Best Pictures Done!

Uh, long time no entry, right? Well, I've been thinking about just deleting this blog, actually. I don't seem to ever have the desire to post here anymore, so why keep it online? I don't know. I haven't made any firm decision on that yet, though, so here it stays for now.

But I did have to post today, just to announce a 101 in 1001 update. I finally finished watching all of the Best Picture Oscar winning movies! Woo! That took me months, and I enjoyed almost all of them, and only found one stinker in the whole bunch - really, why did Annie Hall even get nominated? It was so stinking boring! Ugh.

Anyway, I found some movies that I really love, including the Lord of the Rings movies. I tried watching the first one when it first came out on DVD, and I was bored and did other things the whole time it was on. This time, however, for some reason I really got into it, and into the two that came after it (it was the third one that won Best Picture). I kind of want to own them, and to watch them again.

Oh, and to be completely honest, I do have one movie on my DVR at home to finish watching. It's Tom Jones, and it's not a bad movie, but it is kind of boring, and I have an hour left to watch, and I haven't been able to force myself to do it yet. I will soon, though, so I can delete it and make space on the DVR for the new season's shows.

I also have three movies to watch that aren't on DVD yet - Wings from 1927, Cavalcade from 1932 and Rebecca from 1940. I have them on my Netflix queue, though, so if they ever come out on DVD, I'll get them and watch them. But since they aren't available right now and I have no way of watching them (unless I happen to catch them on TV), I am marking this item as done! Woo!

Best Picture 101 Update

Last night I watched the oldest Best Picture winner that I had on my Netflix list:

Broadway Melody of 1929
1929
Starring Charles King, Anita Page and Bessie Love

This was an okay movie - the first musical to win Best Picture, and at a time when talkies were still pretty new. The movie opened with a song, which was nice, but I was sitting there wondering if I was going to get any story during this movie, or if the people of 1929 thought singing and dancing were enough. Well, I did finally get a story, I'm happy to say.

The movie turns out to be about two sisters who move to New York City to pursue a career as song and dance girls on Broadway. They moved into a hotel suite, which I'm sure any aspiring actor/singer/dancer moving to New York today would die to live in, but it was the movies, and who knows - maybe NYC was easier to live in back then.

Anyway, it turns out that the boyfriend of one of the girls (Eddie was the boyfriend, Hank was the girl - weird, but yes, she was named Hank) was already in the city, and had a job as a song writer, and was doing really well for himself. So he got the girls an audition for a show. The "pretty" sister (Queenie) got in, but the "manager" sister (Hank) didn't, but Queenie talked to the producer and managed to convince him to take both girls.

Okay, long story short. Eddie falls for Queenie, but Queenie doesn't want to hurt Hank, so she starts seeing some rich guy who wants to make her a kept woman - you know, give her an aparment in the city, keep her in furs and jewels, and get some nookie anytime he wants. Hank is devastated at what Queenie is doing, but has no idea she's doing it for her sake. Finally, after witnessing a scene between Eddie and Queenie, Hank realizes what's happening, and is hurt, but she turns self-sacrificing and tells Eddie that she never loved him anyway (lie), and tells him to go save Queenie from this rich guy. Which he does. Eddie and Queenie get married, and Hank goes back to the vaudeville circuit that the girls came from, playing a tour of 30 cities. And for some reason everyone is happy.

Personally, I think Hank got the shaft.

Also, as soon as Queenie and Eddie got married, Queenie quit trying to be a star to be a wife. Which is to be expected from a movie made in 1929, I guess. Women weren't supposed to be anything other than housewives and mothers back then anyway.

So, one more Best Picture winner done, and I gave it 3 stars out of 5 on Netflix. I'm glad I saw it, but I don't suppose I'll ever want to see it again. Once was enough.

Best Picture Update

J and I knocked two more movies off my Oscar winner list recently. First up:

The Sting
1974
Starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman

I enjoyed this a lot! I kind of feel like I need to watch it again, though, because I didn't quite understand everything they were doing as part of the sting. I've already sent the DVD back, but due to the wonders of Netflix, I believe I can watch it online (and if I'm remembering wrong, I can always get the DVD again). I was surprised watching this how much older Paul Newman was than Robert Redford - I thought they were pretty much the same age, but Redford looked way younger in this. Anyway, I would obviously be a very easy mark for a conman, since they lost me so easily, but I could see why this won Best Picture. It was very well done.

Next up was:

On the Waterfront
1954
Starring Marlon Brando, Karl Malden and introducing Eva Marie Saint.

I really liked this one a lot! What isn't to like - it's the story of a man who stands up to the injustices being handed down to longshoremen, beating them and getting justice for his fellow workers. Also a young, thin Marlon Brando, which I don't think I've ever seen in a movie before. To me he's always been the fat old man he was in The Godfather, so this was kind of weird. It was nice to see him that way, though. And of course I loved hearing the famous lines - "I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody." And one I didn't know came from that movie, about a "one way ticket to palookaville."

Two very enjoyable movies, and two more done on the list of ones I have to watch. Next up is a movie from 1929 - The Broadway Melody of 1929, which was the first musical to win the Best Picture Oscar. I'm going to go chronologically from here on out (probably), so I'll be working my way through the decades. This was a fun thing to put on my 101 list. :)

Alice, Why So Loud?

J and I went to see Alice Cooper in concert last night. This was one of the items on my 101 Things list, so I got to mark it off. Woo! I love marking things off that list. I need to go in and edit it, to make sure that all of the things listed are things that I can do and list off, instead of just general lifestyle change things.

Anyway, so the concert. It was at a venue that as about an hour and a half away, so we had a little ride there and back. It wasn't too long, though - just long enough to be fun, instead of tiring.

We got there early enough to scope the place out, get some good free parking right across the street, and for J to spend money at the souvenir booth. He had quite a collection of Alice Cooper shirts, and was able to add to that last night. Also, they should either hire people who can do math, or give them calculators, because this guy working the booth was very slow at the price thing. I ended up totalling things for him.

Anyway, J got his stuff while there wasn't a line, which was nice, then we went to the doors and waited to be let in.

And let me tell you about this venue. It's an old theater, built in 1926, and it's so ornate! Standing there, surrounded by people wearing black leather, Alice's black face paint and concert t-shirts, I could almost envision the much different crowd of the 1920s, coming to see a play. I tell you one thing, those people never could have guessed at what would be going on in that theater just 82 years later.

Anyway, so it was all gold leaf and art deco and gorgeous, as the picture I stole from their website sort of shows. Once we got inside, there were hanging chandeliers, a balcony (which is where we sat), and those little side booths that hang in mid-air just under balcony level (I have no idea what those are called). It was gorgeous. J said it as a lot like a theater in Syracuse, but I've never been to it, so this was a new experience for me.

There was an Alice Cooper screen hanging on the stage, hiding their set, and they started to play his newest CD over the speakers, setting the mood. That mood was slightly broken by the fire alarms going off, which was kind of disconcerting, but they didn't evacuate, and the alarms were shut off before long, so it was okay. Kind of scary at first, though. I was just picturing the news stories today, telling about this historic theater burning to the ground, and just hoping that I would be around to read it. Yes, I was very nervous. But it was fine.

About 7:40 the concert started, and let me tell you, if you've never seen Alice Cooper in concert, it is quite an experience. Of course he sings all the songs we all know (School's Out, etc.), just like any artist you see in concert, but you also get like this little show. Of course, it's Alice Cooper, so the show is all about blood and gore, but whatever. It was fun.

I was happy that I knew about half of the songs he sang, so I could sing along at least a little bit. I had fun, bouncing around in my seat.

J, however. Well, for him Alice Cooper is like Bob Seger for me - he LOVES him. So it was fun for me, to watch him there, screaming the lyrics at the top of his lungs and dancing in his seat, and playing the air bass (and guitar, and drums - whatever fit the moment). I was so happy to be able to be there with him, watching him enjoy the artist he loves most.

Now I just wish Bob Seger would tour again, so that J could see ME enjoy the artist I love most. It'll probably never happen, though. (But seriously, Bob, if you ever google yourself and find this - just one little show in central New York, and I would be there with bells on. It would make my life, so think about it, okay?)

So we watched Alice sing, and we watched him get hung on stage (a very intersting experience), and we had a lot of fun. When it was over, my ears felt like they were stuffed with cotton, and they're still ringing right now (and I imagine they will be for a couple of days - I need to invest in a set of ear plugs).

Oh, and I made some guys laugh on our way out. J mentioned that he had smelled weed in the room, and I said (a little too loudly, because of my stuffed up ears) that I had never smelled it before. These young guys walking near us cracked right up. And then last night when I went to bed, I realized that I think I DID smell it, I just didn't know what it was. I thought someone was wearing some weird smelling cologne or something. How did I get to the ripe old age of 39 without knowing what marijuana smells like? I've lived a very sheltered life, in some ways.

Anyway. I had a ton of fun. This morning I have ringing ears, I'm tired, I have one more item scratched off my 101 Things list, and most important of all, I have a great memory of a great day with J.

Almost Done Skipping Chocolate

Ten days from today, I'll be able to have chocolate again, because my 40 day no chocolate experiment will finally be over. I'll be able to cross an item off my 101 things list, woo! But more importantly, I'll be able to have chocolate milk, and maybe some brownies, and definitely a candy bar of some sort. It's going to be a good day.

What have I learned from this experiment? Well, I guess I shouldn't really say I definitely did NOT lose my taste for chocolate, since I haven't had any in 30 days (if I had done a 30 day no chocolate experiment, I'd be eating it again today. D'oh! That's what I should have done), but based on how much I'm wanting it, I'd say it's a safe bet that I haven't lost any of my taste for it.

So I guess I've learned a couple of things.

One: I am definitely addicted to sugar. When the chocolate first went away, so did most of my sugar intake, and by day two I was withdrawing big time. So I added other forms of sugar into my diet, and I've been fine since. (I am NOT facing my sugar addiction right now. Maybe in the future, but not now.)

Two: I've discovered non-chocolate sources of the sweet stuff. Cookies that I normally overlook, like Fig Newtons and Lorna Doones. Cake flavors that I would never usually buy, like French Vanilla and even muffin flavors that I wouldn't have bought before, like Cinnamon Streusel (these were a hit with J, by the way. He hinted last night that we could have those again and it would be a good thing). :)

Mostly, though, I've learned that I CAN go without chocolate if I need to. I'll miss it, but I'll survive. However, since I don't HAVE to go without it, you better believe I'll be sinking my chocolate deprived teeth into a big candy bar or brownie or something come September 27. Mmm, I'm already licking my lips in anticipation.

101 Update and a Movie Review of Sorts

Today I watched From Here to Eternity while I was at home alone, playing the Sims (and doing laundry and vacuuming and trimming some grass, etc.). I am perfectly aware that splitting my attention between the game and the movie like that makes me not give full attention to either, so I'm sure I missed some things in the movie that I might have caught if I had been just watching. Still. I liked it.

When J and I were on the way to get dinner and groceries, I told him the movie was mostly about relationships. That's not wrong, but the more I told him the more I realized it wasn't just about the boy/girl relationships. There were a lot of soldier/soldier relationships, a lot of Army stuff, of course every person in the story had their own stuff going on, and there was a boxing thing and really, there were a lot more layers to it than I originally thought. I kind of want to watch it again, now.

(The previous two paragraphs, by the way, are why this is a review "of sorts." I am no movie reviewer, and usually can't pin down exactly what makes me like or dislike a movie beyond a general feeling.)

Anyway. I would definitely recommend the movie, if only for the fun of picking out who all the people are who are in it. I was halfway through the movie before I realized Burt Lancaster was Dr. "Moonlight" Graham from Field of Dreams, and didn't figure out who Claude Akins was until I looked the movie up online.

This was the 28th Academny Award Best Picture winner I have seen out of 80, by the way. Fifty-two to go! (And Unforgiven is sitting on my desk waiting for me to find the time to watch it.)

101 Things Update

I thought I'd give a quick update on how I'm doing with my list. So far I'm doing really well on some things, and need to work harder on others.

First - I started going chocolate free on Monday, which I think I wrote about. So far I'm still chocolate free, and haven't had any serious cravings yet, which is a good thing. I did crash a bit on Monday night/Tuesday morning, apparently because I didn't eat much sugar at all on Monday, since I skipped my usual lunchtime candy bar. But some Advil and some non-chocolate sugar, and a little bit of time, and I was fine again by Tuesday afternoon.

I'm thinking about adding a ticker to the sidebar to count down how long I have left until I can eat chocolate again. The official date, by the way, is September 28th. Two days down, 38 to go! Sigh.

Second - I've been flossing nightly. Woo! My dentist will be so proud.

Third - I've written down a couple of the things that have made me happy, but I need to get better at it. I'm forgetting to do it on as many days as I'm remembering.

Fourth - I haven't been spending half an hour per day on my crocheting at all. Sigh. I need to work harder on that. Winter will be here before I know it, and Gabrielle WILL have her baby blanket by then! That is my vow.

Fifth - I tell J I love him every day. :) Of course, I always did that anyway, so it probably wasn't a good thing to put on this list, but oh well. One easy thing out of 101 is good.

As for the eating healthier stuff - well, I got bananas this week, and I've had one every day since Sunday. I have three left at home, but they're a bit too ripe now (or will be, by tomorrow), so I think they're destined to become banana bread. Cutting out the chocolate is a huge step in the healthier eating direction, too. I haven't replaced it with too much non-chocolate sugary stuff, so that's okay.

In non 1001 Things news, I went to the eye doctor for my final contacts visit, and it all went well. I now have a three month supply of them, and I am wearing my beginning pair now. I'm going to keep them on all day, if they don't start to annoy my eyes. The longer I wear them, the sooner I'll stop feeling them in my eye. (I feel them less now, but I still have a ways to go before I forget I have them in.)

Also, work is going to be crazy busy for the next couple of weeks. Sigh. I hate it when the kids come back to school. Why can't summer last longer? Oh well. By the time the semester is a week or two in, things will be calmer again.

And that's all I have to say for now, I guess. Later, people!