oh baby

Although I suffer from acute baby fever, I understand that now is not the time for me to get knocked up. Nick and I have discussed it at length and have decided to put it off for awhile and I was fine with that.

Until I saw this...



Our dear friends Benjamin and Amanda gave birth to a healthy 7 pound baby boy named Miles Philip Lewis. I haven't met him yet, but Ben keeps torturing us by posting pictures of him, like this one.



Now, I spend my days trying to rationalize a way to quit my job and have a baby. If only, if only...

Movies of 2008

Can I just say that this was a shitty year for movies? Not many of the movies I saw this year jumped out at me. But since I'm up late watching the Hills, I thought I'd update y'all.

1. Sweeney Todd
2. Untraceable
3. The Savages
4. Cloverfield
5. 27 Dresses
6. Definitely Maybe
7. Be Kind Rewind
8. The Other Boleyn Girl
9. The Bank Job
10. 21
11. Run Fatboy Run
12. Leatherheads
13. Smart People
14. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
15. Baby Mama
16. Iron Man
17. Redbelt
18. Son of Rambow
19. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
20. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
21. Sex and the City (2)
22. The Happening
23. Wall-E
24. Wanted
25. Hancock
26. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
27. The Dark Knight (2)
28. Step Brothers
29. Pineapple Express
30. The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 (2)
31. Bottle Shock
32. Burn After Reading
33. Appaloosa
34. Ghost Town
35. Miracle at St. Anna
36. Eagle Eye
37. Nights in Rodanthe
38. Blindness
39. W.
40. Role Models
41. Twilight
42. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
43. The Wrestler
44. Australia
45. Zach and Miri Make a Porno
46. Towelhead

Sticking with the same categories as last year...

Exceeded Expectations:
1. 27 Dresses - yes, kind of a fluffy movie but surprisingly enjoyable.
2. Son of Rambow - y'all know I love movies with little kids with British accents.
3. The Bank Job - mmm...Jason Statham.
4. Forgetting Sarah Marshall - funniest movie of the year.
5. Pineapple Express - second funniest.
6. Ghost Town - third funniest. Ricky Gervais should be hosting the Oscar's. He would be amazing.
7. Australia - apparently, I'm the only one in America who liked this movie. But it was beautifully shot.

Thought It Would Be Good But Sucked It Up Bigtime:
1. Indiana Jones and the Stupid Crystal Skulls. - you should be ashamed of yourself, all who are involved with this movie. The ONLY good thing about it was the age of the leading lady. Thank God they didn't pair him up with a 25 year old this time.
2. Bottle Shock - This movie is a self-important, ridiculously boring movie. See my brother for an amazing impression of a douche bag being "shocked" by a "bottle" of wine.
3. Appaloosa - Booooooring.
4. The Wrestler - Nick will kill me for saying it, but this movie SUCKED. It had no plot; it was a character piece about a shitty character. And as my dad pointed out, "How can you have a 'comeback' in a sport that is all fake? That kid McLovin' could have a wrestling comeback if they wanted him to."

Movies I Knew Would Suck and Did Indeed Suck but Had To See Because It Was Nick's Turn:
1. Actually, none this year. Although he tried to get me to see Transporter 3 which would have definitely made this list.

I'm adding a new category called Guilty Pleasures. We've all got them (I'm looking at you, Simon Birch).
1. Sex and the City - a fun movie for a true fan.
2. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 - I read these books way too often and love the movies as much as the books.
3. The Other Boleyn Girl - another movie based on a book I read several times a year.
4. and of course....Twilight. I have seen this movie more times than I care to mention. Even watching now, my heart beats a little faster when Edward comes on screen. Reminds me of when I saw Titanic when I was a freshman in high school...

What were your favs for 2008? And what do you think will win the Oscar for Best Picture?

Nay's Favorite Faces pt. 2

i couldn't make this stuff up

I went to Tulsa this week for a training. Luckily, they sent two of us AND put us up in a swanky hotel (The Sleep Inn, anyone?) so it wasn't too bad. The material presented in the training was actually interesting and the time didn't drag on too slowly. However, 8 hours in a room for two days in a row is a long time no matter how you slice it. During one of the longer stretches of time, I started observing the people around me and made a little list of the people that usually turn up at these trainings. It's possible this will only apply to "my kind" of people i.e. mental health professionals, who tend to be crazier than the normal population, but I swear I have been to dozens of these presentations and EVERY time at least one of these characters turn up. Here we go:

1. The Obvious Example Guy: "These single mothers need to really think about the kind of men they let around their children." Thanks, buddy. We hadn't figured that one.

2. The Guy Who Answers Rhetorical Questions: "Is it better to just end up in an unhealthy relationship? Or to really decide about the person you want to spend your life with?" "It's better to make a decision about it." No shit.

3. The Older Lady Who Answers Her Cell Phone In The Training Because She Thinks She Has To Answer Every Goddamn Phone Call: "Hello? Yeah, I'm in a training. No, just tell her that the file she's looking for is in my desk. No, IN the desk. Uh-huh. Okay, well tell her I'll call her when I'm done here. Okay. Okay. Yes. Okay. Bye." (Of course the woman who answered her phone was SITTING RIGHT NEXT TO ME. I was cringing with embarrassment and tried to surreptitiously scoot my chair away from hers.

4. The Too-Cool Table: At the table next to us, these assholes read a newspaper, texted on their phones, talked at a normal volume to each other while the presenter was talking, came back from EVERY BREAK at least 15 minutes late, rolled their eyes at every activity. It was like high school all over again.

5. The Kiss-Ass: They don't go to the bathroom on breaks, instead they sidle up to the presenter and pretend to ask questions, but really they just want to tell him their version of why they are going to be the best thing that ever happened to this new program he's telling us about. I always feel sorry for the instructor when these people lock onto him. There's no escape. I know it, and he knows it.

proust questionnaire

My favorite magazine, Vanity Fair, has a feature every issue called the Proust Questionnaire. You can look at some of the archives here. I decided to fill one out myself while waiting for my last client of the night.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Being off work for several days, a clean house, a stocked kitchen, and low maintenance people to spend time with.

What is your greatest fear?
Whales in the ocean, someone I love dying. (not in that order)

Which living person do you most admire?
Obama!

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Not speaking up when I should.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Constant drama, one-upmanship.

What is your greatest extravagance?
Magazines! I buy 10,000 a month.

What is your favorite journey?
Driving to Nebraska to see my family.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Trendiness

On what occasion do you lie?
To spare someone’s feelings. Or to get out of trouble.

What do you dislike most about your appearance?
Well, I hate it when my brother calls me “Cheeks”. And he is talking about the ones on my face.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
All the bad ones…

What is your greatest regret?
Not having more confidence in myself in high school and college.

What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Nicholas. And diet coke.

Which talent would you most like to have?
To play the piano extroidanarily well.

What is your current state of mind?
I’m on vacation mode all the way.

If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?
Not as much distance. Also maybe make some of them less funny than me.

What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Passing my LMFT exam, after taking it 8 days before my wedding and was stressed to the max.

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?
A writer.

If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be?
Shiloh Jolie-Pitt. That kid’s living the life.

What is your most treasured possession?
My engagement ring.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Being alone when you REALLY don’t want to be.

What is your favorite occupation?
I always like the idea of teaching, but in the end couldn’t imagine myself doing it.

What is your most marked characteristic?
Red hair.

What is the quality you most like in a man?
Will laugh at my jokes.

What is the quality you most like in a woman?
Bad language.

What do you most value in your friends?
Sense of humor

Who are your favorite writers?
Irwin Shaw, Marian Keyes, Chaim Potok, Larry McMurtry, JK Rowling

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
Thomas Jordache from Rich Man, Poor Man or Lee from East of Eden.

What is it that you most dislike?
People who scoop the punchline.

How would you like to die?
When I’m feeling selfish – before any of my friends and family so I don’t have to endure their deaths. When I’m feeling generous – pulling children out of a burning building.

What is your motto?
I’ll borrow one from my hero, Mary Pipher: “Get more rest, do good work, take things a day at a time, and find some people to love.”

i feel so inexperienced after doing this...

Stole this from The Sheila Variations. Makes me feel like I haven't done much with my life. Maybe I should do stuff other than see 4 movies in a weekend? Nah.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life (maybe. See #64)
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

true story

10-29-08 approx. 7:00pm at work -
me: I've had this watch for 6 years and I've never had to change the battery.

10-30-08 approx. 1:45pm at work-
coworker: what time is it?
me: 11:30 am. wait. shit.