Previews

Coming this weekend, to a blog near you, my annual Academy Awards Predictions! Didn't do them last year. A> I was tired. B> They were incredibly predictable. C> I was too busy watching Ed Norton movies. If you're new to my film geekdom, you should probably be aware that my predictions for the AA are usually around 85% right, including for live action shorts, short and feature length documentaries, animated shorts and feature length,  and foreign, which yes, I don't see all of them. My best year was for 2003, when The Greatest Piece of Cinematic History The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King swept; 2004 (Million Dollar Baby), 2005 (Crash) were also good years for me; for the most part, I'm pretty accurate. But I skipped last year. (It was obvious Slumdog Millionaire would take it. It was just so good.)

But they will make a comeback this year, as you could guess by my GG/SAG post. And I'll rant about that. And Avatar. I freaking hate James Cameron. So there will be a love post to Peter Jackson, also in the near future.

I will also be posting some retro-posts, throwbacks, whatever you want to call them. These will be posts from my old Xanga, which date back to my freshman year of high school; posts that I think are amusing or still hold strong to what I am. We'll see. I have a lot to go through.

Other than those things, still working on student teaching, still working in my building, and still getting a move on my grad applications. Nothing has really changed. :) Will be back with that AA list in a few days.

I have no accurate title.

Ok so this is what happens with blogs. I get caught up in life, which I guess isn't necessarily a bad thing. ... Right?

So for the past few weeks, I've been doing the following, and mostly running on 5-6 hours of sleep a night:

1. Spending some time with friends, being immature before we all go off and get real jobs.
2. Trying to see a bunch of people I don't get to see very often.
3. RA Training was two weeks ago and boards were my life. Pictures to come.
4. Student Teaching, prep for graduation, and shenanigans for grad school.
5. Duty. Programs. RA stuff.

So right now my main priority (and for many years to come) has been prep work for teaching. Lesson plans, activities, Do Nows, Homeworks, learning names, that kind of thing. It's all incredibly helpful and stressful at the same time. The work of teaching is the planning, the configuring, etc. But just being in the classroom is a reward. So I don't really see that as my future job. Paperwork is job.

I've been placed at a wonderful high school in Wappingers, about an hour away from New Paltz. The commute is a nuisance, but it is indeed totally worth it. I love the faculty. I love the building. I love the students. I love the classes I will be teaching. I love the English Department's lounge. Let me know when to stop gushing. Looking forward to the experiences and relationships I will make there. Can't wait to start! Feb 10th. Have some really quirky, out of the box lesson plans that I think the kids will enjoy.

On the flip side, this Student Teaching semester is my very last semester before I truly am an adult. Eep. I'm looking at grad school, I'm looking at job options... Grad School is probably at the top of my list right now. If I can get a job, I'll do the job and grad school. If not, I'm staying on campus to stay as an RA or maybe I'll go for CDA. There's a lot of options out there, and I think I'll take my time with looking at all of them. I would love to get a job at the school I'm at right now; of course that really depends on the future weeks to come. I would definitely need to love the school; it's not a job for job's sake. However, I LOVE being an RA. I love my staff, I love my residents. Not quite sure if I'm ready to leave... But I'll know what I have to do when the time comes.

That being said, I've been really lucky and blessed in the past few weeks. Nothing is going poorly; everything is very positive and working well. I have all the proper elements to make this a good, relaxed semester. I say relaxed because, as usual, I am staying out of drama. There are more important things to do than whine over who got the last piece of meat.


Can I just write a brief ode to College and the Life of Drinking? Well, this is my blog. So I can.

It is my senior year, and I have experienced some crazy nights here, all fun. I wouldn't trade them for the world. On the flip side, I have seen many people with terrible nights. These are usually the people who are stumbling home, crying about a lover, or running to the bathroom to throw up. If you can't tell, I say that in disgust. Me? I don't drink. I won't say never have; it is something I, as a college student, have grown not to love and make excuses for.

The bottem line is, I don't need things to be crazy to have a good time. In ways, I represent New Paltz pretty well, but at the same time, we're at odds with each other. I'd like to think of myself as laid-back, open minded, and easily amused, which fits the hippy side of things. But I'm not a party girl, I don't get plastered every night, I don't smoke up all the time, I don't go out looking to get laid, I don't look for trouble; but I'm not a typical college student either. I don't have any problem with drinking or people who like to drink. I have plenty of friends who love to drink and party, and there's nothing wrong with that. I have a problem with the peer pressure of college life to drink as much as possible.

Many people (in college, and not just New Paltz) have this stereotype that if in college, please get bombed as often as possible. Listen up little kiddies of America: This is not true. You can have nights where you stay in. You can be the only sober one and still have a good time. I, in my firm decision not to drink no matter how much peer pressure is put on me, have had countless nights of fun- without being ashamed of throwing up in the middle of the night, doing something embarrassing at the bar, or taking the Walk of Shame home. And I have to say, it's pretty self empowering. In a college town with three of four corners being bars, surrounded by Happy Hours and cheap thrills, I can see the pressure of this trend; however, I'm pleased when someone offers a drink and I say no. Yes, you offered me a drink. Yes, I said no. Yes, I'm sure. No, I don't drink.

I'm offended when people ask me what the worst I've ever been trashed and when I reply that I do not consume, they either don't believe me or ask why. Well, why not? I know it is incredibly rare to find a college student who doesn't drink. Hey you see this? I'm raising my hand. And I've been this way from the beginning. I could probably easily slip into this lifestyle;  but yes, I'm proud to live this way, I'm proud to say no, and I'm really happy that I haven't given into this scene.

I strongly believe that alcohol is not always necessary to have a good time. I also like being in control of myself. I believe that if I need to take a substance to loosen up around people whom I consider friends, then how much of a friend can they be if I don't feel comfortable with being myself around them? And to go hand in hand with that, I believe that friends are people who accept you for who you are- that don't pressure you to do something they know you have no interest in.

Believe it or not, this goes much deeper than my attitude towards drinking. I'm not just talking about my non-alcoholic lifestyle; this is commitment to my own awareness of who I am and my morals and values. This alone has launched me above the heads and shoulders of the average college female. I don't sell out; I don;t fake my personality; I don't try and pretend to be something I'm not. I am who I am. I have accepted that. Now please, you should too.

Hey, I'm from the HFPA, would you like an award for some film you made?

Now that it's close to the end of the year and all the movies that matter have premiered, those people who dole out statues have come out of hiding. And there are some terrible names in there. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (Golden Globes) always manage to make a fool of themselves, mostly with everything being separated into "Comdey/Musical" and "Drama," allowing the chance for two predictions for the Academy Awards; the SAGs cleaned a bit of that up, and I'm hoping the BAFTAs and subsequently the Academy Awards make up for it as well. Lets just take a look at what we have so far:

Best Supporting Actress
Golden Globes: Penelope Cruz (Nine); Vera Farminga (Up In The Air); Anna Kendrick (Up In The Air); Julianne Moore (A Single Man); Mo'Nique (Precious)
SAG: Penelope Cruz (Nine); Vera Farminga (Up In The Air); Anna Kendrick (Up In The Air); Diane Kruger (Inglourious Basterds); Mo'Nique (Precious)
What?: Diane Kruger? What is this fascination with Penelop Cruz? Vera Farminga, really? Number one, where the hell is Melanie Laurent? If anyone (aside from Christoph Waltz) deserved a nomination, it is the lovely Laurent, who far outshone everyone (including you, Helen of Troy).No Rachel Weisz? No Amy Adams? I know the GG loves the pretty people- I would prefer to see Rachel McAdams be recognized instead of Farminga. This is kinda disappointing.

Best Supporting Actor
Golden Globes: Matt Damon (Invictus); Woody Harrelson (The Messenger); Christopher Plummer (The Last Station); Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones); Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)
SAG: Matt Damon (Invictus); Woody Harrelson (The Messenger); Christopher Plummer (The Last Station); Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones); Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)
What?: I actually really like this one. What sucks is that Christoph Waltz will obliterate everyone, he's just THAT good in IB. As much as I love Woody Harrelson, awards people seem to not. That makes me a sad camper. I wouldn't have argued if Sam Worthington (Avatar, Terminator: Salvation) had made his way onto the list somehow. He's pretty good.

Best Actress
Golden Globes (Musical or Comedy): Sandra Bullock (The Proposal); Marion Cotillard (Nine); Julia Roberts (Duplicity); Meryl Streep (It's Complicated); Meryl Streep (Julie and Julia)
Golden Globes (Drama): Emily Blunt (The Young Victoria); Sandra Bullock (Blind Side); Helen Mirren (The Last Station); Carey Mulligan (An Education); Gabourey Sidebe (Precious)
SAG: Sandra Bullock (Blind Side); Helen Mirren (The Last Station); Carey Mulligan (An Education); Gabourey Sidebe (Precious); Meryl Streep (Julie and Julia)
What?: The multiple nominations of Sandra Bullock make me nauseous. Meryl Streep, I can understand, but Bullock? Really? Julia Roberts hasn't made a good film in how long? Good job in playing favorites. Space fillers much? I hope you have a nice gift bag for this event. Saoirse Ronan from the Lovely Bones. Zooey Deschanel from 500 Days of Summer. I'm surprised that no one kissed Hillary Swank's butt this year. Emily Blunt needs more praise. As does Cotillard. Anna Mouglalis for Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky.

Best Actor
Golden Globes (Musical or Comedy): Matt Damon (The Informant!); Daniel Day Lewis (Nine); Robert Downey Jr. (Sherlock Holmes); Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 Days of Summer); Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man)
Golden Globes (Drama): Jeff Bridges (A Crazy Heart); George Clooney (Up In The Air); Colin Firth (A Single Man); Morgan Freeman (Invictus); Toby Maguire (Brothers)
SAG: Jeff Bridges (A Crazy Heart); George Clooney (Up In The Air); Colin Firth (A Single Man); Morgan Freeman (Invictus); Jeremy Renner (Hurt Locker)
What?: Jeremy Renner should be nominated for The Hurt Locker in every single way possible- and win. I think it's brilliant that the Comdey/Musical category is more fun than the Drama category; Damon and Gordon-Levitt are just better. Mads Mikkelsen for Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky. Ben Foster for the Messenger. George Clooney is a terrbible actor. If he wins anything or is nominated for anything else, I might shoot myself. Toby is also equally bad. Colin Firth, YAY! Daniel Day, I think you lose this one. Morgan Freeman will probably walk away with everything important, because Nelson Mandela is cool. Also, two nominations for Bullock and Streep, but no love for Ryan Reynolds, Steve Martin, or Alec Baldwin? Blasphemy.

Best Director
Golden Globes: Kathryn Bigelow (Hurt Locker); James Cameron (Avatar); Clint Eastwood (Invictus); Jason Reitman (Up In The Air); Quentin Tarantino (Inglourious Basterds)
What?: Why James Cameron and not Neill Blomkamp? At least Rob Marshall isn't here. What about Up? I would love to see Bigelow win. The Hurt Locker was amazing.

Best Film
Golden Globes (Musical or Comedy): (500) Days of Summer; Nine; The Hangover; It's Complicated; Julie and Julia
Golden Globes (Drama): Avatar; Hurt Locker; Inglourious Basterds; Precious; Up In The Air
SAG (referred to as "Best Ensemble"): An Education; Hurt Locker; Precious; Nine; Inglourious Basterds
What?: Avatar? Really? Avatar, but not District 9? Maybe Cameron deserves recognition for the amount of work he put into Avatar, but as a whole, District 9 is such a perfectly paced, symbolic, well made film. Usually, anything with Peter Jackson's name deserves more praise than it gets. The GG loves to kiss ass pandering to favorites, such as the Weinsteins and Tarantino. Don't get me wrong, love the guys, but as the case was with Scorcese and The Departed, IB is not Tarantino's best work. I can understand why people are praising Tarantino, he is truly fantastic both stylistically and technically, but against The Hurt Locker? Hurt Locker is simply a better made and more meaningful as a whole. Without a doubt. I love that the Hangover was recognized- instead of something like the Proposal. I'd like to see 500 take it. And then of course the Hurt Locker.

But it could be worse. Could be Transformers, Megan Fox, and/or Christian Bale. Yechhhh.

Ok that's all the steam I have for now. I'm a little tired. Plus gotta save it for the Academy Awards, the ones that matter more. That article will be far more interesting and organized. You can probably see what I lean towards. (GG, be ashamed of yourselves.)

Hello there, stranger.

Why, hello there stranger. I’ll keep this somewhat short:

I’ve always been a fan of blogging/writing and started in 2002 on the then-popular Xanga; I dropped off of it for a while, but have recently begun to take interest again. However, when I returned, there was a list of problems I had. My Xanga (which I had for five years, 2004, long time much?) had some posts that I really enjoyed rereading that brought me back to those days- but also a ridiculous amount of trivial, high school things on it. I saw a drastic change in my writing in content matter as well as style (huge, elephant sized changes in my style). I really wanted to get away from that and start fresh. I was thinking about simply just opening another account, but I wasn’t at all pleased with Xanga (starting to remind me of MySpace- yeck)- it wasn’t something I would want to keep or simple to use. (Speaking of which, everything is so damn complicated these days.) Lately, I’ve been shopping around for a nice blog site. Hopefully, this one will give me what I want. I’m gonna give it a good, honest test run. Cross your fingers, hold your breath: I’m easily pleased, easily amused.
 
If I do keep this, what can I provide for you? Well, hopefully I can entertain you. That can be anywhere from content (which is going to have a large range of such and such) as well as random thoughts and enlightenments I will embark on. Those are fun. I’ll wing it. Not picky. You get the point. And then maybe you’ll stick around. We can build a virtual campfire, break out some marshmallows, sing Kumbaya, and discuss The Lion King.

It is work time, however. Being a college student, I recently came back from a Linguistics Final from Hell, as well as a paper to write and another final to study for on Wednesday. I’ll come back. Maybe. Probably. Wish me lots of luck. After this, I’ll be sailing.