"And the Oscar Goes to..."

Yes...I did stay up to watch the Academy Awards...so I am that shallow. 

I did, however, mute the acceptance speeches or just clicked over to the GREEN channel where they had a mysteries of the bible thing going on about the missing sections of the Christian bible.  That was very interesting, thanks to censuring of early writings by Constantine...or was it Alexander?  Seems there were more "books" to the Christian bible than just the Mark, Luke, John, and Matthew ones.  Religion is such a trippy thing, don't you think?

Anyway, in between my sneezing and coughing (thanks to being at a birthday party filled with six-year-olds...germ factories last week), I found the awards show pretty entertaining.  I liked the pairing of Anne Hathaway and James Franco as hosts, and I think it worked.  Kirk Douglas was amazing...94 years old and still flirting with the ladies, and I liked how they took footage of Bob Hope and worked it into the show with Billy Crystal -- both great hosts.  I think the producers did a decent job of showcasing the younger-vs.-older generations.  While the most of the audience of actors and producers recognized Kirk Douglas, I suspect a lot of the viewing audience -- that 18-49 demographic -- may have been a bit perplexed by his appearance.

I'm glad for Colin Firth, Natalie Portman, and "The King's Speech" and the awards they all won.  So, thanks for the memories...

Ah, Amore in the New York Times

So, Monday was Valentine's Day.  Did you feel the love, I hope?  Did you share the love (but protecting yourself at the same time)? 

In our house, we get ridiculous amounts of cards for each other.  I'm the culprit behind the whole cards thing, and I think it was borne from me standing in a card store and laughing myself silly at all the cards, and buying all those cards.  Even the pets get involved...I know, I know.  I figure they provide a nice history of our lives; my family thinks they provide kindling for a bonfire eventually.

Speaking of love and such, I love getting the weekend New York Times because I love reading the Saturday real estate section...just curious about what is offered and for how much (mamma mia!).  I also like the styles section on Sunday which has all the wedding announcements. 

It is very interesting to see what the newly married couples do for a living -- a load of them are "associates" for this and that firm -- and what their parents do or did for a living.  You get a whole diverse group of folks...from the young 20-somethings...to the 80 and 90-year-old "newlyweds."  It's a trip to read the extended announcements of how Biff and Miffy met and all that.  It kind of gives you hope, especially when you see someone who is considered mature or even elderly, that the globe will continue to spin a bit longer.

When I was a kid, our local newspaper put in what the bride was wearing, along with what the wedding party was wearing.  It kind of gave you a keyhole view into the whole thing.  Now, no one gives except when the Times does one of those bigger stories on a particular couple.  Sometimes, you'll see them (Times) revisit a couple who had been featured in the past...kind of a catch-up on their lives.

The real estate section also provides some personal stories of people searching for the ideal rental or purchase.  It is amazing how much real estate goes for in the Big Apple...yikes.

Anyway, I do read most of the weekend issues, including the New York Times Magazine, but I always hit the real estate and styles sections first.  Don't judge me...okay?

Sting Claims Bing Copied...

OK...this must be just another example of aging, but when I saw that CNN online headline, this is how my mind interpreted it:  Sting (the Police) claims that Bing Crosby copied something from him.  It didn't make sense to me because Bing passed away in 1977, and why would he copy anything from Sting...right?

Turns out, Google apparently had a "sting" operation that ferreted out evidence that the Microsoft search engine Bing copied a lot of programming stuff to mimic the giant Google's application.  oooooohhhh...

In the meantime, people are being blown asunder all over Chicago because of this awful, terrible, PIA storm that most of the country is experiencing.  I haven't seen grass on our yard in weeks.  And, speaking of ferrets, the rodent in Pennsylvania said that Spring will be here soon.  Hellooooo...it's a large rodent...get a grip on your warmth-deprived depraved senses.

I'm going back to studying my Italian...ciao!

Visualizing Spring and Democracy

So, we are in the midst of the biggest storm to hit 30 (or so) states at the same time.  Isn't it just so wonderful living in these historical (hysterical) times? 

Here's a bit of trivia:  cats will play like crazy after they've eaten, and it doesn't matter whether they're inside cats (like our two boys) or outside in the weather (like the ones we try to capture and "fix" from time to time).  My husband and I watched two of them running madly through the snow, jumping each other and just having a blast.  Did you ever notice that snow tends to bring out the playfulness of animals?  Have you gone outside with your dog in the snow only to have him or her run madly stuffing his/her nose into the snow?  Both of our large(er) dogs did that.  The yellow lab loved to run alongside the kids when they were on the toboggan.  Unfortunately, sometimes she was RUN OVER by the toboggan...not the brightest dog, but she loved us.  When it comes to rain, however, animals are not so enthusiastic, and who can blame them, right?

Egypt, in the meantime, has erupted with demonstrations from her citizens who have united to oust their 30-year president.  I'm sorry, if you have a national leader, and he/she are living in a palace, and he/she has been there for that long...isn't it a monarchy (or dictator)?  Good for the people of Egypt.  And, how cool is the army (so far) that it has refused to fire on its people.  You gotta love the hunger for democracy.  And, Jordan has thrown out its governmental officials -- except the top dude who actually did the throwing out -- and is rebuilding its government.  Hopefully, no opportunistic crazy fringe group gets a foot hold over there, and the people truly gain a strong voice.

I have a snow day from college today, and I'm bummed.  I met with my Italian professor yesterday.  What a patient wonderful young woman she is...I almost hugged her when I left her office....it's an Italian thing.  Anyway, I just wanted to make sure that I was (more or less) in line with what her expectations are for the class, and so far so good. 

I'm sure being over 30 (or 40...mamma mia!) years older than my classmates definitely puts me at a disadvantage, but I am still very determined to succeed.  Losing my parents made me feel that I had also lost touch with my Italian heritage.  Along with missing them these past 29 years, I have longed for my Italian roots, and someday would like to visit the country.  Taking Italian will at least give me some foundation to understand and get around...capisco? 

So, here's to Spring/Primavera (tomorrow is Groundhog's Day) and to freedom for all our earthbound brethren.

Ciao!