Recent Obsessions: Paul Rudd and White Meat

I'm cooking dinner with my boo. We're having turkey burgers with cheese and scallions mixed into the meat. It's super tasty! (Below is a picture of the raw meat cooking, for your disgust. The burgers were much tastier once they were cooked.)


On a side note, I'm realizing that I'm starting to look like I'm anti-red meat, which would not be a bad thing. It's jut not the case. I eat red meat, but I prefer white meat. There it is.

My roommate's watching Knocked Up while we cook. I had forgotten how enjoyable that film was. It's a little long for me, but it has its share of laugh-out-loud moments (Thanks in large part to Paul Rudd). I will say, however, that I Love You, Man tickles my pickle a bit more.

Last night, the winner of Project Runway: Season Five, Leanne Marshall, spoke at my school. FYI: She's just as adorable in person.

Highlights From An Awful Week

I've had a really awful week.... meaning, I haven't been eating great food and watching wonderful films. Earlier in the week, I did write an outline for what I hope will one day be a wonderful film.

Other tidbits from the week:

My boyfriend blew up some potatoes in my stove this week, trying to make twice baked potatoes. In the end, the potatoes were good. We also had pigs in a blanket. The tiny hot dogs were left over from a party where we had pigs in a blanket, crab on a cracker, and apple peanut butter crackers.

When I have weeks like this week, I tend to watch television instead of films. My current favorite, Golden Girls, has been my personal most watched program off my dvr for about three months now. Sophia, Dorothy, Rose, and Blanche help me relax.

Trail Mix

Last night, I saw one of the most honest portrayals of gender relations in the last few years. What was this gem of a movie? I Love You, Man. I went because there was a free advanced screening of the film. The theater was empty. Which is unusual for advanced screenings, but it's spring break. Anyways, the film was really intelligent. I suggest you go and see it.


For dinner, I had fettucini with tomato sauce and garlic toast. At the film, we ate Starburst Jellybeans and Trail Mix. It was a heavy night.

OH and I watched North By Northwest, like I promised. I enjoyed it, but not as much as Vertigo. I've never really been into spy films, but the first act was spectacular.

Vertigo + Hamburger Helper = Vertigo Helper

Tonight, we ate another college favorite--Hamburger Helper. Only, instead of beef, we used ground turkey. It's a nice alternative.

Afterwards, I saw Vertigo for the first time. It was just as amazing as I had anticipated. It almost made me wish that cinema was more theatrical today. I realized, while I was watching it, that I haven't seen as much Hitchcock as I'd like. Next on my list, North By Northwest.

Blood. Sex. Cronenberg.

If you haven't seen it yet, you should. A History of Violence is the closest thing to a masterpiece in the last decade. I saw it a few years back and found myself writing an essay about the adaption for my professor/mentor Diane Lake, co-writer of Frida, this semester. I've fallen in love with the film all over again. Some argue that the sex scenes are gratuitous, but I argue that those folks don't understand Cronenberg or how much sex says about the type of relationship these characters have (and more importantly how it changes throughout the film). Check it out!

Mi Madre's Ensalada De Taco

My Mama, Sharon, taught me to prepare one of my favorite dish, Taco Salad. You chop up tomatoes and lettuce, while cooking whatever ground meat you prefer (I usually use a lighter meat like turkey or chicken, but typically Sharon would use beef). Then you add them all together with shredded cheese, Catalina dressing, and crushed tortilla chips. You can also add whatever other kind of veggies you like. For a spicier salad, I suggest jalapenos. It's cheap and delicious, the best kind of dinner for us starving college kids.

I've DVR'd five films that have been suggested to me either by friends, the IMDb top 250, or AFI's top 100, or all of the above. The films are; Seven Samurai; The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly; Vertigo; North By Northwest; and The Bridge Over River Kwai. The question is, which one do I start with. Hmmm... I'll let you know what happens.

Robin Williams as a Mexican Penguin and Salsa

My sister showed me Happy Feet. It was adorable, but I can't decide if I like how animated films address environmental issues. Ice Age 2 was particularly difficult. BUT I have to admit that it's nice to see animated films addressing important topics.


In fact, animated films of late have been almost preferable to live action films. Ratatouille and Wall-E were the best films of the last two years.... or so I think.

Also, I know you're dying to know what we ate. Happy Feet was sided with chips and salsa. Not an inspired idea, but I think chips and salsa are classic.

Home for the Weekend. No Movies. Lots of Food and Drink.

My sister and our friend Shaleigh, took me out for a drink tonight. I defended the masculinity of a Long Island Ice Tea to my boyfriend who claimed that his Vodka Tonic was a much more masculine drink. With these drinks, we ate appetizers, i.e. Potato skins, Bloomin' Onion, and, my personal favorite, Spinach and Artichoke Dip. Yummy indeed.

Watchmen with a side of Pinot Grigio

I saw the Watchmen last night. Not down with it at all, really. The first half was solid, but then the second half just kind of flopped for me. I read the book recently, in anticipation of the film. The movie felt like the SparkNotes version of the graphic novel.


Before the movie, I had Twisted Brand Pinot Grigio. It was better than the movie, but it was cheap. With it, we ate pasta and CVS Brand Absolutely Divine Vanilla Creme Wafers. As far as evenings go, it was cheap and tasty all around.

*Also, anytime I say "WE," I mean, "my boyfriend and I." Not that I like using the pronoun, but it's easier than typing out "my boyfriend and I."