Hello, Internet, It's Me Beth

Today it occurred to me that so much of what gets posted to the internet is just people's way of reaching out in the digital era.  Checking to see if anyone's listening.  Or if anyone cares.


...tap tap.  This thing on?


But seriously folks.  All joking aside, I count myself amongst that population.  Half the fun of posting status updates to facebook is seeing what causes people to respond, and what they have to say.  The creating of a dialog.  Can you imagine what it would be like if status updates were really just status updates?  There was no commenting, likes, or dislikes?  I'm certain way fewer people would do it.

Elsewhere in my brain at the moment, is a post I've been marinating on for a number of months but am even more eager to do of late.  It's a long rambly exploration of gender comparisons (and interactions) in the workplace, but especially in the finance industry.  Watch this space.  Promise it won't be so long til next posting. 

I leave you with one parting thought - just watched the movie Paper Heart and it was adorable.  I give it a solid recommendation.

Cheers!

Soooooo much

Ok, I stink. I haven't updated in a million years. And I have so much to say! I think that's why, actually, because I can't face all the updates I have to give.

Let's see, first off - Storey you can definitely yell at me this weekend. You are totally right. I suck. I just didn't know the rules with business vs. socializing when away on the company dime, plus I was super busy. We would have been diner-ing it at 2 in the morning or something (which would have been fine, which is why I suck). :-( So sorry!!!

Ummm, cooking! I have made a bunch of new recipes lately, including Chicken Tetrazzini, soy-honey-ginger steak, honey roasted asparagus, and more. But I won't bore you with those now, but (theoretically) post them at some later date (haha).

Sports! I am SO EXCITED FOR THE RANGERS!!! I have watched every minute of every playoff game so far, and am feeling like something of a Rangers expert these days. My new favorite is the youngin Ryan Callahan. Just a solid workhorse, it seems to me. And has made a few really clutch plays at unexpected moments. Though much must also be said of [relative] newcomer Avery - we really really needed someone to be the "hey-you're-not-going-to-push-us-around" guy, and he is just that. I'm actually writing this in between periods 1 and 2 of game 4 tonight. I'm sort of glad it's not turning out to be the same sort of slaughter as last night. I think the sweep will be even sweeter if we have to work for it! Btw, I love the "Bobby Granger" rangers commercials - they're hilarious!

Work has really been picking up in pace lately and it's been a bit stressful, but I'd rather be busy than bored (as I think I've said before). Getting ready to start thinking about what I'll do with myself when my analyst program is up in July. I feel like I barely have enough room in my head to even start though, let alone devote a substantial amount of meditation (which is what I really should do.) Moving on.

I've seen some pretty good movies since I last posted. Supersize Me (long overdue) was as important as people said, but not quite as 'shocking' as I was expecting from the hype. Stepford Wives premise was a little far-fetched for me (the woman turns into an ATM, and then is A-OK to become herself again, just like that?) but was still cute overall with some fun performances (especially from Bette Middler.) The Notebook - I LOVED this movie. It was sad, but also so beautiful and meaningful. The lead actor, Ryan Gosling (who when bearded is a Christian Bale clone, btw) was not so good, but I thought Rachel McAdams performance was quite feeling. The cinematography was top notch, and the early romantic scenes were much enhanced by it. All around goodness. I should read the book by Nicholas Sparks now. I also saw Big Night, which my parents have said for years is one of their favorites, but I wasn't so impressed.

Oh, news! My mom was published! Well, sort of. Indirectly. Her friend Gail Brenner wrote a book called "Women's Rites of Passage" for which my mom wrote a story about her midwife birth of my brother. Gail ended up not using the whole story verbatim, but rather, pieces of it. But she gives my mom's name in the book. So that's pretty cool for my mom. She's actually an excellent writer (clearly I missed out on that gene!) and I wish she would write more often!

I took a faboo vacation to Chicago with Keith. We went for a long weekend, Thursday to Sunday. We wanted to go to Miami (for Winter Music Conference) but it's too expensive in April (spring break and all) so we got super cheap tickets & hotel reservations for Chicago (where we had talked about going awhile ago). It was lots of fun. The museums weren't too busy (except for the Science & Industry Museum, where we missed out on tickets to go on the U-5 submarine.) There were literally maybe 20 people in the impressionist wing of the Art Institute (which has some of the best paintings of that movement.) We even got to take a Ferris Bueller esque photo by the statue of that guy with his arms crossed. We had an awesome dinner at Smith & Wollensky, though we missed out on a few jazz opportunities because of closed clubs, long lines and rain, and other things. But that was okay. We walked everywhere, and we really just loved the city so much. I think I'd like living there if it wasn't so damned cold in the winter. Just too much snow. But it was a great trip. 4 days was too short, and we'll have to go back again.

I have been devouring my latest issue of Ms. magazine (an awesome unexpected gift last birthday from my sister) and have paragraphs upon paragraphs to write about what I've read there, but I think I'll save that for the next entry too. The game is coming back on!

Basketball, SF, and Movies

So I'm pretty much fucked. Two of my final four didn't make the cut, and I was only 5/8 in the conference semi-final participants. My champ, Florida, an unpopular pick so I'm told, due to the idea of winning 2 years in a row, is luckily still in. But I don't think even picking the champ will get me back where I need to be in points at this point. Se la vie. Still had fun doing it.

Was in San Francisco for most of this past week on my first work-sponsored business trip. It was really fun. Even though I really saw very little of the city, being someplace warm was nice, and I got a real thrill from representing my company at such a high class event. Can't say much more about the content than that, unfortunately, without risking venturing too far into work-content-land. Don't want another bit o trouble. Had a very lovely dinner with coworkers the first night I was there at a swanky restaurant called Boulevard. As I understand it, this place is up for the James Beard award this year for best restaurant in SF. For my app I had a caesar salad, which instead of utilizing the typical heavy creamy type caesar dressing, actually boasted a lovely tart caesar vinagrette. For my entree, I had wood oven roasted halibut, encrusted with a combination of walnuts and minced porcini mushrooms. It was served over a bed of asparagus and potato puree, with a sauce called (on the menu) a "green garlic beurre fondue." I'm still working on googling all these terms to find out what they mean, but it was tasty as heck. And I'm not normally a huge halibut fan. For desert I went with a classic pick - vanilla ice cream. Nice and simple. Great meal, good company.

Saw two movies in the last week, and just short reviews for both. Talented Mr. Ripley - can I just say - weird?? What a strange movie. 50 First Dates was the other and it was adorable.

Well, gotta dash for now.

12 Down, 4 to Go

So with 12 of today's 16 first round NCAA games down, I'd like to state for the record that I'm 9 and 3. Which I feel is pretty darn good. My mistakes were in the GW-Vanderbilt game (I had GW), the Butler-Old Dominion Game (I had the latter), and the Texas-Tech - BC game (I went for Texas). I'm happy to say that only 1 of these 3 misses carries beyond the second round, and that one only to regionals, not as far as the sweet 16. I have to say I'm pretty proud of myself for picking that Duke would go down in the first round. That's not something that's easy to write on a picks sheet. You feel some serious hesitation in your hand while jotting down anyone over Duke in the first round! I took a similar strategy with the Indiana-Gonzaga game, but after the first half it's looking like that might be my fourth loss of the night. We shall see. After all, VCU only took it in the last minute or so of the game! I'm also pleased that MSU managed to take down Marquette. Not that it was by any means clear who would win in that pairing, just happy I made the right choice. Anyway, I'll keep you posted on my progress, but I'd say so far, 75% correct isn't too shabby. After all, the only pool I'm in is with 20 coworkers. It's not like I'm competing against 10,000 people on Yahoo! or something. Then, 75% would be a different matter.

Saw a few movies last week. Keith and I watched the Island which was a bit long, but overall enjoyable. Kind of exactly what I predicted when I first heard about it: The Matrix meets Brave New World meets Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery." An interesting flick. Also saw with Keith 13 Conversations about One Thing which hot on the heels of Little Miss Sunshine I wanted to see in order to get more Alan Arkin. We really enjoyed this film. There was one line spoken by John Turturro which particularly affected me. I'll have to look it up before I quote it though, because I don't want to bastardize it. But it certainly was a movie that gave you a lot to think about. Which I always enjoy in movies, especially when it's not coupled with continual utterly depressing moments. There were a few sad parts, but by no means overwhelming. On my own I watched two more, both older flicks. First, Network which I have to say was a very odd movie. It was neat to finally understand where that "I'm as mad as hell and I'm not gonna take it anymore" cut scene shown at Rangers games (and every oscar montage) comes from, but the rest of the movie was so so weird. They couldn't decide whose story they really wanted to focus on (i.e. Faye Dunaway vs. Peter Finch vs. William Holden). Plus I came into it thinking the movie was about the shift in network news from the positive to the depressing/grotesque/shocking. That is NOT what the movie was about. It was about a newscaster who went wacko and started preaching on television. Not his "prediction" that news would get darker, as the video's description advertised. Over all, I wouldn't recommend it. Too long, too all over the place. Though interestingly, filled with great talent and HUNDREDS of "that guy"s. Also saw Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, a movie which has been on my list forever. I can't say enough good things about how awesome this movie is, and I won't do it justice unless I do, so I'll just say "If you haven't seen it - see it!" B/c it rules. I repeat the fact that I love love love Michelle Yeoh.

Tried a new recipe too this week which I quite liked. It follows below. I haven't been able to get my act together with weight watchers lately and I can't figure out why. I'm trapped in the horrible cycle of "Feel bad - eat - feel bad - gain - feel bad". But I can't seem to find the motivation to launch myself out of it. It sucks. I put on about 6 pounds between Thanksgiving and New Years, and while I've at times taken parts of it off, they've come right back on the next week for the most part. I guess there's just so many things in my life right now which are unstable and throwing me off balance overall as well as in weight loss. I'm going to be traveling a lot for work in the next 2 months so I think that's contributing to my feeling of intimidation about going back on program. Anyway, enough about that depressing stuff, here's the recipe:

Farfalle with Asparagus in Cream Sauce
Points: 5
Serves: 4

• 4 cup cooked pasta
• 1 cup asparagus
• 1/2 large vidalia onion(s)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/3 cup half-and-half cream
• 1/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp table salt
• 1/8 tsp black pepper
• 4 tsp grated Parmesan cheese

1. Trim the asparagus and chop into 1 inch pieces.

2. Cook the farfalle.

3. While pasta is on, heat olive oil in pan on medium heat. Add onion (finely chopped). Cook till onion is softened, 2-3 minutes.

3. Reduce heat and add broth and half and half. Stir constantly until sauce is reduced by about half, around 10 minutes.

4. Drain pasta, place asparagus on top, and pour sauce over. Toss to cover and top with parmesan cheese.

Nike does it again + Quiz Show

Nike has traditionally been one of the top 10 companies with regard to both expenditure and creative use of advertising dollars. On this note, I have to jump in and say that the ad I saw yesterday (for their new XX2 Air Jordan) captured me so thoroughly I immediately turned on my PC to see if I could find it on youtube and watch it again. However, though youtube does have a copy of it, it's poor quality and can be seen easier here. This ad is genius. Not only does it make use of one of my favorite pieces of all time, Mozart's Requiem (the Lacrimosa movement) it is a very artistically shot piece as well. It uses real looking people in a common situation, but arts it the hell up with some classical music. Love just the concept alone. Also, whoever did the sound editing was very smart. First, the vocals enter the piece just as the opposing team comes out of the shadows to steal the ball. Next, the music is ascending the whole time said opponent is soaring upwards towards the basket, and concludes its theme just as the ball goes in. Then tragedy strikes, felt in the dark overtones of the Lacrimosa. I especially love the shot of the guy ripping his jersey, and the wildcat head rolling on the floor. Great stuff. My only complaint (with the sound editing) is that the transition into Lacrimosa's concluding "Amen" could have been a bit smoother at the end. They sort of cut off the dark buildup before it climaxes. Feels a bit rough. But otherwise, I totally love this ad. A way to merge pop culture with older culture and create something accessible to a wide range of people. Well done, Nike.

On another note, watched "Quiz Show" on Friday nite, and loved it. The ending made me a little sad, I have to say, but what an entertaining movie! I've never been a huge fan of Ralph Fiennes, but I liked him in this. I've never seen "The English Patient" (it's in the queue) which seems to be one of his most loved roles. Though Lord Voldemort might win out by the time the HP movies are finished. The most memorable other things I remember seeing him in were "Red Dragon" which I absolutely hated, and "Schindler's List," which I mean, c'mon, who sits down to watch that on a regular basis? Great movie, but not something you have a strong desire to watch again. Apparently he's in "The Constant Gardener" which is also in my queue. So maybe I'll have to reform my opinion once I see two more with old Ralph. But anyway, back to "Quiz Show." Now there's a movie that's rife with "that-guys." You know, the one's you point at during the movie and go "HEY it's THAT guy!!" For example, Timothy Busfield, totally a that guy. I don't think he even has any lines in "Quiz Show" - maybe one. Same goes for William Fichtner, the Kevin Bacon look-alike who's always turning up in random movies (i.e. Armageddon, Contact, etc.) Actually I'm pretty sure he didn't actually have any lines in this movie, he was just in the background of a lot of shots at NBC. Also, Paul Guilfoyle, who I know mostly from CSI, it was totally random to see him. He played one of the legislative oversight guys, but again, hardly any lines. Anyway, I'm off the point. Crazy full cast, really cool story, very good film.

Good Morning Vietnam

Haha, if you thought I was late on the last one, you'll see I'm really late on this one. Actually, I guess I don't intend to really review this movie, since it's so old. But I did want to go on record as saying I'd finally seen it, and that I quite enjoyed it. There was one thing, though, that I thought was weird. It may be due to the era we live in and that we're so used to scenes of war, or that I've seen quite a few Vietnam movies besides this one (Platoon, Apocalypse Now, Forrest Gump), but I felt like this movie did not really portray the horrific magnitude that said war had. I know that that wasn't really the main focus of the movie. The character of Adrian Chronaur was the main focus, but he was also being used as a metaphor for what was wrong with the whole way we approached the war (I think that was the intent, anyway.) And so if you're going to do that, you have to show something a little more real. I feel like I saw the same 2 cut scenes a hundred times; it was either the one of marines boating through a tributary or the one of marines laying on their Jeeps in the sun listening to the radio. I mean c'mon. The bloodiest the film ever got was the explosion at Jimmy Waa's. Not a real good portrayal of the war. But overall that's my only real complaint. Otherwise, a funny yet poignant movie.

The Departed

Keith and I went to the movies today to see this. And we both liked it, though we disagreed a bit about how it should have ended. My argument was that it ended the only way it could have to leave watchers feeling justified about each character's appropriate ending. Keith wanted certain characters to survive, but mostly for the frivolous reason of thinking we could maybe get a sequel. Anyway, it was a little bloodier than I prefer my thrillers or mob movies, but I lived. And I thought it was an excellent story. And pretty impeccably acted. Even by old Jack (who's getting a little too old to play a badass in my opinion). Stellar supporting turns from Mark Wahlberg and Alec Baldwin (who says my favorite line in the movie - "The patriot act! I love it! I love the Patriot Act!" -- You have to see it to get why it's funny.) And oh man, just like that, btw, all Leo has to do is take his shirt off onscreen and I'm back in Romeo and Juliet la la land where I have a huge crush on his poor soul. Aaaanyway. Weird to see Matt Damon so dark. He was the one character I wasn't entirely convinced with. Every once in a while I felt like he let his acting guard down, and I didn't believe he was that bad.

The movie theater in my town, btw, is really cute. It's only 6 theaters, but they tend to play decent stuff (a mix of popular and art-house), and pretty comfy seats. Small theaters too, but with big screens, making for an up close and personal (but not too close) movie-watching experience. Plus there's a starbucks less than a block away, where Keith and I happily went for a coffee afterwards. Then I made us a yummy dinner, which will be a separate post, because I want to share the recipe!

Oh, also, final note: Keith and I checked out VeryFunnyAds.com today, and holy shit there are some great ones. I highly recommend "Tea Partay" and "Condoms." We were rolling on the floor.

Amelie

I know, I know. I'm about 5 years too late on this movie. But that makes it no less reviewable. Maybe there are others out there like me who missed it the first time, and then the next 25 times people were watching it in the college dorms. Maybe. Anyway, this was a real gem, as many already probably know. I was a little afraid to watch it at first, because of how hyped up it had been from friends. A story about the lives of ordinary people has been the setting for many a movie, but Amelie uses beautiful cinematography and images, and stellar acting, to art-up the seemingly mundane focus. The movie starts with back-story to explain how Amelie got where she is today (on the day that changed her whole life). One thing that I think is weird about Amelie as a character though, is that she grows up from someone who was starved of human contact, to be someone who avoids human contact. I would think that someone deprived of affection, attention, and all that other jazz would be absolutely desperate to seek that kind of connection as an adult (and probably would be seeking it in all the wrong places). But instead, Amelie isolates herself from other people. And they try to explain that to you in a way that it makes sense, but I had a hard time at the start buying into it. I soon realized, however, that I was going to have to buy in to move forward with the story. And it does eventually make sense. Even though she pursues the "album owner" (let's call him, to not spoil it) in a way that is secretive, avoidy, and beat around the bush-like, it's because she really does want human contact but she's afraid of it. All the characters she interacts with in the film are well imagined and interesting. For example, I loved the dude with the tape recorder in the café. And of course, I also loved "the glass man" - how could you not? I also really appreciated some of the creative story-telling techniques used in the movie. Like this: instead of developing a character over a long time by gradually revealing to you their innermost idiosyncrasies, they announce these facts upon the first view of the character. This is Amelie: she enjoys cracking crème brulee with a teaspoon, skipping stones, going for walks in the sunshine, and trying to guess how many people in Paris are having an orgasm at the same time. It's great to have that feeling of intimacy with a character as soon as you meet them. Anyway, to cut this ramble short, it was a lovely film, and comes highly recommended from me and countless others.

The Devil Wears Prada

Note: Semi-spoilers to follow. I love love loved this movie! I can't even tell you! Meryl Streep is a goddess. I love her wig in this movie; I think it's a good look for her. She plays her character so so well. She's cool as a cucumber, only revealing emotion through the most minute and rare gestures or looks, that if you blink, you could miss. Although in the book (apparently, I've never read it) she is a totally unredeemable ice bitch, the movie garners some sympathy for Miranda Priestly through some added plot elements (her divorce) and a more sympathetic take on Andy. Let's talk about Andy. Everyone harped on Anne Hathaway's performance, but I thought she did an alright job. To be honest, her character wasn't the most important character in the story, and the writing reflected that. On the plot, I think it's a little silly that in the end Andy and her beau end up sort of patching things up - I mean he's going to live in Boston for cripes sake. But if the writers really felt the need to tie up the 'romantic' vein of the story line I can't really complain too much, since it didn't affect the main plotline. On another note, the woman who played Emily (what was her name? IMDB, hold on…) - Emily Blunt - she was frickin awesome! She stole every scene she was in (or at the very least, the best lines were written for her!) Some of my favorite scenes were: when Miranda goes on a rant about Andy's "cerulean" (*not blue*) sweater, the scene with Emily and Andy before Andy's interview, the first shopping of the "runway closet" with Andy and Nigel. Some things that bothered me: they did NOT have to make Andy end up a size 4!! The message they're sending there is that she accepts it's totally not okay for her to be a size 6 and that's fuckin ridiculous. Also, the fact that she sleeps with Christian. Anyway, these are mostly minor things. Overall, I thought this was a highly entertaining piece of film, and would suggest a view to any readers who missed it.

Little Miss Sunshine

I really liked this movie. There were a few things that I thought were a little weak about it, but overall I think it featured stellar performances, a clever and entertaining story, and a good time. It's always amazing to me when so many bad things can happen in a movie and yet you're left at the end feeling good, happy, and satisfied. I don't even know which of the actors to rave about first, perhaps Greg Kinnear as the success obsessed (but totally unsuccessful) father who tries to parent out of a book. I thought Toni Collette was also awesome as a totally frazzled, desperate mother, who's willing to show she does NOT have all the answers. Interesting to me that the actors who got the nominations, however, were child actress Abigail Breslin, as Olive (little miss sunshine contender herself) and Grandpa, or Alan Arkin, for his heroin-addicted fuck-em-all grandpa. Craziness. I'm almost still too full of the movie to really give a cogent review. My favorite character might actually have been Dwayne, the son. I've never seen him in anything before, but I thought he did an amazing job. That climactic seen in the van just before they reach the pageant. Whew. And he and Steve Carell achieve a great dynamic together. Although one of their scenes is one of my complaints. I felt like that scene on the dock was also supposed to be sort of a climax, not so much for Dwayne or Frank, but representing the whole family's attitude change. And I thought the script (for such an important point in the film) was actually rather weak. "Fuck beauty contests. Life is just a long series of beauty contests." I'm not sure I think that quite sums it up. But maybe I misunderstand the point of the scene and it is just more Dwayne resolution. Anyway, the movie was great. Go see it if you haven't yet.