May 30, 2006
May 29, 2006
Gramaphones, photobooths, pot, oh my!
The wedding of Whitney and Tannan (Whitnan? Tanney?) began last Wednesday and included a casino night (i'm really good at roulette), shrimp, a bouquet full of m&ms, So You Think You Can Dance, southern accents, mutants, ripped pants, a dog wearing a hat, and hippies.The play-by-play:
The bridal party sang Little Mermaid songs to keep Whit from crying (happy tears) during the photo shoot. A boy with pink hair served tiny pizzas covered in feta during the cocktail hour. Josh
was in charge of the processional and has since sworn off all gramaphones for the rest of his life. The guests rose to the challenge of lighting candles in the wind (which i hear is no way to live your life.) i was a very dutiful and attentive bridesmaid. A car alarm and competing donkey marked the kiss and pronouncement. The reception in the tent was gorgeous. We got seriously sidetracked by the guest book 
photobooth. The best man toasted with a sword. On the way to the bathroom: saw an uncle rolling a joint. On the way back: saw uncle smoking joint. Bride and Groom: amused, not surprised. Dance, dance, dance. Fun, fun, fun. Hogged the photo booth some more. Got some milk and cookies and drove home. A good time was had by all and Whitney and Tannan seemed to have the most fun,which is the point, right? i stole these pics from David, you can see many more of his shots here. You can also go to the professional photographer's site and view her stuff if you set up an account and use the key word, Whitney.
May 21, 2006
oh happy day
Matt, Brenda and Wahoo Alexander have welcomed baby Elizabeth (aka Li'l Party) 7 lbs, 7 oz. Ten fingers, ten toes, and a dozen 'aunts' and 'uncles' ready to spoil the pants off her!
Does this make us all grownups??
Does this make us all grownups??
Josh and Kallie Chicago Trip
May 13, 2006
Movie Review: M:I:3
Mission: Impossible III (heretofore referred to as Mission INCREDIBLE)
Starring Tom 'Way Past Crazy' Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman... and Felicity!
If you're like me and you prefer to save your $9.50 for films that are going to rock the big screen, this is a good one to kick off the summer with. i watched it 5 hours ago and i'm still on overload, so let's do bullet points this time:
- Tom Cruise is like 45 years old, did all his own stunts, and most of them had me either sweating, hyperventilating, shaking, or peeing my pants.
- Philip Seymour Hoffman (or PSH) will henceforth be the paradigm by which ALL future movie bad guys will be judged. He's SO, SO good here, don't think that the action-movie genre is holding him back. (Since we're on
the subject of his considerable talents, i remember doing an 'Underrated Actors' Top 5 a while back, wherein i claimed that PSH was in fact not underrated b/c his comeuppance was nigh. Who won the Oscar for best actor this year? Yes, you may bow to me.)
- Felicity ROCKS, although she was underused, and actually looked like a secret agent who knew her way around a firearm.
- i kept waiting for a lull in the plot/action when i could scurry to the bathroom... there wasn't one. Seriously. This movie goes at level 10 for the entire two hours.
- A portion takes place in Vatican City, heart of my heart (and thankfully doesn't wander into DaVinci territory).
- Jonathan Rhys Meyers with his native accent? i'll take two please.
- BOMBS IN PEOPLES' HEADS!!!
So yeah. i don't care what you think of Tom Cruise, his zombified baby-mama, or his couch-jumping: the man knows how to make a movie. If you like Lost, Alias, Felicity, and/or any of the prior M:I movies, you need to see this. It's fun. Just use the bathroom beforehand. 4.99 out of 5 improvised defibrilators (it lost .01 for the Humpty Dumpty line. You'll see).
Starring Tom 'Way Past Crazy' Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman... and Felicity!
If you're like me and you prefer to save your $9.50 for films that are going to rock the big screen, this is a good one to kick off the summer with. i watched it 5 hours ago and i'm still on overload, so let's do bullet points this time:
- Tom Cruise is like 45 years old, did all his own stunts, and most of them had me either sweating, hyperventilating, shaking, or peeing my pants.
- Philip Seymour Hoffman (or PSH) will henceforth be the paradigm by which ALL future movie bad guys will be judged. He's SO, SO good here, don't think that the action-movie genre is holding him back. (Since we're on
the subject of his considerable talents, i remember doing an 'Underrated Actors' Top 5 a while back, wherein i claimed that PSH was in fact not underrated b/c his comeuppance was nigh. Who won the Oscar for best actor this year? Yes, you may bow to me.)- Felicity ROCKS, although she was underused, and actually looked like a secret agent who knew her way around a firearm.
- i kept waiting for a lull in the plot/action when i could scurry to the bathroom... there wasn't one. Seriously. This movie goes at level 10 for the entire two hours.
- A portion takes place in Vatican City, heart of my heart (and thankfully doesn't wander into DaVinci territory).
- Jonathan Rhys Meyers with his native accent? i'll take two please.
- BOMBS IN PEOPLES' HEADS!!!
So yeah. i don't care what you think of Tom Cruise, his zombified baby-mama, or his couch-jumping: the man knows how to make a movie. If you like Lost, Alias, Felicity, and/or any of the prior M:I movies, you need to see this. It's fun. Just use the bathroom beforehand. 4.99 out of 5 improvised defibrilators (it lost .01 for the Humpty Dumpty line. You'll see).
May 10, 2006
May 02, 2006
shopping can be deadly
Last weekend i went southward for what was to be the 2nd SuperFunSanDiegoWeekend in a row. i thought the first one would be hard to beat, what with the fabric store adventures, bizarro bridal showers, and playing the Movie Game with a beyond-delirious Winter and Jason......and i was right. The first one remains the better of the 2 journeys because the second one landed me in the emergency room!!! Yes folks, my 24 year hospital-free streak has ended, i am now a broken, battered shell of a person, tossed hither-thither by the giant healthcare monster.
Friday and Saturday were good, we did some eating and shopping and got to stay at Hotel Solamar with a little help from Kane. We even saw the stinky seals in La Jolla and got a little sun on our norcal noses.
Then, Sunday.
At breakfast i began to get a headache that soon decided it would be a migraine (i can't help but point out that the last thing i saw before getting my headache was Andy's purple flaming motorcycle) and the migraine soon decided it didn't WANT waffles! OR chocolate milk! Or Imitrex or pretzels or peanut butter or ANYTHING! So it made me barf it all up. Not fun, but apparently my brain fell alseep on the 'BARF' button, so i wasn't getting off that train anytime soon. The shaking and shivering/sweating in the fetal position wasn't my idea of a good time either.
Mom and Andy took me to the ER, where the lovely people at Sharp told me to 'stick it' and left me sitting in the waiting room waving bye-bye to whatever was left of my stomach lining every few minutes for the next couple hours. Eventually i got a bed and a gorgeous new paper dress that coordinated perfectly with my cup o' pee. After a few more hours of being ignored, the doctor came and peeked in my ears, wiggled my neck around and surmised that i was 'atypical.' Yay! My prize for being unique? Two needles in the bum and subsequent puking with renewed vigor. Fantastic. So mom got me to bed at the Holiday Inn and Bondy brought me tortillas, which i kind of gummed until i fell asleep.
i'm all better now; i had Costco pizza for dinner last night, which should be an indigation of good digestive fortitude (if not poor nutritional decision-making). Unfortunately now that the seal has been broken and i've had a whopper of a migraine, i'm living in fear of the next one. But you know what they say, 'Living in fear is better than puking precious fluids into a Von's bag with a hole in it.'
Friday and Saturday were good, we did some eating and shopping and got to stay at Hotel Solamar with a little help from Kane. We even saw the stinky seals in La Jolla and got a little sun on our norcal noses.
Then, Sunday.
At breakfast i began to get a headache that soon decided it would be a migraine (i can't help but point out that the last thing i saw before getting my headache was Andy's purple flaming motorcycle) and the migraine soon decided it didn't WANT waffles! OR chocolate milk! Or Imitrex or pretzels or peanut butter or ANYTHING! So it made me barf it all up. Not fun, but apparently my brain fell alseep on the 'BARF' button, so i wasn't getting off that train anytime soon. The shaking and shivering/sweating in the fetal position wasn't my idea of a good time either.
Mom and Andy took me to the ER, where the lovely people at Sharp told me to 'stick it' and left me sitting in the waiting room waving bye-bye to whatever was left of my stomach lining every few minutes for the next couple hours. Eventually i got a bed and a gorgeous new paper dress that coordinated perfectly with my cup o' pee. After a few more hours of being ignored, the doctor came and peeked in my ears, wiggled my neck around and surmised that i was 'atypical.' Yay! My prize for being unique? Two needles in the bum and subsequent puking with renewed vigor. Fantastic. So mom got me to bed at the Holiday Inn and Bondy brought me tortillas, which i kind of gummed until i fell asleep.
i'm all better now; i had Costco pizza for dinner last night, which should be an indigation of good digestive fortitude (if not poor nutritional decision-making). Unfortunately now that the seal has been broken and i've had a whopper of a migraine, i'm living in fear of the next one. But you know what they say, 'Living in fear is better than puking precious fluids into a Von's bag with a hole in it.'
April 25, 2006
Movie Reviews
(first: video proof that God shares my sense of humor: Charo on Martha Stewart)
Cameron Crowe's ELIZABETHTOWN
Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst, Susan Serandon
i didn't plan on seeing this movie, because i do not like Kirsten Dunst. i think she is one of the select actors that go so far as to fully embody overrated. i still do. That being said, i liked this movie alot. i like Cameron Crowe movies, even when they include Tom Cruise and even when the critics yawn, as they did with this movie.
i won't summarize too much, since this film has been out for a while, but it's about Drew (Bloom) who hits rock bottom, career-wise, in a spectacular way, only to have to fly to Kentucky and retrieve his estranged father's body after a heart attack. Sounds depressing as all get-up, but Cameron Crowe never neglects those funny/bizarro moments in life that keep your head above water if you glance their way. The supporting cast is fantastic: Judy Greer and Paul Schneider, especially. Susan Serandon plays wife/mom, like she seems to do alot these days, but she brings her Susan Serandon panache to it, and her tap dancing scene had me bawling. Orlando Bloom did a good job being a steady center around which the rest of the story and cast could swirl and tumble. Kirsten Dunst wasn't as annoying or dsitracting as she usually is, but was still her snaggle-tooth lazy-eyed self. Really, she was the only flaw in an otherwise impeccable film. And with Cameron Crowe, with the story or acting starts to drag, there's ALWAYS a killer soundtrack to compensate. 4.5 out of 5 Free Birds.
AN UNFINISHED LIFE
Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman, Jennifer Lopez, Bart the Bear
J.Lo opposite Big Red? i was intrigued. And i loves me some good Robert Redford, who actually flexes his mean bone in this film by Lasse Hallstrom (What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Cider House Rules). Redford plays Einer, a Wyoming rancher who lost his adult son Griffin in an accident 10 years ago and still carries the wound. It made him drink and made him mean, but he still cares for his friend Mitch (Freeman), who used to help him on the ranch until he was mauled by a bear (Bart) and now just kinda hangs out. La Lopez is Jean, Einer's estranged daughter-in-law, who unbeknownst to Einer, was pregnant when Griffin died and said baby is now Einer's granddaughter Grif.
After Jean's boyfriend Gary decides to step up his theory of "love means never having to say you're sorry for beating the tar out of Jenny From the Block," Jean and Grif run away and have to crash with grumpy Einer until they can scrape up the cash to get farther away. It took me a while to get used to a mean, angry Robert Redford, who usually plays more likeable characters, and i was waiting for the mystery of Griffin's death to be something really big and icky, but it wasn't at all. Camryn Manheim has a small role and in a very simple and painful scene, explains to Jean why Einer isn't able to move on. It's a credit to the film that the reveal of the accident and the stuff that follows isn't a letdown. It's just life. As Mitch puts it 'They call 'em accidents cause it's nobody's fault.'
The strange and lovely relationship between Mitch and 'his bear' continues throughout and underneath everything going on with the humans and is an obvious metaphor for the stuff going on with Einer and Jean, but Freeman's one scene with his nemesis/friend makes it worth it.
This movie got panned by critics, and i understand why, but i still liked it. i liked how the story made no apologies for being simple and not controversial. Nothing new from Redford or Freeman, and Lopez doesn't seem to want to get out of the 'pretty' box. In this film, it's 'hurt and pretty,' which is boring. Yell! Grunt! Do something unpretty! Even when she gets mad at Einer, it's in a low, pretty whisper. Oh well. At least she got out of the romantic-comedy spiral of death. Becca Gardner, who plays Grif, was very good and was refreshingly unlike typical kid-actors. The scene where she asks Redford and Freeman if they're a gay couple was a fantastic surprise. Great shots of 'Wyoming' (probably Canada) and anything with a bear is good stuff. 3 out of 5 steadycam shots.
Cameron Crowe's ELIZABETHTOWN
Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst, Susan Serandon
i didn't plan on seeing this movie, because i do not like Kirsten Dunst. i think she is one of the select actors that go so far as to fully embody overrated. i still do. That being said, i liked this movie alot. i like Cameron Crowe movies, even when they include Tom Cruise and even when the critics yawn, as they did with this movie.i won't summarize too much, since this film has been out for a while, but it's about Drew (Bloom) who hits rock bottom, career-wise, in a spectacular way, only to have to fly to Kentucky and retrieve his estranged father's body after a heart attack. Sounds depressing as all get-up, but Cameron Crowe never neglects those funny/bizarro moments in life that keep your head above water if you glance their way. The supporting cast is fantastic: Judy Greer and Paul Schneider, especially. Susan Serandon plays wife/mom, like she seems to do alot these days, but she brings her Susan Serandon panache to it, and her tap dancing scene had me bawling. Orlando Bloom did a good job being a steady center around which the rest of the story and cast could swirl and tumble. Kirsten Dunst wasn't as annoying or dsitracting as she usually is, but was still her snaggle-tooth lazy-eyed self. Really, she was the only flaw in an otherwise impeccable film. And with Cameron Crowe, with the story or acting starts to drag, there's ALWAYS a killer soundtrack to compensate. 4.5 out of 5 Free Birds.
AN UNFINISHED LIFE
Robert Redford, Morgan Freeman, Jennifer Lopez, Bart the Bear
J.Lo opposite Big Red? i was intrigued. And i loves me some good Robert Redford, who actually flexes his mean bone in this film by Lasse Hallstrom (What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Cider House Rules). Redford plays Einer, a Wyoming rancher who lost his adult son Griffin in an accident 10 years ago and still carries the wound. It made him drink and made him mean, but he still cares for his friend Mitch (Freeman), who used to help him on the ranch until he was mauled by a bear (Bart) and now just kinda hangs out. La Lopez is Jean, Einer's estranged daughter-in-law, who unbeknownst to Einer, was pregnant when Griffin died and said baby is now Einer's granddaughter Grif.
After Jean's boyfriend Gary decides to step up his theory of "love means never having to say you're sorry for beating the tar out of Jenny From the Block," Jean and Grif run away and have to crash with grumpy Einer until they can scrape up the cash to get farther away. It took me a while to get used to a mean, angry Robert Redford, who usually plays more likeable characters, and i was waiting for the mystery of Griffin's death to be something really big and icky, but it wasn't at all. Camryn Manheim has a small role and in a very simple and painful scene, explains to Jean why Einer isn't able to move on. It's a credit to the film that the reveal of the accident and the stuff that follows isn't a letdown. It's just life. As Mitch puts it 'They call 'em accidents cause it's nobody's fault.'The strange and lovely relationship between Mitch and 'his bear' continues throughout and underneath everything going on with the humans and is an obvious metaphor for the stuff going on with Einer and Jean, but Freeman's one scene with his nemesis/friend makes it worth it.
This movie got panned by critics, and i understand why, but i still liked it. i liked how the story made no apologies for being simple and not controversial. Nothing new from Redford or Freeman, and Lopez doesn't seem to want to get out of the 'pretty' box. In this film, it's 'hurt and pretty,' which is boring. Yell! Grunt! Do something unpretty! Even when she gets mad at Einer, it's in a low, pretty whisper. Oh well. At least she got out of the romantic-comedy spiral of death. Becca Gardner, who plays Grif, was very good and was refreshingly unlike typical kid-actors. The scene where she asks Redford and Freeman if they're a gay couple was a fantastic surprise. Great shots of 'Wyoming' (probably Canada) and anything with a bear is good stuff. 3 out of 5 steadycam shots.
Best Instant Message Convo, EVER
kbmarkle: dude, it's free cone day at Ben & Jerry's
Korina Buhler: wow
Korina Buhler: REALLY?
kbmarkle: http://www.benjerry.com/features/fcd_2006/
Korina Buhler: w/ ice cream??
kbmarkle: yeah! ice cream included!
Korina Buhler: WOW
Korina Buhler: YAY!
Korina Buhler: wow
Korina Buhler: REALLY?
kbmarkle: http://www.benjerry.com/features/fcd_2006/
Korina Buhler: w/ ice cream??
kbmarkle: yeah! ice cream included!
Korina Buhler: WOW
Korina Buhler: YAY!
April 17, 2006
Ketchup
Time to update with Joshie and Kal! Gather 'round kiddos!
We don't do much, but manage to always be busy. Josh is so busy at work that sometimes he comes home at 8 and they're thinking of getting him another assistant. (he's a bigwig now!) The winery is sending him to Chicago in May to schmooze with some printing company, and they're paying for me to go along! Look out Oprah, i'm coming!!! As far as work, i am the opposite of busy, but that's kind of a long story. i'm looking for other jobs, but it's kind of hard to find someone to overpay me the way i want to be overpaid :) We spend alot of weekends with the youth group, and when we're not with them we're with the youth staff having 'grown-up time'. Today i leave for the 2nd of 3 weekends of town. Last weekend we were in Redding for Bon & Andy's (heretofore known as Bondy) engagement soiree and Easter. Today i am flying to San Diego for Whitney's bridal shower, and next weekend i'll be going down with mom and dad to help Bonbon find a wedding dress. i am campaigning for something plaid, but we'll see how that goes. Cosmo is a ginormous 16 pounds now and has figured out how to jump from the floor into the top drawer of my dresser, but not how to get to the kitchen counter, which is much lower. We'll keep our fingers crossed that that mystery continues to evade him because it's literally the last surface in the apartment that is kitty-free. i've also been keeping busy with my sewing machine, and Grandma Joy helps with pesky things like zippers and buttonholes. Without her, i think i'd be sewing sleeveless smocks and zipperless skirts for the remainder of my days. (Not very fashionable.) Josh has a bunch of designing work in addition to what he does at work, and so our evenings are ripping out seams and drawing logos to the light of whatever's on tv. Glam, we know. So that's about it. If anyone wants to play with Josh these next two weekends he and Cosmo will be crying crocodile tears while i dance in the sand in Sun Diego!
We don't do much, but manage to always be busy. Josh is so busy at work that sometimes he comes home at 8 and they're thinking of getting him another assistant. (he's a bigwig now!) The winery is sending him to Chicago in May to schmooze with some printing company, and they're paying for me to go along! Look out Oprah, i'm coming!!! As far as work, i am the opposite of busy, but that's kind of a long story. i'm looking for other jobs, but it's kind of hard to find someone to overpay me the way i want to be overpaid :) We spend alot of weekends with the youth group, and when we're not with them we're with the youth staff having 'grown-up time'. Today i leave for the 2nd of 3 weekends of town. Last weekend we were in Redding for Bon & Andy's (heretofore known as Bondy) engagement soiree and Easter. Today i am flying to San Diego for Whitney's bridal shower, and next weekend i'll be going down with mom and dad to help Bonbon find a wedding dress. i am campaigning for something plaid, but we'll see how that goes. Cosmo is a ginormous 16 pounds now and has figured out how to jump from the floor into the top drawer of my dresser, but not how to get to the kitchen counter, which is much lower. We'll keep our fingers crossed that that mystery continues to evade him because it's literally the last surface in the apartment that is kitty-free. i've also been keeping busy with my sewing machine, and Grandma Joy helps with pesky things like zippers and buttonholes. Without her, i think i'd be sewing sleeveless smocks and zipperless skirts for the remainder of my days. (Not very fashionable.) Josh has a bunch of designing work in addition to what he does at work, and so our evenings are ripping out seams and drawing logos to the light of whatever's on tv. Glam, we know. So that's about it. If anyone wants to play with Josh these next two weekends he and Cosmo will be crying crocodile tears while i dance in the sand in Sun Diego!
April 09, 2006
March 26, 2006
And then there was 1
Bonnie & Andy are engaged! They will be kicking off the 2007 wedding season next March with a huge ceremony, complete with a climbing wall. Who else will keep us up to our eyeballs in registries next year? The race is on...
March 22, 2006
Top 5 Celebrity Death-Match-Ups, Literary Edition
i recently saw a performance of Macbeth and it occurred to me that, had Macduff really been borne of a woman, Macbeth would have beat the tar out of him. This led me to wonder what may happen if other famous literary characters were to duke it out in a cage fight to the death.
BATTLE OF THE SENIOR DISCOUNT:
Moby Dick's Captain Ahab vs. Ebenezer Scrooge
Winner- Ahab, all the way. Scrooge may be mean, but the Cap'n is downright gnarly.
BATTLE OF THE FAMILY ISSUES:
Grapes of Wrath's Tom Joad vs. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Winner- After a good match, Tom Joad prevails. Hamlet eventually succumbs to emotional angst and can't focus on the fight at hand.
BATTLE OF THE MOOD SWING:
Stephen King's Carrie White vs. Lady Macbeth
Winner: Just take a minute to consider how awesome a spectacle this would be. Carrie may be telekinetic, but Lady M can call on the powers of Darkness, plus she's NUTS. After a long, fierce battle, Lady Macbeth has the most blood on her hands.
BATTLE FOR SPRING BREAK:
Catcher in the Rye's Holden Caufield vs. Huckleberry Finn
Winner: Holden is aces and has issues with violence. Huck's just a good ol' boy. i'm sure his body would surface down river eventually.
BATTLE OF THE BEST DRESSED:
Scarlett O'Hara vs. Blanche DuBois, from A Streetcar Named Desire
Winner: My money's on Scarlett. You don't mess with the Irish, even when they're wearing corsets.
BATTLE OF THE SENIOR DISCOUNT:
Moby Dick's Captain Ahab vs. Ebenezer Scrooge
Winner- Ahab, all the way. Scrooge may be mean, but the Cap'n is downright gnarly.
BATTLE OF THE FAMILY ISSUES:
Grapes of Wrath's Tom Joad vs. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
Winner- After a good match, Tom Joad prevails. Hamlet eventually succumbs to emotional angst and can't focus on the fight at hand.
BATTLE OF THE MOOD SWING:
Stephen King's Carrie White vs. Lady Macbeth
Winner: Just take a minute to consider how awesome a spectacle this would be. Carrie may be telekinetic, but Lady M can call on the powers of Darkness, plus she's NUTS. After a long, fierce battle, Lady Macbeth has the most blood on her hands.
BATTLE FOR SPRING BREAK:
Catcher in the Rye's Holden Caufield vs. Huckleberry Finn
Winner: Holden is aces and has issues with violence. Huck's just a good ol' boy. i'm sure his body would surface down river eventually.
BATTLE OF THE BEST DRESSED:
Scarlett O'Hara vs. Blanche DuBois, from A Streetcar Named Desire
Winner: My money's on Scarlett. You don't mess with the Irish, even when they're wearing corsets.
March 09, 2006
From Refugee to Runway Queen
Chloe won Project Runway! (i knew she would) (i kept saying it) (i'm always right)
Folks, this was a NAIL. BITER. In the pre-finale, Daniel was told he was too safe (read: boring), Satino heard that he was too dangerous (read: garish) and Chloe was told she lacked passion. They're given $8000 and a couple months to create a 12-item line to show at Fashion Week. Santino decides to be less garish, Chloe decides to show them savvy + moxie = passion, and Daniel keeps designing beautiful, well-tailored garments disguised as sleeping pills. 2 days before Go Time, Heidi, having just produced a human being from out her belly, decides that the designers can surely make a 13th piece for their line, and they can pick one of the loser designers to help. Santino goes all ostrich on us so Andrae (God bless him) basically makes the whole thing. It was cute, but that's about it. Nick and Daniel come up with a very cool shift dress with pockets (i've always said that dresses with pockets rocked) (i'm always right) and Chloe and Miss Diana, Goddess of Nerds, make a really cool baby doll dress with.... pockets!
Day of Judgement: Daniel can't find his weird purses anywhere! Tim says 'Maybe the universe is trying to tell you what i told you last week.' But he finds them. Daniel: 1, Universe: 0, Tim: 3 bajillion forever. Santino runs around sewing his models into the dresses, Chloe goes diva all over the hair and makeup monkeys and Kallie buries her head in the couch pillow from all the stress!
Daniel's line is first. It's clean, classic, and not very interesting. (somewhere, Winter throws nail polish at her monitor at work) Plus, his model du jour, Pinchy Face Rebecca, can't even walk in the 9 mile gown he made for her!
Chloe's is next. Also a little on the 'Seen It' side of creative, but her fabric choices are better than Daniel's and she's a whiz with interesting seams. Alot of gowns.
Santino introduces his line by saying 'i'm not just good tv, i'm a great designer.' i really liked his collection, but the tailoring was nowhere near Daniel and Chloe's. There was alot of good texture and it was definitely the most interesting, but not cohesive.
The judges eliminated Santino first, then Daniel. In my opinion, Santino's collection was better than Daniel's, and Chloe deserved to win, so i guess despite that minor disagreement Heidi and i can still be bffs. i was disappointed with all three collections, none of them lived up to Jay's final Runway from Season 1, but i guess we'll have to remedy that with Season 3! (you're stoked, i can tell)
Folks, this was a NAIL. BITER. In the pre-finale, Daniel was told he was too safe (read: boring), Satino heard that he was too dangerous (read: garish) and Chloe was told she lacked passion. They're given $8000 and a couple months to create a 12-item line to show at Fashion Week. Santino decides to be less garish, Chloe decides to show them savvy + moxie = passion, and Daniel keeps designing beautiful, well-tailored garments disguised as sleeping pills. 2 days before Go Time, Heidi, having just produced a human being from out her belly, decides that the designers can surely make a 13th piece for their line, and they can pick one of the loser designers to help. Santino goes all ostrich on us so Andrae (God bless him) basically makes the whole thing. It was cute, but that's about it. Nick and Daniel come up with a very cool shift dress with pockets (i've always said that dresses with pockets rocked) (i'm always right) and Chloe and Miss Diana, Goddess of Nerds, make a really cool baby doll dress with.... pockets!
Day of Judgement: Daniel can't find his weird purses anywhere! Tim says 'Maybe the universe is trying to tell you what i told you last week.' But he finds them. Daniel: 1, Universe: 0, Tim: 3 bajillion forever. Santino runs around sewing his models into the dresses, Chloe goes diva all over the hair and makeup monkeys and Kallie buries her head in the couch pillow from all the stress!
Daniel's line is first. It's clean, classic, and not very interesting. (somewhere, Winter throws nail polish at her monitor at work) Plus, his model du jour, Pinchy Face Rebecca, can't even walk in the 9 mile gown he made for her!
Chloe's is next. Also a little on the 'Seen It' side of creative, but her fabric choices are better than Daniel's and she's a whiz with interesting seams. Alot of gowns.
Santino introduces his line by saying 'i'm not just good tv, i'm a great designer.' i really liked his collection, but the tailoring was nowhere near Daniel and Chloe's. There was alot of good texture and it was definitely the most interesting, but not cohesive.
The judges eliminated Santino first, then Daniel. In my opinion, Santino's collection was better than Daniel's, and Chloe deserved to win, so i guess despite that minor disagreement Heidi and i can still be bffs. i was disappointed with all three collections, none of them lived up to Jay's final Runway from Season 1, but i guess we'll have to remedy that with Season 3! (you're stoked, i can tell)
March 08, 2006
This is what happens...
...when you merely HIDE the pin cushion from the cat under piles of fabric, and don't lock it in your gun safe behind the bookcase in the secret room. He somehow finds it and manages to remove almost every pin with his mouth right before you come home from work. Why? No reason. i think i would actually feel better about it if he was actually trying to EAT the pins, as i feared he was the first time he stalked and tackled the pin cushion, but no. He just likes to pull them out and drop them on the carpet. Genius also managed to pull out the few needles too, and i'm not sure how considering they don't have a big yellow ball on the end to grab. So if i'm only wearing half a dress in Whitney's wedding you'll know it was because i've spent the past few months crawling around the carpet putting pins away.
Top 5 Reasons i LOVE 'To Wong Foo'
Way back in 1995, Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes and little Johnny Leguizamo did a goofy movie called To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything! Julie Newmar. It's about 3 drag queens who get stuck in a tiny town and teach the yokels what true fabulousness is. It was on last night and i was reminded of how much i love it, so here's why:Fantastic performances from all 3. (Swayze and Leguizamo got Golden Globe nominations) Even when Vida is beating the tar out of Virgil 'she' is the epitome of a lady.
Wesley Snipes. He's a huge black man, but he works it in drag. And the subplot about his character, Ms. Noxeema Jackson, befriending the tiniest little old lady in town is great.
The local romance: "Bobby Lee?" "Yes, Bobby Ray?" Cracks me up every time.
It's a run-of-the-mill feel good/happy ending comedy, which everyone needs once in a while.
When the Queens are leaving Hicksville, the emotional pinnacle comes when Stockard Channing tells Vida "I don't think of you as a man, and I don't think of you as a woman either. I think of you as an angel." To which Vida responds, "And I think that's healthy."
March 05, 2006
Movie Review: 8 Below
Starring eight fluffy dogs, a really scary leopard seal, and Paul Walker
I wanted to see this movie ever since i saw the trailer before Chicken Little! It's the story of 8 sled dogs that get left behind at an Antarctic camp after their humans have to hurry away and seek medical attention, fully intending to come back a few days later and retrieve the dogs before Winter sets in. Unfortunately, the biggest storm in 25 years prevents anyone from going to Antarctica, so Jerry can't go back and get his 8 buddies. Since he had planned to come right back, Jerry left them chained up outside with no food, so the dogs have to get themselves unchained and fed.
The story was based on actual events, but of course everything that takes place with the dogs is pure speculation, but i think Disney did alright. The dogs learn how to catch birds for food, and luck out in finding a killer whale carcass, except the dead whale is literally inhabited by what is now my biggest fear: a leopard seal. Cue awesome chase and fight scene. Max The Dog plays decoy with the Scary Leopard Seal so his doggie buddies can get some whale grub, and Scary Leopard Seal decides the best way to chase Max is to dive under the ice and stalk the doggie shadow running around over him. SO. SCARY. !!!!!
The film cuts back and forth between the dogs struggling to survive and Jerry struggling to find some way to get back to Antarctica. Paul Walker, while easy on the eyes, is not the best actor. But this one was hard to mess up, and i thought he did alright. He played it more about frustration and responsibility and not self-pity. He also had the classic 'boy and his dog' thing working in his favor. The other humans in the cast were alright, doing the best they could with a Disney script. Poor Jason Biggs was the bumbling, goofy best friend and it was painful at times. (Think Jar-Jar Binks.) i felt bad for him.
Anyway, it's a Disney movie so you know Jerry's gonna find a way to Antarctica and you know at least the majority, if not all, of the dogs will survive. What's crazy is that they spent something like 6 months down there on their own! Yes, it was a tear jerker on more than one occasion, and yes, there were some really cheesy Disney-esque moments (are there Northern Lights at the bottom of the world? i didn't think so, but i could be wrong) but it was a good moviegoing experience. i'm not the least bit surprised that this was #1 at the box office, everyone likes a good survival story. 3.8 out of 5 thawed paws.
I wanted to see this movie ever since i saw the trailer before Chicken Little! It's the story of 8 sled dogs that get left behind at an Antarctic camp after their humans have to hurry away and seek medical attention, fully intending to come back a few days later and retrieve the dogs before Winter sets in. Unfortunately, the biggest storm in 25 years prevents anyone from going to Antarctica, so Jerry can't go back and get his 8 buddies. Since he had planned to come right back, Jerry left them chained up outside with no food, so the dogs have to get themselves unchained and fed.
The story was based on actual events, but of course everything that takes place with the dogs is pure speculation, but i think Disney did alright. The dogs learn how to catch birds for food, and luck out in finding a killer whale carcass, except the dead whale is literally inhabited by what is now my biggest fear: a leopard seal. Cue awesome chase and fight scene. Max The Dog plays decoy with the Scary Leopard Seal so his doggie buddies can get some whale grub, and Scary Leopard Seal decides the best way to chase Max is to dive under the ice and stalk the doggie shadow running around over him. SO. SCARY. !!!!!
The film cuts back and forth between the dogs struggling to survive and Jerry struggling to find some way to get back to Antarctica. Paul Walker, while easy on the eyes, is not the best actor. But this one was hard to mess up, and i thought he did alright. He played it more about frustration and responsibility and not self-pity. He also had the classic 'boy and his dog' thing working in his favor. The other humans in the cast were alright, doing the best they could with a Disney script. Poor Jason Biggs was the bumbling, goofy best friend and it was painful at times. (Think Jar-Jar Binks.) i felt bad for him.
Anyway, it's a Disney movie so you know Jerry's gonna find a way to Antarctica and you know at least the majority, if not all, of the dogs will survive. What's crazy is that they spent something like 6 months down there on their own! Yes, it was a tear jerker on more than one occasion, and yes, there were some really cheesy Disney-esque moments (are there Northern Lights at the bottom of the world? i didn't think so, but i could be wrong) but it was a good moviegoing experience. i'm not the least bit surprised that this was #1 at the box office, everyone likes a good survival story. 3.8 out of 5 thawed paws.
March 01, 2006
From someone to Charlie to Matt to ME
Instructions: Use the picture you like best from the first page of the search results on Google Image.
1. The city and state of the town you grew up, no quotation marks: Redding, CA
1. The city and state of the town you grew up, no quotation marks: Redding, CA
6. Your favorite drink: Dr. Pepper
February 24, 2006
Top Repeats
Top 5 Movies i Could Watch On Repeat For An Entire Weekend
Johnny English
Amelie
Dodgeball
La Vita E Bella
Tea With Mussolini
Top 5 Albums i Could Listen To On Repeat For An Entire Workday
Tchaikovsky's Greatest Hits
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
King of I'll Tell You Next Week
Hell Freezes Over
The Cold Mountain Soundtrack
Top 5 Foods i Could Eat For Dinner Every Night Of The Week
Pepperoni pizza
Josh's cornflake chicken
Oh!s cereal
Lasagna
Wonton soup & prawns from Sailing Boat
Top 5 Things i Could Do Every Weekend For An Entire Summer
Nap
Nap & read
Nap & read while Josh plays Madden
*Go to friends' weddings... wait a minute, this IS what i'll be doing every weekend this summer...
*Do my Christmas shopping
(* assuming i have $ in the bank)
Johnny English
Amelie
Dodgeball
La Vita E Bella
Tea With Mussolini
Top 5 Albums i Could Listen To On Repeat For An Entire Workday
Tchaikovsky's Greatest Hits
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
King of I'll Tell You Next Week
Hell Freezes Over
The Cold Mountain Soundtrack
Top 5 Foods i Could Eat For Dinner Every Night Of The Week
Pepperoni pizza
Josh's cornflake chicken
Oh!s cereal
Lasagna
Wonton soup & prawns from Sailing Boat
Top 5 Things i Could Do Every Weekend For An Entire Summer
Nap
Nap & read
Nap & read while Josh plays Madden
*Go to friends' weddings... wait a minute, this IS what i'll be doing every weekend this summer...
*Do my Christmas shopping
(* assuming i have $ in the bank)
February 22, 2006
excerpt
(From "Genetic Engineering" in Me Talk Pretty One Day, by Dave Sedaris)
It was my family's habit to rent a beach house on Ocean Isle. As youngsters, we participated in all the usual seaside activities -- which were fun, until my father got involved and systematically chipped away at our pleasure. Miniature golf was ruined with a lengthy dissertation on impact, trajectory, and wind velocity, and our sand castles were critiqued with stifling lectures on the dynamics of the vaulted ceiling. We enjoyed swimming, until the mystery of tides was explained in such a way that the ocean seemed nothing more than an enormous saltwater toilet, flushing itself on a sad and predictable basis.
...My own scientific curiousity eventually blossomed, but I knew enough to keep my freakish experiments to myself. When my father discovered my colony of frozen slugs in the basement freezer, I chose not to explain my complex theories of suspended animation. Why was I filling the hamster's water beaker with vodka? "Oh, no reason." If my experiment failed, and the drunken hamster passed out, I'd just put her in the deep freeze, alongside the slugs. She'd rest on ice for a few months, and, once thawed and fully revived, would remember nothing of her previous life as an alcoholic.
It was my family's habit to rent a beach house on Ocean Isle. As youngsters, we participated in all the usual seaside activities -- which were fun, until my father got involved and systematically chipped away at our pleasure. Miniature golf was ruined with a lengthy dissertation on impact, trajectory, and wind velocity, and our sand castles were critiqued with stifling lectures on the dynamics of the vaulted ceiling. We enjoyed swimming, until the mystery of tides was explained in such a way that the ocean seemed nothing more than an enormous saltwater toilet, flushing itself on a sad and predictable basis.
...My own scientific curiousity eventually blossomed, but I knew enough to keep my freakish experiments to myself. When my father discovered my colony of frozen slugs in the basement freezer, I chose not to explain my complex theories of suspended animation. Why was I filling the hamster's water beaker with vodka? "Oh, no reason." If my experiment failed, and the drunken hamster passed out, I'd just put her in the deep freeze, alongside the slugs. She'd rest on ice for a few months, and, once thawed and fully revived, would remember nothing of her previous life as an alcoholic.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)