Back in Action

I'm back!

It's been a really long time since I last wrote. Almost six months, actually. So much has happened.

The last six months have been the most exciting, scary, busy, stressful, draining, exhilarating, surprising six months I can remember.

A lot of stuff has happened.

This is the semester that I have been dreading for about a year and a half. I knew I was going to be taking two classes at once and looking for a condo all at the same time, along with the busiest, most frustrating time at work. And all with two graduates in my classroom, which adds a whole extra layer of stress and a whole lot more of my time.

So basically for the last six months I kind of dropped off the face of the earth. I didn't really get to see anyone that often, and when I did I was stressed and grumpy.

But I have partially emerged from my cave (partially, I'm not entirely done yet) and feel like a new person, with a new condo.

That's right, I have a condo.

I own my own condo.

Crazy, huh?

It's wonderful. Not the best or fanciest condo, but it's all mine. It has two bedrooms, washer and dryer, front porch, big kitchen, three blocks from the water. And it's MINE. No roommate, no one else's mess, just mine. I can't wait.

I don't live there yet, I've been spending a while fixing it up. And slowly but surely, it's been changing from a dirty, creepy old-lady condo to my very own fresher, younger, slightly cooler condo.

GONE is the seagull wallpaper and seashell shower curtain!

GONE is the quilted star wallpaper!

GONE are the bland, boring walls!

GONE is the Jesus night light (she seriously left it for me because she thought I might want it!)

GONE is the entirely blue bedroom!

And soon, the ugly blue carpet will be GONE as well!

Also, the ancient, possessed fridge? Not long for this world!

So I have been doing a lot of painting and home improvements and will hopefully be moving in the next few weeks. Now that the craziness is almost past, hopefully I'll be able to write more.

There's still a lot I want to say, so check back throughout the summer and I'll have some more postings.

In the meantime, it feels great to be back! :)

Quadruple Feature: Day 2

So today I finished my movie-thon with The Kite Runner and Atonement. It was a bit heavy for a Sunday afternoon, but I am a champion movie-viewer and managed it with ease!

The Kite Runner was very good. Not great, but very good. I was really impressed with the children of the film and felt they gave a very strong performance. Marc Forster handled the kite scenes exceptionally well and really managed to capture the excitement. I thought Amir's father, played by Homayoun Ershadi was very convincing. Some critics had problems with the older Amir, and how he was kind of wimpy. Well, that was his whole character, he is a wimpy guy. That is kind of what the whole movie is about. Even when trying to stand up for something, he still, in a way, wimps out and gets the crap kicked out of him. But it's very genuinely and likeably played by Khalid Abdalla. It wasn't as good of the book, of course, but was a good little film.

Atonement was a beautiful movie. Joe Wright directed this, who I totally forgot until this morning, directed 2005's Pride and Prejudice. That movie is one of my absolute favorites, and perfect from opening shot to right before the end. Yes, I do hate the ending and how they don't kiss in the big dramatic ending. I'm all for surprising the audience and leaving them hanging, but that was a little ridiculous. The score is one of my favorites as well.

So, realizing that this morning, I had somewhat higher expectations than previously. The movie was equally as beautiful and haunting as P&P. Keira Knightly and James McAvoy (who I've been keeping my eye on for a few years) are brilliant together. I absolutely love the locations and cinematography.

All in all, my favorite movie of the last two days was Juno. It was just so different and unique, and I loved it. I admit, I downloaded Anyone Else But You from the soundtrack, as sung by Michael Cera and Ellen Page. What a great ending, and what a perfect song. I've had it in my head all day. My favorite line is "and I'm in love with how you feel."

Quadruple Feature

'Tis the season to watch movies!

I'm seriously catching up on some movies right now. I went to see Sweeney Todd opening night, and it was fantastic! Tim Burton really did the musical justice and I loved. I did not, however, love Helena Bonham Carter's singing, but congrats to her and Timmy for having a new baby!

I loved that Sondheim was really involved in the movie and supported it the whole way through. I really do love Stephen Sondheim, he is my absolute favorite musical composer. I really do think that it is very unique and unlike any other musical movie done.

Today I pulled a double feature, as I do from time to time. It's not like the movie theater companies need that extra $7 (matinée price, that is). I saw two very different movies, Juno and National Treasure 2. I've had Juno on my List for a while, ever since the trailer premiered on apple over the summer. I was psyched when it started to get so much press, and now all the Golden Globe nods. It was definitely well-written, wonderfully acted, and beautifully shot. The performances were flawless. It was good to see Michael Cera and Jason Bateman sharing a big screen together, even if the didn't really have any scenes together. Ellen Page is really going to blow up, and rightly so.

National Treasure was good fun. I like that kind of stuff, treasure hunts, clues, spies, thieves, etc. It's not going to win any awards, sure, but it's fun to watch, especially on the big screen.

Tomorrow I am going to try to catch another one. I going to see The Kite Runner and Atonement. I am excited for both. I think Marc Forster is a really talented director, and I love the last few movies he's done. I own both Finding Neverland and Stranger Than Fiction. He's definitely heading to the list of favorite directors. Tomorrow may seal the deal. I'm a little bummed the movie isn't getting that much publicity. At first I thought that maybe it was a bad movie, but it's getting decent reviews. Not great, but decent.

Atonement looks excellent. I'm intrigued by the trailers, and really want to find out what happens. It was on the The List anyway, but with all the Golden Globe nods, it became a must-see.

And for those who are wondering, picking a double feature is (for me) a delicate process. It starts with me wanting to see two or more movies. They can only be so-so, because I'm only paying for one, but one has to be one I really want to see. I am a little OCD (sometimes more than a little, I admit), so I turn this into a whole big process.

First, I look at theaters to see where the movies I want are playing. If there are a few that seem likely, I begin by writing all the start times and approximate end times. I do this for each movie I want to see. Once that's done, I compare end times to start times and decide if there is any window that works for me. 15 to 20 minutes is ideal, enough for a bathroom break. I just sit all the way through the credits, go to the bathroom, and then head to the next theater.

If one theater doesn't work, I might try another and go through the whole process again.

Some theaters are immediately discounted for layout purposes, you might have to go through a new entrance and get a new ticket ripped. That doesn't work out too well. I may run into that problem tomorrow, but the other side of the theater only has two screens, so chances are that I will be fine.

I know, I know, I am crazy and over-think things too much. But honestly, it gives me joy to go through the process.

Wish me luck tomorrow!

How Alex and bean sprouts saved Christmas

This is a (lengthy) story about how a grocery store clerk named Alex and some bean sprouts saved Christmas! Or, rather, he saved a dinner that my sister and I made around Christmastime.

OK, so he didn't save it at all. But he did improve it slightly.

I spent the week at my sister Betsy's house (apologies for the pseudonyms, sibs, I'm not terribly original and I don't want to use real names) for Christmas. She's the one with the adorable twins. My other sister Maggie came from out of state to visit, and I also got to spend some time with my brother, sister-in-law, and equally adorable nephew.

My parents? Decided to spend Christmas across the country. Literally, almost about as far away as you can get. But that's a whole other story . . .

Anyway, so since my Betsy was putting us up and making an amazing Christmas meal (all with 7 month old twins!), Maggie and I decided to make dinner for her and her husband. Now, neither Maggie nor I are any good at cooking. I make exactly three meals that I will allow other people to consume other than myself. So I pulled out one of them (Thai lettuce wraps - delicious) and Maggie and I went to the grocery store to do some shopping.

It was a few days before Christmas, so the grocery store was naturally quite crowded. Now, Maggie and I are totally out of our element, and in an unfamiliar grocery store at that. At my normal grocery store, I know where every item is, and I can proceed in a methodical fashion. I generally start with produce, and work my way over, missing no necessary aisle and rarely backtracking. The whole process, from cart-grabbing to checking out usually takes about 10-20 minutes.

This was nothing like that.

We spend about a good 20 minutes in produce alone, wandering around, searching carefully (and blindly missing what was before our very eyes) and haphazardly crossing things off the list. We spent a good 10 minutes looking for ginger root. We also could not find the bean sprouts.

Maggie pulled aside an Oh-So-Friendly Sales Clerk who, as it turns out, works in the deli, not produce. He very nicely showed us to the ginger, but did not know where to find the bean sprouts. So we searched a little longer, and had just about given up, when this Oh-So-Friendly Sales Clerk (also known as Alex) found us again, and showed us where the bean sprouts SHOULD be located. Alas, they were not there, so we resigned ourselves to a bean-sprout-less meal.

I think that may be the first time I have ever used the term bean-sprout-less. I'm not certain if I'm feeling the hyphens though. Bean sprout-less? Bean sproutless? Beansproutless? Um, yeah, I think I'll stick with my original plan. Bean-sprout-less it is.

But I digress . . . anyway, we made our way through the aisles erratically, jumping around (even returning to produce on more than one occasion). I believe we were at the baking aisle, when our good friend Alex came to find us! He found the bean sprouts! Right this way! We returned to produce (and not for the last time) and he told us how he had gone into the back to get them, then wandered through the store to find us! Hurray! Christmas was saved!!

Well, not really, but we were still really happy. Or, I was. Maggie was a little hesitant to eat bean sprouts, but I didn't hear any complaints when they turned out delicious!

This story is getting a little lengthy. Indulge me.

So, we checked out, with Maggie cracking hilarious jokes about the diapers we were buying and my nighttime incontinence (the saleswoman didn't find it funny either, don't worry) and I decided to share a little of the Christmas spirit with my good friend Alex.

So we approached customer service, and I told a manager about how nice Alex was and how he went out of his way to help my sister and me. I figure that would be the end of it. Oh no, it wasn't! The manager asked me to hang on, please. He got on the phone and over the PA system to announce that Alex from deli had just gotten a compliment from a customer. He then went on to say how they should all strive to provide this level of customer service. By now I am bright red and people are staring at me. But OH NO, he continues! He then goes, and thank you, MA'AM, for coming up to us and letting us know. Happy holidays!

OK, really, ma'am? I'm 26 and look like I'm 18. No really, I get asked what school I go to. My reply is usually "I teach school, and I'm getting my master's degree." It's not a sore subject, I swear. We're not in the South, you can call me Miss or something.

Well, anyway, I hope my friend Alex got a bonus or something. And I hope all of you found your bean sprouts this holiday season!

Oh yeah, and the dinner? Thai lettuce wraps? They were a huge success. I owe it all to the bean sprouts.

Odds and Ends

I haven't written much lately because, quite frankly, I don't have much to say.

But I found out two exciting things today, so I'll quickly share them and get back to work.

Peter Jackson will be doing The Hobbit in two installations. He and New Line finally worked out a deal. They even settled the law suit! From what I hear, the first one is a 2010 release, which will be The Hobbit story, and the second one will come out in 2011 and will be based on Tolkien's appendices, notes, and other things. It should be interesting. I'm too lazy to post a link, but it's pretty easily found online.

The Dark Knight trailer came out, and looks fantastic. Check that out here.

Also, Sweeney Todd comes out Friday. With four Golden Globe nominations, I think it'll be a hit. The only issue is that the snob in me is a little upset that Sweeney Todd will be such a household name. There goes my elitist musical appreciation and love of Sondheim. (Yeah, I know, I'm being ridiculous).

I don't even know if this post makes sense, because I am tired and stressed and over-worked right now. Eh, I'm publishing anyway.

So yay for Jackson, Batman, and Sondheim. Go see Sweeney Todd!!

December Movies

Holiday movie season is full throttle!!!

To recap November, I did pretty well for myself. I purchased Gilmore Girls season 7 and Hairspray (I passed on Waitress, but will buy it eventually). I saw August Rush in the theaters and generally really liked it, although I acknowledge the unbelievability and it's teetering on the edge of cloying sweetness.

I wholeheartedly look forward to this December and all the movie goodies it brings! (quickly searches on various movie data-bases to recheck facts and avoid false premiere dates . . . not that I've ever done that . . . )

December 2 - Tin Man (3-part mini-series on Sci-Fi; wow that's a lot of hyphens!!) - I watched part 1 on Sunday, and while it was interesting and intriguing, I am not 100% hooked. I like the premise and I love the look of it, but some of the "effects" and fight sequences were a little hokey, and the dialogue was less than stellar. I'll watch the next two parts, as all the good TV is going off the air shortly . . . stupid ANTPT!!

December 4 - Pirates of the Caribbean 3: At World's End - I liked this much better than the second one, but I think I am going to wait until the price goes down (I know, all this "waiting" is unlike me, I normally buy DVDs compulsively, but I am trying to be more frugal as I am trying to save to buy a condo in the spring . . . more about that later).

December 5 - Juno - I really hope I get to see this before it leaves the theaters, it looks amazing. I love Ellen Paige's dry delivery style in the previews and Michael Cera can do no wrong (especially 'cause he was on an episode of Veronica Mars!).

December 7 - The Golden Compass - At last!!! I am going on Friday and I can't wait! Even as the lukewarm reviews trickle in, I refuse to let them hinder my excitement. BUT, if I hear one more person try to dissuade me from going because Philip Pullman is an atheist and in the movie two kids kill God, I swear I cannot be held accountable for my actions. To set the record straight, yes, the books may be somewhat atheistic in nature, but who cares? I get emails telling me to boycott the movie, and that makes me angry. God forbid anyone publish a view different than your own. Oh yeah, and nobody kills God. Read the books and find out for yourself instead of passing around small-minded emails. Oh, and as a side-note, how does an atheist kill God anyway? I thought God didn't exist?

Forgive my little rant . . . it's just something that keeps coming up and making me angry. Back to our regularly scheduled program . . .

December 7 - Atonement - It could be good, or spectacularly bad. I would try to see this in the theaters, but realistically I don't think I will be able to make it, since there are SO many good movies coming out.

December 11 - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix DVD - Can't wait! This will be a day-of purchase!

December 11 - The Bourne Supremacy DVD - Again, I will probably show great restraint and not purchase this one . . . although seeing it next to Harry Potter will be tough . . . I just have to think of my condo . . .

December 14 - The Kite Runner - It keeps getting pushed back, and now it's only a limited release, with no nationwide release planned yet? That's a little troublesome. But, currently, Marc Forster is on my list (a good list, I really like him as a director). I've recently come to be interested in specific directors, and he is definitely one to pay attention to, I think.

December 18 - The Simpsons Movie DVD - Oh hell yeah, that's a keeper!

December 18 - Stardust DVD - Yup, there will be no restraint on this day, condo be damned!

December 21 - SWEENEY TODD!! - It gets all caps and exclamation points. I'm that excited. Opening night, here I come!! And this made me even more excited.

December 21 - National Secrets: Book of Treasures - My coworker can't wait to see this, I might wait until January, possibly even for DVD. I'm gonna miss me some Sean Bean.

Happy movie watching!

Thankful

I have a lot to be thankful for, so here's a quick list before I jet off to see August Rush (can't wait!):

- my family (more specifically, my siblings, parents, niece, and nephews)
- the fact that I don't have twins - after spending four days with them, I am wiped! Yet somehow, my sister raises them beautifully and without complaint
- my job
- my students
- my two paraprofessionals (assistants), who are amazing people and great paras
- Boston Market (seriously, I go there once a week!)
- Netflix - it seriously rocks

I'm sure I'll add some more later, there is so much to be thankful for in this life. I hope everyone had a healthy and happy Thanksgiving!

Fool-Proof Cooking

The following is a recipe for turkey, dictated to me by one of my students. This is exactly how he described how to cook a turkey.

Needless to say, I typed it up and had him give it to several teachers he knows as a Thanksgiving treat. I also sent a copy home with his mother, and asked her to save me a seat at their Thanksgiving table. This was just to good to pass up.

(comments in italics are added by me)

So enjoy Turkey a la Rickie!

How to Make a Turkey:
A Thanksgiving Recipe

1. Bring water to a boil in a pie pot. Not just any pot, a pie pot. So head out to your favorite cookware store, and be sure to specify a pie pot. (Don't mind the confused stares, they just don't know what they're talking about.)

2. Add salt to the water. Now most people add salt before the water boils, but in this recipe, add it after the boil. It may make the difference between a poor turkey and a great turkey!

3. Boil the turkey for 2 minutes. Forget this 4 hours crap, now you can do it in only two minutes!!

4. Poke the turkey at 9:00. Perhaps the most crucial step, this must be done at exactly 9:00. Don't mess this one up!

5. Add the stuffing. Mix the stuffing around with apples. In this special recipe, you can stuff the turkey after it's cooked!

6. When the smoke detector goes off, the turkey is ready! No more thermometers, sticking it with forks, or anything! Just walk away, and the smoke detector will tell you it's ready! It couldn't be easier!

Enjoy this delicious recipe! Happy Thanksgiving!

November Movies

The Hollywood Holiday movie season has officially begun. This is the time of the year when they start to release the big movies for the holiday season. This is also around the time when the summer blockbusters come out on DVD. As a result, Bella becomes just a little bit poorer. Although, now that I do some fact-checking before releasing The List to the public, I see now that many movies have been pushed back, including The Kite Runner (love Marc Forster, can't wait for this one) and Charlie Bartlett (all the way back to February, no less). So perhaps I won't be quite as poor as I originally thought. Although the DVD list is still a little disheartening.

November 13 - Gilmore Girls Season 7 DVD - This is the final DVD in the collection. It makes me sad that the show ended the way they did, with the producers getting screwed over and leaving. Season 7 started a little shaky, but ended on a high note and went out with a bang. I miss this show, even though I think it's time had come. I will relive the glory through all seven season, which I will own soon!

November 13 - Ocean's 13 DVD - I may wait to purchase this until the price goes down, but it is still worth a note. It was much better than the mush of Ocean's 12.

November 20 - Hairspray DVD - I loved this movie! As a huge musical afficianado, I either love or hate the movie versions. This one was almost perfect. I've been waiting for the DVD for months, so I'm pretty psyched.

November 21 - August Rush - This is a movie that kept getting pushed back, and I'm thrilled that it is finally coming. I'm a sucker for movies all about the power of music (Mr. Holland's Opus being the supreme example) and the cast is phenomenal. This is a must-see for me.

November 21 - Enchanted - I may or may not see this in the theaters, depends on if anyone wants to go with me. It's definitely a cool concept.

November 27 - Waitress DVD - I loved this movie. Nathan Fillion is my hero, even if he plays a nerdy doctor here. Keri Russell is beautiful and charming in this. It's not for everyone, but I really enjoyed it. It's Keri's big month, with the Waitress DVD and August Rush all coming out. Good for her.

I did pretty well for myself in October. I saw Dan in Real Life and Across the Universe in the theaters, as well as Nightmare Before Christmas in 3-D. I also purchased the final season of Veronica Mars and cried as I watched potentially the last new Veronica Mars material ever to be written in the season 4 pitch. I haven't bought Spider-Man 3 yet, but that will come.

Hopefully now I've broken my writing drought and will have time to write more frequently.

I wanted to write

There have been so many things I’ve wanted to write, so many things I’ve wanted to share. I saw a lot of good movies, read a LOT of books, and wanted to share so much.

But there’s never enough time. I plan things in my head, what will I write in my blog? I’ll start it like this, with this sentence. I’ll conclude with this. I’ll add this funny anecdote.

But there’s never enough time.

And now here I am, staring at a blank screen, with nothing to say.

I wanted to write about books, how I have been a reading spree. I can’t even keep them updated in my side list. I read all His Dark Materials (yay Golden Compass!) again, a whole bunch of Lemony Snicket (I’m at The End), and a bunch of other good things.

I wanted to write about friends, how I feel like I have made a few new ones this year, and I feel like I’m in a good place right now.

I wanted to write about movies, and how Dan in Real Life is my new Little Miss Sunshine.

I wanted to write about T.V., and how much I love Chuck and miss Veronica. And how Joss Whedon has a NEW SHOW coming out (whoo hoo!). And about this crazy strike that's happening.

But most especially, I wanted to write about my family. It's been on my mind a lot lately. I even started several drafts.

I started to write about what my family means to me. I started to write about my brother’s gig, and how proud I am of him. I started to write about my niece and nephews and how they are getting so big and old and getting to be real people. I started to write about my siblings, and how they doing all these amazing things; running marathons, raising kids. But it all sounded so fake and phony, and didn’t express the wonderfulness of my family, and how proud I am to be one of them.

I wanted to write so much.

So this is what I came up with.

Maybe next time I won't wait so long to write.