My Weekend

This past weekend turned out to be a four day weekend for me. Monday was a holiday at work and, since I have no pressing deadlines right now, I decided to use some of my "comp" time from the Christmas changover to take Friday off.

So how did I spend all this glorious time off you might ask? Mostly on the couch. One of the girls at work, K lent me a big pile of period dramas that she had on DVD and I spent the weekend watching all of them. In all I watched the 2005 Pride and Prejudice with Keira Knightely, a Masterpiece Theater version of Jane Eyre, a BBC miniseries called North & South, the BBC/A&E miniseries of Pride & Prejudice with Colin Firth. I also bought Elizabeth the Golden Age, Michael watched that one with me. Then for good measure (and for comparison) I watched the 2005 Pride & Prejudice again (actually 2 more times) and threw in Marie Antoinette. It was almost hard to get back to the present after all that.

I have to say I enjoyed both versions of P&P though (and you will guess this based on which ones I watched more times) the 2005 version I liked better. I have been having a hard time figuring out why though. I knew it had something to do with it feeling more "modern" to me, but I didn't realize why until I was thinking about it in the shower this morning (always a good place to think right?). It was the photography of it that felt more modern.

Ever since I got into photography, I really watch movies rather differently. I watch how they are using light to set the mood, the perspective they use, how they compose a scene. And the 2005 version of P&P I think better matched with my current "style".

Anyone else find photography has changed how you watch movies?

Quiet

Life has been pretty quiet this week. The most exciting thing that has happened (other than riding Elvis last night and not falling off) is that I ordered a bunch of shoes from Zappos. Gotta love free shipping and returns on a huge selection of shoes. So with the expectation that at least one pair probably won't be as cute in person or won't fit well and will need to be returned I bought:

Today I am going to play golf, it's a work outing. I suck at golf but last year it was really fun so I thought I might try it again. This time I brought my new camera so I can maybe take some golfing pictures when I am not totally sucking at the golf part. Then tonight I am dragging Mike to the movies. Marie Anotoinette came out today and I am dying to go see it.

Kids these days

Friday night we drove 20 miles from Walnut Creek to Dublin (which Michael kept calling Danville) so that we could go see Open Season in IMAX 3D! It was fun but so not worth the drive. We were going to stop at Rocco's for pizza on the way but it was too crowded so we figured there must be something near the theatre. And there were, but there were also about 200 teenage kids that looked like their parents dropped them off there for the evening to "hang out". All wearing their teenager uniforms and standing around in gaggles of giggling girls and pimple-y faced (or crotch to their knees) boys. Blocking every sidewalk and filling up all the resturants. I think I am getting old.

Marie Antoinette

Am I the only one who is really excited to see Marie Antoinette this fall? I love period movies, especially ones with big budgets and that are beautiful. It just looks like such a fun movie! I so want to dress up as her for Halloween, now that would get some funny looks at work!!

Tonight we are having friends over for Speidies!! Yeah! I love introducing new people to those because they are SO good. And then for dessert we are going to make s'mores! Maybe I can test out the camera taking pictures of yummy gooey marshmallows and melting chocolate!

Yuck!

Oh and Saturday night Mike dragged me to see Hostel. Which was for the record total crap. Beyond gory, and just sick and twisted. But really what else would you expect from Quentin Tarantino. If I had know it was one of his movies I would have refused to go. I spent half the movie hiding my head in Mike's shoulder and pretending the sounds from the movie were dirtbikes not chainsaws. The only good aspect of the whole thing (other than the popcorn) is that now I get to torture Mike with the most girlie movie I can think of. 136 minutes of Memoirs of A Geisha anyone? He'll LOVE that!!

There was more wedding progress made today. I finally got some quotes from caterers. That is the last big thing left for the wedding. I will feel so much better when it is just little stuff that is left. Like actually HAVING the wedding. Or making the programs. That might even be fun

Boring weekend

We didn't make very good use of our long weekend. Though I did make a lot of progress with my sims. I haven't spent a lot of time playing that game in a long time. It proved to be a good distraction while Michael watched a lot of sports, A LOT of sports. Why do I always start playing The Sims just in time for the next expansion pack. It's like the people at EA can read my mind.

Can you tell I am a little tired today? I almost passed out after coming back from the gym, I think I was dehydrated or something. Not good.

On Monday we went to the movies and went to see The Transporter 2. It was very entertaining. And Jason Statham is . . . SO HOT!!!! There was drooling. (Seriously I am so tired I couldn't remember how to spell that.)

The Aristocrats

Mike's brother (Dan) told him about this movie that he went to see that was so funny that he and his friend Natasha (the two we went to see Interpol with in March) almost peed their pants. So Friday night we went to see The Aristocrats. Now I will admit that I laughed a couple of times, and smiled a few more, but honestly I was miles away from peeing my pants. I can see why Mike and Dan would be amused, they have always been really big on potty humor.

Other than that a pretty tame weekend, I don't think I even left the apartment yesterday. Other than to go out on the deck and work on stripping the paint off a shelf my Dad built before him and Mom got married. It is taking me forever but I can finally see the wood in some places. Once I started using the after strip wash stuff it started to look a lot better.

Nothing

Nothing, still nothing. I am getting so sick of this. Why can't we just get things settled.

Other than that the weekend was okay. We went to see Sin City on Saturday. Neither of us liked it at all. The photography was really different but the story was just so weird. And gross. We also spent a lot of time talking about engagement rings. Which is good. Don't go expecting anything to happen in the near future, we are slow about this kind of thing. I am just happy that we talk about it. I am trying to bribe him though, I will buy him a new stereo receiver if he buys me a ring. They will probably cost about the same. Okay the receiver might cost less. Do you think bribery will work?

Good weekend

Most of my weekend was pretty good. Margo and I put a light in our stairway, I went to the movies (take tissues!), went shopping (and got a top and a hat), got my Tivo from Mom and Dad, hooked up the Tivo, ate some yummy Crab Au Gratin in the Poconos, and got those frosted cookies I wanted! The only bad parts were 1.) Missing Mike (I know I am a sap!), and 2.) The maybe 2 hours I spent yesterday trying to get my work computer to work on my home network.

I did run this morning but the 1.5 miles was still pretty tough so I just kept it to that. But it was much cooler and that was nice. Hopefully it will be like that a few more days and then I can push it up.

Quiet weekend?

It felt very strange this morning to think that I am not going somewhere this weekend or having someone come see me. I am sure I can keep myself really busy but it's still weird for me.

Maybe I will go see The Notebook this weekend. Mike won't want to see that with me. So far he is having a great time in New Orleans. He texted me yesterday and said he was drunk, at like 2 pm! AHH the joys of vacation!

Since I don't have to spend money on going to visit anyone this weekend or feeding anyone extra, I might try and squeeze in some shopping. For a brown purse to go with my new boots I bought a couple of weeks ago. Maybe a tweed shift dress for fall. (Maybe with brown trim? Though then I will need brown shoes or maybe I can wear the cream ones?) I also want some more casual summer skirts, I wear those instead of shorts. And I want to look for cropped tweed pants, also for the boots, oh and a slip!

First Tivo Recording!

My Tivo recorded it's first show last night! And I set it up over the internet. You can go online and manage your recording preferences, and schedule recordings. So being the bad tv watcher I am I set it up for a Season Pass for Newlyweds and The Ashlee Simpson Show. I can do the same thing for Gilmore Girls, and for when Real World Philly starts. No more setting the VCR for me. If it weren't for one thing I have on tape that you can't buy on DVD I would just get rid of the VCR. Maybe I can watch that this weekend? It is has been a long time.

Last night I rented Gods and Generals. I haven't finished it yet. It is a very long movie (214 minutes!), but I will finish it tonight. So far I like the book much better. Is it weird that I am a girl and I have been reading so much about wars and battles lately? It doesn't seem typically feminine. But I find it interesting and it is something (the wars) that I wanted to learn more about. I don't think I would be that into reading about Napolean or something, but this is the history of MY COUNTRY, where we as Americans came from and I think it is something we are not taught enough about in school. In one year (what maybe 180 hours?) of school they try to teach you about American History. There is a lot that is missed. Like John Adams, the Mexican American war, and why did the civil war start, was it just about slavery? Why would people support the south that didn't support slavery? I wanted to understand how we as such a little country could beat the British.

Okay! Enough about history and why I think it is important. I am having a huge craving for store-bought frosted sugar cookies and I can't find them at my local grocery store since I moved. I am upset about this and maybe have to drive 10 miles instead of 2 to the grocery store this weekend and get them. I know they are bad for me, but when I want them this badly it is better to just give in than to keep looking for things to replace them with that won't staisfy me. Wayne Acme here I come!

The weirdest thing about that movie last night was it reminded me how much I miss horses and want one of my own. I really need to start lessons again!

ONE MILE!!

I ran (ok jogged) ONE MILE, OUTSIDE without a walking break today!! That is a first and I am very proud of myself. My time wasn't great for a real running person, but faster than I have done a mile on the treadmill, 10:42! I am making progress! And I am really proud because as I was leaving the apartment this morning I was thinking "99% of me wants to stay in today, 1% of me wants to run, how strange that I let 1% of me tell the rest of me what to do!" But I am very glad that I did! VERY VERY GLAD!!!

I got compliments on my new black dress! It has a problem in the city when it is windy, it likes to display my butt to strangers! Bad dress! Bad Bad dress! I had to hold it down the entire time we were walking to the movies on Saturday. We went to see Shreck 2. It was very cute, especially Puss! It made me really want a kitty!! And that was pretty much the only exciting thing we did all weekend. We spent 5 hours on Saturday cleaning Mike's apartment. Including finding a STINKY DEAD MOUSE under the fridge. Yup I screeched and jumped up on the futon. Mike couldn't understand why I was freaking out, he thought the mouse was a big dust bunny. Then he used some old grilling tongs to pick it up and put it in the trash, we threw those out too!

Where Does the Money Go?

The money is all gone! And so quickly too! Friday night Mike and I went to dinner at Maggiano's in the city. It was pretty good. Then Saturday we went to see Stepford Wives which was pretty dumb. We also went out to breakfast at Friendly's. After the movie we split a sandwich at Atlanta Bread Company. Then we went out to dinner with Jenn and Tim<>

It was really hard to get up for my run this morning but I did it. Hopefully it won't be so hard tomorrow.

Moved In

The move is officially complete. I have even turned in the keys for my old place. I guess I am glad to have that done with. There are a few good things going on because of the move though. I went out running yesterday morning at 7 am and today at 5 with my Garmin Forerunner 201. And it was actually quite fun. It went better today than yesterday so hopefully I will be able to stick with running outside while I live here. Not like I have much of a choice if I want to run I guess.

The movers did a really good job, other than showing up really late on Friday, 6 pm. They didn't leave my new place until after 11pm. We were so tired by the time that they left. But we managed to get just about everything unpacked by the time that Mom and Dad left on Sunday.

On Monday, since it was a rainy yucky Memorial Day I decided to go see a movie. I went to see Raising Helen, which was pretty decent as rainy day entertainment. I can't complain. Okay I should go change some addresses and get started on some work!

Finally!

My iPod Mini was finally shipped!! Though from China I think! I hope it gets on a fast flight, they estimate I will get it Friday!! YIPPEE!!! And the car charger should come tomorrow so I will be nearly all set. Maybe this will be what I need to get my butt back in gear on the treadmill.

My family managed to pick up the Uhaul truck yesterday instead of today. They got almost everything packed yesterday afternoon. Hopefully they can get on the road pretty early today and make it pretty far. They have a lot of work ahead of them with driving for over 17 hours, and then unloading the truck at the end so they can return it.

I did rent that movie last night. It was pretty good though different than the book. They rearranged some things left some things out and made the mom a visual type of artist instead of a poet but it was still good.

Parents Made It

My parents have made it safely to Florida! YEAH! I wasn't really worried that they wouldn't but it is an awfully long drive and I am happy they are there. Of course now they are going to have to just turn around and head back tomorrow. Or sooner if they can move up the Uhaul reservation.

I had a meeting outside the city this morning that I had to drive to and I had to clean SNOW off my car! I was not a happy camper. When is spring finally going to settle into southeastern PA?

I finished my latest library book just now, White Oleander, by Janet Fitch. It was good, though very disturbing. I am going to go to Blockbuster tonight and rent the movie of it. I always prefer to do it that way when I can, read the book then see the movie. If it is a real book, not one based on the movie.