Star Wars is exciting again...

I know this has been posted everywhere.... but damn if this did not make my ovaries jump a little and say.... Lets go lets go! Don't worry, the big squoooshy gray brain told them to calm the fuck down.

Seven things about the 2008 Oscars

1. I felt really bad about Amy Adams having to perform alone, with no dancers or anything. I thought... hmmm well maybe they are paring down the performances... and nope. I just wonder what the hell happened! I still adore her though.
2. Jon Stewart... very funny as always. I think he is a subdued host -- but still a great one.
3. Steve Carrell and Anne Hathaway were my favorite presenters, I think. Their little schtick was cute, and well acted.
4. 2nd favorite presenters - Jonah Hill and Seth Rogen. They DID look exactly the same.
5. Could I love Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova more? And I thought it was very classy to let Marketa come back out and say her speech. I just loved the sheer joy and the essence of "holy shit we are really here"-ness of their presence.
6. Yay Diablo Cody! If Juno only won one Oscar -- I really wanted that to be it.
7. I loved the look on Cate Blanchett's face after she saw what clip they used from Elizabeth II. And the fact that she so artfully played a dog. Well done.
   

Seven new things I have recently been trying out

1. Olives. I had some at Christmas and I did not hate them. I had some stuffed with almonds and I was pleasantly surprised that I liked them. Salty goodness! Slow down there garbanzo bean.... don't expect me to like you unless you are smooshed up in humus!
2. Star Trek. I am currently being tutored in it. So far so good.
3. Writing a novel. Right now I have these four characters that I am just doing some development with, running them through how they might react to situations or things. Its been a really great puzzle to work with. Now if I can just come up with a plot....
   
4. Dogs. I might like them more and want to live with one more than I had originally thought. Although I do not think I could go as far as owning one.... I just want to be a dog auntie.
5. Cross Stitch. I was always intimidated by counted cross stitch before. But its really not that bad once you get into it.
6. Neil Gaiman. I knew I would like him, but have never really sat down and read his work before. I am reading American Gods right now and am mightily impressed.
7. Sugar free hot chocolate mixed in with my coffee. Sugar free hot chocolate is actually miles better than its other sugar free brethren. Plus the coffee with it is kick-tastic. At work I have to find ways to make the ordinary a little more exciting.
   

Seven Theme parties I would like to throw*

1. Clue - come dressed as your interpretation of that clue character. Original Clue only. No master detective. You can only bring food items that correspond somehow to your color.

2. Come as your favorite holiday - once again food must correlate to costume. Share a tradition with each of them.

3. High School Drama - Dress as your favorite high school stereo type. Bonus points for call backs to 80's movies. I call dibs on Ally Sheedy a la Breakfast club.

4. Welcome to the Hellmouth - You could not expect me to leave off a Whedon-fest in here did you? Trivia, sing-a-long to the musical, and other various activities.

5. When get old I want to be.... -- What did you want to be when you were a kid - come dressed as that profession -- how many firemen will there be? I am going to be an astronaut!

6. Cruise around the world progressive night - I know its kinda cliche - but there is something to be said for gorging yourself on great ethnic foods. In this plan you move from place to place -- entering each "culture" at someones house.

7. The land of misfit superheroes - come as a superhero that might not have ever made it to the Justice League.


*and almost all of them involve a costume and themed food somehow.

Quirk

I am a little delayed in doing this, but I did not want to let Torrey down. Here goes:

The Rules
* link to the person who tagged you
* post the rules on your blog
* share six non-important things/ habits/ quirks about yourself
* tag at least 3 people at the end of the post and link to their blogs
* let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog (I think I am skipping this step. I know I am a bloody rebel.)

1. I like to have cold feet and will make them so sometimes, perhaps even stepping in snow for a moment, just for the feeling of them tingling and warming up.
2. I need to be happy with my pen selection for a chosen task, work or personal. I will go through several pens (the biggest fiasco had me go through 14) until I find the right one. It is not always about color, though sometimes it may be, but mostly how it feels.
3. When asking a customer their zip code when cashing them out at Williams-Sonoma, I almost always touch my glasses.
4. I cry at the National Anthem. I cry at tributes to the troops. I am not a yellow ribbon magnet kinda person, but I get really choked up about it.
5. If I got ready too early for going out with friends, I will end up putting on makeup to kill time.
6. I wait about 5 minutes for my hot beverage to cool. But sometimes I miss that critical moment of exact warmness... and it becomes cold and I will always make a "blech" face when I drink that cold sip.

Tagged People:

Jen at The Dog-Ma - though she might answer it on this one

Brian Lewis at Oblivion Diaries... that is if that bastard is still alive

Jennie at Jen's Fives .... but I am not sure if she can post a list of 6 there!

I kinda miss the old quiz fad

You're Prufrock and Other Observations!

by T.S. Eliot

Though you are very short and often overshadowed, your voice is poetic
and lyrical. Dark and brooding, you see the world as a hopeless effort of people trying
to impress other people. Though you make reference to almost everything, you've really
heard enough about Michelangelo. You measure out your life with coffee spoons.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

I kinda love this commercial, but its probably only aired on Bravo.

Oh if this only became a Superbowl commercial.

Rich Fancher, you are one funny bastard.

Unicorn Cove

I thought that more people outside the Portland Area should be able to experience this commercial.

The seven is here to stay

1. I love it when weird coincidences happen with the radio. I was in a crappy mood at work on Tuesday, and I got in my car to go home, and Van Morrison's Into the Mystic comes on the radio. That song from the years of 1993 to 1997 probably made it onto every mixed tape I ever made (shamefully discovered watching the movie Dream a Little Dream, starring the Coreys). It was one of those songs I had forgotten about and loved hearing again. Monday night, I had watched the movie Once and of course fallen in love with it and bought the soundtrack yesterday. What do I discover -- there is a cover of Into the Mystic on it. I love it when things I love, love each other back.
2. California was different that I pictured it. I did not think that I would be able to see the mountains from the city of LA.
3. Favorite pen of the week - Pilot Razor Points. I like that the color Brown comes in the multipack.
4. After not seeing people for 2 weeks, when I come back, some of them are still douchebags.
5. I have decided to keep the seven. Originally it was because of 2007 that I started this, but really, a list of eight just seems pretentious.
   
6. I am getting really excited about the primaries. Watching the votes and percentages the other night reminded me of how some people I know might react a at a sporting event.
7. It is true, we may be able to make good BBQ in the north, but it can't hold a candle to what they make in the south.
   

Seven things I would like to accomplish on this list

This list of 50 nerdy things to do before you die from The Park Bench blog includes several of my geek girl all-time dreams. Here are the seven I would love to do:

1. #38. Draw a map of a nonexistent or fictional place.
2. #7. Feel again like you felt the first time you saw "Star Wars."
3. #27. Go to an underground sing-along screening of the Buffy Musical. (When Buffy is outlawed, only outlaws will sing-along to Buffy.)
4. #24. Witness a live space shuttle launch. Extra points if you're piloting it.
5. #16. "Accidentally" get locked in a bookstore for seven or eight days.
6. #9. Make out with Joss Whedon or J.K. Rowling. Extra points if you achieve a two-fer.
7. #1. Live to see the day when smart and witty wins out over hot and shallow every single day of the week.

Runners up:
#31. Build your own lightsaber.
#6. Correct Alex Trebek on the pronunciation of something French. Consequently hold him when he cries.
#5. Figure out what the hell "Lost" is about. [This item also works for "The Prisoner," "Twin Peaks," "Cloverfield," and the popularity of Oprah.]
#4. Solve a New York Times crossword puzzle...with your eyes closed. Just kidding. Doing one in pen with no mistakes in under 10 minutes is good, too.

Seven things I NEVER want for Christmas

1. Celine Dion box set.
2. Any knitted item that might be pink or canary yellow.
3. Herpes. (Or anything in that general venereal disease family).
4. A kick in the ass.
5. Coal.
6. Knicknacks that are only meant to be put out for one month of the year.
7. A rose scented candle/potpourri/smelly item.
   

Seven things that make me giggle and grin like a school girl, a story in pictures

1. The latest issue of Buffy Season 8. The cover of this is brilliant.

2. Holiday lights. I kinda have a weird little kid dream of taking a sleigh or even a limo to be driven around to see the best lights out there. Hmm, they might not be that earth friendly, but damn if I don't love them so. The ones in Portland are my favorite.


3. Subversive cross stitch. I have been a stitching fool lately. I still think I like embroidery better, but its kinda fun to be a little crass with thread in a structured format. The Subversive cross stitch book is great. I just finished this one:

4. Ann Coulter receiving mail that is so appropriate.

It was a greeting card made by the woman who does Subversive Cross Stitch.
5. Arial view of the motherland, Fredonia

6. The Bucket Boss -- how amazing is this?! I love pens in mugs! This makes it that much better!


7. The idea that someday I make something as rad as this.

Journey to the west:!

My sister, the Samantha, are traveling to California in four weeks. The journey begins in the hinterlands of Rochester, NY... well Positively Lima to be exact and ends in Santa Maria, CA.

In the past I have created photo scavenger hunts for people, and now I want you to help us create one. Some examples of photo scavenger hunt items from the past are:

• Express this: I think that stranger is a vampire!
• Someone wearing inappropriate clothing
  
• Five oranges, a banana and two kiwis
  
• Your name on a sign
  

So, are there any suggestions?

Poem by Ron Padgett

The Drink

I am always interested in the people in films who have just had a drink
thrown in their faces. Sometimes they react with uncontrollable rage,
but sometimes-my favorites-they do not change their expressions at all.
Instead they raise a handkerchief or napkin and calmly dab at the
offending liquid, as the hurler jumps to her feet and storms away. The
other people at the table are understandably uncomfortable. A woman
leans over and places her hand on the sleeve of the man's jacket and
says, "David, you know she didn't mean it." David answers, "Yes," but
in an ambiguous tone-the perfect adult response. But now the orchestra
has resumed its amiable and lively dance music, and the room is set in
motion as before. Out in the parking lot, however, Elizabeth is setting
fire to David's car. Yes, this is a contemporary film.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
This poem reminds me of Torrey. He is overly dramatic, you know.

7 Reasons I'm Happy to Be Back in Maine

In the grand Sara/Cookie tradition, here's a list of all the reasons I'm so pleased to be back in the great state o' Maine...

1. Great Hat Weather - As I've gotten older, I've come to appreciate the magic of hats... No matter how out of shape you get or how crappy your hair might be on any given day, a hat is the cure-all. In Maine, you can pretty much get away with Hat Experimentation from September well into April. And that pleases me.

2. The Beach!! Now that I'm back in the midcoast with my pups in tow, I have a ready excuse for beaching it any old time I please. Regardless of the weather, the ocean never fails to inspire me - get my juices flowing and my imagination in overdrive. Hooray for the Atlantic!

3. Family. Yes, they are indubitably insane and they make me that way most of the time, but there's just something about being around people who've known you since way back when that keeps you grounded. Of course, ask me in a couple of months just how much I love being around family again and I'm pretty sure you'll get an entirely different answer.

4. The Magpie. My niece. Eighteen months old, and still just shy of the twenty-pound mark. She pretty much rocks my world - seriously. Yesterday I taught her to wiggle her butt like she has fishy fins, and it was in all seriousness the cutest thing in the history of the universe. No joke.

5. Civilization. I never, ever thought I would refer to Thomaston, Maine, as civilization, but after spending nine months in a world with no bookstores, no music stores, no craigslist, and Confederate flags on every corner, Thomaston seems pretty damned hip.

6. The Second Read. Along the lines of embracing civilization once more, the cutest little used bookshop/cafe this side of Portland. I had my first (and last) espresso there, just out of high school. If you can't go to Powell's, I recommend Second Read.

7. FRIENDS! Hooray for the old gang! I've had the plague since hitting the Maine state line so have yet to spend quality time with anyone, but the fact that people I love and respect and with whom I have Great and Memorable Times are a short car ride away is fabulous in every way. Praise the Lord and pass the Lobstah, I'm back in the great Northeast!

Make me the happiest woman alive,and marry me Amy Sedaris....

Oh my word, Amy Sedaris AND Dolly Parton. Why has no one thought of this before.... good god, its genius! I have to admit, country music videos always have a story involved, and I think I like it. There was a Reba & Kelly Clarkson match up too that was... well ok, kinda overdramatic, but it caught my attention for the duration of the video.

Seven things for a successful holday season, according to me

1. Combinations of mint and chocolate offered frequently
2. Alternative versions of holiday songs by modern rock artists with a sprinkling of the Bing Crosby
   
3. Small but fun and/or meaningful gifts. Quality not quantity in number or expense. Bonus points to the handmade.
4. Light peeping -- taking drives especially to see all the decorated houses.
5. Long contemplative car ride home.
6. Many many many family members packed into small places with a light offering of holiday spirits, aka good vittles and liquor.
7. Letting yourself just enjoy the people and things you love. Yeah, cheesy, but I can't help it!
   

Seven more things I recommend

1. Clipping out recipes and putting them into a book. It makes you think you really MIGHT make them someday.
   
2. Waiting one moment before yelling out someone's name in a public place to recognize who they really are. That one second to mentally process might actually save you some embarrassment.
3. Heroes -- have you heard of this little indie show? I would have continued to have watching it last fall -- if someone had not feed into the problems I already had with it. If I had ignored them and just gave it a few more episodes -- those issues would have gone away. Instead... I listened like a bloody fool, and I am so behind. Curse you.
4. If you are a guy, wear a black sweater, red tie and white collared shirt. It looks frickin' sharp.
5. A really good spatula. It makes scraping the batter out of the bowl a very precise operation. Though it does not leave much for people who love to scrape the tasty stuff out of the rest of the bowl.
6. Kitchen Confidential - Anthony Bourdain. Usually, I hate cocky people. They remind me of being way to insecure in high school and its makes me uncomfortable. Though I have a weakness for Bourdain. I hear he is talented in the kitchen -- never having eaten his food, I can not attest for it. But this book is pretty damn close. I enjoy the way he does not dumb down the way he talks about food and techniques. He is honest and explains them as if you were at the table with him and telling you matter of factly with a wry twist. It is an interesting insight into the life of a chef.
7. Never order seafood on Mondays. Anthony told me so.
   

Zuda Comics

DC Comics' new webcomics site Zuda Comics launched this week, and they're having a pretty cool comic-off at the moment. Each month, ten editorially-chosen comics are pitted against one another and voted on by users; at the end of the month, one of the ten competitors is selected and given a one-year, 52-episode contract and $1000. Though there is some contention as to whether or not Zuda truly has the best interests of comic creators in mind, there's no question that it offers greater visibility to its winners. At the moment, my pal David Gallaher leads the pack with a gritty, western-horror- werewolf-tale (really) that I frankly was skeptical about but, it turns out, kind of love. You should check it out. And vote for it. I mean, you don't have to vote for it - you shouldn't feel obliged to, just because I said so. But if you wanted to, you absolutely should. And that's all I have to say on the subject.