Winter Olympics 2010

Go ahead, sing the Olympic song. You know you want to. I'll wait....

Are we good? The 2010 Winter Olympics. Have you been watching? If not, shame on you. Now, I don't sit and watch every event. Ha...like I have time for that! But when I am home and have the TV on, I make sure to have it on NBC. Why? Because the Olympics are historical. The winter games only come every four years. (As do the summer games) The first were the Nordic Games held in 1901 in Sweden. In 1940 they were interrupted by WWII and resumed in 1948. Obviously, things have changed since then, but the basic idea is the same: bringing countries from all over the world together for two weeks to compete in winter sports. It always amazes me; in the midst of war, all of these countries, I think it was around 82, come together, in one location, to compete in these sports. It blows my mind. I don't care where you're from, what country you want to win, but when those athletes step on that podium to accept their medals, it's the most emotional moment on TV. When their national anthem is played and their flag is raised and I can see the sheer joy in their eyes and the words of the anthem moving in their lips, it chokes me up. Every time. Of course, that moment is made sweeter when it's an American who's the gold medalist; when the Star Spangled Banner is played and the American flag is raised, chills cover my entire body. It never fails. But really, it's just as moving no matter what country, what sport, or what athlete.

If you have been watching, what were your favorite moments? Mine:

Did you see Shaun White win the halfpipe gold? This kid is a beast! He had the gold medal in the bag after the first round, but still he went all out in the second round with the gravity-defying Double McTwist. I don't know how he did it. But that's why he's a snowboarder and I am not. And while he celebrated, I couldn't help but have a huge smile on my face. Still, watching the videos over, it makes me tear up.

Canadian figure-skater Joannie Rochette, do you know her story? Her mom passed away just two days before she was to skate her short program. When she heard the news of her mother's passing, she said, "I'm going to skate." And she skated her way to a bronze medal. I was watching her long program while on the elliptical in the gym and I couldn't stop crying. Yes, in front of everyone in the gym, I was crying over this Canadian figure-skater. Her story broke my heart, but her willpower to push forward and continue on with her dream, her mom's dream, of becoming an Olympic medalist, it was inspiring. I'm so happy for her.

If anyone deserved to win a gold medal, it was American figure skater Evan Lysacek. He's the first American to win the gold since 1988 in Calgary; a title that's going to Russia or the Soviet Union for the past five games. And did you hear everything Russian skater Yevgeny Plushenko had to say after receiving the silver? And how he made a point to step on the gold medalist podium before making his way to the silver medal podium? And how he designed and awarded himself the "Platinum" medal of the Vancouver games because obviously he should have won? Such a sore loser. Lysacek, he clearly was the better skater of the night. Clearly.

I know nothing about hockey whatsoever. I do however know that it is stressful and exciting and exhilarating. Team USA was playing Team Canada for the gold and knowing it would be a great game, I made sure to watch it. It started while I was in the gym and I could not get off of the stair stepper machine because I was so into the game and didn't want to miss anything! When USA scored to tie the game with 24 seconds left in regulation, I was jumping up and down! But then, Canada was the first one to score in the 20 minute overtime, meaning they won the gold. I was heartbroken for the USA team. They had clearly killed themselves during this game, given it everything they had, and they're effort was not overlooked. I felt so bad for them, just standing on the ice watching Canada celebrate. And while I was so heartbroken for them, I also couldn't help but be excited for Canada. To win the gold on their own home ice, there must be nothing like it. To celebrate with their fans in their own country; I couldn't be happier for them.

Tonight, the closing ceremony took place. It, like all other Olympic ceremonies, was moving. Yes, I cried. You can't honestly tell me it didn't choke you up to see all the athletes from all over the world intermingling on the ice. Celebrating together. Smiling, laughing, crying, taking it all in, and saying goodbye to the games that they've been preparing for for four years. For their whole lives. It was beautiful.

So that's it. Another Winter Olympics have come and gone. Like always, I cried a lot. In the words of Jude Law a la The Holiday, "A good book, a great film, a birthday card, I weep. I'm a major weeper!" Vancouver, you've been great. See you in 2014 in Russia!

Movie Marathon 2010

I’ve told you how much I love movies, no? Well, I’m telling you again; I love movies. Absolutely love them. I study them for weeks, months, before they come out. I read everything I possibly can about them; about the actors, the actresses, the locations, the sets. I read interviews and reviews. I know about distribution and how it works. I know when they are opening and where they are opening. And I’m sure I annoy the hell out of all my friends with my constant overabundance of information on movie production. It’s just all so fascinating to me, how the whole industry works in general and how a movie comes together. To the point where I’m thinking it would be rather awesome to turn my interior design degree into working on movie sets. Can you imagine? And of course, I am constantly quoting movies.

So with that comes Movie Marathon 2010. For the next six weeks, there is a movie coming out every Friday that I plan on seeing. That I’ve been dying to see. And that I will see the weekend it opens. I don’t care what it takes. Come hell or high water, I’ll be there.

February 26 - Shutter Island - This is a new addition. I'm not usually into scary movies so much, but I'm going to make an exception based on what I've heard about this movie. Does Leonardo DiCaprio ever do anything wrong? I think not. I've heard the movie is more suspensful than anything and that you have to follow every word, every scene, every thing you see with your complete attention. If not, you will be completely lost. Am also hearing that the ending will trip you out. This is why I'm seeing it. There's nothing like a movie that keeps you on your toes and thinking hours after it's over.

March 5 – Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland – Are you familiar with Burton’s work? He’s great. Really, I love his work. Edward Scissorhands, Sweeney Todd, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. His work, it is bizarre, some might even call it dark, but it works. He’s a genius as far as I’m concerned. Recently I was in New York City and it just so happened to be at the same time some of his work was on exhibit at MoMA. I was most excited about seeing his exhibit. And of course the permanent collection of Warhol’s they have. But I got to see some of Burton’s artwork; his work having nothing to do with his movies. So cool. Unfortunately, no pictures were allowed in the exhibit. And Johnny Depp, he can do no wrong in my eyes. Love him. When he’s cast as a character, and most of the time that character is so far out in left field, he embodies that character with everything he has. And because of that, his performances are always sublime. I can’t wait to see him as the Mad Hatter. I will say this, Burton’s version of AiW will not be Disney. It should be obvious in the previews, but some parents are ridiculous so take note, it won’t be for young children.

March 12 – Remember Me – One name: Robert Pattinson. You’re familiar, yes? If not, you must be living under a rock 20,000 leagues under the sea. He’s all the talk of the town these days so you can’t miss him. Not only is he acting in this movie, but he’s an executive producer. Were you aware of that? Now you are. I’m really looking forward to seeing him in a non-immortal role. After seeing some of his smaller indie movies, I think that with the right material, he has what it takes to be a really great actor. This is his chance to show his acting chops in a form other that Edward Cullen. I’ve heard the story has a post September 11th storyline to it, although you wouldn’t know coming from the 5,000 trailers Summit has released thus far. Am also hearing there is a huge twist at the end between Rob and Pierce Bronson who plays his dad.

March 19 – The Runaways – I can’t even begin to describe my excitement for this movie. If you know me, you know my love for Kristen Stewart. If you don’t know me, well, that’s a whole other post in itself. I won’t get into now, but just know, I love that girl. Kristen Stewart, she plays Joan Jett in The Runaways. Have you seen her transformation for the part? It’s mind-blowing. Cutting her hair caused an uproar from her Twilight fans, "but what about Bella?" they said. Um...newsflash, she isn't Bella in real life people! This is her job. This is her passion. She was embracing the character. Doing everything possible to get into that character. And she pulled it off. Her and Joan, they could be twins. The Runaways, they were an all girl rock band in the 70s. They opened up so many doors for female rockers. They were the pioneers if you will. Also in the movie is Dakota Fanning playing Cherie Currie. You know Dakota, yes? At only 16, she has proven herself as a Hollywood heavyweight. There is so much to come from her and I think this movie is going to catapult her into the realm of more mature movies. Not that what she was doing before wasn’t mature, did you see I Am Sam? There is a story that goes along with this; a story about how I tried and came so close to meeting Kristen in L.A. last summer. I’m saving it for when I review the movie. Oh the suspense! Another warning, Kristen Stewart will be no Bella Swan in this movie. It’s rated R and will not be appropriate for the younger Twilight fans.

April 2 – The Yellow Handkerchief – Yes, another Kristen Stewart movie. GASP…however will I contain myself? The answer, I won’t. I will explode with excitement. You just wait. Whoever sits next to me in the theatre will be bruised, you can count on that. The movie follows three strangers, brought together by their respective feelings of loneliness, on a road trip through post-Katrina Louisiana. Along with such great actors as William Hurt and Maria Bello, this movie has every potential to be great. And British newcomer Eddie Redmayne appears to be pretty promising himself. You should also know that this movie was filmed three years ago and has taken this long to get distribution. That's indie movies for you. Such a shame. They're always so great.

So that's it, Movie Marathon 2010 begins tonight. I'm so excited! Oh, and did I mention that New Moon comes out on DVD on March 20th? Yeah, The Runaways and New Moon in one weekend. It will be epic. There will be pictures. Wait for it.

Now Open for Business

I put on an impromptu art show yesterday at the request of one little guest at Mike’s party. In my “studio.” If you were there to witness said impromptu art show, I’m terribly sorry for the mess. Hint: Kirbey, that’s for you ;) The whole time, as everyone was standing around and I was perched on the top step, kind of like a podium, no? I was thinking to myself, “Thank God you decided to clean this place up today, Jamie!” Seriously, earlier in the day, you couldn’t walk through the door. It looked like an art bomb had exploded. Leaving behind all its colors and paint brushes and glue gun sticks in its wrath. Think Jackson Pollock. That happens at the end of each semester; I get so busy with projects and finals and I bring home so many projects from school and have no time to put them away properly, that things just start to pile up. And it doesn’t take long to get out of control. Add that to the fact that I got a new TV for Christmas. What does this have to do with anything? Well, the TV I had in my studio worked, but didn’t have a DVD player. It did have a VCR, but that didn’t work. And have you seen my DVD collection? Yeah, that VCR wouldn’t have been much help to me if it did work. Unless I wanted to watch Tae Bo Crunch while I painted! And no, for those of you wondering, I don’t have cable out there! Ha, I was lucky to get electricity by means that do not include an extension cord draped across the yard. Enter the old TV from my room. It has both a DVD player and a VCR (which doesn’t work either…are you sensing a pattern?). So I decided to move that TV out to the studio. And by move it out to the studio I mean, I took it out there, set it down in front of the door and left it in my excited hurriedness to get the new TV set up in my room. And that’s where it has sat since December 25th.

Next week, we will be midway through the semester. Things are about to get hella busy. I needed my studio to be cleaned. And organized. I needed to be able to actually get into the thing. And most importantly, I needed to actually be able to see my drafting table. So I cleaned. And I threw things out. And I put on an art show. And the best reaction I got was when Abigail saw one of my paintings and said, “You have got to be kidding me!” So funny. And so cute.

All this cleaning and showing of the artwork, it got me thinking. What am I going to do with this stuff when I move? Surely the first place I move into when I finally decide to leave home isn’t going to be big enough to bring all of this artwork with me. And what justice am I doing my work when it’s sitting in bags in my art studio for no one to see. I don’t even see it. Then all of a sudden, LIGHT BULB! Someone recently asked me if I had an Etsy shop. I did not. So, why don’t I start one? Why don’t I try to sell my work? I’ve never sold anything, aside from being paid to do little projects for people. So I logged onto Etsy and set up shop. Literally. I titled my shop the same as my blog so that they have a correlation. For the three pieces that I’ve listed so far, I researched other watercolor paintings of their size and their pricing. I also took into consideration prices my teacher had suggested last semester. And then I upped the price just a little. Aim for the stars, right? They’ll be listed for four months. And if they don’t sell by then, I guess I’ll lower the price.

And what’s even better, the creating of this Etsy shop has gotten my creative juices flowing. There are so many things I want to create and sell. So many things. I almost can’t contain my excitement. I need to be focusing on school and my senior show right now, but I think I’d rather try to make a few bucks instead. I needed to be at the gym last night working off all that food I ate. Remember how I said I gave up sugar for Lent? Well, I’ve made an adjustment. I give it up except for on special occasions. Because what’s so special about special occasions if you can’t enjoy them with everyone? And there are several occasions I can think of between now and Easter that I want to enjoy with everyone in every capacity possible. And did you see that cake last night? Hands down, the best cake I have ever eaten! No joke. So that’s where we stand on the Lent situation. Today, I’m back on track. No sugar for this girl!

And with that, here it is. The official launch of my Etsy shop. And no worries my blogger buddies, you will be the first to know if I sell something!

And the Oscar goes to...

The Hurt Locker. Have you see it? It was nominated for best picture by the Academy. I just watched it and it's brilliant. I had to remind myself several times that it was a scripted movie. Not a documentary. It's a war movie. Set in Iraq. It's intense. These are the elite of soldiers. They have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world; to disarm bombs in the heat of combat. I can't imagine. I can't imagine being them. I can't imagine knowing them. Knowing what they're doing everyday in combat. It blows my mind that people actually do this. Seriously, I can't get my mind around it. It makes me think about how much our soldiers do for our freedom. For people they've never even met. It makes me thankful. So thankful for them. This movie, it puts it all into perspective. Like I said before, this movie is brilliant.

The Oscars, they're in two weeks. Up against The Hurt Locker are Avatar, Up in the Air, The Blind Side, District 9, An Education, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, Up, and A Serious Man. I've only seen a handful of these.

Seen:

• Avatar was good, but I found parts of it to be cheesy. It's ok, you can shoot me. I know I'm in the minority here. But was it really necessary for the grass to light up when they ran across it? Cheesy. The graphics, however, were brilliant. James Cameron, he knows what makes a blockbuster, doesn't he? And fun fact, James Cameron and the director of The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow, they used to be married. If it comes down to these two movies, they'll be up against each other. Very interesting.

• Up in the Air, I loved! Absolutely loved it. I had been anticipating this one for a while when it came out. I will say, it was somewhat different than what I was expecting, but in a good way. It was funnier than I expected for sure. And the ending! Didn't see that coming until about 2 minutes before it happened. Anna Kendrick was brilliant. Girl can deliver a line with impeccable timing. She's nominated for best actress in a supporting role. George Clooney was as good as ever. Is it just me or does he only get better looking with age? He's also nominated for actor in a leading role. There was nothing I didn't like about that movie. And Jason Reitman, after Juno and now this, what's not to love about him?

• Inglourious Basterds was so gruesome. So, so gruesome. It was good though. But good in the sense that, I've seen it, it was good, and now I'll move on. Brad Pitt, he was funny. And why is he always eating something throughout all of his movies? Seriously, watch something he's in...he's constantly eating! Basterds is not one I would want to watch over and over. Just because of the gruesomeness. That's Tarantino for you though. Some have suggested him for Breaking Dawn. I hope they're kidding because, please.

• I thought I would like Up a lot more than I did. I also thought I would cry at the beginning...according to what everyone had told me. I didn't cry. At all. As far as animated films go, it was a good one, with a story line that I think was well suited for adults and children. The beginning for the adults for sure. The rest, more for the children. Russell, I'd bring him home with me. So cute, that kid.

Haven't Seen:

• The Blind Side. Not that I didn't want to, I just never got the chance. I guess that's what happens when a movie comes out the same weekend as New Moon. Yes, I saw NM. Multiple times. Call it a guilty pleasure. But I'm not so guilty about it. And I haven't seen an Oscar nominated film. What are you going to do about it? But Sandra Bullock, love her so much. So happy for her and all that she's accomplished this year. She deserves it. And The Proposal, that movie is hilarious!

• District 9. Didn't see it and can't tell you anything about it.

• I hadn't heard about An Education until recently. Now I'm really interested in seeing it. Carey Mulligan, she's great. And could she be any cuter? Would love to see it before the Oscars, but since it doesn't come out on DVD until March 30th, I guess that's not an option.

• I never saw Precious either. I don't think I've ever been able to put myself in the right mindset to watch it. It's a heavy subject matter. You have to be in a certain place to be able to sit down and watch a movie like that, knowing what it's about. I'm sure I'll see it at some point, just don't know when.

• And lastly, A Serious Man. I didn't see this one either. And like District 9, I know nothing about it.

So, are you ready for the Oscars? Are you going to watch? You know I will be. Especially now that my girl, Kristen Stewart, is set to present ;)

Here's a full list of nominees.

God, is that you?

I've recently gotten into baking. Baking cookies to be exact. Have you ever eaten my chocolate chip cookies? Trust, you'd know if you had. They are thick, they are chewy and they are oh so chocolaty. They are simply amazing. Mom asked me to make some today for Mike's surprise party tomorrow, so I agreed. Here's what they are supposed to look like...

Beautiful, yes? I bet your mouth is watering. Mind you, I've made these more times than I can count. Well, this is how they turned out tonight...

Not so beautiful, right? So disappointing. I have no clue what happened. I doubled the batch so there is a possibility I left something out. Or added too much of something. Who knows. But I have a theory as to what happened...You see, I gave up sugar for Lent. And by sugar I mean desserts, cookies, cakes, ice cream, you know, all the good stuff. Why would I give up sugar for 40 days? Because I had gotten really bad about walking through the kitchen and grabbing a few Oreos. Or fixing myself a bowl of ice cream at night. And my mom's chocolate pound cake...you haven't had that either have you? Because if you have, you'd know how it's impossible to pass it without taking a slice. And I'm not a pound cake person so you know it must be good! And let's not even get into the amount of Valentine's Day candy we had in the house due to the fact that my mom is a pre-school teacher. Anyway, things were getting out of control! So here we are, 4 days in, and I haven't had sugar. It really hasn't been bad at all. And today I try to make cookies for a party and they turn out horribly. There has to be a correlation, right? That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go watch some movies.

Every day counts. One Night matters

That's the tag line for this show. Friday Night Lights. Do you watch this show? If you’re not, then shame on you. You’re really missing out.

Friday Night Lights is one of the most critically acclaimed shows on television. It’s also one of the most under watched shows on television. Why is that? Do the letters NBC mean anything to you? Yes, the same network that is responsible for the whole Conan/Leno (I'm totally Team CoCo) debacle is the same network behind Friday Night Lights. No wonder no one knows about it. NBC could care less about this show. It’s been moved around so much. Different days of the week, different times of night, and now to a completely different network. For the past two seasons, DirecTV has purchased the rights to air FNL first. Do you have DirecTV? Because I don’t. And I only know a handful of people who do. Cassie and I used to go watch it at Josh, Derrick and Nick's. And those boys, they would pretend like the didn't care about it, but we'd look over in the middle of an episode and they'd all be starring at the TV, mouths open, eyes glazed over. And they'd walk around singing the theme song. So what if they sang it, "I was raised in a devil town." They sang it nonetheless. And they asked us when we were coming over to watch the next episode. And when the next season came on. Those boys, they loved FNL. Then they moved so we don't watch it with them anymore. So who’s watching this show? Well, I will be. In April when it comes back to NBC. Yes, you read that correctly. The full season, which as in football is only 13 episodes long, airs on DircTV first before coming to NBC. Crazy, no? I applaud, I thank DirecTV for keeping this show afloat, because seriously, it’s amazing. It’s deserves so much better. It deserves so much more than NBC has given it. I don’t even know how to describe just how amazing it is. I jumped on as an avid watcher just before the second season came on. I’d seen a few episodes of the first season and really liked it so I went out and bought the first season on DVD to get caught up. And proceeded to watch all 22 episodes in one weekend. And yes, back then there were 22 episodes in the season. Now we're on the fourth season. I've, since the first, gotten a handful of friends and family hooked on it too. Will you be next? I so hope so. For your own sake.

Tami and Eric. Watch them. Adore them. You won’t see another marriage like this on television. So real. So natural. They are the best television couple ever. Sometimes, I feel like they’re really married.

And don’t forget about Julie, their oldest daughter. The connection between these three is tangible. And with parents as outspoken as hers, she can hold her own.

Tim Riggins. Trust, you will fall in love with Riggins. His scruffy, bad boy, could care less about anything ways are enduring. And look at him, how could you not love him. And wait until he delivers the "You look good. Like real good!" line to Lyla. You will melt.

Matt Saracen is adorable. Don't underestimate him in the beginning. He'll steal your heart when you're not looking.

I'm not going to go through all the characters. You'll have to figure each one out for yourself. But know that this show tackles every issue possible in high school: sex, drugs, alcohol, racism, and the pressure put on athletes and portrays them in a way that is real. It's seems real because these situations can and do actually happen. They don't sugarcoat them and they down glorify them either. And these are no Gossip Girl kids. Please. And this isn't the O.C. When you're watching FNL, you feel like you're actually watching real high school students. Not overprivileged drama queens. These kids, they actually wear the same outfit more than once throughout the series. They don't drive BMWs and Mercedes. They don't live in mansions. In fact, the town of Dillon isn't one of wealth at all. You see that. You see the good side and the bad side. You see the corruption within the school system and how football comes before everything in this town, even before academics. And the beautiful camera works adds to that feeling. Almost as if it's a documentary. It's brilliant.

So are you convinced yet? Are you on your way out to purchase or rent the DVDs? You must watch. I'm giving you fare warning. You have until April 30th to catch up. Go get the DVDs. Seasons 1-3. Watch them. Fall in love. And please, if you're watching The Bachelor or Jersey Shore instead of Friday Night Lights, you don't know what TV is. You have not lived yet. And if you think that's good TV, you've got something else coming for you.

Clear hearts. Full hearts. Can't lose.

"Give all of us gathered here tonight the strength to remember that life is so very fragile. We are all vulnerable and we will all, at some point in our lives, fall. We will all fall. We must carry this in our hearts: that what we have is special. That it can be taken from us and that when it is taken from us we will be tested. We will be tested to our very souls." -Coach Taylor

When life gives you lemons, wear something yellow.

These lemons I speak of, they aren't so bad. The weather, those are my lemons as of late. I know, it could be so much worse and I shouldn't complain. But when did I come to hate winter so much? Because hate it I do. With a passion. There once was a time when I would get so excited about winter. I would anticipate it. Imagine wearing sweaters, scarves, boots, gloves, and hats. I would say, "Oh I can't wait for winter because winter equals good hair." But now, I could care less about those sweaters, scarves, boots, gloves, hats and the good winter hair. And actually, since I chopped all my locks off, summer no longer equals bad hair. And to be honest with you, I can probably count on one hand how many times I've actually worn sweaters this winter. Why? Because I'm not a fan. They're itchy and confining and bulky, and when you walk in a building where the heat is on, you get so HOT! So no, I'm not a sweater person. Not a sweater person at all. Layers it is for me. But I really am curious as to when this hate of winter began. Maybe it's because this winter has been unseasonably cold. Maybe it's my longing to move to Los Angeles with their amazing weather. Did you know it was 81 degrees there on Sunday? February 14th and it was 81 degrees. So. Jealous. Maybe I'm just being difficult. I’m probably just being difficult. I’m sorry for the complaining. Hopefully the weather will change soon. And then, I can talk about more exciting things. More talk, less complaints. That’s what I hope for soon. Until then, I’ll take these nasty weather lemons and wear something yellow. I’m addicted to all things yellow right now. Seriously, if I see it, I’m gonna want it. My favorite childhood book is “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.” You all know how it goes, If you give a mouse a cookie, he’s going to want a glass of milk to go with it. Well, if you show Jamie something yellow, she’s going to want to buy it. It started with my yellow Chuck Taylors.

They make me so happy. So I’ll wear them. They brighten my day. Then I came across a yellow Calvin Klein short sweater shrug. So I’ll wear that. And even better, it’s the same exact color as my Chucks. Complete coincidence. So Perfect. It was a match made in Heaven. I’ll wear them together. And then there’s the yellow shirt. Nothing special, it’s just a shirt. But it’s yellow. So, I’ll wear that too. And lastly there is the newly purchased yellow pencil skirt.

Oh how I love you yellow pencil skirt. I saw you from across the store and had to bring you home with me. This pencil skirt I will wear. Because it’s yellow and it’s pencily and it’s pretty. Don’t be surprised if you run into me one day and I’m wearing all of these yellow things at once. I’m probably just having a bad day. Or maybe I’m just trying to brighten yours.

And today, we met with Jessica, the girl designing our senior show cards, and guess what color was in them? Yep, yellow! How perfect is that? There are two rows of doors, all of them in black in white, and then there is one door painted yellow. Love. It. So. Much. Seriously, it's awesome! I'll share a picture when I get one. Until then, use your imagination and trust me when I say it's awesome. And as if it couldn't have been more perfect, I had on my yellow Chucks. And my yellow CK sweater shrug. It was meant to be. And if we stick with that card and those colors, my yellow Chucks just might have to make an appearance at my show. I so hope we stick with it.

So has life been giving you lemons? If so, take my word for it and wear something yellow. I promise it’ll brighten your day.

How did you spend your Valentine's Day?

I spent my Valentine's Day with the girls. We started with lunch at Ruby Tuesday's before heading to the movies to see Valentine's Day. And I'll admit, I was really excited about seeing this movie when I first heard about production. I mean, so many celebrities in one movie, what's not to be excited about? Then as the release date approached, I got a little nervous, a little skeptical if you will. I thought, "what are the producers trying to cover up with the casting of so many huge celebrities?" If a script is good enough, you shouldn't need that many celebrities to pull in an audience. I was afraid it was going to be overkill. That everyone was going to be fighting for screen time. So, nervous I got. I went into the movie without getting my hopes up. There is nothing worse than being excited about a movie and then seeing it and being completely disappointed. Well, I saw it...

And I LOVED it! Really. It was really, really cute. A total chick-flick? Yes. But funny. So many laugh out loud moments. Julia Roberts, oh how I love Julia Roberts. There was a part at the end that totally referenced Pretty Woman, one of my all time favorite movies, that I'm not sure everyone got, but I sure did! Hilarious. I'd read that Taylor Swift's performance wasn't that great. I however didn't have a problem with it. She was a giddy high school student, that's all. Totally didn't see the story line playing out the way it did with Bradley Cooper. Ashton Kutcher, he was the common denominator in the movie. There are so many people to mention, I can't even remember them all! And since there are so many actors sharing screen time, there were long periods of time between each of their appearances on screen, but I didn't really notice it. Yeah, you're wondering what's going on with another couple while the current couple is on screen, but each relationship had it's own dimension that was interesting and because of that, the absence of someone on screen for a period of time didn't really affect me. There are other movies that jump around from story to story like that and I guess that kind of movie has never really bothered me. I actually kind of like it. It's refreshing. It keeps you on your toes. It keeps you thinking and anticipating what's next. In the words of Andy Warhol, "The idea of waiting for something makes it more exciting." So yeah, it was exciting to wait and see what was going to come next.

Could the movie have been just as successful with less celebrities? Possibly. Probably actually. But would it have pulled in the audiences? That's debatable. Overall, I really enjoyed it just the way it was. I wouldn't have changed a thing. And since it was set in Los Angeles, you know I was in love.

Hate is a strong word, but...

I really, really, really don't like you!

Hey snow, I'm talking to you! Yeah, you're the reason for my dislike right now. While I've been anxiously awaiting the arrival of spring, you decided it would be a good time to bring a nice big dumping to Georgia.

Snow watch 2010 began yesterday morning. Everyone was on high alert. Schools were getting out early. Some schools even cancelled altogether. New stations were deployed to various parts of the state to, well, sit and wait. And I'm sure at the first sight of snow, all TV programs were interrupted with "breaking news." I wouldn't know, I was at work. But did they employ that awful beeping sound that's used when there's a weather warning? You know the one. It makes you cringe. It makes you sick to your stomach. It's the most awful sound you will ever hear. And while it's usually reserved for occasions such as severe weather, tornados, and floods, I wouldn't be surprised if they used it yesterday. Was Oprah interrupted yelling, "Now you get some snow, and you get some snow, and you get some snow" with the sound of the beeping and the "breaking news." God, I hope not. Because that sound, oh it makes me cringe just to think about it.

Did you go to the grocery store yesterday? I'm sure bread, milk and bottled water were very limited if you did. Why? Because it's Georgia and in Georgia we rarely get snow and because we rarely get snow, people don't know how to handle it. People overreact and panic. People don't know how to drive in it. And honestly, we don't have the equipment to clear the roads. Hence the reason the grocery stores will be raided. Because God forbid you run out of bread in milk in the slight chance it snows. In 1993 when the blizzard hit, it was ok to panic, and I use that term loosely. It's never ok to panic. We didn't have power for a week though and had to come into "town" to stay with my grandma. It's not ok now. This is not 1993 and this was not a blizzard. And I know people make fun of the south for their overreaction at the mere mention of snow, but it's how we are. It's a rarity so it's exciting...if you like that kind of thing. I however, I am done. This was our second snow of the season. Second. And I am done. If you read my post a few weeks ago, you know that I'm done. I was done then and I'm done now. I'm like a charred steak that has been left on the grill for far too long. Except for now, I've been thrown into the cold so not only am I charred, but I'm also frozen. Now that's an oxymoron if I've ever heard one!

So this 2-4" of snow that they were calling for, well it hit. And I wasn't excited about it. At all. We've had our snow for the year, I was ready to move on. Get some dignity people; this was nothing to be getting excited about! And this snow, it was out with a vengeance, determined to cancel my plans for the weekend! My plans to get a haircut to be exact! But I had other plans in mind. I left work early Friday afternoon to make it into Atlanta before the roads got bad. I made it. I stayed with Jennifer at her new place. We went to Piedmont Park and played. Then we went home and put on dry clothes and went out and played some more. And really, when I say we played, I mean we took pictures. Tons of pictures. The weather was actually perfect for my latest photography assignment. So, snow, I'll give you one point for that. But remember how I really don't like you? Yeah, that's all you're getting.

This morning, I got up and got ready for my appointment at 10:15. The side roads were a little slushy, but nothing to be too concerned about. Just don't slam on your brakes at any point, right? I get to 75 and it is completely DRY! No ice. No snow. No water. Nothing! I got to 85 and a little slush was there. I got to 400 and had to slow down a bit. Then I got to the Glenridge Connector and that was a whole different ball game. I realized I was going to be a few minutes late so I called Van Michael's and they said, "Oh...Avery wasn't able to make it in today and we haven't had the chance to call you!" Umm...thanks! Van Michael's, I love you, I really really love you. You know I love you because I drive a good hour each way just to get my haircut! And I know you said someone was willing to see me today, but I'm a little partial to Avery with my hair, so thanks, but no thanks. So then came the drive back to Carrollton. I have never been on Moores Mill so long in my life!!! I was ready to shoot myself. But, I made it home in about an hour and a half and I must say that Carrollton got NOTHING compared to the snow in Atlanta. I was kind of shocked at how little snow there was.

So snow, you are pretty, I'll give you that, but you are no longer welcome here. Unless you'd like to schedule your next visit for December 25, 2010. In that case, come on over. Otherwise, I'd really like it if you'd move on out and let spring move on in. Thanks. And while I dislike you so much, you did give me some pretty awesome pictures to look at so I'll give you another point for that.

Anyway, here are some pictures:

Getting onto I20 about 3 hours after the snow started.

Piedmont Park

Just walking around Piedmont. Freezing.

Beautiful.

AMAZING view of the skyline.

We found this GIANT snowball so naturally I climbed on top of it!

Rap video Jamie.

The Golden Puppy catching snowballs.

And snow, I'm hearing you could be making another visit on Monday and Tuesday, so those two points I gave you earlier, yeah...you can kiss them goodbye.