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Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Why 2013 Has Been The Best Year So Far

2013 has been a stellar year! On multiple occasions this year I have thought to myself, "Wow, this is the best year of my life!" It's a bold statement and while I always have good years*, this year was top notch when it came to new experiences, grand memories, and kickass scrapbooks.

  • In January I went to Jamaica for a wonderful 10 day vacation at an all-inclusive resort in beautiful Ocho Rios. All-inclusive in itself is a beautiful thing that is worthy of making a vacation pretty stellar, but add in the ocean, a bunch of pools, excursions, and tons of reading time and those 10 days become almost magical. I also read one of my favorite books of the year while on vacation in Jamaica: Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I love having the memory of reading this while lounging by a beautiful pool and drinking pina coladas. 
  • February brought another spectacular birthday celebration where once again I was floored by the awesomeness of my friends. This year the focus was on beer and Serena, Steven, and I started out at the DC Brau brewery for a tour (it was too crowded!) and some tastings. I always suggest bringing a non beer drinker to breweries because then you get more beer. (Thanks, Serena!) Next up, we headed to Ashburn where Anne and Randi met us at the Lost Rhino Brewery for some more tastings and much needed food before we headed to Buffalo Billiards in Chantilly where a ton of other awesome people met up with us! A grand way to celebrate turning 33. 
  • In May I made one of my trips up to visit my sister in Connecticut. This trip was extra awesome because she was graduating with a masters degree from Southern Connecticut State University, and I was lucky enough to be able to go. Always a special time to be able to cheer on your awesome sis:)  Plus, we have a great time together and this trip was no exception.
  • Sprinkled throughout the year were some great movies, books, and concerts including Justin Timberlake/Jay Z and Atoms For Peace.
  • In August my good friend from high school and I went to the Western and Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio, which is essentially a smaller version of a grand slam tournament, but easier to get to and closer seats. We saw so many amazing players in the 24 hours we were there (seriously, we drove 8 hours, watched tennis, slept, watched tennis, and drove 8 hours back. We are big tennis fans!): Roger Federer, Philip Kohlschreiber, Maria Sharapova (!), Sloane Stevens, John Isner, Richard Gasquet, Maria Kirilenko, Serena Williams, Mikhail Youzny, and...   ANDY MURRAY!!!!!!! Every star aligned during this brief, but amazing tennis trip when we got to see Murrays entire match and even scored autographs after he won. As Murray's #1 fan, this was...perfect. 
  • Right after the tennis tourney, I began the super exciting countdown to going to Scotland! Having wanted to go to the Motherland for years and years, to have the actual trip happen was so amazing. My sister and I had an incredible time and it was so special to be able to go with Ali for 10 days in Edinburgh, Kirkwall, and Glasgow. Scotland was swoon-worthy and I will definitely be going back!
So, as you can see, 2013 was a great year! I have a feeling 2014 will be just a great as I already have tennis planned and also hope to throw in a trip to London, as well. Here's to a great year! This year and next!

XO,
SVR





*Glass half full and all.

Saturday, December 21, 2013

Why I Hate Unseasonably Warm Days So Much

Sometimes, when it's unseasonably warm out and I want to cry, people act like I'm being a baby about it. "What's a couple of warm days in the middle of winter?" they ask. "Some of us love warm weather. Why can't we be happy, too?"

Well, first of all, cold weather is pretty fleeting in Virginia now. It seems like the days being cold on Halloween are behind us and we get maybe one good snow a year. When I was in grade school, we had so many snow days that one year they had to make our school day longer, and we never got a week off for Spring break like they do now because we always used them as snow makeup days.

And yes, warm weather lovers should be happy, too. That's why we live in a place that (should) get all four seasons. What a wonderful thing! But how often in the middle of July is a cold weather lover like myself treated with a 30 degree day? Yeah, never.

But we want to see numbers, don't we? The numbers don't lie.

Please see the following graphic from The Weather Channel:

Monthly Weather For Washington, DC.

Let's start with January. The mean temperature is 36 degrees Fahrenheit with an average low of 29 and an average high of 43. But the record high? 79 degrees (*shudder*) which is 43 degrees above the mean. Remember this number.

Now, what about July, a miserable month, in my opinion. A mean of 80 and an average high and low of 89 and 71, respectively. The record low was 52 degrees way back in 1933, which is just 28 degrees below the mean temperature. And it probably happened in the middle of the night.

How about November, one of my favorite months because of the falling leaves and transition to all things festive. The mean is 50, but the all time high has been 86! Gross! 36 degrees higher than what it typically is this time of year. Now, to be fair, in 1911 it was 39 degrees colder than the average, so that must have been a nice treat. Too bad it was 69 years before I was even born!

Speaking of my birthday month: February! I was born on the coldest day of the year (explains a lot, right?), yet even with a mean of 39, which isn't even that cold, the warmest it's been was 84 in 1930. If it's ever 84 on my birthday, I am rescheduling it. Or hopping on a plane the North Pole (Hi, Santa!). 

Today in DC it hit 72 degrees! On the first day of winter! Four days before Christmas! Ugh. It was awful. The mean temperature this time of year is 40 so it was 32 degrees higher than what we're used to! Sure, the record low was a frigid -13, but that happened over 100 years ago so I'm not sure it's in our cards now.

And check out the recorded temperatures for December 2012. Every single day was above the mean temperature of 40. It only went below freezing twice. Will we ever have a white Christmas again!? Should I stop asking for sweaters from Santa?

But July of this year? It hit or went above the mean temperature every single day. Enjoy your warm weather! Hope you have a pool!

From May to October, the warmest months we have, we haven't even hit a record low in 27 years, which was 49 degrees in August of 1986.

But for the warmest days? It was 104 in June 2012 and 79 in December 1998. What about 95 in April 2002?

So my point is that we rarely get unseasonably cold days in spring, summer, and early fall, and when we do, they're not by the same intensity as when it is freakishly warm in late fall and winter.

The numbers don't lie. 




Friday, December 13, 2013

Golden Slumbers

It's like Christmas around here with all of the award show nominations! The Golden Globes is maybe the most entertaining awards show there is. The guests all drink a lot and it's movies mixed with television so you get a lot of good interaction. While I usually like the dresses at the Oscars better, the Golden Globes have a spectacular red carpet of their own. I can't wait!

Let's talk categories! A lot of overlap with the SAGs, ,but not all the same.

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
12 YEARS A SLAVE
Plan B Entertainment, New Regency Productions and River Road Entertainment; Fox Searchlight Pictures I'm seeing this today in about three hours and I'm pretty sure I'll love it!
CAPTAIN PHILLIPS
Columbia Pictures; Sony Pictures Releasing
GRAVITY
Warner Bros. Pictures / Esperanto Filmoj / Heyday Films; Warner Bros. Pictures
PHILOMENA
Pathe, BBC Films, BFI, Canal+, Cine+, Baby Cow/Magnolia Mae; The Weinstein Company
RUSH
Universal Pictures, Cross Creek Pictures, Exclusive Media, Imagine Entertainment, Working Title, Revolution Films; Universal Pictures
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Judi Dench, Philomena
Emma Thompson, Saving Mr Banks
Kate Winslet, Labor Day
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years A Slave
Idris Elba, Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Tom Hanks, Captain Phillips
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club
Robert Redford, All Is Lost I don't want Idris Elba to win bc that movie doesn't interest me, but I'd be happy with any other winner. My #1 is Robert Redford because I love him and then Matthew McConaughey.
BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
AMERICAN HUSTLE I'm pretty sure I'll love this.
Columbia Pictures and Annapurna Pictures; Sony Pictures Releasing
HER
Warner Bros. Pictures / Annapurna Pictures; Warner Bros. Pictures
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS
Mike Zoss Productions, Scott Rudin Productions, Studio Canal; CBS Films
NEBRASKA
Paramount Vantage; Paramount Pictures
THE WOLF OF WALL STREET
Paramount Pictures and Red Granite Pictures; Paramount Pictures
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Amy Adams, American Hustle If Greta Gerwig wins, I'll be annoyed. I just don't like her. I'm a big Amy Adams fan!
Julie Delpy, Before Midnight
Greta Gerwig, Francis Ha
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Enough Said
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Christian Bale, American Hustle
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf Of Wall Street Leonardo DiCaprio deserves every award.
Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis
Joaquin Phoenix, Her
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
THE CROODS
DreamWorks Animation LLC; Twentieth Century Fox
DESPICABLE ME 2
Universal Pictures/Illumination Entertainment, A Chris Meledandri Production; Universal Pictures
FROZEN A movie about cold? I'm sold!
Walt Disney Animation Studios; Walt Disney Pictures
BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR (France) I've heard this is spectacular.
Quat’sous Films; IFC Films
THE GREAT BEAUTY (Italy)
Indigo Film, Medusa Film, BABE Films; Janus Films
THE HUNT (Denmark)
Zentropa Entertainment; Magnolia Pictures
THE PAST (Iran)
Memento Films Production, France 3 Cinema, BIM Distribuzione; Sony Pictures Classics
THE WIND RISES (Japan)
Studio Ghibli; Touchstone Pictures
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle COME ON! WIN EVERYTHING!
Lupita Nyong’o, 12 Years A Slave
Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
June Squibb, Nebraska
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Daniel Bruhl, Rush
Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years A Slave
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club Totally torn: Would love for Barkhad Abdi to win. Would love to see Michael Fassbender on stage. Would love for Bradley Cooper to be recognized as the great actor he is. But, Jared Leto FTW.
BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
Paul Greengrass, Captain Phillips
Steve McQueen, 12 Years A Slave
Alexander Payne, Nebraska
David O. Russell, American Hustle Would be happy with any of them winning.
BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE
Spike Jonze, Her Haven't seen it, but love Spike Jonze.
Bob Nelson, Nebraska
Jeff Pope & Steve Coogan, Philomena
John Ridley, 12 Years A Slave
Eric Warren Singer & David O Russell, American Hustle
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE NO IDEA!
Alex Ebert, All Is Lost
Alex Heffes, Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Steven Price, Gravity
John Williams, The Book Thief
Hans Zimmer, 12 Years A Slave
BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE
“Atlas”, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire I love Coldplay and I love Catching Fire.
Music by: Chris Martin, Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion
Lyrics by: Chris Martin, Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion
“Let It Go”, Frozen
Music by: Kristen Anderson Lopez, Robert Lopez
Lyrics by: Kristen Anderson Lopez, Robert Lopez
“Ordinary Love”, Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom
Music by: Bono, The Edge, Adam Clayton, Larry Mullen, Jr., Brian Burton
Lyrics by: Bono
“Please Mr Kennedy”, Inside Llewyn Davis
Music by: Ed Rush, George Cromarty, T Bone Burnett, Justin Timberlake, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Lyrics by: Ed Rush, George Cromarty, T Bone Burnett, Justin Timberlake, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
“Sweeter Than Fiction”, One Chance
Music by: Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff
Lyrics by: Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff
BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
BREAKING BAD (AMC)
Sony Pictures Television
DOWNTON ABBEY (PBS) I'd be okay with Breaking Bad or House of Cards, but that's it.
Carnival Films
THE GOOD WIFE (CBS)
CBS Television Studios in Association with Scott Free Productions and King Size Productions
HOUSE OF CARDS (Netflix)
Donen/Fincher/Roth and Trigger Street Productions, Inc. in association with Media Rights Capital for Netflix
MASTERS OF SEX (Showtime)
Showtime, Sony Pictures Television, Round Two Productions, Timberman/Beverly Productions
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black So so so so so so good.
Taylor Schilling, Orange Is The New Black
Kerry Washington, Scandal
Robin Wright, House Of Cards
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
Michael Sheen, Masters Of Sex
Kevin Spacey, House Of Cards He is so good in this show that I usually think it's Tommy Lee Jones.
James Spader, The Blacklist
BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)
Chuck Lorre Productions, Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television
BROOKLYN NINE-NINE (Fox)
Universal Television
GIRLS (HBO)
HBO Entertainment in association with Apatow Productions and I am Jenni Konner Productions
MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
Twentieth Century Fox Television
PARKS & RECREATION (NBC) This is the worst category ever. BARF!
Universal Television
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
Zooey Deschanel, New Girl
Lena Dunham, Girls
Edie Falco, Nurse Jackie
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep Love JLD.
Amy Poehler, Parks & Recreation
BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
AMERICAN HORROR STORY: COVEN (FX Networks)
Ryan Murphy Television and Brad Falchuk Teley-Vision in association with Twentieth Century Fox Television
BEHIND THE CANDELABRA (HBO)
HBO Films in association with Jerry Weintraub Productions
DANCING ON THE EDGE (Starz)
Starz Entertainment
TOP OF THE LAKE (Sundance Channel) LOVED this. Also loved White Queen.
See-Saw Films
WHITE QUEEN (Starz)
Starz Entertainment
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Helena Bonham Carter, Burton & Taylor
Rebecca Ferguson, The White Queen,
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Coven
Helen Mirren, Phil Spector
Elisabeth Moss, Top of the Lake My choice times 1000.
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Matt Damon, Behind The Candelabra
Michael Douglas, Behind the Candelabra Yay!
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dancing On The Edge
Idris Elba, Luther
Al Pacino, Phil Spector
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Jacqueline Bisset, Dancing On The Edge
Janet McTeer, White Queen
Hayden Panettiere, Nashville
Monica Potter, Parenthood As long as Sofia Vergara soesn't win, I'll be happy. But I'd LOVE for Monica Potter to win! Or Hayden Panettiere, who is awesome on Nashville.
Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Josh Charles, The Good Wife
Rob Lowe, Behind the Candelabra
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad Jesse!
Corey Stoll, House Of Cards
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan


+ Title from The Beatles

Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Applause

Awards season is upon us! The nominations for the Screen Actor's Guild Awards were announced today and I am so so excited to dig in:

20th ANNUAL SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS NOMINATIONS
 
THEATRICAL MOTION PICTURES
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
BRUCE DERN / Woody Grant – “NEBRASKA” (Paramount Pictures)
CHIWETEL EJIOFOR / Solomon Northup – “12 YEARS A SLAVE” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
TOM HANKS / Capt. Richard Phillips – “CAPTAIN PHILLIPS” (Columbia Pictures)
MATTHEW McCONAUGHEY / Ron Woodroof – “DALLAS BUYERS CLUB” (Focus Features)
FOREST WHITAKER / Cecil Gaines – “LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER” (The Weinstein Company)

Oh boy! I am dreadfully behind because I haven't seen any of these films (yet). I would love to see any of these dudes win. 

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
CATE BLANCHETT / Jasmine – “BLUE JASMINE” (Sony Pictures Classics)
SANDRA BULLOCK / Ryan Stone – “GRAVITY” (Warner Bros. Pictures)
JUDI DENCH / Philomena Lee – “PHILOMENA” (The Weinstein Company)
MERYL STREEP / Violet Weston – “AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY” (The Weinstein Company)
EMMA THOMPSON / P.L. Travers – “SAVING MR. BANKS” (Walt Disney Pictures)

Usually I do not like to see Meryl Streep win because people have this obsession with her nominations and it's annoying. A Meryl Streep win is sooo boring. However, this year is a bit different because, from what I've seen, her role in August: Osage County looks to be amazing! And she isn't trying to play some romantic or young role, which I never find to be believable with her. That said, I'd love for Cate Blanchett or Sandra Bullock to win. 

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
BARKHAD ABDI / Muse – “CAPTAIN PHILLIPS” (Columbia Pictures)
DANIEL BRÜHL / Niki Lauda – “RUSH” (Universal Pictures)
MICHAEL FASSBENDER / Edwin Epps – “12 YEARS A SLAVE” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
JAMES GANDOLFINI / Albert – “ENOUGH SAID” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
JARED LETO / Rayon – “DALLAS BUYERS CLUB” (Focus Features)

What an attractive group of men: Daniel Bruhl, Michael Fassbender, and Jared Leto. Mmm! I think it would be so awesome for Barkhad Abdi to win for his first acting role, but I think I really want Jared Leto to take it all! 

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
JENNIFER LAWRENCE / Rosalyn Rosenfeld – “AMERICAN HUSTLE” (Columbia Pictures)
LUPITA NYONG’O / Patsey – “12 YEARS A SLAVE” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
JULIA ROBERTS / Barbara Weston – “AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY” (The Weinstein Company)
JUNE SQUIBB / Kate Grant – “NEBRASKA” (Paramount Pictures)
OPRAH WINFREY / Gloria Gaines – “LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER” (The Weinstein Company)

Jennifer Lawrence. Duh. 

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
12 YEARS A SLAVE (Fox Searchlight Pictures)

 AMERICAN HUSTLE (Columbia Pictures)

AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY (The Weinstein Company)

DALLAS BUYERS CLUB (Focus Features)

LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER (The Weinstein Company)

Tough one. I might pick American Hustle because it looks like a really fun cast. 


TELEVISION PROGRAMS
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
MATT DAMON / Scott Thorson – “BEHIND THE CANDELABRA” (HBO)
MICHAEL DOUGLAS / Liberace – “BEHIND THE CANDELABRA” (HBO)
JEREMY IRONS / King Henry IV – “THE HOLLOW CROWN” (WNET/Thirteen)
ROB LOWE / John F. Kennedy – “KILLING KENNEDY” (National Geographic Channel)
AL PACINO / Phil Spector – “PHIL SPECTOR” (HBO)

Either Matt Damon or Michael Douglas, please. 

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
ANGELA BASSETT / Coretta Scott King – “BETTY & CORETTA” (Lifetime)
HELENA BONHAM CARTER / Elizabeth Taylor – “BURTON AND TAYLOR” (BBC America)
HOLLY HUNTER / G.J. – “TOP OF THE LAKE” (Sundance Channel)
HELEN MIRREN / Linda Kenney Baden – “PHIL SPECTOR” (HBO)
ELISABETH MOSS / Robin Griffin – “TOP OF THE LAKE” (Sundance Channel)

 Elisabeth Moss omg...please. 

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
STEVE BUSCEMI / Enoch “Nucky” Thompson – “BOARDWALK EMPIRE” (HBO)
BRYAN CRANSTON / Walter White – “BREAKING BAD” (AMC)
JEFF DANIELS / Will McAvoy – “THE NEWSROOM” (HBO)
PETER DINKLAGE / Tyrion Lannister – “GAME OF THRONES” (HBO)
KEVIN SPACEY / Francis Underwood – “HOUSE OF CARDS” (Netflix)

 I haven't seen this season of Breaking Bad yet, but I bet he wins. I'd love to see Tyrion win.

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
CLAIRE DANES / Carrie Mathison – “HOMELAND” (Showtime)
ANNA GUNN / Skyler White – “BREAKING BAD” (AMC)
JESSICA LANGE / Fiona Goode – “AMERICAN HORROR STORY: COVEN” (FX)
MAGGIE SMITH / Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham – “DOWNTON ABBEY” (PBS)
KERRY WASHINGTON / Olivia Pope – “SCANDAL” (ABC)

Tough one. I think Claire Danes is amazeballs, but she's been winning everything. I like Maggie Smith, but she never shows up to the shows and that is boring. Maybe Kerry Washington? I like her. 

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
ALEC BALDWIN / Jack Donaghy – “30 ROCK” (NBC)
JASON BATEMAN / Michael Bluth – “ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT” (Netflix)
TY BURRELL / Phil Dunphy – “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)
DON CHEADLE / Martin “Marty” Kaan – “HOUSE OF LIES” (Showtime)
JIM PARSONS / Sheldon Cooper – “THE BIG BANG THEORY” (CBS)

If Jim Parsons wins I am going to scream! I want Jason Bateman!

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
MAYIM BIALIK / Amy Farrah Fowler – “THE BIG BANG THEORY” (CBS)
JULIE BOWEN / Claire Dunphy – “MODERN FAMILY” (ABC)
EDIE FALCO / Jackie Peyton – “NURSE JACKIE” (Showtime)
TINA FEY / Liz Lemon – “30 ROCK” (NBC)
JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS / Vice President Selina Meyer – “VEEP” (HBO)

 JLD is the only one I want to see win. Actually, this category is a snoozefest and needs some new blood.
 
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
BOARDWALK EMPIRE (HBO)

BREAKING BAD (AMC)
 
DOWNTON ABBEY (PBS)

GAME OF THRONES (HBO)
 
HOMELAND (Showtime)

Tough one. I think I'd pick Downton Abbey because as a cast, they're all so great and they really all work so well together.

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
30 ROCK (NBC)

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (Netflix)

THE BIG BANG THEORY (CBS)

MODERN FAMILY (ABC)

VEEP (HBO)


If i have to see the cast of Modern Family on stage again, I am not going to be happy. Please, either AD or Veep, win!


XO,
SVR

+ Title from Lady Gaga

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Top Films of 2013

Ummm, this list is a bit premature as many buzzed-about movies have yet to come out and I am dreadfully behind on the ones that have come out this fall! I think I shall make a list of alternates, movies that I expect to move into my top list once I finally see them. My list of films to see will be longer than my top list for the year because well, it just is.

Top Films:
  1. The Hunger Games- Catching Fire- I've seen it twice already and was moved and fired up both times! Jennifer Lawrence, man. I just hope she continues to act for a long, long time. 
  2. The Great Gatsby- Anyone who knows me, knows that I am obsessed with all things Gatsby. I thought this was an awesome retelling of one of my favorite books.
  3. World War Z- Any year with a Brad Pitt movie is a good year for me! Loved this film and felt like it was a fresh take on the ever popular zombie subject. I liked how it took the problem global. (I wish The Walking Dead would just expand to the states its in, sheesh!)  
  4. Star Trek Into Darkness- These new installments of the Star Trek movies are So Good. JJ Abrams has the golden touch. Benedict Cumberbatch was perfect as Kahn. 
  5. Blue Jasmine- Cate Blanchett is incredible in her role as a woman watching her life unravel and she tries to hang onto it and sanity.
  6. The Spectacular Now- I'm thoroughly obsessed with Shailene Woodley (ever since The Descendants) and thought this movie was so true to adolescent life that it was painful to watch at times.
  7. Side Effects- I'll go see anything Rooney Mara is in and this ended up being awesome! I loved the tone of the movie. 
  8. Iron Man 3- I don't think I ever saw IM2. IM3 is awesome, though! Never a dull moment and Robert Downey Jr delivers the wisecracks as well as ever. 
  9. This Is The End- HILARIOUS. James Franco is awesome. 
  10. The Way Way Back- A fantastic gem of a movie with a fantastic cast and a great story.
  11. The Place Beyond The Pines- Once the kids were introduced in the film, I liked it a bit less, but Ryan Gosling is one of my favorites and I also felt like Bradley Cooper was awesome. He continues to impress me!
  12. The Conjuring- I saw this on the plane ride home from Scotland and really enjoyed it. It was scary, but also well made, which is essential for a horror film to be on a best of the year list.
  13. Oblivion- Tom Cruise is a movie star! This was a fun sci/fi movie that also stared the actress from W.E.!


Alternates That Will Probably Be Contenders For My Final Top Films List Once I Finally See Them:
  1. American Hustle
  2. 12 Years a Slave
  3. Thor 2
  4. Out of the Furnace
  5. The Wolf of Wall Street
  6. All Is Lost- I love Robert Redford.
  7. Dallas Buyers Club
  8. Her
  9. Gravity- But I'm afraid of space!
  10. Captain Phillips
  11. To The Wonder
  12. Homefront
  13. Anchorman 2- You laugh, but well...laughs count for a lot. 
  14. Blue is the Warmest Color
  15. Much Ado About Nothing- I know, I know. No excuse for not having seen this yet. 
  16. Prisoners- I heard a lot of interviews with the stars of this film and it made me want to see it so badly.
  17. Enough Said

Monday, December 09, 2013

Top TV Picks Of 2013!

2013 has been completely overwhelming with trying to keep up to date with my TV watching. Oh, you "don't watch TV"? Move along. We're here to discuss TV, which is awesome!

Here are my top picks for 2013, in order! (Which terrifies me.)

15. Elementary- Jonny Lee Miller > Benedict Cumberbatch. And Lucy Liu is amazing!
14. The Walking Dead- I admit it, this show was starting to bore me. The prison was boring me! But then I marathoned the last five episodes to get to the mid-season finale and whoa, it's back! 
13. Under the Dome- Having not read the Stephen King novel this is based on, I spend each week thinking "What. The. Hell. Is. Going. On?!"
12. The Killing- I fell off of this show in season two, but man, this past season was so incredible. Peter Sarsgaard was so so so so so good in this. Be sure to watch it!
11. The Americans- A show about Russian spys? These are my people.
10. Reign- A CW show about Mary, Queen of Scots? They may as well have called it "For Scarlet."
9. Hannibal- So dark! So twisted! Like watching a horror movie every week.
8. Homeland- This season hasn't been as good as the past two, but it's had a lot more spy stuff, so I've been happy. This show, like no other, creates so much tension! And they don't always make it obvious as to what's going on. It's a very intelligent show.
7. Downton Abbey- The clothes, the love stories, the proposal in the snow. Luckily, I was expecting that last scene. Can't wait for season 4!
6. Top of the Lake- It took me an episode or two to be come fully obsessed, but once I was, there was no turning back. Elisabeth Moss is INCREDIBLE in this (I almost can't watch her as Peggy anymore) and Johnno is super hott. It's full of really weird characters, so be ready for that.
5. Mad Men- A lot of people didn't like this season, but I really enjoyed the slow burn that it was. Don Draper was a mess, Betty was back, and what is going on with Bob Jenson!?
4. Orphan Black- Do yourself a favor and catch up this show immediately! Tatiana Maslany plays nine characters in this show about clones. It's incredible how she makes each and every one different.
3. Parenthood- What other show makes me cry multiple times per episode? This show is filled with great acting that never feels forced and some of my favorite actors! Lauren Graham, Peter Krause, Mae Whitman, Dax Shepard, ahhhh, every week they just get better and better!
2. Pretty Little Liars- I love that this show has been on for years now and we're still trying to figure out who A is. This show is all about style, so sit back and get ready to fall in love with the fashion of each and every character. Don't think too hard about the plot as it's definitely far-fetched, but the mystery and clues are a lot of fun.
1. Game of Thrones- If this show aired every night for two hours, it would still not be enough. I love everything about it. It has amazing actors, a million characters, sex, violence, humor, dragons, and a lot of blood. A lot...of blood.

Sunday, December 08, 2013

"Where Bluebirds Fly" vs "Planet Telex"

"Where Bluebirds Fly"



Instrumental

( 2003. There There. Com Lag.)

Even though this is listed as being instrumental, there is some singing that goes along with it. This song would fit in perfectly on an Atoms for Peace album with it's weird synthesizers and beats. I can't remember which songs came before and after it on the Radiohead EP so I don't know if it sticks out on there or not.

 "Planet Telex"



You can force it but it will not come
You can taste it but it will not form
You can crush it but it's always here
You can crush it but it's always near
Chasing you home

Saying, everything is broken
Everyone is broken

You can force it but it will stay stung
You can crush it as dry as a bone
You can walk it home straight from school
You can kiss you can break all the rules

But still, everything is broken
Everyone is broken
Everyone is, everyone is broken
Everyone is, everything is broken

Why can't you forget
Why can't you forget
Why can't you forget

(1995. The Bends.)

What a classic! I love how this song sounds like we're in a whirlwind of sound. Everything reverberates and, at times, you can't even tell from where the sound is coming. Guitar? Synth? Voice? Huh? I also like the simple guitar melody that is played over all of the sound towards the end. Love things like that. It reminds me of classical music when things are getting so crazy and then you get to hear the main melody again.

And the winner is...

Planet Telex!

Lushness wins. Probably doesn't hurt that I know this song from the first note I hear.

Thursday, December 05, 2013

Day 3, Edinburgh

Our second full day in Edinburgh was a memorable one because it was our first full Scottish Breakfast. Eggs, sausage, bacon, sauteed mushrooms (not for me), roasted tomato, and haggis. HAGGIS! It's actually not that bad. My first experience with it was maybe a 5/10 because I was super tired and was thinking way too hard about it being random sheep guts. But it's great when mixed with eggs and toast and such.

We set out from our hotel and headed to the Edinburgh Castle, which is a shortish, but steep walk.

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Edinburgh Castle From Below

Castle Wynd North

I'll wait while you catch your breath from all of the steps.

The views from the castle are pretty spectacular so it's definitely worth it to go there.

Edinburgh From Above

View From Edinburgh Castle

Me In Front Of Old Town Edinburgh

I really enjoyed exploring the castle and even though we didn't take any formal tours, it was great to see such a different type of building. A castle, y'all!

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After getting our fill of royal things, we went to the Whisky Experience, which is actually right at the entrance to the castle. This is a super touristy thing to do, but it's a lot of fun so I would still recommend it. First you ride in a barrel to learn about the whisky making process and then you go in a tasting room to try the whisky of your choice: Lowland, Speyside, Highland, and Islay. (I chose Highland.)

Whisky Experience

At the end of the tour, you get to see the largest collection of whisky in the world. It's quite impressive!

Largest Whisky Collection In The World

Since we got the Gold tour, our tasting wasn't over. For paying extra, you get to try four more whiskys or you can get a cocktail. Whisky is pretty hardcore so we decided to get the cocktail since we had more planned for the day.

Unfortunately, "the mixologist is off today" so we ended up with four more tastes!

The Gold Tour

It's actually a lot of whisky. In a short amount of time.

Cheers, Old Sport!

It was FUN!

After all of the whisky, we set out for our ghost tour, which was meeting up on another part of the Royal Mile. Unfortunately, no one in Scotland eats, so we just had beer for dinner at the Jolly Judge.

Scarlet At The Jolly Judge

Ali At Jolly Judge

Our Ghosts and Ghouls tour was So Much Fun! We got to hear a lot of interesting stories about the city and its past inhabitants and we got to see some parts of Edinburgh that we wouldn't have before. Oh, and remember the bathroom at the Real Mary King's Close? Perfect for when all your whisky and beer threatens to make for an embarrassing moment:)

Charles II Statue

The ghost tour was informative and SCARY. While underground in the Blair Street Vaults, our guide told us a bunch of ghost stories and then...SOMEONE JUMPED OUT OF THIS DOOR, which was behind our backs.

A GUY JUMPED OUT OF HERE!

(Super glad we had hit that bathroom! TMI?)

Once they had scared the crap out of us in the underground vaults, we continued on for our "adult beverage" in Megget's Cellar and photos with dead guys.

Scarlet, Scary Mask, And Ali

The only weird thing about the tour is that we finished in a completely different spot than from where we began, so when we came out into the night, we were completely turned around! After a long walk back to our hotel, which picked up some za and went back to the hotel to relax since we had an early morning planned for the next day.

Edinburgh is completely gorgeous and magical. It feels very old while there, which is a lot of fun for us Americans who have nothing like it at home. I would love to go back and focus solely on the pubs- they were fun!

Up next? Our trip to Loch Ness!

XO,
SVR

Wednesday, December 04, 2013

"Dollars + Cents" vs "(Nice Dream)"

We've had a bit of a break, but the bracket is still going on!

"Dollars + Cents"

 


We're bad things to talk about
Be constructive
There are weapons we can use
Be constructive with your blues

Even when it's only warnings
Even when you talk the war games

Oh Why don't you quiet down?
(Maybe I want peace and honesty)
Why don't you quiet down?
(Maybe I want to live in the children's land
And you know maybe, maybe I)
Why don't you quiet down?
(Maybe I'll wander the promised land
I want peace and honesty)
Why don't you quiet down?
(I want to live in the promised land
And maybe wander the children's land)
Quiet down! (Yeah, and there, there we can free)

You don't live in a business world and
You never go out and you never stay
We won our goals in a liberal world
Living in times when I could stand it, babe

All over, baby's crying
It'll all be, baby, I can see out of here
All over the planet's dead
All over the planet, so let me out of here
All over the, all over the, all over the, all over the

(Quiet down)
We are the dollars and cents and the pounds and pence
And the mark and the yen, and yeah
(Why don't you quiet down?)
We're gonna crack your little souls
We're gonna crack your little souls
(Why don't you quiet down?)
We are the dollars and cents and the pounds and pence
And the pounds and pence, and yeah
(Why don't you quiet down?)
We're gonna crack your little souls
Crack your little souls
We are the dollars and cents 


(2001. Amnesiac. I Might Be Wrong.)

I'm a big fan of Amnesiac. It's such a trippy album that still has a lot of melodic anchors. I know I've mentioned it before, but I am NOT a lyrics person. In fact, this is the first time I've ever even seen the lyrics so they're not really influencing my decision, but they do seem very appropriate for a dystopian novel! I like this song, but I'm not sure it's strong enough to win.

"(Nice Dream)"



They love me like I was their brother
They protect me, listen to me.
They dug me my very own garden
Gave me sunshine, made me happy
nice dream, nice dream
Nice Dream

I call up my friend the good angel
But she's out with, her answer-phone.
She says she'd love to come help but
The sea would electrocute us all
nice dream, nice dream
nice dream, nice dream

Nice dream, if you think that you're strong enough
Nice dream, if you think that you belong enough
Nice dream, if you think that you're strong enough
Nice dream, if you think that you belong enough

(Now come home, now come home)
(Now come home, now come home)

nice dream, nice dream
nice dream, nice dream.  


(1995. The Bends)

This song just floats along for me. It actually matches up quite well with its opponent, as "Dollars + Cents" is like the more futuristic version. I really like the build up in "(Nice Dream)" and the guitar that enters 3/4 of the way through creates some tension that ends up adding some nice energy to the song.

And the winner is...

"(Nice Dream)"!!! The energy on the older tune is what helped push it to the win. 

Tuesday, December 03, 2013

Day 2: Edinburgh

For our first full day in Scotland, we hit the ground running! After a delicious breakfast at our hotel, we set out for Calton Hill, which is listed in a million books and websites as being The place for great photo ops.

Calton Hill

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The hill itself is a World Heritage site and is home to several monuments as well as Scottish Parliament buildings on the bottom part of the hill.

National Monument On Calton hill

Calton Hill Cannon

It poured on our walk to the hill and then was sprinkling off and on while there, but that didn't dampen* our spirits one bit. In fact, it rained at least once every single day we were there. We were ready for that, though, so it didn't bother us.

After the hill, we walked back to the Royal Mile, which is actual a few streets that aren't really a mile long and run from the Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace. Everything in this area is quite exquisite (even the touristy shops!).

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In this area is St. Giles Cathedral, a beautiful building right in the middle of the bustling touristy/historic** area. I love visiting churches and cathedrals because they are always so gorgeous and I like to see the different interpretations of beliefs. It's especially cool in Scotland because a lot of the buildings are incredibly old. St. Giles Cathedral was built in the 12th century. Whoa.

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After lunch, (I think. I want to remember things exactly, for my own memories, but a few things are a little jumbled timeline wise) we got lunch and then went for a tour of Mary King's Close, something that was on my To Do List early on in our trip planning.

80 Shillings

Closes in Scotland are another word for alleys and this tour takes you into the underground ones in the Old Town under the more recently built Royal Exchange. It's fascinating to see how people lived around the 17th century in tenement buildings that went up to seven stories high. It's these buildings that created the closes and on the tour, you get to see how awful the living conditions were and the tour guide tells a lot of stories about how the Plague affected life at the time***. This tour was one of my favorite things from the whole trip so, if you find yourself in Edinburgh, be sure to check this place out.

(Side note: There is a VERY accessible and lovely toilet**** right off the street! Perfect for when in the area. And don't laugh, bathroom knowledge is high on my list of travel requirements.)

Hebrides Bar was another spot on our To Do List and we hit them up next.

Guiness In Hebrides bar

This is a great little pub with a good tap list and seems to be a destination for locals and tourists. They don't serve food, which is weird to us Virginia natives, but the bartenders were super friendly and we had a good time relaxing and drinking a few pints. I would definitely go back!

The sun sets early in Scotland in October so my memory gets a little hazy at this point on what we did next, but I'm pretty sure we went home for a nap. (I guess that explains the haze.) Dinnertime in Scotland proved to be a little challenging as pubs don't serve food in the evening and usually we didn't really want to go to a big restaurant. But, ya gotta eat, right? This night we ended up at a Thai restaurant near our hotel and had a really good dinner, but it took for-ev-er. We were so tired once we were done so we headed back to our hotel for some lobby time at the hotel!

Night night!

Scott Monument At Night

XO,
SVR
* HAHA!
** That's the thing about Scotland- even if it's touristy, it's still historic and awesome.
*** Can I get a what what for Sores and Boils Alley??
****I could never get used to calling the restroom "the toilet". So crass;)

Monday, December 02, 2013

Breakout

Words:





“Virginia,” he said. Just one word that shook me to the core.

My name slipped from his lips as easily as the kisses we used to share.  

My own mouth could not form a word in reply. 

“Can we talk for a moment? Alone?” he said the words so easily, like they weren’t breaking me apart inside. I had not spoken to or even seen him in person in months. 



+ Title from Foo Fighters

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Vacation, Day 2: Boston-->Heathrow-->Edinburgh!

I thought I would be too tired to sleep the night before going to The Motherland, but I guess waking up at 3:30am and then driving 10 hours makes a person pretty tired. I woke up on the 24th VERY excited to begin our epic trip to Scotland.

Everything at the Boston airport went quite well, including our delayed flight, which had us a little worried for our connection, but supposedly there would be a lot of wind helping our flight and we were only going to arrive 30 minutes later than originally planned. Okay, this is all boring stuff...fast forward to boarding and being excited about our flight attendants' accents and our awesome in-seat TVs that showed good movies and TV shows. Oh! And the Andy Murray BBC documentary that totally made me tear up while on the plane! Embarassing! Fast forward to me taking a picture with my Powershot and putting it back into my bag*. Zoom through the five hours on the plane and then...

Seeing London from above and at night! So cool. I've never been to London, but based on the aerial view alone, I'm in. Our connection at Heathrow went fine* and before we knew it, we were on a freaking plane to SCOTLAND!

SCOTLAND!

I kind of can't describe my excitement at this point. I have dreamed about going to Scotland for as long as I can remember so to be on the final leg of the journey there left me filled with joy. 

 The reality of touching down in Edinburgh was that we then needed to navigate the nine miles or so to the city from the airport. Originally we had planned on taking a taxi since we arrived at about 11pm and weren't certain about the bus system, but we're pretty frugal and decided to try the bus because it looked to be pretty clear with which one to take.

Now, this was pretty funny because we went to buy our bus ticket from the little machine next to the stop, but it would only take coins. (Oh, sidenote: At Heathrow we hit up the ATM, but I was denied, which totally freaked me out! I was so worried my card would be eaten that I decided to wait until the next machine, which was at the Edinburgh Airport. Except, I was denied again! OMG! Was I not going to be able to have cash while there?! I was freaking out until my genius sister who used to work at a credit union realized that I probably had a $300 limit for withdrawals and with the conversion rate, my attempt for $200 was breaking that limit. A quick request for $100 that was granted confirmed our suspicions and we were good to go.)

Okay, back to the bus story. So we needed coins, right? But all we had were 20 pound notes so we went to the one food spot open and bought a bottle of water each. It was so obvious we just needed change and we felt bad for taking the till's smaller bills to break our twenties. And then? Then the ticket machine for the bus flashed "Buy Ticket From Driver". *sigh*

The trip to the city was uneventful and we had looked at the map saved to my nook so we were pretty sure where we were going. It had seemed like our hotel was really close to where the bus stopped, but we got so lost once we started walking! At one point we were dragging our suitcases on a dirt path next to a small highway with no real idea of where we were. And it was about midnight by then so not my favorite time to be wandering around an unfamiliar city.

Remember when the Knight Bus picks up Harry Potter in the third movie? That same exact thing happened to us while standing on the side of the road while lost in Edinburgh. Well, except it was a taxi instead of a Knight Bus, but it was the same idea and about ten minutes later we were being dropped off at the Brooks Hotel on Grove St!

Sweet relief!

Until the hotel front desk guy checked us in and said, "Oh, you're only staying with us one night."

"WHAT?! No, technically four."

Long story short (I'm not a good story teller, by the way), our original itinerary had our three nights booked, but Ali (genius, seriously) realized our first night wasn't included! Turns out that when our travel agent added the first night, they put it under my name so when the guy looked in the computer, he didn't see the subsequent nights that were under Ali's name. Apparently being super smart runs in the family because I was the one who figured that out;)

Ahhhh, with the accommodation problem settled and our pajamas on, we tucked in at about 1am to get some sleep before hitting the ground running the next morning!

(Note: I highly recommend taking the daytime flight to the UK. We had no pressure to sleep during the flight and even thought it was only about 8pm our time when we got to our hotel, we were so tired from getting up early and traveling all day that it wasn't that difficult to get to sleep. I know a lot of people fly overnight so they don't have to spend money on a hotel room that first partial night, but for me, money spent on comfort is money well spent.)

More soon! I promise it gets better! And soon, PICTURES!

XO,
SVR

*Except that somewhere in between taking that photo on the plane to London and getting on the plane to Edinburgh, I lost my beautiful (and new!) Powershot. I was pretty bummed, but also determined not to let it get to me too much. I quickly put it in perspective: it was much better to lose it at the beginning of the trip rather than the end after taking a million pictures. And also, it was NOT the worst thing that would have happened. Not by a long shot. Plus, I still had my DSLR and iPhone for photo ops!)