I Miss My Icons

They're at home...in my pictures folder. I always update at school, so I never have cute little icons. Bugger. I think I shall put up a whole icon post when I get home. Because they are so loverly.


First---it's Joshie's 25th birthday!!!! (And Yay for me for figuring out how to put a picture on my flash drive!!!) Happy Birthday, Josh!!! Isn't that cute?!?!?! Plus, I can totally do six and a half years. That's not weird at all. It's been a year since he sang at the Oscars and Beyonce totally stole his thunder. We hate her. A lot. And its also his little brother Chris's birthday...I feel kind of badly for Chris...

So how is everybody's Monday going??? I for one kind of like Mondays. I love the weekends, but Sundays are just depressing, and there's no good TV on, right??? I mean, Saturday and Sunday are pretty much just wastelands...I did tape Cold Case and Grey's Anatomy last night, so I'll probably put something up on my TV blog about those and the closing ceremony (Ricky Martin??? Wha???Why did Bocelli only get to sing one song and "She Bangs" was up there for half an hour???)

It's snowing so prettily...it's really light and floaty and is just kind of floating to the ground (actually, when you look through the blinds it looks like animated snow from a Charlie Brown movie...). This is a meteorlogical phenomenon for me, because for the past seven years, I've never seen snow actually fall- it just whips past my window at a billion miles an hour horizontally. I think this pretty snow has caused some accidents though, because the line of cars at this one stop sign was literally a mile long, and the expressway was just pretty much parked. That's so sad- why don't people slow down???

I should probably go "prepare" for art. I'm kinda worried that the prof is going to think I'm not taking the class seriously. See, she started assigning these outline things because nobody was doing the reading (I was) and they include doing sketches of the works of art represented. Which is just fine, except that I have negative artistic talent. My people don't even look like people- they look like those babies that are all bundled up, you know, a head and just a random shape for the rest of the body??? Yeah, that. Ugh.

I would so never...

...let my spouse appear on one of these shows. You're just begging for trouble.

This is not good...

...they're breaking in a new crew of coffee place people here at school. Who have a relatively low grasp of English. And give you the wrong coffee and don't put out swizzle sticks or milk for the coffee...ooh, looks like they just did. Be right back...

Yay- milk!!! Still no sticks, though, which is going to make stirring in the milk significantly harder. At least these muffins are made someplace else and shipped in.

Wanna know something funny? I sat here for ten minutes about half and hour ago trying to get my art notes to print, and each time it said, "Document Unable to Print". So I said some nasty words in my head and gave up. And now the printer is randomly spitting out my notes, even though I canceled the print. I'm very confused. Maybe it's because I slept weirdly last night- in that I slept. Usually I'm either awake for hours at a stretch (I know every video that VH1 has the rights to...) or I wake up occasionally. But last night I only woke up once, and I wasn't sure what time it was, because it was still really dark and I didn't have the energy to roll over and look the clock. And then I heard my dad in the shower and got a little bit sad, because I figured he wasn't showering at three o'clock when I had several more hours to sleep...can you tell I'm really tired!!!!

(Oh, here come more notes...)

Oh, Alan turned sixty yesterday...Maybe I should just leave this part blank so that Colleen and Mary can just fill in the insults. Is that alright, girls??? ;)

I'm feeling bloated and unattractive. (I know you all really needed to know that, right???) But I'm wearing my cute little black sweater. This is my favorite sweater. It always makes me feel thin. And it has a teeny tiny little rip along the seam under my arm. But nobody notices. And really, if you had a Ralph Lauren sweater that made you look thin, wouldn't you wear it until it wore out??? I know I am...

I'm late for class, but I'm going to do an Olympic thing on my TV blog later, okay???

Whoo!!! Research Day!!!

I love "researching" as opposed to actually sitting in class. Especially since I tried to pick up my insanely huge backpack this morning and pulled something and now I have terrible sciatic pain down my leg. And since I've been ignoring the increasingly fervant postcards from my chiropractor ("Seriously, where the hell are you? It's been like three months."), I'm thinking there's not a whole lot I can do about it. But it does make me wonder if we have the whole Romanov slaughter thing wrong. Maybe Alexandra begged Yurovsky to put her out of her misery? Did we ever think about that??? No, didn't think so. Plausible? I think so.

Yeah, just printed something to make it look like I'm working. Ha. They should know better by now.

So it's Monday again. That always comes up, doesn't it??? Three weeks until spring break. Yay. Most people go out and get drunk in warm locales...I sleep for seven days, emerging only for the occasional meal and entertainment. Well, except for last year when I went to Cleveland- the Home of Nothing. Yeah. This it totally my youth.

Insane amounts of fun yesterday though. Went to see Harry Potter with Colleen and Mary. While I was slightly more awake than the last time I went, it was still good. Although the producers need to seriously wake up and realize that giving Alan three freakin' lines in the whole movie (one of which is two words!!!) is NOT a Good Idea. Really. As much as I love watching him being all brooding in the background, I like listening to his accent more. Wow. I have some serious issues. Oooh, and all of our trailers were there!!! Pride and Prejudice and King Kong and Walk the Line...and one other one that I don't remember. But still, pretty good.

And then we were all ready to kill and eat each other, so we stopped at Taco Bell and consumed large quantities of Crunchwrap Supremes and cheesy potatos. Yeah. Good times. Good times. Yeah, that was pretty much it. Another one of those We Should Never Speak of This days. Always a good time. :p

I was going to wait until I got home to post this so I could add cute little icons before Imladris steals them all, but I don't want to. Read my TV blog, there's stuff about Numbers on there...

Russia

Oh, we love the Russians. I have a Russian complex. I think I am Russian. See, when my family members left Poland, it was technically Russia, because Russia was going through one of their frequent "Let's recreate Rome and take over everything," phases. So therefore, I am Russian. Makes sense, doesn't it??? I think so. Of course, my father, the bearer of "Polish" blood in my house, reminds me frequently that I'm crazy and not Russian. Whatever. Russian sounds way more fun. I told my mom yesterday that I was planning on taking Russian next year because I need fourteen credits of foreign language before I can declare my major and she just kind of looked at me like, "Really? You wouldn't want French or something???"

The Olympics have been good for the Russians, too. They've won both figure skating competitions, although it's really, REALLY hard to beat a Russian in figure skating. Because when they do their little back-story thing, the Russians are like, "I had to eat my shoes just to live." And the Americans kind of look at their own super-expensive shoes and are like, "Well...um...I was kind of overweight when I was little. That hurt." And the Russian's like, "Oh, boo-hoo. I'll bet your parents helped you through that difficult phase, right??? Well, I had to SELL my parents just to buy skates!" And then the Americans start crying because any sob story sounds better when it's in subtitles.

I totally fell in love with the Russian skater who won the '98 games...Ilya Kulick. (I'm sure that's not the right spelling.) I was ten. And then he married that Katerina Witt girl and they lived happily ever after. Whatever. I got over him. *sniff*

My Complete and Utter Lack of Moral Fervor

It's becoming a problem, really.

Yesterday I spent an hour and a lot of money buying DVDs at Best Buy. They were having a sale. I couldn't help it. But the problem is that I have vowed never to shop there, because it ruined the parking and just generally disrupted thing.

But I'm such a whore for convenience that now I'm like, "Oooh, Rewards card..."

Sheesh.

And this isn't the first time it's happened either- I was never going to set foot in Target, Starbucks, or Borders. Yeah. That went well. I arguably spend more time with the Target cashiers than I do with my friends, most of my unborn children's college fund has been funnelled into nonfat lattes and frappuccinos, and Borders is the center of my social life. Seriously, I MEET people there. It's a DESTINATION!!!!

Maybe this is why I'm not a liberal activist like most of my generation- no one could count on me. If the whaler pulled up and offered me ridiculously overpriced coffee and a scone I'd lay down my little Save the Whales sign and join him on the boat.

Hell, if he gave me 30% off new releases and bestsellers, I'd probably shoot that harpoon thingy!

I would not make a good activist. :)

I want that to be the back of my head!!!!

It kinda looks like it. Okay, maybe my jaw isn't that boney, but it could be. *sniff*

Monday, Monday

I think I used this title before, because I'm pretty sure I got a "Mamas an Papas" reference in here. But I don't remember what it was, so make up your own joke, k???

We just sort-finished watching The Agony and the Ecstasy in art class...pretty good, except that I can't get over Rex Harrison playing a Pope, because clearly he should be in a study somewhere teaching Audrey Hepburn how to speak correctly. And every time I see Charlton Heston I think of Matt Damon on Oprah going, "Hey! It's Moses!!!" and that just makes me laugh. :) Right now Prof. Higgins just lied to him to get him to keep painting and the poor little Medici princess is just hanging around even though Michelangelo totally dumped her twenty minutes ago. But really, what else does a Medici princess really have to do??? I guess I'd hang around too. Plus her dresses are gorgeous...

It totally made me realize how great old movies are. And how much better the guys look in them. (No, I don't have a thing for Moses. That's gross.) Maybe because they were always a little bit older, and didn't all look like GQ cover boys- I can't see Ashton Kutcher pulling off Michelangelo, can you??? So now I want to go home and watch an old movie. Which I suppose I'll have to supply, because TCM is not running any of my favorites. Except 12 Angry Men, which isn't on until ten. When I will have collapsed into bed. Best Buy is, however, having a special on certain DVDs that are 2 for $15, which I think I shall have to take them up on. Lupé's due for a check on Wednesday, and apparently my next marketing assignment is coming up, so maybe I'll go tomorrow...

So, has everybody been watching the Olypics??? I totally have, if only because there is very little else offered on the weekend when you're watching hospital cable. Again, I watched hours of skiing last night, and I enjoyed it. How sad is that???

This however, is sad. Michell Kwan dropped out. Awww. We feel badly for her. She really was a better skater than Tara Lipinski, who is now relegated to playing prostitutes on 7th Heaven...hmmm...I think Michelle could have put the medal to better use. Although I'd be willing to bet that little Emily Hughes was sitting on her couch with her bags packed from the second she fell, don't you think???

Speaking of washed-up skaters, have we seen Tonya Harding recently??? Seriously, girl has ballooned!!!!! Just look at the picture!!!! Jeff Gilooly doesn't look so bad now, does he??? (Well, I mean, yes, yes, he does, but she probably can't do much better...)

And finally in news, Dick Cheney shot a guy. No, seriously, he SHOT him. They were shooting quail, and he SHOT HIM!!!! The CNN newsanchor people could barely keep from laughing. It was like, "The gentleman *snigger* is expected to make a complete *giggle* recovery. Back to you, Ashley. *smothered guffaw*"

I have to go be bored out of my mind during government. I also put stuff up on TV Watch last week in case anybody didn't get to see it.

Can't Think of Title

It's too early. I've been up for an hour and fifty-three minutes, and this is just not cool.

In world news (which caused me to choke on my yogurt), according to the NY Times Putin is inviting the new leader of Iran to Moscow. Oh, this is good. Personally, I think tha Putin has way too many communist leanings (and I think he poinsoned the Ukrainian president), and getting him together an Islamic extremist doesn't seem like such a good idea. Right? At least, that's my opinion. Not that anybody asked for it. Because the last time that "hot fabergeegg" (*bursts into laughter*) called, he didn't really want to talk about my ideas on his government. I've got some good ones, too. (The thesis: Return of the the Tsar...and his pretty court.)

Also, the Olympics start tonight with the opening ceremony in Turin. Yay! I don't know what it is about the Olypics. I hate sports. I don't mean "not like". I mean hate. Like leave the room and curse when anything resembling a team of men and ball comes on the screen. But I love the Olympics. I'll find myself watching mens track and field for four and a half hours...and I like it! Of course, there is not track and field this time, but maybe I'll get into luge or something.

Oooh, maybe Mary will, and then she'll have to be "lugegirl1379" or whatever it is!!! HAHAHAHA. That would be funny.

And our national anthem is totally the best. We even kick France's ass. It's awesome.

The opening ceremony is great---although not as great as Salt Lake City when Joshiekins sang. Although Andrea Bocelli is singing at the closing one, which is good, because I like HIS MUSIC. *evil glare*

Not much else going on...oh, who else thinks that Barry Manilow needs to stop pimping himself out too much??? Seriously, dude was on Dancing With the Stars last week. I usually avoid talk shows, and I'm getting sick of hearing him sing Venus. Sheesh.

Should get going and "prepare for class". Yeah. Totally.

Didn't get a chance to see CSI or Without a Trace last night, but I taped them and will put something up either this afternoon or tomorrow. I did, however, watch Lost and Will and Grace, and have many, many comments about those which I'll probably put up during my next break, so check my TV blog, okay??? Have a good Friday!!! :)

If you need another reason to love Disney World...

...this has g0t to be it.

Stolen From Imladris

I have a thing for innane quizzes that nobody really wants to read. It's just me.

What do you eat when you raid the fridge late at night? I don't like to waste calories unless I'm completely awake and ready to enjoy them.

What is your secret guaranteed weeping movie? Oh, gosh, there are so many. I think it's a release mechanism because I don't cry in real life. I lost a contact during Return of the King, though.

What is the little physical habit that gives away your insecure moments? I am perfectly confident at all times. *rolls eyes* It's really gross. You still wanna know? My skin turns red and blotchy.

Do you know anyone famous? Not yet. I fully plan on marrying one, though.

Do you know how to play poker? Kinda. With my dad. But I think someone who wasn't legally obligated to love me could kick my ass.

Are you happy with your given name?Yeah, totally. When I was little I thought it'd be cool to be "Elizabeth", but now I like my real name.

How much money would it take to get you to give up the Internet for one year? Well, somebody would actually have to stalk all my celebrities for me and then send me the information. So enough to pay them.

What color is your bedroom? blue and green. With little clouds. I painted it when I was little.

What was the last song you were listening to? "Someday" by somebody I don't know. It's on the Olympic commercials, though.

Do you talk a lot? I practically get kicked out of class for NOT talking enough. Nobody thinks I do the readings. Which I totally do.

Which musical instrument do you wish you could play? Violin. I wanted to learn when I was younger and my mom said no. I don't know why, because my track record for sticking with expensive instruments is spotless.

How do you eat an apple? With my teeth, moron.

Do you have tattoos? Yes, but I don't remember getting them. What do you think???

Do you drive a stick? No. I had enough trouble with automatic. Although I guess when that famous person I'm going to marry shows up and buys me a Lamborghini I'm ging to have to learn. *sigh*

What's one trait you dislike in a person? Conceit and gum chewing.

What kind of watch do you wear? A cheap one from Target. I refuse to spend money on essential things.

Do you consider yourself materialistic? While I wouldn't sell my family into slavery (thanks, Colleen), I am incredibly materialistic. I'm supporting several families in the entertainment industry on my DVD expenditure alone.

What do you cook the best? Weirdly enough, I'm really good at tiramisu. I burn myself making microwave potatos, but give me an Italian dessert and I kick ass.

Favorite writing instrument? A pen that makes nice neat letters. I'm a little obsessive about my handwriting.

What kind of books do you like to read? I will read any and everything. My favorites are really good historical fiction novels, classical romances, biographies, and anything Russian. I'm a total slavophile.

If you won the lottery, what would you do? A week ago I would have said something generous like giving it to charity, but now the costs of higher education are looming and I'd probably keep most of it. And go to hell. But at least I'd be educated.

Burial or cremation? Eww. Burial, I guess.

How many online journals do you read regularly? Like three. I'm lonely.

What's one thing you're a loser at? Nothing. I excell at everything I do.

If you don't like a person, how do you show it? I'm not into confrontation, so everybody I've ever met probably thinks I like them. And it's going to stay that way.

Do you cry in front of your friends? No.

When's the last time you cried? I don't know. Couple of weeks, maybe? I got a little teary this morning when I was listening to A Lifetime. It's really a sad song. And I was alone in the car. And it was early.

What's your favorite type of music? Anything sung by a hot guy...hahaha, no I'm not that shallow. Classical or pop. Or really light rock. Really light.
What are your kids names? Jack, Emily, and baby Charlotte. :)

Do you watch a lot of television? Well, let's put it this way. I was arguably more upset by the fact that CSI:NY had to go off for the summer than I have been at many funerals. I'd say so.

Do you like to shop? Oh, hell, yes. This is why I have no money. But not for clothes. I like to get new clothes and wear them, but the act of shopping for them depresses me. I don't know why.

What is your hidden talent? I don't have any. I have very few talents, and I definately make sure you know about all of them.

Would you die to save the life of someone you deeply love? I am unlovable, so I'll say yes.

How long have you known your best friend(s)? Non-family member friend? It was K-4, so I was five. She was four.

Is he/she married? I don't think so. But it's complicated. ;)

Do you own a Bible? Yes.

Do you play chess? Um, I had a little Kiddie Chess book when I was a kid, but I don't really remember anything except I thought the queen was pretty. Which is weird because it doesn't look like a person.

Do you like the rain? Yes. A lot.

Do you like thunderstorms? Not since the House-premeire debacle.

Do you believe in God? Yes.

8 Favorites.

Favorite Color: Blue

Favorite Food: It changes. Right now- enchiladas. I have a craving for Mexican...

Favorite Song: Remember When It Rained, Josh Groban

Favorite Movie: Too many to count. Probably Life is Beautiful, though.

Favorite Sport: HAHAHAHAHA

Favorite Season: Winter

Favorite Day Of the Week: Friday. Next up, Monday. I know it's weird, and I love the weekend, but I like the feeling of getting back into your routine on Monday, you know?

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Haagen Dazs Bailey's Irish Cream. I ate about 400 calories worth last night.

Currents

Current Mood: Accomplished. I just submitted a scholarship application. I rock.

Current Taste: Wha???

Current Desktop: Tulips. If it were my choice, it would be a Johnny Depp picture.

Current Toenail Color: Flesh, except for this little spot of pink left over from the summer. It was in the crease of my nail bed then, and I couldn't get it off. Now it's up at the top. Good way to see how much your nails grow, actually.
Current Time: 3:41 pm

Current Surroundings: A lovely garden...or the den. Whatever.

Current Annoyance(s): This headache that's threatening to break.

Current Thought: Damn, how long is this thing?!?!?!?

5 Firsts

First Best Friend: Probably Erin. Maybe Amy. We weren't really that close, though. I just invited her to my birthday party without finding out her name. My mom still laughs about that one.

First Pet: My pet? A horse. Talk about jumping in the deep end. The first family pet was probably one of my brother's frogs. I didn't like them much.

First Crush: Honestly, I don't remember. I know I liked a little boy I used to play with. He was probably it. We were only five, though.

First Music: First music? What the hell kind of question is this??? Probably the irish songs my mom played while she was pregnant with me. When I was a baby they were the only things that would get me to calm down. Now they just make me feel like drinking.

5 Lasts

Last Cigarette: I like my lungs and feel like keeping them. We're attached.

Last Car Ride: Half and hour ago, picking up my sister from school.

Last Movie Seen: I watched some Daddy Day Care while I was on the treadmill yesterday, but whole movie would be Airplane. Which is a profoundly screwed up and hilarious movie.

Last Phone Call: With mom telling her we got someplace safely.

Last CD Played: Rachmaninoff's Complete Concertos for Piano. I'm weird, I know that.

4 Things You've Done Today

1. Drove to school.
2. Realized I left my wallet at home.
3. Drove home.
4. Drove back to school. 5 would say "Cursed school repeatedly".

3 Things You Can Hear Right Now

1. Barry Manilow wailing away on Ellen in the living room.
2. Somebody whistling.
3. Our hard drive or someting groaning at being actually asked to work. We even have lazy computors.

5 Things You Can't Live Without

1. God
2. Family
3. Friends (the people and the TV show...see, I'm not the same as everybody else!!!)
4. The State Department website (I told you I was weird...)
5. My CSIs/Lost/Arrested Development (oops, that one's gone...)

2 Thing You Do When You're Bored

1. Watch vortex programming on MTV or VH1
2. Take stupid quizzes online.

The Super Bowl

Or the four-hour black hole of no programming for anybody with two X chromosomes. (Okay, I know a lot of women like football. Knock yourselves out.) I'm actually kind of half-listening because it was rumored that there will be a POTC 2 commerical, and hell, I'll watch/do almost anything to see Johnny as a pirate. I'm not proud of it, but I will.

On a slightly more estrogen-based note, I have a confession to make. I am a chick-lit whore. *hangs head in shame*

Yes, I consider myself well-read. I have devoured Austen, Hawthorne, Thackeray, Hugo, Tolstoy, Dostoevesky, an even Nabokov with an almost scary zeal. Ever since I read Wuthering Heights when I was twelve and it took me to a beautiful place.

(Well, let's face it. I was sitting on the floor of the cardiology ward in St. Lukes. I could have read 1984 and ended up happier than I would have been not reading.)

But at the same time, I absolutely love a good, mindless, vapid chick-lit story. I just finished Meg Cabot's Size 12 is Not Fat (which is a brillitant title, by the way). It was so funny and stupid and I absolutely loved it. When a book is even easier to understand than Bridget Jones, you know you have a true piece of chick lit. And Meg Cabot is the best at it. I first started reading her brand of pre-teen chick lit when I was, well, a pre-teen with The Princess Diaries, and have fallen in love with her adult books. Yes, the make me actually feel my brain rotting and I have to go watch CNN for twenty minutes after I finish one, but whatever. :)

I'm going to go try to find something on television. And let me tell you, it does not look easy. *hissing* At least Grey's Anatomy should be awesome tonight. Small consolation, but whatever.

Finally Updated TV Blog...

...and if it doesn't pop up automatically (my blogs seem to have trouble recognizing that it is a new month. Much like my VCR the other night that caused me to miss Murphy Brown. But I digress...) here is the direct link. Enjoy!!! :) And read my Oscar Nom post below...

Oscar Noms...

...are pretty damn boring, actually. With the notable exceptions of Keira Knightly up for best actress and Corpse Bride for best animated feature, it's pretty much a carbon copy of the Golden Globes and SAG awards. In fact, best actor is the same as SAG. Whatever. It's still the Oscars, and I still have opinions (really, there are so few things that I don't have an opinion on...). You can find the compete list of nominees, including all the boring technical ones, here.

Best Picture-
Well, we all know what's going to win...you cannot beat gay cowboys directed by Asian Americans. Except maybe with racist cops. My choice for a dark horse would be Crash, because it's one of those movies that 12 people saw, only 3 understood it, and the rest of the world just sat around going, "Oh, yeah, it really made you think..." Uh-huh. Sure it did, honey. I'd kind of like to see Capote win, because it looks interesting, but I doubt it. And normally I'd be rooting for Munich because of the Eric Bana connection, but I'm really not fond of films that make terrorists out to be sweet family men. Even if one of them was Hector. Just not cool.

Best Actor-
I'd like to see Juaquin Phoenix win, because he's the only one I really know anything about, but I think Phillip Seymour Hoffman will win...again. And probably favor us with another boring acceptance speech...again. And everybody will try to get that grating Capote-voice out of their heads- again. And every single woman in the audience will be sitting on their couch eating pizza and thinking about the incredibly unfair double standards Hollywood has. Because you know Renee Zelleweger never would have won for Cold Mountain if she hadn't lost the Bridget Jones weight, and yet this rather pudgy guy comes in and wins everything...again. Not that I'm bitter or anything.

The rest of the guys don't have a chance. Apparently everybody embraces the gay lifestyle but not the acutal gays themselves, because Heath hasn't gotten nearl ythe praise that everybody though he deserves. Interesting.

Best Actress-
A week ago I would have said Felicity Huffman, hands down. As we all know, a transvestite Desperate Housewife is even harder to beat than a gay cowbody directed by an Asian-American. But, with Reese Witherspoon winning at the SAGs, I'm changing my mind. Because only actors get to vot for best actor/actress at the Oscars, and therefore a huge chunk of them probably also voted for her at the SAGs. On the other hand, this is the same logic I applied when Johnny was up for POTC, and look where that got me. Listening to Sean Penn shoot off his liberal mouth for ten minutes. My pick would be Keira Knightly, althouth the idea that she is already perfect and talanted and thin and gorgeous and funny and gets to live with Johnny Depp in the frickin' Caribbean for three monthss and then she would get and Oscar is a little sickening. Actually, a lot sickening.

Best Supporting Actor-
Really, I could care less. I think Paul Giamatti is going to get it, but I guess Matt Dillon could upset. Not likely, though. And nobody wants to award Jake Gyllenhaal for playing a gay guy, lest it give him any ideas. :P

Best Supporting Actress-
Rachel Weisz must win!!!!!!!!!!! And she will. My next pick would be Amy Adams because she looks so cute and happy all the time. And she was the candy striper from Catch Me If You Can. But I definately want Rachel Weisz to win.

Yeah, those are the biggies. We all know Ang Lee is going to win for best director, and the others really don't matter. Except that Batman Begins is up for some obscure award like Best Backlighting for something. That's probably going to be one of the ones that they pitch out into the audience. But I'll still be there cheering!!!!