Work In Progress III

I couldn't resist working on this piece again before hitting the sack. A few thing are bothering me about this, but for the most part I'm very happy with it so far. If you have seen my other work, you've noticed that I steer clear of hands. I focus primarily on the face because that is what I know how to draw. I'm moving out of my comfort zone w/ this one and attempting to tackle hands.

I have an approach to drawing the face that seems to work really well for me. I work from the inside out. I start w/ the typical oval shape and draw lines where the features should be. But then, very lightly, I do a rough sketch of the skull and eyeballs. I was originally taught the technique by a professor during my freshman year in college; however, it was only taught to help draw eyes better. I love to draw eyes, and this really helps to ensure that it turns out more realistic. Anyway, I figured if it works for the eye, maybe it would help me w/ the rest of the face. And it really does. I work w/ the paper at a tilt, somewhere between portrait and landscape, and it used to be far more evident in my work. With this technique, though, I tend to catch it before I really start drawing.

Anyway, take a look at the progress I've made and feel free to leave me a comment. I appreciate constructive criticism.

Work In Progress II

I got off of work early today in a failed attempt to get my traffic ticket dropped, so I've taken the free hour before I head off to dinner w/ friends to work some more on my new piece.

Work In Progress

I had determined who I wanted to draw last evening; however, I couldn't find a picture I wanted to use. Luckily, a co-worker had some back issues of a magazine at her desk, so I rummaged through them until I found the one. Has anyone ever read Bee Season? I felt like Miriam a little. Not really knowing what I'm after, but drawn to it nonetheless. Eh, enough of my ramblings.

This is a result of an hours work. As you can tell, there is plenty more that needs to be done. I still have to finish drawing in the mouth, jaw and hands before I can really get into shading, etc. I'm really working on keeping myself occupied and my mind busy, so I'm going to force myself to work on this as often as possible. I'll post my progress periodically. Oh, and bonus points if you can already tell who this is.

Virtual Insanity

My boy Blake Lewis did it again this week. By far the best performance of the night. Of course, I may be a little biased. In seriousness, though, he seems to be the most comfortable on stage and he definitely has a funky little attitude. Here he is performing/beatboxing Jamiroquai's Virtual Insanity on American Idol earlier this evening:

Put Your Records On 07.10

I recently came across a song called Robot Song by Margaret Berger. I was hesitant to even give it a chance based on the name. How good could it be, right? It was actually pretty good considering it's a guilty pleasure pop song about being in love w/ a robot. It made me interested in hearing the rest of her album, Pretty Scary Silver Fairy. The rest of the album is just as dancey, popish and guilt inducing...but oh so good. It's nice to just get up and dance to a fun pop song some times, and most of the tracks here make me want to do just that.

Bio: Margaret Berger was the runner-up in the second season of Norwegian Idol. She actually didn't place in the finals initially, but got a second chance when she received wild card placement. Pretty Scary Silver Fairy is her second album.

Download the album from



Artist: Margaret Berger
Album: Pretty Scary Silver Fairy
Song: Seek I'll Hide

Pretty Things In Life

I normally avoid these types of postings, but I keep seeing Diego Luna pop up everywhere. He's just too cute!

Artist's Block

I had dinner with a friend this evening, and afterward I felt this sudden urge to draw. However, my room has been quite the mess since my roommate moved in. I've been procrastinating. That changed tonight, though. If I wanted to do work, then I had to do some spring cleaning. I cleared off and reorganized my shelfs and cleared off my second desk. Of course, now I have the other desk left with a bunch of crap on it, but I'll tackle that this week. I wanted to to do at least enough to get started on a new piece.

This is where I'm stuck. Unless I'm drawing comics, I don't enjoy drawing from memory. It's more of a challenge for me if I can copy a photograph. At least in my early stages of attempting to recapture and hone my skills. The downside of this is that I can never find any picture. Just as I am with my guys, I am very particular about what I want to draw. I prefer professional photography of a female. Although I really do need to work on drawing a male every now and then, I know my strength is in the female form. Of course, my problem tonight is that I can't find a damn thing to draw. Ugh. Oh well, I will go to Borders or something tomorrow after the gym and peruse the magazines in hopes that something will catch my eye. In the meantime, I guess I should just be happy that my room is a little less cluttered. Or at least that it appears to be.

Oh Lordy Jesus!

Watch out, it's Sally Kirkland! Believe it or not, this monstrosity actually hit the red carpet last night at the Oscars. It looks like she's about to sail away. Since I'm not the least bit witty, I'll leave this up to you guys to caption.

She reminds me of Ursula, the villian from Disney's The Little Mermaid....

And The Oscars Went To

Let me start by saying that I think Ellen did an amazing job. I’d be delighted if they brought her back next year. In a night full of surprises, none was more shocking than having a host that was consistently (and seemingly effortlessly) hilarious.

As I mentioned, there were a lot of surprises. The biggest upset for me was Pan’s Labyrinth losing out to The Lives Of Others in the Best Foreign Film. I also expected Cars to easily nab the Best Animated Film category. Honestly, I was not at all impressed with Happy Feet. I also fully expected Dreamgirls to at least be honored with Best Original Song, although, honestly, the votes were divided amongst three songs.

Ultimately, though, the big winner of the evening was The Departed, which swooped up four awards (more than any other). And despite not winning Best Foreign Film, Mexico’s Pan’s Labyrinth still won in three categories (which was second only to The Departed). Overall, the awards were spread out nicely, with all Best Picture nominees snagging at least one award. It was nice to not have one film dominate every category.

As for my predictions, I got all but one correct. In my defense, though, I did say that I thought Alan Arkin should win, but almost doesn’t count now does it? Overall, I only correctly guessed 12 of the winners, which was off from last year when I predicted the wins in 14 categories. Here’s a breakdown of the big winners:

The Departed: 4 Wins
Best Picture
Best Director
Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Editing

Pan’s Labyrinth: 3 Wins
Best Cinematography
Best Art Direction
Best Make-Up

Little Miss Sunshine: 2 Wins
Best Supporting Actor
Best Original Screenplay

An Inconvenient Truth: 2 Wins
Best Documentary
Best Original Song

Dreamgirls: 2 Wins
Best Supporting Actress
Best Sound Mixing

The Queen: 1 Win
Best Actress

The Last King Of Scotland: 1 Win
Best Actor

Oscar Predictions, Part III

These last two predictions are more locks than anything, which is why I didn't really write about the other performers. The King and Queen seem poised to rule the evening...or at least these two categories.

Best Actor
Leonardo DiCaprio, Blood Diamond
Ryan Gosling, Half Nelson
Peter O’Toole, Venus
Will Smith, The Pursuit Of Happyness
Forest Whitaker, The Last King Of Scotland

It seems that this category is down to two front runners, O’Toole and Whitaker. The latter seems likely to take home the trophy, much like he has at just about every other awards ceremony this season. These are the two performances that I have yet to see, so I can’t really comment. However, I think if O’Toole wins, it won’t be for his performance.

My prediction: Forest Whitaker

Best Actress
Penelope Cruz, Volver
Judi Dench, Notes On A Scandal
Helen Mirren, The Queen
Meryl Streep, The Devil Wears Prada
Kate Winslet, Little Children

As if I even needed to bother…they should already have Mirren’s name on the Oscar. I have no doubt that Helen will walk home with the top prize. Despite all of the buzz and pre-Oscar awards handed out to her, there hasn’t been the usual backlash. Why? Cause her work speaks for itself. It’s a rather dull movie, but her performance is dead on. This is her year (although I would love to see Volver honored).

My prediction: Helen Mirren

Drunk Post

I'll be honest with you, as I'm writing this, I've had a little bit to drink. It is 2:45 a.m. and I'm just getting home from a night out with friends. I had a rough day, but only because I let something/someone get to me. But I turned that around this evening. I met some friends out for a much needed drink. Okay, several drinks.

There was this guy that I was eyeing Sunday night...okay, I had my eye on him several months ago but it took several months for me to see him again. It takes me a while to build up enough nerve to go talk to cute guys, so, as usual, by the time I was ready he ended up leaving. However, I knew that he was interested, cause he waved as he was leaving. Of course, I was a little bored today so I did a search on MySpace and I found him. I messaged him, and thank God I did. As I was out having drinks with a friend this evening, he showed up. After eyeing each other for a few minutes, we introduced ourselves. He mentioned that he was kind of on a date but that he thought I was extremely cute. I told him that I had messaged him on MySpace and to just follow up with me there.

Of course, we strolled over to the Latin bar a little while later and I caught the eye of this very cute Mexican. He was trying to act all tough w/ his bandana and stuff, but he proved to be quite the softie. He's definitely more masculine than the other guy, but I just don't know. However, maybe my uncertainty means he's the better one to go with. I tend to pick guys that aren't necessarily right for me. Then again, I've always wanted someone older than me and this guy is younger by three years. I never let stuff like that stand in my way, though. oooh, I just don't know. I guess maybe I will find out later today if both of them contact me like they said they would. :)

The best thing about both of them, though, is that they are single! Hard to believe, I know.

Leaving So Soon

Despite the lackluster episodes that have aired recently, I still love me some Grey's Anatomy. However, what I hate is when a successful show removes an integral character (even if they are a supporting character) to showcase them in a spin-off. Actually, this happened on the last show I was highly addicted to, Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Granted, I didn't care too much for Angel, but I loved Cordelia and the love/hate relationship w/ Xander.

Now Addison (Kate Walsh) may just be transplanted into her own series. A two hour Grey's special, co-starring Taye Diggs, is set to air in May and will most likely lead to a spin-off. I guess I should be happy that it at least has Grey's series creator/writer Shonda Rhimes in charge. I just wonder how this will affect the dynamic of Grey's. Actually, the whole subplot between Addison and intern Alex possibly having a romance can totally be thrown out the window. Unless, like w/ Angel, they remove more than one character. Lets hope this doesn't turn into another franchise happy series like CSI or Law & Order.

Put Your Records On 07.09

Lavender Diamond is an indie-pop band based in Los Angeles. Fronted by Becky Stark, they have a very retro-vibe that is light-hearted and fun. Case in point, their new single, Open Your Heart, is romantic, simple and sweet.

They signed with Matador Records last year, but, up until that point, had self-released their work. Their new album is Imagine Our Love and should drop in early May.

Artist: Lavender Diamond
Album: Imagine Our Love
Track: Open Your Heart

Oscar Predictions, Part II

Best Supporting Actress
Adriana Barraza, Babel
Cate Blanchett, Notes On A Scandal
Abigail Breslin, Little Miss Sunshine
Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls
Rinko Kikuchi, Babel

The front runner for all of awards season has been Jennifer Hudson. As the big day approaches, I’m becoming less certain that she has a lock on this race. She has won nearly every award leading up to the big one, she took a supporting role and made it feel like a lead by stealing every scene she’s in and nearly all of the buzz behind this movie has been fueled by her performance. I think all that hype is what may be her downfall. As I said, she’s won almost all the awards up until now, so the Academy may choose to honor another actor. Think about this: Brokeback Mountain was the odds on favourite last year until Crash swooped in.

So who do I think may just steal Hudson’s thunder? Adriana Barraza – for her harrowing performance in Babel. I posted about her a few months back after I saw the film and stated that she deserved to be recognized. She endured brutal physical conditions and put her life in jeopardy for this role. It paid off in the form of a nomination. But five months down the line, I’m still just as moved by that performance. If anyone stands a chance of swiping the award from under Hudson’s feet, it’s definitely her.

Barraza’s co-star, Rinko Kikuchi, gave a haunting performance, as well. She spoke volumes without uttering nearly a single word. I remember cringing during her scenes. Not because her acting was poor, but because it was so well that I actually felt for her character. While no doubt an extraordinary performance, I don’t see this winning her an Oscar. I do; however, see it hurting Barraza’s chances since they are nominated for the same film.

As for Abigail Breslin, I think the nomination is her award. Yeah, she gave an exceptional performance, but I feel like there isn’t enough buzz to push her to a win. And last but not least, Cate Blanchett won in this category two years ago for a better performance. Granted, she’s brilliant in everything she does, but this was definitely a more subtle role. Besides, I think Notes… is more Judi’s film.

My prediction: Jennifer Hudson (will win); Adriana Barraza (should win)

Best Supporting Actor
Alan Arkin, Little Miss Sunshine
Jackie Earle Haley, Little Children
Djimon Hounsou, Blood Diamond
Eddie Murphy, Dreamgirls
Mark Wahlberg, The Departed

Eddie Murphy seems to have the edge in this category, although I’m still at a loss as to why. It was an okay performance in my opinion, but most people I’ve talked to can’t seem to stop talking about how great it was. Honestly, while I didn’t enjoy the film all that much, I think Alan Arkin should win out over Eddie. He made his unlikable character likable, something Eddie wasn’t capable of doing (in my opinion).

The other nominees really aren’t in the running for the big win, as far as I’m concerned. Wahlberg wasn’t on screen nearly enough. While Judi Dench snagged a Best Supporting Actress award for her performance in Shakespeare In Love on eight minutes of screen time, she stole every scene she was in. Hers are still my favourite in that film. Wahlberg didn’t steal any scenes or make enough of an impression to go all the way, but, then again, that hasn't stopped the Academy in the past. As for Haley and Hounsou, I haven’t seen the movies they are in, but I haven’t heard enough buzz about them to make me think they can sneak in a win.

My prediction: Eddie Murphy (will win), Alan Arkin (should win)

And You, And You, You're Gonna Love Me!

And we did gurl!

When American Idol said LaKisha Jones would be back after the commercial break with a show stopper, I chuckled. Mostly because the majority of the other girls were horrendous. I can't be blamed for assuming the worst, especially considering this was the first I've seen of any of the girls. And damn if I wasn't blown away. This girl brought the mutha fuckin' house down singing the anthem And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going. She let it be known she has talent, but lets just hope she's not a one night wonder.

Let the inevitable Jennifer Hudson comparisons begin...

Oscar Predictions, Part I

In anticipation of the Oscars this Sunday, I have decided to try my hand at predicting the winners. Today I’m focusing on Best Picture and Best Director.

Best Picture
Babel
The Departed
Letters From Iwo Jima
Little Miss Sunshine
The Queen

This is by far the category most difficult to predict, as there is no clear front runner. I was initially leaning toward Babel, if only for the fact that it is the only one that seems to meet all the necessary requirements for this award. With inter-weaving storylines on a global scale, lots of pain and suffering and solid performances, it seemed poised for the top prize from the get-go. However, it seems most voters don’t have much a soft spot for it and everyone I've talked to finds it far too depressing. I’m still rooting for this film, but I feel it has probably grown a little stale and is being edged out by…

Little Miss Sunshine. The little indie movie that could. While I honestly didn’t enjoy this film as much as I expected to considering all the buzz it has been garnering since its release, there is no doubt that its momentum has been building. It nabbed the SAG award for best ensemble and the Writer’s Guild award for original screenplay. It’s also the brightest of the bunch, as the remaining four nominees have much darker and more serious tones. While the Academy does tend to favor dramas in this category, they occasionally reward lighter fare (i.e. - Shakespeare In Love).

And The Departed. This highly intense (and graphic) action film boasts an incredible cast, a tight script and a director at the top of his game. And while not always a factor, it’s by far the most popular having grossed more than $130 million domestically. Of course, some might consider simply honoring the director.

The two remaining films, Letters from Iwo Jima and The Queen, are still contenders (obviously), but don’t pose too much of a threat to the other three. The Queen is more a vehicle for it’s leading lady, Helen Mirren. While it is the freshest amongst the nominees, the last minute entry Letters… doesn’t seem to have the necessary momentum needed.

My prediction: w/ a slight edge, The Departed

Best Director
Clint Eastwood, Letters From Iwo Jima
Stephen Frears, The Queen
Alejandro González Iñárritu, Babel
Paul Greengrass, United 93
Martin Scorsese, The Departed

If Scorsese doesn’t win, it’ll be the major upset of the evening (yes, even more than if Jennifer Hudson loses). A return to form not only won over moviegoers, and despite claims that this was never intended to be an awards contender, it managed to wind up with five nominations overall. Unless he's doomed to forever be a bridesmaid, it's about time the Academy honor this man. And with one of his finest works to date, it's perfect timing.

My prediction: If you weren't able to figure it out, Martin Scorsese

Be Good Or Be Gone

I tuned into American Idol last night for a few minutes because I had about ten minutes before Boston Legal came on. Or so I thought. I normally download the show, so I didn’t know that it actually came on at 9 p.m. and not 8 p.m. That’s beside the point. My point is, I watched one performer, Blake Lewis, and, well, I must admit to having a little crush on this boy. I’m not normally into blondes (even if it’s fake), but his face is adorable. The jaw, that nose and those tattoos. Yummy! Is he the next American Idol? I have no idea. But I do know that I'll be tuning in as long as he keeps doing well enough to not get voted off.

Crazy

Over the weekend I received calls from my sister and step-father. Both acted as though they were just calling to chat, but I knew it was just my mother trying to check up on me. A couple months ago, I politely asked my mother if she could refrain from text messaging me on a daily basis. It had really gotten out of hand. She would text me several times throughout the day, every day. She'd even tag on "you don't need to reply" on some, but then text me a few minutes later asking why I never responded. I literally had to check in with her every day to let her know that I was alive. So I put an end to it.

So, apparently, she told my sister that she had a dream that I died, so she needed her to find out if I was still alive. Then her friend passed, so she again had my sister follow up with me to see if I was still alive. Seriously? I understand she cares about me, but there's a limit. Most people don't understand and think she's cute, but that changes once you have to put up w/ it on a regular basis.

Love Is A Losing Game

I’ve been riding on a high since the start of the year, so it would seem appropriate that things would start slowing down. These past few days, while I’ve still been in great spirits, I have been feeling a little depressed. I’m in good spirits as long as I keep myself busy. Sad when I slow down. Eh, that’s what happens when you have boy trouble.

This past weekend I ran into someone I’ve known for a while, but that I rarely get to see due to his busy schedule. I’ve had a thing for him since the moment that I met him, but he was so gorgeous (in my opinion) that he couldn’t possibly be interested in a relationship w/ me. I was wrong. And I learned that I missed my chance to be with him a few months ago. He had told me to call him so we could get together, but I didn’t. It’s a long story as to why I didn’t call him, but I’m kind of really regretting that I didn’t call him. I’m not saying it would have worked out, but it definitely would have been worth a shot.

Sigh….I’m off to bed.

T.M.I.

Last night at the gym I was watching CNN (or one of the other news channels, it's all they display) while doing my cardio. Apparently, peanut butter is the new contimanited product to watch out for. More than 300 people in 39 states have been infected w/ salmonella, w/ the majority of them being hospitalized. Yada yada yada. I didn't really give it a second thought because I don't consume much peanut butter and I definitely don't purchase the brand(s) affected.

A few minutes ago, I'm working and minding my own business when a co-worker enters the set of pods next to mine. We have an open office environment, so low walls means you can hear and see way too much stuff. You also can't hide too well. but I digress. This co-worker walked up to her group and announces that she had purchased tainted peanut butter. My first moment of disbelief is that she purchased six pounds of it. That's more than my dog weighs. Okay, most things weigh more than my dog does, but still. Six pounds? Seriously? I won't mention that she is overweight...oops, I just did. I mean, if she's buying six pounds of peanut butter, then I can only imagine what other unnecessary items are being purchased in pounds. Again, I digress.

So she walks up to the group and says, "Well, I got the tainted peanut butter. And I'll tell you what, I had a bout of it up here yesterday." So this "it" she is referring to having a bout of is diarrhea. Yeah, I really didn't want to hear about her bowel movements so early in the morning, I mean, I haven't even had my morning cup of coffee yet. But wait, she doesn't stop there. She keeps going on at length. I'll spare you the details, but it involved phrases such as "I was in there for a while" and "I thought I was going to die." This was all said nonchalantly. I think it's great that she feels like she can be so open with the people, but there's a limit to what people can stomach (pardon the pun).

Put Your Records On 07.08

While I don’t typically enjoy listening to Christian music, I have been known to enjoy the occasional track whose message is a bit ambiguous. I’ll admit to enjoying a few offerings from the likes of Bebo Norman, Jars of Clay and Newsboys. As long as it’s mainstream enough and doesn’t necessarily reference God, I’ll give it a chance.

I kept seeing Mat Kearney’s name pop up a few places, so I decided to look him up and give his music a listen to. Turns out he’s a Christian artist that has managed to hit the mainstream thanks to a little assist from Grey’s Anatomy playing a couple of his tracks. He’s actually not all that bad, despite faux rapping in a few of the tracks. I took a liking to Where We Gonna Go From Here, which, coincidentally, is the first track that Grey’s played. You may purchase his album via


And it doesn't hurt that he is a little easy on the eyes...

Artist: Mat Kearney
Album: Nothing Left To Lose
Track: Where We Gonna Go From Here

Thursday

Valentine’s Day is over and I feel much better. The week is almost over and I’m looking forward to the weekend. I’ll be keeping myself busy with Body Worlds, a birthday party (for a friend) and, what I’m most excited about, I’ll get to see my (at the moment) favourite band Of Montreal! To top it all off, I won’t have to go into work on Monday due to President’s Day. Granted, I will be on call, so I’ll most likely have to field some calls, but I’ll get additional comp time for working on the holiday. In between all of that, I may just squeeze in a visit w/ B.

Alright, back to work…

Just Friends

I have been in a foul mood since Monday, and I just figured out why last evening. It’s Valentine’s Day! Today started off okay. I was doing fine until my co-worker made a huge deal over me not going out on Valentine’s.

Co-worker: “Are you going out for Valentine’s?”
Me: “No.”
Co-worker: “Why not?”
Me: “Because I do not have a Valentine.”
Co-worker: “Why not?”
Me: “Because I just don’t.”
Co-worker: “But why not?”
Me: “…”
Co-worker: “I thought you and your friend (gestures at a picture of me and a friend I have sitting on my desk) would be doing something”
Me: “He’s just a friend”
Co-worker: “Why?”
Me: “Cause he’s just a friend”
Co-worker: “Well why aren’t you going out and doing anything then?”

Seriously? Seriously! I finally just turned around, put my headphones on and resumed working. I heard a “Sorry” out of her a few moments later. Was that whole conversation even necessary?

I know I shouldn’t get bent out of shape over this day, but it’s difficult not to. If your single (and not by choice), it’s SHOVED down your throat that you are alone. And, when you’ve never had a Valentine, it gets a little old after a while.

Alright, I’m being bitchy and it is kind of really pathetic. lol.

It's Insaaaaanity!!!

I’m not much in the writing mood and I didn’t take any pictures, so visit Adam’s, Brett's and/or Darin’s blog(s) to get an idea of the weekend.

I'll probably post tomorrow. Once I've had some sleep.

The Dark Of The Matinee

The Academy Awards are coming up soon, but I’ve noticed that not one of them appears to be a front runner. There’s no Brokeback Mountain, Titanic or Lord Of The Rings to get people really interested in the event. Maybe there would be more excitement if they had honored Dreamgirls with a nod. Nevertheless, I’m not the only one who has noticed this lack of enthusiasm.

In an attempt to attract some interest in the Oscars this year, AMC Theatres is running a Best Picture Showcase. For $30 you can get a pass to see all five Best Picture nominees: Babel, The Queen, The Departed, Letters From Iwo Jima (pictured) and Little Miss Sunshine. On top of that, you apparently get all the popcorn and soda you can scarf down. While this sounds like a good way to get people to see these films, I can’t imagine devoting twelve (12) hours of my weekend to sitting in a movie theatre. I’d rather do so in the comfort of my home. Who knows, though, it may just work. So, if you haven’t seen any of the films and have the time, then you should probably check this out.

In Memoriam

Anna Nicole Smith (1967-2007)

Down In Fraggle Rock

After watching Return To Oz and The Dark Crystal over the past couple of days, I'm feeling rather nostalgic. A while back, I heard that they may be making a feature length film version of Fraggle Rock, my favourite television series (aside from Golden Girls) when I was growing up. I just googled it and it looks like it's on track for a possible 2008/2009 release. I can't wait!

Consolation Prizes

I had a half day yesterday and ended up spending it hanging out with B. As is always the case when I get to see him, it was a lot of fun. I finally met his sister, who is just as sweet as the rest of the family, and her two beautiful little girls. Another friend of his was up visiting, as well, so we spent pretty much the entire day playing Wii. His friend had never even heard of the game system before, so we had fun introducing her to it. Of course, now she wants one.

She (lets refer to her as MG) and I ended up playing Trauma Center, which proved to be highly addictive. For those who are not familiar w/ this game, it’s basically a grown up version of Operation. You have to do things like cut people open, remove tumors and glass shards and stitch them back up. As I said, it’s fun and addictive. Unfortunately, MG was far better than I was. Then again, she had the opportunity to attempt her surgeries more than once. Eh, she’d still probably be better than me at it. Haha.

As for B, I haven’t had any alone time with him to talk to him about our situation. After thinking things over on my way home yesterday, I have decided to back off. Romantically, that is. I don’t want to complicate his life any more than it already is, and, besides, he really needs a friend more right now. Maybe once this whole mess is over with, he will come to his senses and realize what a catch I am (and very modest, too). Lets hope, for his sake, that I’m still available when he does finally come to his senses.

I know some people have been skeptical about my interest in him, but he’s a genuinely big-hearted and sweet man…despite the “drama”. I know that I don’t really know him very well ( considering we’ve only been hanging out now for a little over a month), but I’m a very good judge of character. Besides, I can think of a few other people in my life that I have been “warned” to stay clear of that have turned out to be incredible friends. Then again, I also know that the people warning me are trying to make sure I don’t get hurt and are not necessarily meaning to judge the person.

On a side note, my arms are extremely sore today. I can barely raise them. I missed out on the gym last night, but plan on going after work today to work my legs. Then I’ll go back Friday to work out my arms (which are sore from working out my chest on Monday). I’m so pumped for this weekend. Darin and Brett will both be in town, so this weekend I will (hopefully) be heavily intoxicated!

Put Your Records On 07.07

Julieta Venegas is a Latin Grammy winning Mexican singer/songwriter. A friend introduced me to her a few months ago, as she is one of his favourites. It’s taken me a while to warm up to her, but now I'm quite fond of her, too. This track is from her Grammy nominated album Limón y Sal, and features Chilean singer Anita Tijoux.

Singer: Julieta Venegas feat. Anita Tijoux
Album: Limón y Sal
Track: Eres Paras Mi

Work It Out

In an effort to live a healthier life and, more importantly, make sure that my $45/month gym membership doesn’t go to waste, I joined Adam at our gym last evening. While I have been a member of a couple gyms in the past, I have never really had a decent work out. This is attributed to leaving it up to myself to come up with a workout plan, which is not wise on my part. Then again, I’m not particularly wise to begin with. Thankfully, though, Adam stepped in and, for the first time, I actually enjoyed a work out.

I’ve always been intimidated by the free weights. Not so much because I don’t know how to use them properly (which I don’t), but because I don’t want to look like the fool I am in front of all the other people at the gym who do know what they are doing…or at least appear to. Now I am far more inclined to use them.

So fast forward to earlier this morning when my two alarms are going off. While not as sore as I will surely be tomorrow morning, I was pretty damn sore. My elbows, in particular. Now, I don’t think that this was due to working out, as they were sore when I woke up Monday morning (and had not worked out the previous evening). What I do think is that the workout intensified the pain and made it last longer. Yesterday, the pain wore off by the time I left for work. Today, though, the pain is just now beginning to subside. Hopefully I can determine what I’m doing in the course of the night to cause this pain.

Tomorrow is a half day for me, as a couple weeks ago a co-worker and I were left by ourselves for a day. Since our boss should have been in and elected not to, she wanted to do something nice for us as it turned out to be a particularly busy day. I’m going to head up to visit B for the afternoon. Hopefully this time there won’t be so many distractions and I can build up the courage to have a much needed discussion with him. We shall see. That evening, one of my favourite people, Jorge, is coming in to town for business. It’s hard to believe it, but, through the power of MySpace, we have known each other for about three years now. However, we only met for the first time around a year ago. It’s one of those rare instances where you’ve barely spent any time with someone, but when you are together it seems like you’ve been close friends for years.

Alright, my lunch break is nearing an end, so I have to wrap this up. Adios!

Weekend Update

It’s Monday morning and I am at work. I’m normally just rolling out of bed at this time, but I’m on a different schedule this week. I hate waking up at 5:45 a.m., but, on the plus side, I get to leave here at 4 p.m. So it balances out.

My weekend was anything but exciting. I sat at home Friday evening and watched Return To Oz. It was one of my three favourite movies while growing up (the other two being Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal), and I was surprised that it is still a great film. I think the best thing about it is that there are very few, if any, CGI effects. That’s the problem with most movies these days, everything is CGI. It was great reliving an old favourite.

I drove up to visit B on Saturday. We hung out w/ his family and played Wii. I adore his family (all that I’ve met – there’s still a sister I haven’t been introduced to). Again, like with B, I’m more relaxed around them than some people that I have known for years. As for B, I have no idea what he wants from me. My intentions were to have a talk with him, but we never really had time to ourselves. I tried once unsuccessfully. I asked him how much of my blog he had read, but the conversation didn’t get any further than that. Since he has read my blog, he obviously knows my feelings are more romantic than platonic. It needs to be addressed soon, though, as I'm finding myself falling more for him. I’m fairly certain of how things will turn out, but I’d rather know for sure than to sit on it any longer.

Since I ended up staying over at B’s (before you think it, no, nothing happened, I was merely too tired to drive the hour + to get home and we slept in separate bedrooms), I had to wake up early to get home and tend to Zadie. I had trouble sleeping during the night as I wasn’t in my bed, so I tried to get some more zzzz’s in when I got home. I wasn’t successful, so I ended up having brunch with a friend. He came back to my flat and we watched The Object Of My Affection. I love this movie and have had a huge crush on Paul Rudd since I first saw it in the theatre. He’s adorable!

B’s boyfriend (a friend of mine for a couple years) invited me up to his house to watch the Super Bowl, but I ended up passing on that. Aside from being uncomfortable around him considering I like his boyfriend, I wouldn’t have known anyone else there and I hate football. It’s also a long drive and I was honestly too tired. I ended up having a quick bite to eat with my roommate and then calling it a night. I drifted off to sleep watching Failure To Launch. It was surprisingly cute.

Which brings us to today, which I already covered. Alright, it’s time to get back to work!

Come On Chemicals

It's one of the more random videos I have seen, but, it's Of Montreal so I love it. Check out the video for the first single from their just released album, Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?. The track is called Heimdalsgate Like A Promethean Curse.

Top Chef

I didn't want to like Bravo's Top Chef, but I ended up getting sucked into it one day when there was nothing else on television. It's formula is similar to Project Runway (same producers, I think). The contestants have a quick fire challenge to start, and, at least up toward the end, the winner receives elimination for the main challenge. Whoever made the worst dish for the main challenge would be asked to, "pack [their] knives and leave." Throughout the show I was rooting for Ilan Hall (the cute one, in my opinion - and even more so w/ his glasses), a 24 y.o. chef in NYC that specializes in Spanish cuisine. While I haven't had a chance to catch the finale yet, I was pleased to find out that he won the second season of the series. I can't wait to see what he made for the finale.

Mooninites Attack!

A recent guerilla marketing campaign for the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theatres caused quite a stir in Boston. Images of Mooninites Ignignokt and Err were put up around Boston (and several other cities across the nation) a couple weeks ago and (at least in Boston) were mistaken as bombs. Not quite. They were lite brites, but thought suspicious due to electrical tape and wires coming out of the back. So far, two arrests have been made in what is being referred to as a "bomb hoax," despite that not being the intention. Read more about it here.

Seriously, this all sounds absolutely ridiculous to me.

Put Your Records On 07.06 - Right Hand In A Trench Coat

I’ve had a constant headache since Monday, which, coincidentally, is the day I gave up my favourite (and highly caffeinated) drink at Starbucks. That’s why I haven’t really been up to posting this week. Anyway, take a listen to one of my favourite tracks at the moment. It’s from the French band Phoenix. Their latest album, It’s Never Been Like That, has gone relatively unnoticed since it’s release last May, and I’m confused as to why. The entire album is fantastic and mainstream accessible. Oh well, all I can do is help spread the word in hopes they’ll eventually catch on. If you like this song, you should consider purchasing the album here.

Artist: Phoenix
Album: It’s Never Been Like That
Track: Napoleon Says