Blog of Note

I found this blog yesterday worth checking out: Food in Real Life. Pretty good read for all my frozen food needs. When I'm too lazy to make my lunch I go for the Smart Ones Fettuccine Alfredo. Nothing can beat it, it is delicious alfredo. They should serve it in restaurants!

The blog proves what I've always thought about frozen lunches - Weight Watchers Smart Ones are the best overall. Lean Cuisine may make food look good on the packaging, but it's a farce. Lean Cuisine made me start avoiding all frozen foods that included any type of "meat" (term used loosely).

This Post Is About College Football

Fair warning. You know what you're getting into JoP faithful.

Now, about Boise State. This is so radical, so important in the history of college football, and especially the BCS, that this next statement warrants its own paragraph.

Boise State can win the national championship.

Believe it. First they must win all of their games. They can do it. At the moment only three of their remaining opponents have winning records. But that Boise State could go 13-0 in the WAC is not the story.

This week the Broncos are ranked #5 in both polls that play a factor in the BCS, which determines who plays for the national championship. Number 5 is neither #1 nor #2. But ahead of them are 3 SEC teams. Alabama and LSU play each other this season. Whichever team wins could play Florida for the SEC championship, provided the Gators remain unscathed in their division.

This means that AT LEAST 2 teams ahead of Boise State MUST lose later this season. All they would need is for the third SEC team, or Texas, to lose once this season, at any time, to move into that #2 spot in the polls. This is how college football polling has always worked. You keep winning and you move up. No one ever passes you.

If it happens this year, it will be an all-time injustice. If Texas and the SEC champion are unbeaten, well that sucks too, but less badly. This season I'm rooting for Boise State, the ultimate underdogs.

Movie Question

You like movies. You watch movies. Yet often when you discuss movies with others, you'll name a movie and someone will say, "I've never seen that." Your jaw drops. The question is, what movie did you say? What are the top five movies for which, if you ask any random person, would you drop your jaw? This is my list, in reverse chronological order:

Titanic
Jurassic Park
Star Wars
It's A Wonderful Life
The Wizard of Oz

No, it's not that surprising. I get it. But if you haven't seen three of the biggest box office draws ever, or two of the most uplifting films ever made, where have you been?

*~*~*~* CrUsH @lert *~*~*~*

Well ladies and germs, my crush is none other than the fabulous Bill Pullman. Do I even have to talk about how great he is? We loved him as Kat's dad in Casper. And we loved him as the furniture-making, bad-with-words-yet-charming Jack in While You Were Sleeping.

The thing about Bill is that he could walk down the street and maybe not even be recognized, yet he's done a million movies. I also loved him in a League of Their Own, which holds a special place in my heart. It was really moving when I saw it in the theater, especially because I was eight!

Bill is classically handsome, always has great hair, and yet still looks approachable and friendly. And some how, deep in my heart, I just know he's a great guy! Here's a pic of him with his lovely wife, you go Bill!

Football Prediction

It's rare that I remember my dreams. Last night I dreamed that Tennessee beat Florida 44-15 in football. They play Saturday. Watch that game and see if I am in touch with the future.

5 Pic Friday

Hey, remember the 90's?


Kate Gosselin's new haircut. Maybe I'm trying to increase page views? Maybe not??

I read an item this week that said "Boone" from Lost was seen on his way to film in Hawaii for this season. CR@ZY!

Who doesn't love this movie??

This is a good picture. Shout-out to the one (maybe 2??) JoP writer pictured.

Deep Thoughts...with Ashton Kutcher

From NY Magazine:

“I’m always interested in aesthetic misconceptions,” Kutcher says. On one wrist, he wears wooden prayer beads kitted out with a diamanté Star of David charm and a red Kabbalah thread."

"Does this have anything to do with the red thread on his wrist? “I do study a lot of the teachings of Kabbalah. I read stuff. I read a lot. When I read Siddhartha, it moved me spiritually. I was like, Wow."

Liveblogging a Movie: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

Beginning: lovelorn teens, blah blah blah. band names in doodle font, Band of Horses, Vampire Weekend, Merge Records, Dusty Springfield? buncha crap. I'm not buying it.

5:30: "Nicky's" friends offer to help him find someone better at their gig (Nicky is in a band).
5:35: and they're going to NYC to see a band called Where's Fluffy, "the rarest show on earth."

6:07: Music by Mark Mothersbaugh. auspicious!

6:36: Nick's ex-girlfriend is so clueless! she called the band Who's Fluffy. unbelievable.

8:58: jumping, screaming crowd at Nick's band's show.
8:59: is Norah noticing Nick?
10:09: "You're practically blowing him with your eyes"

19:25: "Come on--we're all ladies here" from Nick's gay friend/bandmate, who is giving Norah a makeover. earlier, Norah's friend was talking about 'mos. homophobic or a good message for kids, aka we can all relax around people who are gay?

24:00: "Are you straight edge like I am?"
"I don't really subscribe to any label"

37:41: lengthy gross-out scene involving: vomiting, reaching into vomity toilet bowl. so outlandish I watched the whole thing without flinching.

41:00: maybe this is the wine talking, but I'm finding it touching how teenagers try to act when they like somebody. remember when you were sort of into somebody and you didn't realize it was possible they could be into you, and you thought they were just so cool and magical? and maybe they felt the same way about you, but you both hid behind the shield of your "sense of humor" which was really crappy and cheezy? and, at the end of the day, that's the most embarrassing part?

59:39: I'd really like to turn this off and go to bed, but I feel like i'm too far in. (?) dammit.

1:07: ugh. i take back what i said at 41:00. this kid is annoying!! "I have a confession to make"

1:10: Norah has a really funny "I am a great driver" routine. seriously.

1:17: I wish I was 16 so I could be into this

1:21: Michael Cera seems like he'd be a chubby guy, but he's not. this always surprises me!

1:26: round-up of implausible loose ends!

Well, that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Still glad it was free (via Netflix instant queue). Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist gets a 5.6 from me!

Maybe he was right?

Isn't it funny how Kanye was sorta-validated when Beyonce won Video of the Year at the VMAs? Though it begs the question, how could the best video of the year not be the best female video of the year? Whatever. It doesn't matter. It's MTV.

After his meltdown I was rooting for him, just to see how he would top himself. Would he demand 2 statues for 1 award? Would he let out 5 consecutive curse words? Would he spit on Lady Gaga? I wanted to see this.

Kanye should always be nominated for awards so our nation can unify in our disdain for his behavior when he loses. Or when he wins. He's a perfect anti-role model for parents to use with their kids.

Things that Make You Go Hmmmm

Why do the best NPR stories come on right as I'm about to get out of my car?

How can Jay Leno suck so much? 1 minute of his "new" "late night" "talk show" last night was way too much for me. Also, I'm going to say it - he's gained a lot of weight. As if his chin couldn't get any bigger! I know it's mean, but srsly - how much of an ego does the guy have to have to come back to television after a 3 month absence with the exact same show and think we will like it?




Juan Martin del Potro is continuing the tradition of the hot tennis player...but check out his old Dan Cortese-y style locks!

Philadelphia is closing its public libraries!

This is the most fucked up thing ever!

http://libwww.freelibrary.org/closing/

I don't know about you or the people of Philadelphia or the people of America in general, but I certainly wouldn't mind paying a little more in taxes!!!! This is what happens when you insist on tax cuts in tough years, fools. We all lose. Congratulations.

UPDATE:

This is from an interesting comment on Consumerist about it. A different side of the story and still fucked up! Let's get it together, people!

What's happening is that city leaders are making a highly-visible yet token "cut" that's designed to annoy people and convince them that higher taxes are acceptable. Once people accede to this manipulation — which is really no better than an extortion scheme — these conniving officials are relieved of the obligation to do what they ought to have done in the first place: make the serious and genuine kinds of budget cuts that would actually make a difference ... such as cutting waste and graft, and paring the size of government down to something which is both manageable and affordable. They squander money in ways you would not believe — and they do it all the time, under the illusion that it's the best way to operate.

Example 1: The Connecticut DOT could not be bothered actually managing a construction project, so they contracted out that task to a well-connected company. Only that company, which was paid millions to supervise it, did absolutely nothing. The work done was poor and had to be redone. In order to avoid paying to redo it, the construction company liquidated itself, its owners reconstituted as another firm, and proceeded to lobby for more state business. CT DOT officials — who obviously had no problem with this situation — were ready to award them more work, when the story was reported and the state A.G. had to step in. The re-work took another 2 years and a great deal more money, only some of which has been recovered.

Example 2: New York City public schools are famously home to what are called "rubber rooms." These are places in which tenured but incompetent teachers are allowed to sit and do nothing all day, yet earn their salaries for having done nothing. You see, they cannot be fired, no matter how bad they are; since they are by contract "entitled" to work, this is the only way to keep them from hurting kids' education or harming them.

Both of these examples, and more, are basically ways in which money is sucked out of the public coffers, for no good purpose ... and which are actually, actively defended by some officials, who consider these to be good ideas.

It's not just Philadelphia that uses this scheme of token, annoying, noticeable cuts to entice taxpayers into paying more ... governments at ALL levels (municipalities, counties, regional authorities, and states) across the country do it. It's an old trick, but curiously, it seems to work more often than not, and most people are blissfully unaware they're being "played." The cold hard fact is that government officials profit too much from bloated government and artificially-high budgets, for them to slice them down to size.

RoMaNce

I've never read the books or seen the movies, but this article was interesting and probably appropriate.

5 Pic Friday

I like green.

Galafa--. Galifa--. Galifianakis.

This is the band Doves. I like them. I think the lead singer looks a little like the guy above.

Just watched The Wrestler, which is great. This is Mickey in Sin City. It hurts to look so good.

Hey, remember the 90s?

Box Office Prediction Update

The summer movie season is over. Yes, it’s sad. Dry your eyes. You’ll have to wait for the DVD to see stupid robots portray stereotypes. I hate it too.

But how did I do? I made some predictions in April. Some shined, some tanked, some neared the mark, some aren’t out yet.

Not bad

Wolverine: I guessed #6 for the year and $208 million. It’s #8 now, so I guess it can’t get better. I went about 13% too high.

Up: It blew away analyst guesses, including mine by about 30%. Yikes. But, I did put it at #5 for the year, which should be close in the end. It currently sits at #3 for the year.

What the?

The Hangover: Who knew this low-budget comedy would make more than seven times its production cost? It’s lasting as long as the hangover the guys had in the movie. At $270 million it will stay in the top 10.

Ice Age 3: It is just behind Monster vs. Aliens for second on the animated gross list and #7 overall. Yet it’s made more than $600 million overseas, beating Spider-Man, The Phantom Menace, and every animated movie ever made.

Failed it

Terminator: Salvation: Yikes. Ouch. Yeesh. These are sounds coming from me and Warner Brothers. I missed its total by only, oh, more than $100 million. It is number one in bust of the year.

Star Trek: It attracted the nerd crown, the geek crowd, and enough of the mainstream, I-pretend-to-be-neither-nerd-nor-geek crowd to make it #1 for several weeks. Though it is at #5 now, it should slip closer to my guess of #9 for the year.

Nailed it

Night at the Museum 2: Original guess: $170 million. Current total: about $177 million.

Harry Potter 6: My guess: $317 million, #2. Current total: $298 million, #2. It should scrape past $300 million.

Transformers 2: My guess: $415 million, #1. Current total: $400 million, #1. BAM!

It's Jimmy Robbins!

This kid, the little brother of my bff from childhood Gray Robbins, has just released an album on Universal Motown. It's sort of blowing my mind! And his myspace page is outta control too. Just the sheer number of his fans is enough to make me wish I'd tried harder to make Liza date him. So take it from me, JOP readers: Jimmy Robbins is going to be the next big thing. You heard it here first!

(this is what he looked like when I knew him...on the left)

Miley Cyrus

It's hard to ignore Party in the USA. The first time I heard it, I thought "this is horrible". After a few more listens on the radio, I realized I wasn't changing the station. I youtubed her "controversial" performance at the Teen Choice Awards where she pole dances. Or as Miley & the Cyrus fam say, "she's just dancing on an ice cream truck". It's true, she is, but also, come on! We get what's implied. It's clearly over the top, but after watching the whole thing I think more than trying to be sexy, she just comes off as really uncomfortable and awkward. Check out her awkward facial grimace after the show is over. Also awkward at the end: the God shout-out. I imagine this is some brilliance from Billy Ray that differentiates Miley from Britney's early performances. I could care less if she's trying to experiment with her sexuality or whatever way they put it...but let's just admit that's what you're doing and not try to pretend it's anything different. I think we all remember the Annie Leibovitz "omg we had no idea she'd just be wearing a sheet" controversy from this family.

I think the thing about Party in the USA that gets me the most is her voice (also the chorus - does she need to say "and a britney song was on" 3 times??). We all know it's not great. But as compared to her last single The Climb, Party in the USA sounds like a completely different person singing. I get that it's auto-tuned, but even more then that it sounds like she's had something corrected with her vocal cords. Judge for yourself!

Something to think about for best/worst lyrics ever - "noddin' my head like yeah, movin' my hips like yeah".

Shopping 4 Shoes

I am a BIG-TIME brand loyalist when it comes to shoes. And my Number One brand is probably Camper. The first time I heard of Camper was during my year abroad, when my friends and I would window-shop the boutiques in downtown Angers while we waited for our bus at night. So yeah, my attachment is probably a little sentimental, but Camper shoes are sooooooooooo cute and comfortable and durable, and you really can't beat that.

They're a Spanish brand, which I think is how they're able to be so stylish (have you ever met a Spanish person?). Here are some of the hot ones for this fall (full disclosure: I already own the red pair):

I also love the soles of the shoes, and every sole is different. Little details like this really count!

I know these shoes aren't cheap, but I always figure, w/r/t shoes: you can pick, at most, 3 of the 4: comfort, style, durability, price. For example: Birkenstocks are comfortable, durable, and sometimes stylish...but they're not cheap. Pretty much any shoe from Urban Outfitters will be stylish and cheap, but you're living in a fantasy world if you think they'll be comfortable and durable. Those $3 fake Crocs you got from Eckerd? Good luck with style, durability, and comfort! Etc. etc. Anyway, my money is (literallllllllllllly!) on Camper.

Shopping 4 Clothes

If you are anything like me, then you care about the aesthetics of the clothes you wear, but you realize there is no sense in spending a ton of money on clothing. You can always find great things at a huge thrift store, but lets face it, sometimes you need something specific and/or you just want something new. Well, it seems that "high end" designers are catching on that people don't want to spend $500 for a dress, or even $50 for a dress for that matter. Or sometimes if you are as cheap as me, $25.

Take Kohls for example. Vera Wang has designed some affordable clothes that aren't half bad. J.C. Penney, which used to have the most hideous clothes in the universe now has the "I 'heart' Ronson" line which I just checked out today. Basically all of that line is "on sale" all the time and can get really cheap! It was pretty good too. Of course there are all of those people "for Target" that usually have some nicer stuff. Who's next, Sears?!?

Really its all about shape and textile prints. Most prints are hideous on clothes, but these people usually have hired some good artists to make some beautiful prints.

P.S. does anyone despise Ed Hardy clothes as much as I do? Its the whole look-its disgusting.

5 Pic Friday

Great author

Great actor. Anyone think they look alike?

The Best Band in the World: a new album in 2 weeks and a tour date in Raleigh!

The only person faster than Usain Bolt is tomorrow's Usain Bolt.

Screenshot from James Cameron's Avatar. Is that an alien back there?

Mint vs. Pear

I love budgets. I'm a dork with numbers, always have been, always will be. To placate this I use two budget tools, Mint, which is automatic, and Pearbudget, which ain't.

To use Mint I gave them all my account passwords. I sign in to the site and it signs in to the rest. Thus I see all my spending in one place. I like that; it's easy. Yet it fails in one sense.

Say you and I have a $40 bill at a restaurant and I charge it while you give me $20. Did I spend $40 in the category "restaurants?" No, but Mint thinks so. I can't input income manually. Nor can I budget for income that isn't monthly. What about stuff coming in every other month (some interest), or one-time things (that yard sale I had)? Forget it.

That's why I turn to Pearbudget after Mint. It can do those fancy budgeting things. It just requires more effort. Now I can see what I really spent and earned. It lacks Mint's cool graphs, but it lets me avoid giving them complete access to my life. And I can add tags: the more the merrier.

I suggest using both sites. It beats signing in to 7 different sites to check spending, and you can include what you want.