Just because I like it...

Famous
by Naomi Shihab Nye

The river is famous to the fish.

The loud voice is famous to silence,
which knew it would inherit the earth
before anybody said so.

The cat sleeping on the fence is famous to the birds
watching him from the birdhouse.

The tear is famous, briefly, to the cheek.

The idea you carry close your bosom
is famous to your bosom.

The boot is famous to the earth,
more famous than the dress shoe,
which is famous only to floors.

The bent photograph is famous to the one who carries it
and is not at all famous to the one who is pictured.

I want to be famous to shuffling men
who smile while crossing streets,
sticky children in grocery lines,
famous as the one who smiled back.

I want to be famous in the way a pulley is famous,
or a buttonhole, not because it did anything spectacular,
but because it never forgot what it could do.

All I Need Now is to Move to Florida: Day 1

Due to the fact that I have nothing better to do for the next four months, I will be doing a little experiment. For the next four months, I plan to live the lifestyle of a retiree. Perhaps a blog about living the life of an old person is in itself counter-productive, given the fact that I had to spend an hour explaining the concept of a blog to my grandpa not too long ago, but I had to publish my findings in some manner and the Pulitzer committee rejected my application.
A potential warning about this experiment is that the blog may get a little monotonous at times because my days will consist of such things as going to the bank or the public library (more to come on that later), but I plan on making it as enjoyable as possible.
Day 1 of the experiment was more planning than anything. The night before, I mapped out my day with the following activities: workout at health club, go deposit checks, go to public library to get library card renewed, laundry, and go to the temple. Now you may be saying to yourself, "Wow, that sounds really exciting, Ellen." I can assure you that it was. Not in the fast-paced mode that people my age may be after, but it was exciting to putter around town doing whatever the heck I wanted to do.
When I was at the gym, I asked about classes that they have and after carefully dissecting the list of options, I have decided on three to do throughout the week. On Mondays and Wednesdays, I will participate in BodyVive which is a "Low impact class integrating cardio and resistance intervals with stretching and mobility work, all set to the songs of the 60's and 70's." What I glean from this is Jazzercise. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I will be participating in a yoga class geared towards senior citizens, which will probably be more my level anyways. I think I may also attend the fencing class that they hold on Wednesday nights (even though it is way past 9:00 bedtime). Last, but certainly not least, on Fridays, I signed up for a water aerobics class called "Noodle Mania". I think I can just leave it at that. Whether you want it or not, I will be reporting back with a description on all of them. Until then...

My Latest Obsession: Bones

When I use the word obsession here, it is being used in the most potent way possible. I don't even know where to begin in describing my love for this show. Instead let me tell you about how Bones and I had a difficult journey in finding each other. Those of you who know me know that I am hooked on way too many shows as it is. My Season Pass list on Tivo is far, far too lengthy. I have had to stop myself from watching shows like Lost, House, and 24 because from what I have heard about those, I simply don't have the energy and time to commit in wrapping my head around them.
When I had heard about Bones when it first came out, I thought while I love a mystery show that is rife with sexual tension as much as the next girl, I just can't do it. I already have too many shows. This is the part in the story that is very telling about what will get me interested in a show: On my favorite website ever, ew.com (read it, study it, love it), they released a spoiler stating that the two main characters of Bones, Booth and Brennan, would FINALLY be hitting the sheets...so I decided to give it a go. I had just finished finals and had about a week of nothing to do. I spent that week watching seasons 1, 2, 3, and 4 online with Japanese subtitles. I was hooked, plain and simple. You grow so attached to all of the characters and I became addicted to those sexual-tension moments of the show. Like a junkie, I got the shakes until I got my next fix. It also didn't help matters that Booth is now my numero uno fictional crush.
While the spoiled moment about Booth and Brennan knocking boots was a bit of a letdown, I don't even care because it was the catalyst for my discovery of this show. While I definitely need to quell my obsession for this show (I have watched all four seasons, all the way through, at least three times now), that will be for another day, because for now, I am happy living in my fangirl bubble.

Anybody have a thousand dollars they want to loan me?

Today, I stumbled upon a charity auction on eBay that got me thinking. The auction is for The Adrienne Shelly Foundation, which supports women filmmakers, and they are offering lunch with some of your favorite celebrities! Among the list is Jeremy Sisto (Clueless, Law & Order), Keri Russell (The Waitress, Felicity), Paul Rudd (any Judd Apatow movie, Anchorman, Role Models), Nathan Fillion (Castle, Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog), David Schwimmer (Friends, Band of Brothers), Ally Sheedy (Breakfast Club), Jon Hamm (Mad Men, 30 Rock), Rachel Dratch (Saturday Night Live), and Kevin Smith (Catch and Release, Jay and Silent Bob). Strangely enough, the current top bid with $3,050 (subject to change) is going to Kevin Smith, who I am sure would make for a very entertaining lunch guest but he would not be my first choice. I mean, have you seen Paul Rudd? Adorable, right? And, for my sense of humor, I think Paul Rudd would be equally if not more entertaining (See any movie he has ever been in). Second place, would go to Jon Hamm, who is pretty dreamy on Mad Men and, I recently found out, is good friends with Paul Rudd. He could come, too!
However, if I were to pick my optimal lunch guest outside the list, it would definitely be Tina Fey. Mainly, because she is my hero.

How about you, readers? Who would your ideal lunch be with? Don't go cheesy on me and say your family or something? Be honset!

SUNDANCE!

Most of you will know that I am huge fan of The Office, and more specifically, Jim. Well, would you be jealous if I told you I saw him in the flesh at Sundance? And that it was at the worldwide premiere of the movie that he wrote, directed, produced, and starred in? Yes? I thought so. Megan, Jillian, and I had quite the glitzy weekend. We went to a few concerts, saw some celebrities, went to a movie premiere. You know, the typical weekend. Some other celebs that we saw besides Mr. John Krasinski were Maeby from Arrested Development (Alia Shawkat), most of the cast from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the Italian guy from Love Actually, Millie from Freaks and Geeks, Denise Richards,Robin Williams, Zooey Deschanel, Shooter McGavin, Peter Gallagher, and others for whom I will have to consult the girls to refresh my memory. A lot of them were only people that we would get excited about, but that only made it better.

Guilty Pleasure 103: Pretty Much Anything Period Or in Any Way Related to Jane Austen

Most people know my penchant for things Jane Austen already. So let me tell about a really good period drama that my good friend and fellow-period-drama aficianado, Morgan, told me about. I give you Richard Armitage in all his glory as Mr. Thornton in North and Shouth. I watched it twice in a week and have watched the ending more times than I am willing to fess up to on this blog. I have also downloaded the soundtrack and several clips to my iPod. I know. I need to get a life.

Last Movie I Saw: Slumdog Millionaire

Ok everyone, run (don't walk) and go see Slumdog Millionaire. It is without a doubt the best movie that I have seen in a long time. You at least need to see it before the Oscars so that you can be as disappointed as I will be if it does not win (but I am really thinking that it wil).
It is about a young man who had grown up in the slums of India and goes on India's version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? only in the hope that the love of his life will notice him. But surprising even to himself, he does extremely well. He is charged with fraud because they don't see how a kid with no education could know the answers to these questions. The film takes you through flashbacks on his life as he recounts how he knew the answers to the questions simply through life experience.
It is such a beautiful movie and (surprise, surprise) I was emotional through the whole thing. We’re talking from the opening scene to the end credits and even after I left the theatre and was on the phone with my mom telling her that she needed to see it. The children that play Jamal (the main character), his brother, and his friend are the cutest kids you will ever see. I loved this movie all the more when I found out these kids were found in the actual slums of India. They asked to be in the movie and then rather than pay them, they are putting them in school and the rest of the money is in a trust fund for them when they are older. My friends and I are also now determined to learn the Bollywood dance number that they perform at the end, especially since I now have the soundtrack. The music in this is awesome, compiled of Indian music, it is really fun. As you can see, I cannot recommend this movie enough, so go see it!