The Magic Closet!!

Apparently our house has a magic closet. I put all of my warm weather clothes in there last fall and they all shrunk!!





...maybe if I start sleeping in there I'll shrink too!! I guess this means its time to dust off the treadmill.

You make me feel like I am home again

yessss! The Cure have announced that they will release a new single each month leading up to the release of their 13th studio album in September.

season finale season!

I love Season Finales almost more than Season Premieres! it's my opinion that in the fall, we're just so glad to have new TV that the writers tend to skate by on sub-par plots, but in the spring they are forced to up their game so we miss them all summer long!

House and Bones both had stellar Part 1 of 2 episodes this past Monday, and I'm looking forward to next Monday for the conclusions!

and The Office is ending out this season with an hour-long ep this Thursday...I can't tell A THING about it from the previews; they are being just that vague...so it should be awesome!

attention Tribe members!

now is your chance to be heard! next Thursday is a 'free week' for all groups; how should we spend said free time?

vote on the poll element to the right, or write in your suggestion here!

the 'it' girl

Ruby tagged me; here's the answers!

Four jobs I've had:
1. collation monkey at Oregon Appraisal Group
2. sweeper extraordinaire at Enchanted Forest (I think it counts, even though I quit after 2 days)
3. grass seed tech at AgriSeed Labs (probably my favorite job of the bunch)
4. secretary at Jefferson Baptist Church

Four movies I've watched more than once:
1. The Royal Tenenbaums
2. Amelie
3. Rent
4. 28 Days Later

Four places I've lived:
1. Boise, ID
2. Tigard, OR
3. Salem, OR
4. Jefferson, OR

Four places I've been:
1. Florida
2. Minnesota
3. Thailand
4. Maui

Four TV shows I watch:
1. The Office
2. Lost (online)
3. Heroes (just caught season 1 on DVD)
4. House

Four people who email me regularly (doesn’t include blogging comments):
1. my dad
2. Jake Dorr (re: Dox)
3. co-workers
4. Andrea Torres

Four of my favorite foods:
1. fresh pineapple
2. chocolate & peanut butter combined
3. taco bell (classy, I know)
4. Cinnamon Life. best.cereal.ever!

Four places I would like to visit:
1. India
2. Greece
3. Italy
4. England

Four things I'm looking forward to in the coming year:
1. swimming with dolphins in Florida next March
2. the parades at Disneyworld ""
3. summer action movies! 'The Happening' & 'The Hulk' both come out on June 13th!
4. the economic stimulus check!

Four friends I'm tagging:
1. Shannon Duke
2. Danae Jones
3. Heather Sexton
4. Crystal Kelley

Ironman lives again

So, Ironman isn't my favorite kind of movie ever, but these kind of blockbuster (ie: Transformers) movies CAN be entertaining, if they don't suck. (ie: Pirates 3)

However, Robert Downey Jr is a great actor - and not only that, but he also manages to be one of those actors that you enjoy watching on-screen, AND would totally hang out with off-screen, if it weren't for the consistent constant cloud of drugs and alcohol following him around like a supernatural tormenter...

Anyway, it turns out that this personal experience has perfectly equipped him to play Tony Stark AKA Ironman - a playboy riddled with and ultimately destroyed by his weaknesses.

It's a fun flashing-lights-and-gizmos kind of movie, probably more appropriate for a July release than April.

oh, and Jeff Bridges is in it too...just try not to think of him as "The Dude" whenever you see him on screen. it's impossible!

this is how much Mitch loves me...

...he was willing to sit through two hours of this:



Mama Mia at the Hult Center in Eugene last night. I love musicals, and he doesn't. So, the compromise: went to see Ironman (very testosteron-y) at midnight on Thursday and then went to see this (not so much with the testosterone) at 8pm on Friday.

Happy Us Day!

Happy 10 year anniversary, Mitch(ie)!

You are totally the cheese to my macaroni!

Drama is life with the dull bits cut out.

apparently I post about movies way too much. But I like movies. Plus, really, it's all I've got. I am embarrassingly uneducated about political issues. No one wants to hear me bitch about my job (not even me!). I am ever-unsuccessful in my attempts to run more than 3 miles in a week, and therefore I cannot triumphantly post about that. I never remember to take pictures of ... anything. I don't go snow camping or have a baby tell nap stories about...and I'm not campaigning mercilessly for a scooter to the chagrin of my spouse. although maybe I should...

anyways...here goes the movie freakout TM Katie. It cannot be helped. I tried all last week to post on...not movies. and thus...did not post. drumroll please...

According to AP, Guillermo del Toro* and Ian McKellen have reached a verbal agreement that he (Ian) will reprise his role as Gandalf in 'The Hobbit'!

I love Gandalf! (he'd kick both Dumbledore and Merlin's asses!) and Ian McKellen plays Gandalf like nobody's business!

* random aside since I mentioned Guillermo del Toro in the above post: have you seen Pan's Labrynth yet? you know, the creepy-looking subtitled 2006 foreign film? it's usually super-cheap at Hollywood video...like $5 or something ridiculous. I really should just dedicate a separate post to the awesomeness of that movie. Mitch made me watch it actually, I thought it looked like all my worst nightmares. And it was definitely dream-like...you know those dreams that are kind of creepy and you can't decide if it's a nightmare yet or not, and then it suddenly becomes awesome! yep, it's like that. only infinitely better because you can buy it and own it and re-experience the awesomeness whenever you want! also, the soundtrack is amazing, and finally: it's violent enough that guys are like "dude, that's frickin' sweet", and the little girl's so cute that girls are like "ohhhh, she's sweet", and it's totally redemptive and beautiful at the end so everyone's like "Katie was right, this movie was SWEEEET!"

"like being punched in the eyes by pure awesomeness"

...

dang, when did I become such a sucky blogger?

here is my attempt to atone for lack of posting:

yeeeeeah!

the internet is the next big thing...

does anyone else have ritual websites that they visit everytime they get online? mine are (in order - yes, I check them in THIS order...ocd much?):

1. http://www.yahoo.com/ (it's my homepage, homeboy.)
2. http://www.relevantmagazine.com/ ('slices' on the right hand side of the webpage are always entertaining and sometimes even informative)
3. http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/ (I like the snarky reviews of TV shows, regardless of the fact that I do not watch most of them...)
4. http://www.tomatonation.com/ (really entertaining writing)
5. blog stalking! (yes, this means YOU! lately, http://www.lewisandruby.blogspot.com/ is my favorite. lots of updates...)
6. if I have time, I then usually head over to http://www.amazon.com/ to see if any books, movies, or music are calling my name
7. if I have even more time, I may also head to http://www.abc.go.com/ or http://www.nbc.com/ or www.fox.com/fod/to check out their full episodes online.

08 elections

http://www.thismayhurt.blogspot.com/

vote for mitch! mitch = strongest.

new addition

while the tall blue ranger will forever hold a special place in our hearts, we now welcome into our family the white dodge with a spacious backseat and a smooth ride! yes, it gets crappy gas mileage, but Mitch does not drive car. Mitch drive truck. truck good.

the soul at hazard

Last year I read Cormac McCarthy's 'The Road' and thought it was an amazing novel. So, knowing that 'No Country For Old Men' was adapted from a Cormac McCarthy book, I was not surprised by the grim outlook and the dark tension of the story.

I liked the independence of the characters, talking to themselves not for the sake of exposition to the audience, but because they are loners who talk to themselves.
I just didn't expect Chigurh (Javier Bardem) to be SO scary! The hollowness with which he dispatched those that 'fate' tossed his way... not to mention his hair...

I've got the book ordered from amazon.com, because I feel like I missed something that should have made Bell's dream about his father at the end make more sense (yep, I am one of those people who watches the movie THEN reads the book. get over it). McCarthy DOES seem to have a recurring theme in his novels of lonely travelers carrying light down a dark road; maybe it's just his favorite metaphor for the struggle between good and evil.

better than caffeine...

...early morning speed typing.

114 words

Speed test

nice day for a white wedding

congratulations to Andrew and Danae!

...and special thanks to Andrew for leaving Rock Band at our house whilst honeymooning...we'll take reeeeeal good care of it!

hulk hero hubbub.

"Deadline Hollywood Daily’s Nikki Finke is reporting that “Norton and Marvel are clashing over how to cut the pic.” An insider told Finke, “There’s a lot of posturing going on between Edward’s camp and Marvel over how you edit the final version.” Norton has had clashes like this before, most notably with “American History X” director Tony Kaye, who was basically locked out of the editing room. However, in this case Finke reports that Norton was “promised tremendous involvement and access” by Marvel at the beginning of the process. Norton also re-wrote Zak Penn’s screenplay."

...and? have they SEEN American History X? it's fantastic. beat that director down, Ed! if a studio efs up this version of The Hulk, the green guy may never recover.

"Next to being shot at and missed, nothing is really quite as satisfying as an income tax refund.”

I'm going to post this just because...it's useful. The IRS is processing stimulus returns by the last two digits of your SS#... let the random lottery begin!

Here's the schedule for direct deposit payments:

#00 - 20 May 2
#21 - 75 May 9
#76 - 99 May 16

Heres' the schedule for paper checks:
#00 - 09 May 16
#10 - 18 May 23
#19 - 25 May 30
#26 - 38 June 6
#39 - 51 June 13
#52 - 63 June 20
#64 - 75 June 27
#76 - 87 July 4
#88 - 99 July 11

a case of the Mondays

My neck/back was really stiff/sore when I woke up this a.m. I must have pinched a nerve sleeping weird, or something. so I called in sick, at least for the morning.

I LOVE calling in sick, especially on Mondays! (actually, I e-mailed in sick, since I can't find my phone!)

thanks, weird nerve! I owe you one...

congrats!

You remind me of the babe
What babe?
The babe with the power
What power?
The power of voodoo
Who do?
You do!
Do what?
You remind me of the babe!*

Congratulations to Erik & Andrea on new baby Aaron! he's a keeper!! (edited 3/31 to add a picture)


*1,000,000,000 bonus points to the person who can guess the movie that the above song lyrics came from!

my day off...

so, after the craziness of Easter weekend, I refused to go to work today. hell, I barely got up off the couch. I'm making my way thru a Divx disc Kurtis gave me; so far I have watched Atonement, August Rush, Dan in Real Life, and Enchanted (yes, I am watching them in alphabetical order)...



August Rush is sappy and some (ok, ALOT) of the time is just super twee. however, the soundtrack by Mark Mancina is fantastic and interesting, and the actors do deliver some charming moments. (although, admittedly, I might have been influenced by my HUGE crush on Jonathan Rhys Meyers - I even watched the entire movie 'Velvet Goldmine' because of it)



Dan in Real Life isn't the funniest movie Steve Carell has been in, but it was a good solid performance by him. I think in the realm of romantic comedies about screwball families, The Family Stone is a much more solid movie all-around, but still...I'd watch it again. and I'd probably enjoy it too!



Enchanted is Disney-rific! James Marsden is particularly preening and funny, and the main female character (no idea what her name is) was just way too perfectly cast as a Disney princess. Patrick Dempsey's charms are pretty much lost on me (nope, I don't watch Gray's Anatomy), and I expected to end the movie wanting to slap the face off of him. but he was ok. however: the chipmunk? I want whoever came up with and executed that 'character' to be...executed.


anyway...a good lazy movie day. my favorite!




p.s. - happy birthday Casey and Heather!

new death cab out May 13th

http://streamos.atlrec.com/wmedia/atlantic/deathcabforcutie/audio/i_will_possess_your_heart_album_version.wax

(it's linked to a windows media player file, sorry mac dudes and dudettes...)

you wouldn't like me when I'm angry

guess who is my favorite actor of all-time?
hint: he's playing Bruce Banner in the upcoming Hulk (2008-lets-just-pretend-the-crappy-2003-version-never-existed) movie!

you are a better blogger than me

You know those lists on the right side of right side of your blog? The ones that give links to other cool people's blogs? They are neat. I travel in much cooler social circles on the web than I do in 'actual life' because of them. Why don't I have one on my blog? Because, just know that I will forget to include someone!

so, thanks for the lists, webfriends. I'm counting on you to keep those up to date so I don't have to!

live without shame

I loved Ian McEwan's book, Atonement, and have been dying to see the film. well worth the wait.

Atonement is a consciously crafted epic - driven by powerful performances, small moments filled with large emotion, and extended tracking shots, all of it lit carefully to convey its own splendor. fortunately, it lives up to its grandiose sense of self.

the soundtrack is haunting and beautiful and winds itself around the story.

the epilogue might feel too jarring or confessional for some - in that case, I suggest you read the book. to quote Atonement "and only in a story could you enter these different minds and show that they had an equal value..."

this is katie after the retreat.

any questions?

staff retreat

there's a 'staff retreat' for my job Sunday pm-Tuesday am this week. I'm excited about not working for a couple days...
you know that episode of 'The Office' where Michael takes them all to the 'beach' and plans weird group activities, including firewalking? We won't be doing anything nearly that fun.

However, I have a plan: I am mentally casting my fellow employees as 'Office' characters, which IS entertaining.

The good: maybe I will learn to view the ridiculous events at my job as humorous hijinks

The bad: I just realized that I might work with Andy Bernard and Dwight Schrute

cats die. it's what they do.

My cat died about 2 months ago (well, technically the vet killed him due to an extreme bout with stomach cancer), and I didn't tell anyone until this week...I can't talk about my dead pets for at LEAST a month without crying about it, and nobody likes a crying Katie! (I don't have any digital pictures of him that I can post; he was an awesome cat, though. just look a the video in the next post, and picture a big black cat with awesome white whiskers and angry yellow eyes. )

Luckily, I still have my favorite pet, Hero, to console me. cutest bulldog in the world...


Anyways, Jessica was appalled that I didn't tell her about The Tale of Doby and the Stomach Cancer until this week.

...so, Jess, when Hero dies (she's 8, and bulldogs generally live to be 9 or 10 tops), I promise I will tell you. you won't be able to understand it at the time, so allow me to give you a preview of the conversation, so can translate:

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA*sniff* *cough* AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

mrow?

Weary with toil, I haste me to my bed...

sad. Brett Farve is my favorite player.

probably because he's the only football player I know besides Payton (Peyton?) Manning.