My 30 Before 30 List!

Creating my "30 Before 30" list was more difficult than I imagined. While I was thinking of items to put on the list, I would feel these sudden urges to write down ridiculous goals, like "Learn how to surf" or "Climb to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro." But then I realized something. I don't want to learn how to surf, and I really don't want to climb to the top of the highest mountain in Africa.

I do have big goals in life, and I do want to accomplish significant things before I turn 30, but I want this to be a FUN list with a good mixture of easy and difficult things that are possible for me to finish.

Also, whether I complete the list or not, thanks for coming along for the ride.

1. Finish Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred (because we saw how well my attempt at Slim in 6 turned out)
2. Take a weekend trip
3. Try a new restaurant
4. Make homemade ice cream
5. Have a girls night
6. Throw a party
7. Go hiking
8. Print wedding photos (now putting them somewhere is a different story)
9. Redecorate one room in my home
10. Run a race
11. Read five New York Times Best Sellers and review them here
12. Bake a cake from scratch
13. Document a "day in my life" with photos
14. Spend time exploring a city in Georgia
15. Visit an Atlanta attraction
16. Try Pinkberry (they finally made it to Atlanta)
17. Write a short story
18. Decorate my work office
19. Plan and implement an entire date day
20. Volunteer for a worthy cause (besides English School, where I have volunteer taught English to foreign adults for nearly three years)
21. Go on a picnic
22. Spend a whole (non-sick) day lounging around the house with movies, books, etc.
23. Do 100 consecutive push-ups
24. Create a scrapbook
25. Go dancing
26. Visit a museum
27. Create an A-Z album (idea borrowed from Janet)
28. Make cupcakes
29. Create a new cocktail
30. Visit a foreign country

Top Five: The Comedy Movies I Never Get Sick of Watching Edition

While I finish thinking up my "30 Before 30" list, I am going to take another page from Slice of Pink Janet's blogging playbook. She listed the top five movie she never gets sick of, but when I tried to think of those top five, I realized that I like way too many movies to just list my top five in whatever genre. So, I narrowed my focus to comedy. Because I watch way too many movies, and I put way too much thought into this post.

So, here are the top five COMEDIES I never get sick of watching.

Groundhog Day (1993)



Don't drive angry. Don't drive angry!

Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)



Great. I was wearing a carpet.

Something’s Gotta Give (2003)



I'm so glad they still work. I haven't used them for kissing in such a long time, more like for wearing lipstick... and whistling.

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)



Milk was a bad choice.

Shaun of the Dead (2004)



As Mr. Sloan always says, there is no "I" in team, but there is an "I" in pie. And there's an "I" in meat pie. Anagram of meat is team... I don't know what he's talking about.

What's on your list?

A 20-something for a little longer

In Februrary, I turned 29. Woo. 29.

Can you feel the excitement?

Am I where I want to be since I turned "almost 30?" The next statement could not be truer: I am in a place I never thought I wanted or where I thought I could be, but I am so happy to be here.

I married my best friend; I finally figured myself out enough to stop worrying about becoming something and just being; and I started a new career path that I truly enjoy.

Are things perfect? Not even close. Would I trade it for anything? No.

All that to say, I feel I have some things I would like to do before I'm 30. Even though I kind of sucked at my 109 in 2009 list.

So, in the spirit of my blog friend Janet's "30 Before 30" list (on which she received an "A"), I will spend time during my family trip to Florida this weekend coming up with 30 things I would like to do over the next eight months.

Suggestions are, of course, most welcome. Encouragement (and chocolate) are also appreciated.

2009 looks bright

When 2008 came to a close, I had big plans of wrapping everything I have done this year in a nice, neat package. But as anyone who knows me can attest, I suck at wrapping. So, instead, I will just summarize my 108 in 2008 list.

In 2008, I attempted to do 108 new things, or things I just haven’t done in a really long time. Let's see how I did.

1- Learn to knit (Thank you, Sherrie!)(1/09/08)



2- Hang something on my bedroom wall - a photo, a candle holder, some art, a calendar - something!

It was a calendar. Maybe I need to set my sights higher this year - like a photo frame.

3- Volunteer for a worthy cause


This had to be in addition to English School, because I began volunteering there in 2007. So, during December, I helped out at Clark's Christmas Kids with Clark Howard (from AM 750 WSB). You can see more photos from the event in this post.

4- Sing karaoke


(Me and one of my best friends, Bryan) I did this while playing Rock Band - it counts, right?

5- See a play or ballet performance


Cam took me to see A Christmas Carol at The New American Shakespeare Tavern on Peachtree Street. The show was wonderful! I also had food there for the first time and it was very tasty (and reasonably priced!).

10- Go to an opera I saw a live feed from the New York Metropolitan Opera of La Fille du Régiment. It was wonderful.

11- Try a new game


Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 on Wii - hilariously fun! - and Rock Band!

13- Run a half marathon (10/25/08)


I couldn't believe how accomplished I felt after finishing. And how painful a stress fracture can be.

17- Have a taco night


Cam and I made The Food Network's Turkey Tacos Picadillo one night at his place. They were very spicy and delicious. And see that guacamole? That is one of Cam's specialties. You'll have to ask him for the recipe. And just for fun, here is a photo of Cam (with his cousin, Brandon, in the foreground) fixing the infamous guac.


Handsome and he likes to cook. Or as he puts it, he likes to eat.

18- Read the entire Harry Potter series

I bawled reading the last couple of books. I didn't want it to end. I think the Twilight series might make my 2009 list...

19- Visit a state I have never been to, and not just a drive-through.


I went to Arizona for the first time in my life on a mini-vacation in September.


It is incredibly beautiful, I had a wonderful time and want to go back for another visit. You can read about the entire trip here.

23- Throw a party


I helped plan the annual Christmas party thrown by a political group I am heavily involved in.

25- Go on a trip with my sisters


I went to Florida with my beautiful sisters (L-Steph, R- Barb) to visit some family. You can read about the entire trip here.

26- Take a dance lesson

Kole and I took a very special dance class. If you want more details, you'll have to ask me personally. Or Kole.

32- Go to a concert (7/12/08)


Me and Abbs hanging out while watching 7 Sharp 9 in July. They were great!

36- Create a scrapbook

As Cam pointed out, I have referred to this blog as my online scrapbook.

41- Read Son of a Witch: A Novel by Gregory Maguire

I didn't enjoy this book at all. Boo.

46- Read Middlesex: A Novel by Jeffrey Eugenides

I recommend reading Middlesex. It was very interesting and kept me engaged until the very end.

49- Read The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

This is one of my new favorite books. I hear the movie is pretty good, too.

50- Read Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

I LOVED the play when I saw it in London, the book, however, SUCKED.

52- Watch the movie Juno (10/02/08)

Over-hyped, but good.

55- Watch Stardust

I really enjoyed this film, but I'm a huge fantasy & science fiction fan.

56- Re-watch the entire British version of The Office, including the two Christmas specials

And I'd do it again in a heartbeat. You think Pam and Jim are cute in the American version, just wait until you see Dawn and Tim in the UK version. *sigh*

57- Try a new restaurant in Marietta

It was Wild Wing Cafe - VERY tasty wings!

58- Try a new restaurant in Atlanta

Cam took me to La Tavola Trattoria Restaurant in Atlanta. It was absolutely wonderful. I wish we had taken photos!

60- Run three miles without stopping

Please see half-marathon information above, and I ran a lot of miles while training for that half-marathon. :)

64- Have a facial

And it made me melt.

66- Participate in a Texas hold ‘em tournament

I didn't win, but it sure was fun!

68- Go to a comedy club(April 13, 2008)


My friend, Travis, being, erm, friendly with the comedian, Nick Guerra (who I highly recommend seeing, if you get the chance).

I LOVE live comedy and frequent the local clubs. I highly recommend you visit The Funny Farm and The Punchline to see great comedy in Atlanta.

70- Go to the Atlanta Shakespeare Tavern

Please see #5 above.

73- Try a new haircut


Do you remember this post?

I decided on long layers, with side-sweep bangs:


Me showing my hair to Coach Bill Curry.

79- Buy a new dress & 80- And matching shoes

I did, but I don't actually have a photo with me in the outfit. New Year's resolution: Take more photos.

83- Eat breakfast for dinner

This actually happens all the time. In fact, we had breakfast for dinner with Cam's family last night that consisted of country ham, crispy bacon, scrambled eggs, biscuits and grits. Man, now I'm hungry!

85- Try a new fru-fru drink [a.k.a. fruity alcoholic beverage]


I had lots of new fru-fru drinks this year, including a peach martini (YUM!) on New Year's Eve, but I don't take a photo of any of them. Though I did have a new drink the night the above photo was taken. And I just wanted to post it again.

87- Have a girls’ night


I have one pretty much every Wednesday.

90- Help someone find a job

I helped a couple of my friends unsuccessfully try to find jobs. Maybe this year they will be successful in finding them!

91- Watch home movies with my family


For some reason, my sister loves to show off the angel above. I've seen her a number of times on the TV at my parents' house.

92- Cook with my mom

We made French toast together - yum!

96- Pay off my student loans (3/14/08)


The idea of debt scares me, so I was so happy to pay this off before it went into payments.

100- Be at the hospital when Steph’s baby is born


Ava Gabrielle stole my heart the moment I touched her.

101- Be at the hospital when Barb’s baby is born


Nola Ashlyn is my sweet little angel. I couldn't love my nieces more if I tried.

102- Make a key lime pie


Key lime pie is my absolute favorite dessert. And this was the EASIEST recipe to make. And honestly, not to toot my own horn, but it was the best damn key lime pie I've ever had. I like to think that Cam agreed.

Groceries needed:
9-inch graham cracker pie crust (Deep-dish if you can find it)
Four eggs (you will just use the yolks)
2 (14-ounce) cans condensed milk
1 cup of key lime juice (you could probably use regular lime juice, but the key lime is what made the flavor for me! We found ours at the local Harry's Farmers Market)
Sour cream
Powdered sugar
One lime for zesting (optional)

Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Combine the condensed milk, key lime juice and egg yolks. Whisk until well blended and place the filling in the pie shell. We had so much mixture left over that we put them in tiny bunt cakes (please see photo above) and sampled them later that night after cooking the little bunts with the big pie and then chilling the little bunts for a short time - yummy sampler!) Bake for 30-35 minutes and then chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

Once chilled, combine about a cup of sour cream to three+ tablespoons powdered sugar (do it to your taste) and use to dollop on the top. Some people spread the topping over the whole thing before serving, but I like to give people the option, though I personally love the sour cream/powdered sugar mixture. Cuts the tartness of the pie. Then sprinkle lime zest as a garnish on top of the sour cream and serve chilled.

What I won't post is the video that Cam took unbeknownst to me while I whisked the key lime pie mixture. Let's just say I look like a hula dancer from behind.

107- Try a different dish at my favorite restaurants (at Murphy’s Deli, La Parilla and Outback)

Well, two out of three isn't bad. Cam, you want to go to Outback this year?

108- Finish a knitting project


My friend, Sherrie, holding the dishcloth I knitted for her.

And it is usually during these 'wrap-ups' that people talk about how thankful they are for everything in their life. And I'm not going to break that tradition. Because I am incredibly thankful.

I'm thankful for my sisters, their husbands and my incredible nieces.

A Christmas photo we had done for our parents.

I'm thankful for my parents.


At Steph's wedding rehearsal.

I'm thankful for my friends.


Some friends on New Year's Eve.

So many things happened in 2008 that weren't on the to-do list. Well, at least they weren't on my list. Items like having two nieces and falling in love. But those are the best things in my life. And I'm so glad I can add them to my life list.


Ringing in the New Year. Properly.

Happy New Year, everyone. May be it filled with as much love and hope as I feel at the moment. Which is a lot.

Free stuff for voting and things to do while bored in line waiting to vote

After my boss texted me that he had a two-hour wait at the polls this morning, I grabbed a new book (Wild Swans by Jung Chang) and headed to my polling place ready to get a few chapters read. But I waited just five minutes to vote. Five. It took longer to get to the polling place. I don't know if that is a good or bad thing. On the one hand, I got my free Starbucks coffee faster, but on the other hand, does that mean people in my precinct aren't voting? I'll just allow myself to think that they all voted early or will be meandering in later today.


My free Starbucks (Thanksgiving blend - very yummy) and my Georgia Peach voter sticker.

And speaking of free Starbucks - here is a whole slew of free items you can enjoy after voting (you don't have to prove that you voted - apparently that is illegal - thank you anonymous commenter - and some places are regional and promotions probably vary from place to place):

- Ben & Jerry's: Free scoop of ice cream between 5-8pm. (locate)
- Books-A-Million: Free cup of coffee (locate
- California Tortilla: Free taco (locate)
- Chick-fil-A: "Several hundred" of 1,400 Chick-fil-A restaurants are handing out chicken sandwiches (the kind normally $2.70) to adults (locate)
- Krispy Kreme: Free star-shaped doughnut with "patriotic sprinkles". USA Today reports that 85 of 231 Krispy Kreme locations will participate. (locate)
- Shane's Rib Shack: A free "Celebrate America Meal": 3-piece chicken tenders, fries, and 20-ounce drink—to the first 300 customers at participating locations, according to their press release. (locate)
- Starbucks: Free tall coffee at "any Starbucks." Just tell them you want your voter coffee and see their recent TV ads. (locate)
- Vote & Vax: National project by non-profits to offer free flu vaccinations on Election Day. (locate)

And even though I only waited five minutes, you may have to wait longer in line, so here is a *list of items to keep you preoccupied while you wait to vote.

1. Try to develop psychic powers, then use 'em.
2. Inflate a beachball and throw it around the area.
3. Sing show tunes.
4. Make loud animal noises then deny doing it.
5. Think of new pick-up lines. See if they work.
6. Pretend you're flying a jet fighter in the war.
7. Churn some butter.
8. Conceive a brand new language.
9. Is the ground made of bricks or tiles? Count 'em.
10. Plot revenge against someone.
11. Think of nicknames for everyone around you.
12. See how long you can hold your breath.
13. Take your pants off and give them to the next person in line.
14. Chew on your arm until someone notices.
15. Change spots every three minutes.
16. Think of ways to cheat at Trivial Pursuit.
17. Shave.
18. Run across the area, tag someone and say, "You're it."
19. Announce to the line that you are God and that you're angry.
20. Think of five new ways to use your shoes.
21. Start a wave.
22. Walk around the line begging for spare change.
23. Roast marshmallows.
24. Practice phrasing your answers in the form of a question.
25. Crawl around the line humming the music from Mission Impossible.
26. Take apart your purse.
27. Pretend to communicate with your home planet.
28. Play rock-paper-scissors with yourself. Accuse your left hand of cheating.
29. Do a quick tapdance routine.
30. Try bird-watching.
31. Walk up the line yelling, "Popcorn! Hot popcorn here!"
32. Throw your purse at someone.
33. Run to a car window, then say, "Sorry, I thought I saw the Bat-signal."
34. Ask the person in front of you to marry you.
35. Start laughing really hard and say, "Oh, now I get it."
36. Make a sundial.
37. Give yourself a new identity.
38. Write a screenplay about a diabetic Swedish girl who can't swim.
39. Dig an escape tunnel.
40. Announce your candidacy for President.

*I ripped most of this list from another website, but I don't remember where. And I altered it to make it appropriate for voting, but all in all I don't have that much time on my hands to create such an extensive list. Though you thought I was really creative there for a sec, didn't you?

The ABCs of the ideal me

I aspire to be...

Admirable
Beautiful
Conscientious
Dedicated
Empathetic
Funny
Gregarious
Healthy
Involved
Just
Kind
Loved/loving
Moral
Neighborly
Optimistic
Persevering
Quirky
Roseate
Sympathetic
Thrifty
Useful
Vibrant
Well-mannered
Xenial
Youthful
Zippy

Another FABULOUS book list

Just like Jennie 'stole' this list from someone, I am going to totally do the same to her.

From Jennie's site:
"Below is a list of books printed by The Big Read, an organization that---according to their Web site---hopes to 'restore reading to the center of American culture.' They say, though, that the average American has only read six of the following hundred."

Here are the rules:
1) Bold the books you have already read
2) Italicize the books you intend to read
3) Notes in parentheses

***********************

1) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
2) The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
3) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
4) Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling (Just finished and crossed off my 108 in 2008 list!)
5) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
6) The Bible
7) Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
8) Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell
9) His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman
10) Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (Hated.)
11) Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
12) Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
13) Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
14) Complete Works of Shakespeare (I haven't read EVERY single work, but Twelfth Night is my favorite)
15) Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
16) The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
17) Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
18) Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
19) The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
20) Middlemarch by George Eliot
21) Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
22) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
23) Bleak House by Charles Dickens
24) War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy
25) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
26) Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
27) Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28) Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
29) Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
30) The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
31) Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
32) David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
33) Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
34) Emma by Jane Austen
35) Persuasion by Jane Austen
36) The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by CS Lewis
37) The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
38) Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres
39) Memories of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
40) Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne
41) Animal Farm by George Orwell
42) The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
43) One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel Garcia Marquez (I'm currently reading his Love in the Time of Cholera...)
44) A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving
45) The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
46) Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery
47) Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
48) The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
49) Lord of the Flies by William Golding
50) Atonement by Ian McEwan
51) Life of Pi by Yann Martel
52) Dune by Frank Herbert (Don't remember what happened at all though)
53) Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
54) Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
55) A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
56) The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57) A Tale Of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
58) Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
59) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
60) Love In The Time Of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61) Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
62) Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
63) The Secret History by Donna Tartt
64) The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
65) Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
66) On The Road by Jack Kerouac
67) Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
68) Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding
69) Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie
70) Moby Dick by Herman Melville
71) Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
72) Dracula by Bram Stoker
73) The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
74) Notes From A Small Island by Bill Bryson
75) Ulysses by James Joyce
76) The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
77) Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome
78) Germinal by Emile Zola
79) Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (horrible movie!)
80) Possession by AS Byatt
81) A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
82) Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
83) The Color Purple by Alice Walker
84) The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
85) Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
86) A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
87) Charlotte's Web by EB White
88) The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom
89) Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90) The Faraway Tree Collection by Enid Blyton
91) Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
92) The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93) The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
94) Watership Down by Richard Adams (I haven't seen the movie either. Weird, right?)
95) A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
96) A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute
97) The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
98) Hamlet by William Shakespeare
99) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
100) Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

********************

Hm, with 41/100 crossed off, I did much better on this list than on the Entertainment Weekly list, where I had only read 5/100 books. How many have you read? Do you think this list will 'restore reading to the center of American culture' as The Big Read intends? Methinks it is a good start, but the list could definitely use some lighter reading to appeal to more people. Like, where the hell is James and the Giant Peach? :)

Me, me, me

Abby did one of those fabulous questionnaire's that we have all done at one point or another, SO I decided to rip it because I'm tired. And you know you want to know random crap about me.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Well, my first name, Christine, is a family name on my dad's side. My middle name, Nicole, is French and my mom wanted all her daughters to have French middle names. It's sweet really. And I like that I go by it. And in additional news, my niece, Ava, also got a french middle name, Gabrielle. Aw.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Sunday night.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Not particularly. It's gotten pretty bad since I'm on the computer all the time. Does anyone else get the random 'oh-crap-I've-been-writing-for-five-whole-minutes' cramp?

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Boar's Head Lemon Pepper Roasted Chicken. Mmmm.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? No. I promise.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Yeah. And I would tell me to chill out.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Nope.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Nope. Got them out when I was 19. And the doctor said they were the biggest tonsils he had ever seen. Yay me.

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Oh my, YES!

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Hm. It's in England - passion fruit clusters. Mmmm.

11. Do YOU WONDER WHAT HAPPENED TO QUESTION 11? Not at all.

12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Yes! Mentally and physically. :)

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Strawberry Cheesecake and Chocolate Peanut Butter. (I totally agree with Abby on that one!) Well, if we are being technical, it is Cold Stone Creamery's Peanut Butter Cup Perfection with an added brownie. Oh.my.word.

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Smile or eyes.

15. RED OR PINK? Pale Pink!

16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOU? My tendency to overanalyze everything!

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My family.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO POST THIS TOO? Sure!

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Jeans and brown flip flops. It's Friday!

20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Mixed fruit and Boar's Head Lemon Pepper Roasted Chicken.

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? My typing and Black Betty by Spiderbait.

22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? White.

23. FAVORITE SMELL? Oooo. Too difficult. I love coffee, fresh cut grass, coconut.

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Julie!

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO POSTED THIS FIRST? I love Abby!

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Soccer.

27. HAIR COLOR? Honey brown.

28. EYE COLOR? Mostly green, but hazel.

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? I really want to get some new ones, but currently, no.

30. FAVORITE FOOD? Pork enchiladas from La Parilla.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Monsters, Inc., with Kole.

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? A pale purple tee with a lace tank underneath.

34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Winter.

35. HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs while kissing.

36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Key Lime Pie!

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Erm?

38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Erm?

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel García Márquez

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? No mouse pad - laptop.

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT? Part of Miss Congeniality.

42. FAVORITE SOUND? Laughter. (Oooo! I agree, Abby)

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles.

44. WHAT IS THE FURTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? England or Brazil. I'm too lazy too check the mileage.

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Yes. Many, I hope.

46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Atlanta, Georgia

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING? Everyones!

Happy Friday!

A Bookworm's Post

I came across Entertainment Weekly’s Top 100 books of the past 25 years, and I thought, Well, I am a HUGE bookworm. I should have read at least half or more of these books.



Yeah, not so much. I've struck out the, um, 5/100 that I have read (including a couple that I had forgotten about, like Beloved and Lonesome Dove), put a couple of stars next to the ones I had already planned on reading before ever seeing this list and underlined the ones that I have added to my 'to-read' list after reading through all the selections. And I am actually currently reading one of the books below; it has been bolded. Man, my goodreads list is getting longer and longer.



And can you believe some of these books made their top 100 list?!

1. The Road, Cormac McCarthy (2006)

2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling (2000) (highly recommend!)

3. Beloved, Toni Morrison (1987) (er, don't remember how much I liked it)

4. The Liars’ Club, Mary Karr (1995)**

5. American Pastoral, Philip Roth (1997)

6. Mystic River, Dennis Lehane (2001)

7. Maus, Art Spiegelman (1986/1991)

8. Selected Stories, Alice Munro (1996)

9. Cold Mountain, Charles Frazier (1997)

10. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami (1997)

11. Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer (1997)

12. Blindness, José Saramago (1998)

13. Watchmen, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons (1986-87)

14. Black Water, Joyce Carol Oates (1992)

15. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, Dave Eggers (2000)

16. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood (1986)

17. Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez (1988)

18. Rabbit at Rest, John Updike (1990)

19. On Beauty, Zadie Smith (2005)

20. Bridget Jones’s Diary, Helen Fielding (1998)**

21. On Writing, Stephen King (2000)**

22. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Díaz (2007)

23. The Ghost Road, Pat Barker (1996)

24. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry (1985) (again, don't remember much, except that it was looong)

25. The Joy Luck Club, Amy Tan (1989)

26. Neuromancer, William Gibson (1984)

27. Possession, A.S. Byatt (1990)

28. Naked, David Sedaris (1997)

29. Bel Canto, Anne Patchett (2001)

30. Case Histories, Kate Atkinson (2004)

31. The Things They Carried, Tim O’Brien (1990)

32. Parting the Waters, Taylor Branch (1988)

33. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion (2005)

34. The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold (2002) (highly recommend!)

35. The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst (2004)

36. Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt (1996) (highly recommend!)

37. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi (2003)

38. Birds of America, Lorrie Moore (1998)

39. Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri (2000)

40. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (1995-2000)**

41. The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros (1984)

42. LaBrava, Elmore Leonard (1983)

43. Borrowed Time, Paul Monette (1988)

44. Praying for Sheetrock, Melissa Fay Greene (1991)

45. Eva Luna, Isabel Allende (1988)

46. Sandman, Neil Gaiman (1988-1996)

47. World’s Fair, E.L. Doctorow (1985)

48. The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver (1998)

49. Clockers, Richard Price (1992)

50. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen (2001)

51. The Journalist and the Murderer, Janet Malcom (1990)

52. Waiting to Exhale, Terry McMillan (1992)

53. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon (2000)

54. Jimmy Corrigan, Chris Ware (2000)

55. The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls (2006)**

56. The Night Manager, John le Carré (1993)

57. The Bonfire of the Vanities, Tom Wolfe (1987)

58. Drop City, TC Boyle (2003)

59. Krik? Krak! Edwidge Danticat (1995)

60. Nickel & Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich (2001)

61. Money, Martin Amis (1985)

62. Last Train To Memphis, Peter Guralnick (1994)

63. Pastoralia, George Saunders (2000)

64. Underworld, Don DeLillo (1997)

65. The Giver, Lois Lowry (1993)**

66. A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again, David Foster Wallace (1997)

67. The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini (2003)**

68. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel (2006)

69. Secret History, Donna Tartt (1992)

70. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell (2004)

71. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down, Ann Fadiman (1997)

72. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon (2003)**

73. A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving (1989)

74. Friday Night Lights, H.G. Bissinger (1990)

75. Cathedral, Raymond Carver (1983)

76. A Sight for Sore Eyes, Ruth Rendell (1998)

77. The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)

78. Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert (2006)

79. The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell (2000)

80. Bright Lights, Big City, Jay McInerney (1984)

81. Backlash, Susan Faludi (1991)

82. Atonement, Ian McEwan (2002)

83. The Stone Diaries, Carol Shields (1994)

84. Holes, Louis Sachar (1998)

85. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson (2004)

86. And the Band Played On, Randy Shilts (1987)

87. The Ruins, Scott Smith (2006)

88. High Fidelity, Nick Hornby (1995)

89. Close Range, Annie Proulx (1999)

90. Comfort Me With Apples, Ruth Reichl (2001)

91. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc (2003)

92. Presumed Innocent, Scott Turow (1987)

93. A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley (1991)

94. Fast Food Nation, Eric Schlosser (2001)

95. Kaaterskill Falls, Allegra Goodman (1998)

96. The Da Vinci Code, Dan Brown (2003)

97. Jesus’ Son, Denis Johnson (1992)

98. The Predators’ Ball, Connie Bruck (1988)

99. Practical Magic, Alice Hoffman (1995)

100. America (the Book), Jon Stewart/Daily Show (2004)

How many have you read? Any that you recommend? Any that you suggest I stay away from?

Friday Hodge Podge - with visuals!

1 - Oh my goodness. You have to buy a Ped Egg! No. Seriously.



I know it looks like a cheese grater for your foot, but it totally works wonders! I first read about it on Sarah's Sensibly Sassy blog HERE, and then at knit night my friend Laurie showed me how fabulous her feet looked after using one. So, I bought mine at Walgreens last night for $9.99 and I think it is the best $10 I have spent in ages (one really good bottle of pinot grigio aside).

2 - I have a great boss. We all know this. And guess what great boss did this week. He surprised me with a bag of my favorite candy. Just because. And because I am not eating anything sugary during the week (besides a Cold Stone Creamery ice cream that I had to have on a night out with Kole - ahem), I have stared longingly at the bag every 15 minutes or so for the past two days. I find it helps me build willpower!



3 - My friend Michelle's daughter, Kailyn, is a ballerina. And she is gorgeous. Well, so is her mother, so it makes perfect sense. They came to visit the other week and I spent a few minutes taking photos of her. Isn't she beautiful?



Have a great weekend, y'all.

What makes you happy?

So far today, it has been:

1 - Getting my lazy bum out of bed early to work out at the gym.

2 - Giggling with Kole on the phone.

3 - Looking forward to English School tonight.

4 - Coffee!

5 - The Silversun Pickups and their song, Well Thought Out Twinkles.

What is making you happy today?

Valentine's Day

I figured today's commercialized day of love would be a good time to list some of the things I am loving. And these are in no particular order.

1 - Good Reads - It's like crack. Soooo addicting.

2 - My family. After returning to the US from a 14-month stint in England, I still become almost giddy with every visit.

3 - Living with Kole. This is the best living situation I have ever had with a non-family member. And since she's one of my best friends it's like a perpetual slumber party.

4 - My morning coffee.

5 - Having time to read non-school related books!

6 - Having not one, but two pregnant sisters.

7 - My knit night ladies.

8 - My students in English School.

9 - My friends, especially those who stay in contact even though we are on different continents.

10 - Mexican food. Oh, pork enchiladas how I love thee.

Simple and short, but these things mean so much to me.

What are you loving on this Valentine's Day?

AFI's 100 Years, 100 Movies

So, last night at knit night (hi ladies!) the topic of AFI's Top 100 movies list came up. Apparently this is THE list for best movies of all time. And when Katey began listing the movies I realized that I had seen hardly any of the ones she said. Katey assured me that I have probably seen at least 50 of them, so I decided to investigate.

According to the American Film Institute's website, "Each year, AFI presents another episode in its widely acclaimed series of CBS television specials - AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies - which launched AFI's on-going celebration of the cinema centennial. Each special honors a different aspect of excellence in American film. In 2007, we celebrated AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies - 10th Anniversary Edition."

Sounds good to me. I had to sign up to the website to get an email that included a link to download the list of movies. Phew! All this to waste time seeing if I have seen THE 100 GREATEST MOVIES OF ALL TIME. And this list is from 2007, and the 2008 list comes out in June, so I had to get crackin'.

And because I LOVE lists (please see The Best Movies from the 80s or The 108 in 2008 as examples) I decided to paste the list below, cross off the ones I have seen and tell you if I enjoyed it using a star system. 1 star being the worst and four stars being the best.

And I do this all for you.

1. Citizen Kane (1941)
2. The Godfather (1972) ****
3. Casablanca (1942)
4. Raging Bull (1980)
5. Singin' in the Rain (1952)
6. Gone With the Wind (1939) ****
7. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
8. Schindler's List (1993) ****
9. Vertigo (1958)
10. The Wizard of Oz (1939) ****
11. City Lights (1931)
12. The Searchers (1956)
13. Star Wars (1977)
14. Psycho (1960)
15. 2001: a Space Odyssey (1968)
16. Sunset Blvd. (1950)
17. The Graduate (1967)
18. The General (1927)
19. On the Waterfront (1954)
20. It's a Wonderful Life (1946) ****
21. Chinatown (1974)
22. Some Like It Hot (1959)
23. The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
24. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) ****
25. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
26. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
27. High Noon (1952)
28. All About Eve (1950)
29. Double Indemnity (1944)
30. Apocalypse Now (1979)
31. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
32. The Godfather Part II (1974) ****
33. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
34. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) ****
35. Annie Hall (1977) ****
36. The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) ****
37. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
38. The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
39. Dr. Strangelove (1964)
40. The Sound of Music (1965) ****
41. King Kong (1933)
42. Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
43. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
44. The Philadelphia Story (1940)
45. Shane (1953)
46. It Happened One Night (1934)
47. A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
48. Rear Window (1954)
49. Intolerance (1916)
50. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) ****
51. West Side Story (1961)
52. Taxi Driver (1976) ****
53. The Deer Hunter (1978)
54. M*A*S*H (1970)
55. North by Northwest (1959)
56. Jaws (1975) ****
57. Rocky (1976)
58. The Gold Rush (1925)
59. Nashville (1975)
60. Duck Soup (1933)
61. Sullivan's Travels (1941)
62. American Graffiti (1973)
63. Cabaret (1972)
64. Network (1976)
65. The African Queen (1951)
66. Raiders of The Lost Ark (1981) ****
67. Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)
68. Unforgiven (1992)
69. Tootsie (1982)
70. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
71. Saving Private Ryan (1998) ****
72. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) ****
73. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
74. The Silence of the Lambs (1991) ****
75. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
76. Forrest Gump (1994) ****
77. All the President's Men (1976)
78. Modern Times (1936)
79. The Wild Bunch (1969)
80. The Apartment (1960)
81. Spartacus (1960)
82. Sunrise (1927)
83. Titanic (1997) ***
84. Easy Rider (1969)
85. A Night At The Opera (1935)
86. Platoon (1986)
87. 12 Angry Men (1957)
88. Bringing Up Baby (1938)
89. The Sixth Sense (1999) ****
90. Swing Time (1936)
91. Sophie's Choice (1982)
92. Goodfellas (1990)
93. The French Connection (1971)
94. Pulp Fiction (1994) ****
95. The Last Picture Show (1971)
96. Do the Right Thing (1989)
97. Blade Runner (1982)
98. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942)
99. Toy Story (1995) ****
100. Ben-Hur (1959)

Um, so. Wow. I watch a lot of movies, but obviously they are the wrong movies. I have seen just 23 of the AFI's top 100 movies. I was happy to see my favorite movie of all time, 'The Shawshank Redemption', made the list but Titanic? Seriously? Maybe one of the most expensive movies of all time, but definitely not one of the best.

So, of the 77 movies I haven't seen are there any that you think I should definitely see? How many have you seen? And who is up for a movie night?