2014 Moratorium

It doesn't seem fair to do a moratorium in a year I'm still living in, if just for a few more hours, but I felt the urge to scribble a post.

2014 had a lot of good moments. It was a kind of relief from everything that had happened over the previous two years between Matt's mom dying and losing our dogs, Buddy and Zak.

Accomplishments: This one is not my own but I consider it a pretty major deal that Matt not only completed his Bachelor's Degree through Houghton College but he maintained a 4.0 the entire time!

Matt and I also celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary in July. It doesn't really seem like it has been 10 years!

Travel:

• Four-day trip to Washington D.C. in March to see our friends, Brian & Tim as well as getting to see M. (long time friend and shenanigans associate) and Brandy (Jamestown transplant)
• Overnight to Cleveland, OH in May to take part in an alumni orchestra rehearsal at Baldwin-Wallace under Dwight Oltman's baton one last time. Saw many old friends.
• 10th Wedding Anniversary trip to Burlington, VT with a day trip to Montreal in September to finally meet Maurice.
• plus numerous trips to Rochester, Buffalo, and Erie, PA.

Books: I read at least 15 books according to a scan of my Goodreads list in 2014, which is a marked increase from recent years.

Movies: Between Netflix, movies at The Reg, and our local theatre chain, we saw some good flicks including The Monuments Men, The Way Way Back, We Are The Best!, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Le Week-End, Guardians Of The Galaxy, Frozen, Mrs. Brown, A Single Man, Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day, The Trip, Funny Face, Slacker, New York, I Love You; Coffee & Cigarettes, Don Jon, Blue Is The Warmest Color, Geography Club, and The Interview.

Music: My top ten artists according to last.fm for 2014 have a lot of overlap when you consider that Johnny Marr and Morrissey both were part of The Smiths and Adam Schlesinger is writing/singing/performing songs for both Fountains Of Wayne and Ivy.

1. Fountains Of Wayne (132 plays)
2. U2 (126 plays)
3. Morrissey (99 plays)
4. Taylor Swift (62 plays)
5. The Smiths (59 plays)
6. Ladyhawk (52 plays)
7. Enya (51 plays)
8. XTC (48 plays)
9. Johnny Marr (47 plays)
10. Ivy (44 plays)

Violining: My violin was attached to my neck most of this Fall but for overall ensembles/concerts that I performed with this year, I offer this:

• March - "Annie Get Your Gun" at Falconer High School
• May - Jamestown Area Community Orchestra Spring concert at Jamestown High School
• October - Jamestown Area Community Orchestra Fall Concert
• November - "Les Miserables" at Jamestown Community College
• December - The Living Christmas Tree at First Covenant Church

Random Bits: I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in October and have been on medications since that seem to have stabilized my levels so far. Matt made the decision in 2014 to get Lasik surgery on his eyes, but that won't happen until 2015. We bought a fancy, new convection oven, 5-burner gas stove in December after another pecan pie filling failure on Thanksgiving. I also bought a Pono device after buying Neil Young's pitch hook/line/sinker. It really does have great sound quality although I will admit I'm still mad at Apple for discontinuing the iPod Classic as that probably would have been my music player replacement for my iPod Touch, which is old and doesn't hold nearly enough music for my liking.

Looking Ahead to 2015: Who knows what could happen? It's going to be a year of some change with my office being moved to City Hall, Matt being able to see without glasses, and the fact that it's an election year for our Mayor. I've never been a fan of resolutions because they're far too easy to break, but I'm hoping that we go into 2015 with an open mind and patience for what lies ahead.

28 Days Later

Here I am at the end of 28 days away from Facebook. What have I been up to?

Books I've Read:
Morrissey: Autobiography (UK Edition)
Why Can't I Be You - Allie Larkin
Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell
Summer In A Glass: The Coming of Age of Winemaking in the Finger Lakes - Evan Dawson

Movies I've Seen:
The Monuments Men
The Way Way Back

Blog Entries I've Written = 29

Pounds Lost = 2

Exercise Classes Attended = 8 (guessing at this since I only started recording on Feb 18th)

Nights Spent Snuggling on the Coach with Sammy & McKinley while watching many episodes of Poirot on Netflix = Too numerous to count

Outings Out Into the Cold to See Friends Socially That Weren't Connected to Work/Boards/Organizational Events = 3

Phone Calls to Parents = Three. One 2-hour call and one 1.5-hour call and one 40-minute call.

New Beers/Ciders Imbibed = 7
Southern Tier Brewing - 2XOne
Southern Tier Brewing - Grand Arbor
Otter Creek Brewing - Citra Mantra
Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits - Tongue Buckler
Stella Artois - Cidre
Dogfish Head Craft Brewery - 75 Minute IPA
Lagunitas Brewing Company - A Little Sumpin' Wild Ale

Musical Rehearsals Attended - 2. Will increase exponentially in the next week

Paczkis Consumed Prior to Fat Tuesday - One solitary over-filled, seemingly double-glazed wonder

Tickets Purchased To See Morrissey In Concert at Artpark: - 3. One for me and 2 for my cousin and his friend.

Buffalo Sabres Traded: Two

Philip Seymour Hoffman (1967-2014)

I may be off Facebook but sad news has a way of finding you. There are few details at this moment, but Fairport/Rochester, NY native Philip Seymour Hoffman has been found dead in his NYC apartment. I've enjoyed his films over the years and am saddened that such a great talent is gone at so young an age. Here's his wiki for details about his life and work.

Here's the post I did after Philip won an Oscar for Capote.

Updates:

CNN's initial story before Monday's autopsy

The Atlantic Wire: Philip Seymour Hoffman and the Ethos of the Uncool

Rolling Stone's David Fear's obituary for Philip Seymour Hoffman

Groundhog Day

It's to no surprise, given the two Polar Vortexes that have invaded a good portion of the lower 48 over the past month, that Punxsutawny Phil has predicted six more weeks of winter. Of course, to be contrary, Dunkirk Dave is predicting that warmer days are ahead.

My favorite thing about Groundhog Day is not the prognosticating by rodents but the 1992 movie starring Bill Murray. Here are a series of scenes from the movie (can't imbed video). I learned today that you can live out the movie in the place it was filmed. Woodstock, Illinois is almost 9 hours from Jamestown so that would be a heckuva drive during a time of year that can be truly iffy when it comes to snow and ice.

Life Snippets

NKOTBSB

Nearly two weeks ago, I went to see super-boy-group, New Kids On The Block-Backstreet Boys, in Pittsburgh with Preppy Girl. She wrote an awesome account that I can't top. On the non-concert side, it was so much fun to hang out with PGirl and help her bust her IKEA and H&M virginity.

Movie Watching

We broke down and finally got the 1-DVD at a time option from Netflix to enhance our Netflix streaming. I'm really glad we did as I finally got to see (500) Days of Summer and The Social Network. Next is Up In The Air, followed by Thank You For Smoking, and then the Twilight movies. You can guess that Matt was a bit late at getting in his picks.


How Does Your Garden Grow?

I've continued working on the back garden and have some visible plants growing courtesy of my mom. One is a hosta and the two others I'm not sure about but one has a yellow flower and the other has a kind of greenish-yellow bud. I'm pretty excited that the gladiolas I planted are starting to send shoots up. Those will probably be the most dramatic flowers I've grown based on height alone. The front hill is shameful but I haven't had the time or money to rip everything up, plant new ground cover, and try to get it growing with something other than whatever weeds are there now. The next thing I'll have to tackle is the south side of the garage. There are some foundation issues over there (I know, it's never ending) that we'll need to take care of this Fall, but I want to get a swath of ferns out of the way so things can be assessed.

Radio Free

I've had a few people ask me how adjusting to life with out the news is going. I think I've gotten used to it aside from that occasional feeling like I should be doing something. The first week or so was hard because my brain was still hard-wired to be on the look-out for news stories I might need. I may have even cried a little. These days, I've found I like having that stretch of evening free. I've definitely tried to be more conscientious about getting stuff done around the house. I've read two books. As mentioned above, I've watched a few movies. I've also gone to bed early, sometimes just after 9pm depending on the day. There is still the feeling that something is missing.

It's Been One Week..

It's been one week since I stopped doing the news.

I'm feeling a little lost.

It's silly in a way.

So what have I been up to?

I gardened last Sunday. I cleaned up some of the house on Monday and had a Memorial Day hot dog dinner with Matt. I watched I Capture The Castle and New Waterford Girl.

Tuesday I finally saw Labyrinth for the first time since it was available on Netflix streaming.

Wednesday I had just one violin student and then I went to watch Matt play floor hockey. We went out with the team after to Applebee's for dinner and some drinks. It was the first time in awhile that I recall having a drink in the middle of the week with dinner, or before 10pm.

Thursday I attended the dress rehearsal for the Infinity group, Collective Groove, that I would be performing with on Friday. After dinner, Matt and I went to see Bridesmaids. I cried on the way home because the movie reminded me of how much I miss one of my friends who moved away.

Friday we ate dinner quick before attending the Infinity Performing & Visual Arts Showcase at the Reg Lenna Civic Center. I had my worst case of nerves in years complete with icy hands and dry throat. We dropped into Forte after for a glass of wine and slice of grand marnier cheesecake before going home.

Saturday we had a funeral in the morning for the father of our friends. He was a good man. After a quick trip to Wegmans, I took my mother in law to a bridal shower for her granddaughter/my niece. Matt had a hockey team party that night, so I sat down in the recliner and read all of The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.

Today I chatted online with my friend, Candy, who has had a marvelous weekend, before getting ready and meeting my friend, Heather, at Wegmans for coffee and grocery shopping.

There was a lot that went on this week. I did some things I might not have if I knew later on at night I would have to do the news. I felt like I should be a lot more simply because I didn't have that one thing hanging over my head.

I feel like I failed in a way.

Heather said she got some advice not that long ago that makes sense. That she just needs to be rather than worrying about setting goals. I think I just need to be for awhile. I need to figure this out. It's been a long time since I've had this kind of additional time back. It seems so very over dramatic to be going on like this, but the truth is that I just don't feel like myself. I've even had a hard time remembering what I used to do with myself in the days before I did the news. I also know I'm a much different person from then.

Matt says I don't deal well with change. I know I don't. I just don't like to hear it out loud because I tend to advocate pretty loudly if I see something that should be changed for others. Admittedly, even when it's a good change, it's still hard. The good thing is that I still make myself do it. I couldn't grow otherwise.

Dreaming of the Millennium Falcon.. again

Last night I had another Star Wars themed dream. I blame this one solely on the fabulous fact that I had just bought the tickets for Matt and I to go see Star Wars: In Concert in Hamilton, Ontario in July.

In this one, I was on the Death Star hanging out near the Millennium Falcon waiting for Luke to get his ass back to the ship so we could take off before it was time to blow up the place. I ran across a group of emo/rave kids who were totally unconcerned about their impending doom as I encouraged them to take refuge in the Falcon. I sighed as they stood agape, watching various star ships start whizzing above the Death Star is pre-battle formations.

"They don't get that this place is gonna blow up pretty soon," I grumbled. "And where the hell is Luke? Can it really take that long to kill off the Emperor and then drag his dad's dead body back here? I mean, c'mon.. really."

And end dream. No. I didn't make any of that up. Still comes in a distant second to the dream of the chill party on the Millennium Falcon with R2D2 and Han Solo.

Birthday Presents!

My birthday presents from Matt arrived while we were home on lunch. I am very excited to finally have the Before movies soundtrack. Plus, Enchanted April is one of those great movies to pop in on a dreary day. Thanks Love!

R.I.P. John Hughes

I really didn't believe when I saw that Matt had tweeted, "Can't believe John Hughes died. Believe in the curse."

I enjoyed a good many of John Hughes' films, maybe more than other directors/writers. I certainly never went to a party before that had its theme built around a guy's movies until a couple weeks ago. It was a fine party too.

Plenty of news sites and blogs will have better tributes than I could ever write. I'm still in shock. Not so much because of John Hughes' death, but of the timing of it.

Remember the "curse?".

At the time that was written, we were days away from going to Madison, Indiana to visit friends. Not long after we left, half a block burned down. We joked it was our fault.

I'm starting to take it personally that bad things happen after I've been somewhere on vacation. Then again, nothing has happened to Pittsburgh yet but maybe their road system and traffic is punishment enough. Either way, I'd like a reprieve for the sake of good people and cities. That, and I like traveling.

Returning To Jedi

If you're not wasting work time taking advantage of today's online shopping deals, here's a great behind the scenes look at Return of the Jedi. There's multiple parts that can be found on this YouTube channel.

Happy Birthday to Me

"I was having this awful nightmare that I was 32. And then I woke up and I was 23. So relieved. And then I woke up for real, and I was 32."

- Celine as played by Julie Delpy in Before Sunset

Sexy Boys

I finally had a chance to watch my dvr-ed copy of The Holiday this weekend. Curled up under a fleece blanket, I hunkered down on the couch and commenced sighing over the gorgeousness that is Jude Law.

I'm not a fan of his ways with women in real life, but he is completely drool-worthy throughout The Holiday, especially when he dons his spectacles. And believe me, you need some decent eye-candy because half the movie is pure, romantic-comedy corn. The caramel variety.



I must admit I also thought Rufus Sewell was a bit cute, but I liked him better in Dark City. No comments from the peanut gallery (ahem, Heidi). I know who he looks like.

Geek Accessibility

When I was in the Chautauqua Mall over the weekend to pick up some birthday cards, I noticed that a Halloween costume store had opened in the old Fashion Bug location. At first, I thought it was another kind of store because the display window to the right had a Darth Vader and Storm Trooper costume set up. I had a brief moment of hopefulness that the store would be filled with comic books, sci-fi toy figurines, manga, Star Wars memorabilia, and other assorted geek stuff. Alas, it's just geek-boy costumes and slut-wear for women.

I don't think Darth Vader and Storm Trooper costumes should be that accessible to the general public. I think you need to earn the right to wear something that cool for Halloween. Like, as part of the contract you sign to rent the costume you also have to answer five Star Wars related questions like:

1. Where does Yoda live?
2. What is the name of third movie in the Star Wars saga?
3. What is supposed to be the fate of Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, and Han Solo after being captured by Jabba the Hut?
4. How do Obi Wan and Yoda figure out who killed the younglings in the Jedi Temple?
5. How many Death Stars reached fully operational status?

Bonus Question: What is family connection for Ewan McGregor with the original Star Wars trilogy?




Answers: Degobah, "Revenge of the Sith", death in the Sarlacc Pit, Obi Wan watches security recordings and sees that Anakin is the killer, While only the Death Star in Episode IV is ever fired, the Death Star in Episode VI is "fully armed and operational!" according to the Emperor.

Bonus: Ewan McGregor's uncle, actor Denis Lawson, played Wedge Antilles in Episodes 4-6 of Star Wars.

Take a movie... add your own stuff...

What happens when you mix in a little early 80's nostalgia with a mostly serious movie?

"Super Clyde 3" Coming to the Reg Lenna Civic Center

Jamestown resident and friend, Kipp Reynolds, will premier his full-length film, Super Clyde 3, this Sunday at the Reg Lenna Civic Center.

The film has been described as an action, science fiction, comedy about a young spatula wielding super hero who comes out of retirement to save his brother.

Kipp has spent the last year and a half working on the project. He's drawn on a large pool of talented friends to act in and help produce the film.

When I asked if audience will ever have the opportunity to be delighted by Super Clyde 1 and 2, he laughed and admitted there was no Super Clyde 1. The consensus is that he may go back and do a Super Clyde 1 much in the vein of the Star Wars prequels.

If you want to share the experience of seeing this movie hit a big screen, pre-sale tickets are being sold at the Reg and Labyrinth Press Company. They're only $3 pre-sale, $5 at the door the day of the show. The movie begins at 2pm at the Reg Lenna Civic Center in downtown Jamestown. See you there.

Super Clyde 3: The Trailer


Super Clyde 3: Official Website
Post Journal: Super Clyde 3

Awesomely Bad Pop Songs In Movies

I'm known to like several awesomely bad pop songs. I am that girl in the car next to you totally rocking out to "Shake Your Love" by Debbie Gibson. For that reason, this scene is one of the reasons why I love Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle:

Coming Soon To A Theatre Near You

Question: What 3 actresses or actors would play you in a film?

Answer:

Alicia Silverstone: The "Clueless" version of her for my high school years. They'd have to die her hair more brown than blonde, but keep the length. I choose her for the egotistical reasoning than a girl tried to pick me up once by telling me I looked just like her when "Clueless" was in theatres and that she thought Alicia Silverstone was "HOT!"







Gillian Anderson: I need her for my short hair years in college. Plus, she was just wicked cool as "Scully" in "The X-Files."












Julie Delpy: For my late 20s flowing into the present years. She looks nothing like me but I love the way she does dialogue in movies like "Before Sunrise/Sunset".

Dr. Jamison Will Be In Rochester!

OMG! Dr. Jamison AKA Bill Pullman will be in Rochester for Rochester's Movie Fest this week.

From Singles:

Janet: "Your face wants a different part." (musses up Dr. Jamison's hair) "You're Dr. Jamison. You're a happenin' guy!"
Dr. Jamison: "Yeah, yeah. But I don't know how have fun."
Janet: (smooches Dr. Jamison) "There. That was fun, wasn't it?"

Sharp Elegance

Watching this clip, it would seem that some frames were removed to make the dance more precise and fast, but I get the impression that it is more a case of technical wonder. The full movie can be bought here


HT Neatorama

Weekend Note

If you're looking for something holiday-related to do this weekend, don't forget that you can come hear a talented choir and pit orchestra perform The Living Christmas Tree at the First Covenant Church on Spring/Fifth Streets in the city of Jamestown.

The performance schedule is as follows:
Friday (tonight): 8pm
Saturday (Dec. 1st): 5pm, 8pm
Sunday (Dec. 2nd): 5pm, 8pm

Tickets are $5, and are available at the church, and at the door I assume. I've heard that Sunday's 8pm performance has sold slowly.

With that kind of performance schedule, I won't be up to much else other than sleeping in and my usual grocery shopping/news stuff on Sunday. Post-weekend, though, you'll find me at Labyrinth around 8pm. Something cinematic. That's all I'm going to say.