Not too Shabby...

I was just under 80% accurate on my Oscar nomination predictions. I really struggled on best supporting actress...honestly, I just wasn't that impressed by Catherine Keener in Capote and like most of the world, I hardly heard anything about Junebug so Amy Adams didn't even cross my radar screen. (Although since she did some guest spots on the Office, I think that means I automatically have to like her!) Here are the actual nominations. My wrong picks are in red.

BEST PICTURE
Brokeback Mountain
Walk the Line
Capote
Good Night and Good Luck
Crash

BEST ACTOR
Joaquin Phoenix
Heath Ledger
Philip Seymour Hoffman
David Strathairn
Terrence Howard

BEST ACTRESS
Reese Witherspoon
Felicity Huffman
Judi Dench
Gwynneth Paltrow
Charlize Theron
Keira Knightley

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jake Gyllenhaal
Don Cheadle
George Clooney
Paul Giamatti
Matt Dillion
Wiliam Hurt

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Michelle Williams
Rachel Weisz
Frances McDormand
Catherine Keener
Amy Adams
Scarlett Johannsen
Shirley MacLaine
Laura Linney

DIRECTOR
Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain)
Woody Allen (Matchpoint)
Peter Jackson (King Kong)
Steven Spielberg (Munich)
George Clooney (Good Night and Good Luck)
Bennett Miller (Capote)
Paul Haggis (Crash)

Ode to the Oscars

I'll be at work a little late tomorrow. Not because I plan to sleep in or fret about my lackluster wardrobe or disagreeable hair. No, tomorrow morning I'll be up early, bright-eyed, and bushy-tailed at 8:30 for the annoucement of the nominations for the 78th Academy Awards.

So what if it's not a "strong year" for cinema. So what if I'm kind of getting tired of Jake, Joaquin, Heath, and George (is that even possible?). I'll still forever be a sucker for the Oscars. Something about the buildup, the pre-ceremony buzz, the who's-wearing-what rumors. And then there's the the Oscar coup de gras: the red carpet. And with Isaac Mizraahi at the helm of the E! pre-show, we can expect to find out even more about Eva Longoria's, ahem, "hairstyles."

So alas, here are my predictions for the Oscar nomininations in the major cateogries. Coming from a girl who has yet to see Brokeback Mountain(hey, I'm not the only one! Right, Dubya?) , I may not be the most reliable source. But I've read enough reviews, celebrity profiles, and gossip to feel like I have at least an idea of who might be nominated. I may be completely wrong (and yeah, the nominees are pretty obvious at this point), but here goes:

BEST PICTURE
Brokeback Mountain
Walk the Line
Capote
Good Night and Good Luck
Crash

BEST ACTOR
Joanquin Phoenix
Heath Ledger
Philip Seymour Hoffman
David Strathairn
Terrence Howard

BEST ACTRESS
Reese Witherspoon
Felicity Huffman
Judy Dench
Gwynneth Paltrow
Charlize Theron

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jake Gyllenhaal
Don Cheadle
George Clooney
Paul Giamatti
Matt Dillion

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Michelle Williams
Rachel Weisz
Scarlett Johannsen
Shirley MacLaine
Laura Linney

DIRECTOR
Ang Lee
Woody Allen
Peter Jackson
Steven Spielberg George Clooney

Weekend Recap

What do you do with 48 commitment-free hours? A whole lotta everything. And that’s just what we did over this past weekend. Mark and I kicked off the weekend with a post-work swim workout on Friday (who needs happy hour when you’ve got a pool?), then we parted ways for our dueling girls’/boys’ night out/in. I jetted off to the lower east side to meet Keren, Nandita, and Meghan (all former NG employees) at Stanton Social, while Mark stayed in the comfort of our apartment, and thanks to the marvels of modern day technology, was able hang with his boys who are spread around the country. (At the risk of making them sound like huge dorks, I won’t mention exactly what they were doing!)

Despite our respective late evenings, we managed to get up on an absolutely gorgeous Saturday morning to go for a 5 mile run down to Battery Park and back. New Yorkers hit the outdoors en masse, all taking full advantage of the 60-degree weather and sunshine. We made it back just in time to meet up with Patty at the gym. She and I struggled through a hip-hop class (brought back memories of me trying out for cheerleading in 8th grade—I need to face the fact that I’ll never be able to successfully execute a choreographed dance), ran a few laps, and sweated it out in the sauna. Then we went over to Dublin on Hudson where we were joined by Karl. We broke into Patty’s brand new Scrabble set and proceeded to battle it out for the next few hours. Guess who won?

The clouds and rain rolled in on Sunday, making for the perfect lazy day. But I had promised myself that I’d try out the 1 1/2-hour spin class at the gym, so I ambled over to the gym and met Karl for it. At the time, the class didn’t feel so hard. Today, however, I’m feeling a bit of the burn.

After walking home in the rain and running into Ed Norton outside the Spotted Pig, we had a nice lunch at Le Gamin. Mark and I then retreated into our apartment, where the draw of a track meet, tivo’d Oprah, and the SAG awards were enough to keep me in front of the telly for the rest of the evening.

Better Late Than Never

Our wedding announcement was published in this week’s issue of the Gazette. So for all y’all out in MoCo (that’s Montgomery County for those who don’t know), check it out when you can. The rest of you—if you care to read it—can view it here.

Sightings

Just another day in New York, the city where a-listers, b-listers, and z-listers share sidewalks, cafes, and even gas stations.

My sightings for the day:

10:45 a.m.: Seth Meyers, better known as the John Kerry impersonator on Saturday Night Live, crossing Hudson Street. Dressed in sweats, coffee in hand, and practicing his lines for tonight's show. (Not really--but it would have been fantastic if he was!)

3:45 p.m.: The Mobil Station in Chelsea was the site for a Spike Lee Joint when Mr. Lee himself was fueling up his black BMW station wagon. (Who would have guessed Spike Lee drove a station wagon!?) Two cute kids and a dog (a yorkie, of course) in tow.

3:55 p.m.: Funny man Mario Cantone nearly walked into me as I side-stepped what appeared to be a low-budget photo shoot (maybe for a shoes?) on Washington Street. Couldn't tell if he was taking part in the shoot or just gawking at the mannequin trapped underneath a truck (part of the shoot) like the rest of us.

Happy Birthday, Sissy!

Today is Sissy's birthday. I can't remember the last January 20 that I didn't watch her blow the candles out, but fortunately we were able to celebrate last week in San Francisco. Last I heard, she was going to gift herself with a trip to San Diego or with a visit from Corinne. Whatever she does, I hope she has a wonderful day!




No doubt Grandpop will be smiling down on Sissy today!

Weekend Plans

"We’ve got a pretty nice little Saturday planned. We're going to go to Home Depot, buying some wallpaper, maybe get some flooring, stuff like that. Maybe Bed, Bath, & Beyond, I don't know, I don't know if we'll have enough time."

Hah hah hah. I hardly ever quote movies (I usually screw up the delivery), but if someone were to ask me what I was doing this weekend, I'd have to pull out the ol' Frank The Tank line from Old School. Like Frank, I do intend to go to Bed, Bath, & Beyond this weekend. But there will be no trips to Home Depot (not even sure where one is around here). And while Mark and his dad are hanging out with the guys from Orange County Choppers and drooling over Ducati’s, I will be doing any of the following things: getting my hair cut, working out, cleaning the apartment, writing freelance stuff, obsessing over online Scrabble and/or Soduko, shopping, or seeing some friends. A nice little Saturday indeed.

San Francisco in a nutshell

We had a great time in San Francisco! Such a beautiful city—made even more alluring by absolutely perfect weather on Sunday. It rained on Saturday, but that was okay because we spent most of the day tucked in a dark corner of a pub near Haight Street for the Redskins game. Later on, we celebrated Sissy’s birthday at dinner in North Beach with Mark, Chuck, Leah, Joe, Erik, and myself. That was followed by a quick stop at a Karaoke bar in the Castro—highlighted by a 200-pound-plus man doing the robot to--what else-- “Mr. Roboto”—and then we tore up the dance floor at a restaurant/club that had what I can only imagine might resemble the clientele of The Yacht Club in Bethesda. (Read: lots of middle-aged mamas getting their groove on. But it was still fun!)

We spent Sunday hitting all the touristy spots like Union Square, Lombard Street, and Fisherman’s Wharf. We rode a trolley car, saw the sea lions on Pier 39, and gawked at all of the stunning views. Then we headed over the Bay Bridge to Oakland Hills, where Shannon and Brian have an amazing house. Just about about two miles up the street from them is the entrance to a state park offering 90 miles of running and hiking trails—and a panoramic view of basically the entire city. The sun was just setting when we got to there, so we were in complete awe. Then Sissy and Erik left to go back to Lemoore, and the rest of us walked down to the adorable village near Brian and Shannon's for Thai food.

Before we left on Monday, Chuck took us to one of the many beaches near his place. (Sigh.) As we boarded the plane to go back to cold New York, we began to think it might be time to move out to the west coast...

Sissy and I with Leah, who lives just around the corner from Kezar's Pub. While there, Sissy and I had a run-in with a fellow WM class of '97 grad, who also happened to be visiting from NYC. Small world!

Chuck and Sarah--Kezar's Pub

Sissy and Leah--shopping on Haight Street

Union Square 2

Union Square

Sissy and Erik on the trolley car

Erik enjoying the sunshine on Union Square

Mark on the trolley car

Cars driving down Lombard Street

About to walk down Lombard

Mark and I on the trolley car

Lombard Street Sign

Sissy and Sissy, Fisherman's Wharf

Chuck, Erik, and Mark at lunch on Fisherman's Wharf

View of the Golden Gate Bridge

Sunset view from Oakland Hills, just up the hill from Brian and Shannon's house. Where we were standing was the entrance to a National Park hosting over 90 miles of trails throughout Redwoods.

Mark and Chuck

Mark and I in front of the Golden Gate Bridge

The beach near the Presidio

Me, Mark, and Chuck at the beach near the Presidio. This is only a short run away from Chuck's apartment!

If you're going to San Francisco...

I'll be sure to wear plenty of flowers in my hair this weekend! We leave tonight for San Francisco, where we'll stay with Chuck and see Sissy, Erik, Brian, Shannon, and more. I can't wait! It'll be my first time in SF since I was seven, and Mark's debut trip to California. Just a quick trip, but it should be a great time.

Thanks to Bec for a lovely girl's night (plus Mark) last evening. Visits from Bubba, Anna, Muthe, and Leezie (in town for a doctor's appointment). We had the best time rehashing old stories, memories of Mastenbrook place, and discussing Leezie's bump watch (yes, she has a small one now...). Speed Junior, I'm sure, was well entertained by our lively conversation (and well-fed from the delicious chicken/broccoli/mushroom feast prepared by Bubba and Magnolia cupcakes for dessert!). See Bec's blog for pictures.

I'll post pictures of San Fran when we get back on Monday!

A dinner in, a pulled muscle, and a celebrity sighting

If I were to sum up the past few days, the title of this entry would pretty much do it. Two highlights and one lowlight comprised the standout events in my life since the weekend. First, the lowlight: the pulled (or tweaked, or whatever you want to call it) quadriceps. Perhaps too prematurely (i.e., I am not in good enough shape), I ran a few track workouts at CP. Everything felt great, until I extended too far, tried too hard, or my tired ol' muscles just couldn't take any more. And now I'm stuck with a very sore quad that doesn't want to do any kind of exercise, no matter how much I want it to. I'm taking it easy for a few days, as I know from many former running-related injuries that rest (and ibuprofen) eventually heals all.

Now, to the highlights--as meager as they are. The dinner in is a reference to a nice night at home with Mark and Patty--who came over from Hoboken. We had brown sugar baked salmon (one of my three specialties!) and brownie sundaes. It was really nice to just stay in with a friend, watch tivo'd Dancing with the Stars, and catch up. (As a bonus, I was also able to catch up with another good friend, Nandita, on Sunday with a brunch at Cafeteria and then a quick stop at L where I bought my dress for Sissy's wedding reception next month!).

Finally, the celebrity sighting: Usually, I don't make a big deal about my sightings because, well, usually they aren't real a big deal. But this one was, not only because of my close proximity to the celeb but also because of her mega-watt star power. Here's the story: I was in the locker room at CP, getting ready to go swimming when I stopped at the toilets. Unintentionally, I followed an Amazonian blonde woman, who was leaving the stall, into the same toilet. (Yes, unintentionally, the door was open and I went in). Anyhow, I then went to wash my hands, where the Amazonian blonde was fixing her absolutely perfect corkscrew curls. I looked up into the mirror, over to this perfect person, when I realized it was none other than NICOLE KIDMAN! My heart skipped a beat and immediately, I felt like a troll next to her. Her skin was like pink porcelain (she was flushed, I guess, from her workout) and she was seriously like 6'10". Overall, she was absolutely beautiful...just like in the movies!

So that's my week so far. Oh: one more highlight--Mark and I just realized that the hotel featured in Blue Crush is the I'Hilani on Honolulu, where we stayed on our honeymoon. Yeah, it only took us two months to figure that out, but we're still excited about that.

See below for a (blurry) pic of Patty and I on Sunday.

Patty and I after dinner

A New Year

Last night, revelry abounded in Gowanus, Brooklyn, where Mark, Maureen, Erin, Mike, and myself partook in celebrations hosted by my former co-worker, Carl. We made the trek into our neighboring borough in two taxis, driven by cabbies were none to pleased to be taking us outside of Manhattan. ("Why you wanna go there?") But we had very good reason to do so, as Carl delivered on his promise of a keg of Brooklyn Lager--fueling an excellent dance party.

Our guests departed earlier this afternoon, and I headed over to the East Village to meet Corinne and some other friends (Danny, Ange, Jo, Keith, Adam Heiden) who had all been staying with Dan and Ange in Queens. Corinne and I made loose plans to see Match Point, but our idea proved to be a rather popular one and the theater was packed. So instead, we all went to an Irish pub to catch up and watch the Redskins game on a jumbo flat-screen. Or shall I say they watched...I really couldn't get into it, but I'm happy that they won nevertheless.

Some pictures of the day and last night are posted.

Happy 2006!

Me and Corinne, New Years Day

Happy New Years!

Eileen, me, and Maureen

Mike, Eileen, Maureen, and Mark at the party

New Years Eve

Mark shaking up his Manhattans. They were STRONG!