Now I will proclaim to be a hypocrite and say that Sam and I joined the Netflix bandwagon, (which is obviously what put Hollywood Video out of business).

I’m not sure why we didn’t order Netflix before because apparently you can watch as many movies as you want for around $18 (3 movies out at a time), and you never have to leave the house in your pajamas to get a movie because you’re bored on a Saturday night.

A Few in Our Movie Queue (I think we have 34 total so far):

Funny Face starring Audrey Hepburn
White Squall starring Jeff Bridges
Iron Man starring Robert Down Junior
The Last King of Scotland starring Forest Whitaker
New York, I love you starring Bradley Cooper & Natalie Portman
Atonement starring Keira Knightly & James McAvoy
Eastern Promises starring Viggo Mortensen
The Jane Austen Book Club starring Amy Brennanman
Dean Man Walking starring Sean Penn
The Children’s Hour starring Audrey Hepburn

We’re on a two week trial run. Our first movies arrive tomorrow, and we will most likely keep this service. Netflix recommennds movies to you based on ratings that you give other movies, and some of their recommendations we probably would never have found buried in the aisles at Hollywood Video.

I think I will cancel my Cable and still never leave my couch.

Let me back up for a second and say I am a neat freak – dust bunnies give me anxiety (Sam can attest to this, as I always have a Swiffer in my hand). Littering also makes my blood boil and my blood pressure rise – garbage just makes the earth look messy and cluttered. The pictures from last year’s Tulip fest may have given me a small heart attack (how one can go from beautifully displayed tulips to that mess is insane). We should all want our planet to be clean and beautiful, and I don’t think the rules are that hard to follow.

Well, the other day someone decided to discard their half eaten Friday’s dinner and a plastic Vitamin Water bottle in my flower box. I get that it’s winter and the boxes aren’t overflowing with pretty flowers, but if you had just walked your lazy tush to the other side of my stoop you would see that there was an empty garbage can and a beaten up, blue recycling bin under there for your convenience.

Honestly people – let’s get it together.

Directions: Mix salt solution into pot and pour into nostril, then watch it magically come out other nostril.

Holding the event at the museum is great idea, not only because money is raised and put to good use, but also because a lot of people come to explore the museum when they otherwise would never get to experience something that is in the heart of Albany. Click yellow button to see some of my favorite displays.

A few shots I took this year (sorry I can’t remember the creator’s names):

The third picture is my pick for number one in the whole show, as I thought it was the most creative. Displayed in the “Black Capital: Harlem in the 20s” exhibit, it is a vase wrapped in a newspaper article from the Times Union with the title “A nation’s choice,” blooming red, white, and blue flowers overflow from the top.

If you’ve never been to New York in Bloom you should check it out next February!

Last weekend we were suppose to dog sit for a pug named Motley (yes, Motley). Being a huge animal lover I thought this would be a fun idea and so did Sam, but there was one problem – Miss Molly.

My pooch is a priss and is well known on our block for being one. She has claimed the whole neighborhood and then some. So before a two night slumber party, I decided it would be a good idea for the two pups to meet. Their first date was at our apartment – and Molly claimed her turf by barking incessantly for nearly thirty minutes, and it was decided Mr. Motley would have to stay somewhere else for the weekend.

Then there was a second date at Motley’s house – there was hiding (by Molly) but not as much barking. They ended up playing a bit in the end. So, we thought maybe we could give the dog sitting a try.

7:00- The Drop-Off. Liz and Tom (the pooch’s Aunt and Uncle) drop Motley, his toys, food, and cage off at our house. Then they leave.
7:01 – The Mayhem Begins. Loud barking echoes throughout my apartment. Scolding two dogs with similar sounding names doesn’t work.
7:10 – Potty Time. Motley poops on my lovely Pottery Barn rug and hand-crafted woven rug from Chatham, NY
7:20 – Hide and Seek. My neighbor comes home; my door is open; and Motley escapes upstairs to his apartment.
7:35 – The Cool Down. I finally round them up; put on their leashes; and we’re out the door for a long walk (a good hour at least). The two lovers waddled the whole way in complete harmony. The only time I struggled walking them was when Motley tried to sneak his way closer to Molly.
8:45 – Home base. We’re back to the apartment, but neither dogs are tired yet.
9:40 – The Plea. I text Liz to say the slumber party isn’t going as we hoped.
10 – Naptime. Finally, their eyes slowly start to shut, but dare I get up to eat dinner or go to the bathroom?
10:40- The Pick Up. Liz and Tom come to get the pooch – more barking.
10:45 – Peace. For me, but not for Liz and Tom, who brought the pug back to their house to play with their large playful boxers, Chyna and Oscar (which they were trying to avoid from the beginning).

Liz told her nine year old nephew, Logan (co-owner of Motley), that Molly and Motley broke up. Personally, I think Motley is still in love, and Miss Molly is playing hard to get for now.

I was skeptical from the beginning, but I thought I would give it a try. I hadn’t skated in a long time, and the fact that the skate rentals were a blast from the past didn’t help much either. They looked like something you should wear on the moon – definitely space age material. I wear a size 6 1/2, and they didn’t carry half sizes. So, I tried on size seven – way too big. I went back and the guy handed me a pair of sixes (and at first he gave me two left feet) – I asked the guy if they were kids skates, and he said, “No, they are adults – they are just hard to find now-a-days” – well hello they are from the 80’s.

There was a three year old who was skating better than me (of course she was pushing around buckets twice her size for balance, but they didn’t have any tall enough for me). Anyway I’m blaming my poor skating on the inefficient equipment.

We each bought the special cupcake martini (absolute vanilla vodka with pink cupcake batter garnished with frosting and cotton candy – yum), and we received a coupon for five free Coccadotts cupcakes – plus we were allowed to snack on as many of these little tasty cupcakes as we wanted!!! My camera pictures don’t do the site, taste or smell of these delicous treats justice, but take my word for it – they were a tiny slice of heaven. The counter was littered with mini cupcakes, probably fifteen or more trays – peanut butter cupcakes; carrot cake cupcakes; orange cream cupcakes; red velvet cupcakes; chocolate and mint cupcakes; vanilla with chocolate frosting; chocolate with vanilla frosting – you name it and there was a cupcake – all so beautiful and hand made.

I’m high on sugar now.

Here’s how: Flower and triangle box

Well Mr. Oscar and other Academy Members are very lucky because they get special screenings, free admission to commercial runs of films, and free pre-release DVDs to abet them in seeing the nominated films.

So, what are the rest of average-Joe-citizens supposed to do in order to play along in the voting process of the Academy Awards, especially if we don’t know who is nominated yet?

We listen to the Oscar buzz, and plan every weekend, week night, and social hour around watching movies. For the past three months a few of my girl friends and I have been preparing our Oscar ballots, (and we’ve watched almost every nominated movie together). Here are the movies I’ve watched (and I’m still not done):

A Serious Man*
A Single Man*
Amelia
An Education*
Avatar*
Bright Star
Brothers
Inglorious Bastards*
Invictus*
Julie Julia*
Nine*
Sherlock Holmes*
Star Trek*
The Blind Side*
The Boys Are Back
The Hurt Locker*
The Lovely Bones*
The Messenger*
The Road
The Young Victoria*
Up*
Up in the Air*
Crazy Heart*

*Movie and/or actor(s) actually nominated for an award.

We’re hoping to view all the major categories (i.e. Leading Actor, Supporting Actor, Leading Actress, Supporting Actress, and Best Picture) by March 7, which is when we will have our own Oscar party (minus the Red Carpet).

The most recognized trophy in the world, the Oscar statuette has stood on the mantels of the greatest filmmakers in history since 1929. The trophy is of a knight standing on a reel of film gripping a crusader’s sword, and the film reel features five spokes, signifying the five original branches of the Academy (actors, directors, producers, technicians and writers).

Officially named the Academy Award of Merit, the statuette is better known by its nickname, Oscar. While the origins of the moniker aren’t clear, a popular story has it that upon seeing the trophy for the first time, Academy librarian (and eventual executive director) Margaret Herrick remarked that it resembled her Uncle Oscar. The Academy didn’t adopt the nickname officially until 1939, but it was widely known enough by 1934 that Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky used it in a piece referring to Katharine Hepburn’s first Best Actress win. These Quotes are from the offical Academy Award web page.