A Year in Review

Ganked this from my friend, Ember.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you'd never done before?
I drove through Utah, Idaho, and Oregon.

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
My new year's resolution was to read 20 new books and I managed to read 25, plus reread Deathly Hallows and listen to an audiobook. Next year I'm shooting for 25, and I'm also going to try to blog at least 10 times/month.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Kelley and John had this cute lil' bundle. She's the only kid that I insist on holding every time I see her.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
Fortunately, no.

5. What countries did you visit?
Ach, I was stuck here! I am definitely leaving in 2009, though.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
Sleep. I would like to cure my insomnia.

7. What date from 2008 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
March 22 and May 10. Jen&Doug's and Will&Shan's weddings.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Getting into my interior design program, I suppose.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Not cleaning my carpets.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I am almost constantly suffering illness or injury. Right now, I actually have a vicious cut on my thumb from the Brita pitcher. No lie.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
It was a gift, but I love love love my Flip camera.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
I thought that McCain's concession of the presidency was quite humble and dignified. Good on him.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Anyone who is publicly hateful about same-sex marriage.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Wizard rock and happy hour.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Wizard rock, LeakyCon, writing for the Wizrocklopedia, getting into LaRoche, Jen&Doug's and Will&Shan's weddings.

16. What song(s) will always remind you of 2008?
Any Whomping Willows or JFF songs.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder? Happier, definitely.
ii. thinner or fatter? I was at my lowest adult weight about a year ago, so at least I'm back to reasonable.
iii. richer or poorer? Richer, I guess. We have less credit card debt, at least.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Watching movies

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Obsessing over Seth Rogen, daydreaming, sitting on my ass.

20. How did you spend Christmas?
Christmas Eve with the extended immediate family, Christmas morning at my parents' and Christmas dinner at the Fridy's.

22. Did you fall in love in 2008?
I'm constantly falling in love with one thing or another. And also constantly in love with my kittens and JP.

23. How many one-night stands?
Being married has really hindered this.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
I don't think I discovered anything new. Probably Top Chef and Project Runway - they're always good fun.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Sarah Palin, perhaps?

26. What was the best book you read?
Paper Towns by John Green

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
Wizard rock, of course!

28. What did you want and get?
A much happier existence.

29. What did you want and not get?
Um, an HD TV, I guess. Not terribly disappointed, though.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
Dark Knight, Sweeney Todd, Burn After Reading, and Enchanted were all awesome.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
On the actual day, I went to happy hour at Joe Mama's and dinner at Fuel&Fuddle with bunches of friends. I turned 27.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
If any of my far-away friends had moved here.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
Cold weather: Jeans, long sleeve tee, boots. Warm weather: Jeans, tank top, flip flops.

34. What kept you sane?
JP and Tim, though they do also drive me crazy at times.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Seth Rogen.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Anything that involves limiting science, whether in school (evolution vs. creationism, abstinence-only sex ed) or research (stem cell research, medical professionals not having to provide services they don't agree with, medical marijuana).

37. Who did you miss?
Steph (especially when she was in Iraq), Tim Scott, Kathleen, Laura, Jen&Doug, Jess&Goat.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
Rose, Caity, and the other PAW-ters and the Germans.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008:
I can do absolutely anything that I decide to do.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
This is never gonna end/It really can't end/Cuz we've made too damn many friends.

Bottle Shock - the value leader in movies! 5 movies for the price of one!

Disclaimer: Despite what you might read below, I did enjoy this movie. It was one of things where you could feel the great movie underneath what sort of fell flat.

Bottle Shock finally opened in Pittsburgh and I convinced JP, my in-laws, and Will and Shan to all go see it tonight. It's an all-star cast filled with people I love - Alan Rickman, Bill Pullman, Eliza Dushku (who ended up the deus ex machina despite having only a few lines), Bradley Whitford (who was wasted with 3 lines), and some scrungy looking guy with long hair (Chris Pine). And the movie is about WINE! What's not to like? It's even got some come-uppance for the French, if that's your cup of tea (not mine).
So where did they go wrong? The trailer looked promising!



Have you ever read a story/fic/etc. that constantly changes POV? To the extent where you have no idea who is thinking and feeling anything? Bottle Shock was kind of like that. In fact, it was just like the trailer. Did you follow everything that happened in the trailer? That's sort of how the movie felt, too.
It starts out with you thinking, "cool, Spurrier (Alan Rickman), wine snob, will be proven wrong by hippie, his dad, and their people". Then he disappears for about 1/3 of the movie. Where did he go? What is he doing? Why are we now involved in this different subplot? Wait, here's another one. And another? Who's that guy in the suit and what is Bill Pullman doing with a sword?

Subplot #1: Son is a fuck up. This causes drama. Bo's POV.
Subplot #2: Gustavo's dad was a fieldhand, but Gustavo can make wine that instantly makes girls want to have sex with him. Gustavo's POV.
Subplot #3: Bo and Gustavo both like the same girl. Bo and Gustavo's POV.
Subplot #4: Jim (Bill Pullman) doesn't want to fail, but does everything he can to make sure he does. He also makes perfect wine. Too perfect, in fact. Jim's POV.

The awesome part was that with all the crazy life-interaction going on, you kind of forgot what was supposed to be the point of the movie - the Paris tasting. I read a review (that I can no longer find, grrr) where the reviewer said something like "The 1976 Paris tasting is a fascinating story. I wish this movie was about that."

Another reviewer summed it up nicely for me: "While they [Gustavo, Sam, Bo, and Jim] run around an Anthropology catalogue, delivering dramatic monologues about feeling wine in your blood, Alan's tasting Kentucky Friend Chicken for the first time and it's hysterical."
Yeah, it was kind of exactly like that.

Oblivion, or why Alex Carpenter might be important

Being completely oblivious and ignorant can have certain advantages, I suppose. Since going to the Wizard rock show on Friday, I have spent much time listening to and finding Wizard rock. I can't get over how adorable it is to listen to songs and sing along about Harry Potter. Seriously, so much fun. Why did I never pay attention to this before?

But it turns out, uneducated in wrock as I was, that meeting Alex Carpenter is a Wizard rock fangirls' dream come true. I also introduced myself to Matt Maggiacomo of The Whomping Willows since he was sitting right there. Since I had missed most of their set, I really had no idea who he was, and have only found out by seeing pictures of him online while finding more wrock.
I wonder if they are so used to squeeing from their fans that they were amused by the fact that I was not? Did they realize I had no idea? If so, was that refreshing or disappointing?

I am definitely glad that I didn't ask for hugs or pictures or such (at least at this first meeting, lol). We'll see if I can contain myself next time, or if the squee will overflow. I figure if I'm surrounded by 15 year olds, I can't possibly be the most excited fan there.

Wizard Rock!

Tonight, I managed to convince LeeAnn and two of the Germans (Marc and Fred) to come to the free outdoor Wizard rock show with me. They sat on the grass at Schenley Plaza while I stood at the back of a very excited group of kids, aged 10-15.

So, the headliners was The Remus Lupins. Head over to his MySpace and listen to 'Seven Potters'. It was my favorite song of the night. The entire experience was absolutely adorable. All these girls (and the two boys) jumping around and singing every word to the songs. It was infectiously awesome. And not unlike the Tom Petty show, except that we could legally drink.

After the show, I wandered over to talk to Alex Carpenter (possibly the only official member of the band?), and also met The Whomping Willows' Matt Maggiacomo. Since this was my first live Wizard rock experience, and the rest of it is from the one night I spent trolling on MySpace to listen to various bands, I had no squeeing fangirl in me. I went to the show because I am a part of the fandom and you do these things to support it. Of course, there hasn't been anything about the fandom that I've rejected yet, so I guess I am now Wizard rock's newest fan.

What do you say to someone you don't know about at all? Naturally, I asked the most controversial question I could think of - where did he stand on the whole JKR vs. RDR thing?

You know how you're not supposed to talk about politics or religion? Yeah, I'm terrible at that rule.

He told me what he thought and we had a good discussion about it. They are playing here again next Sunday, but I'll be out of town. Bummer! This was really tons of fun, as you can see from the 5 second video below:



And here's the artistic interpretation of the really blurry pic I took while jumping up and down (hey, it was also infectious):

Heat seeking missiles, bloodhounds, foxes, barracudas...

It's almost that time. 'Pineapple Express' comes out in 12 days. *squeal!*

I feel like I am far too old to get this excited about:
1) A celebrity
2) Stoner movies
but I am anyways. Based on this review, I have a feeling I may like James Franco's character better than Seth Rogen's. He "immediately wins over the audience with his affable, perpetually stoned demeanor and often hilarious non sequiturs." There's nothing I like more than hilarious non sequiturs.

Though, I never understand why critics review movies like this as if they are expecting something more than stupid high people doing stupid high things. Justin Chang isn't entirely dismissive or critical of it, but he does seem disappointed. Since I'm not expecting it to be nominated for any Academy Awards, I think I'll like it just fine. Plus, it's theme song is the amazing 'Paper Planes' by MIA that I have the EP of. Yup, I bought 5 different versions of this song.

Here's the trailer, in case you haven't seen it yet:
(possibly NSFW...there is drug use and cursing)

Speaking of obsessions...

Remember when I sort of met Seth Rogen and went through that obsessive phase about him? And I wrote this and this, too? And noted his appearances here and here?
Yeah, well, the Zack and Miri teaser has come out, and I am feeling that again. Hardcore. Anyone wanna watch some Apatow sometime soon?

This is the end

So after about 40 days of filming, 'Zack and Miri Make a Porno' is finally done. Tonight, Seth Rogen, Kevin Smith, and Craig Robinson were all at the Improv and we went. Seating was first come, first serve and I desperately wanted to be close to the stage. JP, Tim, and Jenn all agreed to accompany me in line an hour before the show started.

If you don't live in Pittsburgh, you don't understand why that was the stupidest idea ever. If you don't live in a place where the wind chill easily gets to around 10, you definitely don't understand how stupid this was.

After an hour, I was almost crying with the pain of my toes. The rest of me was cold, for sure, but my toes were killing me. However, it did pay off. While in line, we spotted Jason Mewes and Elizabeth Banks - and we managed to get seats right against the stage. Kevin Smith was amusing. So was Seth Rogen. The rest of it was sometimes funny, never hysterical. Highlight of the evening was when Seth Rogen took the stage and was looking around as we all clapped. He made eye contact and gave me a grin and head nod in response to what I can only imagine was my foolish smile. Yay!

So, that's it for my ability to meet/hang out with Seth Rogen. I guess I have to shelve my dreams for now.

p.s. I know we call Silent Bob "Silent Bob" for a reason, but man, was I reminded of that when Kevin Smith took the stage. They even have a similar cadence when they speak. As we were leaving, Tim remarked that seeing him just made him want to hang out with our Silent Bob, who is far cooler. I had to agree. Who needs celebrities when you have friends? Now, I just need to find us a "Seth Rogen" to add to the group...

I'm f*cking Seth Rogen!

No, not really.
Warning: The first two are SFW, all the fucks are bleeped out. The last one is not, and it's a lot raunchier.

Have you guys seen Sara Silverman's video 'I'm f*cking Matt Damon'?

What about the Jimmy Kimmel response, 'I'm f*cking Ben Affleck'?

Well, here is 'I'm fucking Seth Rogen', sung by a delightfully adorable Elizabeth Banks. Plus, it's from Pittsburgh! Watch for the outside scene, that's our snow all right.

The Academy Awards

Last night, JP and I went to some friends' place to watch the Oscars. They have a party every year, complete with a pool. I have never bet money on anything before, so I thought it was pretty exciting. We didn't win, but I was pleased that I did manage to pick half correctly. I picked correctly for:

• Art Direction - Sweeney Todd
• Costume Design - Elizabeth: The Golden Age
• Short Film, Animated - Peter and the Wolf
• Foreign Language - The Counterfeiters
  
• Original Screenplay - Juno
• Adapted Screenplay - No Country for Old Men
• Cinematography - There Will Be Blood
• Supporting Actor - Javier Bardem
• Leading Actor - Daniel Day-Lewis
• Director - Coen brothers for No Country for Old Men
• Best Picture - No Country for Old Men
  

JP and I had one source of contention when choosing, for Visual Effects. I thought we should go with The Golden Compass, but he said Transformers. Golden Compass won.
The only one I was actually surprised that we lost at was Animated Feature. We both thought Persepolis was a shoo-in. Ratatouille took it.

The highlight of the show was when Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill came out to present Sound Editing and Sound Mixing. They looked exactly alike, and pretty adorable. I cheered very loudly and the entire room stopped to look at me.
I can see how this gambling thing is addicting! What else can we bet on while waiting for next year's Oscars?

Do I want Seth Rogen to see me naked?

I just received an email from the local casting company responsible for 'Zack and Miri Make a Porno' asking if I would be interested in being a nude extra in the film. It's one day (this Thursday) and pays $250.
The funny thing is, I kind of considered it for a moment.

Pros:

• Seth Rogen will most likely see me naked.
• I get to say I was naked in a movie.
• We could all go see the movie in the theatre and cheer when naked me came on.

Cons:

• Seth Rogen will most likely see me naked.
• I have to be naked in a movie. And naked for most of a day (12-14 hours, they said).
• I'm not sure all my boys want to go a movie and see me naked. Or my brother. Or my parents. (Though I'm guessing they weren't going to see 'Zack and Miri' anyways.)
• It will be cold to be naked.
• I don't know how to style my, ahem, hair. Do you think they give you instructions?

This whole thing is just way too weird for me. Topless, I'd do in a heartbeat. This is just too much, I think. Even the draw of Seth Rogen and Kevin Smith isn't enough for me to do it.
Am I being a coward? Would any of you do this? I honestly want to know.

Pathetic

So after my whole Seth Rogen adventure, I posted to an IMDB message board for 'Zack and Miri Make a Porno' that I had talked to him. I did this because the message board was full of people posting things like this. This is maybe the second message board I have ever posted to in my entire illustrious internet career. So here's what I said:
"I ended up driving past the Mt. Washington school where they're filming and saw Seth Rogen walking down the street. I rolled down the window to tell him I was a big fan and he very sincerely thanked me. Yay! Anyone know how long they were planning to film there or possible future locations?"
Ok, I admit - that's a little silly fangirlness. But is this reply necessary?:
"I have an idea, leave the dude alone and let them make the damn movie."

Ouch. Now I'm pissed.
1) I am not the rabid fangirl that this dude implies with this comment.
2) I completely resent the implication that somehow I have interfered/will interfere in his life/work enough that I deserve to be bitched out about it.
3) Why do I care what a random jackass on the IMDB message boards said?

Tim very happily ranted about how he's just a jealous fanboy. That makes me feel a bit better. But I'm still not sure. Are both of us pathetic? Just me? Just him?

I think I'm done with message boards. Who knew I would find a whole aspect of the internet that I hated?

A fangirl's dream come true.

I'd like to start this by saying, yes, I know how ridiculous this is all going to sound. I'm silly and giddy and maybe a little bit pathetic.

So, Kevin Smith is filming a movie, "Zack and Miri Make a Porno", here in Pittsburgh. Seth Rogen is one of the leads. Since I found out about this, I've been trying to find information about filming locations so that I can go see if I can maybe meet Seth Rogen.

Absolutely ridiculous, right? I swear, I have never really been starstruck like this before.

So I find out yesterday that they are shooting on Mt. Washington somewhere. Those were all the details I had. Armed with this knowledge (and JP and Tim), we set off around 2 to try and find them. We drove across the Liberty Bridge and saw a sign that said "ZAM" with an arrow. I follow the arrow. We drive aimlessly throughout Mt. Washington for about 15 minutes, randomly turning and turning around until JP spies another sign. Follow that arrow. One more sign and we find it - a closed elementary school with a parking lot full of trailers, a catering truck, and no parking signs everywhere. We find a place to park behind the school and walk a full circuit around. All we saw was some people smoking by the back door. After we were the whole way around, JP and Tim insisted they were going back to the car. I wanted to hang out by the back door, but after about a minute of that I felt incredibly lame and uncomfortable. So I get in the car, disappointed, but insist that we drive past the back door one last time. We're driving down the street and Tim goes, "That's him!"

And it was. He was walking up the sidewalk, towards the car. So I stop the car, roll down my window, and yell "HEY!" as loudly as possible. He stops, looks at me, and I move my sunglasses to the top of my head, take a deep breath, and blurt out "I just wanted to say I'm a big fan, I have been since Freaks and Geeks, and I really love your work." He very sincerely says, "Thanks, thank you. I appreciate that." To which I reply, "Enjoy your time here!" and roll up the window and drive off.

Ok, so it wasn't my dream encounter with him. However, since I never sincerely believed that I would talk to him, it's a pretty good substitute. I am a little bummed that I didn't get a picture, but what was I going to do? Jump out of my car? I'm guessing that would've freaked him out and even if it wouldn't have, I'm still kinda glad that I wasn't that crazy fangirl that did that.

The thing that makes me hyperventilate about the whole thing is that it was just so freakin' meant to be. The walk from that back door up the sidewalk to the trailers takes probably about 30 seconds. I managed to find him in those 30 seconds! The Gods have smiled upon me and allowed me to experience something that I'm guessing will NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN, no matter how hard I try.

JP and Tim were less impressed, but still good sports about the whole thing. And they even allowed me to park the car and take a picture with one of the ZAM signs since I didn't get a picture with Seth Rogen. Those are some good guys.


(photograph by Tim Notari)

Oh, and just so you know - he's as adorable in person and his voice is exactly the same as it was in "Knocked Up" (except maybe a little deeper and sexier). He was wearing his glasses and his hair was not a super fro, but still all curly-like.

I am SUCH a dork.

So, we're making a movie

Tim: you know I could write a screenplay about this, and then you could get to meet seth rogen
call the movie "Meeting Seth Rogen"
me: that'd be awesome
Tim: these absurdists pseudo-reality movies are all the rage lately
me: i'll help
write the screenplay, edit, whatever
Tim: by doing what exactly? being crazy?
me: Lisa actually makes documentaries
she would help
I'll also "act" in it
Tim: yes no I would take it the weinsteins and have them give me money for it
I wouldn't produce the film myself
me: oh, I see
well, if they say no, I've got $500 on it
and I'll convince lisa to edit it for free
Erik can do the sound
JP can look pretty
Tim: Erik has a boom mic?
me: I meant the sound editing
Tim: well see, the movie kinda requires Seth Rogen to be in it
me: right
Tim: so at some point
me: so we'll contact his people
Tim: do you know how to do that?
me: and we'll film us smoking together in my apartment!
sure
I bet we can find emails or something
Tim: yeah I can see you're not taking this project seriously
I'm going to have to back out
me: what?????
I am SO taking it seriously
you don't think we could SOMEHOW contact Seth Rogen's agent?
Tim: I don't think with a crew like me JP, Lisa, and Erik we are going to impress Seth Rogen's agent
me: I'm sure if we had a conference call they would gain confidence in us
Tim: yes especially when the only scene you have written is "us filming seth rogen smoke in my apartment"
that's the whole treatment basically
me: and why don't I get to be part of the crew?
Tim: that's your only pitch
me: hahahaha
Tim: go onto imdb and leave a message on the message boards
"need to contact Seth"

and here's what Kathleen had to say:

Kathleen: i'm trying to think of a more interesting pitch
got it!
we tell them you are a cancer (or some other life threatening thing) patient
and your last wish in life is to smoke with seth rogen
me: oh yeah, that'd be great
I'm sure no one would ever figure out that I'm not dying
and then we can make one called
Why Seth Rogen Hates Freya

Celebrity Crushes

Lately, I have found myself more-than-normally obsessed with certain celebrities. Some of them are fairly unconventional, which has led me to question why I find them attractive. Sure, Johnny Depp is hot, even if he is 40+. That's understandable. Gary Oldman? Ok, that's a little weird. Is it just because he's intrinsically linked with Dracula and Sirius Black in my mind (two very attractive fictional characters)? Maybe that makes it less weird. Add that to my Rufus Wainwright thing, thanks to this picture of Tim's (I know he's gay! Still slightly delicious, though.). But most recently, I've been really fascinated with Alan Rickman and Seth Rogen. Let's talk about Alan Rickman first.

He's OLD! 11 years older than my parents. That means he is in his sixties. SIXTIES. As in a sexagenarian. And kind of clean-cut. I don't think I find him attractive in real-life photos, but he always seems to play these sexy villains - Sheriff of Nottingham, Severus Snape, Hans Gruber. And his amazing dry wit (which may or may not exist in real life) delivered in that voice...totally, completely compelling.

So, Seth Rogen. Since I've watched all of the Judd Apatow movies I got for Christmas, I have seen a lot of him lately. I've decided I have a serious crush. Like, not in a "hey, you're cute" way, but in a "no, seriously, I think I could love you" way. Now, I'm not trying to say that I want to leave JP and go to L.A. and try to break up his relationship with what's-her-name and attempt to start something meaningful. I just feel like we would really get along, if the circumstances presented themselves. I feel like he acts a lot like me and my people (including JP). He's that nerdy-but-cool guy that no one seems to appreciate as much as I do.

Ok, in case you missed it in the crazy above...I DON'T KNOW SETH ROGEN. Haven't met a single one of the others, either. I've decided that I am attracted to not only their physical stature, but their person, based on them making a living pretending to be someone that they're not. Is that the definition of delusional or what?

Judd Apatow

A lot happened over this crazy 11 days off that I had, and I may eventually blog about it. But at the moment, I want to talk about Judd Apatow.
For those that don't know him, Judd Apatow is a writer/director/producer. Most people know him from Knocked Up, The 40-year Old Virgin, and Superbad. I've been a fan since he did Freaks and Geeks, the critically acclaimed but canceled show about high school in 1981. Lindsay, the main character, is like my high school doppelganger. It's like reliving being 17.
Now, while I watch a lot of TV and a decent amount of movies that I thoroughly enjoy, I don't find that I necessarily relate to most of it beyond the whole, "I'm a member of the human race and I've felt sad before." I do get obsessed with characters that aren't necessarily like me, but they don't always pull at my heartstrings.
Not with Judd Apatow, though. Everything he does totally and completely relates to my own life. Is he really the only one to have believable nerdy-yet-cool guys? I think he might be. Since my entire life is filled with men that are like this, and I proclaim myself to be a girl like this, it's amazingly comforting to watch. Seeing someone on screen do or say something that is completely, 100% what you or someone you know would say or do gives me that sickeningly sentimental Gods-I-want-to-cry-now feeling.

So, here's the question. These are all popular movies that the general populace has embraced. Are we all a bunch of dorks deep down, or are most of these people laughing at me and not with me?

Below are the lyrics to the Loudon Wainwright III's song, Daughter, that plays at the end of Knocked Up. I can't get it out of my head, so I thought I'd subject you to it as well. You can watch him singing it live right here.

Everything she sees
she says she wants.
Everything she wants
I see she gets.

That's my daughter in the water
everything she owns I bought her
Everything she owns.
That's my daughter in the water,
everything she knows I taught her.
Everything she knows.

Everything I say
she takes to heart.
Everything she takes
she takes apart.

That's my daughter in the water
every time she fell I caught her.
Every time she fell.
That's my daughter in the water,
I lost every time I fought her.
I lost every time.

Every time she blinks
she strikes somebody blind.
Everything she thinks
blows her tiny mind.
That's my daughter in the water,
who'd have ever thought her?
Who'd have ever thought?
That's my daughter in the water,
I lost every time I fought her
Yeah, I lost every time.