Some people attract people with money. Some people attract people with luck. I attract people in movie theatres with the need to talk to the screen.
To some degree, I get it. When I'm alone at home watching TV or a movie, I talk back to the characters like they're in the room with me. The key words here are "home" and "alone." (Though "alone" often means "with my roommate.") I don't go out in public with a room full of people who have paid $10 to see something and then act like I'm home in my living room.
Here are some of the memorable asides I've heard the pleasure to overhear at the movies.
The movie: Wanted
The perpetrator: Large man watching the movie alone
The scene: Every time Angelina Jolie came on
The words: A five-syllable “Daaaaaamn, girl.”
The movie: Slumdog Millionaire
The perpetrators: Two senior citizens
The scene: When young Latika is running to get on the train with the brothers.
The words: "Noooooo! Run faster! Grab her hand! Grab her hand!"
The movie: Eat, Pray, Love
The perpetrator: The 30ish woman beside me watching the movie alone
The scene: Any scene where Julia Roberts' character is being whiny. So every scene.
The words: "Girl, you gotta love yourself, first."
The movie: The Other Woman
The perpetrators: Two young women in back row
The first scene: Any funny scene
The words: No words, just a high-pitched shriek before the booming laugh.
The second scene: The one scene where Leslie Mann gets deservedly sad
The words: "She needs some anti-depressants."
The third scene: When the dog licks Leslie Mann's face
The words: "Eww, eww, eww! That tongue went in her mouth!"
The fourth scene: Me getting up and walking to the front section, which I hate, just to get away from them.
The words: [expletive deleted] [expletive deleted] [expletive deleted]
I realize as I look back at these, that none of them were at the theatre in Chinatown, which I’ve stopped going to. I mainly stopped going because of SCREAMING children during very non-child friendly movies. Seriously. A screaming newborn at “Hunger Games” and a 3-year-old at “Gangster Squad,” in which a man is literally torn in half in the first scene. Great parenting, DC!
Maybe I'll just wait for videos to come out on DVD.
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Friday, May 2, 2014
Monday, May 13, 2013
Indiana Jones and the Crazy Dream
I’ve always been a very vivid dreamer. I have many dreams every night, in color, and most of the time I can interact in them. For example, if I’m having a nightmare – which I still have quite often – I can realize it’s a dream and wake myself up. I have recurring dreams, some of them for years, and dreams that feature the same fake places and people. When I take melatonin to sleep I dream real things I need to do, like paying a bill or making a list, and the next day I think I’ve done it. I even kept a dream journal in high school so I could look for consistent themes and meaning. (I actually really believe in dreams revealing latent thoughts and feelings. It’s the only new age-y thing about me.)
I say that as a precursor so you know I could blog about a crazy dream every day. I don’t, obviously, but the one I had last night is just too hilarious and crazy not to share.
I found myself in a re-creation of the third (and my favorite) Indiana Jones movie, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” (I haven’t seen this in several months so I’m not sure why it was in my head.)
My brother, Joey, was in the Indy role. I was the sidekick. Not sure if that meant I was the requisite female character or if I was his rotund friend, Sallah.
For the first part of the dream we were in a church with lots of hallways and people. (Including a few people from my real life.) I assume we were in a church because the last time I saw Joey was for his wedding, in a church with many hallways. This church was very bright and open though. We were told by several people that we were going to go meet a knight.
As I dreamt this I was also picturing scenes from the movie, which really made it interesting.
Joey and I began walking down a hallway, knowing we were going to have to choose the Holy Grail. As we walked I told him, “This time, when you take the holy water to Sean Connery to heal him, don’t leave me. I get lost so easily and it’s really confusing around here.”
We got to where the Holy Grail should have been, but instead there was a dish full of bracelets. Some fancy, some simple. In my head I knew that in the movie you would die if you picked the wrong one, but in this scenario there was just a mini earthquake. The more you got wrong, though, the stronger it got.
As we looked at the various bracelets, Jennifer Lopez appeared and picked a very silver and gaudy charm bracelet. I knew this was wrong and said, “Early Jews didn’t like ornamentation.” The ground shook and then J. Lo. was gone.
I then chose a simpler bracelet, and the scene kept flashing between the bracelet and the Grail from the movie. At this point the knight appeared to congratulate us for making the right choice. (He wasn’t there the whole time like in the movie.)
Then my alarm went off so I have no idea how we got holy water back to Sean Connery. Or why, in my own dream, I was the sidekick and not the star.
I say that as a precursor so you know I could blog about a crazy dream every day. I don’t, obviously, but the one I had last night is just too hilarious and crazy not to share.
I found myself in a re-creation of the third (and my favorite) Indiana Jones movie, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” (I haven’t seen this in several months so I’m not sure why it was in my head.)
My brother, Joey, was in the Indy role. I was the sidekick. Not sure if that meant I was the requisite female character or if I was his rotund friend, Sallah.
For the first part of the dream we were in a church with lots of hallways and people. (Including a few people from my real life.) I assume we were in a church because the last time I saw Joey was for his wedding, in a church with many hallways. This church was very bright and open though. We were told by several people that we were going to go meet a knight.
As I dreamt this I was also picturing scenes from the movie, which really made it interesting.
Joey and I began walking down a hallway, knowing we were going to have to choose the Holy Grail. As we walked I told him, “This time, when you take the holy water to Sean Connery to heal him, don’t leave me. I get lost so easily and it’s really confusing around here.”
We got to where the Holy Grail should have been, but instead there was a dish full of bracelets. Some fancy, some simple. In my head I knew that in the movie you would die if you picked the wrong one, but in this scenario there was just a mini earthquake. The more you got wrong, though, the stronger it got.
I then chose a simpler bracelet, and the scene kept flashing between the bracelet and the Grail from the movie. At this point the knight appeared to congratulate us for making the right choice. (He wasn’t there the whole time like in the movie.)
Then my alarm went off so I have no idea how we got holy water back to Sean Connery. Or why, in my own dream, I was the sidekick and not the star.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Things I Learned This Weekend
Sometimes you just need a Friday to yourself.
I woke up Friday morning very late, with a headache, as it poured outside. So I made the executive decision to work from home. It cleared up as the day went on and I took a long lunch to just be out and run some errands. It was perfect.
Having a craft store accessible by metro is going to change my life.
A variety store re-opened in Bethesda about a block from where one of my close friends lives. I checked it out for us on Friday and OH MY WORD it's got a huge craft section. I didn't have my full list of ongoing craft needs but I did buy fabric, bobbins, embroidery floss, and other things. I'm probably going to be here once a week.
A clean home is a happy home. Unfortunately.
I hate cleaning. Hate hate hate it. But sometimes you just have to. So I picked up a bunch of things on Friday night, made a mess again on Saturday, and then re-cleaned with broom and vacuum and swiffer and spray all over again on Sunday. It sucks but it is nice to come home to.
My first writer's conference was awesome.
On Saturday I attended my first writer's conference. It was held at a Johns Hopkins building in Dupont Circle and was created by Barrelhouse literary magazine. It was an all-day conference with a keynote speaker and three breakout sessions. I learned so much and got a lot of inspiration for my own work. It was very reasonably priced and so close to home that I couldn't not go, and I'm glad that was the case.
Working out and crafting are great ways to end a busy Saturday.
I was very tired on Saturday after a 9-5 day of conferencing, but I still made myself exercise and do things. After a brief nap, of course.
There's just no good way to spray paint indoors.
In this week's installment of Bonnie Attempts Spray Painting In Her Apartment, this is what I tried:
I saw on Pinterest where someone created a sort of spray tent using a cheap hanging garment bag. I attempted the same thing only I didn't want to pay for a bigger one so I got this smaller one. Which, as you imagine, didn't quite work since there wasn't exactly a lot of room to spray. I also didn't take into account how I would hang it. Thank goodness for (UNC) duck tape and bungee cords. On the upside, I haven't been able to spray paint in awhile but I got to use my sprayer and tarp and mask. Yay!
D.C. is confusing, maps suck, and spray paint might hurt your brain.
I was meeting Brandie for brunch and a movie on Sunday and got so turned around and kept going in the wrong direction in roundabout ways. She blamed my spray painting from the previous night. I blamed maps and D.C. and the fact that I move so much faster than the little blue dot on my map app.
All restaurants should be housed in former fire stations.
Whilst hunting for brunch options, I came across Sixth Engine, a restaurant near Chinatown that is housed in a former fire station.
It had such cool ambiance and decor, not to mention delicious mimosas and chocolate chip flapjacks. (And they were flapjacks, not pancakes, as the waitress corrected Brandie.)
Ryan Gosling is attractive even with tattoos, bad hair, and bad clothes.
But it can't make up for the depressing, heavy handed, and long winded "A Place Beyond the Pines." B and I had to see it, of course, as we do all Ryan's movies, but this was not a good one.
Don't get angry at Barnes and Noble when you can't find the book you're looking for. When it hasn't been released yet.
I have a B&N gift card that I keep forgetting about and thought on Sunday I'd use it to buy the new Audrey book written by her second son. Well, after fruitlessly searching the store for it and about to haughtily ask for it and mention that Amazon had it in stock, I realized it wasn't out yet. Oops. At least I realized it before huffing and puffing.
When you find yourself hand painting the horns on two ram figures Carolina blue, step away from the crafting.
They look adorable though and are going to make awesome bookends eventually. I have no regrets.
I woke up Friday morning very late, with a headache, as it poured outside. So I made the executive decision to work from home. It cleared up as the day went on and I took a long lunch to just be out and run some errands. It was perfect.
Having a craft store accessible by metro is going to change my life.
A variety store re-opened in Bethesda about a block from where one of my close friends lives. I checked it out for us on Friday and OH MY WORD it's got a huge craft section. I didn't have my full list of ongoing craft needs but I did buy fabric, bobbins, embroidery floss, and other things. I'm probably going to be here once a week.
A clean home is a happy home. Unfortunately.
I hate cleaning. Hate hate hate it. But sometimes you just have to. So I picked up a bunch of things on Friday night, made a mess again on Saturday, and then re-cleaned with broom and vacuum and swiffer and spray all over again on Sunday. It sucks but it is nice to come home to.
My first writer's conference was awesome.
On Saturday I attended my first writer's conference. It was held at a Johns Hopkins building in Dupont Circle and was created by Barrelhouse literary magazine. It was an all-day conference with a keynote speaker and three breakout sessions. I learned so much and got a lot of inspiration for my own work. It was very reasonably priced and so close to home that I couldn't not go, and I'm glad that was the case.
Working out and crafting are great ways to end a busy Saturday.
I was very tired on Saturday after a 9-5 day of conferencing, but I still made myself exercise and do things. After a brief nap, of course.
There's just no good way to spray paint indoors.
In this week's installment of Bonnie Attempts Spray Painting In Her Apartment, this is what I tried:
I saw on Pinterest where someone created a sort of spray tent using a cheap hanging garment bag. I attempted the same thing only I didn't want to pay for a bigger one so I got this smaller one. Which, as you imagine, didn't quite work since there wasn't exactly a lot of room to spray. I also didn't take into account how I would hang it. Thank goodness for (UNC) duck tape and bungee cords. On the upside, I haven't been able to spray paint in awhile but I got to use my sprayer and tarp and mask. Yay!
D.C. is confusing, maps suck, and spray paint might hurt your brain.
I was meeting Brandie for brunch and a movie on Sunday and got so turned around and kept going in the wrong direction in roundabout ways. She blamed my spray painting from the previous night. I blamed maps and D.C. and the fact that I move so much faster than the little blue dot on my map app.
All restaurants should be housed in former fire stations.
Whilst hunting for brunch options, I came across Sixth Engine, a restaurant near Chinatown that is housed in a former fire station.
It had such cool ambiance and decor, not to mention delicious mimosas and chocolate chip flapjacks. (And they were flapjacks, not pancakes, as the waitress corrected Brandie.)
Ryan Gosling is attractive even with tattoos, bad hair, and bad clothes.
But it can't make up for the depressing, heavy handed, and long winded "A Place Beyond the Pines." B and I had to see it, of course, as we do all Ryan's movies, but this was not a good one.
Don't get angry at Barnes and Noble when you can't find the book you're looking for. When it hasn't been released yet.
I have a B&N gift card that I keep forgetting about and thought on Sunday I'd use it to buy the new Audrey book written by her second son. Well, after fruitlessly searching the store for it and about to haughtily ask for it and mention that Amazon had it in stock, I realized it wasn't out yet. Oops. At least I realized it before huffing and puffing.
When you find yourself hand painting the horns on two ram figures Carolina blue, step away from the crafting.
They look adorable though and are going to make awesome bookends eventually. I have no regrets.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Things I Learned This Weekend
Nordstrom has very pretty dresses.
Friday night was our first attempt at finding bridesmaid dresses for B's wedding. Since we'll be wearing black, we're trying out a few national chains in addition to the standard wedding sources. We haven't found "the one" yet, but it was fun to try pretty dresses on.
It never gets easier to watch your team lose.
Oh, Carolina basketball. I'll love y'all forever, but you're kind of killing me.
Never let your freakishly strong friend handle the wine stopper.
I have the cutest/tackiest wine stopper with a woman's legs coming out of the stopper. Brandie, who you'll recall is an arm wrestling beast, was trying to get it out and ripped her poor legs right off!
Playing Wii games with friends is a good antidote to bad basketball.
This was our second Wii Game Night and it was another success. I finally got a second remote and we played Wii Sports. And laughed a lot.
We're a little too good at punching.
The boxing game is awesome for pent up aggression. Which we had a lot of apparently.
Tennis is really really hard.
For me. B and K did great. We may have to credit B's commitment to the game, as she's seen here pretending to bounce the tennis ball, just like the pros.
Rameses makes a good bowling partner.
At least according to Brandie.
Vindication can be found in Wii bowling.
For years, my family's made fun of the way I leap a little when I Wii bowl. My friends were making fun of me too, until I had 2 strikes and about 6 spares, all because of the leap. How do I know it was the leap? Because as soon as K and B tried the leap, they too, scored higher. It's all in the leap, people!
I can quote the vast majority of "Clueless."
And not just sporadically.
Justin Bieber needs to stay away from my "Saturday Night Live."
I've seen every episode of SNL since 1997. Even the ones where Eminem was the musical guest. So I feel confident in saying that Bieber seriously needs to leave my show alone.
Every Sunday should start with "Sabrina" on the big screen.
My friend Sasha alerted me to the fact that a D.C. theatre was showing Audrey's "Sabrina." I, of course, leapt at the chance to see it and to introduce Sasha to another Audrey film—it's only her second one! (Her first being BAT outside a few summers ago.)
I could listen to "The Weight" on repeat forever.
I found myself really enjoying the Grammy's this year, no part more so than the collaborative tribute to The Band's "The Weight." I seriously love that song
Friday night was our first attempt at finding bridesmaid dresses for B's wedding. Since we'll be wearing black, we're trying out a few national chains in addition to the standard wedding sources. We haven't found "the one" yet, but it was fun to try pretty dresses on.
It never gets easier to watch your team lose.
Oh, Carolina basketball. I'll love y'all forever, but you're kind of killing me.
Never let your freakishly strong friend handle the wine stopper.
I have the cutest/tackiest wine stopper with a woman's legs coming out of the stopper. Brandie, who you'll recall is an arm wrestling beast, was trying to get it out and ripped her poor legs right off!
Playing Wii games with friends is a good antidote to bad basketball.
This was our second Wii Game Night and it was another success. I finally got a second remote and we played Wii Sports. And laughed a lot.
We're a little too good at punching.
The boxing game is awesome for pent up aggression. Which we had a lot of apparently.
Tennis is really really hard.
For me. B and K did great. We may have to credit B's commitment to the game, as she's seen here pretending to bounce the tennis ball, just like the pros.
Rameses makes a good bowling partner.
At least according to Brandie.
Vindication can be found in Wii bowling.
For years, my family's made fun of the way I leap a little when I Wii bowl. My friends were making fun of me too, until I had 2 strikes and about 6 spares, all because of the leap. How do I know it was the leap? Because as soon as K and B tried the leap, they too, scored higher. It's all in the leap, people!
I can quote the vast majority of "Clueless."
And not just sporadically.
Justin Bieber needs to stay away from my "Saturday Night Live."
I've seen every episode of SNL since 1997. Even the ones where Eminem was the musical guest. So I feel confident in saying that Bieber seriously needs to leave my show alone.
Every Sunday should start with "Sabrina" on the big screen.
My friend Sasha alerted me to the fact that a D.C. theatre was showing Audrey's "Sabrina." I, of course, leapt at the chance to see it and to introduce Sasha to another Audrey film—it's only her second one! (Her first being BAT outside a few summers ago.)
I could listen to "The Weight" on repeat forever.
I found myself really enjoying the Grammy's this year, no part more so than the collaborative tribute to The Band's "The Weight." I seriously love that song
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Things I Learned This Weekend
A good end to a rough week is watching a great movie with a great friend while drinking secret wine.
I went with a girlfriend to see the brilliant and hilarious and wonderful "Pitch Perfect." I won't reveal which of us snuck in the wine. (Though I can reveal that one of us dug shards of plastic out of her purse this morning after forgetting to remove the spare plastic cup.)
There's nothing quite like the library on a Saturday.
This is my library. I had a lot of errands to run on Saturday and started late, but there's always time for a good book.
Making goodie bags for a friend's wedding is a good activity for a dreary day.
One of my friend's is getting married in a week and she has been so stressed I went to help her with some wedding stuff. While I'm still nowhere near ready for marriage, I do love all the fun wedding stuff.
I should really stay away from World Market.
There is no reason to buy a Christmas ornament in October. But I bought two. Neither of which I'll be using as ornaments, though, so I'll give myself a pass.
I really miss home whenever I need to spray paint.
My Daddy, in addition to having every tool ever, has a great garage set-up and all the perfect things for spray painting. Tarp, handle for the can, wires to hang things, etc. Though at least I finally rigged up an acceptable spray paint area in my place using a sheet and a hangar. See? It's a little sad and depressing, but it got the job done.
The best way to combat the smell of spray paint is with a candle.
I bought this rosewood vanilla candle at World Market. It's a good size and just smells wonderful.
Decorating with whales is way more fun than decorating without whales.
In the past week I FINALLY found not one, but two whales. The smaller one was bought in West Virginia and the larger one is a soap dish from World Market that I spray painted. I'm not sure where Freida and Lola will be living yet, but for now they're chilling on my bookcase.
Maybe I should stick to just beading jewelry.
I'm working on a very tedious beading project. I want to give it as a gift, but I fear by the time I finish it, if I finish it, I'll be too selfish to give it away. But at least I have this glass egg crate from World Market to help me sort. (And it was $10 cheaper than the ones at Anthro.)
Orzo + Feta cheese = Yummy
This is what I threw together for Sunday dinner. And I don't throw things together. But it was easy and cheap and was good for lunch the next day.
Despite my complete hatred and disrespect for Christopher Columbus, a day off would have been nice.
Alas, I had to work. But, you know, that's ok since I'd rather not have a day off work in honor of the man who did NOT discover America, but DID spread disease and unhappiness to those who DID discover it. And my sister sent me this:
I went with a girlfriend to see the brilliant and hilarious and wonderful "Pitch Perfect." I won't reveal which of us snuck in the wine. (Though I can reveal that one of us dug shards of plastic out of her purse this morning after forgetting to remove the spare plastic cup.)
There's nothing quite like the library on a Saturday.
This is my library. I had a lot of errands to run on Saturday and started late, but there's always time for a good book.
Making goodie bags for a friend's wedding is a good activity for a dreary day.
One of my friend's is getting married in a week and she has been so stressed I went to help her with some wedding stuff. While I'm still nowhere near ready for marriage, I do love all the fun wedding stuff.
I should really stay away from World Market.
There is no reason to buy a Christmas ornament in October. But I bought two. Neither of which I'll be using as ornaments, though, so I'll give myself a pass.
I really miss home whenever I need to spray paint.
My Daddy, in addition to having every tool ever, has a great garage set-up and all the perfect things for spray painting. Tarp, handle for the can, wires to hang things, etc. Though at least I finally rigged up an acceptable spray paint area in my place using a sheet and a hangar. See? It's a little sad and depressing, but it got the job done.
The best way to combat the smell of spray paint is with a candle.
I bought this rosewood vanilla candle at World Market. It's a good size and just smells wonderful.
Decorating with whales is way more fun than decorating without whales.
In the past week I FINALLY found not one, but two whales. The smaller one was bought in West Virginia and the larger one is a soap dish from World Market that I spray painted. I'm not sure where Freida and Lola will be living yet, but for now they're chilling on my bookcase.
Maybe I should stick to just beading jewelry.
I'm working on a very tedious beading project. I want to give it as a gift, but I fear by the time I finish it, if I finish it, I'll be too selfish to give it away. But at least I have this glass egg crate from World Market to help me sort. (And it was $10 cheaper than the ones at Anthro.)
Orzo + Feta cheese = Yummy
This is what I threw together for Sunday dinner. And I don't throw things together. But it was easy and cheap and was good for lunch the next day.
Despite my complete hatred and disrespect for Christopher Columbus, a day off would have been nice.
Alas, I had to work. But, you know, that's ok since I'd rather not have a day off work in honor of the man who did NOT discover America, but DID spread disease and unhappiness to those who DID discover it. And my sister sent me this:
Monday, September 10, 2012
Things I Learned This Weekend
Note: This post is too long given how non-eventful my weekend was. Photos include paper towels and an ironing board cover. Woah, I know, easy with the craziness.
A busted watch makes for an annoying start to the weekend.
Somehow I broke the crystal on my watch. I constantly bang it on doorjambs and tables but I'm not sure what finally busted it. I do know that it should make perfect sense as last week I also had to have high heels re-heeled, a zipper fixed in my purse, and a dress dry cleaned because it had barbecue sauce on it.
Thrift shopping is an ok Friday activity.
After working like a mad woman all week, I was ahead of schedule on Friday and decided to leave early. As I've said before, there are so few thrift stores in D.C. proper so I decided to try a Goodwill in Arlington. (That ended up being comically close to where I used to live.) It wasn't organized as nice as I like, but I did get 3 tops, 1 skirt, and 1 glass for $19. That includes a cashmere turtleneck for $5 and a Chapel Hill glass for 96 cents. I may have gasped when I saw this cute thing. There's a whole line of these sold at A Southern Season and I already have 1 trivet and 2 larger glasses that match.
My mother purchased me the "single spinster* lady" paper towel pack.
Every time my mom visits she brings me big packs of toilet paper and paper towels from Sam's. The last few rolls have been interesting. First, there were cats. Now, there are teapots and teacups. These lead me to the conclusion that she bought me the old maid* pack. If the next roll has shriveled ovaries on it I'm going to scream. (*Note: I HATE both of these terms. Men are still considered bachelors even when they're 90, why do women have to be spinsters or maids? I'm still deciding on what I want to be called. I've narrowed it down to Goddess of the Single Life or No, Really, I'm Happy This Way.)
You need an advanced degree to put on an ironing board cover.
A few weeks ago at Ikea, I bought a new ironing board cover for my non-standard Ikea ironing board. It's been sitting on my floor, intimidating me with its size and parts and string and instruction sheet. It turns out I was right to be intimidated because it was like wrestling an alligator** to get it on. But at least it's pretty! (**Note: I've never actually wrestled an alligator.)
Darts may change my life.
The skirt I bought at Goodwill was too big, but because it was such a beautiful shade of blue and it was Vineyard Vines, which meant good quality, I bought it anyway for $6 with the hope that I'd finally be brave enough to try darts. Which I did. They were much easier than I thought and took in the waistband the perfect amount. However, I didn't get them perfect enough so there's a bit of a weird pooch.
Lemonade bought from little girls at a lemonade stand is the best kind of lemonade.
Out in my neighborhood on Saturday, I came across two girls selling cups of homemade lemonade for 50 cents. It was perfect, not too sweet or sour. And while I was tempted to ask them their political views given the frequent references to lemonade stands in this election cycle, I refrained.
I'm a slightly better person than I thought.
For more than a year, I’ve been looking for a ceramic or wooden whale to spray paint and use as a decoration. Even at the beach I couldn’t find one because all they had were dolphins. Well, on Saturday, on another thrift store run, this time to my favorite, there was a wooden whale that my eyes just completely missed. I became aware of it when I heard a mom exclaim, "It's a whale! Jonah, you have to get it!” Yes, the kid named Jonah got the whale. (Like he probably doesn’t already have a dozen whales.) Since it was a thrift store attached to a church and it was a child named after a Biblical character, I refrained from knocking him down, grabbing the whale, and running for it.
Watching a good movie at an old theatre is a good Sunday afternoon activity.
There are two small theatres on Connecticut Avenue close to my apartment. I'd never been to the two-screen one within walking distance of my place, and since they were showing "The Words," I finally was able to make it. Not only did I really enjoy the movie, despite all the bad reviews, I loved the theatre. It was built in 1923 and after abruptly closing in 2003, was saved and re-opened by the community in 2005. I'll be writing more about this later.
Some crafts are better than others.
I had the strongest urge to use my sewing machine this weekend so I picked a few projects from my Pinterest board and got to work. Out of the four things I worked on, I only like two of them. But maybe with some tweaking the "nays" will become "yays."
Yay: Pin cushion thread catcher and a necklace
Nay: Pin and headband
Cheese can't save everything.
Since I was already on my Pinterest page, I decided to try a new quick and easy recipe. It was only alright. I don't know if it was the meat choice or if there was too much dressing. Or it could have been the Parmesan cheese I added, which is odd, because in my experience cheese makes everything better.
I really miss the pool.
But at least I got some stuff done.
A busted watch makes for an annoying start to the weekend.
Somehow I broke the crystal on my watch. I constantly bang it on doorjambs and tables but I'm not sure what finally busted it. I do know that it should make perfect sense as last week I also had to have high heels re-heeled, a zipper fixed in my purse, and a dress dry cleaned because it had barbecue sauce on it.
Thrift shopping is an ok Friday activity.
After working like a mad woman all week, I was ahead of schedule on Friday and decided to leave early. As I've said before, there are so few thrift stores in D.C. proper so I decided to try a Goodwill in Arlington. (That ended up being comically close to where I used to live.) It wasn't organized as nice as I like, but I did get 3 tops, 1 skirt, and 1 glass for $19. That includes a cashmere turtleneck for $5 and a Chapel Hill glass for 96 cents. I may have gasped when I saw this cute thing. There's a whole line of these sold at A Southern Season and I already have 1 trivet and 2 larger glasses that match.
My mother purchased me the "single spinster* lady" paper towel pack.
Every time my mom visits she brings me big packs of toilet paper and paper towels from Sam's. The last few rolls have been interesting. First, there were cats. Now, there are teapots and teacups. These lead me to the conclusion that she bought me the old maid* pack. If the next roll has shriveled ovaries on it I'm going to scream. (*Note: I HATE both of these terms. Men are still considered bachelors even when they're 90, why do women have to be spinsters or maids? I'm still deciding on what I want to be called. I've narrowed it down to Goddess of the Single Life or No, Really, I'm Happy This Way.)
You need an advanced degree to put on an ironing board cover.
A few weeks ago at Ikea, I bought a new ironing board cover for my non-standard Ikea ironing board. It's been sitting on my floor, intimidating me with its size and parts and string and instruction sheet. It turns out I was right to be intimidated because it was like wrestling an alligator** to get it on. But at least it's pretty! (**Note: I've never actually wrestled an alligator.)
Darts may change my life.
The skirt I bought at Goodwill was too big, but because it was such a beautiful shade of blue and it was Vineyard Vines, which meant good quality, I bought it anyway for $6 with the hope that I'd finally be brave enough to try darts. Which I did. They were much easier than I thought and took in the waistband the perfect amount. However, I didn't get them perfect enough so there's a bit of a weird pooch.
Lemonade bought from little girls at a lemonade stand is the best kind of lemonade.
Out in my neighborhood on Saturday, I came across two girls selling cups of homemade lemonade for 50 cents. It was perfect, not too sweet or sour. And while I was tempted to ask them their political views given the frequent references to lemonade stands in this election cycle, I refrained.
I'm a slightly better person than I thought.
For more than a year, I’ve been looking for a ceramic or wooden whale to spray paint and use as a decoration. Even at the beach I couldn’t find one because all they had were dolphins. Well, on Saturday, on another thrift store run, this time to my favorite, there was a wooden whale that my eyes just completely missed. I became aware of it when I heard a mom exclaim, "It's a whale! Jonah, you have to get it!” Yes, the kid named Jonah got the whale. (Like he probably doesn’t already have a dozen whales.) Since it was a thrift store attached to a church and it was a child named after a Biblical character, I refrained from knocking him down, grabbing the whale, and running for it.
Watching a good movie at an old theatre is a good Sunday afternoon activity.
There are two small theatres on Connecticut Avenue close to my apartment. I'd never been to the two-screen one within walking distance of my place, and since they were showing "The Words," I finally was able to make it. Not only did I really enjoy the movie, despite all the bad reviews, I loved the theatre. It was built in 1923 and after abruptly closing in 2003, was saved and re-opened by the community in 2005. I'll be writing more about this later.
Some crafts are better than others.
I had the strongest urge to use my sewing machine this weekend so I picked a few projects from my Pinterest board and got to work. Out of the four things I worked on, I only like two of them. But maybe with some tweaking the "nays" will become "yays."
Yay: Pin cushion thread catcher and a necklace
Nay: Pin and headband
Cheese can't save everything.
Since I was already on my Pinterest page, I decided to try a new quick and easy recipe. It was only alright. I don't know if it was the meat choice or if there was too much dressing. Or it could have been the Parmesan cheese I added, which is odd, because in my experience cheese makes everything better.
I really miss the pool.
But at least I got some stuff done.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Things I Learned This Weekend
The inability to sleep in is the worst way to end a stressful and tiring week.
For some completely baffling reason, and despite going to bed at midnite, I woke up at 6:47 on Saturday morning, wide awake. (It's important to note, that this is an hour earlier than I get up during the week.) I started watching Netflix on my phone, which usually lulls me to sleep, but instead, I was just ready to start my day.
Pretty Little Liars is a completely ridiculous and completely addicting tv show.
Ok, fine, I'm hooked. I saw the pilot when it first aired but wasn't interested and hadn't seen any more episodes until I caught a few with the roommate. Now, I'm just addicted and watched almost the entire first season this reason thanks to Netlix.
You can get a lot done before noon when you've been up since 7.
I had some errands to run near my apartment and managed to get them all in and pick up lunch by noon. And since it was so cool I didn't have to worry about sweating slimey lotion.
It's important to open a window when spray painting indoors.
I spray painted again this weekend and during the first round forgot to open the window. It was a bit smelly, to say the least.
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| One of my weekend spray paint projects: Big Ben. |
Pinterest + Recommendation of friend = Clean couch
I'd seen a tutorial on Pinterest many times for cleaning a microfiber couch with rubbing alcohol and a sponge. After my friend Lauren tried it and verified its effectiveness, I gave it a shot. I didn't flip the cushions over and do the dirtier sides, but the rest of it is looking brighter.
Spray paint and rubbing alcohol fumes make for a good napping environment.
Just kidding. I think my surprisingly short nap was due more to the early wake up call, and not the variety of fumes in my place.
Reading by the pool (as usual) is great fun until 14 kids show up.
Apparently someone decided to have a pool party with 14 kids under the age of 10. Rather, 14 very loud, jumping, shrieking, splashing, running kids. When they finally left, every adult breathed a sigh of relief.
Three hours in the sun plus a wine slushie are very conducive to napping.
Though it was an accidental nap as I try not to nap on Sundays. However, I managed to still get to sleep on Sunday night, so for once, perhaps, my body knew what it was doing.
Not even Tim Riggins could save "John Carter."
Finally got around to seeing this and it was truly one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Blah. But I also got to re-watch "X Men: First Class," start "Shame," and catch most of the Olympic Closing Ceremonies, which more than made up for the bad action flick and the sub-bar Opening Ceremonies.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Things I Learned This Weekend
(It's too late for this but it was such an out-of-the-ordinary weekend, for so many reasons, I can't not write about it. Even if it's longer and vaguer than usual.)
To stop. Drinking. Sangria.
I should count how many times I've "learned" this. (And should also probably note I had it again Sunday.)
There are not enough words for how great it is to have the company of a good friend after a bad night.
Have I mentioned how awesome my friends are? Oh, I have? And I should shut up about it? Yeah, not going to happen.
And a nice stranger lady in the ladies room is really great, too.
Long story, not that interesting, but if you work in the same place for 4.5 years and frequent the same places, people remember you. And care.
Sometimes it's worth it to spring for the long cab ride.
No explanation needed.
Especially when you arrive at a restaurant minutes before a crazy storm hits.
For real.
That a "derecho" is a crazy, scary, out-of-nowhere storm I hope to never experience again.
I'd rather have a hurricane any day. (No jinx.)
Sometimes it's also worth it to spring for a cab ride when the power at the metro station is out and there are port-a-potties in the middle of the road.
Also no explanation needed.
Blessed: Living in a building with power when all the buildings around you are without.
And there are power lines tangled in the tree in front of your building. But still there was power. BLESSED!
Spending a Saturday at the pool alone is fine, but spending it with a friend is even more fine.
As is eating veggies and chatting in the AC afterward.
Forget running errands, even walking errands in 100 degree heat is too much.
Especially if your usual, shaded route is closed due to damage.
My tendency to get ready too early comes in handy when a fire alarm forces you out of your building.
Random fire alarm at 5 p.m. on Sunday. Grr...
Channing Tatum is an amazing dancer.And as odd as it was, I'm grateful for two wonderful girlfriends to have seen "Magic Mike" with.
The U.S.A. women's (and probably men's) gymnastics team is going to be amazing.
And my new favorite is Gabby Douglas. But I still love Nastia and will remember her for all her previous accomplishments, not that last stumble.
To stop. Drinking. Sangria.
I should count how many times I've "learned" this. (And should also probably note I had it again Sunday.)
There are not enough words for how great it is to have the company of a good friend after a bad night.
Have I mentioned how awesome my friends are? Oh, I have? And I should shut up about it? Yeah, not going to happen.
And a nice stranger lady in the ladies room is really great, too.
Long story, not that interesting, but if you work in the same place for 4.5 years and frequent the same places, people remember you. And care.
Sometimes it's worth it to spring for the long cab ride.
No explanation needed.
Especially when you arrive at a restaurant minutes before a crazy storm hits.
For real.
That a "derecho" is a crazy, scary, out-of-nowhere storm I hope to never experience again.
I'd rather have a hurricane any day. (No jinx.)
 |
| Tree on car at end of my street. |
Also no explanation needed.
Blessed: Living in a building with power when all the buildings around you are without.
And there are power lines tangled in the tree in front of your building. But still there was power. BLESSED!
 |
| Power lines tangled in tree. |
As is eating veggies and chatting in the AC afterward.
 |
| These are from my book club dinner I made last week, but I wanted to share. Aren't they pretty? |
Especially if your usual, shaded route is closed due to damage.
 |
| Favorite route: closed |
Random fire alarm at 5 p.m. on Sunday. Grr...
 |
| Fire trucks! |
The U.S.A. women's (and probably men's) gymnastics team is going to be amazing.
And my new favorite is Gabby Douglas. But I still love Nastia and will remember her for all her previous accomplishments, not that last stumble.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Things I Learned This (Long) Weekend
If you've had a long day and look tired and stressed, you won't get carded at Giant.
Occasionally I won't get carded at restaurants, but I always get carded at grocery and liquor stores. Until Friday night.
Movies about ballet are just the most greatest thing ever.
I saw the ballet documentary "First Position" on Saturday and just loved it. I also love the fact that the ticket taker guessed what movie I was seeing based on how I looked. He doesn't have to know that I trip over my own feet every day.
Margaritas and a Mexican lunch with a friend is also the most greatest thing ever.
I hadn't been able to have a real conversation with my friend, Shana, in a month, and it was so nice to sit outside and just talk and eat and drink on a slow, summer Saturday.
There is a young woman my age named Bonnie at Lululemon.
As I never meet anyone my age named Bonnie, and neither does she, this was a great thing to learn.
Shopping at a consignment store after two margaritas probably isn't smart.
But I did it anyway and got a few good deals. And a pair of jeans I may have to return.
Falling asleep to "Dawson's Creek" is a great way to start a nap.
My first of three naps of the weekend was Saturday afternoon, with the newest addition to Netflix Instant on the laptop.
The Potomac River isn't just a polluted cesspool with androgynous fish, it also produces some Great Falls.
On Sunday, I went to the National Park Great Falls with Brandie and Karey. We looked out over the falls and hiked the River Trail. It was great to get out of the city and spend some time outside. (More later.)
It's possible to go to Target and only buy two fun things.
Try as I might, I could only buy practical things like cleaning supplies and face wash. I got so fed up that in the checkout line I impulsively grabbed a Ritter Sport bar and the Rolling Stone with MCA on the cover. I refuse to be that much of a grown up!
Homemade guacamole is the perfect summer meal.
I'm not sure how many times I've had this in the past week. But I have no intention of stopping.
Two hours by the pool is a great start to the summer.
I laid out on Monday morning and even took a few dips in the crazy-cold pool. Ah, summer.
Every weekend should be a long weekend.
No, really, it should. Who can I speak to about this?
Occasionally I won't get carded at restaurants, but I always get carded at grocery and liquor stores. Until Friday night.
Movies about ballet are just the most greatest thing ever.
I saw the ballet documentary "First Position" on Saturday and just loved it. I also love the fact that the ticket taker guessed what movie I was seeing based on how I looked. He doesn't have to know that I trip over my own feet every day.
Margaritas and a Mexican lunch with a friend is also the most greatest thing ever.
I hadn't been able to have a real conversation with my friend, Shana, in a month, and it was so nice to sit outside and just talk and eat and drink on a slow, summer Saturday.
There is a young woman my age named Bonnie at Lululemon.
As I never meet anyone my age named Bonnie, and neither does she, this was a great thing to learn.
Shopping at a consignment store after two margaritas probably isn't smart.
But I did it anyway and got a few good deals. And a pair of jeans I may have to return.
Falling asleep to "Dawson's Creek" is a great way to start a nap.
My first of three naps of the weekend was Saturday afternoon, with the newest addition to Netflix Instant on the laptop.
The Potomac River isn't just a polluted cesspool with androgynous fish, it also produces some Great Falls.
On Sunday, I went to the National Park Great Falls with Brandie and Karey. We looked out over the falls and hiked the River Trail. It was great to get out of the city and spend some time outside. (More later.)
It's possible to go to Target and only buy two fun things.
Try as I might, I could only buy practical things like cleaning supplies and face wash. I got so fed up that in the checkout line I impulsively grabbed a Ritter Sport bar and the Rolling Stone with MCA on the cover. I refuse to be that much of a grown up!
Homemade guacamole is the perfect summer meal.
I'm not sure how many times I've had this in the past week. But I have no intention of stopping.
Two hours by the pool is a great start to the summer.
I laid out on Monday morning and even took a few dips in the crazy-cold pool. Ah, summer.
Every weekend should be a long weekend.
No, really, it should. Who can I speak to about this?
Monday, July 25, 2011
This is a slow weekend
In the past month I haven't had more than two nights in a row without plans. This caught up with me last week so this week I tried to take it easy. And knowing that it was going to be miserably hot on Friday and Saturday, I delighted in continuing this slowed place and made no plans for the weekend. Or at least no plans involving other people or (almost no) leaving my apartment. Instead I decided to stay in my pajamas, watch a lot of movies, and be productive.
Now, because I am just that cool, a little play-by-play of the most mundane weekend activities, broken down into action, reason, and entertainment. Again, because I'm just that cool.
FRIDAY
Reason: The silverware caddy I'd been using was overflowing.
Entertainment: How to Deal
Reason: I have a lot to say and finally some motivation to say it.
Entertainment: Anastasia
SATURDAY
Reason: I bought the jersey fabric and pinned the tutorials months ago.
Entertainment: Three episodes of Doctor Who and some Gilmore Girls. (There was a lot of braiding involved.)
Reason: It was hot.
Entertainment: More Gilmore Girls
Reason: I was hungry.
Entertainment: DVRed ABC World News. (Doesn't everybody DVR the news? You should.)
Yes, that is food for one. Or maybe it's actually for three, as that's how many fortune cookies they gave me! If I'm going to order out I prefer to order enough for several meals.
Reason: My mail pile was out of control. And mostly just junk.
Entertainment: Before Sunrise
Reason: I let my nails go bare for a week to breathe and it was killing me.
Entertainment: Before Sunset
SUNDAY
Reason: Needed to get out of the house for a few hours. And activate my new museum membership, bought through Groupon.
Entertainment: Amy Winehouse (RIP) on the iPod.
Reason: It's hot.
Entertainment: Once
Reason: So I'm ahead on Monday.
Entertainment: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
Reason: I wanted a nice statement necklace to wear in San Fran.
Entertainment: DVRed World News, 60 Minutes, and The Proposal (This one took awhile, plus a break for dinner.)
I'm pretty sure I've never watched so many movies in my life. But it felt nice to just relax and watch some favorites while getting a lot of silly things done.
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