Oscars 2011

I attended the 2nd annual Oscars party on Sunday evening. We were all dressed in our best and watched the show, complete with great food and even better company. And the party wouldn't have been complete without the swag bags, the photo shoot, and the competition of guessing the most winners correctly. Last year I took home the Oscar for guessing the most correctly, however, this year there was a 3 way tie between myself, JW, and LW. I graciously handed over the trophy to the boys and happily accepted the door prize - 3 dvds! Here are a few pics from the evening: (thanks JW)







A few thoughts on the show:

*I've read a lot of harsh reviews on hosts James Franco and Anne Hathaway. Although a little brutal, I cannot say I disagree entirely. James Franco, whether that's his personality or not, did, in fact, appear to be less than thrilled to be there. Anne Hathaway, though I do like her as an actress, is just very awkward to watch at times, and her performance Sunday night was no exception.

*I think the producers need to give up the idea of appealing to a younger crowd. The Oscars is supposed to be a sophisticated awards ceremony, honoring the most talented in film for that year, not a less than classy show, like, say, the MTV awards. Plus, even a mature viewer like me (haha) gets bored with the show after a while with the speeches and the less-known categories like sound editing and sound mixing.

*Best Dressed: Halle Berry: She looked stunning in this nude-colored dress by Marchesa. Only someone with a flawless complexion, like hers, can pull off a dress like this.




*Worst Dressed: Melissa Leo: I was not digging her nod to grandma's doily collection.



*I was happy with the big winners of the evening: Christian Bale/Melissa Leo (The Fighter), Natalie Portman (Black Swan), Colin Firth (The King's Speech).

*I saw half of the best picture nominees (Black Swan, The Fighter, Toy Story 3, Inception, and the Social Network). And I'm hoping to see the remaining 5 once they are released on dvd, especially the King's Speech and the Kids Are All Right.

Fuzzy Unicorn

When I was reading through KC's blog topic ideas (thanks KC!), and saw "fuzzy unicorn posters" I couldn't help but laugh and take a trip down memory lane....

Back in college, KC and I played a fun game called, "let's see what kind of cool shit we can buy for under $3." ("cool" being very subjective, of course) So, whenever we'd make a Target or Wal-mart trip, we'd cruise up and down the aisles to find such treasures, and we walked away with some pretty neat stuff:

The Chef Wizard: (I still have mine)


Mini-Hamper: (Like this only much smaller - we held our remotes in it)


And the Fuzzy Unicorn Poster:




One night, we snuck into my friend's apartment and hung it up in his room. A few days later, it appeared in our apartment. Then, we'd send it back down to his...and so the game continued, until graduation, when it landed in the dumpster.

...and then I found $20...

Writer's Block

I've had a serious case of writer's block, which is my excuse for not blogging for over a week. I tried to sit down with my laptop several days last week but came up with nothing. I would stare at the blank screen and watch the cursor mock me with every flash.

It's kind of frustrating when I think about it - do I really not have anything to say? No, that's not it. I have plenty to say, but is it worth saying? Ah, that's the key. (That's not to say it hasn't stopped me from blogging something silly before, i.e. Pop Quiz, Letters For Today, Quotables... but after going a week without writing a single thing, I would like to think I could come up with some profound, interesting posting.

...fail.

Contributions on blog topics would be greatly appreciated.

Pop Quiz

1 Mt Dew + 1 Tall White Chocolate Mocha + 2 Krispy Kreme Donuts =

A. What I consumed this morning
B. Hardcore sugar/caffeine buzz
C. Major afternoon crash
D. How not to "make yourself"
E. All of the above

A Big 'n Little Outing

Last Thursday, I took 'Lil on an outing to Glazed Expressions. Neither one of us had ever been there before, so we both were excited to try out this new experience together.

The hardest part was picking out which piece of pottery to paint. They have hundreds of items to choose from - plates, bowls, mugs, vases, animals - you name it, they probably have it in some form. I finally decided on a cupcake piggy bank to give to Regan for Valentine's Day and 'Lil decided on the penguin. Then it was off to pick out our paint colors, and finally we sat down to get started.

It was such a fun evening to spend with my little. It was the perfect combination of being focused on an activity, but having great conversation as well.

'Lil is a talker and I wouldn't want it any other way. I love her stories she shares with me. She is always telling me about the three boys she crushes on, how her attitude (she'll be the first to tell you she can have a mouth on her) will get her into a little trouble at school, her friends and family, and how she works so hard on her school work. It seems every time we hang out, I learn a little more about her.

I'd like to think I'm not only a good role model for her to look up to and a friend she can rely on, but someone who is opening her up to new things, even if it's as small as going to paint pottery. Who knows where something that simple could lead - maybe she'll realize how much she loves art and she'll want to explore further into that area. These are the things I try to keep in mind when deciding on our next activity.

But as much as I'd like to think I'm making an impact and as much as I want to think I'm opening her eyes, the fact is, she's already had a huge impact on me and she has opened my eyes ten times more. The world she knows is much different from the world I knew at her age. Some of the cards she's been dealt in life, I have never given much thought to before. She teaches me something new every time I see her. And for that, I'll always be indebted to her. We're about 6 months into our big/little relationship and I can't wait to see where the next 6 months take us.

Here are a few pics from our outing:



Our works in progress



Ready to be fired!



Our final products:

Superbowl Prep

To help prepare you for Sunday's game:

Snow Day

No, my office is not closed today, but I saw this as I walked outside to help L attempt to get out of our driveway, after getting stuck this morning:





Yep, they came through and plowed, which I appreciate it, but, as you can see, there is a giant snow drift behind our garage, making it nearly impossible for me to get out.

Oh well, a snow day for me I guess! I just hope they come back through and push the snow back far enough for me to get out tomorrow.