My top 20 favorite movies of the “noughties” January 15, 2010

20. Avatar – visually beautiful, mediocre plot (it’s mostly Fern Gully with a little Pocahontas thrown in)

19. Crash – one of those really great movies with several plot threads that end up weaving together to form the story

18. Unbreakable – modern-day super hero movie without capes or tights. M. Night Shyamalan…enough said.

17. No Country for Old Men – INTENSE! Has the best pacing of any movie I’ve seen in a long time

16. The Good Shepherd – Espionage and secret societies–I’m in.

15. Thank You for Smoking – created a whole new genre. HILARIOUS if you get the humor, really stupid and boring if you don’t. I do.

14. In Her Shoes – Great classic “chick flick” with Cameron Diaz and Toni Colette.

13. The Family Stone – I don’t usually like the “holiday film” genre (I HATE “It’s a Wonderful Life”), but I watch this year round.

12. Mamma Mia! – Meryl Streep in a musical with Abba music. What’s not to love?

11. Mr. Brooks – twisty.

10. V for Vendetta – bloody, yet poetic.

9. Wanted – bloody without the poetry, but it’s so darn bad-ass that you can’t not love it!

8. Mystic River – Sean Penn is brilliant. This movie will break your heart.

7. The Hangover – Possibly the most consistently funny movie I’ve ever seen.

6. Little Miss Sunshine – a little “precious” at times, but still sarcastic and witty.

5. The Dark Knight – Heath Ledger would have gotten the Oscar even if he hadn’t died. There was no point in this film where I saw him, there was only the Joker.

4. Almost Famous – who doesn’t love this movie??

3. The Prestige – After I saw this movie the first time, I went out to the lobby and bought another ticket to see it again.

2. Juno – Teenage Lorelai Gilmore in the 21st century. Super quotable.

1. Dan in Real Life – has probably become my favorite romcom EVER.

Little Women January 10, 2010

Even if it is slightly embarrassing, I think I might have to admit that Little Women might just be my favorite movie of all time (I don’t know if there is more than one version, but I am referring to the one with Winona Ryder, Susan Sarandon, Claire Danes, Kirsten Dunst, and….Christian Bale). I have actually avoided reading Louisa May Alcott’s book for fear of tarnishing my view of the movie. Little Women was released when I was 7 years old, and I was immediately hooked. It went on permanent, heavy rotation, right along with Sleeping Beauty, The Worst Witch, Heidi, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and Clueless. I loved the soundtrack so much that my parents finally tracked it down for me, but it was on CD and we only had cassette capabilities at the time, so we got my cousin to transfer the CD to cassette for me (I think he must have used one of those handheld tape recorders with the little microphone…I bet that was annoying for him).

Being an only child, LW allowed me to glimpse into the life of a “real” family. To me, this was not a movie, with actors simply playing their parts; this was what the rest of the world got to experience (and take for granted). I saw the fun they had, the arguments, the good times and hardships. I watched them fall in love and marry. It seemed to me that I was peering through a window, watching this family grow up together. When I watched LW as a child, I mostly wanted to be Amy–to be a talented artist, go away to Europe and marry a rich man. I think I even wore a clothespin on my nose a couple of times. Sometimes when I watched, I wanted to be Beth, because everyone loved her so much and she was such a kind person.

I now own the movie on DVD (and it has a special feature that shows the entire movie without dialogue–only the soundtrack, and I LOVE that). I have gone back twice to watch Little Women in my adulthood. The first time was when I bought the DVD. I came home from Best Buy, ripped off the plastic, and stuck it in the DVD player. I watched passively. It was the movie I remembered from my childhood. Just last night, however, I watched it again–this time, through the eyes of an adult. As a child, I understood the plot, but many of the exchanges went over my head. I knew what was happening, but only on a basic level. Watching it again–as if I couldn’t quote the whole thing right along with the actors–it was fresh. I listened deeply to all the conversations taking place, and I saw a whole new movie. I saw Amy as well-meaning, but selfish and immature (even taking into account that she’s the youngest). As a kid, I couldn’t believe Jo turned down Laurie’s proposal–they seemed made for each other! But he was like a brother to her–they were too alike. And oh, how I love Professor Bhaer! As I’m growing up, I find myself wishing I was Jo–I crave adventure (and I love writing and Transcendentalism), but for some reason, it’s just not happening for me yet. But, life is what you make of it, so I suppose I will have to go out and have more adventures.

Year in Review January 1, 2010

Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions and will you make more for next year?
no and yes

What did you do in 2009 that you’ve never done before?
1) bought a car, 2) had a job for 9 months (and counting!)

Did anyone close to you give birth?
April had another one and Brandie is pregnant!

Did anyone close to you die?
no, actually. I hope I will be able to say this on next year’s blog.

What countries did you visit?
none this year

What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
a significant other. THIS IS THE YEAR! I can feel it! LOL

What dates from 2009 will remain etched in your memory and why?
1) January 20–saw Barack Obama’s Inauguration. 2) May 9–went to the ER with an infected gallbladder and had it removed May 11. 3) October 8–night 4 (my first night) at Giants Stadium to see Springsteen. I heard so many of my absolute favorite songs that I was dying to hear live. It was a magical night. 4) October 13–bought my first car!!!! 5) November 18–ended up second row–literally 2 feet away from Bruce Springsteen at the Nashville concert and touched him 6 times–I had his sweat on me.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
saving up all the money for my New York trip and paying cash for every bit of it and still being able to put a down payment on the car I bought! AND losing 35 pounds since August.

What was your biggest failure?
hmmmm….I guess not being back in school or being able to pay down more of my debt than I have. I feel like I didn’t fail much this year, which is good.

Did you suffer illness or injury?
YES. My gallbladder got infected and I had to go to the Emergency Room and be admitted to the hospital for the first time ever and have my gallbladder removed.

What was the best thing you bought?
Springsteen tickets (wish I had bought more!) and my 2006 Ford Focus

Where did most of your money go?
Springsteen/NYC/Wolfchase Hyundai…lol

What did you get really, really, really excited about?
2am the day of the Inauguration while I was driving into DC was the most excited I’ve ever been in my life. Also I was beside myself when they called the wristband number the night of the Nashville show and I found out how close I’d be.

What do you wish you’d done more of?
go to Springsteen shows

What do you wish you’d done less of?
curse!

How did you spend Christmas?
spent Christmas Eve with my whole family at my grandparents’ house and then watched movies Christmas Day

Did you fall in love in 2009?
no

What was your favorite TV show?
Damages and Grey’s Anatomy and Breaking Bad and Mad Men and Dead Like Me (even thought it’s not on TV anymore…I watched the DVDs) and Big Bang Theory

What was the best book you read?
The entire Harry Potter series! I have definitely had to eat my words on this and I am kicking myself for not giving the books a try when they came out. I thought they would just be silly kid books, but they were wonderful and I am about to start rereading them! I have become completely Harry Potter obsessed.

What was your greatest musical discovery of 2008?
Patti Smith, Incubus

What did you want and get?
a wii

What did you want and not get?
a boyfriend! LOL

What was your favorite film this year?
Public Enemies and Avatar

What did you do on your birthday?
went to Benihana with my family

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
I don’t think there’s any specific thing

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2008?
I think more than anything else this year, I wore my work uniform….khaki pants and my blue Dominos shirt. classy.

What kept you sane?
work and travel

Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Alan Rickman….LOL! and Gerard Butler and still Patrick Dempsey

What political issue stirred you the most?
HEALTHCARE! and the war.

Who did you miss?
The Connables and Parkersons

Who was the best new person you met?
Mike Salpoek and Chris Early (coworkers)

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008.
life is what you make of it.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.
oh man. I have been thinking about this for so long, and I can’t find one that’s “just right”…..grrrr.

The world’s a roller coaster
And I am not strapped in
Maybe I should hold with care
But my hands are busy in the air

heads up December 27, 2009

just an FYI, I just went through and updated most of my pages….new 100 things about myself, new top 10. I can’t wait for my Year in Review blog! I seriously think about this all year….I really want to do it right now, but I’m making myself wait until Thursday. I will leave you with one of my current “obsession” songs.

I dig my toes into the sand
The ocean looks like a thousand diamonds
Strewn across a blue blanket
I lean against the wind
Pretend that I am weightless
And in this moment I am happy…happy

I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I wish you were here

I lay my head onto the sand
The sky resembles a back lit canopy
With holes punched in it
I’m counting UFOs
I signal them with my lighter
And in this moment I am happy…happy

I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I wish you were here
Wish you were here

The world’s a roller coaster
And I am not strapped in
Maybe I should hold with care
But my hands are busy in the air saying:

I wish you were here
I wish you were

I wish you were here
I wish you were here
I wish you were here
Wish you were here

thinking through my keyboard December 4, 2009

This post was originally titled “time for a new post,” but in light of what came out as I was typing, I decided to rename it.

Well, since I haven’t updated since May, I figure now’s as good a time as any, even if I don’t have anything in particular to say. It’s not time for my annual Year in Review post, but I’m already thinking about my answers to some of the questions. This has been one hell of a year–lots of good, plenty of bad. I think I have done more growing up this year than any other I can remember. So much has changed. I bought a car (I still LOVE the fact that my name is on the title–the only name on it), I lost 32 pounds (and am still losing weight–40-60 lbs to go, I think), my best friend got divorced, I’ve been at my current job for 8 months (a record!)–the list goes on. Like I said, a lot has changed. I’ve settled into somewhat of a routine, and it’s not as soul-deadening as I thought it would be. I still crave adventure, and I still have so many plans and things I want to accomplish, but right now I’m comfortable. The biggest decision I need to make is whether or not to find a new job. I like my job just fine, but it is very hard on my car. I deliver pizzas (if you don’t know me well enough to know that). I put around 1500 miles on my car every month. I need to have this car for the next 5- 7 years (it won’t be paid off for 5, and then I need to save some money for the next one). If I get a day job, in an office or something, I won’t put as much wear on my car and it will last longer. BUT, I am feeling the pull to go back to school. I REALLY miss learning, and I really want to finish my degree (and, if I’m honest with myself, I want to go to graduate school). I’ve all but given up on the idea of not taking out more student loans (it’s just not practical….an education is more important to me at this point). If I do get an office job and work 9-5ish, that basically rules out school. The classes I would take aren’t generally offered at night, and I have no interest in online education.

As I’m writing this, the thoughts are crystalizing in my head, and I’m finally making up my mind. I’m going to go back to school and keep delivering pizzas at night. If I run my car into the ground, so be it. I’ll figure something out, and that won’t happen for years anyway.

Well…that was fun. Now I just need to figure out the specifics…where, when, how. I really miss the Carpenters–my favorite professors from Lipscomb–husband and wife lit profs. I would LOVE to study under them, but I don’t know if it’s worth going back to LU. I am still very conflicted in my religous views, and I worry that the Lipscomb environment would drive me to the point of no return, plus there are the issues of distance and expense to consider. Dana Carpenter is taking a sabbatical this next semester. I won’t be ready to go back until next fall, anyway, though. I went to the University of Memphis for 2 semesters, and I just didn’t fit in. I didn’t live on campus, so I didn’t make any real friends. I miss the sense of community that I had at Lipscomb. I miss A Cappella, I miss the interest that all the professors took in their students. LU was very different from U of M. I’m not entirely sure I want to go back to either. But living here in Memphis, I don’t have a lot of choices. Nashville has a plethora of colleges to choose from; Memphis, not so much. I can’t afford Rhodes (and might not have a high enough GPA to get in, anyway). I can’t afford Lipscomb, either. Hell, it’s all I can do to pay the bills I have now. But, I will fill out my FAFSA when I get my taxes done, and hopefully I will have something worked out by next fall. Sheesh. I am a nut. But I am young and alive. I’ll figure it out as I go.

What a Weekend! May 16, 2009

I went to the Emergency Room on Saturday. It’s not like I’ve never been there before–I’m quite accident prone. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve been to the ER in my 22 years. This Saturday was different, though. I didn’t fall or hurt myself. I was sick. I felt a strong need to puke, but I just couldn’t, for some reason. Also, my abdomen HURT. The pain was very hard to describe, it wasn’t sharp or stabbing or throbbing, it just didn’t feel right. I just felt “sick” inside. This wasn’t an especially new occurrence, I’ve had “episodes” of this happening for months, but I’d just take some Rolaids and it would go away in an hour or so. It didn’t go away on Saturday–it started around 2 and I went to the ER at 6. The doctor asked me a few questions and determined that it was my gallbladder. They started an IV and gave me pain medicine and something for my stomach. After my pain was under control, they brought an ultrasound machine in and looked at my gallbladder–it was FULL of gall stones. I was admitted and was put in a room around 10. Too bad it was the weekend and I didn’t need emergency surgery. I was stuck in the hospital until they could do my surgery on Monday. Sundaycrawled by and I was terrified when they came with a gurney to take me to surgery on Monday morning. It was about an hour and a half sooner than the surgeon had said it would be, so I wasn’t mentally ready. I’d never even been admitted into a hospital before, and the biggest surgery I’d had up to now was having my tonsils removed when I was a junior in high school. I calmed down once I got down to pre-op. Since I have acid reflux they made me swallow some kind of medicine that tasted like grape flavored acid. It was truly disgusting and it was all I could do to keep it down. I was still awake when they rolled me into the operating room and I was surprised that it looks a lot like the OR rooms on Grey’s Anatomy–LOL! Usually they have you count down from 10 or 100, but if they did that this time, I don’t remember…I woke up in the recovery room a few hours later. I was in quite a bit of pain and I felt very nauseated. They gave me some drugs in my IV, but wouldn’t let me drink anything even though I was very thirsty. Since they were able to do the procedure laproscopically, I was able to go home around 5:30 that same day. My pain was pretty severe the first 2 days (I had to take 2 Percocet tablets every 4 hours instead of 1 every 6-8 hours). Twice I even took 3 pills at once. I was out of pills by Thursday morning, but I was still having pain, so I had to go back to the doctor to make sure everything was healing ok since I was still in so much pain. At the doctor, I learned that my surgery had been more involved than the standard procedure. My gallbladder was very infected (and probably only a day or 2 away from rupturing). I was very lucky that they didn’t have to do the traditional 8″ incision, but they did have to do more repair work inside of me than they thought they would. My surgeon said that even though the cuts were tiny on the outside, they went several inches deep and cut through muscle, so that’s why I was still having pain when friends of mine who have had the surgery said that I should be fine by now. Today I just feel like I did about a billion crunches. I’ve had 2 pain pills all day. Last night was the first time I’ve been able to sleep on my sides (I am a side/stomach sleeper), and I have slept most of the day today. My back has been killing me because I have had to sleep on it and I haven’t rested well all week. I have a feeling I’ll be sleeping like the dead for several days now that I can sleep on my side. It still hurts quite a bit to roll over, but it’s worth it to get some sleep. This next part might be TMI, but consider yourself warned–I’m going to talk about poop. I have always pooped a lot. Some days I go as much as 4-6 times. My primary doctor diagnosed me with IBS when I was in 7th grade and I take medicine on and off for it. Well, I am starting to think that all along that has just been my gallbladder not functioning properly. Since my surgery, I have had 3 bowel movements and they have been more “normal” than any I’ve had in years (and possibly ever). I was fully expecting months of diarrhea, but so far that isn’t happening. I’ve always thought that my digestive issues were more than just IBS (really, doctors just say you have IBSwhen they don’t know what else is wrong). I am thrilled with the prospects of being able to eat what I want and not have to run to the bathroom within 5 minutes of finishing my meal (and sometimes before I’m even finished). All in all, the surgery was well worth it, and I’m so glad I let my mom talk me into going to the ER–I wanted to go to minor med first to see if they thought I needed to go to the hospital. Since it’s past midnight now, today is my mom’s birthday, and I always make her cake. I’m glad that I feel well enough to do it (and I’m really glad that her birthday wasn’t last week). She did spend her Mother’s Day in the hospital taking care of me, though. I love my mommy, even though we don’t always get along very well. She has taken care of me all week (she only went back to work today because she had to–she took off Monday through Thursday). I’m not always the best patient, but she hasn’t complained once. She has gall stones too, so I’m sure I’ll get the chance to return the favor sometime this summer.

this blows my mind. March 9, 2009

Ok, I just had a rather maddening thought. You know how in church everyone tells you that when you sin you make God sad, you hurt His heart or whatever? Well, God’s in Heaven, right? And in Heaven no one is sad. So if God is in Heaven, then how is He saddened by the things we do? Is it all just a big scam to keep us doing the “right thing”? A way of guilting us into being blind followers? I don’t know why, but this makes me really angry to think about. I feel manipulated. And I don’t like being manipulated.

Anyway, just a random thought, not really a post with any deep purpose. The thought just hit me, and I felt like writing it down.

The Inauguration of Barack Obama: A Spectator’s Point of View (Part 1) January 31, 2009

There is really no excuse for how long it has taken me to post this. I had less than half of it written the day after the Inauguration, but somehow life got in the way, and I’m just finishing it tonight. I apologize.

 

Ok, let’s start at the very beginning (Julie Andrews says it’s a very good place to start).

January 19, 11 pm: I decide it’s time for bed since I have to be up at 3. After getting up about 6 times to set out things I will need for the big day, I am finally ready to go to sleep around 12.
January 20, 2:30 am: I wake up. And just like those kids in the Disney World commercials, “I’m too excited to sleep!!” And since the alarm is going to go off in half an hour, I decide to go ahead and get up and start getting ready. If I had gone back to sleep, the alarm would have just scared the crap out of me and put me in a really rotten mood. I start by putting on my 3 layers of pants: first some fuscia tights I found on sale at Target. Next, thermal pants (“Long Johns”) and my favorite black pants. I only put on 1 shirt layer so that I don’t get all hot and sweaty running around the house.
3:00 am: I eat some pop tarts and have a glass of water, brush my teeth, put on makeup (I have no idea why…), and grab all my things (other shirt layers, scarf, gloves, hat, hand warmers, water bottle, phone, camera, camera batteries, memory cards, chapstick, and snacks).
3:45 am: Hit the road. From my friend’s house to the Vienna Metro station is 2 hours with normal, everyday traffic. I have budgeted 5. There is almost no traffic until I get about 8 miles from the station, and then it starts to pick up a bit, really like normal rush hour traffic (only it’s 5am), but it’s still not bad. Then, once I’m only 2 miles from the exit to the station, WHAM. Not moving. It took me 2 hours to go those 2 miles. I parked in the parking garage and made my way to the line. It must have been my lucky day because a train was waiting–and it had SEATS! I quickly made my way onto the train and sat down. Within 2 minutes, all the seats were taken and there were a few people standing (keep in mind that Vienna is the FIRST stop on this route). After maybe 5 minutes, the doors close and the train starts moving. At the next station, maybe 10 more people crowd onto just the car I’m in (I can’t see the other cars, but I’m sure it was the same there). It’s a little more crowded, but there is still some room. We go 2 more stops and there is no standing room ANYWHERE. I have never seen a train so crowded. Everyone is jammed in so tight that nobody even has to hold on–there was no room to fall! We hear the driver tell us that there is a delay at Rosslyn station, so we will be sitting for a few minutes. I am sleepy, so I doze off. I’m not really sure how long we were stopped. Once we are close to our destination, the driver informs us that we won’t be stopping at Federal Center (the closest to the Mall, I think) due to crowding. He suggests getting off at McPherson Square and walking, so I do.
9:36 am: I make my way up the escalator (that is turned off because there are too many people) and out into DC. I have absolutely no idea where I’m going (somehow I missed the maps that some people had), so I just follow the crowd, hoping they’re going to the Mall and not the parade route….Normally, I would be complaining about the distance, but this time it was exhilarating (I think it ended up being around 18 blocks). The air was cold, but the wind wasn’t harsh. There were hundreds of people in every direction. People were singing, chanting, everyone was so kind and happy. The mood was just that of elation. 
10:00 am (approximately): I can see the Washington Monument. It is beautiful! I’m standing at 18th and Virginia Avenue, texting with a friend who is also there. She wants to try to meet up. I figure the odds are very low that we’ll be able to find each other in the crowd, but we decide to try anyway. I make my way onto the Mall (there is a big open area, and I’m encouraged that the crowd won’t be quite so bad, but then the closer I get to the Monument, the denser the crowd becomes). I realize that there is NO way I will be able to get to where Jenny is (on the other side of the monument and up a few hundred feet from where I am). But, I am in view of a screen and I can hear the music, so I decide to find a spot and stay put–I am between the White House (on my left) and the Washington Monument (on my right)–the Capitol building is so far in the distance and there are so many people between me and it that I can only see the very tip of the spire on top of the rotunda. At first, my spot is great. I have plenty of room and no one is obstructing my view. Perfect, I think. But as time wears on, people start crossing in front of me, moving to my left (there was still a bit of a clearing over there). Probably somewhere around 70 people walk past me, and even more begin to crowd in where I am standing. It’s a very good thing that I like crowds and don’t get nervous or panicky in tight spaces. A person with claustrophobia would be on the ground, rocking back and forth in the fetal position. There was NO room to move (it was nearly as crowded as the train had been that morning), and even more people were trying to push their way through. My good mood (and patience) were gone. I didn’t attack anyone, but I stood stone still when people tried to push their way past me. That seemed to be the only way to keep a space big enough to stand in and not be pushed down on top of other people. At this point, I was ready for things to get started so that they could be over and the crowd would disperse. Little did I know, this was just the beginning of the mess.
10:45 (ish) am: Various important people are announced and seen entering. There is a lot of cheering, but I am surprised by the boos–there are nearly as many jeers as cheers.
A quick list of those receiving cheers:                                          Those receiving jeers:
Bill and Hillary Clinton (of course)                                                 Joe Lieberman (I was a bit surprised!)
Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid                                                            George H W and Barbara Bush
Al and Tipper Gore                                                                                Dick Cheney (even I couldn’t resist)
and eventually the First Family-to be                                           George W and Laura Bush (including the ”Na na na na, hey
                                                                                                                       hey hey, goodbye” song)
I wasn’t really sure if the cheers and booing would be heard by those watching on TV or not (I thought the stations might turn down the sound on the crowd in an attempt to censor what was going on). Since I haven’t had a chance to watch the DVDs I made of the TV coverage I missed, I still don’t know the answer to that question. For the record, I did not join in on the “Na na hey hey” song–it was not noon yet, and no matter how much I dislike George W, he was at that time, still President, and I have respect for the office (if not for the man holding it).

Past this point, there isn’t a whole lot to tell about the ceremony, since you all probably saw it on TV. (and honestly, I need to go watch it myself to refresh my memories of what was happening in the crowd during everything.)

I’ll call this post Part 1 and I will continue the story soon (I am learning not to put a deadline on these things because then people get their hopes up and I get behind and feel guilty).

Inauguration Update! January 11, 2009

My plans have evolved significantly since my last post about it. My car is NOT reliable enough to take, so I’ll be taking my dad’s car (the power steering isn’t working, but he says if I put a container of power steering fluid in it every day it will work fine….we’ll see).

I have added several more stops onto my trip and I will now be gone from January 18-25 (maybe the 26th)! I will leave on Sunday the 18th and drive to Kingsport, TN (about 9 hours from my house) and spend the night with one of my Bon Jovi fan club friends. Then on Monday I will meet some more friends for lunch and a movie (Bride Wars). I’ll leave for Missy’s house (my “final” destination) around 2-3 pm (it’s about a 4 hour drive). I’ll spend the night with Missy and leave around 4am for DC. I’ll drive to the Vienna Metro station (that reminds me–I need to buy my pass tonight!) and ride into DC. Then I guess I’ll grab a bit of grass and park it until the Inauguration starts (and try not to freeze to death!). After all that madness, I’ll drive back to Missy’s house and stay there through the 24th when she and I will drive down to Charlotte, NC. We’re going to a concert–Slippery When Wet (a Bon Jovi Tribute Band). Then I’ll head home from Charlotte (which will be 10-11 hours, so I might end up stopping somewhere on the way home). WHEW! It makes me tired to just think about it, but I know the Inauguration will be one of the greatest experiences of my life!

Top 10 January 7, 2009

favorite songs:
1) 4th of July (Sandy) – Bruce Springsteen
2) Sounds of Silence – Simon and Garfunkel
3) America – Simon and Garfunkel
4) Thunder Road – Bruce Springsteen
5) Heart of Gold – Neil Young
6) Wild Horses – Natasha Bedingfield
7) These Days – Bon Jovi
8) Dry County – Bon Jovi
9) Wonderful Tonight – Eric Clapton
10) The River – Bruce Springsteen

favorite movies:
1) Pulp Fiction
2) V for Vendetta
3) Wanted
4) The Story of Us
5) The Sound of Music
6) The Prestige
7) Dan in Real Life
8) Monty Python and the Holy Grail
9) What Dreams May Come
10) The Family Stone

favorite books:
1) For the Time Being – Annie Dillard
2) Searching for God Knows What – Donald Miller
3) Prozac Nation – Elizabeth Wurtzel
4) As I Lay Dying – William Faulkner
5) Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? – Edward Albee
6) Othello – William Shakespeare
7) Absalom! Absalom! – William Faulkner
8) Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
9) Through Painted Deserts – Donald Miller
10) Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert

favorite TV shows:
1) Nightly News with Brian Williams
2) Damages
3) Mad Men
4) Grey’s Anatomy
5) Countdown with Keith Olbermann
6) Breaking Bad
7) Two and a Half Men
8) Worst Week
9) Good Eats
10) Chelsea Lately