Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Happy Hump Day!

So I'm doing some shameless plugging today...

First up...The Fabulous Carolyn Hennesy has just released her 4th book in her teen series about Pandora. (Yep, that Pandora!)


"Pandora Gets Heart" available at Amazon or your local book store. :)

Second, if you are in New York City (Friday), Los Angeles (Saturday), or San Francisco (Sunday), my darling and kooky chickie, Minae Noji's, movie "Bitch Slap" is having sneak previews in those cities w/ a lot of the cast in attendance. You should check it out. :)

I'm watching The People's Choice Awards...kinda boring and BADLY edited for the west coast. They were in the middle of a commercial and suddenly cut back to the adorable Alyson Hannigan giving her acceptance speech for Best Comedic TV Actress. Uh...you didn't even show the nominees.

Mariah Carey is drunk...interesting. Mr. Mariah (aka Nick Cannon) is tailing her pretty close. Haha!

And "The Big Bang Theory" won for Best Comedic Series. Whoot!!!

Monday, January 4, 2010

I really liked this.

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that
wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You
will have your heart broken probably more than once and
it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so
remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight
with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things
an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast,
and you'll eventually lose someone you love. So take too
many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never
been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset
is a minute of happiness you'll never get back. Don't be
afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

A word on gratitude...



On my birthday I decided to start the 365 days of gratitude with the best intentions of posting frequently with what I was most grateful for each day. I made it to 74. ::sighs::

The thing is I am always grateful for so many things, both big and small, on a daily basis. I just struggle with posting them every single day. Much like resolutions, I have a hard time with a posting schedule and generally break it because I'm a rebel like that. Hehe!I give massive props to those that not only met the 365 days of gratitude but surpassed it.

One of my goals for 2010 is to blog more, but I am not going to put myself on a schedule...I am just going to blog from the heart when it strikes me.
I really want to see "Nine" and I'm beginning to think that fate is conspiring against me. It is only playing in select theaters with very few showings and this is the 2nd week in the row that I have had to not go see it due to the Arizona Cardinals playing at the stadium and me not willing to pay $20 to park at the Westgate Center where both my favorite AMC theater and the Cardinals stadium are located. Boo!!

I spent a bit of time last night looking at movies that are due to come out in 2010...there are some good movies!! :)

Anything you are looking forward to?

Friday, January 1, 2010

The word of the year...


A couple years ago one of my dearest friends told me that she wanted to know what word I would pick to define my year on New Years Day. Since then, each New Years Day I revisit the blog she directed me to and I contemplate what word it is that I am going to define my year by.

Would I choose "Patience"? Something that I have very little of, but truly need to work on.

Or maybe "Creativity" as it is something I really want to work on this year -- being more creative.

How about "Focus"? Or maybe "Clarity"? "Peace" speaks to me. As does "Compassion".

After a lot of reflecting on this and thinking about where I want to see 2010 lead me, I chose "Adventure".

I want to look back on December 31, 2010 and say "Wow, would you look at all that I did during the year? Who would have guessed that I would have done :insert amazing adventure right here: this year."

A lot of time we live our lives like we are on a merry-go-round. We get up, we go about our routine daily existence, we go to bed. Round and round we go...you get dizzy after a while and have to take a break, but then you get back on and start the spinning again. I want to stop the routine and step off that merry-go-round. I want to look back and say that yep, I did do something out of routine. I instead decided to climb the ladder to the slide and have the rush of sliding down.

I don't make resolutions. I have the NEED to break a resolution immediately. It feels self imposed and usually something you don't really want to do but put a lot of pressure on yourself to do. Instead I have goals.

They are pretty simple for 2010.

* Be true to ME. I need to be who I am and not shy away or hide the person that I am to make everyone else happy.

* Experience life. No matter how big or small, life has so much to offer and I want to fill up on those offers.

* Which means, putting the word of the year ("adventure") to good use.

* Write more!

* Create.

(For those of you interested in the word of the year, you can check out the link here: Christine Kane's blog: Resolution Revolution post.)

Thursday, December 31, 2009

2009...Some thoughts over the year

2009 started with me having some rather ambitious thoughts for where I was expecting the year to go. I think I can honestly say that I didn't exactly go "where" I was wanting to go. 2009 quite honestly kicked my ass a few times, but the one lesson that I can say that I took from the year was to pick myself up, dust off, and move on.

I switched jobs. I can safely say I didn't think things through before I took the job and don't know if it is a decision I would make if I had to do the year over, but it is what it is.

I had my first car accident, which lead to a new car and a huge headache in getting the car. I love my Hyundai, however, and am glad I chose the car I chose.

I took three trips to California, my happy place.

Had my first taste of sushi (Geisha House, Hollywood) and it wasn't too bad.

Had my first outing to The Stinkin' Rose in Los Angeles. Too much garlic for me, but they had an awesome Fertility God in the ladies room.

Fell in love with Pinkberry and Sprinkles.

I saw some amazing cinema, read some awesome books, and was tuned into some great music.

I learned who real friends were and who the fakes were.

If you want to change your life, only you can do it. You can yap until you are blue in the face to everyone around you that you are changing, don't they see the change, but the only one that can truly bring that change about is you.

I met some inspiring people, including this group of blogging ladies that are just the best.

It was a tough year for many people and some special people to me had a rough time of it.

It was also a magical year for some with all their dreams falling into place.

2009 was a tough one...I'm not sad to see it go. I am ready to wipe the slate clean and get up tomorrow morning with a big greeting for 2010.

I hope that each of you closes this year and starts tomorrow with a smile on your face and big dreams for the new year.

Some lists of 2009

I'm a list maker, what can I say!

Michelle's Top 5 movies of 2009

1. Star Trek
2. Sherlock Holmes
3. The Blindside
4. The Hangover
5. Confessions of a Shopaholic

(I'm obviously a big fan of adventures/sci-fi more than anything when I look back over my movie last of the year.)

Top 5 TV shows

1. The Big Bang Theory
2. Glee
3. Castle
4. Grey's Anatomy
5. Tie between LOST/24

Top 5 Songs

1. Anything of Lady Gaga
2. Empire State of Mind - both Jay Z./Alicia Keys & the solo Alicia Keys versions
3. Boom Boom Pow by The Black Eyed Peas
4. Use Somebody by Kings of Leon
5. Whatcha Say by Jason DeRulo

(And I must mention the one song that I hate, hate, hate and it makes me want to smash bugs -- "Fireflies" by Owl City.)

Books are a little more difficult for me. I don't always read what is currently out, but these are my tops.

Top 5 books

1. Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich
2. Pretty in Plaid by Jen Lancaster
3. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne
4. Always Looking Up by Michael J. Fox
5. Plum Pudding Murder by Joanne Fluke

I have a sort of year in review I'm working on putting up next...