Summer Blues

Books
I usually shy away from reading an “Oprah” pick, but I bought The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It won the Pulitzer. It’s written by the same guy who wrote No Country For Old Men (one of the best movies ever and the Coen Brothers’ script did not stray far from the book). It was a very fast read. It was extremely depressing. It will be required reading in high school English classes in the future.

I read Never Let Me Go. Someone left it at the Cabin last year. I tried reading it a year ago and just couldn’t get into it. It’s science fiction and I just don’t roll that way (weird to say since this and The Road both are classified that way). I read reviews of it – all extremely positive. So during Memorial Day weekend when snowed in, I forged ahead and read the book. It was okay. It was similar to the movie, The Island (which I think I enjoyed more than the book).

TV
All my shows have ended for the season. What’s a girl to do? Kathy Griffin My Life on the D-List started a new season and as always, it is good stuff.

Movies
Sex and The City: The Movie was AWESOME! I want to go see it again and again and again. Two complaints: Jennifer Hudson was a horrible casting choice and it was a bit long (some editing wouldn’t have hurt).

I had a nasty cold last week and as I lay on the couch sniffling and wheezing, I rented 27 Dresses. Chick flicks can sometimes be the cure for what ails you. I actually enjoyed the thing. I mean it was completely predictable and somewhat moronic, but hey, whatyagonnado?

Music
I watched V for Vendetta on HBO(a very enjoyable sci-fi movie – kind of a theme for this posting) and enjoyed the Cat Power cover of VU’s I Found a Reason. All of Cat Power’s covers are brilliant. Her voice is haunting.

Yo Gabba Gabba

Television
This season of American Idol sucked me in big time. Now that my “horse”, Jason Castro, is out, I’m not sure what to do (maybe get a life?).

I love The Soup – Joel Mchale’s the best.

Books (Readings)
I recently finished Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. It’s a good story that kept me interested. I really liked the ending. Also recently read Maeve Binchy’s Scarlet Feather. It reminded me of the movie, Love, Actually and that’s a good thing. I’m thinking about going to Borders today and picking up another one of her novels.

Music
I saw a trailer for Sex and the City which had in it India Arie’s cover of Heart of the Matter. This prompted me to make a playlist of covers for the ipod and I play it over and over. I hate the fucking Eagles.

Lately I’ve been listening to Jeff Buckley. I feel like I’m late to the party, plus, it was never a party I intended on attending. But I really love his ballady songs and this is another on the above mentioned playlist.

Movies
I rented Atonement last night and I freakin’ loved it. I knew I would because my new favorite director, Joe Wright, made the film. He makes beautiful movies. Just like his Pride and Prejudice, I’m sure I’ll watch Atonement over and over once it comes to HBO.

Dan in Real Life was a nice little film. I love Steve Carrell, even though he is a bit of a one-trick pony. I hate Dane Cook – he’s hard to watch – bad casting choice.

I read reviews of Margot at the Wedding and was a bit reluctant to rent it; however, I kept in mind what idiots people are and how much I like Noah Baumbach. It’s a great movie (better than Squid and the Whale which I loved) It’s ridiculous that Nicole Kidman didn’t receive an Oscar nomination for Margot.

You Tube and other Internets Wanderings
This is freakin’ hilarious – I love game show clips.

Strangers on this road we are on….

Books
I haven’t been reading as much as I should be (I’ve actually been working…eeek). I did read, yet another, Emily Giffin book. I’m not so sure why I enjoy her books so much. Baby Proof was just as good as the other two I read. I’m looking forward to reading her brand new one this summer.

Movies
Gosh…I haven’t been to a movie theater in a long time. We rented Into the Wild and I thought it was fantastic. I recently caught Fast Times at Ridgemont High and Max Dugan Returns on HBO. I love these movies. HBO is still showing the same movies they showed twenty-three years ago, sometimes it pisses me off (example Mannequin!!!), but I’m kinda glad about these two. Talk about showing the same movie over and over….the Oxygen channel has been showing Pride and Prejudice at least every other day. And, I’m not ashamed to admit that I have now watched the whole thing or parts of it four times since last Saturday. I love this version. I really should read the book, but I’m afraid it would put me to sleep.

TV
Thank God TBS has been showing episodes of The Office. I can’t wait until the new episodes begin airing. I love this episode, it makes me laugh out loud from start to finish. Not many things do that.

Music
I’m not ashamed to admit that I like Jack White and that I think he’s got some real talent. I’ve been digging The Raconteurs and re-listening to my favorite ditties from his thang with Ms. Loretta Lynn. I’ve never been much of a Kinks fan, but Wes Anderson uses them impeccably. Love this tune almost as much as I love The Darjeeling Limited.

Internets Wanderings
This puts things nicely into perspective. This is beautiful and terrifying. I wish I would’ve done this.

disguise the fact you're eating cake

Movies
Julie Delpy and Adam Goldberg interest me, so I was excited to see 2 Days in Paris. I really, really liked this movie. The two had great chemistry. It was fun to watch.

If The Hunting Party is on HBO or one of the other many pay-cable outfits, I suggest watching it, but don’t rent it. It was kinda stylish, which I like. The story was so-so. Terrence Howard should be a bigger star than he is currently.

Robert Downey Jr. is in Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus, so I watched it. Actually I fast forwarded it, which was okay because there’s a lot of acting without words in this one. It’s an odd movie. I didn’t learn much about Diane Arbus, but I liked the concept of the whole thing.

Books
I usually do not read “chick lit” but for some reason I bought Something Borrowed . I couldn’t put this thing down. I spent an entire Saturday reading and finishing it and then on Sunday I went and bought the sequel, Something Blue, and finished it Monday. I couldn’t stop myself.

TV
Oh how I love BRAVO. The best shows are on that damn channel. Top Chef started its new season and I am so happy.


Music
I love this song: Every second counts . I don’t remember ever seeing this listed in the movie section. Did it not come to the theaters in America? I wanna see it.

Internets
I can totally relate to this story.
Is it wrong to be 35 and still have a crush on this guy?
I love cake.

Never Go with a Hippie to a Second Location

Books
I’ve read a couple books by Kate Atkinson. This new one, One Good Turn , continues a character from another novel, Jackson Brodie. I like this character. He’s an ex Magnum P.I. The story is an intelligent mystery/thriller with interesting characters. This is the third book in a row that I’ve read that takes place in the United Kingdom. I’m done with the Brits for a bit. I just bought an armload of books from Borders and it’s safe to say none have a cockney accent.

TV
American Idol seduces me every time with the goddamn auditions and then I can’t stop watching. UGH! My dirty little secrets. I LOVE the Danny Dude this year! He’s flippin’ hilarious.

Movies
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is one of the longest and most boring movies I have ever seen. Brad Pitt looked like a vampire. There was some cool camera stuff, but my God, edit, please.

And completely opposite of the Jesse James movie - one of the best movies I’ve seen in a long time was The King of Kong. You can’t make up stuff this good.

Music
Love this song: Taper Jean Girl .

Spring Has Sprung!

Too Much Free Time

Television
Another season of America’s Next Top Model has begun. Oh life! I don’t know what it is about model reality shows that suck me in, but they do just like the super duper vacuum that they are. There’s a Somalian chick on this “cycle” and her hardship (there’s always a model with a hardship – last year it was a girl with Asperger Syndrome) is that she was circumcised. She told one of the other models that she can’t have sex which confused me about female circumcision, I thought it just involved clitoris removal, so I wikipedia’d it, “The first time having sexual intercourse will often be extremely painful, and infibulated women will need the labia majora to be opened, to allow their husband access to the vagina. This second cut, sometimes performed by the husband with a knife, can cause other complications to arise” - very romantic.

I’ve caught a bunch of episodes of Jon & Kate Plus 8 on TLC. It’s like watching a train wreck. I hate Kate. I’d like for Jon to punch her in her control-freak face. Someday I pray it will happen.


Books (Readings)
A couple of years ago I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night Time. It was a good read, so I decided to try out A Spot of Bother, the newest from the author. I didn’t really care about the characters all that much and haven’t really given it much thought after I finished it. I’m tired of the whole dysfunctional family thang.

Brad Pitt has a new movie on the horizon based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story. I don’t like
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s style (hated The Great Gatsby). His stuff makes me hate reading. This story wasn’t short enough! But I do think it’ll make an interesting film, especially since David Fincher will be directing.


Music
Listening to the local “alternative” station the other day I heard and I loved this song. I couldn’t put my finger on who MGMT reminded me of, maybe this band.

Love Sarah Silverman. Love this.


Movies
Michael Clayton was an interesting and extremely well acted film and I’m not just saying that cause Clooney’s in it. I liked the whole “feel” of the film.

The Kingdom was OK. It had a pretty intense beginning and an extremely intense ending, but not too much in between. It leaves you with the feeling we’re all doomed, so it ain’t cheery. Jason Bateman is a cutie pie.

As far as chick flicks go, No Reservations was so-so. I love Aaron Eckhart, but I think he might be Mormon, so my love may grow dim. I couldn’t stop wondering if he was indeed Mormon while watching the film, so it must’ve not been that interesting of a flick.


You Tube and other Internets Wandering
Crank Yankers is a fabulous show. The detail given to the puppets and the sets the puppets are on is genius. Unfortunately on Youtube I couldn’t find any of the actual clips, but just listening to Dave Chapelle and Niles Standish is good enough. Cut it in half and then double it!

One of the funniest guys ever: Zach Galifianakis.

A Rose By Any Other Name

The Dog loves sand. He often wonders why we don't live on the beach. The first day I brought him home I put him in a big bucket of sand. That's when his love affair began. We should've named him The Sand Man.

OR we should've named him Karate School.

Happy Valentine's Day!

One of the "requirements" I had when I taught first grade was that all of the Valentine's Day cards handed out by the students needed to be handmade. T.Y. just moved from Korea and the whole day kinda baffled him. This is the card he made for me. It always puts a smile on my face.

I have an inflammation in my tear gland

Books
Khaled Hosseini writes a great story. I loved Kite Runner and adored Thousand Splendid Suns. Once in my hands, glue seeped out of the binding and I was unable to put it down until I hit the last page.

I’m not sure why I bought this book. I mean, the description on the back intrigued me (when aren’t brain injuries interesting?) and it was on the list to win a Pulitzer, so I scooped it up. I liked it. I found myself skimming certain sections that involved the doctor character. The ending was a bit soap opera-y. I dunno. I thought it was weird that the two settings in the book were both the hometowns of friends of mine – Setauket, New York and Kearney, Nebraska.

One of my favorite books of recent years is The Lovely Bones. I’ve read it three times. I never do that. I’m also looking forward to the movie, even though I’m not excited about the casting choices – harumphpharumph. Anyway, I was excited to read Alice Sebold’s newest (even though the pre-reviews were dreadful). I liked it. I don’t know what all the fools on Amazon.com were bitching about. You can’t hit a grand slam every time, can you?

Movies
I rented Mr. Brooks starring the hazzzzbeens Kevin Costner and Demi Moore. Dane Cook was also in this pile of feces. I really had no expectations for this flick. While I was watching, I kept hoping that Demi Moore’s character would be murdered. God, I hate her. The movie was such a waste of time.

TV
Oh, how I’ve been enjoying the idiot box. Bravo can put anything on the air and I’ll watch it. They hooked me severely with the stupidity that is Millionaire Matchmaker .

Breaking Bad was a surprise – every episode kinda shocks me and makes me want more.

Music
I was happy that Flight of the Conchords won a Grammy for a “comedy” album. I love these guys. Their HBO show rocks. Their tunes rock. They just rock. I’m making a lasagna, for one.

I’ve been digging Mason Jennings lately.

YouTube
This makes me pee my pants.

Before Katie Holmes was reprogrammed, she was part of the best TV couples of all time.

What I Think About…

Books
The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel by Diane Setterfield – I read (or should I say quickly skimmed) reviews on the internets about this novel and they seemed to indicate that this was going to be a mysterious ghost story and I was in the mood for a well-written ghost story. Well, this isn’t a ghost story and it’s only somewhat mysterious. It was a quick read, it had enjoyable characters, it was well written, it was a good way to spend a rainy day.

Movies
A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints – I rented this from the “free movie” section of ON DEMAND. I love Robert Downey Jr. I can’t tell ya how happy I was that he came out of the abyss unscathed. He’s great in this movie. In fact all the acting is top-notch, especially Shia LaBeouf. I like him. He’s got some skills. Here’s a link to the trailer: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0473488/trailers-screenplay-E29382-314 . Two things I didn’t like about the film:
1. I hate when the casting of a movie is just wrong. It will eat away at me during the entire film and leave me irritated. Someone made a grave error in casting Rosario Dawson. The film takes place in 1986 and 2005 – the “young version” characters are probably 16 to 18 and, if I do my math correctly, the “old version” characters should be 35 to 37. Rosario Dawson and Robert Downey Jr. are the old version of characters that were in love in 1986. It is truly unbelievable. I went to IMDB and Robert Downey Jr. was 21 in 1986, Rosario Dawson was 7 in 1986; hence (again the math) he was 40 and she was 26 in 2005 and it was OBVIOUS.
2. Most of the film was set in 1986; however, the clothing and the general vibe of the film had a more 70s or early 80s feel. I was very cognizant during this time period and was looking forward to nostalgia from the film that I didn’t get and was left sort of disappointed. Maybe Queens in 1986 was extremely different than my world was in 1986, but I think the Madonna inspired look was everywhere and the shitty pop tunes must’ve reached that particular borough. Why didn't I hear Hall and Oates or Duran Duran? Why didn't I see the neon clothes and the jelly shoes?

TV
Lost – I don’t know why, but I started watching Lost in the middle of last season and I got hooked. The season premiere was last Thursday and it was fantastic. I love the characters. It’s goofy and ridiculous, but fun. What’s great about Lost is that you don’t need to have seen the past 3 seasons to know what’s going on because there is this wonderful video that catches you up on everything you need to know: http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play?&p=Lost+recap&vid=1776802&fr=yvmtf

Music
Falling Slowly, Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova – Once is a good movie. It made me want to visit Dublin. Clean-looking place. I'll only visit a place if I feel comfortable enough to eat off the street. I’m embarrassed to admit that I had a hard time understanding the actors. I wished there had been subtitles. I found myself fast forwarding through a lot of the movie – it kind of bored me. The best part of the movie is Falling Slowly : http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play?&p=Once+Falling+slowly&vid=1299221496&fr=yvmtf

Fearless, Pink Floyd – We were sitting around this weekend and the subject of “What’s the best Pink Floyd song” arose. The Boyfriend mentioned Fearless. I had forgotten about it and I wish I hadn’t. And every day is the right day. http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play?&p=pink+floyd+fearless&vid=1304579922&fr=yvmtf

The Dog's Favorite Things

1. Eating
2. Going for a Walk
3. Mom
4. Eating
5. Playing with Dad
6. Digging in Sand
7. Eating
8. Sleeping
9. Chasing Squirrels
10. Eating

Douche Chills

I recently added a playlist to the old ball-n-chain and I named it Douche Chills.

1. Faithfully - Journey
2. The Flame - Cheap Trick
3. Heaven - Bryan Adams
4. Hello Again - Neil Diamond
5. I'd Do Anything For Love - Meatloaf
6. I Don't Want to Miss a Thing - Aerosmith
7. Iris - The Goo Goo Dolls
8. Making Love Out of Nothing at All - Air Supply
9. Mandy - Barry Manilow
10. Open Arms - Journey
11. The Search Is Over - Survivor
12. Tears In Heaven - Eric Clapton
13. Total Eclipse of the Heart - Bonnie Tyler