A fancy schmancy evening

Mr Hazel and I finally celebrated our anniversary. He wouldn't tell me where we were going, and it turned out to be to a fancy schmancy restaurant right beside a lake and man-made waterfalls, in a gorgeous tall-windowed dining room. I had foie gras and venison. The chef gave me an extra portion of foie gras because he thought the one he originally sent out was too small.

Anyone who gives me extra foie gras is my best friend forever.

The staff was incredibly friendly, and when I was exclaiming over the gorgeous silverware, especially the steak knife with the lacquered handle, our server overheard me and remarked that it was "a fancy knife for a fancy girl." It must have been my red dress.

And the best part? After dessert, they serve complimentary cotton candy to every patron, a frothy cloud of pink on a white dish. It's supposed to send you on your way from dinner with a memory of childhood.

I thought it was a whimsical touch.

The Golden Stinker

I saw The Golden Compass tonight. It was...how shall I put it? A dud. A major stinker. A ridiculously contrived fantasy wannabe. A miserable bomb with stilted dialogue, a meandering plot, stupid names, terrible acting (especially Nicole Kidman, who was so annoying playing the part of the villain that all I wanted to do the entire time was punch her in the face), and horrible world-building.

Lord of the Rings, this ain't.

In fact, it was so bad that we almost walked out in the middle of it, except I didn't want to compound the waste of the $17.50 we spent on the tickets. It's very rare when I feel like I have nothing to lose by walking out in the middle of a movie, so when I do feel this way it's gotta be pretty bad.

It was so much worse than Chronicles of Narnia, and that's saying a lot, because Narnia sucked butt big time. At least Narnia had an interesting warrior queen villainness and a cool final battle scene. Golden Compass had nothing redeeming about it except for the fact that it ended. Oh, and Daniel Craig, but he was only there for a total of five minutes and his plot had no resolution (I guess they left that for the sequel) so even Daniel Craig failed to lift this stinker bomb dud into the level of the tolerable.

All ten fingers and all ten toes thumbs down!

Snow and old friends

On Wednesday we got our first snowfall of the season. We didn't get as much as other places did, but we did get enough to cover the trees, which is a pretty sight.

I've had quite the nostalgic couple of days. Thursday evening I met up for happy hour with friends from grad school, which is always a nice time. Exchanging notes on the changes in our lives since graduation never fails to make for a fascinating discussion.

And then today I met some of my old coworkers for lunch, resulting in a mini reunion. Afterwards we all trooped back to the old office to say hello to everyone. It was very strange - yet extremely nice - to be back there again, and to see familiar old faces. I made sure to say hello to my old desk, as well.

A preview!

Here are some images of a sample packaging.


A close-up of my pink and brown toile business card! I think the printers did a great job.




And the gift tag, in pink and brown damask.



Now if only my county would respond about my business license, already.

Questions and answers

My cousin sent me this questionnaire. She also said that I am probably the most likely person to answer it, and I had to laugh because I love doing these things and always answer every one that people send to me.

Here is an edited version.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
While watching "August Rush" on Friday

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Roast beef

IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
I'm not sure - even I annoy myself a lot

DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Yes, but it always falls flat

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
It used to be Cracklin' Oat Bran, now I like Oatmeal Squares by Kellogg

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
I never do, until I'm put to the test and then I surprise the hell out of myself

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Coffee flavored

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Their hair

WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
My voice - it's way too high

WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
Gray gauchos and black knee-high boots

WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
"Brownie Crisps"

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
The guy who took my take-out order last night

FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Do the opening/closing ceremonies of the Olympics count? I love it when the different athletes march into the stadium carrying their countries' flags - it never fails to make me tear up!

FAVORITE FOOD?
Ooooh, boy: sushi, steak, ramen, lox, oysters, mussels, lobster, bulgogi, bibimbap, beets, linguine with clams, donuts, lamb, mushrooms, rice, and the whole gamut of Filipino cuisine, including: nilagang baka, arroz caldo, kare kare, lechon, dinuguan, bagoong

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
A scary movie with a happy ending

SUMMER OR WINTER?
Spring!

FAVORITE DESSERT?
Plain glazed donut from Dunkin' Donuts

WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON T.V. LAST NIGHT?
Heroes

FAVORITE SOUND?
Thunderstorms

Happy Anniversary!

Today is Mr Hazel's and my wedding anniversary. Pictured above is our wedding cake, because I still dream about it to this day.

We're waiting to celebrate until closer to the end of the week because of scheduling conflicts, but Mr Hazel did buy me flowers, two boxes of chocolates, and a bottle of wildly expensive champagne. I know what I'll be eating for dinner tonight!

Ringing in the holidays

Mr Hazel and I bought our Christmas tree this weekend. The cats loved it. On Sunday I turned off all the other lights, turned on the Christmas music channel on cable, sat and looked at the Christmas lights, listened to the music, and got into the holiday spirit.

Christmas music always makes me sad for some reason.

We also took out the beautiful menorah that we got as a wedding gift. Hanukkah is super early this year; I'm not ready yet!



10 Things I Loved About August Rush

1. Jonathan Rhys Meyers playing his own guitar.

2. Jonathan Rhys Meyers singing his own rock songs.

3. Jonathan Rhys Meyers wearing ripped jeans and a leather jacket.

4. Jonathan Rhys Meyers and his Irish accent.

5. Jonathan Rhys Meyers and his hair.

6. Felicity playing the cello (hah - fooled you - you thought I was going to say Jonathan Rhys Meyers again, didn't you?). I was impressed - there were shots where a real string musician would be able to tell the flaws in her technique (for instance, she played with her bow too close to the fingerboard, and her bow was crooked when she drew it across the strings). But, with the way they shot those scenes, she sold me on her cello playing abilities.

7. Felicity absolutely glowed in this movie.

8. Jonathan Rhys Meyers and his vivid, soulful green eyes.

9. The music. I definitely want the soundtrack to this movie.

10. Freddie Highmore, playing the titular character August Rush. He was sweet, luminous, almost ethereal. I loved him.

My sister and I cried buckets. The only thing we both didn't like was there was no payoff. It left you wanting. But that's all I'm going to say about that because I don't want to give away spoilers.

And finally, I wanted to give a shoutout to my aunt, who had surgery today. She is one spunky lady!