I'm Still Awake...

...as to why, I have no idea.

Well, first off, please excuse the random jumpy topics that I feel coming. I'm writing this at 12:30 in the morning, and that's the time when my brain is half asleep but also produces some good thoughts. Well, maybe not good, just semi-okay. Now, onto the writing...

This week has been really nice. Mom gave us the week off from homeschool, and so I have been happily watching movies the whole time. I think - no, let's rephrase that - I am movie-obsessed now, particularly when it comes to pre-1960's/70's stuff. Actually, I just hit the 50 mark on pre-1970 movies, but that's beside the point. (I know everyone's probably getting annoyed that all my posts have some sort of movie referenced in them...sorry. I wish I had something better to talk about, but I really don't.)

We went to Goober's 52 for dinner last night and then drove over to Wake Forest to see my dad's fraternity brother, who's in town visiting his son, who goes to Wake. We ended up having to wait in the car for a while, so we had lots of fun watching the students who were walking around campus. And talking about how expensive tuition is - when my dad went there, it was around $2,500 a year, nowadays, it's around $35,000 a year. Crazy...

Oh, I forgot to include this in my last post, and I didn't really feel like going back and re-editing, so here it is. If nothing else, if we all grow apart and become interested in different things, and don't have anything else to talk about, the group of us (Emma, Sylvia, Alicia, Natalie, Maggie, Chelsea, Anita, and I) will always have The Little Mermaid. [If you have no idea what I'm talking about, the simple explanation is that it's an inside "joke".]

Today, since it's supposed to be really nice out, my mom and I are going to go over to my aunt's pool to start building up a tan. And I am seriously looking forward to it, just laying in the sun. Haha, what a life...

Alright, here's the point where I sign off and say goodnight, because I'm finally starting to feel tired. Bye y'all!

I'm Singin' In The Rain, Just Singin' In The Rain...

So I'm bored, and I'm posting because Lanie Pope's weather update is overriding our shows for the evening.

Mom and I got a chance to watch The Godfather: Part II on Friday. It was pretty good, and Robert DeNiro (I think that was the guy, I'm not really sure though) made a convincing young Vito Corleone (the part Marlon Brando played in the original) in the flashback sequences. So I guess it wasn't as disappointing as I thought it would be. The rest of the cast was talented as well - Al Pacino, Robert Duvall, Diane Keaton, etc. were all great. So that's another Oscar winner under my proverbial belt, as well as two of the three Godfather movies...sweet.

But anyway, yesterday went great. Sylvia, Alicia, Natalie, Maggie, and I got together and went to the mall for a few hours. We had so much fun! I ended up buying some room spray from Bath & Body Works and a few shirts from Abercrombie & Fitch. When we finally left, it was almost six, and we went back to my house. We had pizza for dinner and then watched Night at the Museum 2, and didn't fall asleep until 2:30 in the morning. We had chocolate chip pancakes this morning, and then everyone headed home. Overall, it was a very fun night!

Other than that, I haven't been doing much. Working on the Sunday crossword and watching The Blind Side, then just messing around on the computer because I have a feeling that Minute to Win It and Undercover Boss are not going to be shown this evening, due to the storm. But it's no big deal, as I've adopted the "Come on with the rain, I've a smile on my face" attitude, hence the name of the post this evening. (Lyrics from "Singin' in the Rain", if you didn't know.)

Unfortunately, there's not that much else to say, so I guess I'll leave it here, as I listen to the sound of Gene Kelly singing and splashing around in puddles, which happens to be coming from another internet tab where I have the "Singin' in the Rain" sequence pulled up on YouTube just for the occasion. Ah, what a glorious feeling!

I Have No Idea Why I'm Posting...

...because none of what I write on here is really interesting. But I won't talk about that. Anyway, here's what's been going through my head and/or going on in my life.

Oh my gosh...why does Parenthood think it's a good idea to include parents hacking into their children's computers in their plot? I almost guarantee that my parents will be like, "Okay, show me your Facebook profile" now that they've watched that episode. Not that I have anything secretive, it's just sort of a violation of privacy to us teenagers. But whatever...I wasn't planning on writing about that anyway.

So on Friday, a group of us got together to go see "Fiddler on the Roof" over at Reynolds. Oh, what a night we had, just being ourselves - talking, laughing, messing around. I love my friends. We went over to The Loop afterwards for dinner, and we didn't get home until midnight. But, it's worth it when you're having fun. Needless to say, we had so much fun that we're getting together this weekend, too.

Other than that, it's been kinda boring around here. Mom, Quinn, and I have been going for walks at the parcourse, which is a nice break from the monotony of being at home. Oh, my mom and I (finally) found time to watch The Godfather this weekend. I thought it was awesome. Makes me totally wish I was a Corleone...okay maybe not. But I digress...it was really good, and I'm trying to find time this weekend so my mom and I can watch the sequel (The Godfather: Part II), although I don't think it'll be as good, if only because Marlon Brando isn't in it. But I'll watch it just the same.

Oh yeah, and my favorite song at the moment - Telephone by Lady Gaga and Beyonce. Total awesomeness, and it gets stuck in your head easily. Booyah. [Did I really just write 'booyah'? OMG, I must be totally whacked out right now...]

Um, yeah, that's pretty much it for now, mainly because I just got a major attack of writer's block. Maybe I'll come back and add more later...

What I'm Doing This Weekend

So, my weekend plans got shot out from under me a few days ago. Let me tell you why...

My dad and brother were supposed to go to Danville this weekend for a tanking run at the Tank Museum. For those of you who have no idea what I'm yapping about, basically you have an RC scale-size tank that shoots a laser beam, and your goal is to hit other tanks with your laser, without getting hit yourself. (Or at least that's my explanation of it...). So anyway, they were supposed to leave Friday morning and come back Sunday night, leaving my mom and I to have a nice, relaxing "Girl's Weekend". Well, guess what? My brother, all of a sudden, doesn't feel like going, so they'll be at home this weekend with us...great, just great.

So, instead of a weekend of movies and pampering and relaxing with my mom, I get to spend it with the whole family - my mom, my dad and my brother, who has been really moody and loud this week. So, our plans changed.

And I'm now knee-deep in a project for the weekend, one that really needed to be done anyway. It's more of a way to stay away from my brother, which I hate to admit, but it's an important job, too. I'm cleaning all of my crap out of the attic. I pulled down a few boxes of stuff this afternoon, along with a few bags of old stuffed animals, and deposited them all in the basement. Then, I proceeded to sort it all out - what I wanted to keep, what needed to be thrown away, and what could be donated to Goodwill. I made good headway - the trunk of my mom's car is filled with stuff to be donated. I still have to re-sort all of my "keep" stuff, between what goes in my bedroom, and what goes back in the attic, but that's my next job. Then, I'll be heading back into the attic for more boxes of stuff to sort, and I'm sure we'll be making another trip or two to one of the Goodwill donation trucks in town this weekend. The next thing, after all my stuff from the attic is sorted, I plan on going through any of the toys I have stored in our garage, and sorting through that stuff, too. Then, if I manage to get all that done this weekend, I'll clean out my closet once and for all. Because I always seem to say that I'm going to clean my closet, then end up looking through all the stuff I find, and nothing gets done. And since I just semi-cleaned (which means working through one or two shelves) a few weeks ago, it should go easily. I really want it clean, like "take everything out, vacuum in it, wash the shelves, sort the stuff, and put the necessary stuff back in" kind of clean.

My other job this weekend is to watch some of the movies I've recorded and have yet to watch. Most of them are ones when I said I was recording it, my mom was like, "Oh, I would love to see that one again!" or something like that, and we both have yet to find a time that we're both not doing anything. So, we'll be watching The Godfather, The Godfather: Part II, Titanic, and Breakfast at Tiffany's, if we can find a time that suits us both (or the three of us, if my dad wants to watch The Godfather or something...) On another note, my Oscar list needs to be adjusted, because I did not get to watch Rain Man or The French Connection. Both had been recorded, but as I had other movies set to record within the next few days and no time to watch either of them, they had to be deleted. I tried watching the first half hour or so of The French Connection, but I got bored, which was exactly how my mom described it when I told her I was recording it.

Speaking of movies, my mom and I are going to see Shutter Island at Carmike today, which should be awesome. So that's one thing that didn't get changed when my dad and brother decided not to go to Danville.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that I saw Singin' in the Rain a few weeks ago, and it was adorable! It's one of those movies that never gets boring, and I would have loved to have watched it a second time, if only it hadn't been auto-deleted to make room for another recording. And a couple of nights ago, I found Of Human Bondage (starring Bette Davis and Leslie Howard) on YouTube, so I watched that as well. It was really good...well, actually, I liked it more than I care to admit. I don't really enjoy Bette Davis all that much, she doesn't hold a lot of appeal to me, but maybe I just happened to watch the few movies where you're supposed to hate her character. But I have to say, the scene where she completely blows up at Leslie Howard's character is pretty neat. But I digress...it's a good movie, the plot is very neat. Oh, and It Happened One Night was adorably funny, too - I finally found time to watch it this week, and it's hilarious. It's actually one of the few romantic comedies to be nominated or win an Academy Award for Best Picture. Claudette Colbert is really pretty, and who doesn't love Clark Gable?

Oh my gosh, I've written a lot! And it's like 1:30 in the morning! Haha. Roadrunner's horoscope was right - I have definitely been staying up late this week, and tonight is no exception!

Movies: Oscars

Thank goodness for movies - I don't know what I'd do without them. Now, seeing that the Academy Awards (aka the Oscars) are this weekend, I wanted to post a little about them. So, let's get to it.

I feel like starting with this year's nominees for Best Picture. This is the first year since 1943 that ten films are up for the Best Picture award, and as usual, I haven't seen a lot of them. Actually, I've only seen one of them, which is The Blind Side. The others up for the award are Avatar, District 9, An Education, The Hurt locker, Inglourious Basterds, Precious, A Serious Man, Up, and Up In The Air.

As for the Best Leading Actor category, I haven't seen any of the films, so I can't say who I feel should win. George Clooney (Up In The Air), Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), Colin Firth (A Single Man), Morgan Freeman (Invictus), and Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) are the nominees.

The Best Leading Actress category is filled with stars. Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side), Helen Mirren (The Last Station), Carey Mulligan (An Education), Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia), and Gabourey Sidibe (Precious) are up for this award. As for this category, I would love to see Meryl Streep or Sandra Bullock win, but I think it would be a nice surprise to see Gabourey Sidibe get the award, just because she has such a neat story.

I'm not going to go any deeper than that, but I have to write on here that Christopher Plummer finally has his first Oscar nomination (for Best Supporting Actor in The Last Station). If you don't recognize the name, one of his most well-known roles is that of Captain Von Trapp in The Sound of Music opposite Julie Andrews. As for a more recent "big movie" role, he plays the role of Ben Gates' grandfather at the beginning of National Treasure.

Switching directions, my goal for the next few years is to see as many Best Picture-winning films as I can. So that makes 82 films, including whichever film wins this year.
So far, I've seen It Happened One Night (1934)^, Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), Gone With The Wind (1939), Casablanca (1943), The Sound of Music (1965), The Godfather (1972)^, Dances With Wolves (1990), The Silence of the Lambs (1991)*, Schindler's List (1993), Forrest Gump (1994), Braveheart (1995)*, Titanic (1997), Gladiator (2000)*, Chicago (2002), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003), Million Dollar Baby (2004), and The Departed (2006)*.
[Films marked with * I either 1) half watched, or 2) watched long enough ago to have forgotten the main plot of the movie. Films marked with ^ are ones that I have recorded on our DVR downstairs and have yet to watch. Thankfully, AMC is showing The French Connection (1971), The Godfather: Part II (1974), and Rain Man (1988) this weekend, so I'll have a few more to add to that list as I record and watch each one.] So, including the ones I have recorded and the ones that I will record, I will have seen twenty Best Picture-winning films, almost a quarter of the 82 films that have won. A good start, I think.

And I will end it here, as I am tired of writing since I had to rewrite most of this post because my computer went to stand-by because I had a low battery, and blogger.com hadn't auto-saved in a while. But, I got it done, and that's what matters.

I Finally Feel Like An Aquarius

So, Aquarius' are supposed to be really arty, and creative, and can express their emotions well through other mediums than just talking. And for the longest time, I can honestly say that I didn't think that description fit me very well. (I thought I was more of a Capricorn - determined, studious, intelligent, etc.). Until yesterday, that is. I had this wonderful creative streak, where I ended up pulling out a bunch of art supplies and finishing a painting project that I had put off for years, just a simple "slap on a coat of whatever color paint" type of thing. So I got that done. And now, I have my supplies out - paints, glitter, watercolors, masking tape, origami paper, etc. - and am on an art blitz. And I realized that my writing habits fit the Aquarius type, too. I could literally stay up all night typing up stories on my laptop, which I guess is a way of expressing emotions or whatever.

So, now that that's out of my system, I can bore you with a long post about whatever I did this past week or so. Haha, just kidding. There isn't really anything important to report. Oh, but I did manage to find, record, and watch Casablanca last week, and I thought it was great...one of those classics that everyone has to see at some point in their life. And my first Humphrey Bogart film, actually. My second Ingrid Bergman film though, I saw Intermezzo: A Love Story a while back. There's a certain quality to old films, a beauty that you don't see nowadays. Although there are great films made these days, nothing compares. It's cinematography in its purest form - no computer-generated images, no green screens, etc. Okay, that's my deep analysis for the time being.

Oh, and I love the tv show LOST, which is in its final season on ABC. Questions are starting to be answered, and yet as each question gets answered, another twist is added into the plot. But I think that's why I love the show. And the cast is just amazing...and the plot...and well, everything about it. I really can't wait for next week's episode!

So I'm going to end it here, as I watch Ella push around a leftover plastic Easter Egg from years ago that is now her toy, while simultaneously watching the Olympics.

Valentine's Day

Today was a wonderful day...

So, after waking up an hour later than normal, I relaxed for a few hours, just surfing the web and listening to music. Then, I went out to Carmike Theater to meet up with Emma, Sylvia, and Anita. We saw Valentine's Day, which was a great movie. It had a huge cast, and I loved how the stories intertwined with each other. It was hilariously funny, and yet very sweet at the same time. Then, the four of us went over to El Maguey for dinner. I ordered the chicken fajita chimichanga, which was delicious. We talked nonstop, and laughed, and had a great time.

And now I'm watching the Olympics - pairs ice skating is on right now, which his probably the one thing that I really look forward to during the Winter Olympics.

So this is going to be a short post, but I'm tired and don't really feel like typing. So I leave you with a quote from "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare...

"Good night, good night. Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say goodnight till it be 'morrow."