So, yeah, since the last time I wrote on this stupid thing (or any stupid thing, really, other than my brother's English assignments), I have done the following:

*Read some 200+ pages of Vanity Fair. Good read, but I'm really supposed to be somewhere more around page 600...
*Seen W., the George Bush biopic (which was orginally cast with Christian Bale as the Prez, OMGWHUT?) and it confirmed (in its own special, fictional way) my long-standing suspicion that Mr. Bush is a genuinely nice guy, a regular good ol' boy, who just so happened to be elected Leader of the Free World, and, being unqualified for the job, proceeded to run the entire country into the ground... unintentionally. Pretty good flick, though! I especially liked all the Clinton bits. Someone in my theater whooped joyfully when they announced his winning the 1992 election, lol. Oscar nom for Josh Brolin? Mehbehs?
*Bought Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth Wet T-Shirt Version, FTW) and Beauty and the Beast (Best animated motion picture of all time, or best motion picture of all time? Discuss!)
*Watched many, many episodes of The Office
*Grew a new crush on Colin Farrell, after having seen him in a glorious hat
*Impersonated Sarah Palin in a French Oral Midterm (My other group members portrayed Hillary Clinton and a CNN moderator. I wrote the script, cuz I'm a control freak like that. What got the biggest laugh from the class was, I think, when Hillary described her morning routine, which involved her assistant doing her hair and makeup, choosing her pantsuit, and spoon-feeding her Grape Nuts. When she asked Sarah/me how she/I got ready, I/Sarah replied: "Me? Oh, I wake up looking this good.")
*Chopped my hair off and colored it bright red (That was yesterday, actually. Had a very nice stylist at the salon as well. The whole thing was basically her idea)
*Turned 21.

Yeah, that last one... Not so happy about it! I sincerely hoped no one would notice, and that I could go on pretending to be too young to accompany people into clubs and whatnot (and not ridiculously old for being single. It's a curse that in the South, if a gal isn't married by the time she's 24, or at least engaged, she's bound to be an old maid. Or, in the very best of circumstances, end up with a man ten years her senior who already has a passel of kids and two ex-wives to support). But, unfortunately, people did notice. The children at the daycare were very sweet and sang to me when I came in for work, and Tina and everybody had gotten me some presents (including a cute, small makeup bag to replace that huge, garish vinyl one I always toted around). I ate lunch out with Mom and Deanna, and they both got me smallish gifts. Momma got me Made of Honor (starring McDreamy) and some AWESOME CHOCOLATE. So, other than that, my birthday passed pretty much without incident. I didn't actually "celebrate" it until last night, when I met several of my relatives (plus Ethan) for some crazy hibachi goodness at Fuji's. I'll always cherish the memory of Troy doing the weed-eater as a birthday-dance...

So yes. I am now very, very old and plan on ignoring that fact for the forseeable future.

What I will not ignore is THIS:

Hubba hubba.

Okay, so since I've been living under a Local TV rock (and didn't watch the Olympics) I didn't even hear about this show until like last week. And, naturally, I was stoked--a TV show that is clearly (joyously!) ripping off one of my most beloved film franchises (Pirates) and mashing it together with a show I've only heard of (MacGuyver) and wrapping it all up in the framework of a show I dearly wish I had been able to watch (LOST). This may sound like I'm being negative, but, scout's honor, I loves me some Pirate/Genius/IslandManiac Cheese. And, I won't lie--the sheer beauty of Philip Winchester (seen above) may have had something to do with it... So, yeah, I tuned in via Granny Faye's DVR. And, with expectations only about as deep as a bucket of popcorn, I was pleasantly diverted for two hours. Pirates? Got em. Wicked-awesome-improbable-physics-utilizing gadgets? Tons. Shirtless boys for no good reason? Check. And really, it's hard not to be impressed by the show's epicness alone. You don't often find a series with THIS high of production values, or simple Friday Night Silly fun. And (bonus!) there's only 13 episodes! Finally, America is taking a page out of Britain's television policy--quantity does not ncessarily mean quality. Make fewer eps but make them right. And this, so far as jungle island freakfests go, is done right. And, the writer works on Doctor Who! Sweet. Will totally be there next week.

And, now, we proudly present the "Good Job Filling Out" Award to...

Christopher Paolini!



Yeah, so I know I still haven't finished that copy of Eragon that's lurking in my closet, and am not yet over my jealousy ("This kid's a prodigy! Wrote a bestseller at 15!" Grr. I can barely write a blog that no one reads!) but I couldn't help but notice around the release of Brisingr, that the kid's gone from charmingly nerdy to nerdishly attractive in two books flat.

It's kinda like how Cody Canada is only attractive sans bandana. We all must row into our most attractive states, Paolini.

I just finished watching Penelope. It was absolutely adorable, and I will buy it. Boy, I was impressed by McAvoy. He did such a great job in this movie (yes, the fairy-tale pig girl movie) that I think it may be my favorite of his performances. Definitely better than that Wesley guy in Wanted. And Christina Ricci and Reese Witherspoon were both even cooler than usual here (and with better wardrobes, particularly Christina's. If I had the money, I'd run around an psedo-40's-autumn gear all the time.) And who was that director, and why is he like a (nicely) girlier version of Tim Burton? Yes, such cuteness and airy perfection in this movie.

Much like I suspect can be found in Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, but I can't get Ethan to go with me to that. :( Guess I'll round up Katlin and Asher! Asher remains the coolest baby ever, for the record.