i'm watching ... me?

when i sit on my sofa, there are times when i catch sight of my camera out of the corner of my eye. it takes me surprise. as if it were a poor attempt at a hidden camera, and someone was watching me. but then, it's my camera. and why would i need to be watching me? i already know what i'm doing.

ghost train

fresh snow

the lunch crew

tree scarf at work

getting lost

i have, admittedly, watched copious amounts of johnny depp movies in the past week. but tonight, as i watched Chocolat, i again experienced a strange phenomenon that had struck me earlier in the week. i was completely relaxed. i had no concept of what day it was, what time it was or what obligations were nearing me. and the very attempt to clear that haze was quickly pushed from my mind.

apparently a little haze can be good for us.

the value of johnny

i figured out that if i switch to the 8-at-a-time plan from netflix, and watch the movies as quickly as possible (three per night, most nights) i can watch all of johnny's movies before going to see Alice in Wonderland on opening night. that sounds awesome.

and a bit overwhelming. i should have come up with this plan last week.

crabs in the dishwasher

so i didn't move on to Gilbert Grape. instead i started watching Benny & Joon again with the commentary track on. what have i learned? that there was a third cooking scene originally shot. sure, we see sam make grilled cheese with an iron and mashed potatoes with a tennis racket ... but what was cut from the movie? he apparently cooked crabs in the dishwasher. kid you not. the fellow on the commentary just said so.

i've also learned that benny was originally going to be a psychiatrist instead of a mechanic. and that they thought about naming the movie "it's a shame about raisins."

i'm starting to love the commentary tracks.

quiet productivity

i have watched four johnny depp movies in the past 27 hours. five if you count the fact that i watched Edward Scissorhands twice. no, i'm not crazy ... the second time i watched it i turned on tim burton's commentary.

okay, so maybe i am crazy. but that's beside the point.

during the movie watching i framed some artwork for my mom, made marked progress on a present (Christmas? birthday? i just don't know), and got the dividers made for my TOW31 book. oh, and some laundry - it is saturday, after all. in between movies i got the scorecards printed for the 31 game series of phase 10. and did a little cleaning in the living room.

i do believe i'm avoiding facebook completely from now until monday. i won't complain about all the sappiness that is currently oozing from the site right now ... but i will say that the last couple of "i heart valentine's day" posts made me throw up in my mouth a little bit. i did, however, get a valentine in the mail yesterday. my niece loves me. :)

i wonder if i got mail today ... i haven't been outside the house. i like to take my carefree weekends very seriously.

and now i think i'll pop a bag of popcorn and check out the special features on Benny & Joon. and then, on to What's Eating Gilbert Grape.

blog-o-versary

wow, six years ago today i posted my first blog entry at bluehighlights.com. six years. crazy.

the makings of a great year

so far my 31st year has been all about making. i know, i'm only two weeks into the year, but hear me out ...

i spent my birthday making my 2009 archives continue through my birthday. it just makes more sense, and it's easier on the post tags to do it that way.


i also finished making my 30th Year Journal. it has tabbed sections for each goal - seen here is the ireland recap.


the making has gone both ways. april made me this fabulous artwork for my birthday.


and patti made me this adorable banner, which is still atop my television.

i spent the weekend after my birthday at my parents' house, and my mom made a big deal about my birthday. there were streamers on the bedroom door when i got up on sunday and balloons hanging over the kitchen table. it was great! :)


on saturday i made this southwestern quiche that was scrumdidliumptious.


plus i made progress on my 31st Year Journal. i made a monthly overview calendar, so i can keep track of when i make progress on the goals. but sorting through the calendar to decipher what scribbling goes with which goal would be a pain. so i sorted through all my pens & markers and found 31 distinct colors. then i paired each color with a goal, and made labels for the caps so i could stay consistent.

yes, i know that makes me a nerd. :)


on sunday i made a muffuletta for dinner, and i made croutons out of the bread i scooped out of the sandwich loaf.


and today i realized i could make my hair go back in li'l braided pigtails.

yup, it's gonna be a good year.