VMA

Dear MTV,

We need to talk. It's time for some honesty in our relationship. We've been together a long time - 24 years, both born in 1981 and we've gone through alot. Overall, I've been incredibly happy with you. You've really given me so much. The Real World, Sex in the 90's, reruns of My So-Called-Life, Rich Girls. Recently, I thought you were really hitting a stride. I mean Real World/Road Rules Challenge is really something special. Your documentaries, especially True Life have brought me to tears. And My Super Sweet Sixteen! Jesus, words cannot express my love for that show.

However, twice a year my high opinion of you suffers a serious blow. Once in early summer during the MTV Movie Awards and again in late summer during the Video Music Awards. I mean seriously I don't even know what to say except I remember a time when these awards show did not suck so completely. And it seems yesterday night with the 2005 VMAs you reached a new low. It was really really painful. Awkward P. Di--- I mean Diddy dance numbers, weird comedic interludes, mediocre performances. In fact, and this is hard for me to say...I don't think I'm going to watch them anymore. They are just too awful. Really I want to cling a few more years because I'm getting older and I do want to stay relevant. But I fear you too are getting older and your irrelevance is creeping across the stage at these events.

I mean maybe if you got some help. Maybe you should hire whoever makes all those amazing commericials. But until then MTV awards shows I have to say...We are officially on a break.

Love,
Sarah

Georgetown

Ok so let's recap:
I was supposed to hear from Georgetown in early May.
1. They deferred their decision till my second semester grades came in.
2. They put me on the wait list.
3. They told me I would hear by August 3.
4. They told me I would hear something by August 19.
5. They told me I would hear something this Monday or Tuesday.
6. They told me I should get an email this morning from 9am-12pm.
7. At 1pm I call and they tell me I will get an email around 3pm.
8. At 4:45 pm, I CALL THEM and they tell me that they haven't had any "movement" and they don't anticipate having any. I ask "So basically the wait list is closed." They say, "Pretty much."

Needless to say, I am leaving the experience with a bad taste in my mouth. HOWEVER, I am an optimist and I really do think it is for the best. I am on Moot Court at AU and have recently graded onto the Gender Journal. Plus all my friends are there. If only it was closer to my house!

Back to reality

Los Padres National Park
Originally uploaded by The Smooze.

I start school tomorrow which is bad enough, but made worse by the end of our wonderful vacation only a few days ago.

Nicholas and I went to visit my father in California for a week. Since he'd never been before, we decided to pile in as much as possible. We met my dad in Los Angeles and did all the tourist stops: Graumann's Chinese Theater, Rodeo Drive, where O.J. killed Nicole. Then we drove north up the Pacific Coast Highway.

First, we stopped in Santa Barbara. We shopped downtown and ate at Oprah's favorite restaurant in Montecito - Trattoria Mollie. While we didn't see Oprah, we did sit across from Carole Burnett. Of course I had to talk to her and tell her I still had the signed picture she sent me when I wrote her in 3rd grade. She was very very sweet.

Second, we stopped in Monterey. On our way there, we stopped at Edna Valley vineyard and tasted an amazing Pinot Noir (I know so Sideways!). We tried to see Hearst Castle but it was sold out for the day.

Last, we spent a day and a half in San Francisco. We ate clam chowder from a sour dough breadbowl on the wharf, drank tea in the Japanese Tea Garden, sampled fortune cookies in Chinatown, and had breakfast at the Pork Store in Haight Ashbury (shouldn't that be in Castro!).

All in all it was an absolutely wonderful trip made even more wonderful by the generosity of my dad who paid for the whole trip and drove us where ever our hearts' desired.

Thanks Daddy!

I DID IT!

In 1998, the American Film Institute released the top 100 movies of all time. I don't remember when I decided to try to watch them all but it was soon after they were released. When I first looked through the list, I think I had seen about 20 or 30 of them. They spanned from 1915 to 1996 and I'd seen most of the recent ones: Fargo, Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump. I've spent the past seven years watching the rest. I wasn't completely hard core and my rate of watching would dip and wane. First, I would search the TV Guide and record them on the VCR. Then Tivo came along and really sped the process along. Finally, we joined Netflix and I got to see all the rare ones or really dirty ones uncensored. But I watched Mutiny on the Bounty this evening and finished the list. Here's a rundown on some of my casual impressions:

Better then I expected: Casablanca, Jaws, All Quiet on the Western Front, The Apartment, A Clockwork Orange, Gold Rush
As bad as I expected: Lawrence of Arabia, Patton, 2001: A Space Odyssey
Worse than I expected: The French Connection, The Birth of a Nation, From Here to Eternity, The Jazz Singer

Weirdest plot twist: Chinatown - You're sister is your WHAT?
Most annoying child: Shane - MAAAAAAA!!! PAAAAAA!!!!
Best chemistry: Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Most unnecessary ending: Easy Rider
Hottest man ever: Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Hottest woman ever: Elizabeth Taylor in A Place in the Sun
Most homoerotic film: Ben-Hur - Best friends from childhood my ass
Most anxiety producing film: High Noon
Craziest Eyes: Sunset Boulevard - I'm ready for the close up of my crazy eyes Mr. DeMille
Most confusing trend: Boxing films and use of the word bum
Worst villain: Captain Bligh from Mutiny on the Bounty - SERIOUS asshole, I'd go mutiny on his ass too.
Best costumes: Gone With The Wind
Saddest character: Blanche in A Streetcar Named Desire
Worst book adaptation: Wuthering Heights


So those are my preliminary impressions. Now I guess I'll catch up on the post-1996 classics. Anybody own a copy of Rush Hour 2?

Weekend with the girls!

IMG_2164.JPG
Originally uploaded by The Smooze.

Well I just got back from Louisville. I went in for my friend Alexis's wedding in Lexington, which was beautiful. (pics on flickr) However, the best part was getting to be with my girls!

Me, Elizabeth, Erin, and Aimee have stood by each other through breakups, family drama, weddings, babies, and relocation and that just since we've graduated! When we get together you can bet there will be lots of gossip, sex stories, and Arbor Mist and very very little sleep. This weekend was no different although our friendship got a very exciting addition. Our group of four became a group of five! Catherine has been with us from the beginning but this weekend we made it a "official" which basically means we said "Now you have to go on vacation with us and write in our correspondence journal!"

So, all in all a really great weekend especially since my really great parents decided to drive up from Paducah and take us all out to eat and visit for a couple of days. Between amazing friends, family, and a damn near perfect husband I really am the luckiest girl in the world.

A NEW Post

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Originally uploaded by The Smooze.

I've been done with my internship since July 1 so in theory I should have been posting like a lot. But seriously I'm busy ya'll. I redecorated our apartment, finished my wedding scrapbook after TWO years (bringing the grand total of albums up to six!), went to Paducah, went to the beach, threw a kick ass Harry Potter party and a kick ass birthday party...and of course met some more famous people!

My friend Samantha won tickets to a Ben Folds concert and an opportunity to hear him play up closes and personal at the radio studio. We were already going to the concert but she invited me to the radio show yesterday since I am a huge Ben Folds fan. It was amazing. (Thanks again Sam!) We had seen him at the 9:30 Club a couple of months ago and he was really great. This place was a lot smaller and we got to sit on couches on the front row which was really really cool. He played about five songs and he took requests. Of course I yelled out "Angry Dwarf" and he took my request. This was really special because I told Nicholas before the last show that the only songs I really wanted him to play was Angry Dwarf or Song for the Dumped, neither of which he played of course. But this more than made up for it!

OH! I almost forgot! I've also been progressing through the AFI's Top 100 List slowly but surely. (For those of you who don't know I've been trying to watch all 100 since like high school.) Well Netflix and all this free time revolutionized my viewing and I was down to the very last one! So I put in Mutiny on the Bounty and am all excited because I'm going to finish the list! YEAH! And I shit you not the freaking DVD was broken. They are sending me another one. I mean seriously people!