TONIGHT !!!

If you're in New York, come by Angels & Kings because Trainwreck tonight is going to ROCK! There are bunches of fun friends in town, including Jiscilla and Diaz and Maureen and it's GALEA's birthday!!!

I know what you're not thinking but I am: I have to celebrate the birthday of the dude who just beat me in fantasy football and TIED with me for first place?! FOR REAL?

But yes, of course I will, because he is a good dude and Chris Johnson can't help that the defense was all up on him because, duh, he's the best running back in the league right now and any team with a brain cell knows you gotta cover him well.

Anyways, my friends and I will be there tonight in full force. Full DANCE PARTY force. YEAH!

You are an epidemic.

I took some time for a few love affairs this weekend.

I went to dinner on Friday night with three lovely ladies, and a jazz man. The food, previously tested, held up as scrumptious as the first try, and the margaritas were also delicious. Despues, Kelly, Amber and I went to a late showing of Broken Embraces, Pedro Almodovar's latest film starring Penelope Cruz. I can't express how much I love Almodovar and how I truly believe he's one of the only directors these days who takes the effort to portray art in filmmaking. Broken Embraces is another near-perfect movie from the director; another display of incredible talent from Cruz and a story that is heartbreaking and beautiful all at once.

And though many have tried to varying degrees of success, I think Almodovar's consistent homage to old Hollywood is simply the best. I've never seen Hitchcock's style used so brilliantly before Almodovar. I definitely recommend the film, as well as All About My Mother, Talk to Her, and Volver. Seriously.

But I'm not done professing my love, yet - on Saturday morning Amber and I woke up and decided we needed our eyebrows waxed. We looked up a nearby salon in Manhattan and cruised in to find ourselves in a quaint shop. I noticed all the pretty nail polish colors and Amber noticed the prices ($8 for a manicure!) and we decided to do both. And I picked out a light blue Essie shade that I am still completely in love with:

As we made our way to SoHo, we found a vintage store whose clearance rack held the PERFECT holiday party dress. This year will be our apartment's 4th annual holiday party, so a festive getup is a must. It's kind of ridiculous, but that's the point. You'll see! Afterwards, we met up with Tiffany in SoHo - Amber needed a winter coat and I had found an $80 Ben Sherman gift card unused from two years ago. Thus, Amber found a stellar plaid number in Zara and I found a cool button-up that only cost me $6.

That afternoon, Jesse returned from playing a show, and proceeded to play video games the rest of the night, as he had just recieved his new x-box. (Dudes.) Luckily, Gurj came over and Erica and I made margaritas while catching up and playing...Scrabble...and Jenga...and Sorry. We're way-cool Saturday night kids. But apparently tequila makes me SUPER tired?! Erica and I hit Snugglestown, USA (my bed) to watch UP which I just bought on blu-ray, and I was in and out of sleep for most of it.

I had a great night of sleep, however, and woke up bright and early on Sunday to shower, cook breakfast, and then settle in for some Netflix. Oh the activity! Anyway, here's where I came upon my next little obsessive affair - I watched Mysterious Skin (recommended by Christina). The story is eerie and quite sad; I cried during a few scenes. Also, it certified Joseph Gordon-Levitt as LEGIT TALENTED in my book. Whereas before he was yes, of course, quite talented...now he is legit, per me. And how adorably enthusiastic was he during SNL? Possible shake-up in the works.

The rest of Sunday was filled with Tom Brady, Taco Bell, and other things that can be shortened to "TB" - er, except tuberclosis. There was none of that.

And I know how it makes you careful.

(Post inspired by Liz!)


Watching...my soup simmer on the stovetop; Pee Wee stare up at me from the floor, telepathically telling me he'd like more food though I just fed him ten minutes ago (he's a beggar sort, I attribute that to where Jesse found him).

Reading...I, Lucifer and not enjoying it too much. Glen Duncan (the author) is trying too hard to be funny as the first-person voice of the Devil. The moments where he breaks from his undiscernable stream-of-consciousness thoughts is where Duncan's writing and storytelling really shines like it did in his novel Weathercock.

Listening...to nothing at the moment - sometimes after a long day and commute, I enjoy the silence and warm, dim lighting in the apartment. Otherwise, I've really only been listening to three albums in rotation the past few weeks: Paramore's brand new eyes, Dashboard Confessional's Alter the Ending, and MCS' My Dinosaur Life. I haven't heard anything else to pique my interest otherwise.

Drinking...water.

Wanting...more time, less anxiety, more money, less absences, more inspiration, less constraint, more exercise, less obligations, more sleep, less laziness, more teleportation, less crowded trains...you know, more or less.

If this is chemical.

And so, it is the 46th week of 2009, and guess what? I'm on book 49 of 52! BOOM! I last updated this list back in September, and I never know what's going to be picked next or what I'm in the mood to read, so it turned out a bit differently than expected these last few books -

01 A Clash of Kings, George R.R. Martin (01.05.09)
02 World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, Max Brooks (01.18.09)
03 Eclipse, Stephenie Meyer (01.20.09)
04 The Road, Cormac McCarthy (01.22.09)
05 Y: The Last Man, Brian K. Vaughn (01.27.09)
06 Breaking Dawn, Stephenie Meyers (01.31.09)
07 Infinity Blues, Ryan Adams (02.12.09)
08 The Best American Magazine Writing 2008 (02.28.09)
09 First Love, Ivan S. Turgenev (03.08.09)
10 Fun Home, Alison Bechdel (03.15.09)
11 Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy (03.16.09)
12 The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera (03.24.09)
13 Never Let Me Go, Ishiguro Kazuo (03.29.09)
14 The Last Vampire, Christopher Pike (04.05.09)
15 Whisper of Death, Christopher Pike (04.13.09)
16 Monster, Christopher Pike (04.21.09)
17 A Storm of Swords, George R.R. Martin (04.30.09)
18 Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Seth Grahame-Smith (05.15.09)
19 Crimson, Brian Augustyn (06.15.09)
20 2666, Roberto Bolaño (06.07.09)
21 The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson (06.17.09)
22 The Uncommon Reader, Alan Bennett (06.19.09)
23 The Lover, Marguerite Duras (06.22.09)
24 The Sound of My Voice, Ron Butlin (06.25.09)
25 Blood Meridian, Cormac McCarthy (07.07.09)
26 L.A. Confidential (Film Criticism), Manohla Dargis (07.10.09)
27 Are You There Vodka? It's Me Chelsea, Chelsea Handler (07.12.09)
28 Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card (07.18.09)
29 The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood (07.26.09)
30 Nine Stories, J.D. Salinger (08.05.09)
31 Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Joan Didion (08.09.09)
32 Seven (Film Criticism), Richard Dyer (08.15.09)
33 Delta of Venus, Anais Nin (08.17.09)
34 The House of the Spirits, Isabel Allende (08.23.09)
35 The Little Stranger, Sarah Waters (09.05.09)
36 To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf (09.10.09)
37 White Teeth, Zadie Smith (09.27.09)
38 Breakfast at Tiffany's, Truman Capote (09.29.09)
39 Chronicle of a Death Foretold, Gabriel Garcia Márquez (10.02.09)
40 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Hunter S. Thompson (10.08.10)
41 Jesus' Son, Denis Johnson (10.12.09)
42 Perfect Fifths, Megan McCafferty (10.13.09)
43 The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion (10.19.09)
44 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson (10.27.09)
45 Bad Behavior, Mary Gaitskill (11.03.09)
46 Come Together, Fall Apart, Cristina Henriquez (11.09.09)
47 Daughters of the North, Sarah Hall (11.15.09)
48 Night, Elie Wiesel (11.16.09)
49 I, Lucifer, Glen Duncan (CURRENTLY READING)

Possibly next:

50 Delirium, Laura Restrepo
51 Madame Bovary, Gustave Flaubert
52 1984, George Orwell

Also, I know I had the Sherlock Holmes books in there before, but do you know how hard it is to relax comfortably and read with an 800+ page, mini-font size, hardcover anthology?! For me, it's next to impossible. I'm seriously considering buying the books individually. Or perhaps I will attempt it again! I feel like I need to be sitting in a library with a big wooden table and a reading light to get through something in that format. No? Am I being weird? I tell you what - that book sits on my bedside table mocking me every time I go to bed. Sometimes I pick it up and then grunt at its weight. The cats have watched me struggle to "curl up in bed" with it. It has sharp corners and resting it on my stomach literally (HA) causes enough pressure to induce an ache.

Last night I finished the harrowing memoir Night, by Elie Wiesel - it recounts his time in concentration camps during WWII and though it's only about 120 pages long, it's incredibly heavy. Afterwards, I needed to pick my next book so I lay a few unread titles on my bed and then Pee Wee jumped up and lay in my lap, apparently wanting to help with my decision.

Here is Pee Wee pondering over the titles and book covers with me.

After reading the back cover, he pushes away Bukowski.

He decides Glen Duncan's I, Lucifer should be my next read, over Laure Restrepo's Delirium.

He hopes that I am pleased with his decision, as he certainly is satisfied with his literary prowess.

Waiting for the sun to clear away the haze.

Pee Wee says "Good afternoon to you. I hope you are having a fabulous day."

Where was I? Where am I? Honestly, I'm trying to figure out how to continue using this. There are many people now in my life who remind me - "don't blog about this (nervous laughter)" and at the same time I often tire of writing solely about myself. I started this whole thing because I wanted to continue writing in some regular way; however, I think I've found that with another venture and now I don't know how to incorporate the ol' blogspot in my routine. I'll figure it out. I envision some more thinking and a reshaping for 2010.

My weekend? Let's see -

It began with a viewing of The Fantastic Mr. Fox alongside Jesse, Gaby, Kells, and Mike. It was, indeed, fantastic. The animation was adorable, along with the characters and the voices. George Clooney stars, but I was really captivated by Jason Schwartzman's turn as his son, Ash.

Jesse and I slept in on Saturday - like, REALLY slept in. It felt great after the hectic three weeks of work I've been having. We got up at around 1:30pm. Okay - wait, I got up at around 10am, took a shower, blowdried my hair, and then got back in back at noon until 1:30. It's really hard for me to stay asleep in the mornings these days!

We promptly went to brunch upon waking, only to be met with an hour wait that didn't get food into our stomachs until 3pm. The humanity!

Speaking of...probably my biggest guilty pleasure is huge-budge, special-effects-laden disaster movies. And 2012 came out this weekend and I simply HAD to see it. However, nobody would go to see the "crapfest" with me, so I was determined to see it by myself. I trudged in the rain to Manhattan from Brooklyn and found myself seated in the packed theater between two others seeing the movie solo. I tell you what: it didn't disappoint! It was like a rollercoaster of DOOM and DEATH and then quiet hope. Haha, nobody cares about that hope and the survival of the human race! The earth is crumbling around these characters you like and dislike! People die! It was amazing. But I can't do it justice like The Awl did - read the best review of the film HERE. It's entitled: "'2012' is Awesome and Haters Can Suck It" - the body just amazing as the title.

Afterwards, I headed to SoHo to meet up with some lovely ladyfriends - Kells, Amber, Tiffany, and Anabel - for some exquisite English cuisine and a gabfest. It also included some zoom-in shots of Willem Dafoe's neck-skin, as I had to google image-search the actor after someone divulged in a certain crush. These are the things we talk about...

Anyway, then Amber and Kells and I headed into Brooklyn to meet up with Jesse, Mike, James, and Adam and played UNO and darts. At a bar. Until around 3 in the morning. I am always at my loosest when in the presence of Amber and Kelly - you never know what I'm going to do or say, and sometimes I don't. As you may have already guessed, we slept in on Sunday as well.

But upon waking, I made Jesse what he termed, "the best breakfast sandwich I've ever had." I then congratulated myself on my burgeoning domesticity and we settled in for some football. I also called my father as it was his BIRTHDAY! Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

Erica and I made margaritas for the evening Colts v. Pats games with one of the wedding gifts Jesse and I recieved - a blender. I was very impressed by its power to get me tipsy.

On the football front, my six-week fantasy football winning streak has come to an end, as has Belichick's infallibility and that is all I can say about last night's game, as I am too bitter to linger on it long. Soon after that, I curled up in bed with book #48 (!!!) of the year. Progress report to come soon, along with another (longer) tale of domesticity.

How was your weekend?

Even now I can feel your hand.

As I related in the last point, I saw the movie In the Cut, as recommended to me by Amber, and was surprised to find how much I loved it. I'm also obsessed with this particular tumblr that summarizes or features movies in four frames. Above is my hand at "framing" Jane Campion's 2003 movie. I instantly thought of framing the film because of how interesting Campion's shots were throughout. Has anybody seen it? What did you think? I remember people absolutely hating it when it came out; I can't believe I hadn't seen it until now.

The viewing also led to a little shake-up in my Top Five. Mark Ruffalo has always been near the top, but was never included. Well, he has taken down Lee Pace. Pace, as you may remember, was the lovable main character on Pushing Daisies, but since that has been cancelled, my love, too, has waned in his absence. Ruffalo is IN. Also, weird fact that I learned while watching the behind-the-scenes featurette on In the Cut - Ruffalo hadn't worked in ten months when approached my Campion, as he had just gotten over brain surgery from having a brain tumor that paralyzed half of his face. He doubted whether he would even return to acting.

In other news, the new Dashboard Confessional album is out today and I've been listening to it for the past week completely enamored with both the full-band and acoustic versions of the songs. Before listening, I wondered why he would even put out two versions of the same songs, and once I listened to the electric songs it became clear: Carrabba, you are using some electronic effects! Gotta get those acoustic songs out there too for the ol' die-hards...like my friend Rick, who has always proclaimed Dashboard is infinitely better unplugged. Rick and I plan on discussing the album(s) this week, and I'll let you know how that debate goes. For now, you can pick up the album for $6.99 today via Shockhound and if you want to know my two favourite songs at the moment they are "Get Me Right" and "Even Now."

Also, you know that movie Say Anything? It was released TWENTY years ago. Can you believe that?Lloyd Dobler holds the title as my first swoon ever. Way over any other 80s teen character, Lloyd was my silver-screen lobster - and I think every girl who's seen it. Some of the ladies came over on Saturday night for an anniversarial viewing, in which we talked about when we had first seen it, and how in ways it ruined our ideas of love - Lloyd Dobler does not exist (these sentiments were half-joking). Our own Jiscilla had never seen the film - I KNOW. We laughed as she commented during the viewing: "Aw, her dad is so nice. He takes care of her." and "She's not going to give him that pen, right? HA. That would be awful." I actually loved seeing someone react to the movie without ever having seen it! We all revelled in Diane Court, Joe lies/When he cries, Stoltz, keymaster, "If you were Diane Court would you fall for Lloyd Dobler?", kickboxing is the sport of the future, how does that "happen", I gave her my heart and she gave me a pen, IN YOUR EYES THE LIGHT THE HEAT, etc., etc., etc.

I think you know I could go on about this seminal film of my adolesence - couldn't you? Is there anyone who doesn't like this movie? (And not in an award-worthy way or had to be relevant to your childhood way - just, simply, like or do not like...and why?) I think a negative opinion of Say Anything would really surprise me! Like, surprise me in a way completely different than when people say they hate The Beatles or The Godfather. How can you hate on Lloyd? Anybody want to prove me wrong?

Get me right.

I KNOW! My posting has been dismal! Even my father is eager for me to extract words from these fingers. He scolded me about not quitting something everyone enjoys. Not that I was ever in danger of quitting, but I'm pretty sure this is a good place for my dad to keep tabs on me and when I don't post for two weeks, he becomes concerned, though we talk a few times a week on the phone.

HI DAD!

And so, I now attempt to catch you up on what I've been up to. Work has been particularly "way harsh, Ty" for the past two weeks. It's just started to go from boiling out of control, to a quiet, easy simmer. Also, my use of foodie adjectives does not mean I've learned to cook a great deal, though my mother-in-law got me a subscription to Cooking Light and it has inspired me to attempt it with a real furor...one day...hopefully soon.

You ever feel like so many things are constantly happening you can't keep up? Yeah, that's what's been happening and I haven't had a respite for some real good "me" time or "catching up with my own life" time. And since I don't have time for that, I simply haven't had time to reflect upon it via this here blog. Which isn't bad at all, since I've been having an absolutely stellar, indescribably fun time with my husband and all my friends! But to recap...

• My parents visited and Jesse and I treated them to a lovely New York steak dinner at Keen's Steakhouse. Over delicious meat, my mother began talking about babies. As in Jesse + Jessica babies. As in not JMJsquared, but JMJtripled. As in I'm so glad I would feel guilty about not eating this pricey meal because otherwise I would have lost my appetite. As in, me? Really? Us? The people who can't stand it when the kitten cries at five in the morning and throw him out of our room? Yeah, we're not baby people - yet. NOT FOR A LONG TIME!
• My friends and I saw Aziz Ansari do standup at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater and he was hilarious. Then Jim Gaffigan showed up as a surprise and did a set and I think I may have been doing his "audience voice" impression for an hour straight to my friend Amber, who was not even there, but it was one of those special ocassions where it didn't matter, we were cracking up at 3 in the morning by me simply saying "that's not funny" in a strange voice. I can't even explain it. Probably why I didn't think it was bloggable in the first place!
• I'VE BEEN READING! I am now on book #46 of my list, and it is week #44! I've been loving most of what I've been reading lately. Currently I'm reading something that is probably the most self-relevant book I've ever read - it's a collection of short stories called Come Together, Fall Apart by Cristina Henriquez. I'll write more on this later, perhaps after I finish it or at the end of the year during my book wrap up!
• I am #1 in my fantasy football league for the THIRD week in a row. I am impressing myself at this point. We'll see though, it could all change this weekend!
• MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK announced that their next album, My Dinosaur Life, will be out on JANUARY 19th, 2010!!! They have all the info on their website, as well as a tracklisting - and I can't wait for everyone to hear it!! Seriously. SERIOUSLY. It's rad and I'm biased but I'm also just a superfan married to that certain man and...oh crap, I'm rhyming (first sign of insanity). Yes, this album kind of drives me crazy in an awesome way.
• (Okay, I'll try to reel it in...)
• I saw a ridiculously great movie entitled In the Cut, starring Meg Ryan and Mark Ruffalo and directed by a favourite, Jane Campion. I didn't see it when it first came out years ago because it was pretty much panned, but after Amber suggested I netflix it, I was astounded to find a great female-perspective noir detective thriller. And you know what? I think Ruffalo just made it into my top five, officially. (He's always been hovering, especially because he's probably my favourite rom-com dude ever in 13 Going on 30). I'm working on a visual "framing" of the film, coming soon! And you're wondering who got kicked out of my top five aren't you? Something I'll update in the future...
• For Halloween my friends and I simply had a great games night. Halloween is one holiday I try to avoid being in Manhattan for - only bested by St. Patrick's Day. So instead we have decided to get dressed up tonight for our friends' party down the street. Yes, it's a post-halloween party. I'm sure I'll have some pictures to share.

What have you been up to? I've been reading everyone's blogs, make no mistake, but some of you don't blog! What were you for Halloween?!

Quick story that just happened: I almost peed my pants in the elevator.

First, you have to understand the mindset I was in: I work in a building on Madison Ave where I see Anna Wintour on pretty much a weekly basis because she gets her hair done in a salon on another floor. Also seen in the lobby or around are Ivanka Trump, Tom Wolfe, etc - seeing a celebrity every now and then is not that surprising, but it's always fun.

So I saw Anna Wintour this morning from an elevator vantage point, and she looked impeccable, and then I got on an elevator an hour later and there was a guy on there who from the side angle looked exactly like Chris Pine. I stared blatantly at him because I didn't know if it was him or not. He was wearing a plaid shirt and jeans and slip-on sneakers. For those brief moments I considered: if I really am in an elevator with Chris Pine, I HAVE to say something, right? A picture with my iPhone? Pass him the number of one of my single friends for his "time in New York"?? WHAT DO I DO?

But then my death stare (it must have seemed that way to everyone else in the elevator, not the very least to the "man in serious question" himself) got a reaction from Chris Pine-y (yeah, I definitely made him uncomfortable with my mouth agape and all) because he stared back at me face-full-on and I realized that no, this man is not the matinee idol from Star Trek. No, he's not that top five-r. He's just a really hot dude who works in my building. BOO.