What are your top 5 movies/DVDs of 2006?
I can barely remember what I saw earlier in the year, but here's the first ones that come to mind that I really enjoyed:
- Dreamgirls
- Borat
- Talledega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
- Strangers with Candy
- Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (I don't think this came out in 2006, but we watched it this year and really liked it)
There probably were some better ones but we really didn't go to many movies this year. And a lot of movies that are supposed to be possible Oscar candidates we haven't seen. I always think I'm going to get caught up during slower times (like now) but somehow never get around to it.
We were in Vegas last weekend. I love, love, LOVE Las Vegas. I've only been there during the summer, so I was a bit curious to see what it was like in December. It was about 4 degrees in Chicago the morning we left and didn't get too much warmer as the day went on, so I was pretty sure whatever it was like in Vegas it would be warmer than Chicago. And it was - about 60 degrees each day.
I was also wondering if and how Las Vegas would celebrate Christmas. Gambling, strippers and nightclubs aren't exactly in tune with the Christmas message. And as for decorations, well, how can you tell, it's already so lit up?
We stayed at Treasure Island, conveniently located just across the street from the Fashion Mall. There's even a bridge connecting the hotel and the mall. The hotel has been renovated recently, and it's not as tacky as I thought it would be (I had feared pirate theme overload, but they've shown restraint). Although Matt had booked a non-smoking room, they only had smoking rooms left for Friday night and offered to change us the next day. Happily, the room didn't smell smoky at all - I wouldn't have known it was a smoking room if I hadn't been told. The rooms are nice, everything looks new and there was a good sized plasma screen TV. We didn't get the Strip view, but here's what we had instead:
Matt called around 5pm to say he was still in the tournament, which was good news. I headed over to Caesar's to join him and watched until he was knocked out. He came in 8th out of about 75, so that's excellent - he was in the money!
Here's some shots at the table:
After a quick dinner, we went to the Imperial Palace for a reception being held by a poker table company. They were hosting a demonstration of their poker tables (kind of a video poker thing, except you play in person) and providing free drinks and dessert. I didn't stay long - I was tired and have no interest in poker or poker tables so there wasn't much for me there. Matt stayed a bit longer.
I should point out I'm not really the ideal person to go to Las Vegas with, at least from a "party" standpoint. I generally fade out by 10:30, just when things are getting started. I don't like to overindulge in drinking because it's no fun to feel like crap the next day. I don't own any clothes even remotely appropriate for nightclubbing. And I don't gamble, aside from the odd dollar bill or quarter thrown into a slot machine. So why do I love it so much? Because along with great shopping, restaurants, beautiful hotels, you get some of the best people watching ever. Case in point:
As for Christmas, there is some recognition that for most of the rest of the country, this is a very important time of the year. But, being Vegas, you can't just have a regular Christmas tree. You must have a HUGE tree with lights that change colors every few seconds.
Sunday Matt woke up early and headed back to Caesar's Palace to get us a table at the Sportbook. The Sportbook is probably my favorite part of the casino. It was the perfect place to hang out and watch football. Matt was also betting on the ponies, which is the only gambling I have any interest in. Of course I'm not very good at it. My method of picking a horse is to find the one with the cutest/funniest name (like Polkadot or My Little Monkey). Or which jockey has the prettiest silk colors. Luckily I'm only placing $2 bets, so it's not like I'm losing a lot of money. And it's fun to cheer for my horse, even if it's a loser. The best part was every time Matt placed a bet on a race, they gave him a free drink coupon. Given the price of a drinks, we came out ahead. Since it was brunch time, I had a mimosa.
I stopped after just one though - when I went to the bathroom, I accidentally walked into the men's room. There was a custodian cleaning up in there and he quickly stopped me and at first I thought it was because he was cleaning the women's room. As I was backing out, a guy came in behind me and said "you're welcome to come in!" and that's about the time I noticed what I'd done. Mind you, this is after just one little mimosa. So I switched to Diet Coke.
We had dinner reservations Sunday night for Bouchon, one of our favorite places. We did notice a new place at Caesar's Palace, however, Bradley Ogden. Matt would have had to do much better both at the poker tournament AND the horse racing to afford this place though:
Also, while shopping in the Forum at Caesar's, I saw two "celebrities":
Here are some other pictures from inside the Forum Shops:
For a time of year that's supposed to be slower for me, it's still been really busy. Yesterday was the office cookie exchange and I actually baked cookies. And much to my shock, they turned out pretty good. I made sour cream sugar cookies from a recipe I found on the internet. My mom used to make these all the time and I should have called her for the recipe because the one from the internet really wasn't as good. But since some people brought store-bought cookies I still felt superior.
After, my friend Stacy and I were going to see a free screening of the movie The Holiday, which we both were very excited to see. We got there early, which was a good thing, because it was packed. When they let us in to the theater they had really nice gift bags for everyone, with bottled water, a Fusion razor, Cheese-Its and gum and the latest issue of Us magazine. Not sure what any of that has to do with the movie (other than Us Magazine was the sponsor) but I love free stuff.
Before the movie started I ran to the bathroom and as I left a woman from the theater staff asked if I had just left the Dreamgirls screening. I replied "I wish - I'm dying to see that movie!". It's not scheduled open until Christmas day, and I was really looking forward to seeing it. And she said, "Well you can if you want - they're starting it in just a couple of minutes and anyone can go in. There's only about 7 people on there." I quickly ran in and asked Stacy if she'd rather see Dreamgirls, and happily, she did. We ran back into the other theater (gotta love those multi-plexes) just as it started.
All I can say is WOW - this is a FABULOUS movie! I loved it and I'll definitely be paying to see it again when it opens. Eddie Murphy is shockingly good as a Marvin Gaye-type performer (who knew he could sing like that?) and Jennifer Hudson wipes the floor with everyone else. I never saw her on American Idol, but based on this, she should have won. She steals the movie - I was like "Beyonce, who?" Interestingly, Beyonce isn't even in the movie that much - her character doesn't have much to do until the 2nd half. She's good, everyone in the movie is good, but Jennifer Hudson and Eddie Murphy are off-the-charts incredible. Just give them their Oscars now. I actually went to Virgin Records after the movie and bought the soundtrack because I couldn't wait to hear the music again. So my advice is GO SEE THIS MOVIE as soon as it opens. I'll go with you if you want.
Amy Sedaris was making an appearance at Borders last week and I'm such a huge fan and a huge geek I was in line two hours early. But not the geekiest because there were at least 15-20 people in line ahead of me, so they're even geekier. Including a guy with 3 copies of her latest book "I Like You", a copy of the play she'd written with her brother David Sedaris (which he'd already had signed by David) and a denim tote bag he'd made himself with an copy of the back cover of Amy's book on it (later, she would sign the tote bag, writing "homo" on it, saying "Just a guess.."). Other people brought her gifts they'd made.
I admit to a little bit of a girl-crush on her. She's just so adorable - and funny in a slightly mean way, but somehow making it charming instead of snotty, because she's just kidding. Maybe. Strangers with Candy was one of my favorite shows and the movie was excellent. Every time she's on Letterman we either watch it or Tivo it and if you go to You Tube and search Amy Sedaris you'll find tons of clips. Including some really rare stuff from an old skit show she was on, Exit 57.
Because I was there so early, I was able to grab us a couple of seats. Eavesdropping is one of my favorite ways to pass the time in public places, I was very entertained by the 3 gay men sitting behind me (Amy has a huge gay following, probably only slightly less than her brother). One of them was practically vibrating out of his seat, he was so excited about meeting her. He'd brought her a scarf he'd made himself and said meeting her was one of his dreams come true (one of the others being owning a Volkswagon Bug).
The other fun part was watching the crowd grow larger and larger. About 30 minutes before the event started I fought my way through the crowd to get to the bathroom and it was pretty clear to me that if she stayed to sign all these books, she'd be there until midnight. There were probably 500 people there.
At 7pm, Amy was introduced and she's just cute as a little bug. Tiny as can be, in a beautiful black dress and stiletto heels. She called for a volunteer from the audience and demonstrated how to make an eye burrito (pantyhose filled with beans that you can cool in the fridge then put over your eyes when you're hungover). And she answered questions from the audience for at least 45 minutes, keeping everyone laughing. She talked about her recent guest appearance on Martha Stewart, referring to Martha as "he" and hinting that "his" staff was a bit afraid of "him".
The book, by the way, is very good - it's funny, but the recipes are also real, and many of them look very good. I made the Little Smoky Cheese Ball for Thanksgiving and it was a hit! Here's a couple of pictures...
After, we went to Quartino for dinner. This place opened about a year ago, just across the street from one of our favorite places Osteria Via Stato. It seemed to feature a very similar menu and was instantly a big hit with huge crowds so we'd never tried it. It is similar, both places are Italian and feature menus with small dishes to share as well as entrees, but they're very different too. Osteria Via Stato originally was a fixed price menu. They would bring you whatever appetizers and first courses the kitchen was making that day and the only choice you made was what entree you wanted. We always enjoyed that element of surprise, not knowing what appetizers and first course pastas would show up. And by the time the entree was served I was always so stuffed I could barely eat it. Shortly after Quartino opened they changed their menu to allow you to pick your own appetizers, etc. The fixed price option is still available and still the best deal.
Quartino is more like an Italian tapas place. You choose everything and there are plenty of small cold/hot appetizers, antipasti, pizzas, pastas, etc., as well as entrees. You can design your own antipasti plate by checking off choices on a list with lots to choose from. We started with a small antipasti selection of a salami, a cheese and some olives. We also ordered the fondue, because you never see fondue on a menu and there was no way I was going to pass that up. It was incredible - about 5 different cheeses in a little Stube pot, just the perfect size for 2. We just had bread cubes with it, but you can order apples, salami, etc. Matt ordered a steak for his entree and I got pasta. Both were very good. The place is huge and very noisy - it would be a perfect place to take a group because you could order a bunch of stuff and get to try a lot more. We'll definitely go back.
In Christmas-related news, I'm about 3/4 done with my shopping, so I'm on track. I stopped by the office last week and they were asking for volunteers for City Santa, a group that sponsors classrooms in schools in poorer neighborhoods. The kids write letters to Santa and the volunteers select a letter and play Santa. I picked a letter at random from a 7-year old boy - here's the letter, exactly as he wrote it:
"dear santa ay bin god quen you drinmi a big big Hummer of contral remal and a ds wiht 2 games of mario end cars and a big big game of Hot Whels"
OK, let me translate - I think what he wants is a remote control Hummer, a Nintendo DS with a Mario game and a cars game. And a Hot Wheels game. And he's been a good boy. Well, the Nintendo DS is about $130 and I really don't think any 7 year old needs a $130 toy. And I'm not sure if the Hot Wheels game is for the DS or just a board game, so I decided the Hummer would be the way to go. And as luck would have it, there was a nice RC Hummer (working headlights! Spinning hubcaps! Rechargable battery!) on sale at Amazon.com, perfect!
The woman in our office who organizes this has been doing it for 5 years or so, previously with the law firm where where she worked (see, not all lawyers are bad!) They sponsor an entire classroom and she said some kids will watch all the other kids open their gift, then take theirs home unopened because it's the only present they'll get. I was really happy she kept the tradition going over at our office - it's nice to know these kids will get something for Christmas. I'd love to go with her to hand out the gifts, but I think I'd just end up crying in the school hallway, so I'll leave that to those who aren't so wimpy.
We leave Friday for Las Vegas where Matt is going to win lots of money in a blogger's poker tournament and betting on football and I'm going to get a nice long massage at the spa. Viva Las Vegas!
Yup, guilty as charged. They see me coming from a mile away... while we were shopping for Thanksgiving we came across this little gem:
Now how am I supposed to pass that up? No way! So even though it was stupidly expensive, considering, we had to get it (it was $10) And it's good cheese, Wensleydale has a nice, mild flavor, but nothing that wonderful. But because of the Wallace & Gromit sticker, I couldn't resist. Sucker!
Matt bought a Roomba. I choose to assume it's because he wants to take one cleaning chore off my list and not because I (admittedly) don't vacuum as often as he'd like. I could vacuum every day and it wouldn't be enough, between the cat dragging his kitty litter and kibble around, my hair, the cat's hair, cement falling from the ceiling, general dust, etc. Although the idea is you can set it up to clean while you're away, I decided to play around with it this morning. I wanted to see it in action.
First I had to remove stuff from the floor - newspapers, the kitchen stools, laptop cords, shoes, etc. (Where's the robot that does that, I ask?) Then I set up the little do-hickeys that create "virtual rooms". These sit in a doorway and keep the Roomba from entering.
It's been interesting watching the Roomba figure out where it can go. It bounces off the walls and furniture like a little bumper car. It doesn't fit under the couch (it tried very hard before giving up) but it does fit under the coffee table, so that's good. It also did a good job of maneuvering around the dining room chairs and the big wood posts in our place.
The cat was VERY curious - initially he just peeked out from his lair under the bed as the Roomba passed by in the hallway, with a panicked look on his fuzzy little face. Then he actually emerged (!) and crept out into the hallway to check it out. He watched it for a few minutes, looking at me, then looking at the Roomba, then yawned and went back under the bed.
I need to play with it a bit (and perhaps even read the instructions) because it seems to repeat itself, covering the same area over and over. And it's a good start, but it did miss some areas that I'll still need to do myself. But I think it will be a nice help.
Speaking of technology - I called my niece Chloe this week to wish her a happy 7th birthday. I asked her if there was something she wanted me to send her for her present and after mentioning a few things she added " But I have enough technology, I don't need any more technology". She meant video games for her Nintendo DS, but still, just the way she expressed it had me cracking up.
From the mouths of babes though - I kind of have a love/hate thing with technology. I often think about how different things are from even 20 years ago, tech-wise. We're so wired now, everything is "instant" - we know about events around the world immediately as they're happening. If I want information on any topic, I can get it instantly with an internet search. I can shop 24/7 (yikes!). And it's not just the internet - there's satellite TV, radio, Tivo, video games, magazines, books - so many ways you can choose to spend your free time that it becomes stressful just trying to figure out how you want to "relax". I'm overwhelmed with choices.
And it can turn into one more distraction/time-suck. For example, I'll be reading the New York Times book section and see an ad for a book that looks interesting. I reach over, pick up the laptop (always conveniently located in the living room) and look it up on Amazon.com (of course, I have to do this right away, otherwise I'm distracted by something else and I'll forget). Then I can link to a detailed description, reviews, interviews with the author, books that are similar, etc. The next thing I know, 45 minutes have gone by and I've stopped reading the paper because I've gotten caught up in the black hole that is the internet, checking out different sites.
I spend more time surfing knitting web sites than actually knitting.
There was a story in the Trib yesterday about a web site called Second Life, where people create identities and live online. One guy actually makes about $12K a year creating and selling clothing for these virtual identities. Seriously. People are spending actual money on clothes that only exist on an internet site. Crazy (and how do I get in on that action?) If you go to the web site, be sure to check out the little box on the right that says how many US Dollars have been spent on Second Life in the last 24 hours. Last time I checked it was $692K.
On the other hand - how cool is it that we can find out about anything, anytime? That we can email and instant message and create blogs to keep in touch with family and friends more easily? I just need to learn to discipline myself better (not exactly one of my strongest qualities generally) and stop myself from the endless, mindless surfing.
Show us a great smile.
How about a great sneer instead? Matt was being goofy after his work out last night (must be all those endorphins) and let me fashion his sweaty hair into a "faux-hawk". I always knew he had an inner badass.
What's the most drastic change you've ever made to your appearance?
Submitted by Laurie.
Things have been pretty quiet around here lately - nothing to blog about, so I'm answering the QotD just so y'all know I didn't drop off the face of the earth.
When I was in college I had really long hair. I wanted to get a hipper, alternative/punk cut, but I knew I couldn't really pull it off, so I had the stylist just shave half of it. When I wore my hair down, you couldn't tell, but if I put it up in a ponytail you could see the bottom half was shaved. It was a good compromise.
I started dyeing my hair red when I moved to Chicago. I did it myself the first few times, then I had a very bad experience which resulted in my hair being a very odd color of orange. Not a good orange, either. I made an emergency trip to a hair stylist I knew and she fixed it - I've never done it myself ever again.
Books, movies, music; what's in your top 5 right now?
Books: how timely, just see below.
Movies: as I mentioned previously, I just saw Marie Antoinette. I really want to see Running With Scissors, which is coming out this weekend. I also recently rented Friends With Money and really enjoyed it.
Music: Nouvelle Vague - Bande a Part (lounge-y cover versions of 80's songs); Scissor Sisters - Ta-Dah (their new CD is still all 70's disco glam, but I love it); Joe Jackson - Blaze of Glory (I just bought this from e-Bay. It's been out of print for a long time and it's one of my favorite late 80's albums. I only had a cassette tape that someone had made for me and I was really happy to find a used copy cheap on e-Bay. I love e-Bay.); OK GO - Oh No (Chicago-based band - very catchy songs and as I've posted before, great videos).
I got so many good books for my birthday, I don't even know which one to read next. I have 2 huge stacks on the table next to my bed and I just close my eyes, reach over and randomly grab one. Here's what I've read so far:
I couldn't put this one down - I read it in 3 days. It's a story-in-a-story (part gothic thriller, part prison drama) and I had no idea where it was going to go next. I haven't read this author before, but now I want to look for her other books. I'm still a little confused about the end, but in a good way - someone else read this so we can discuss!!
This was a fun book. There's a bit of mystery, but mostly it's about a woman coming to terms with her crazy Southern family. I love books about crazy Southern familes.
Normally I wouldn't read any book from a romance series publisher, but this one had a good write-up in Entertainment Weekly magazine and I liked the title. It's a time-travel comedy, very fun and another quick read. The romance part is kept to a not-too-cheesy minimum, which I appreciated. And there's a cute little twist at the end. Very entertaining.
I'm reading this one right now and I'm loving it. The author has a wonderful style, very conversational and funny, and I can really relate to her.
I also treated myself to a couple of books (because the 2 huge stacks next to my bed are not quite enough):
I love Amy Sedaris. This is both funny and surprisingly practical, with real recipes. My favorite idea from the book is to set up a table of stuff to sell for $.25 so you can make money from your party. Unfortunately, only someone like Amy Sedaris could really get away with something like that.
Halloween already? Must be time for a new Stephen King book. I was so disappointed a few years ago when he announced his "retirement" - but he's put out a few books since then, much to my relief. The last one (The Cell) was good and I've heard good things about this one too. So it's probably at the top of my next-to-be-read list.
