Curious Notions

Crazy!

They inserted the tooth, drilled a hole and inserted the lens in the tooth.

Overdue movie reviews:

Definitely, Maybe
Movie one of Jamie, Jacky and my movie extravaganza night last last weekend. We saw this one first before dinner. I didn’t have high hopes from the previews but I’m a major Ryan Reynolds fan. Actually, I’m a huge shirtless Ryan Reynolds fan. Sadly, he kept his clothes on during the movie. I’m also a great fan of Abigail Breslin (Hope Floats, Little Miss Sunshine.) She plays the precocious daughter of Ryan Reynold’s character. It opens up with him signing divorce papers and then picking up his daughter from school. Upon pick up, he learns they had human sexuality class that day… Later that night she cajoles him into telling the story of what went wrong with him and “Mom.” Pros include that it’s not as cheesy as most romantic comedies. My favorite ones are the ones where it’s not exactly a happy ending. It’s why I loved My Best Friend’s Wedding so much. She didn’t get the guy. It feels a bit more realistic and I don’t feel slighted by watching sickeningly sweet romantic plots that may or may not leave me delusional. So it’s not the typical Happily Ever After chick flick and I appreciate that. Other pros? Abigail is fricking adorable and Ryan can win you over almost as easily as Ryan Gosling. (I said, ALMOST.) Another pro? I can see a lot of my guy friends enjoying this movie. Cons? It’s an airy chick flick that does not give you any new insights into your life. Only that you just paid eight dollars to see Ryan tell Abigail the woes of choosing from the sweet first love, or the elitist literary journalist, or the flighty hippy. If I had to do it over again, it would have been a matinee.

Step Up 2
The second movie we caught as part of our movie extravaganza night. Not much substance. I just love dance movies. Incidentally, I wasn’t feeling up to going out last last Friday but seeing all the gyrating and stepping gives you the going out bug. So that was catalyst for a fun night out later for me. Yeah, not much to say. If you like dance movies a la Stomp the Yard, go see it. You don’t even have to see the first Step Up. Though, I heard it was just as entertaining.

Taxi Driver
On the AFI top 100 American list. So I was working on my resolutions. Young Robert De Niro plays a night Taxi Driver. He’s awkward, socially challenged, maybe therefore misguided. Oh, can’t forget that he’s also a Vietnam Vet. He meets a 12 year old hooker played by Jodie Foster and decides he wants to save her. Meanwhile he also nurtures an unlikely crush on Cybill Shepherd’s character (I realize I need to work on remembering character’s names when I watch movies). The first part of the movie dragged on for me. I kept waiting for shit to get CRAZY, knowing what I knew (that De Niro goes CRAZY). It wasn’t till the very end he gets crazy but I do appreciate the depiction of the road there. I realize it’s more about his descent into CRAZY. The descent was superbly captured. As unstable as he is, he is just as likable. I could see why it made top 100. I wouldn’t watch it twice though unless I was introducing the movie to someone else to see the greatness that is De Niro and Scorsese.

I’ll leave you with the trailer to Taxi Driver.

Passing a link along to update you on the pissing contest that is Obama vs. Clinton. She’s all riled up!

Nader entered the race as well. Just to be a D-hole.

This weekend, I…

• Babysat this weekend, twice.
• Watched disc 2 of the Oprah Winfrey 20th Anniversary DVDs
• Dog Sat
• Finished reading The Other Bolyen Girl.
• Walked Town Lake with Nisreen and two puppies.
• Joined an Obama Rally at Town Lake
  
  

• Went out with Brandi and Jessica.
  
  

• Sat out in the 80 degree weather at Mozart’s/Lake Austin and shared a chocolate mousse soaked cake crumbs. (DELICIOUS- the only dessert I’ve had at Mozart’s worth raving so far)
  
  
  
  

• Made the easiest recipe I’ve ever tried for Shrimp Scampi. Easy AND delicious. I think this is my new default recipe for Scampi. I got it from Barefoot Contessa.

Enough to hold me over til next weekend.

Nisreen and I used to be part of this boot camp. I stopped going in November and now it’s canceled altogether. She sponsored me for a gym membership at Gregory Gym on UT campus and we both got the TEXercise pass that allows us access to classes. We were suppose to take a step class yesterday to jump start our own personal boot camp but I started physical therapy for the first time yesterday (neck issues that might be the culprit of my TMJ) and they don’t recommend me taking any work out classes or doing any weight lifting for a week. Light running and walking are the only exercise they’re allowing me. (Logic being if something doesn’t feel right they want to be able to tell if it’s the therapy or the outside exercise.) We ran one lap, walked the next for 2.5 miles :) My endurance isn’t as bad as I expected it would be. We plan on meeting up for running or a class 4 times a week. It’s about time I get back into it.

Anyway. I parked near the Recreational Center at UT which is where tonight’s Presidential Debate’s going to be. Sadly, only 100 public tickets will be available by drawing. News vans already lined up yesterday. It’s exciting to have a Presidential debate in your backyard. I snapped a shitty camera phone picture of the venue.

Friendly reminder to tune in and watch. Register. Read. Watch. Be active.

I had hot chocolate (not the best of my life like the one at Chocolate bar in Houston) at Clementine yesterday. It’s been a long time since I’ve been at this darling Austiny coffee shop but it seemed like the perfect, cheap, quirky, halfway point to meet up with my dear friend, Dave. We try to see each other once or twice a month. It was his first time and I’m always happy to introduce new places and things to my loved ones. See the link for a better feel of what Clementine is like. Last night was the first time I was there while a band was playing so I got something new out of it as well.

There he is with the book he’s currently reading. I recommend the book for those who hate to read or don’t have time to read. It’s quick, easy, short Q&A format and interesting to boot. PICK UP A BOOK AND READ, damnit.

Anyway. I’m officially very broke and swamped with medical bills. More on that later.

A few movie reviews maybe coming up as well.

I love love it. Never had a sweet romantic boy/girl date but I still have always loved it/celebrated it with my platonic friends. I see it as appreciation day. I love the colors. Pink and red in combination. Flowers. Balloons. It’s a cheesy side of me I don’t cultivate that often so once a year I fully submerge.

Man, my valentine memories are vast.

Last year, I went to the Single’s Mingle at Hula Hut. Met a cute boy. I scared easily and never made it to the first date. It was a fun experience I shared with Brandi and former roommate. I also went to Build-a-Bear with my brother and we made each other stuffed animals. His is the only one I sleep with now. Year before that, Jen Wu and I watched Love, Actually on DVD, had McDonalds and made chocolate covered strawberries. :) Fun times…

The 4 Valentine’s before that one with Jen, I had a boyfriend. My first serious boyfriend. You’d think I’d have romantic dates on my favorite holiday but not so much. Our last one was a few months before we broke up and I had class.. so the romance was dying anyway. No date. The one before that? We were talking about breaking up on Valentine’s day. The one before that I had gone all out for him, giving him hourly themed gifts but by evening when I noted that he hadn’t done anything, I decided to go to dinner with my two female roommates. Despite his apathy, I had such a fabulous time being out with my single female roommates. I’ve reflected on that night quite often since it happened.. It showed me that I will always be okay despite any boyfriend-related heartaches. It’s not me to stay down. So later when I would feel desolate about the same boy, I remember reflecting back to Valentine’s day 2003 (and 2002) (and other non-Valentine moments) where I’ve shown myself to be self-sufficient and independent. That I’m very capable of being happy on my own.

Valentine’s 2002, same boyfriend but long distance. I was my first VD in college. I made a care package that included among other things 101 things I loved about him. Each reason imprinted on its own card. I also included a children’s book I’ve searched for ever since we’ve broken up. Called Consider Love. Great book. CUTE illustrations. *** A keepsake you’d share with your children. He received the package and emailed his friend only he inadvertently sent it to me! Something to the like of, “Dude, what did you send her? It better be good because she went all out for me.”

It’s an embarrassing story to share but it makes me laugh at how naive I was. Any mature confident person hearing this story should be judging! Anyway, I had a wonderful Valentine’s day despite being with the wrong person. Same female roommates and I took each other out. I may not have been remembered by the boyfriend, but my dear Jon hung roses outside our dorm door for us to wake up to. Can’t have a bad day when you wake up to roses.

Can you tell I can’t shut up about Valentine’s day? My roommate this year saw me wrapping presents for my parents and a few select single friends to mail and poked fun at me. “Um.. You’d think it’s Christmas.”

This year. My Valentine date was Jamie. We had dinner at North by Northwest. Neither of us have seen the movie or ate at the restaurant. I had some kind of pasta. It’s alright :)

We went to the movies afterwards had our choice of two ehhh movies. Jumper and Fool’s Gold. We opted with Jumper. I wouldn’t waste my money on it.
I’m not even going to waste words on it save that at least you get eye candy.

IN SHORT, I fricking love Valentine’s day. Maybe next year someone would make googly eyes at me across dinner and give me something pretty.. ;)

*** Consider Love. I looked for it with Si Nae and didn’t find it. She remembered and surprised me at work with a brand new copy. That’s love!