dos reviews

i went to see two movies on my two days off in a really long time, well, at least it feels like it! first, a prairie home companion, which was decent. the movie is actually a pretty tiny movie, mostly it feels like a character study in a way. i mean the whole movie is driven by the characters and their eccentricities, and not really the story itself. luckily, all the actors, save lindsay lohan, were up to the task. it's not that lohan was horrible, i just think any other starlet could've done the job as well. i don't listen to the radio show, but i enjoyed watching the various show performers and listening to good midwestern-style music.

the second movie was pure indulgence - the lake house with my friend p. yes, keanu reeves and sandra bullock in a romantic drama. i actually had few expectations for the movie, just wanted to see both of them, but it actually surprised me. if you're able to suspend disbelief and accept the reality the movie offers, it was a cute story. those two definitely have chemistry which is why i wish they were on screen together more. there were some moments where keanu pulled out all his signature ticks and moves, which made me laugh, but a good movie nonetheless.

next up perhaps... the non-man wonder himself, superman returns

oh johnny boy

i've been a not-so-secret admirer of john cusack for years now, and yesterday the man turned 40. happy birthday! i'm sure you all know, but lloyd dobbler is perhaps the greatest romantic hero of all time - who could resist the gloves, the hammer pants, and the trench? but in all seriousness, who could resist a man who realizes he loves the school nerd and drops everything, including a cute nephew, to be with her. anyways, this article encapsulates my love of all things j.c. much better than i have time to do!!

black day

i haven't been able to blog about this, probably cuz it just saddened me too much. agassi announced saturday that he will be retiring after the u.s. open this year. i don't think the news shocked me as much as it truly disheartened me. i was at the final last year vs. federer and i seriously thought he had so much left in him. well, i should say he had all the excitement and thrill of playing, you could just see it in his game.


i don't know if i wrote about it before, but it broke my heart to see him so dejected after the loss. he just went and sat down, covered his head with a towel, and it seemed like, cried all the frustration out. i have to admit, i had tears in my eyes during the award ceremony, because he expressed so much appreciation for the crowd, but also for his recognition of his dwindling competitive days. agassi's been my favorite for years, since his acid-washed denim shorts, bleached straggly hair, one earring and neon shirts days... ahh the memories. my love for him has just increased after seeing him use his celebrity for such good in las vegas. i knew the injuries have been hampering him, but still, the realization that he's at the end kills me because it means the last of the players i grew up watching is hanging up his racquet. well, i wish him the best in his remaining tournaments, hopefully he can spin some magic yet.

universal language

my cabbie two nights ago was also one for the books. he was speaking some sort of south asian language, though i couldn't understand a word of it. all i could decipher - football, world cup, brazil, goal, urgent and "mamu" which could translate as maternal uncle or police perhaps. i think he and whoever he was talking to were maybe arguing over a little side action on the world cup results of the day. either way, i had a great time trying to figure out the point of the conversation... what else are you going to do on your way to work at 4 a.m.?

i admit it, i've got it

world cup fever that is. i'm addicted. it all started last week, i just couldn't stop watching for fear that i would miss that one perfect goal. let me just say, in my initial opinion, germany, brazil, argentina and italy are playing very well. brazil and italy have had some rough spots, but all in all, i think they've got a good thing going. i'm not so sure about the americans. they got lucky against italy and at this very moment, they're playing ghana in a do or die situation. i haven't been impressed with their play, for goodness sake, not a single player has put a ball in the net! well, ghana just scored, so they're up one on the americans now... let's see what happens.

but turning to the more important question, who are the hottest players? well, italy has the hottest team overall. seriously, they're gorgeous, AND they're soccer players? c'mon! spain isn't bad, some of the u.s. players aren't shabby, and of course, david beckham, who despite the fact that his voice isn't wondrous, is just too pretty.

what, no entourage?

i saw adrien grenier in the lobby at work monday. in case you don't know, star of entourage and yes, the melissa joan-hart starrer, drive me crazy. he didn't really have anyone with him, just one woman, whom i'm assuming was probably his publicist or assistant. but funnily enough, he looked exactly like he looks on the show, the same clothes - blue dress shirt, striped suit pants and sneakers. curly hair and startling blue eyes. i'm not a huge fan of his, but it was a good start to the day!

cabbie, my cabbie

once again, i attract the weirdest cabbies in the world. coming back from work tonight, i thought i was lucky to get a cab right outside the building... well, the cabbie was some sort of a calypso music aficionado, because he spent the entire ride giving me a cliff notes education on it. in between blaring the music and lowering it so he could yell back at me, i learned about the caribbean, about calypso superstars, about lyrics meanings and how girls dance when they're trying to attract a guy.... no, i'm not lying. why, people, why?

cleveland continued

okay, so i'm finally getting a chance to finish posting about my cleveland roadtrip. sadly, it's been a week and my brain just doesn't remember things like it used to, but luckily, my friends wont get off quite that easily. as usual, time with my friends meant uncovering deep, dark secrets that will always come back to haunt them. exhibit a: jesus cereal.

a. - who likes to pretend she isn't religious - was outed when we discovered her favorite early morning snack: biblically-correct cereal. don't worry, we wont tell your mom!!

we also got to experience the many wonders of cleveland, you could barely turn around without running into another one - yes, i'm talking about midges. these tiny bugs were EVERYWHERE... i'm sure i broke my veggie status more than i care to think about. but we survived - even though i made b. run through a field of them near the rock and roll hall of fame - to actually see what cleveland has to offer: nice restaurants, a cool farmer's market, and the famed nightlife on west 6th street. oh wait, lest i forget, saturday also brought an unforeseen miracle: p. wowing us with her grill skills.


no excuses - now that i know you wont hurt yourself (or kill anyone else) if you come near a fire, i demand a home-cooked meal!!

i was also lucky enough to see one of my best friends from college. u. lives about an hour away and she was wonderful enough to brave missing call - and an overzealous police officer - to visit on saturday night, it was great. all in all, i guess it's unfair to continue calling cleveland "the mistake on the lake" but still, how can one resist?

p.s.: this is my 100th post, i can't believe it!! thanks to everyone for their encouragement and comments - me love feedback, mmm....

cleveland: the road trip

my friends and i decided to finally visit our friend a. out in cleveland this weekend. she moved there a while back, but we have been somewhat slow to accept the idea that there is actually civilization out there. left the city on thursday afternoon, piled up in a crv. three girls in a single vehicle can be an interesting experience, and luckily, we do not disappoint. just to mention a few - my friend b. trying to seduce a trucker by eating strawberries (needless to say, she succeeded). she then went on to say --- "guys, i don't know why, but i think i'm scared of white people...." it was truly hilarious. my other friend p. was busy driving, but did manage to eat animal crackers with dropping them on the floor, quite a feat. luckily for her, i'm a human vaccuum!! more cleveland adventures to come...

gag me

that's the only way to describe my reaction to the overblown, saccharine-filled farewell to katie couric on today yesterday. it truly killed me. disgustingly, i watched the entire thing at work, it was quite sad. like a thousand montages of katie's styles, accomplishments, athletic prowess, dancing skills, goofiness... you name it, they covered it. i don't mind katie couric, i think she made a great morning show host. i think her work to advance colon cancer is remarkable. i just wish that she and her execs would have realized how excessive all of yesterday seemed. i understand maybe devoting the last hour or a part of each hour, but all three hours!! katie actually described it best - ad nauseum

can you spell?

i watched part of the spelling bee at work today.. it's just so cute how nervous/disappointed/ecstatic these kids get. sadly, i knew only one of the words right off the bat - raita. yes, an indian yogurt dish that i've been eating since i was a baby is the only word i knew i knew how to spell... the others were just guesses, not so much educated ones. i love how much attention it all has started to get though. but one question... how was the runner-up a girl from alberta, canada? is that allowed? i don't have anything against the canucks, but isn't this the national spelling bee?