the awesome of Bobby. And can you believe it? I still want most of them to succeed.
8.13.2012
Monday Mindspacing Vol. 147
If you're tired of hearing about sports or the Olympics, you may want to skip this post... or skip around in this post. It's sport-heavy! :)
1) It turns out I care a lot less about the men's marathon than the women's marathon. I found myself fast-forwarding through large swaths of the men's whereas with the women's I was glued to the screen! The men's race didn't get truly interesting for me until the last few miles. No matter the sport, it's sad to see people lead the entire race and drop back to third or worse.
2) For over a month I've really, really, REALLY wanted some Ethiopian food... but the closest restaurants are an hour and a half away. :*(((( SO MEAN!
3) I don't want to get to the point in my running where I care more about not stopping than not peeing on myself. You'll pee on yourself while running TO NOT STOP!??! And these are even people who don't have a hope of winning the race!! Yeah... I'm not about that life.
4) Another Olympics development: I still love synchronized swimming. The difference between the top and bottom is amazing! I'm no longer quite so generous in my feelings toward rhythmic gymnastics. The ribbon? Amazing! All the rest of it? Ehhh. The team competition (which I didn't even know existed before last week) is like watching a circus performance. Too much going on.
5) I'm shocked that I'll be 30 in less than 2 weeks. It's so weird. I went browsing at the mall with Rashan. He said one shirt looked young, "That doesn't look 30." That made me sad. I definitely think there are things I'm too old to wear but a shirt!? Jesus wept. Then at Banana Republic, he said another dress looked "like something Blanche Devereaux would wear." WHY WON'T HE LET ME BE GREAT!?!
6) I blocked, unfriended, hid or unfollowed everyone on twitter and facebook who spoiled some part of the Olympics for me. It's been a wonderfully quiet few weeks. Many of them were long overdue for a separation and won't return. I feel much better!
7) Olympics announcers are so annoying. I will never ever see a "bad" start in track or swimming unless someone starts a full second after the gun or straight up falls. Showing it 700 times from 800 angles isn't going to change that fact. One thing they got right? 4th place is the worst place to finish at the games. So close! Yet so far away...
8) You'll be happy to know my sister-in-law finally posted a picture of the kids! Her self-portraits still outweigh kid pics 10 to 1 but I'll take whatever scraps I can get since that's obviously the best I can hope for.
9) If you want a controversy to go away, you should probably do your part and stop talking about it.
10) Rashan is definitely an introvert while I'm wholeheartedly an extrovert but he gets much more restless from sitting in the house. This makes no sense to me.
11) I enjoy Jimmy Fallon immensely. I need him to let his 50Shades jokes go. Daily for months? That's enough.
12) Did you watch the preview of the new show "Animal Practice"? Terrrrible.
Happy Monday!
1) It turns out I care a lot less about the men's marathon than the women's marathon. I found myself fast-forwarding through large swaths of the men's whereas with the women's I was glued to the screen! The men's race didn't get truly interesting for me until the last few miles. No matter the sport, it's sad to see people lead the entire race and drop back to third or worse.
2) For over a month I've really, really, REALLY wanted some Ethiopian food... but the closest restaurants are an hour and a half away. :*(((( SO MEAN!
3) I don't want to get to the point in my running where I care more about not stopping than not peeing on myself. You'll pee on yourself while running TO NOT STOP!??! And these are even people who don't have a hope of winning the race!! Yeah... I'm not about that life.
4) Another Olympics development: I still love synchronized swimming. The difference between the top and bottom is amazing! I'm no longer quite so generous in my feelings toward rhythmic gymnastics. The ribbon? Amazing! All the rest of it? Ehhh. The team competition (which I didn't even know existed before last week) is like watching a circus performance. Too much going on.
5) I'm shocked that I'll be 30 in less than 2 weeks. It's so weird. I went browsing at the mall with Rashan. He said one shirt looked young, "That doesn't look 30." That made me sad. I definitely think there are things I'm too old to wear but a shirt!? Jesus wept. Then at Banana Republic, he said another dress looked "like something Blanche Devereaux would wear." WHY WON'T HE LET ME BE GREAT!?!
6) I blocked, unfriended, hid or unfollowed everyone on twitter and facebook who spoiled some part of the Olympics for me. It's been a wonderfully quiet few weeks. Many of them were long overdue for a separation and won't return. I feel much better!
7) Olympics announcers are so annoying. I will never ever see a "bad" start in track or swimming unless someone starts a full second after the gun or straight up falls. Showing it 700 times from 800 angles isn't going to change that fact. One thing they got right? 4th place is the worst place to finish at the games. So close! Yet so far away...
8) You'll be happy to know my sister-in-law finally posted a picture of the kids! Her self-portraits still outweigh kid pics 10 to 1 but I'll take whatever scraps I can get since that's obviously the best I can hope for.
9) If you want a controversy to go away, you should probably do your part and stop talking about it.
10) Rashan is definitely an introvert while I'm wholeheartedly an extrovert but he gets much more restless from sitting in the house. This makes no sense to me.
11) I enjoy Jimmy Fallon immensely. I need him to let his 50Shades jokes go. Daily for months? That's enough.
12) Did you watch the preview of the new show "Animal Practice"? Terrrrible.
Happy Monday!
8.12.2012
Movies 2012: Weeks 29-31
All caught up on my movie posts!
Week 29: July 15-21, 2012
100) This Is Not A Robbery. A documentary about an elderly man who robs banks for fun. Extra nutty. Full of his own storytelling and anecdotes from people who knew him and witnessed his robberies. The bouncing in the story line was a little confusing at times toward the end and the actual end was a bit repetitive. I definitely didn't feel like we needed to hear a wrap up from every person we'd already seen. But still a great watch. 3.9 stars
101) The Baby Dance. Lara Dern plays a married woman pregnant with her fifth child, forced by poverty to give it away. She was good as was the girl playing her daughter. Stockard Channing as the adoptive mother was also good. The men were annoying periphery. Melancholy film but it did a good job of holding my attention. 3.4 stars
102) One Day. Anne Hathaway stars in this film about the relationship between a working-class girl and a rich guy on the same day year after year. Interesting enough, harmless movie. Patricia Clarkson takes a sweet role as the cad's mother. Hathaway's British accent, though? Wretched. 3.4 stars
103) Friends with Kids. Lots of stars dot this movie about unattached best friends who decide to have a child together after seeing the wrecks children made of their friends' marriages. It shows the back and forth of their relationship over the years. Enjoyable if at times predictable. 3.9 stars
Week 30: July 22-28, 2012
104) Little Children. Kate Winslett stars as a bored suburban mother who begins an affair to spice up her life. It also follows her lover and assorted other characters in their neighborhood. I loved the omnipotent narrator. More than watchable film. I enjoyed it. 4 stars
105) The First Year. A documentary about first year teachers at in a Los Angeles school district. I love/hate how naive they all are. I love that they have the optimism, hate that by now they're probably no longer teaching or are seriously jaded. I'd love an update. This film focused on problems with students which made me a little uncomfortable. They used full names. There wasn't any blurring of faces. I wonder what privacy discussions the filmmakers had. I can't say I loved this film. 2.4 stars
Week 31: July 29- August 4, 2012
106) Man on a Ledge. A film about a cop who goes out on a ledge to prove his innocence. Meh. Action-esque and mildly interesting but full of overacting which ultimately detracted from the total impact. 2.9 stars
107) Chocolat. A film about a woman who moves to a small French town with her daughter, turning it upside down. Too precious. It tried far too hard to be fanciful which gave it an air of desperation. It almost felt like a Disney movie. 2.9 stars
108) The Big Year. Jack Black, Owen Wilson & Steve Martin play three birders who are all looking to have a "big year" -- a year where one man sights more birds than any other man. Surprisingly amusing. I watched this on a lark (LOL) and just happened to enjoy it. 3.7 stars
109) Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law star as Sherlock Holmes and his best friend Dr. Watson off to solve another case. Amusing but I had difficulty paying attention. I loved RDJ's character, though. 3 stars
110) Grease. Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta star in this musical about teenagers who fall in love over the summer and the circumstances that bring them together and push them apart. Cute. A lot more vulgar than I expected. I was a little surprised how many of the songs I recognized. I can't get "Summer Lovin" out of my head now! 3.8 stars
Week 29: July 15-21, 2012
100) This Is Not A Robbery. A documentary about an elderly man who robs banks for fun. Extra nutty. Full of his own storytelling and anecdotes from people who knew him and witnessed his robberies. The bouncing in the story line was a little confusing at times toward the end and the actual end was a bit repetitive. I definitely didn't feel like we needed to hear a wrap up from every person we'd already seen. But still a great watch. 3.9 stars
101) The Baby Dance. Lara Dern plays a married woman pregnant with her fifth child, forced by poverty to give it away. She was good as was the girl playing her daughter. Stockard Channing as the adoptive mother was also good. The men were annoying periphery. Melancholy film but it did a good job of holding my attention. 3.4 stars
102) One Day. Anne Hathaway stars in this film about the relationship between a working-class girl and a rich guy on the same day year after year. Interesting enough, harmless movie. Patricia Clarkson takes a sweet role as the cad's mother. Hathaway's British accent, though? Wretched. 3.4 stars
103) Friends with Kids. Lots of stars dot this movie about unattached best friends who decide to have a child together after seeing the wrecks children made of their friends' marriages. It shows the back and forth of their relationship over the years. Enjoyable if at times predictable. 3.9 stars
Week 30: July 22-28, 2012
104) Little Children. Kate Winslett stars as a bored suburban mother who begins an affair to spice up her life. It also follows her lover and assorted other characters in their neighborhood. I loved the omnipotent narrator. More than watchable film. I enjoyed it. 4 stars
105) The First Year. A documentary about first year teachers at in a Los Angeles school district. I love/hate how naive they all are. I love that they have the optimism, hate that by now they're probably no longer teaching or are seriously jaded. I'd love an update. This film focused on problems with students which made me a little uncomfortable. They used full names. There wasn't any blurring of faces. I wonder what privacy discussions the filmmakers had. I can't say I loved this film. 2.4 stars
Week 31: July 29- August 4, 2012
106) Man on a Ledge. A film about a cop who goes out on a ledge to prove his innocence. Meh. Action-esque and mildly interesting but full of overacting which ultimately detracted from the total impact. 2.9 stars
107) Chocolat. A film about a woman who moves to a small French town with her daughter, turning it upside down. Too precious. It tried far too hard to be fanciful which gave it an air of desperation. It almost felt like a Disney movie. 2.9 stars
108) The Big Year. Jack Black, Owen Wilson & Steve Martin play three birders who are all looking to have a "big year" -- a year where one man sights more birds than any other man. Surprisingly amusing. I watched this on a lark (LOL) and just happened to enjoy it. 3.7 stars
109) Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. Robert Downey, Jr. and Jude Law star as Sherlock Holmes and his best friend Dr. Watson off to solve another case. Amusing but I had difficulty paying attention. I loved RDJ's character, though. 3 stars
110) Grease. Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta star in this musical about teenagers who fall in love over the summer and the circumstances that bring them together and push them apart. Cute. A lot more vulgar than I expected. I was a little surprised how many of the songs I recognized. I can't get "Summer Lovin" out of my head now! 3.8 stars
8.06.2012
Monday Mindspacing Vol. 146
1) Rashan compliments my ... sweeping. Like the hardwood floors. Really? Sweeping? I feel some sort of way about that. And not good.
2) This week's 2 a.m. baking yielded cinnamon cayenne butterscotch brownies. I took this basic recipe (leave out the 2nd set of ingredients... frosting... YUCK) and added cinnamon, cayenne and butterscotch chips. Sounds like kind of a lot, right? It worked! The you didn't taste the cayenne until you finished chewing. It hit you on the finish. I've heard about the interplay of chocolate and spice many times on food shows but experiencing it at my own hand? Pretty cool!
3) Have you guys watched "3 Days to Open" with Bobby Flay? That man is AWESOME! Every show he appears in makes me love him a little more. Spoiler alert: This chick opening a LOUNGE wanting to serve vodka & cranberry? VODKA & CRANBERRY??? I can mix that up standing outside of the liquor store. (LOL... envision your above average, fit, college-educated woman standing outside the liquor store mixing the most basic drink ever... what a vision!) But really, why would I need to go to a lounge for that???
4) I haven't gotten enough quality runs in lately. That changes Tuesday! AKA tomorrow! Can't wait!
5) I need a big juicy burger at least twice a week. Cooked medium, cheese required! The rest of the ingredients are wide open!
6) I'm getting a little burned out from the Olympics. Watching 4 hours per night MINIMUM (probably 6 hours throughout yesterday) will do that to you. The women's marathon was AWESOME! I'm definitely doing a marathon next year! But sheesh. I need a break... after I watch Gabby on uneven bars tomorrow night. My current fave gymnast on my fave apparatus. I'm there! Seven million qualifying rounds and any team sport i.e. basketball, beach or indoor volleyball or soccer? Miss me. I could really do a whole post on my Olympics proclivities...
7) I really hate Olympics spoilers. The tape delay is our reality. I know social media exists but I still want to be able to enjoy the races in prime time. I've unfollowed, hidden or unfriended all spoiler-y people on twitter and facebook. I'll be back after the Olympics... maybe... if I remember.
8) Some people really abuse the retweet function of twitter. I really don't need to see every irrelevant conversation. Along that vein, if you're sharing other people's ideas more than 20xs per day, maybe you need to find a way to make gossip your profession. Ouch. That was way harsh, Tai.
9) I haven't gotten my "do something drastic/crazy" desire out. I don't know what will make that go away but it hasn't happened yet.
10) My secret obsession? Googling half marathon race recap. I do it at least once a week and read all about the races of people I will likely never meet running in places I will likely never run. I love it! ... Except when I happen upon the blog of someone who rarely or never runs or runs a distance I've worked really hard at and they casually throw out a first time finishing time I will have to TRAIN LIKE MY LIFE DEPENDS UP ON IT to even approach. SOMEBODY'S LYING! BUT... If you're going to be that good on your first try, please, please do me a favor and don't treat it like it's not a big deal. If it really didn't matter to you, you probably wouldn't bother mentioning what you have to know is a good time.
11) I'm the head person for my local running group... which leaves me with a ton of facebook friends I don't want to have. Coming to a run once doesn't mean we should be facebook friends. Can we not? But I don't know how to say this without coming off rude or standoffish. I'm glad you're enthusiastic! But I don't feel like my life should be an open book to you because Iwas recruited volunteered to lead a running group.
12) The last couple of weeks have presented runs with some sort of torture. When I had an AMAZING run in Charlotte (finally averaging under 11 minute miles - 10:44 - on a 3-mile course that compared to where I usually run felt flat), I smelled Krispy Kreme doughnuts (yes, SPECIFICALLY them!) at the start and finish!! A week ago, I smelled bacon rounding into mile 6. I almost ate one of my running partners! Then Sunday, someone was grilling burgers. These are not phantom smells! You should have heard us exclaiming each day. LOLOL
2) This week's 2 a.m. baking yielded cinnamon cayenne butterscotch brownies. I took this basic recipe (leave out the 2nd set of ingredients... frosting... YUCK) and added cinnamon, cayenne and butterscotch chips. Sounds like kind of a lot, right? It worked! The you didn't taste the cayenne until you finished chewing. It hit you on the finish. I've heard about the interplay of chocolate and spice many times on food shows but experiencing it at my own hand? Pretty cool!
3) Have you guys watched "3 Days to Open" with Bobby Flay? That man is AWESOME! Every show he appears in makes me love him a little more. Spoiler alert: This chick opening a LOUNGE wanting to serve vodka & cranberry? VODKA & CRANBERRY??? I can mix that up standing outside of the liquor store. (LOL... envision your above average, fit, college-educated woman standing outside the liquor store mixing the most basic drink ever... what a vision!) But really, why would I need to go to a lounge for that???
4) I haven't gotten enough quality runs in lately. That changes Tuesday! AKA tomorrow! Can't wait!
5) I need a big juicy burger at least twice a week. Cooked medium, cheese required! The rest of the ingredients are wide open!
6) I'm getting a little burned out from the Olympics. Watching 4 hours per night MINIMUM (probably 6 hours throughout yesterday) will do that to you. The women's marathon was AWESOME! I'm definitely doing a marathon next year! But sheesh. I need a break... after I watch Gabby on uneven bars tomorrow night. My current fave gymnast on my fave apparatus. I'm there! Seven million qualifying rounds and any team sport i.e. basketball, beach or indoor volleyball or soccer? Miss me. I could really do a whole post on my Olympics proclivities...
7) I really hate Olympics spoilers. The tape delay is our reality. I know social media exists but I still want to be able to enjoy the races in prime time. I've unfollowed, hidden or unfriended all spoiler-y people on twitter and facebook. I'll be back after the Olympics... maybe... if I remember.
8) Some people really abuse the retweet function of twitter. I really don't need to see every irrelevant conversation. Along that vein, if you're sharing other people's ideas more than 20xs per day, maybe you need to find a way to make gossip your profession. Ouch. That was way harsh, Tai.
9) I haven't gotten my "do something drastic/crazy" desire out. I don't know what will make that go away but it hasn't happened yet.
10) My secret obsession? Googling half marathon race recap. I do it at least once a week and read all about the races of people I will likely never meet running in places I will likely never run. I love it! ... Except when I happen upon the blog of someone who rarely or never runs or runs a distance I've worked really hard at and they casually throw out a first time finishing time I will have to TRAIN LIKE MY LIFE DEPENDS UP ON IT to even approach. SOMEBODY'S LYING! BUT... If you're going to be that good on your first try, please, please do me a favor and don't treat it like it's not a big deal. If it really didn't matter to you, you probably wouldn't bother mentioning what you have to know is a good time.
11) I'm the head person for my local running group... which leaves me with a ton of facebook friends I don't want to have. Coming to a run once doesn't mean we should be facebook friends. Can we not? But I don't know how to say this without coming off rude or standoffish. I'm glad you're enthusiastic! But I don't feel like my life should be an open book to you because I
12) The last couple of weeks have presented runs with some sort of torture. When I had an AMAZING run in Charlotte (finally averaging under 11 minute miles - 10:44 - on a 3-mile course that compared to where I usually run felt flat), I smelled Krispy Kreme doughnuts (yes, SPECIFICALLY them!) at the start and finish!! A week ago, I smelled bacon rounding into mile 6. I almost ate one of my running partners! Then Sunday, someone was grilling burgers. These are not phantom smells! You should have heard us exclaiming each day. LOLOL
8.05.2012
Movies 2012: Weeks 23-28
My goodness! I can't even tell you how I got so behind in posting these!
Week 23: June 3-9, 2012
84) The Facts of Life. Lucille Ball and Bob Hope star in this 1960 film about a couple having an affair when they're both married to other people. Funny at times but mostly meh. 3.3 stars
85) The Full Monty. A group of unemployed British men decide to raise money by baring all in a revue for their town. Cute and amusing if at times unnecessarily round about. 3.6 stars
86) Le Divorce. A young American (Kate Hudson) travels to Paris to visit her expat sister (Naomi Watts), who's in the midst of a messy divorce. It floats back and forth between French and English. Horrible, horrible acting all around. Matthew Modine makes an appearance as a distraught man in a role that makes absolutely no sense. Just a horrible mess. The cap was the floating purse scene at the end. Horrid. 2 stars
87) We Were Here. A documentary film about how the AIDS epidemic ransacked San Francisco's gay community with interviews from leading activists, clinicians and gays. Some really heart-wrenching stories of people losing all of the friends they'd made in their first years in the city. It went back to back from riveting to dragging. The beginning was one of those dragging times. It also felt like a "very special episode" at times, something that was exacerbated by poor musical choices. There were moments where they pulled back on the emotion or cut off emotional moments in a way that truncated some of the power. I'm sure it was a conscious decision on the part of the filmmakers. Maybe so it didn't feel like one endless crying jag but it was a detriment at times. There was also extreme overuse of fade outs, dissolves and slowing of frames as a transition between stories. There were some great characters hampered at times by the storytelling and editing. 2.5 stars
Week 24: June 10-16, 2012
88) Man on Fire. Denzel Washington stars as the bodyguard for a Mexico City girl (Dakota Fanning) who gets kidnapped, sparking his crazy revenge plot. Pretty awesome! I love crazy, honey badger don't care Denzel. 3.7 stars
89) A Little Bit of Heaven. Is the opening credits too soon to declare a movie stupid? Kate Hudson stars a movie that shoves a whole whole lot of cliches before the credits fully began to roll. Maybe it's not so much the number but the eye-rolling nature. The voice over as you lay in bed. The OMG I'M LATE jump from bed. The best friend who's probably too hot to be anything but gay. The bumbling mess. It's not like I went into this expecting a masterpiece but being able to predict lines? AND it was way, way, WAY too long! Aye. 2 stars
90) The Debt. Helen Mirren stars as the female member of a trio who took down a vicious Nazi scientist and the debt she was forced to pay decades later. Kind of interesting but far too long. 3.2 stars
Week 25: June 17-23, 2012
91) Jeff Who Lives at Home. Jason Segel and Ed Helms star in this comedy about two brothers, one who's slightly successful and the other who lives at home. The stay-at-home brother (LOL) spends this movie on his date with destiny, searching for meaning behind a seemingly insignificant event. Very fun watch. It was a bit ridiculous at times but I was okay with that. 4 stars
92) Cinema Verité. This film is a fictional take on the PBS documentary "An American Family," widely recognized as the first reality tv family. It covers the messy struggle between the filmmaker and the family and the aftermath of the show's airing. That struggle and the aftermath really made this film. 4 stars
93) Red Tails. The fictionalized story of the all-black WWII air escort pilots who had to fight racism at home, then abroad just to get into the air. Horrible, HORRIBLE acting. So horrible and over the top that it was impossible to watch for enjoyment. A true disappointment in telling a great story. 2 stars
94) The Grey. Liam Neesson stars in this film about a group of oil riggers who survive a crash in the Alaskan wilderness only to be attacked by a band of huge wolves who see them as a threat. Ugh. Way way too long and worst of all, the least satisfying end I've seen in months. 2 stars
95) New Year's Eve. Let's throw 900 stars in one film. The most cliché film to come out this year. You could predict the end of the film from the beginning of each character group's scene. The only "surprises" were which stars were connected to each other in the film. 2 stars
Week 26: June 24-30, 2012
96) Teen Witch. Horrrrrible 1989 film about a girl who finds out she's a teenage witch and uses that to get the star athlete. Wow. I wondered if I would've liked this as a kid but it was really, REALLY bad. 2 stars
Week 27: July 1-7, 2012
97) Flipped. Rob Reiner directs the story of a kiddie love story set in the mid-20th century. Boring. Devoid of color in the roles of its actors. 2 stars
Week 28: July 8-14, 2012
98) The Help. Emma Stone plays the author of a book about domestic help in Jackson, Mississippi. I could not believe her as a Southerner because of her other roles and distraction from that awful wig. Viola Davis stars as the first maid to join the book in an Oscar-nominated role. Though Davis showed a "quiet strength," I can see why she didn't win. I thought throughout, she's getting typecast. The strong, matronly, long-suffering mother. I can see more of why Octavia Spencer won a best supporting actress award for her role as the cantankerous maid but still a rather stereotypical role. I enjoyed the book. The movie was fine. 3 stars
99) Safe House. Denzel Washington stars as a rogue former CIA agent who shows up at the U.S. consulate in South Africa after a decade off the grid. Ryan Reynolds becomes the man who has to guard him. Oh Reynolds. So laughable in this role. At no moment did I believe he was a capable or even really passable match. Not even when he was somewhat of a match in the script. I couldn't stop seeing him in "Just Friends." If you've seen this movie, where he fat suits it up in his love for a girl, you understand why the idea of him as a match for bad Denzel is hilarious. Rashan said he could only thing of his show, "Two Guys." LOL Poor Ryan. This film was too long at nearly two hours. There were too many action scenes with little to advance the plot. I know what you're saying, "Too many action scenes in an action movie???" Just make something happen with the plot during or afterwards. 3 stars
Week 23: June 3-9, 2012
84) The Facts of Life. Lucille Ball and Bob Hope star in this 1960 film about a couple having an affair when they're both married to other people. Funny at times but mostly meh. 3.3 stars
85) The Full Monty. A group of unemployed British men decide to raise money by baring all in a revue for their town. Cute and amusing if at times unnecessarily round about. 3.6 stars
86) Le Divorce. A young American (Kate Hudson) travels to Paris to visit her expat sister (Naomi Watts), who's in the midst of a messy divorce. It floats back and forth between French and English. Horrible, horrible acting all around. Matthew Modine makes an appearance as a distraught man in a role that makes absolutely no sense. Just a horrible mess. The cap was the floating purse scene at the end. Horrid. 2 stars
87) We Were Here. A documentary film about how the AIDS epidemic ransacked San Francisco's gay community with interviews from leading activists, clinicians and gays. Some really heart-wrenching stories of people losing all of the friends they'd made in their first years in the city. It went back to back from riveting to dragging. The beginning was one of those dragging times. It also felt like a "very special episode" at times, something that was exacerbated by poor musical choices. There were moments where they pulled back on the emotion or cut off emotional moments in a way that truncated some of the power. I'm sure it was a conscious decision on the part of the filmmakers. Maybe so it didn't feel like one endless crying jag but it was a detriment at times. There was also extreme overuse of fade outs, dissolves and slowing of frames as a transition between stories. There were some great characters hampered at times by the storytelling and editing. 2.5 stars
Week 24: June 10-16, 2012
88) Man on Fire. Denzel Washington stars as the bodyguard for a Mexico City girl (Dakota Fanning) who gets kidnapped, sparking his crazy revenge plot. Pretty awesome! I love crazy, honey badger don't care Denzel. 3.7 stars
89) A Little Bit of Heaven. Is the opening credits too soon to declare a movie stupid? Kate Hudson stars a movie that shoves a whole whole lot of cliches before the credits fully began to roll. Maybe it's not so much the number but the eye-rolling nature. The voice over as you lay in bed. The OMG I'M LATE jump from bed. The best friend who's probably too hot to be anything but gay. The bumbling mess. It's not like I went into this expecting a masterpiece but being able to predict lines? AND it was way, way, WAY too long! Aye. 2 stars
90) The Debt. Helen Mirren stars as the female member of a trio who took down a vicious Nazi scientist and the debt she was forced to pay decades later. Kind of interesting but far too long. 3.2 stars
Week 25: June 17-23, 2012
91) Jeff Who Lives at Home. Jason Segel and Ed Helms star in this comedy about two brothers, one who's slightly successful and the other who lives at home. The stay-at-home brother (LOL) spends this movie on his date with destiny, searching for meaning behind a seemingly insignificant event. Very fun watch. It was a bit ridiculous at times but I was okay with that. 4 stars
92) Cinema Verité. This film is a fictional take on the PBS documentary "An American Family," widely recognized as the first reality tv family. It covers the messy struggle between the filmmaker and the family and the aftermath of the show's airing. That struggle and the aftermath really made this film. 4 stars
93) Red Tails. The fictionalized story of the all-black WWII air escort pilots who had to fight racism at home, then abroad just to get into the air. Horrible, HORRIBLE acting. So horrible and over the top that it was impossible to watch for enjoyment. A true disappointment in telling a great story. 2 stars
94) The Grey. Liam Neesson stars in this film about a group of oil riggers who survive a crash in the Alaskan wilderness only to be attacked by a band of huge wolves who see them as a threat. Ugh. Way way too long and worst of all, the least satisfying end I've seen in months. 2 stars
95) New Year's Eve. Let's throw 900 stars in one film. The most cliché film to come out this year. You could predict the end of the film from the beginning of each character group's scene. The only "surprises" were which stars were connected to each other in the film. 2 stars
Week 26: June 24-30, 2012
96) Teen Witch. Horrrrrible 1989 film about a girl who finds out she's a teenage witch and uses that to get the star athlete. Wow. I wondered if I would've liked this as a kid but it was really, REALLY bad. 2 stars
Week 27: July 1-7, 2012
97) Flipped. Rob Reiner directs the story of a kiddie love story set in the mid-20th century. Boring. Devoid of color in the roles of its actors. 2 stars
Week 28: July 8-14, 2012
98) The Help. Emma Stone plays the author of a book about domestic help in Jackson, Mississippi. I could not believe her as a Southerner because of her other roles and distraction from that awful wig. Viola Davis stars as the first maid to join the book in an Oscar-nominated role. Though Davis showed a "quiet strength," I can see why she didn't win. I thought throughout, she's getting typecast. The strong, matronly, long-suffering mother. I can see more of why Octavia Spencer won a best supporting actress award for her role as the cantankerous maid but still a rather stereotypical role. I enjoyed the book. The movie was fine. 3 stars
99) Safe House. Denzel Washington stars as a rogue former CIA agent who shows up at the U.S. consulate in South Africa after a decade off the grid. Ryan Reynolds becomes the man who has to guard him. Oh Reynolds. So laughable in this role. At no moment did I believe he was a capable or even really passable match. Not even when he was somewhat of a match in the script. I couldn't stop seeing him in "Just Friends." If you've seen this movie, where he fat suits it up in his love for a girl, you understand why the idea of him as a match for bad Denzel is hilarious. Rashan said he could only thing of his show, "Two Guys." LOL Poor Ryan. This film was too long at nearly two hours. There were too many action scenes with little to advance the plot. I know what you're saying, "Too many action scenes in an action movie???" Just make something happen with the plot during or afterwards. 3 stars
8.01.2012
Birth Month!!
THIS MONTH I TURN 30 YEARS OLD!!!!!!!
August 23 is the day the world changed forever! You're welcome!
Y'all know I LOVE my birthday so let's begin the celebration today! Know how I've already started? Applying for two more jobs. Operation employed by 30: Let's go!
August 23 is the day the world changed forever! You're welcome!
Y'all know I LOVE my birthday so let's begin the celebration today! Know how I've already started? Applying for two more jobs. Operation employed by 30: Let's go!
7.30.2012
Monday Mindspacing Vol. 145
1) I'm (slowly... LOL) approaching 1300 posts... Wow. I would never have imagined when I started this blog nearly 7 years ago how many fabulous people I would meet because of it.
2) I was recognized in public because of my blog! If it's happened before, whoever saw me didn't say anything. I was so confused at first. LOL But it was cool! Thanks for reading!
3) I have been ravenous for the last 2 days. Like if you get your hand close enough to my mouth, you might lose it. I'm pretty sure it's the high level of activity. My old trainer is moving so I worked out with her one last time on Friday. WOW!! a- it's been a long time since I worked out in front of a mirror-- arms miraculously awesome (I never do any arm work), a little thigh jiggle and a little belly jiggle, b- I'm much stronger than I thought I was w/little strength training so running is AMAZING, c- she said I my lunge jump switches were so graceful and most people land like elephants. LOL & yay!
From the abs down was misery on Saturday but I had a 7-mile run planned so I did it. Then I lead a run/walk for 2.5 miles. I got home and was murderously hungry! If we owned a chicken, it would have died. This hunger could not be quelled all day. I would eat, still be hungry afterwards or know the hunger would soon return. Sunday, I lead a 1.5-mile run/walk, then ran 2 miles. Why hello, Ravenisha. (My name for the weekend.) 7:30 a.m. on Monday morning after eating? STILL HUNGRY!!! First breakfast has already been consumed: a stuffed pepper with a corn tortilla and Honey Bunches of Oats with Raisins in almond milk. Second breakfast: a frittata using the pepper filling with 2 slices of wheat toast is imminent.
4) Why do overweight or obese people think it's okay to "jokingly" call me fat or tell me I'm going to get fat? That's what my mom said to me when I told her I couldn't get rid of my hunger. Really? I'm going to get fat? She apologized but that "joke" is never funny. Just because you see/hear of people working out or they look slim doesn't mean they don't have their own issues with weight. Maybe just maybe that's part of why they work out.
5) Speaking of that... I went into the archives for other times I spoke of weight and found some crazy! On one post, Rashan, before he was even my boyfriend, said, "You should totally feign anorexia when you go home. That would be hilarious." NUT!! I'm about to bring that back for old times sake. People seriously used to ask me if I was eating enough. RUDE. If I wasn't, you couldn't save me with a slick remark in a 20-second conversation.
6) I'm sleeping horribly again. I'll wake up after 2 hours feeling refreshed then go back to sleep 4-5 hours later. How nutty is that? I do not like it.
7) We are OBSESSSSSED with the Olympics round here! Like watching THE most random sports and getting all into it! Women's weightlifting you say? All in! We've also been watching the usual-- swimming & gymnastics. Synchronized diving? Synchronized AWESOMENESS! I love all of the synchronized sports! And I can't wait for track! Shocker, right?? :) I LOVED the torch lighting and fireworks of the opening ceremonies!
8) My sister-in-law stays posting pictures on facebook... of herself. You look the same. You have two kids under the age of five. You live far away. Please post pictures of the children.
9) Y'all know I love Mariah Carey! I briefly considered watching American Idol now that she'll be a judge. Decided against it because I realllly hate amateur performers. I still love you though, Mimi.
10) Conan O'Brien played a mash-up of a bunch of news anchors around the country who unwittingly used the same cliché over and over and over. INSANE! This is EXACTLY why you're not supposed to use clichés in journalism. I'm gonna show that video in every journalism writing class I ever teach. LOL
11) Rashan has finally stopped asking me to fix the local news here. LOLOL! We still can't watch it together because it's so awful that I moan and complain the entire time. I do probably need to flex that critical muscle, though so I'll be torturing myself again soon.
12) I don't get the appeal of QVC & HSN. I have never wanted to sit and watch either of those channels or been remotely tempted by their wares.
2) I was recognized in public because of my blog! If it's happened before, whoever saw me didn't say anything. I was so confused at first. LOL But it was cool! Thanks for reading!
3) I have been ravenous for the last 2 days. Like if you get your hand close enough to my mouth, you might lose it. I'm pretty sure it's the high level of activity. My old trainer is moving so I worked out with her one last time on Friday. WOW!! a- it's been a long time since I worked out in front of a mirror-- arms miraculously awesome (I never do any arm work), a little thigh jiggle and a little belly jiggle, b- I'm much stronger than I thought I was w/little strength training so running is AMAZING, c- she said I my lunge jump switches were so graceful and most people land like elephants. LOL & yay!
From the abs down was misery on Saturday but I had a 7-mile run planned so I did it. Then I lead a run/walk for 2.5 miles. I got home and was murderously hungry! If we owned a chicken, it would have died. This hunger could not be quelled all day. I would eat, still be hungry afterwards or know the hunger would soon return. Sunday, I lead a 1.5-mile run/walk, then ran 2 miles. Why hello, Ravenisha. (My name for the weekend.) 7:30 a.m. on Monday morning after eating? STILL HUNGRY!!! First breakfast has already been consumed: a stuffed pepper with a corn tortilla and Honey Bunches of Oats with Raisins in almond milk. Second breakfast: a frittata using the pepper filling with 2 slices of wheat toast is imminent.
4) Why do overweight or obese people think it's okay to "jokingly" call me fat or tell me I'm going to get fat? That's what my mom said to me when I told her I couldn't get rid of my hunger. Really? I'm going to get fat? She apologized but that "joke" is never funny. Just because you see/hear of people working out or they look slim doesn't mean they don't have their own issues with weight. Maybe just maybe that's part of why they work out.
5) Speaking of that... I went into the archives for other times I spoke of weight and found some crazy! On one post, Rashan, before he was even my boyfriend, said, "You should totally feign anorexia when you go home. That would be hilarious." NUT!! I'm about to bring that back for old times sake. People seriously used to ask me if I was eating enough. RUDE. If I wasn't, you couldn't save me with a slick remark in a 20-second conversation.
6) I'm sleeping horribly again. I'll wake up after 2 hours feeling refreshed then go back to sleep 4-5 hours later. How nutty is that? I do not like it.
7) We are OBSESSSSSED with the Olympics round here! Like watching THE most random sports and getting all into it! Women's weightlifting you say? All in! We've also been watching the usual-- swimming & gymnastics. Synchronized diving? Synchronized AWESOMENESS! I love all of the synchronized sports! And I can't wait for track! Shocker, right?? :) I LOVED the torch lighting and fireworks of the opening ceremonies!
8) My sister-in-law stays posting pictures on facebook... of herself. You look the same. You have two kids under the age of five. You live far away. Please post pictures of the children.
9) Y'all know I love Mariah Carey! I briefly considered watching American Idol now that she'll be a judge. Decided against it because I realllly hate amateur performers. I still love you though, Mimi.
10) Conan O'Brien played a mash-up of a bunch of news anchors around the country who unwittingly used the same cliché over and over and over. INSANE! This is EXACTLY why you're not supposed to use clichés in journalism. I'm gonna show that video in every journalism writing class I ever teach. LOL
11) Rashan has finally stopped asking me to fix the local news here. LOLOL! We still can't watch it together because it's so awful that I moan and complain the entire time. I do probably need to flex that critical muscle, though so I'll be torturing myself again soon.
12) I don't get the appeal of QVC & HSN. I have never wanted to sit and watch either of those channels or been remotely tempted by their wares.
7.23.2012
Monday Mindspacing Vol. 144
1) Rashan and I fell asleep before 1 a.m. which is SUPER early for us (usually 3 or later) and were both up by 7:30. Nutty. He went to wander around the grocery store. I almost went with him but it was too bright outside.
2) This man can't take a grocery trip of less than an hour no matter how few ingredients on the list. Today: THREE!!! Bring me my almond milk!! It's Cinnamon Toast Crunch time!! (Turns out he was detoured around an accident.)
3) My mom called me last night and asked me to take an impromptu trip to Charlotte to hang with her as a new bishop is installed. This man is one of my favorite preachers ever. Even as a child I knew he was awesome! Consider it done!
4) Have you guys watched "Four Houses" yet??? It's hilarious! You must get on it! Basically four people go judge each other's houses and vote for the best one.
5) The Next Food Network Star (NFNS) finale was underwhelming. A clip/reunion show as the finale??? Lame.
6) Have I told you guys how much menu planning for the week has created all kinds of awesomeness for me??? Super extra awesome! I don't have to scramble at night to come up with what I'm going to cook. I select based on what's on sale and from the hundreds of recipes I have saved in my bookmarks.
7) Rashan said my car has a distinctive smell: french fries. ROTFL!!! That car has seen more french fries than a little bit. When I get in my car after running, then run an errand and get back in the car, it smells like old man sweat to me. Hot, right?
8) I don't like mint. Or dill. I do love dill pickles, though. But not dill relish. Only sweet relish.
9) I need to make pickles.
10) This episode of "Chopped" with the past winners of NFNS produced two desserts I would never want to eat based on looks and description. Yuck.
11) My sister had a California cobb salad in New Orleans that I can't stop thinking about! That thing was so beautiful!!! LOL @ me dreaming of pictures of OTHER PEOPLE'S FOOD! It doesn't happen often but my oh my!
2) This man can't take a grocery trip of less than an hour no matter how few ingredients on the list. Today: THREE!!! Bring me my almond milk!! It's Cinnamon Toast Crunch time!! (Turns out he was detoured around an accident.)
3) My mom called me last night and asked me to take an impromptu trip to Charlotte to hang with her as a new bishop is installed. This man is one of my favorite preachers ever. Even as a child I knew he was awesome! Consider it done!
4) Have you guys watched "Four Houses" yet??? It's hilarious! You must get on it! Basically four people go judge each other's houses and vote for the best one.
5) The Next Food Network Star (NFNS) finale was underwhelming. A clip/reunion show as the finale??? Lame.
6) Have I told you guys how much menu planning for the week has created all kinds of awesomeness for me??? Super extra awesome! I don't have to scramble at night to come up with what I'm going to cook. I select based on what's on sale and from the hundreds of recipes I have saved in my bookmarks.
7) Rashan said my car has a distinctive smell: french fries. ROTFL!!! That car has seen more french fries than a little bit. When I get in my car after running, then run an errand and get back in the car, it smells like old man sweat to me. Hot, right?
8) I don't like mint. Or dill. I do love dill pickles, though. But not dill relish. Only sweet relish.
9) I need to make pickles.
10) This episode of "Chopped" with the past winners of NFNS produced two desserts I would never want to eat based on looks and description. Yuck.
11) My sister had a California cobb salad in New Orleans that I can't stop thinking about! That thing was so beautiful!!! LOL @ me dreaming of pictures of OTHER PEOPLE'S FOOD! It doesn't happen often but my oh my!
7.20.2012
Unforeseen Circumstances
Remember my August 4th half-marathon? The one I've been training for for months? Look at the message they sent out yesterday... YESTERDAY!!!
Dear Participant:
What the what?! Two weeks out and you cancel a race?? WDDDA??? I had been stalking the website for weeks for details on the course route. It always said the same thing: Course route coming soon! Wednesday night, I sent an email to the race series asking for details on the route. I decided right then I wasn't registering until I heard back from them regarding that.
Thank God I'm a member of a national running group! Before workers at the race series could respond (if they ever will), I saw several people post the message you see above. What is an unforeseen circumstance??? This is a national race series!!! Granted, they mostly focus on triathlons but they've held running only races in other cities. I would hope you know what goes into planning a race to not have "unforeseen circumstances"! And what does that mean?? Oh the mystery! On twitter, I'd ordinarily play a game where we think of the most outrageous reasons to cancel a race. You may feel free to do that in the comments. I'll start: they heard of a cholera outbreak that day and decided to cancel the event just to be safe.
I'd picked this race because it was the perfect confluence of my needs: near home, far enough out (at the time) that I could have a comfortably long training period, inexpensive. This race peaked at $60 on race day, whereas half marathons usually cost $70+ WEEKS out and upwards of $150 on race day. I guess you get what you pay for? Or don't get what you pay for. Or don't get what you don't pay for. (LOL) I'm just glad they're giving refunds to those who registered without a hassle. Many races have a no refunds policy, which when they cancel (or postpone) the race, OF COURSE, makes people very angry.
Anyway, I quickly transitioned from shock over the cancellation to making my peace with it. Just the day before, I'd done what I thought was my last double digit run before my half. I was excited that even with a bathroom break (which I normally don't take during runs), I was able to shave 23 minutes off of my first 13-mile run. And yet, I knew I wanted to shave even more time, preferably at least 7 more minutes. Plus, the more you run a distance, the more comfortable you become with that distance. So a few more times running it? Sounds good to me! I'll get better and better at pacing myself. This also gives me time to continue with the strength training I've begun and re-start my speed work. We'll also be further out from the hottest part of the year so HALLELUJAH to that! I won't have to wake up before the sun to get my runs in. YAY!!! The only drawback is I have no idea where we'll be living by September so it really doesn't even do me any good to search for a race. But in the grand scheme? That's a minor thing. I'm gonna go ahead and claim these "circumstances" (couldn't find enough grass-fed cows to fly in and hand-butcher for the post-race party?) as for the best. Hey! At least I won't get cholera!
**Update: I did some sleuthing on their facebook page. For the last week, they've been saying they were waiting for course approval from the city/county/DOT. Ummm... what???
Dear Participant:
Thank you for registering for the (race).
We are sorry to announce that we have canceled the Half Marathon, 10K and Kids Fun Run due to unforeseen circumstances.
We will be issuing a full race refund within the next two weeks.
What the what?! Two weeks out and you cancel a race?? WDDDA??? I had been stalking the website for weeks for details on the course route. It always said the same thing: Course route coming soon! Wednesday night, I sent an email to the race series asking for details on the route. I decided right then I wasn't registering until I heard back from them regarding that.Thank God I'm a member of a national running group! Before workers at the race series could respond (if they ever will), I saw several people post the message you see above. What is an unforeseen circumstance??? This is a national race series!!! Granted, they mostly focus on triathlons but they've held running only races in other cities. I would hope you know what goes into planning a race to not have "unforeseen circumstances"! And what does that mean?? Oh the mystery! On twitter, I'd ordinarily play a game where we think of the most outrageous reasons to cancel a race. You may feel free to do that in the comments. I'll start: they heard of a cholera outbreak that day and decided to cancel the event just to be safe.
I'd picked this race because it was the perfect confluence of my needs: near home, far enough out (at the time) that I could have a comfortably long training period, inexpensive. This race peaked at $60 on race day, whereas half marathons usually cost $70+ WEEKS out and upwards of $150 on race day. I guess you get what you pay for? Or don't get what you pay for. Or don't get what you don't pay for. (LOL) I'm just glad they're giving refunds to those who registered without a hassle. Many races have a no refunds policy, which when they cancel (or postpone) the race, OF COURSE, makes people very angry.
Anyway, I quickly transitioned from shock over the cancellation to making my peace with it. Just the day before, I'd done what I thought was my last double digit run before my half. I was excited that even with a bathroom break (which I normally don't take during runs), I was able to shave 23 minutes off of my first 13-mile run. And yet, I knew I wanted to shave even more time, preferably at least 7 more minutes. Plus, the more you run a distance, the more comfortable you become with that distance. So a few more times running it? Sounds good to me! I'll get better and better at pacing myself. This also gives me time to continue with the strength training I've begun and re-start my speed work. We'll also be further out from the hottest part of the year so HALLELUJAH to that! I won't have to wake up before the sun to get my runs in. YAY!!! The only drawback is I have no idea where we'll be living by September so it really doesn't even do me any good to search for a race. But in the grand scheme? That's a minor thing. I'm gonna go ahead and claim these "circumstances" (couldn't find enough grass-fed cows to fly in and hand-butcher for the post-race party?) as for the best. Hey! At least I won't get cholera!
**Update: I did some sleuthing on their facebook page. For the last week, they've been saying they were waiting for course approval from the city/county/DOT. Ummm... what???
7.16.2012
Monday Mindspacing Vol. 143
1) Home stretch to my half marathon! I'm doing my final long run TOMORROW!! I now call long runs those that are 10+ miles. Crazy, right?? Tomorrow is 13.1!
2) Did y'all stop praying about my job? I haven't gotten one yet so KEEP PRAYING!!
3) I did cross training this week... REAL CROSS TRAINING for the first time since I started running. Why am I so crazy???? Clearly I should've been doing this all along (like I knew) and why would I start AT THE END of half marathon training? Like I said, crazy. I did zumba, cardio kickboxing (both in one day) and this AWESOME weightless workout. I only made it through twice on the weightless workout instead of four so I'll keep working up until I get there!
4) Sponsored posts make me itch. They're so over the top with their effusive, glowing reviews. Throwing in one semi-bad thing fools no one.
5) Remember my weird late night cooking desires? Saturday morning at 2:30, I decided I wanted to make peach cobbler... so I did! It was good and easy. With more time, I'd go ahead and make pie crust but this one will do in a time crunch or with a ton of fruit lying around begging to be used.
6) Four years ago today, Rashan and I met in person for the first time! Awwww! It was the most awkward day of our relationship. LOLOL Sooooo awkward! And two days later, he asked me to be his girlfriend. :) If you had told me he would be my husband, I would've been SHOCKED!
7) I used to call all pregnant women "Pregneesha." LOLOL I need to bring that back! Somebody should hurry up and get knocked up! Not it!
8) We called to talk to Rah's sister for her birthday on Friday and our six-year-old nephew quickly stole the phone to tell us something VERY IMPORTANT. I don't remember what it was. He just loves to talk to us. :) We talked to him more than SIL.
9) I have to do a family reunion recap post. I learned some amazing things about my family history and got to know some of my extremely old first cousins! My oldest first cousins are/will be 51, 52 & 53 this year. Since they're only a few years younger than my mom and have kids at or near my age, I know next to nothing about them. So I got all up in their business. And the business of my 45-year-old cousin and his 25-year-old girlfriend/wife/fiancée. Clearly I wasn't enough in the business because I'm not sure of their relationship.
10) My dad... women flock to him like crazy. How do you meet someone at your family reunion? She's not related! Don't worry! LOL One of my aunt's friends. My dad also likes to gossip. He was half listening to my conversation at the dinner table for the banquet and heard the word abomination. When I tell you his head whipped around so FAST!!! H-i-larry-us! Stop being nosy!
11) OMG! We have a family friend down there named David who I absolutely LOVED as a child! We dropped right in without calling and he welcomed us like he'd seen us last week instead of 15 years ago. (Well he's definitely seen my dad more recently but not my sister and I.) This is in the middle of nowhere. Isn't the country amazing? He's 78 now but EXACTLY the same. STILL AWESOME! So glad we got to see him!
12) My phone constantly makes me favorite tweets I have no intention of favoriting. This makes me want to throw it out of a window. This phone has been annoying me more and more lately. Do better, LG!!
2) Did y'all stop praying about my job? I haven't gotten one yet so KEEP PRAYING!!
3) I did cross training this week... REAL CROSS TRAINING for the first time since I started running. Why am I so crazy???? Clearly I should've been doing this all along (like I knew) and why would I start AT THE END of half marathon training? Like I said, crazy. I did zumba, cardio kickboxing (both in one day) and this AWESOME weightless workout. I only made it through twice on the weightless workout instead of four so I'll keep working up until I get there!
4) Sponsored posts make me itch. They're so over the top with their effusive, glowing reviews. Throwing in one semi-bad thing fools no one.
5) Remember my weird late night cooking desires? Saturday morning at 2:30, I decided I wanted to make peach cobbler... so I did! It was good and easy. With more time, I'd go ahead and make pie crust but this one will do in a time crunch or with a ton of fruit lying around begging to be used.
6) Four years ago today, Rashan and I met in person for the first time! Awwww! It was the most awkward day of our relationship. LOLOL Sooooo awkward! And two days later, he asked me to be his girlfriend. :) If you had told me he would be my husband, I would've been SHOCKED!
7) I used to call all pregnant women "Pregneesha." LOLOL I need to bring that back! Somebody should hurry up and get knocked up! Not it!
8) We called to talk to Rah's sister for her birthday on Friday and our six-year-old nephew quickly stole the phone to tell us something VERY IMPORTANT. I don't remember what it was. He just loves to talk to us. :) We talked to him more than SIL.
9) I have to do a family reunion recap post. I learned some amazing things about my family history and got to know some of my extremely old first cousins! My oldest first cousins are/will be 51, 52 & 53 this year. Since they're only a few years younger than my mom and have kids at or near my age, I know next to nothing about them. So I got all up in their business. And the business of my 45-year-old cousin and his 25-year-old girlfriend/wife/fiancée. Clearly I wasn't enough in the business because I'm not sure of their relationship.
10) My dad... women flock to him like crazy. How do you meet someone at your family reunion? She's not related! Don't worry! LOL One of my aunt's friends. My dad also likes to gossip. He was half listening to my conversation at the dinner table for the banquet and heard the word abomination. When I tell you his head whipped around so FAST!!! H-i-larry-us! Stop being nosy!
11) OMG! We have a family friend down there named David who I absolutely LOVED as a child! We dropped right in without calling and he welcomed us like he'd seen us last week instead of 15 years ago. (Well he's definitely seen my dad more recently but not my sister and I.) This is in the middle of nowhere. Isn't the country amazing? He's 78 now but EXACTLY the same. STILL AWESOME! So glad we got to see him!
12) My phone constantly makes me favorite tweets I have no intention of favoriting. This makes me want to throw it out of a window. This phone has been annoying me more and more lately. Do better, LG!!
7.06.2012
Wed & Anniversed
Anniversed is a word, right? It is now! Last weekend, Rashan and I headed to Savannah. I'd cooked the french onion soup his mom requested, baked the ginger snaps she'd politely and lovingly harangued me for (LOL) and even though Rashan's sister (N) said I didn't have to, I made something for her as well... a vegan chocolate cake with tofu mousse and coconut milk whipped cream. Let me hang on that point for a minute before I move on. It's been a long time since I was around unadventurous eaters. Rashan, my mom and my sister and even most of his family are so happy to have someone cook for them that they'll eat whatever I place before them. My dad will wonder why I'm going through so much trouble, then enjoy it as well. I don't know why but it bothers him when I compliment my own cooking. I'm not supposed to enjoy it? Or just not to mention that I enjoy it? Hmph. Either way I'm ignoring that particular bit of advice.
I'm getting behind and ahead of myself so let's go back to the beginning. We had pre-determined our first stop in Savannah would be Seafoodlicious. It's a fish market turned takeout window. We adore this place! Awesome portions and delicious fried food- oysters for me, shrimp for Rashan. I even send people there when they say they're heading to Savannah. Except this time, the fries weren't great and the portions had shrunk. It's no longer a great deal for $9.25. I'd return for fresh seafood but there are plenty of other places to go for cooked or raw oysters where I can sit and relax.
OMG!! Y'ALL!! The heat index was every bit of 115 with 100% humidity. I have NE.VER felt anything like that in my life. EVER! I couldn't stop exclaiming over it! Shouldn't there be something resembling an ocean breeze??? Please???? Completely and utterly shocking. AND MISERABLE!! Rashan had told me about it many many times but I'd never experienced it on any of our summer trips there. I thought he was exaggerating. THIS IS MY SORRY FOR 2004 (through 2012 and infinity)!! Please don't let me ever feel that again!!! (Unless it's for a job I love...)
When we got to his mom's house, I gave a round of hugs to everyone and felt more at home there than I ever have before. Even though Rashan's mom opened her kitchen to me the first time I came years ago, I still felt a bit awkward. I know they would hate to hear that but there are so many personalities that I was always trying to figure everyone out. Even this past Thanksgiving, it was my first time there as Rashan's wife. I was still kind of feeling out my role. Now? Totally in my skin. Our oldest niece is 14 and loves me! It's awesome! She even asked to come back to North Carolina with us. I wish we could've brought her back! There's far too little space here. Our only bathroom is through our bedroom. That will never do. It's terrible for hosting company. Side note: They all refer to where we live as "North Carolina." I don't know why it amuses me. Maybe because they never mention the city by name? Because it sounds so formal? Because they disassociate it as our home? Not sure but it's funny! Also, they all want us nearby, which I love!
Around 4, the house started filling up with people for N's wedding dinner-- a pasta bar with lots of dessert. I met her new husband and his children. There are minimal introductions even though there are less than 30 people there and we all separate according to the family groups we already had before the wedding. At the end of the day, I still had no idea who most of the people from his side were. Siiiiiiigh. Let's return to this cake I baked, shall we? My plan was to tell no one it was vegan and let them just enjoy it. Someone must have spilled the beans because NONE of his family even tried it. I was so annoyed. But N, oldest niece, my BIL and oldest nephew all said it was good. And I liked it, too. Yay!
Speaking of oldest nephew... he's 16, quiet and lanky. We've never exchanged more than a few words every time we saw each other, his mostly mumbled. I vowed to change that this time! Rashan & I sat at the teen table. I cracked jokes with all of them and broke the wall. Yay! I also rode his bike. Did I mention he's about 6'1 and I haven't ridden a bike in over 10 years??? I was praying I wouldn't kill myself! As you can see I didn't. God answers prayers!
After the dinner, N & S (new BIL) wanted all the siblings to go out to eat together. The first thing suggested was Applebee's. Y'all. Y'all know KNOW how I hate that place. Of ALL the chains, it is my least favorite. AND we're in SAVANNAH!!!! Can we please go somewhere that can't be found in every U.S. city and town???? But guess what I did? Said I'd go wherever they wanted. Someone else said no to that spot. THANK YOU, JESUS! More answered prayers! And we landed on a Mexican restaurant. EVEN BETTER!
S's sister didn't come for some reason. Rashan's brother was moping and didn't come so they N & S's teenage daughters come (14 & 15). S's brother was there with his 21+ year-old sons. They sat at the bar. Such a strange, strange dynamic. I consumed a GIANT margarita. HUGE EYES! That thing! We got to our hotel and I fell straight asleep. I woke up at 7:30 a.m. and asked him if he drugged me. (He didn't.) Then I got us free breakfast from the hotel (right around the corner but blessedly quiet) of ham, eggs, fresh waffle (made on the iron by me), milk, water and potatoes. It hit the spot! I went right back to sleep for a few more hours and woke up like a new person.
IT WAS OUR ANNIVERSARY!!! YAY!!!! One year of marriage! This was our only day for just the two of us since he had to be back at work on Monday. We headed to Hilton Head and found a restaurant near the beach. It happened to still be serving brunch! I LOVE BRUNCH!! I got the crab cakes benedict. I LOVE EGGS BENEDICT!!!!!! The crab cakes were good, though small. The hollandaise was flavorless. The side of grits that the waitress sold me on were also flavorless. Um... does your chef have a thing against salt? Seasonings of any kind??? No bueno. BUT all brunch items came with champagne or mimosa. Mimosa, please!
Then we headed to the beach. Yay! I love the beach!! I mixed patterns in my top and bottom bikini to Rashan's chagrin. I loved it! We marveled at how close to the water we could put our things. The beach was nearly empty! Amazing! We waded in and within minutes, our things were being covered by the ocean! Ack! Tide, y u no tell us you were coming in? Y u no look different coming in and going out? We hustled to move our things to the very back of the beach and that ocean kept coming! Twas nuts! But it was so calm and I could walk out incredibly far and it was only hip high. It reminded me of the beach at the Gulf of Mexico. Pretty amazing. Oh! This water was also extremely warm and in some places down right hot! Is this the sauna section of the beach?? Très bizarre.
After the beach, we hit the road. Would you believe I wanted Del Taco really really badly? Best fast food tacos ever! Would you also believe we passed the exit because it wasn't marked??? Would you also believe I threw a minor hissy fit over this missed fast food? We ONLY get it en route to Savannah because we have no other reason to use this highway into SC and it's nowhere else in the southeast. We found it on a fluke the first time and couldn't find it on purpose this time. Not cool, people. No matter, the first year of marriage has concluded, the second year is underway and it's been a WONDERFUL WEEK!! Wednesday I made burgers, then we walked down to the baseball park to watch the 4th fireworks. We leaned into each other as we watched them and held hands on our walk back home. Then we enjoyed strawberry/peach sangria courtesy of moi. Love!
I'm getting behind and ahead of myself so let's go back to the beginning. We had pre-determined our first stop in Savannah would be Seafoodlicious. It's a fish market turned takeout window. We adore this place! Awesome portions and delicious fried food- oysters for me, shrimp for Rashan. I even send people there when they say they're heading to Savannah. Except this time, the fries weren't great and the portions had shrunk. It's no longer a great deal for $9.25. I'd return for fresh seafood but there are plenty of other places to go for cooked or raw oysters where I can sit and relax.
OMG!! Y'ALL!! The heat index was every bit of 115 with 100% humidity. I have NE.VER felt anything like that in my life. EVER! I couldn't stop exclaiming over it! Shouldn't there be something resembling an ocean breeze??? Please???? Completely and utterly shocking. AND MISERABLE!! Rashan had told me about it many many times but I'd never experienced it on any of our summer trips there. I thought he was exaggerating. THIS IS MY SORRY FOR 2004 (through 2012 and infinity)!! Please don't let me ever feel that again!!! (Unless it's for a job I love...)
When we got to his mom's house, I gave a round of hugs to everyone and felt more at home there than I ever have before. Even though Rashan's mom opened her kitchen to me the first time I came years ago, I still felt a bit awkward. I know they would hate to hear that but there are so many personalities that I was always trying to figure everyone out. Even this past Thanksgiving, it was my first time there as Rashan's wife. I was still kind of feeling out my role. Now? Totally in my skin. Our oldest niece is 14 and loves me! It's awesome! She even asked to come back to North Carolina with us. I wish we could've brought her back! There's far too little space here. Our only bathroom is through our bedroom. That will never do. It's terrible for hosting company. Side note: They all refer to where we live as "North Carolina." I don't know why it amuses me. Maybe because they never mention the city by name? Because it sounds so formal? Because they disassociate it as our home? Not sure but it's funny! Also, they all want us nearby, which I love!
Around 4, the house started filling up with people for N's wedding dinner-- a pasta bar with lots of dessert. I met her new husband and his children. There are minimal introductions even though there are less than 30 people there and we all separate according to the family groups we already had before the wedding. At the end of the day, I still had no idea who most of the people from his side were. Siiiiiiigh. Let's return to this cake I baked, shall we? My plan was to tell no one it was vegan and let them just enjoy it. Someone must have spilled the beans because NONE of his family even tried it. I was so annoyed. But N, oldest niece, my BIL and oldest nephew all said it was good. And I liked it, too. Yay!
Speaking of oldest nephew... he's 16, quiet and lanky. We've never exchanged more than a few words every time we saw each other, his mostly mumbled. I vowed to change that this time! Rashan & I sat at the teen table. I cracked jokes with all of them and broke the wall. Yay! I also rode his bike. Did I mention he's about 6'1 and I haven't ridden a bike in over 10 years??? I was praying I wouldn't kill myself! As you can see I didn't. God answers prayers!
After the dinner, N & S (new BIL) wanted all the siblings to go out to eat together. The first thing suggested was Applebee's. Y'all. Y'all know KNOW how I hate that place. Of ALL the chains, it is my least favorite. AND we're in SAVANNAH!!!! Can we please go somewhere that can't be found in every U.S. city and town???? But guess what I did? Said I'd go wherever they wanted. Someone else said no to that spot. THANK YOU, JESUS! More answered prayers! And we landed on a Mexican restaurant. EVEN BETTER!
S's sister didn't come for some reason. Rashan's brother was moping and didn't come so they N & S's teenage daughters come (14 & 15). S's brother was there with his 21+ year-old sons. They sat at the bar. Such a strange, strange dynamic. I consumed a GIANT margarita. HUGE EYES! That thing! We got to our hotel and I fell straight asleep. I woke up at 7:30 a.m. and asked him if he drugged me. (He didn't.) Then I got us free breakfast from the hotel (right around the corner but blessedly quiet) of ham, eggs, fresh waffle (made on the iron by me), milk, water and potatoes. It hit the spot! I went right back to sleep for a few more hours and woke up like a new person.
IT WAS OUR ANNIVERSARY!!! YAY!!!! One year of marriage! This was our only day for just the two of us since he had to be back at work on Monday. We headed to Hilton Head and found a restaurant near the beach. It happened to still be serving brunch! I LOVE BRUNCH!! I got the crab cakes benedict. I LOVE EGGS BENEDICT!!!!!! The crab cakes were good, though small. The hollandaise was flavorless. The side of grits that the waitress sold me on were also flavorless. Um... does your chef have a thing against salt? Seasonings of any kind??? No bueno. BUT all brunch items came with champagne or mimosa. Mimosa, please!
Then we headed to the beach. Yay! I love the beach!! I mixed patterns in my top and bottom bikini to Rashan's chagrin. I loved it! We marveled at how close to the water we could put our things. The beach was nearly empty! Amazing! We waded in and within minutes, our things were being covered by the ocean! Ack! Tide, y u no tell us you were coming in? Y u no look different coming in and going out? We hustled to move our things to the very back of the beach and that ocean kept coming! Twas nuts! But it was so calm and I could walk out incredibly far and it was only hip high. It reminded me of the beach at the Gulf of Mexico. Pretty amazing. Oh! This water was also extremely warm and in some places down right hot! Is this the sauna section of the beach?? Très bizarre.
After the beach, we hit the road. Would you believe I wanted Del Taco really really badly? Best fast food tacos ever! Would you also believe we passed the exit because it wasn't marked??? Would you also believe I threw a minor hissy fit over this missed fast food? We ONLY get it en route to Savannah because we have no other reason to use this highway into SC and it's nowhere else in the southeast. We found it on a fluke the first time and couldn't find it on purpose this time. Not cool, people. No matter, the first year of marriage has concluded, the second year is underway and it's been a WONDERFUL WEEK!! Wednesday I made burgers, then we walked down to the baseball park to watch the 4th fireworks. We leaned into each other as we watched them and held hands on our walk back home. Then we enjoyed strawberry/peach sangria courtesy of moi. Love!
7.03.2012
Lessons from the First Year
On Sunday, Rashan and I celebrated one year of marriage. So exciting! I loved being able to say I was married less than a year! But now I love that we get to build even more upon that wonderful first year. Are we officially no longer newlyweds??? Anyway, here are the things I've learned in the first year.
1) You don't have to say everything that comes to your mind. LORD HAVE MERCY!!! I have always had a problem with my mouth so this was a struggle for me. I'm not quite so bad as if it's on my mind, it's out of my mouth but I don't hold things in. I see no reason for that. I should say I saw no reason for that. When it matters, I'll speak up but...
2) Some things aren't worth the argument. This goes right along with number one. There are 7 million things that I like just so and 3 that Rashan likes just so. At the beginning, I had to tell him my every pet peeve. Oh my GOODNESS I know I worried the mess out of him. Sometimes he would just sigh, others he would look at me like I'd grown an extra head, still other (fewer) times he would respond.
3) I LOOOOOOVE RASHAN! I already love him more than I did before we got married. ALREADY. And I could've told you that at three months. Marriage is a serious commitment. We're in it 100% and it shows! When we were dating and even living together, I always knew either of us could leave whenever but this is REAL. There's no up and leaving. There's no ignoring the seriousness of this commitment. And being on one accord about that is enormous.
4) I can relax. I am so much more chill when he's around. He has an incredibly calming presence. If I'm having a bad day, he doesn't even have to say anything. A hug is enough to release all of the tension I was holding in my shoulders.
5) Our parents are the anti in-law nightmare. When people talk about their horrible in laws... every single time... I thank God that neither of us has to deal with that. They don't stalk us about having children, they don't say mean things to us about the other. They are rooting for our marriage and wouldn't do anything to tear us apart. Marriage is hard when those you love don't support it. I'm so, SO glad we don't have to worry about that.
6) Keep it in the family. My first friend to marry did so almost 5 years ago. She said an older lady gave her advice to keep married issues between married people. I had kind of realized this a little in the year or so prior to our marriage through hearing some SPECTACULARLY bad advice (that I didn't follow), even from others in relationships, but I really stuck to it once we got married. Any petty argument or one of us getting on the other's nerves? We'll be over that in no time. But if I tell anybody else about it, they'll remember it forever and bring it up again. I don't even tell my mom and I tell her a lot. The most I'll say is "he's getting on my nerves." That's plenty.
7) We can live on surprisingly little. It has been interesting to be a single income household to say the least but we've made it work. We hope never to be here again without a much larger nest egg but we have done it. It wasn't always easy but it wasn't as difficult as I might have imagined.
8) Nothing happens if you go to sleep mad. Sometimes you wake up over it and other times you wake up knowing you'll get over it but ready to talk about it like a sane person. Just go to bed. LOL
9) We can still learn new things about each other. This is one of my favorite things! Considering at one point we were both prolific bloggers, including two streaks of blogging every day for months, had years of daily marathon phone sessions of 6-12 hours and yet we still manage to find stories the other doesn't know about. I love that this will happen for years and years.
10) My mother LOVES this man, y'all! It's a bit crazy! I need you to chill out. This is another reason why I don't tell her about our spats. She'll take his side!
11) Some days we still have odd communication gaps. We don't miss anything huge because we're very careful to ask about the big things. But sometimes we make an assumption about something because we know each other pretty well. That assumption just happens to be wrong. Like where he didn't tape a show I wanted to see because he knows I don't like a full DVR. Um... I'd rather have the show. I can watch it and clear the DVR.
12) My day is better with him in it. It was already true but it's even more true now. When I'm having a terrible day, a little Rashan takes it all away.
*And Rashan wants you to know you go through cereal so much faster when there are two people eating it!
1) You don't have to say everything that comes to your mind. LORD HAVE MERCY!!! I have always had a problem with my mouth so this was a struggle for me. I'm not quite so bad as if it's on my mind, it's out of my mouth but I don't hold things in. I see no reason for that. I should say I saw no reason for that. When it matters, I'll speak up but...
2) Some things aren't worth the argument. This goes right along with number one. There are 7 million things that I like just so and 3 that Rashan likes just so. At the beginning, I had to tell him my every pet peeve. Oh my GOODNESS I know I worried the mess out of him. Sometimes he would just sigh, others he would look at me like I'd grown an extra head, still other (fewer) times he would respond.
3) I LOOOOOOVE RASHAN! I already love him more than I did before we got married. ALREADY. And I could've told you that at three months. Marriage is a serious commitment. We're in it 100% and it shows! When we were dating and even living together, I always knew either of us could leave whenever but this is REAL. There's no up and leaving. There's no ignoring the seriousness of this commitment. And being on one accord about that is enormous.
4) I can relax. I am so much more chill when he's around. He has an incredibly calming presence. If I'm having a bad day, he doesn't even have to say anything. A hug is enough to release all of the tension I was holding in my shoulders.
5) Our parents are the anti in-law nightmare. When people talk about their horrible in laws... every single time... I thank God that neither of us has to deal with that. They don't stalk us about having children, they don't say mean things to us about the other. They are rooting for our marriage and wouldn't do anything to tear us apart. Marriage is hard when those you love don't support it. I'm so, SO glad we don't have to worry about that.
6) Keep it in the family. My first friend to marry did so almost 5 years ago. She said an older lady gave her advice to keep married issues between married people. I had kind of realized this a little in the year or so prior to our marriage through hearing some SPECTACULARLY bad advice (that I didn't follow), even from others in relationships, but I really stuck to it once we got married. Any petty argument or one of us getting on the other's nerves? We'll be over that in no time. But if I tell anybody else about it, they'll remember it forever and bring it up again. I don't even tell my mom and I tell her a lot. The most I'll say is "he's getting on my nerves." That's plenty.
7) We can live on surprisingly little. It has been interesting to be a single income household to say the least but we've made it work. We hope never to be here again without a much larger nest egg but we have done it. It wasn't always easy but it wasn't as difficult as I might have imagined.
8) Nothing happens if you go to sleep mad. Sometimes you wake up over it and other times you wake up knowing you'll get over it but ready to talk about it like a sane person. Just go to bed. LOL
9) We can still learn new things about each other. This is one of my favorite things! Considering at one point we were both prolific bloggers, including two streaks of blogging every day for months, had years of daily marathon phone sessions of 6-12 hours and yet we still manage to find stories the other doesn't know about. I love that this will happen for years and years.
10) My mother LOVES this man, y'all! It's a bit crazy! I need you to chill out. This is another reason why I don't tell her about our spats. She'll take his side!
11) Some days we still have odd communication gaps. We don't miss anything huge because we're very careful to ask about the big things. But sometimes we make an assumption about something because we know each other pretty well. That assumption just happens to be wrong. Like where he didn't tape a show I wanted to see because he knows I don't like a full DVR. Um... I'd rather have the show. I can watch it and clear the DVR.
12) My day is better with him in it. It was already true but it's even more true now. When I'm having a terrible day, a little Rashan takes it all away.
*And Rashan wants you to know you go through cereal so much faster when there are two people eating it!
6.25.2012
Monday Mindspacing Vol. 142
1) The most frustrating blog posts are the ones with pictures of unidentifiable things. Please caption your picture posts! Especially when it's food! It makes me so CRAZY to look at beautiful, unidentifiable food. Is that salmon? How was it prepared? Could I replicate it? WE'LL NEVER KNOW!!
2) Sometimes I'm slightly dramatic.
3) My half-marathon training got all the way off in the last few weeks with unplanned runs and having to skip an 8-mile run when I scraped off part of the bottom of my foot on a spare STAPLE in our hardware floors. !?! That was so not awesome. I've still run more than most plans have you run but I do not like this untethered feeling. Plus I've (mostly) avoided thinking about race registration until I know where I'll be in the fall.
4) Along that vein, half plans often have your longest run pre-race as 10 miles and say the excitement of the day will carry you the other 3.1. To this I say, ARE YOU CRAZY??? I already thought that the first time I heard it and planned to put longer mileage in my race prep. I'm already SO GLAD I did and the half I want to run is still 6 weeks away. It was more than a notion to make it on my 12 and 13-mile runs. It was the longest distance I'd ever run both times & I felt 90xs more prepared by just doing it once. (That doesn't mean I enjoyed the distance.)
5) Guys! I changed my name! I felt so official when I got my new social security card!
6) Do you know the last time I posted about food? MARCH! I was thinking about putting everything I blog about on one page. What say you?
7) Savannah, here we come!! I'm sooo excited!
8) I have CRAZY tan lines from running in the sun. I need a bandeau top bikini so my beach days can even them out!
9) I'm doing a water aerobics class for the first time on Wednesday! I can't wait to hang with the old ladies! :)
10) I'm making a mousse using tofu for the first time this week. Tips?
11) Based on my MIL's requests for my SIL's wedding dinner, I think I'm required to make french onion soup and three-way ginger snaps every time I see them. This is my punishment for making complicated or labor-intensive things that people don't want to replicate but love to eat. LOL I'll take it though. I love when people love my food!
2) Sometimes I'm slightly dramatic.
3) My half-marathon training got all the way off in the last few weeks with unplanned runs and having to skip an 8-mile run when I scraped off part of the bottom of my foot on a spare STAPLE in our hardware floors. !?! That was so not awesome. I've still run more than most plans have you run but I do not like this untethered feeling. Plus I've (mostly) avoided thinking about race registration until I know where I'll be in the fall.
4) Along that vein, half plans often have your longest run pre-race as 10 miles and say the excitement of the day will carry you the other 3.1. To this I say, ARE YOU CRAZY??? I already thought that the first time I heard it and planned to put longer mileage in my race prep. I'm already SO GLAD I did and the half I want to run is still 6 weeks away. It was more than a notion to make it on my 12 and 13-mile runs. It was the longest distance I'd ever run both times & I felt 90xs more prepared by just doing it once. (That doesn't mean I enjoyed the distance.)
5) Guys! I changed my name! I felt so official when I got my new social security card!
6) Do you know the last time I posted about food? MARCH! I was thinking about putting everything I blog about on one page. What say you?
7) Savannah, here we come!! I'm sooo excited!
8) I have CRAZY tan lines from running in the sun. I need a bandeau top bikini so my beach days can even them out!
9) I'm doing a water aerobics class for the first time on Wednesday! I can't wait to hang with the old ladies! :)
10) I'm making a mousse using tofu for the first time this week. Tips?
11) Based on my MIL's requests for my SIL's wedding dinner, I think I'm required to make french onion soup and three-way ginger snaps every time I see them. This is my punishment for making complicated or labor-intensive things that people don't want to replicate but love to eat. LOL I'll take it though. I love when people love my food!
6.20.2012
Hey Fatty
My running group is growing like crazy now. It's cool but of course there are growing pains. The biggest annoyance HANDS DOWN is my exposure to people who are unnecessarily hard on their bodies.
I understand everyone has their own journey not only toward fitness but to acceptance of their bodies but hearing "I'm so fat... I hate my fat legs..." and things of that nature is HORRIBLE!! It's really terrible when you're skinner than most people will ever be and you're pinching a millimeter of "fat" aka skin around your middle. If you feel bad about that smidgen of skin, how do you think the bigger people all around you feel? I'm fine. But you're making some of them feel pretty terrible.
Maybe I'll start instituting a mandatory body self-compliment every time I hear someone say something negative about their bodies. If you're going to say something horrible and tear yourself down, you're also going to say something positive. Everyone doesn't have the privilege or ability or opportunity to go out and do what you're doing. YOU'RE HERE. That's the first step in the right direction.
I understand everyone has their own journey not only toward fitness but to acceptance of their bodies but hearing "I'm so fat... I hate my fat legs..." and things of that nature is HORRIBLE!! It's really terrible when you're skinner than most people will ever be and you're pinching a millimeter of "fat" aka skin around your middle. If you feel bad about that smidgen of skin, how do you think the bigger people all around you feel? I'm fine. But you're making some of them feel pretty terrible.
Maybe I'll start instituting a mandatory body self-compliment every time I hear someone say something negative about their bodies. If you're going to say something horrible and tear yourself down, you're also going to say something positive. Everyone doesn't have the privilege or ability or opportunity to go out and do what you're doing. YOU'RE HERE. That's the first step in the right direction.
6.18.2012
Restless
You know that phrase 'like a chicken with its head cut off'? That's me right now. I'm so RESTLESS!! I feel like Rashan and I are on the verge of a huge change (new job(s)/move) in our lives and the suspense is making me nutty!
PLEASE HELP!
Give me some free things to do! Even something crazy!
(But don't suggest like my sister did that I cut off all of my hair. WHAT KIND OF SUGGESTION IS THAT!? You clearly haven't been listening to anything I say. I've told everyone: when I cut off my hair 9 years ago, I wanted it to be the last time I ever did that. If I ever cut off all of my hair again, it will be immediately permed. My theory on why she told me that? 1) She's never cut off all of her hair. 2) She has never EVER had anything but the thickest hair. It grows long quite easily and is thick and lustrous. Me? Thin hair. Breaks easily. And really, a general nuisance. Growing my locs has given me both the longest hair I've ever had and for the first time, the appearance of thick hair! How exciting! Big chop? Ma'am. Good-bye.)
PLEASE HELP!
Give me some free things to do! Even something crazy!
(But don't suggest like my sister did that I cut off all of my hair. WHAT KIND OF SUGGESTION IS THAT!? You clearly haven't been listening to anything I say. I've told everyone: when I cut off my hair 9 years ago, I wanted it to be the last time I ever did that. If I ever cut off all of my hair again, it will be immediately permed. My theory on why she told me that? 1) She's never cut off all of her hair. 2) She has never EVER had anything but the thickest hair. It grows long quite easily and is thick and lustrous. Me? Thin hair. Breaks easily. And really, a general nuisance. Growing my locs has given me both the longest hair I've ever had and for the first time, the appearance of thick hair! How exciting! Big chop? Ma'am. Good-bye.)
6.11.2012
Monday Mindspacing Vol. 141
1) Those goals I posted for the month? I'm so ready to smash them! I'm on fire right now and I'm not sure why. BUT I LIKE IT!! Leggo!
2) I got the details on sister-in-law's wedding dinner! She's doing a pasta bar with a couple of desserts. I'm making a vegan dessert. She loves chocolate so I'm thinking a vegan chocolate cake with homemade orange curd. I also need to make and freeze ginger snaps for my MIL but I'm kind of afraid we'll eat them all before they make it down there! LOL
3) If you ask me something on facebook and I answer, then we don't have to talk about it in person. In other fb news, my dad is now on there. SMH
4) I'm working on a list of things I've learned in the first year of marriage & awww! It's making me mushy just thinking about it!
5) Rashan and I watch Jimmy Fallon religiously. The games and songs on that show are HILARIOUS! Maya Rudolph's "Let Us Play with Your Look" is a family fave! I'm less pleased that a recent performance on the show has Rashan singing "Call Me Maybe" over and over and over!! WHYYYYY?
6) I have too many magazines in my house taking up valuable shelf space. Although part of me doesn't want to part (heh) with the food magazines especially, the other part wants them gone. Even my heavily bookmarked magazines are too difficult to sort through compared to the ease of googling recipes. I almost never read the magazines again. Someone tell me to get rid of them. Anyone local having a vision board party? Maybe I can donate them to a local school. Whatever. I'm just going to recycle them. That was easy. Thanks guys!
7) I always remember I want to volunteer to read at an elementary school at the end of the school year. Why??? Someone help me remember in a more timely manner next year, please!
8) My fitness clothing issue is becoming a real problem. I need so much of it! Yoga pants used to be my old staple so I have more than enough of those but now I need compression pants and capri tights.
9) I did a true chest & arms workout on Friday for the first time in months and I'm still sore. Clearly this is one of my areas of improvement. I struggle with balance when lacking a gym membership. I get cardio gung ho or strength training out of control but I haven't done the two simultaneously since Pittsburgh. And even then I didn't really know what I was doing.
10) I removed word verification from the comments because it was doing almost nothing to stop spam. I still could get 5-10(!!!) spam comments PER DAY. Seriously? And the word verification is harder and harder to read? Nope. Removing anonymous commenting also led to a huge drop in spam.
11) If you pray, pray for Mrs. TDJ. I'm so flabbergasted by her loss and pondering more than ever the futility of words. What can you possibly say? Almost everything sounds hollow.
2) I got the details on sister-in-law's wedding dinner! She's doing a pasta bar with a couple of desserts. I'm making a vegan dessert. She loves chocolate so I'm thinking a vegan chocolate cake with homemade orange curd. I also need to make and freeze ginger snaps for my MIL but I'm kind of afraid we'll eat them all before they make it down there! LOL
3) If you ask me something on facebook and I answer, then we don't have to talk about it in person. In other fb news, my dad is now on there. SMH
4) I'm working on a list of things I've learned in the first year of marriage & awww! It's making me mushy just thinking about it!
5) Rashan and I watch Jimmy Fallon religiously. The games and songs on that show are HILARIOUS! Maya Rudolph's "Let Us Play with Your Look" is a family fave! I'm less pleased that a recent performance on the show has Rashan singing "Call Me Maybe" over and over and over!! WHYYYYY?
6) I have too many magazines in my house taking up valuable shelf space. Although part of me doesn't want to part (heh) with the food magazines especially, the other part wants them gone. Even my heavily bookmarked magazines are too difficult to sort through compared to the ease of googling recipes. I almost never read the magazines again. Someone tell me to get rid of them. Anyone local having a vision board party? Maybe I can donate them to a local school. Whatever. I'm just going to recycle them. That was easy. Thanks guys!
7) I always remember I want to volunteer to read at an elementary school at the end of the school year. Why??? Someone help me remember in a more timely manner next year, please!
8) My fitness clothing issue is becoming a real problem. I need so much of it! Yoga pants used to be my old staple so I have more than enough of those but now I need compression pants and capri tights.
9) I did a true chest & arms workout on Friday for the first time in months and I'm still sore. Clearly this is one of my areas of improvement. I struggle with balance when lacking a gym membership. I get cardio gung ho or strength training out of control but I haven't done the two simultaneously since Pittsburgh. And even then I didn't really know what I was doing.
10) I removed word verification from the comments because it was doing almost nothing to stop spam. I still could get 5-10(!!!) spam comments PER DAY. Seriously? And the word verification is harder and harder to read? Nope. Removing anonymous commenting also led to a huge drop in spam.
11) If you pray, pray for Mrs. TDJ. I'm so flabbergasted by her loss and pondering more than ever the futility of words. What can you possibly say? Almost everything sounds hollow.
6.08.2012
Running Update!
Guess what? I STILL LOVE RUNNING! Yay!
My running group is finally hitting its stride! I felt AMAZING Sunday helping the people in the group doing Couch to 5K! It's so fun seeing them hit new milestones that they never could have imagined! It doesn't hurt that I remember doing the very same thing less than a year ago. Memories!
The weather on Tuesday??? AMAZING! When I saw the forecast, I said uh.... I know I was going to run 11 miles but I just want to enjoy the weather so 12 it is! The weather was every bit of amazing! I still need to work on pacing myself in early miles so I'll have more left to give in later miles. Those last few miles were a STRUGGLE!! Oddly, mile 9 was one of my fastest! Part of that is because there's a huge downhill section but no matter! LOL Every few mile markers and therefore every few weeks (I step up my long runs a mile per week for three weeks, then step back for a week), I have had a difficult run where at the end I ask myself, "Why do I do this???" Since I thought that after the first time I ran 8 miles a few weeks ago, I was okay with feeling that after 12. Can you believe 8 miles isn't that terrible to me anymore?????
It amuses me when people say an easy (insert your mileage here) and it's something outrageous. The more unfamiliar you are with running or running at that distance, the funnier it is. It used to be funny to me when people say they're going to run an easy 3 [miles]. A month ago it amused me to hear experienced marathoners say an easy 5-7 miles. Now I can somewhat comprehend an easy 5-7. Sometimes people mean an easy pace which is cool but having run 7 or more miles 8 or 10 times, it still doesn't quite fall into the easy category but it's certainly in the realm of possibility! And 6 definitely no longer stresses me out. So awesome!
I did my first speed work on the track last week. I did 400 meters 5 times. I really need to work on my consistency. I felt kind of weird about it then I saw that my rest interval between runs wasn't long enough so I wasn't properly recovered. Makes sense. This week, I felt so great about it that I wanted to keep going! My former running partner was with me and complaining the entire time before she quit after 2/6 intervals. Yeah... that's definitely not going to work. I've gotten very used to pushing myself in my solo runs and I don't want to have to push anyone else. I like pushing people in the C25K runs but I have my own runs so I don't have to push anyone else. I'm so excited about the prospect of getting faster! I also like that someone else has started up a Saturday morning long run (medium long for me now at 6 miles! eeee!) and I can just go and get pushed instead of having to do the pushing!
My least favorite running question: Did you run the whole thing? If I say no, does that mean my run doesn't count?? I have to return my 9-mile run to the run police if I walked for a total of 2 minutes? And it's mostly non-runners who ask this. Everyone has to develop their own philosophy on racing and running, but try to race or run and actually DEVELOP a theory first. Joyless elitist runners also ask this question to show you their superiority. Both of you have a seat. One of the things I preach (Oh yes! I've become a running preacher!) is you have to run your own race. There will always be someone faster than you somewhere out there. That doesn't matter. DO YOU! Beat yourself! Have I told you lately that I love running? :)
Have you started running? Continued running? Do you want to start? Let's go!
My running group is finally hitting its stride! I felt AMAZING Sunday helping the people in the group doing Couch to 5K! It's so fun seeing them hit new milestones that they never could have imagined! It doesn't hurt that I remember doing the very same thing less than a year ago. Memories!
The weather on Tuesday??? AMAZING! When I saw the forecast, I said uh.... I know I was going to run 11 miles but I just want to enjoy the weather so 12 it is! The weather was every bit of amazing! I still need to work on pacing myself in early miles so I'll have more left to give in later miles. Those last few miles were a STRUGGLE!! Oddly, mile 9 was one of my fastest! Part of that is because there's a huge downhill section but no matter! LOL Every few mile markers and therefore every few weeks (I step up my long runs a mile per week for three weeks, then step back for a week), I have had a difficult run where at the end I ask myself, "Why do I do this???" Since I thought that after the first time I ran 8 miles a few weeks ago, I was okay with feeling that after 12. Can you believe 8 miles isn't that terrible to me anymore?????
It amuses me when people say an easy (insert your mileage here) and it's something outrageous. The more unfamiliar you are with running or running at that distance, the funnier it is. It used to be funny to me when people say they're going to run an easy 3 [miles]. A month ago it amused me to hear experienced marathoners say an easy 5-7 miles. Now I can somewhat comprehend an easy 5-7. Sometimes people mean an easy pace which is cool but having run 7 or more miles 8 or 10 times, it still doesn't quite fall into the easy category but it's certainly in the realm of possibility! And 6 definitely no longer stresses me out. So awesome!
I did my first speed work on the track last week. I did 400 meters 5 times. I really need to work on my consistency. I felt kind of weird about it then I saw that my rest interval between runs wasn't long enough so I wasn't properly recovered. Makes sense. This week, I felt so great about it that I wanted to keep going! My former running partner was with me and complaining the entire time before she quit after 2/6 intervals. Yeah... that's definitely not going to work. I've gotten very used to pushing myself in my solo runs and I don't want to have to push anyone else. I like pushing people in the C25K runs but I have my own runs so I don't have to push anyone else. I'm so excited about the prospect of getting faster! I also like that someone else has started up a Saturday morning long run (medium long for me now at 6 miles! eeee!) and I can just go and get pushed instead of having to do the pushing!
My least favorite running question: Did you run the whole thing? If I say no, does that mean my run doesn't count?? I have to return my 9-mile run to the run police if I walked for a total of 2 minutes? And it's mostly non-runners who ask this. Everyone has to develop their own philosophy on racing and running, but try to race or run and actually DEVELOP a theory first. Joyless elitist runners also ask this question to show you their superiority. Both of you have a seat. One of the things I preach (Oh yes! I've become a running preacher!) is you have to run your own race. There will always be someone faster than you somewhere out there. That doesn't matter. DO YOU! Beat yourself! Have I told you lately that I love running? :)
Have you started running? Continued running? Do you want to start? Let's go!
6.03.2012
Movies 2012: Weeks 18-22
Week 18: April 29- May 5, 2012
67) Gentleman's Agreement. Gregory Peck plays a newspaperman who poses as a Jew for an exposé on anti-semitism in this 1947 film. Like the Jewish film version of the book Black Like Me. It serves as a steady eye-opener in all of his relationships. Toward the end, it got long-winded and heavy-handed. Still a decent watch. 3.4 stars
68) We Bought A Zoo. Matt Damon stars as a widower who spirits his city-bred kids away to the country after he buys a decrepit zoo. Rather implausible in some unexpected ways even though it's based on a true story. Wouldn't you meet the staff before you bought the place??? Scarlett Johanssen was unbelievable as a zookeeper. As in I didn't believe she was 28 or a zookeeper. For a kids movie it also had too much profanity. One of the most heated scenes felt the most forced. Kind of pitiful, actually. The female child actors were charming. 3 stars
69) Friends with Benefits. Stars Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis star in this obvious film. Dumb. Rashan liked it. 2 stars
Week 19: May 6-12, 2012
70) The Italian Job. Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron are the principals behind a gold theft gone wrong. Though the intricacies weren't necessarily predictable, they were all a little too sure of themselves and the end? Definitely predictable. 3.2 stars
71) Copycat. Holly Hunter, Sigourney Weaver and Dermott Mulrooney star in this film about a copycat serial killer and the people who want to stop him. Hmmm. I liked it... bu it didn't completely move me. Some scenes just rang false. 3.4 stars
*I also tried to watch the documentary Chasing Madoff but it was so overproduced and full of reenactments that I didn't make it past the first half hour. The story didn't catch me either.
Week 20: May 13-19, 2012
72) The Interrupters. A documentary about a group of former gang members who go into Chicago communities trying to stop deadly violence at the source. They go so far as to enter conflicts as they're happening. Some pretty gripping events. It was a little too long but a solid film. 4.1 stars
73) One for the Money. Katherine Heigl stars as a bounty hunter whose first attempted find is her hated ex-boyfriend. Awful, awful movie. Heigl was COMPLETELY unbelievable as a Jersey girl. She would trot out an accent for two lines every 4th scene. The music was also heavy-handed. Skip this. I should have. 1 star
74) Albert Nobbs. Glenn Close stars as a butler in a 19th century Dublin hotel. After spending years disguised as a man, a young painter makes her reconsider her life. Really really intriguing. I could watch this as a miniseries. As a film I want to watch it again. 4.2 stars
75) Prefontaine. The story of Steve Prefontaine, the cocky Olympic racer who captured the nation's attention and made the 5,000 meter (5K) race interesting in the late 1960s and early 1970s before dying young. Shot in a documentary style by a documentary filmmaker, this fictionalized account was interesting, though long-winded. If you don't like "inspirational" sports movies (Rashan), you will not like it. I did. But it could have been stronger if it was even a little shorter. 3.5 stars
76) Tiny Furniture. Lena Dunham (creator of the HBO series 'Girls') directs and stars in a film about a college graduate who comes home and has a series of interactions with strange friends and stranger men. Very stream of consciousness also known as random But interesting. I might not have liked it if I wasn't used to her style (and some of the characters) from watching 'Girls.' And really, her character was essentially the same character as her character in 'Girls' but with a roommate instead of living at home with her mother and younger sister. 3.7 stars
Week 21: May 20-26, 2012
77) Lucky. A lottery winner also happens to know a thing or two about a serial killer in the area... he has a close relationship with the killer... extremely close. When he gets married, things go a little awry. Why was this movie so LONG??? It was technically only an hour and 45 minutes but it drags and drags and DRAGS. It is wryly funny but needed to be cut by at least 25 minutes. 2 stars
78) Pariah. Kim Wayans stars as the mother of a closeted lesbian. This coming of age tale is rife with tension but with moments of peace. The acting was good if at times the story was lacking. A solid 3.5 stars
79) Lovely and Amazing. A mother and her three daughters deal with their insecurities about their bodies and careers. Tedious and kind of racist, too. How stereotypical is it that the adopted black daughter had a crack addicted mother? Give me a break. And I have little patience for people who don't like themselves so intensely that they self-destruct. I really don't want to see it in a movie. 2 stars
Week 22: May 27- June 2, 2012
80) Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Pedro Almodovar directs this Spanish language film about a womanizer and the women in his wake. Very telanovella-like. Messy, dramatic and great fun! 4 stars
81) Night Catches Us. Anthony Mackie stars in this film about a former Black Panther who comes home years after he was at the center of a deadly controversy to a neighborhood still at war with the police. Great score by the Roots. The plot left something to be desired. There was a great base but it just didn't carry through. 3.4 stars
82) Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. A little boy finds a key after his father (Tom Hanks) dies in 9/11. He uses this key to go on a mission to find what the key unlocks. Weird little kid. Extremely slow start. I almost quit on the film it was so slow. It got better but still meh. 3 stars
83) We Need to Talk about Kevin. Tilda Swinson stars as the mother in this film adaptation of a popular book about a horrid boy, a bad seed if there ever was one, who becomes a school killer. The back and forth through the timeline was utterly useless in establishing the story. If I hadn't read the book I'm certain I'd be completely lost. They picked the perfect kids to play the killer. Extra creepy. But John C. Reilly as the dad? The INSTANT I saw him I groaned. Incredibly horribly miscast. I've never ever reacted so strongly to a casting decision so immediately. And he never got better. 3 stars
67) Gentleman's Agreement. Gregory Peck plays a newspaperman who poses as a Jew for an exposé on anti-semitism in this 1947 film. Like the Jewish film version of the book Black Like Me. It serves as a steady eye-opener in all of his relationships. Toward the end, it got long-winded and heavy-handed. Still a decent watch. 3.4 stars
68) We Bought A Zoo. Matt Damon stars as a widower who spirits his city-bred kids away to the country after he buys a decrepit zoo. Rather implausible in some unexpected ways even though it's based on a true story. Wouldn't you meet the staff before you bought the place??? Scarlett Johanssen was unbelievable as a zookeeper. As in I didn't believe she was 28 or a zookeeper. For a kids movie it also had too much profanity. One of the most heated scenes felt the most forced. Kind of pitiful, actually. The female child actors were charming. 3 stars
69) Friends with Benefits. Stars Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis star in this obvious film. Dumb. Rashan liked it. 2 stars
Week 19: May 6-12, 2012
70) The Italian Job. Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron are the principals behind a gold theft gone wrong. Though the intricacies weren't necessarily predictable, they were all a little too sure of themselves and the end? Definitely predictable. 3.2 stars
71) Copycat. Holly Hunter, Sigourney Weaver and Dermott Mulrooney star in this film about a copycat serial killer and the people who want to stop him. Hmmm. I liked it... bu it didn't completely move me. Some scenes just rang false. 3.4 stars
*I also tried to watch the documentary Chasing Madoff but it was so overproduced and full of reenactments that I didn't make it past the first half hour. The story didn't catch me either.
Week 20: May 13-19, 2012
72) The Interrupters. A documentary about a group of former gang members who go into Chicago communities trying to stop deadly violence at the source. They go so far as to enter conflicts as they're happening. Some pretty gripping events. It was a little too long but a solid film. 4.1 stars
73) One for the Money. Katherine Heigl stars as a bounty hunter whose first attempted find is her hated ex-boyfriend. Awful, awful movie. Heigl was COMPLETELY unbelievable as a Jersey girl. She would trot out an accent for two lines every 4th scene. The music was also heavy-handed. Skip this. I should have. 1 star
74) Albert Nobbs. Glenn Close stars as a butler in a 19th century Dublin hotel. After spending years disguised as a man, a young painter makes her reconsider her life. Really really intriguing. I could watch this as a miniseries. As a film I want to watch it again. 4.2 stars
75) Prefontaine. The story of Steve Prefontaine, the cocky Olympic racer who captured the nation's attention and made the 5,000 meter (5K) race interesting in the late 1960s and early 1970s before dying young. Shot in a documentary style by a documentary filmmaker, this fictionalized account was interesting, though long-winded. If you don't like "inspirational" sports movies (Rashan), you will not like it. I did. But it could have been stronger if it was even a little shorter. 3.5 stars
76) Tiny Furniture. Lena Dunham (creator of the HBO series 'Girls') directs and stars in a film about a college graduate who comes home and has a series of interactions with strange friends and stranger men. Very stream of consciousness also known as random But interesting. I might not have liked it if I wasn't used to her style (and some of the characters) from watching 'Girls.' And really, her character was essentially the same character as her character in 'Girls' but with a roommate instead of living at home with her mother and younger sister. 3.7 stars
Week 21: May 20-26, 2012
77) Lucky. A lottery winner also happens to know a thing or two about a serial killer in the area... he has a close relationship with the killer... extremely close. When he gets married, things go a little awry. Why was this movie so LONG??? It was technically only an hour and 45 minutes but it drags and drags and DRAGS. It is wryly funny but needed to be cut by at least 25 minutes. 2 stars
78) Pariah. Kim Wayans stars as the mother of a closeted lesbian. This coming of age tale is rife with tension but with moments of peace. The acting was good if at times the story was lacking. A solid 3.5 stars
79) Lovely and Amazing. A mother and her three daughters deal with their insecurities about their bodies and careers. Tedious and kind of racist, too. How stereotypical is it that the adopted black daughter had a crack addicted mother? Give me a break. And I have little patience for people who don't like themselves so intensely that they self-destruct. I really don't want to see it in a movie. 2 stars
Week 22: May 27- June 2, 2012
80) Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. Pedro Almodovar directs this Spanish language film about a womanizer and the women in his wake. Very telanovella-like. Messy, dramatic and great fun! 4 stars
81) Night Catches Us. Anthony Mackie stars in this film about a former Black Panther who comes home years after he was at the center of a deadly controversy to a neighborhood still at war with the police. Great score by the Roots. The plot left something to be desired. There was a great base but it just didn't carry through. 3.4 stars
82) Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. A little boy finds a key after his father (Tom Hanks) dies in 9/11. He uses this key to go on a mission to find what the key unlocks. Weird little kid. Extremely slow start. I almost quit on the film it was so slow. It got better but still meh. 3 stars
83) We Need to Talk about Kevin. Tilda Swinson stars as the mother in this film adaptation of a popular book about a horrid boy, a bad seed if there ever was one, who becomes a school killer. The back and forth through the timeline was utterly useless in establishing the story. If I hadn't read the book I'm certain I'd be completely lost. They picked the perfect kids to play the killer. Extra creepy. But John C. Reilly as the dad? The INSTANT I saw him I groaned. Incredibly horribly miscast. I've never ever reacted so strongly to a casting decision so immediately. And he never got better. 3 stars
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)