Juno

What a great movie! (and, I finally got out of the house! YEA!) The writing is really fantastic; I love the dialogue, and endless making up of new words and phrasage. There were some really nice and surprising moments too; like when her stepmom goes off on the obnoxious ultrasound tech. All around, a very clever film.

There have been some jokes about how if this was a film about a black teenager getting pregnant, it wouldn't have received all the accolades and praise... but I don't think that's necessarily true. It would have been a different story, IMO; since most films of that nature usually take place in the ghetto, with gangsters, and mymomwasalreadyateenmom backgrounds (if we're looking at stereotypes here, which I think those people with criticism are). This was just in the suburbs, with semi-hip middle class teenagers; and it was very good. So, yeah. (and who wasn't in this movie? Jennifer Garner? check. Jason Bateman? check. Rainn Wilson? check. Alison Janney? check. Laci Chambers? check. seriously!)

Brooklyn Botanical Garden

Man, I do love New York!

August, 2007:

On a day like today, so icky, rainy, and grey... it's nice to remember a place full of sunshine, heat, flowers, and a gorgeous fountain. (someday I'll have one in my yard. Someday!)

Los Musicos Part Dos

Wouldn't you know? Less than 24 hours after I write about my favorite bands of all time.. .I find out that 2 of them are playing at the huge (and hugely expensive) Sasquatch Music Festival! Am very tempted to go.... (C'mon! R.E.M AND The Cure? When does that happen?) There are quite a few other bands that I like too (Death Cab for Cutie, Teegan and Sara, The Kooks) so I guess we'll see if any of my friends are equally tempted to a.)spend close to $70 and b.)drive past Ellensburg for a festival! (I have a feeling that REM and the Cure will be on different days though; no way can I spend $160!!!)

Check it out:

http://sasquatchfestival.com/2008/main.php?page=lineup

Here is Lulu. Because I never post any pictures here... and she's just the cutest thing ever!

High Fidelity

In this movie, John Cusak has Top 5 lists for everything. Top 5 reasons he misses his girlfriend, Top 5 Dream Jobs.. and Top 5 Bands of all time. (well, not so sure about that last one. It's been a while since I've watched it.)

So... here are my Top 5 Bands/Musicians of ALL TIME:

1.) Fleetwood Mac
2.) Prince
3.)The White Stripes
4.)The Cure
5.) Tie between Jane's Addiction and The Shins. (funny too, b/c at a Shins show last summer, they started playing "Mountain Song", after joking that we all were as wild as if we were at a JA show, circa 1993.)

Pretty sad, there's only one girl in the whole lot of them...

Runners-Up:

Tori Amos, R.E.M. (there was a time when I thought I could just take 5 of their albums, and seal my CD changer shut because I loved them So Much.) and hmm... Hole. Yes, I do have Courtney Love's book. :)

I am ready for the cold now... in Alaska!

It's been sooooo cold here lately... and despite wearing 2 sweaters under my coat, I was still freezing my ass off. So, what do you do? I ordered a new coat (parka, actually) from LL Bean, and some snow boots from zappos. They both got here today... even though the weekend's snow is long gone. But soon I will be warm! The coat is a different color than I expected, but I still like it. Here it is:

http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?page=ultrawarm-hooded-jacket,-women's&storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1&categoryId=44802&guideCategoryId=502579&feat=502579-dg&from=GL

See if that works!

And here are the boots:

http://www.zappos.com/n/p/dp/18831742/c/25297/reviewcount/15.html#mr

My goal this winter is to try snowshoeing... hopefully more than once, but we shall see. My sister gets here next Friday (!!!) the 14th, at some ungodly late hour, just like normal. :)

And now I seem to have a cold, so I'm taking tomorrow off-- because I can! And am missing a really boring and obnoxious staff meeting! Winning all over today...

7 Books

So, my friend Kristen from the days of yore has tagged me to write about my 7 current favorite children's books. Here goes!

1.) Knocked out by my Nunga-Nungas, Louise Rennison: I chose this one from the Georgia Nicholson series because a.) They go to France, and I dressed up as a "French Person" for Halloween (it was vair vair hilarious!) and b.)I really am just looking for my Dave The Laugh.

2.) Charlotte's Web, E.B. White- I have always loved this book, and maybe, in some way, it's part of the reason that I plan to have a farm someday.

3.) The Lonely Seahorse, Saxton Freeman and Joost Elvers (sp?)- I love how they make vegetables look like sea creatures! Especially the dolphins!

4.) Dinosaurs, pop-up, Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart- amazing AMAZING pop-up books; this one is my favorite because the T.Rex scares Lulu a little bit.

5.) Harry Potter Series- hard to choose a favorite, but if I had to, I think Book 6. I love those books, even if it did take me many years to get around to reading them (and then doing all of them in less than a month.)

6.) Weetzie Bat, Francesca Lia Block- Man, I love this book... I forget how much I love it, until I read it again. It's just perfect. Also part of the reason I lived in L.A.

7.) The Little Witch; This was my mom's favorite book when she was little, and I have her copy. It's really cute, and just a nice story (from what I remember).

** Special Bonus Books!!***
What?! You can't do that!!! Oh, I think I just did! (plus, this time last year, I thought I was going to become a librarian. I get bonus books!)

*The Little Prince, St. Antoine d'Expury (sp?); Great book for all ages, and the pictures are even funny in French!

*The Sweet Pickle Series; I don't know if this still exists, but it had 26 volumes- one for each letter of the alphabet, about an animal that also started with that letter.

*Toot and Puddle; Two pigs who are best friends, one travels and the other stays home.

*Olivia and the Missing Toy; Two words: "Wooshie Gaga!"

*Leo the Lop; Most of the reason I got a lop bunny. I should have just gotten another book! (kidding, a little.... sorry evil bunny!)

Oh, I'm sure there are more, but my brain has gone stop.