Quick Post for a Quick Hat

"What are you looking at?"



"My hat? Oh, it's just something my mom made for me.  No big deal. I lost my old hat so she made a new one."



"I just asked for a hat and she showed me a few patterns. I chose Slouchy('s no Slouch) by Lea Kobayashi.  My mom tends to get a little crazy with cables and all that stuff but I just want something to keep my head warm."



"My mom made it super fast because she had the yarn sitting in her stash. She's not even sure what it was. But the bead is new and I think it's cool. It's not as good as the skull bead that she was going to use but it's nice anyway."

Ten on Tuesday - 10 Thoughts On This Year's Oscar Show

Do you love movies?  I do but I'm usually very picky about what I see. I read all the reviews and write ups and I try to pick good ones because when you're spending that much yo want it to count. Admittedly, I don't always pick winners. Some might even say that I have a knack for picking very odd movies. But during Oscar season none of that really matters because my movie going decision is simple - see all the Best Picture nominees. I've never accomplished it until this year. Sometimes having a little extra time on your hands is a good thing.

Having seen all of the nominated shows (and then some) made watching the Oscars this year even more fun. Possessing a semi-informed opinion, rather than I like actor X and hope he wins, is nice for a change. Overall I felt that most of the movies were pretty good. Philomena was probably my favorite followed closely by Dallas Buyers Club. They were both important and absorbing stories told very well, as was 12 Years a Slave. Her was an interesting story but there was something so soothing about it that I kept feeling myself drift off to sleep. Nebraska was just odd - the kind of movie that I usually pick because it got great reviews and was quirky.  Movies like that are the reason that I don't get to select what we see very often. To me, Gravity was your standard disaster movie but with amazing visuals. Captain Phillips was the last one I saw and the only one I didn't see in the theater and it was much better than I expected. The Wolf of Wall Street really needed a good editor to point out that it was not necessary to show every single over the top thing that Jordan Belfort did. Similarly American Hustle needed a little focus because it seemed like it was all over the place. All good movies and I'm glad I saw them. And then there was the Oscar Show...

1. It was too long - Isn't the point of it to see who gets the awards?  If most people tune out or fall asleep before you get to most of the top awards then you've failed. Period.
2. Ellen is a great host - This may seem at odds with #1 but I really did enjoy watching her. The pizza thing and the twitter thing were funny.  Just pick up the pace a little.
3. The dresses were gorgeous - I adored the sculpted column dresses on Amy Adams and Jennifer Lawrence.
4. Where were the crazy and the hideous dresses - every year there are outrageous head-scratchers. The more outlandish and ugly they are, the more fun it is.  Did everyone suddenly get classy?
5. Pink was fab - I loved her during the Wizard of Oz tribute. She is awesome.
6. John Travolta - Read much? I don't think it's possible for him to have botched Idina Menzel's name an more than he did. Phonetically speaking it's not really that difficult to read. Unusual - yes. Difficult - no.
7. The men of Dallas Buyers Club - so happy that Jared Leto and Matthew McConaughey won. They really were outstanding.
8. Jennifer Lawrence - she just makes me smile.
9. That epic selfie - It was so funny seeing all of those huge stars jamming together to try to get in the shot. It was just like something my kids would do. Or my siblings and I. Silliness is universal.
10. Based on a true story - it's interesting to me that 2/3rds of this years Best Picture nominees were based on true stories. Are there really no new ideas? Is the truth really stranger than fiction? Maybe history is just and endless treasure chest. So much the better.

There and Back and In Between

This past weekend I was a chaperon on a school trip to New York City. We were there to see Cinderella on Broadway but we had time before and after to wander around the city a bit. In addition to Stinkette, I was chaperoning a group of Juniors from the same school.  They were such nice kids and made my girl feel like a part of their group.



The kids wanted to go to Bryant Park so that was the first stop.  We saw a cool, semi-frozen fountain there. But it was really cold so we looked for an indoor activity. That's how we decided to check out the New York Public Library. Can you believe that I'd never been inside before? Not when I was going to school in the city. Not during any of the numerous visits to the city. Never.



It was wonderful. We looked at exhibits and enjoyed the architecture. It really is a must see.



Can you imagine studying in a room like this?



I should also mention the show we saw since it was the purpose of the trip. This was a drama department trip so, in addition to the acting and the singing, the kids were all excited by the staging and technical stuff. It was all good but the biggest wow was the on-stage costume changes.  They were so impressive. Some we could figure out but others had us scratching our heads.