Something new

I am excited that there is finally something new on television tomorrow night. I will readily admit, I all but gave up last season. In fact, I mostly kept up with the show via recaps on the web but this season looks enticing and maybe some of my questions will finally be answered. Here's to hoping this season is as good as it looks.

On the go

With the exception of my lazy Saturday, I've been quite busy over the past few days. I went to a fun event on Friday night and kept busy with church activities and friends yesterday. Tonight I'm going to see Jesus Christ Superstar and tomorrow I'm going to see Evita. I've been busy but I'm having fun.

Also, noteworthy was the SAGs last night. I finally got to watch an awards show! No major surprises with any of the winners.

And there are reports that the rumor I mentioned in my last post is not true. If that's the case, my dreams are totally shattered!

This might be the best news I've heard all day

Sources say the "Kids" are making a comeback. Do you believe it?

Tagged for Five

I was tagged by my friend, Tiffany to participate in the following fun post about myself.

The rules list is as follows: Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog. Share (choose 1): Five random and/or weird facts about yourself. Five top places on your “want to see or want to see again” list. Five things you never pictured being in your future when your were 25 years old.

Since I can hardly remember being 25 and there are probably too many weird, random facts about myself to choose from, I'm picking number two which is also good because I love to travel and consider it one of my favorite things to do. So the top places on my want to see list are:

• Paris. I really want to go to the Louvre...and maybe kissing under the Eifle Tower wouldn't be so bad!
• Hawaii. Just seems really beautiful. Plus, I haven't been able to shake that desire since the Brady Bunch went.
• Fiji. Like Tiffany, I think this would be such a desirable place to go. There's something about staying in a hut out in the middle of crystal blue water. Serenity now.
• Alaska. This is a new desire. Just in the last few months I've started to really think about what a cool trip this would be.
• Greece. Maybe it's because I've seen Mama Mia and Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants but something tells me this is a magical place. Santorini here I come!

So this is my top five for now, until I read about something new. (By the way, I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my first issue of this magazine.) If you want to participate, consider yourself tagged!

Big girl

Adyson will soon be four months old and is just getting so big. Cathy passed on some new pictures today. Below are a few of my favorites.

Highly emotional

In my quest to watch as many Oscar-worthy performances as possible before the big day, I just finished Away From Her. The result? I have been crying off and on for the last hour and fifty minutes. I even had to call Joe in the middle of the movie for emotional support and make him promise we'd never get Alzheimers and we'd never live in nursing homes.

In review

Joe left this morning. As always, I was sad to see him go. We had a great two days of hanging out. Went to see The Savages. It was a great, well-done movie but a lot more serious and sad than I had anticipated. Also watched a couple of dvds and even made time for a fabulous dinner. And he bought me a cool new cd that I'd been wanting for awhile.

I wasn't working today due to the holiday so I went to see Atonement. It's been on my to-do list for some time so I finally took the plunge. It was gut-wrenching and beautiful. I really loved it...until the end. I'm still thinking it over and I have problems with it. I'm afraid with a bit of a different ending the film could have been so much more. Even still, I'm glad I saw it.

Insomniacs

I couldn't sleep today. It happens every now and again. At 3:30 a.m. I was wide awake. I tried lying in bed for awhile but finally sometime after 4, I was up. I checked email, looked at blogs, watched television and just waited. Joe was coming for a visit and I knew he'd be here sometime after noon. Little did I know, Joe couldn't sleep either and was on his way. When I thought it was "safe" to call him at quarter til six he was only 40 miles from my house. Now, it's not even noon and I'm exhausted.

A techno savvy update

My parents were here today for an appointment so we had lunch. Most of you know that my parents aren't the most techno savvy people. They don't even have a computer (yet). My mom seems to be getting with it these days. She threw out terms at lunch like "facebook" and "myspace" and regularly asks about my blog. It's so cute! And after she bought a digital camera last year, she's been recently checking out computers. I'm so proud of her.

In other news, Taina alerted me to a blog about Juno on the blogsite of a local church. I found it to be very interesting and true. Read more here.

Saturday

My day in a nutshell: I got to see Caelleb play soccer today and was even present when he scored his first-ever goal. Go C! Taina then accompanied me to see Juno (again). I've also baked cookies and have been reading off and on throughout the day.

These days, I've been spending most of my spare time reading. I've gone through phases my entire life of reading a lot and then reading absolutely nothing for a long time. I'm trying to read more - consistently more. Less tv. More reading. Reading my Bible, study books, fiction - everything. I finally finished The Kite Runner. I will have to say that the first 120 pages or so moved quite slowly for me. I even put it down for over a week. But then things just started to fly. I found myself up until 1 am several times this week thinking, "Just one more chapter." I thought I would finish it last night but my eyes were heavy and I finally put the book down when I knew I couldn't stay awake any longer. Finishing a good book is always a little sad for me. I grow fond of the characters and I want to know more. This one is no exception and I think it will stay with me for awhile. In my quest for more reading, I'm moving on to this.

Doomed

I fear that my beloved awards season is completely doomed. No red carpets. No speeches. No after parties. After the Golden Globes have been cancelled, I am still holding a small amount of hope for the Academy Awards. Small. Very small.

In the mix

This is actually the first time I've entered a blog-contest but I couldn't pass up the fabulous prize. Not that I'm a serious baker but I could be...in fact, I think a pineapple yellow mixer could inspire me to be quite serious! Below are the details. Good luck!

A Cowboy’s Wife is having a contest on her food blog! You can win a Hamilton Beach® Stand Mixer and she’ll ship anywhere so everyone is eligible!
The Prize:
The winner will receive a brand new Hamilton Beach 4.5-qt. Eclectrics Stand Mixer, Pineapple Yellow!!

About the mixer:
From Hamilton Beach’s “Eclectrics” line, this all-metal stand mixer comes with a host of accessories - a Flat Beater for cakes and cookies, a Dough Hook for bread and a Wire Whisk for whipped cream or pudding. The 4.5-qt. stainless steel bowl comes with a Pouring Shield that helps prevent splattering while in operation. The pouring shield has a built-in chute for adding ingredients. Powered by 400 watts, the stand mixer has a two-way mixing action to ensure all ingredients are incorporated into the mix. The quick-release, tilt-up head assists when removing the bowl. 9 x 14 x 14-in. When you’re ready for a kitchen re-do, don’t call in the carpenters! Instead, “counterscape” your kitchen with Hamilton Beach’s retro-designed, affordably priced electrics in happy, sun-saturated colors. Their “Eclectrics” line includes updates to those classic appliances from the 1950s. All of their “Eclectrics” are available in six colors: Apple Green, Moroccan Red, Pineapple Yellow, Intrigue Blue, Sugar White and Licorice Black.

Shoe-lover

Another lesson in aging - the shoes. I have some really beautiful shoes. Some are very ornate and I liken them to great pieces of art. And like any art aficionado, my collection cost a small fortune.

For awhile, I was all about the stiletto. At first it was almost out of curiosity. Several years ago, I used my Christmas money to buy my first pair. Black Steve Maddens. I still have them. They are classic and beautiful. I wore them with jeans and t-shirts; I wore them with skirts and dress pants. I soon caught on to walking in them without any problem. I built up my stamina so that it didn't feel too burdensome to wear them for more than a couple hours. Pedicurists would exclaim, "You wear heels a lot, don't you?" when seeing the perfectly formed callus on my foot. I moved on from that first pair. I bought more. I became a shoe-lover.

Saturday night, I looked at all these beautiful shoes in my closet. Too many. Not being worn. You see, I have a secret. I don't wear stilettos much, if ever, anymore. I have grown accustomed to flats and ballet-type shoes. It's a good thing that they're in style but more importantly, they're really comfortable. I'm well aware that I'm not an old lady just yet but as I find myself getting older and going out less, I find my art collection sitting in a closet. Collecting dust. I feel kind of guilty about that. I haven't made any New Years Resolutions, at least not out loud. Perhaps if I did, I would tell myself to continue to buy comfortable shoes but to not close the gallery for good. Some things are just meant to be shared.

Homebody

Taina's recent blog got me thinking about something. I like to stay home.

It wasn't so long ago that I actually thought something was wrong with me if it was a Friday or Saturday night and I was at home with no plans. How could that be? And it wasn't so long ago that my friends would pick me up at 10 pm to go out for the evening. These days at 10 pm you will find me in my pajamas and either I'm in bed watching some tv (and I watch less and less of E! and MTV and more and more of HGTV) or I'm getting ready for bed. It's funny how things change. My parents often stay up much later than me. No kidding. Back in the day, they were the ones going to bed so early and I was the one staying up so late.

Tonight I went to dinner with a couple of friends. Our dinner ended around 8:30 and we all tried to think of things to do. We ended up coming back to my place for a quick round of Scene It. What was on everyone's mind but nobody said at that time was that we were all fine with just going home and calling it a night at 8:30 on a Saturday.

Say it isn't so, the girl about town is writing about wanting to be the girl about home.

Happy New Year!

Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio
Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio, side view

I've been on a hiatus for a few days as I've been celebrating the holidays with Joe. We packed in lots of fun on this trip and only leaving "the neighborhood" for our New Years Eve festivities and a jaunt to Oak Park on Friday. Below, in chronological order, is what I've been up to:

• Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio. I've literally been wanting to visit this attraction for years. Next on my agenda, I'm adding a Wright biography to my "to do" list.

• Sweeney Todd. Johnny Depp is nothing short of brilliant and I liked the music far more than I'd anticipated. What kept me from loving it (I did like it) was that it was so gruesome and scary I was forced to watch with at least one eye shut for most of the movie. Joe made stuffed pork chops this evening after we'd stopped by a local butcher earlier in the day. The chops were great but enjoyed even more so as leftovers the next day after "meat" pies were no longer so heavy on my mind.

• Juno. My new favorite movie of 2007. Loved it. Loved it. Loved it. And like the sap that I am, tears were shed.

• Sound of Music. Can you believe that I have never seen this movie? Bits and pieces but not in its entirety. I took advantage when it was on tv Sunday evening. Doe a deer, a female deer, ray a drop of golden sun...
  

• Bowling. Believe it or not, Joe and I have never gone bowling together. The local joint was packed for a late Sunday night. I won one; Joe won two. I have to say, my bowling skills have seemed to improve with age.

• Chinatown. I've never been to this part of town before so we had our New Year's Eve dinner here.

• Cirque Dreams Jungle Fantasy. Definitely not as good as the show I saw in Vegas and somewhat cheesy at times but it was still a fun way to spend New Years.

• Travel. Possibly one of the most annoying traveling trips I've ever had both to and from Chicago. My luggage was "lost" in the airport (long story) on the way there and getting home my flight was delayed, delayed and delayed. Luckily, I'm here now and life is good. Happy New Year!!!