Monday, March 8, 2010

I'm not broken anymore!

I appear to have regained the ability to cry.  I was honestly a little worried about myself when I realized it had been years since the last time I had cried (this was probably about a year ago) - and I thought that maybe I was turning part-robot, or someone had snuck in and removed some part of one of my brain-lobes that controlls emotions or something like that.

Possibly, it was related to the fact that I feel horribly uncomfortable around crying people, and see it as a sign of their weakness or something like that.  I don't know.  I just started to suspect I might be broken, and began to pay more attention -

Let's see - a commercial about cotton? Nope - no tears.  A sad story in the newspaper about some terrible people & innocent babies/kittens/puppies/trees? Not a sniffle.  Thinking about super duper sad stuff that's happened in the past? A twinge in the tear-duct/heartstring region, but nothing in terms of waterworks.

So - finally - a whole bunch of stuff went down at work, and I cried.  It was one of those shocked & angry cries, where your face contorts because you're trying not to let it out, but having a difficult time of it.  And I cried, then I got angrier, and replaced the crying with ranting and raving.  A week later, lo and behold - it happened again.  Now I was starting to think - whoa! What's going on here??  Can I now cry if it's something work-related?  Am I going to have to find some sort of future-tears detection system to facilitate sneaky trips to the bathroom? Am I going to become one of THOSE women who CRIES at her desk (dear lord, please don't do that to me)?  Luckily, that was the end of the crying at work fiasco.  I'm planning on never letting it happen again.

The strange thing is that since then, I appear to have completely regained my ability to cry.  Since the work fiasco I have cried numerous times, including:
  • during a movie
  • during a book (and during an audiobook, I don't know if they should have their own bullets or not)
  • during the Oscars
  • When very, very, very sick and in a lot of pain
I'm hoping this doesn't mean I'm going to be a big old wuss from now on.  But the Oscars really did worry me.  But I'm sure I'm not the only one - I mean, Sandra Bullock was just plain incredible in that speech. 

Long story short - I'm fixed now - and while I still am uncomfortable around crying people (or sick people or depressed people or way more successful than me people and a few others) - and I still feel a bit superior to someone when I see them crying - at least I can be a big loser like them sometimes too.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

2010 Academy Awards - part 4

Ooh - tribute to horror movies!!!  Steve & Alec sharing a room - paranormal activity style - is Steve Possessed?

Too bad Azi's asleep - Kristen Stewart & Taylor Lautner - wow, her dress is stunning - Horror movie montage time!!  I vote The Shining as the scariest movie ever.  I still cover my eyes when they show those awful little girls in that movie.  Beetle Juice? Does that really count as a horror movie?  Or Twilight? Horror movies? Eeeek - they showed those creepy girls!!!!  Okay - other than the two extra non-horror movies, that was good.

Now - Zac Efron, and Anna Kendrik - Sound, Editing and Mixing, oooh - and Morgan Freeman is doing some voice-work - he's got the best sound out there.  Someone forgot to nominate Precious for this - but they did nominate Avatar.  Ah - the Hurt Locker won - I will have to see that, won't I?
And, Sound Mixing - I think all the nominees are the same - oh, no Transformers is in there, I think it won a Razzie this year.  Oh - here comes the Hurt Locker again.  the guy just had to come out from behind the curtain from where he just walked - that's pretty darn cool!

Now, Elizabeth Banks - Sci/Tech awards - I like her dress too. 

Whoa - John Travolta was nominated for an award???  Introducing Inglorious Basterds for best picture - man, watching all these clips reminds me of what a good movie it was too.

We're two hours in people, and I do wonder how many more hours it'll be.

Sandra Bullock (who everybody knows I met in the bowling alley I worked at in N.C. - and she told me I had a beautiful baby) - She looks absolutely amazing in her dress & hair & the lipstick is fabu!!!  Aw, a little nod for Harry Potter (I think that's a first) - Avatar wins - for Cinematography - Man, I'm going to have to read back through all of these blog pieces to count these Avatar wins.

Now I know why they were playing Ghost music, here comes Demi Moore - oooh - great dress again - a little too tight at the top though, it looks like her breasts are trying to climb out and escape.  She's introducing the in memoriam to people who were lost this year.  And now I know what James Taylor's big surprise was.  Now I have goosebumps again.  Damn, he makes me want to cry for good reasons.  That was beautiful. 

Jennifer Lopez & Sam Worthington - Her dress is a monstrosity.  I don't have a compliment for her - because apparently the wind tunnel that SJP was in hit her hair too.  Maybe it's super humid there or something? I don't know waht to say.  The guy - no idea who he is - is looking good though.  Now we have dancers.  I really don't like the interpretive dancing they're doing of the Hurt Locker - I think it just might be one of those movies that just really doesn't lend itself to interpretive dance.  Just watching this is making me feel uncomfortable.  The Fantastic Mr. Fox is more suited for the dance medium (or at least the music is) - but I think this entire concept should get someone fired, while their  moves might be cool - I think that this is just plain ridiculous.  This dumb dancing is trivializing all of the movies.  I love the score from Up - it's auditory godiva chocolate - but the guy being a robot, and the sideways hats are really ruining it.  I hope they're done.  Ugh - nope - still got Avatar to go.  The dancing is much better, and actually seems suited to this one.  That's good.  Okay, not the break dancing - that just looks silly to me.  Everybody in the audience seems to have liked it (except James Cameron) so, maybe it's just me - who's got the best original score? (I hope it's Up, the music just speaks to my heartstrings) - And the winner is Up - yay!! So the right choice!!  (well, the movie was the right choice, the stupid dancing was not - I'd have prefered a montage of images from the film - but I think they decided against that because it's the same movies over and over and over, and they want people to still want to see this after the awards are over).

Gerard Butler & Bradley Cooper - visual effects - Avatar (surprise surprise), District 9, Star Trek, should there even be other nominees in the visual effects category - of COURSE it's Avatar - how could it not be??

Jason Bateman - introducing best picture nominee Up in the Air - these montages they're showing really aren't doing much justice to the films - the actor clips have been so much better. 

Matt Damon - looking dreamy as usual - even though I am really not a fan of the bowtie.  Introducing best documentary feature - Burma VJ - the Cove (which I want to see but I think would be painful to watch - I  - don't think I could watch it) - Food Inc (is that david duchovny?) - The most dangerous man in america - Which Way Home (that clip gave me goosebumps) - Ah, the Cove wins - the only one I'd heard of - Maybe I will have to see it - one of the guys has a tube, like a poster tube or something like that?  And it says Text Dolphin to some number, but they moved away from it really fast - I think that you're not allowed to encourage money donations on the show or something.

Here's Tyler Perry - Film Editing - was Avatar nominated for every award???  The Hurt Locker wins (I'm hoping District 9 wins SOMETHING by the end of the night!) -  Aw, it was a married couple, and they were nice and earnest, I liked it.

Keanu Reeves - good timing - Hurt Locker nominated for best movie - okay, I take back my criticism of the clips of movies - because now I really want to go see the Hurt Locker - that was quite good. 

Quentin Tarantino & Pedro something - Best foreign language film - this is the category that got me to see Persepolis which was an amazing movie - the winner is The Secret in their Eyes (I think that's what he said)- Argentina - I was just checking wikipedia, and apparently each country can only submit one film, isn't that strange?

Kathy Bates - introducing best picture nominee - Avatar - which sure has been grabbing a lot of awards here - and I'll tell you, was a really good movie.  But when I don't know that it was best of the year material.  But you just never know what will win.  It was by far the most visually stunning movie of the year - that is a fact o' the matter.

Actor in a Leading Role - lots of people announcing - man, I want to look like Julianne Moore when I grow up - she is breathtaking.  Jeff Bridges - nominee number one - I love his eye crinkles.  Now George Clooney (in all his swoon-inducing glory) - Colin Firth (and I hear his performance in a Single Man was phenomenal) - Morgan Freeman (his voice should automatically win him anything he wants) - Jeremy Renner (who I'd never heard of before the Hurt Locker).  And here's kate Winslet with the envelope - and, as always, is she's stunning - and the winner is... Jeff Bridges (his first win ever!)  Aw, what a great speech - he's been married for 33 years - can you believe it?  And he thanked his three daughters by name, which makes me very glad that he won.

Only three awards to go and I can go to bed!  I think that I might not do my commentary next year, this might just be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me.

Best Actress time - oooooh!!!  I'm guessing Sandra Bullock - or Gabourey Sidibe (introduced by Oprah, can you even imagine?!?! I would be crying too) - but I could be wrong - Helen Mirren is pretty amazing too - and Meryl Streep has apparently been nominated at every Academy Awards since she was born.  Does Helen Mirren really have a spider web tattoo on her hand?  Carey Mulligan (who I'd never heard of before tonight either) - Who's it going to be? Now I'm hoping for Meryl Streep... Sean Penn is giving the award, and I don't get his references, maybe I missed last year's show...and the winner is... Sandra Bullock!  Yup, still looking stunning - aw, this is her first nomination & award!   Damn, and her speech brought tears to my eyes.  Oy.

Barbra Streisand now - best Director - Avatar - The Hurt Locker - Inglorious Basterds - Precious - Up in the Air - WOW - first woman to win - for the Hurt Locker - kathryn Bigelow - and, she's James Cameron's ex-wife (which has got to be really weird, right?)

Now - Tom Hanks (he's apparently the academy award governor!) - Best Picture time!!!  Last time there were 10 films nominated was 1943, and the winner is: The Hurt Locker!!!! 

So, there we go, The Hurt Locker takes home 6 out of the 9 awards it was nominated for.  Now it's definitely going on my Netflix queue.

2010 Academy Awards - part 3

Nice pair - Rachel McAdams (great dress) & Jake Gyllenhaal (nice everything) - best adapted screenplay - Up in the Air - Precious - In the Loop (never heard of it - maybe I should watch it) - An Education? - District 9 (my choice) - And the winner is.... Precious - I'm not surprised - it seems to be a pretty heavy contendor - I think I'm going to have to watch it, and probably cry some.  His thank you is I think another of his screenplays, he seems quite practiced, very sweet and loving, but I'm too cynical to love that.

I see why it was so good, steve martin wrote it.

Queen Latifah - love love love her dress - best dressed presenter so far (to me) - showing highlights of the Governors Awards.  Oooh - I love Lauren Bacall.  She is class personified, and, I think one of the most beautiful women ever to have lived.  I hope I can pull off longish hair like that when I'm her age.

Robin Williams now... with lampshades.  Har har - ball holding joke.  Supporting Actress award now.  Oooh, Penelope Cruz is sex personified.  Vera Famiga (sp?) - next, ooh - I need to see this movie to memorize her lines.  - Maggie Gyllenhaal - I love her in everything - so I hope she wins.  She should win every award, she's just fabulous - Anna Kendrik - from the same movie as Vera Famiga - she didn't get sexy lines though - maybe that makes her deserve the award - Mo'Nique from Precious - I hear she was absolutely amazing in it. Aw, and she won - I love Maggie G - but just watching the little clip from Precious gave me goosebumps, and it's the only clip that did.  Hmm - I like her dress - but now the big flower in her hair.  Damn - she even sounds powerful saying her thank you - shoot, even her thank you gave me goosebumps.

Mmmm - I love Colin Firth.  At least 50% fancy accent - I'm not sure what the rest of it is - introducing "An Education" for best movie nominee.  Aw, Peter Sarsgaard is in it - isn't it weird that he's with maggie gyllenhaal, and they both have what appear to be superfluous "A"s in their names.  Weird, right? Do you think that's part of what brought them together?

Man, Sigourney Weaver's looking pretty smoking hot this evening.  Art Direction is her game -  Avatar - of course - The imaginarium of doctor parnassus - Nine - sherlock holmes - the young victoria - Out of them all I've seen - surprise surprise - avatar and sherlock holmes.  And, of course, Avatar won - how could it not - in terms of being beautiful - that movie hit the nail on the head!

Best costume design - debate on whores & horses  - Tom Ford and Sarah Jessica Parker - ooh - her dress is beautiful - but it looks like her fancy hairdo got stuck in a wind tunnel or something.  Nominees - Bright Star - Coco before Chanel - the imaginarium of doctor parnassus - Nine - The Young Victoria - ooh - some pretty stuff in there!!  The Young Victoria won - wow - the costume designer's dress itself is pretty breathtaking, I want it!  Aw, she's cute and charming too, but the dress takes teh cake - she's my best dressed so far tonight.

Now, Cherleze Theron - best picture nominee - Precious - maybe the clip will give me goosebumps too - I'm not sure if I want to see an "unflinching look at a teenage girl's world of violence" - nope, the clip didn't give me goosebumps, probably because they didn't show much of mo'nique in it.

Drink break time.  I really should have dug out the corkscrew and popped open a bottle of wine - but water's cool too.

2010 Academy Awards - part 2

I wonder if Toyota will demand their advertising money back after the joke that was made about their cars as weapons earlier in the show?

Robert Downey Jr & Tina Fey - her dress keeps making me think of the Flintstones - like a really glamorous cavewoman dress.  His glasses & bowtie make me giggle.  not best dressed if you ask me.  They've got some good chemistry together - made me (and the whole crowd) laugh.  Best original screenplay - nominees - the Hurt Locker - looks pretty disturbing to me - Inglorious Basterds - good movie - great writing, if you ask me - The Messenger (I'd never heard of it - but I freaking love Woody from Cheers) - A Serious Man - but I heard that a Coen brothers movie won't win anytime soon after the debacle that was that movie about the murderous guy with the bowl cut - Up - which I loved - 'nuff said - and the winner is.......The Hurt Locker - maybe I should see it - but boy have I heard some creepy stuff about it.
I'd hate to have to be a loser and have to keep my face put together after I didn't win.

Molly Ringwald & Matthew Broderick - wow - she's gone REALLY red again - she varies.  I don't love her matching bracelet & waist-band - but the color of her dress is fantastico.  Talking about John Waters (have you heard that some hidden script of his was found after his death is going to be made into a movie - should be interesting).Weird Matthew Broderick's voice hasn't changed one bit in all these years.  "Those aren't pillows!!""Yeah, you'll be happy, you just won't know it, that's all" - nice little montage there. Now a whole bunch of the folks who starred in his movies.  They all got so OLD!!!  Am I the only one who keeps wanting to clap?

Samuel L. Jackson - introducing best movie nominee "Up" - which, you already know, I Love! I don't think I "best movie of the year" love it - but it was beautiful. Aw, shoot, now that they're showing bits of it with the music, I feel a little sniffly. 

No idea how to spell either of these names - Karey Mulligan& Zoe Saldana  - ha - found it. Love the purple poofy dress, don't love the slit up the front - but it's soo pretty.  They're introducing best animated short - French Roast - Granny O'Grimms Sleeping Beauty - cute looking - The Lady and the Reaper - Logorama - and something Wallace & Grommit-ish.  Logorama won - but from that little clip they showed, I didn't love it. Maybe it's actually really fabulous when you watch it in person.
Now - nominees for best Documentary Short - wow - I don't know about you - but I've never seen any of these, has anyone? They're not even showing clips at this point - the winner is "Music by Prudence" - aw, but the guy who made it is wicked endearing -and then this scary redheaded woman just jumped out and stole the microphone from him. Huh.  She's not endearing. Now they started the music and he doesn't get to finish talking, they're the first people to be played off the stage. 
Now - best Live Action Short - ooh - cool looking stuff!  "The New Tenants" wins - looks like some guy goes to an apartment and gets hit in the head with a shovel or something. I might need to watch it.  Hopefully these guys are going to take turns talking or fight over the microphone. Guy number two is trying to rush along guy number one - hopefully guy number two will get to talk.  Nope - they completely cut off guy number two.  Bummer.

Now - Ben Stiller - who I hear is making a sequal to Zoolander! I think he must be introducing Avatar as best picture nominee - wow - no, actually the award for best makeup!  And Avatar wasn't not nominatred.  Hee Hee hee... Aw, he plays awkward so well.  Nominees - Il Divo, Star Trek,  The Young Victoria - huh, that's it???  Only three?  Winner is... Star Trek (anybody surprised by that one?) - I'd at least heard of the Young Victoria, but I thought Il Divo was just an annoying opera group.  It looked like Kate Winslet was crying in the audience.  Huh.  Maybe it's allergies.

Jeff Bridges introducing - best movie nominee - A Serious Man - (the Coen brothers one that I've heard just won't win because of them).  I've heard it's pretty freaking amazing though.  Although the clips they just showed make me think that it might be a bit too serious of a movie for me.  I really like it a bit more light-hearted.

2010 Academy Awards - part 1

NPH - song - AMAZING

Alec Baldwin & Steve Martin - AMAZING

Penelope Cruz - wow - beautiful dress. Announcing best supporting Actor - Christoph Waltz from Inglorious Basterds is the winner. I saw it - you did too, right? Such a good movie.  He was good. Well, I mean, technically speaking - he was Bee - Ay - Dee - so bad, but in a well-acted sort o' way.

Ryan Reynolds - announcing the Blind Side as a best picture nominee.  I love him.  Oh he is so very handsome and funny and even Canadian!  I hear the Blind Side is quite good too.  I think it's a little too good for illegally download - it might have hit Dollar night at the Theatre status.

Cameron Diaz & Steve Carell (sp?) - animated film - I've never even heard of the Secret of Kells - but it's Irish - and I've got a thing for the accent.  Aw, Up won - I'm not surprised, I'd have been surprised if it hadn't - I was pretty surprised by how much I really LIKED that movie - so fricking fracking sweet.

Now Amanda Seyfried & Miley Cyrus - apparently they had a contest over who got to wear the bigger dress - Amanda won - although I'm not sure whose is sparklier.  I think I like Miley's best, with the exception of the waist band - it's a bit too tight.  Boy oh boy are they nervous - a bit word flubby, it might be less nerves and more overtightened dress waist band.  I don't know.  They're introducing the original songs. Ooh - I think I need to watch Nine.  Aw Crazy Heart won - wow - an old white guy named T Bone - that's kind of weird. Have you seen that? In the clip they showed, the guy singing looked just like Colin Farrell - looks like he must have had his brows waxed for the oscars.

Oooh - whatever that guy from Star Trek's name is introducing Best Movie nominee - District Nine - that movie was SOOOOOO good.  I loved it.  Although it was a little bit too un-subtley messagey, you know? A little bit too transparent with the whole lesson about society thing.  But the movie itself was fantastic - let's say you're a person who doesn't pay attention to moral lessons in films - then it would be just straight up awesome to you.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Promises Promises Promises

I really did intend to blog regularly - honestly I did!  Time just got away from me (again and again and again).

So, here I am, as I promised my irish twin I would be - some major changes, and here they are in no particular order:
  1. I bought a Wii!!! If you've read any of my (somewhat) recent blogs, you'll see that I was desperately yearning for one, so I caved in, and spent money I shouldn't have, and I couldn't be happier!
  2. Not only did I get a Wii, but I got Wii Fit with the balance board - I scored it used, so it was way less expensive than buying it retail, which I couldn't have done anyway because the damn thing is sold out everywhere.
  3. I had my surgery! I suppose if this list were in the order of importance, this would probably be item #1 - The surgery itself went well (I was unconscious the whole time) - did you know that they intubate you for stuff like breast reduction? Well, I sure didn't! I wondered for a couple of days why my throat was so sore, and when I finally pondered it out loud, mom looked at me like a crazy person and explained it.  How should I know? I'm a relatively healthy girl, and my only previous surgery was having my wisdom teeth out, and I'm quite positive they didn't intubate me for that one (I also was allowed to wear more than my underwear).
  4. After I had my surgery, I was getting better, though not as fast as I expected, and a week after - I finally went back to my house (I'd been staying with Mom & Jeanne & Catty & the many cats) - and that night I ended up getting super sick.  Honestly one of the scariest things that's ever happened.  Raging fever, awful pain - I didn't want to bother my sisters in the middle of the night (it started around midnight) - and so I thought maybe I'd call 911, but then I thought my house was way too messy to let paramedics in, so I just laid there, occasionally crying, and having weird hallucinations.  The next day, I did call Conni & she took me to her house & I talked to the surgeon & at first they said I'd have to be admitted to the hospital, but then decided to just try giving me antibiotics.
  5. I recovered from my awful bout of sickness.  And then, instead of returning to work after being out for a week, I had another two weeks off - unfortunately, they were unpaid weeks off - which super sucks - but there's not really anything I could do about it. 
  6. So, I'm back at work now - it's wearing me down a LOT, but I'm surviving.  My ginormous scars are healing, and I go for a second post-operative appointment with my surgeon in about a week and a half. 
  7. The real downer about the surgery is that I haven't been able to do my Wii Fit! I know, totally unfair, right? I have to wait six weeks to do any aerobic activity.  But, in the meantime, I bought a game called Walk It Out - which is ridiculously fun - and every time I do it I walk longer - last night it was 75 minutes - there's just so much to do!!  So, at least I'm getting exercise, although I'm pretty psyched for two weeks from tomorrow when I can start Wii Fitting it up!
Yup, so I'm making up for lost time here, and plan on writing more again in the near future.  I'm a fascinating person, so I'm pretty sure there are some people out there who died because they were holding their breath until my next post.  And to their friends and families - I say "Sorry".