Passport!

I just realized I hadn't checked my mailbox in a couple days (I so rarely get mail) and my passport has arrived!! That was fast. My birth certificate was returned, too. Phew. Just in time for my birthday.

I'm excited to become a world traveler, even if I got it just to go to Canada again. The world is now my oyster - is that how that saying goes?

Swaptree

Someone once suggested I join Swaptree so about a year ago or longer, I set up an account and it basically went unused until the last couple of weeks when I was actually able to try it out and can now write a review.

The idea of Swaptree is that you have books, CDs, DVDs, or video games sitting around your house that you have used and no longer need and so do tons of other people, so why not swap them with each other? You set up an account and make a list of what you "have" - things that you would be willing to part with - and another list of what you "want" and then the trades begin. I guess you can initiate your own trade (for every item in your "have" list, you get a list of items available for trade for that item) or the site has some sort of system in place where it can figure out trades for you. The latter is what happened to me.

Once you get notification of a trade, you can choose to accept or reject it and then all you have to do is pay the mailing costs, which you can do right through the website, too. You drop it in a mailbox and get a new item from someone else within a few days.

It's pretty simple and I seem to consistently have a pile of books sitting around that I'm either planning to donate somewhere or sell online or something so why not put them up on Swaptree and see if I can get something in return? The shipping costs are media mail so therefore the cheapest. Really my only problem with the site is that they only give you like 24 hours to accept or reject a trade, which is difficult if you happen to be out of town or just not checking email. And I guess if you don't respond, it's a mark against you.

Movie Review: Get Him to the Greek

I went to a free advance screening of Get Him to the Greek about a month ago and never wrote a review of it but since it opens in theaters to a paying audience today, I thought I'd write a quick review. I'd skip it, if I were you, or at least wait for it to come out on DVD. There are definitely some funny moments - P.Diddy has some funny moments as a record exec, for instance - but it drags on way too long and is totally predictable to recommend it as a whole. The Russell Brand character is the same person from Forgetting Sarah Marshall (the rock star Sarah started dating) and while he was great in a small role, no way is he enough to carry a whole movie. He is grating. And I'd really say the same about Jonah Hill. He's great as the sidekick friend but not so much as the main character. And the plot, watching the rock star ruin the nice guy by way of drugs, alcohol, groupies and just general bad behavior, gets old real quick.

Movie Review: Inglourious Basterds

I finally watched Inglourious Basterds, the latest from Quentin Tarantino. It was up for some Oscars and at the time it was in theaters I had zero interest in watching it but I put it on hold at the library when it came out on DVD, thinking I'd see how I felt when my copy finally came in. Which it did this past week and I watched it last night. It was a more interesting story than I thought, although needlessly gruesome in parts. I guess that's to be expected from Tarantino. I also felt it was needlessly long at 2 1/2 hours. The plot has a few different storylines that ultimately come together at the end. It takes place during World War II. One storyline is a German Nazi who seems relatively high in the chain of command and who is searching for (and murdering) Jews in France. Another storyline is a Jew who got away from him living a secret life in France. And the third story is a group of American soldiers who go around killing and scalping Nazi soldiers in France. It's definitely not a story that you've seen before so kudos for originality. Plus, the acting is really good. I'd recommend it with a warning that there are some graphically violent scenes.

Friday randomness

This is the first of my four Memorial Day weekends in DC that I'm actually spending in DC, I think. And I'm being welcomed with amazing summer weather - not. It started pouring rain shortly after I got home from work. It's supposed to rain most of tomorrow, too. But that's all right because I have about six movies to watch between Netflix and the library. Why is it if you put a bunch of things on hold at the library at all different times that they all come in at the same time?

Today I went to the post office to finally apply for my first passport. I've left the country before, probably at least a dozen times, but I always only needed my birth certificate before. No longer and I'm supposed to go to Ottawa for work in August. But, I didn't realize that to get a passport, they take your birth certificate and mail it in with the application. You get it back when you receive your passport, apparently, but it makes me nervous. I feel like I'm going to be the one person who doesn't get theirs back.

Last night, I had such a crazy dream. I don't remember the dream at all but it must have involved me thinking something bad was in my bed because all I remember is basically waking up as I was frantically crawling out of bed. I was awake, my heart was beating really fast, it was pitch black, and I was standing beside my bed, yet I had no idea why I was out of bed. It was really crazy. Stress, perhaps? After a few minutes and I calmed down and sort of reassessed the situation, got back into bed and did not get eaten or anything so I don't even know what I thought was there.

Why waste the time?

So I've come to a big decision the last couple of weeks - I'm not going to try to force myself to read books that I just cannot get interested in. I always feel guilty or slightly like a failure if I don't finish a book that I start and I know it's a silly feeling to have but I have had it nonetheless.

This might make it difficult for my book club, which met tonight to discuss Atmospheric Disturbances and will read Animal, Vegetable, Miracle for June. I was not the only one who did not get through this month's book, although I'll venture to bet I was the only one who gave it only about 20 pages. I tried it a few different times and struggled with every paragraph so I said "Screw it!" I'm not sure what June's book will hold for me since I haven't gotten it from the library yet but it's apparently there to educate me how to properly eat and grow food and start my own farm (I'm exaggerating slightly), complete with recipes, and it does not sound the least bit interesting to me. So if I start it and cannot stand it, I'll say "Screw it!" I've also recently gotten a few books out of the library that I've started and struggled with (Mennonite in a Little Black Dress is the latest and I heard rave reviews about it yet I cannot stand her writing style) so I say, "Screw it!" I have two shelves of books I haven't read, a list a mile long on Amazon, a couple boxes of books still at my parents' house and four public library districts within ten miles of my house. So I really don't need to force myself, you know? Give it a shot or two and then give up. No biggie. Thanks, I feel better.

I Want One: Star Wars Cookie Cutters

I'm not sure why I want them because I'm really not a huge Star Wars fan but they're just cute! $19.95 at Williams-Sonoma

May Mourning

I was emailing a friend I hadn't spoken to in a few months and was trying to sum up my May and I realized it was definitely full of melancholy and mourning. First there were my beloved Cavs stinking up the joint and ultimately exiting in the second round of the NBA playoffs. Optimistic as I try to be that LeBron will re-sign with the Cavs, I just have a sneaking suspicion that he will not and we will be back to square one.

Then, last night was the finale of Lost, which has definitely been one of my favorite shows since it came on the air 6 years ago. I'm a diehard, not like most people I know who caught on to the show via DVD or online airings at some point after its debut.

I remember reading this article a few months ago about the five types of Lost fans. I'm not entirely sure which category I fit in (a hybrid, to be sure), but I do know that I've run into many of the Catching-Up-on-DVD Set and had many "awkward, one-sided conversations" with people who have questions or want to talk about things that had happened up to a certain point. Once you've watched for years, it's hard to distinguish the exact order that things were revealed and it's a show that really works best if there are no spoilers. One of my coworkers just started at the beginning of the series last month and we attempted to have one of these conversations last week. It was tough but I won't lie that I kind of liked having more information than these other fans.

On Sunday, before the finale, I decided to rewatch some (or part of some) of my favorite episodes. I am definitely a diehard fan but I'm not one to watch and rewatch and rewatch the same episodes over and over. But on Sunday, I watched parts of maybe 8 or 9 episodes. It's funny because after I did that, I came across this article ranking every single Lost episode from worst to best. And wouldn't you know - all the episodes I watched ranked in the top fifteen. I guess I'm on the same page as that author.

Anyway, then there was the finale. I know a lot of people were clamoring to have all of their questions answered but I honestly didn't really have many left. One of my friends wanted answers about how certain things worked - like the science behind it. But the show is a science fiction show so I feel like the best thing to do when watching science fiction is to suspend some reality (hence, the fiction part). You just aren't going to get specific answers on how time travel works because it isn't actually possible! I was mostly curious to see what these flash sideways that showed up this season were and I'm happy with what they were revealed to be. But it's also very sad. I feel really sad that it's all over.

I've read a TON of articles & reviews about the show today, though, and I'm apparently in the minority. I really liked most of the final episode and thought it seemed pretty straightforward. I had no confusion when it all ended; I was just melancholy that the characters were gone. I guess it shouldn't surprise me that people seemed to not understand the finale or were reading much more into it because really that's what many did the entire run of the show.

I have nothing more profound to say but it's just odd that two things that preoccupied a lot of my time in the last few months both came to an end within weeks of each other. I know this sounds melodramatic but I feel like there is a huge hole in my heart for now and I feel like it won't get refilled soon.

Book Review: I'm Hosting as Fast as I Can

I picked up I'm Hosting as Fast as I Can by Tom Bergeron at the library because I love a good celebrity autobiography, especially by comedians, because they are usually remarkably good writers and the books are usually one of the quickest reads around. I guess it comes from having to write jokes that are worded perfectly. One of the best books I read in the last year was Craig Ferguson's autobiography, American on Purpose. So, since I watch Dancing with the Stars sort of religiously and am a big fan of Tom's, I thought why not check out his book. He's great at what he does (live host) but he's not a comedian and his book is not really funny or especially well-written. That's not to say it's awful but I did think it was slightly disjointed and had some big gaps in it. I think he was trying to keep it under about 220 pages but also provide as much information as possible so it left me feeling like he must have a ton more stories to share that I wished he would share. He keeps referring to this huge temper he used to have but only briefly gives one example. I also think he was trying not to say anything mean about anyone - possibly to not burn any bridges - when I'm sure he's got some great stories. After all, he's dealt with interviewing celebrities for about 20 years. So while it was interesting to hear how he became who he is today and see the path he took, I would suggest waiting for his second or third book when he might share some more dirt!

Book and Movie Review: The Blind Side

I finished reading The Blind Side by Michael Lewis a few weeks ago and finally watched the movie, starring Sandra Bullock, about a week ago. I like to read the book before I see the movie. It probably wouldn't have made that big of a deal with this one, though.

The gist of this true story is that this wealthy white couple in Memphis take in a poor black kid, Michael Oher, who attends the same school as their children and then provide him with a home, help him improve his life and then lead him on the path to becoming a multi-million-dollar professional football player. The titles of the book and movie refer to the position of left tackle, which protects the blind side of the quarterback. The book contains a lot more football speak than does the movie and I actually found that pretty interesting. It explains a lot about the history and development of the left tackle position, of which I knew very little. I knew that was going to be mostly cut out of the film, though, and it was. I can't blame them. The three sentence narrative they provided was good enough for most viewers.

The story of Michael Oher and the Tuohys who take him in is the typical tug-at-your-heartstrings type of story and I won't lie that I like those types of stories. The depths of Oher's poverty and shoddy childhood are astounding. The openness and kindness shown to him by the Tuohys is amazing. You really can't go wrong there and it was interesting in the book and perhaps more interesting in the movie. I won't lie that I felt the book dragged at times. They always change things when they make a movie out of a book and I found myself wondering about a few of the seemingly senseless changes (like when certain events happened or the fact that they did not have Michael and the Tuohy daughter graduate together). I don't think the movie truly depicts how much work Michael had to put in to get his grades up and I guess that's fine. I also found the book's description of how the various colleges wooed him way more interesting than they showed in the movie. But overall, I liked both the book and the movie. If I have to recommend just one, however, I would recommend the movie.

LeBron on Nightline

A pretty good interview with LeBron:

Book Review: The Lace Reader

The Lace Reader was my latest book club book. I actually chose the book because it had been on my list of books I wanted to read for awhile and I had seen something about the Salem Witch Trials recently and this book takes place in Salem, Mass.

But first, as an aside, I'm getting pretty sick of my book club. The gal who organized the whole group has probably not read the book in the last 6 months at least. She always tells us something else she's read recently but it's never that month's book. So if you have time to read, why are you never reading our group selections? While I don't think it's required that a person read the book to attend our meeting, what always happens is that she starts it like two days before our meeting so she's just barely into it and then she either asks us not to spoil it or we feel guilty spoiling it as she intends to finish it eventually. That leaves us with trying to talk about events only up to as far as she's read. I'm just getting aggravated now that it's been going on for months because I bust my ass to finish the books that are selected, even ones I don't enjoy, so I can at least talk with the group and she seems to not even try to finish them. It's a recurring pattern with her. So what happened is that I wanted to talk about the book because it's got a lot of interesting events that take place but we couldn't really talk about it. Ugh.

Anyway, this book had a lot to talk about because there were some interesting twists. The main character is clearly crazy, or at least has had a history of mental illness, so she's not especially credible so it's an interesting way to tell a story. You're always kind of wondering if what she's describing is really happening or not. It's got some mystery, some romance, some magical qualities (for instance, the lace reading itself is a type of fortune-telling), a villain.... so a little bit of everything. I wasn't sure as I was reading it if I liked it or not - there are some slow spots - but it really stuck with me afterwards, even now that it's been a week later, so I think that means I did like it. It stuck with me in that I was wondering how the characters were doing and their "voice" was one I missed once I put the book down. I guess it's been optioned into a movie so I'll look forward to seeing that when it's released. I'd recommend it.

I Think I Stole Something from the Public Library

So I was at work and was going to listen to a CD - which is not something I do that often - so I opened the disk drive on my PC. There was a disk already in there - one I'd gotten from the library. And returned to the library. Or, so I thought. Um, oops. I had absolutely no recollection of even listening to that CD at work so I have no idea how long it was in there. It's been at least a couple of weeks since I returned it. Or, returned the case anyway. I'm not sure what to do next. My account says nothing about me still needing to return it. As far as the library is concerned, I returned it. I've checked items out since then and haven't been asked about it. Did they not notice the empty case? Or, did I put something else (one of mine) in the case? Has it been circulating with the incorrect CD in it? Wouldn't someone notice? If I did return it now, would I owe a ton of late fees once they figured out how long I'd had it out? It raises all sorts of questions.

D.C. Horticulture in Pictures

A couple weeks ago - Easter weekend, in fact - a friend & I went down to see the famous Cherry Blossoms. And I took pictures! Today, another friend & I went to the White House Spring Garden Tour. And I took pictures! I've combined the pictures of beautiful DC landscaping into a photo album, so feel free to click on the picture below for more pictures.

DC - April 2010

The Cherry Blossoms, and I hope I don't get kicked out of DC for saying this, were kinda overrated. Way too many people and a lot of walking just for some pretty trees. Yes, they were pretty but there are a lot of trees like that around the area and they are all pretty, not just the ones around the Tidal Basin. I was told by someone who had gone the same weekend that I did as well as the previous weekend that they were far more spectacular the previous weekend.

On the other hand, the White House Garden Tour, was way underrated. I remember I kind of wanted to go last year but another friend of mine wasn't so convinced so we didn't go, but what a mistake because it was awesome. I mean, we literally get to walk all over the White House grounds. We saw their front door, where the helicopter lands, the Rose Garden, the Oval Office, the garden that Michelle planted, the swing set installed for Sasha & Malia, and I don't know what else. It was super cool. Crowded, too, but totally worth the wait and the crowds. Enjoy the pics!

Shecky's Girls Night Out

I mentioned this briefly the other day but I attended Shecky's Girls Night Out on Weds. and one of the big draws with that event is the gift bag. This time didn't really disappoint, as you can see all the freebies I got in the picture below.



Another benefit of the event is the sampling of alcohol. I tried the Michelob Ultra Pomegranate Raspberry, which has an interesting non-beer flavor. It would have been a great option before I enjoyed the taste of beer. I also tried Budweiser Select 55, a beer that boasts only 55 calories. It honestly didn't taste any different than any other light beer, but with far fewer calories, I suppose. I wanted to try the Bacardi Silver Sangria, but they had run out of it by the time I got to the bar.

"Americans so caught up in the Net, they would set TV free"

We were discussing the very thing addressed in this article with friends a couple of months ago... would you rather live without a TV or without Internet? I said hands down the Internet, but most of my friends were shocked and said definitely the television. Don't get me wrong, I watch a lot of TV (probably too much) but pretty much everything I watch, I can watch online. Yet, you can get so much more online. I already stopped paying for cable years ago.

Of course, I'm going to keep both my TV and my Internet access for now!

Mid-Week Day Off

As some of you know, we get a "flex day" off each pay period, which we earn for working longer hours the other nine days in that pay period. The best thing is having 3-day weekends. This pay period, however, I didn't have many options for fitting in a three-day weekend. I had an out-of-town meeting last Friday, attended a conference on Monday, and cannot take off this Friday since the other person in my department has switched her day to then. I guess on rare occasions we can carry them over to the following pay period but considering I worked 58 hours last week thanks to three days at out-of-town meetings, I didn't want to wait any longer for my day off. So, I ended up taking today off, which kinda sucked. I guess it breaks up the week nicely but I also am the kind of person who builds momentum at work as the week goes on. Now, tomorrow is going to be like starting over.

I will say that I actually was pretty productive today, though, a lot more than I am on my usual Fridays off. I did a bunch of laundry, did my taxes, applied for a job, watched 2 movies, ran some errands and attended the Shecky's Girls Night Out event and got my super sweet gift bag. That might warrant a separate post, but not tonight.

Another Update: Grow a Christmas Tree Project

I just took these pictures just minutes ago and boy, have my seeds sprouted! It looks so much different since two weeks ago when I posted the last picture, doesn't it? It's amazing. They are over an inch high and the directions say to replant when they reach three inches. I thought that would never happen! Also, it looks like not only will I have one Christmas tree but I'll have three! I'm going to have to open my own Christmas tree lot.

Update: Operation Grow a Christmas Tree

I took a picture a few days ago to show the status of my little gardening experiment and, lo and behold, some green is poking through the dirt! It's working! You have to look closely (maybe click on the picture to see it bigger) but it's definitely started to grow. And, actually, it's grown a lot higher in the four days since I took that picture and I actually think another piece is peaking through the dirt, too. I'll definitely keep everyone updated, maybe post another picture this weekend. Who knows, maybe I will have a Christmas tree by December.

Movie Review: An Education

I just watched An Education, which was nominated for a few Oscars this year, including Best Picture and Best Actress, and I have to say I really enjoyed it. The acting is good but it's also an interesting story of a teenage girl trying to figure out what she wants in life. She hooks up with a much older man and you know it's trouble, you just aren't sure exactly how that trouble is going to manifest itself. Anyway, I'm a big fan of it and definitely recommend it. I liked the few sarcastic moments of humor in it.