Oscar Meme

HarryJack's Mom sent me over to Unmitigated to check out her Oscar meme. The instructions were:

"How many of these best-picture Oscar nominated movies have you seen? Bold the ones you’ve seen, regardless of whether you saw them in the cinema, on TV/video, or on a plane years after they came out."

She went back as far as 1980, but I took it farther, to 1965, as that is the earliest I remember watching the Academy Awards. I was 14. Also, I found it harder to read the bold, so I'm going to italicize the ones I've seen.

1965 The Sound of Music, Darling, Doctor Zhivago, Ship of Fools, A Thousand Clowns,
1966 A Man for All Seasons, Alfie, The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming, The Sand Pebbles, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
1967 In the Heat of the Night, Bonnie and Clyde, Doctor Dolittle, The Graduate, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner,
1968 Oliver!, Funny Girl, The Lion in Winter, Rachel, Rachel,
Romeo and Juliet,
1969 Midnight Cowboy, Anne of the Thousand Days, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Hello, Dolly!, Z
1970 Patton, Airport, Five Easy Pieces, Love Story, MASH,
1971 The French Connection, A Clockwork Orange, Fiddler on the Roof, The Last Picture Show, Nicholas and Alexandra,
1972 The Godfather, Cabaret, Deliverance, Sounder, The Emigrants,
1973 The Sting, American Graffiti, The Exorcist, A Touch of Class, Cries and Whispers,
1974 The Godfather Part II, Chinatown, The Conversation, Lenny, The Towering Inferno,
1975 One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Barry Lyndon, Dog Day Afternoon, Jaws, Nashville,
1976 Rocky, All the President's Men, Bound for Glory, Network, Taxi Driver,
1977 Annie Hall, The Goodbye Girl, Julia, Star Wars, The Turning Point
1978 The Deer Hunter, Coming Home, Heaven Can Wait, Midnight Express, An Unmarried Woman,
1979 Kramer vs. Kramer, Apocalypse Now, All That Jazz, Breaking Away, Norma Rae
1980. Ordinary People, Coal Miner’s Daughter, The Elephant Man, Raging Bull, Tess
1981. Chariots of Fire, Reds, Atlantic City, On Golden Pond, Raiders of the Lost Ark
1982. Gandhi, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Missing, Tootsie, The Verdict
1983. Terms of Endearment, The Big Chill, The Dresser, The Right Stuff, Tender Mercies
1984. Amadeus, The Killing Fields, A Passage to India, Places in the Heart, A Soldier’s Story
1985. Out of Africa, The Color Purple, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Prizzi’s Honor, Witness
1986. Platoon, Children of a Lesser God, Hannah and Her Sisters, The Mission, A Room with a View
1987. The Last Emperor, Broadcast News, Fatal Attraction, Hope and Glory, Moonstruck
1988. Rain Man, The Accidental Tourist, Dangerous Liaisons, Mississippi Burning, Working Girl
1989. Driving Miss Daisy, Born on the Fourth of July, Dead Poets Society, Field of Dreams, My Left Foot
1990. Dances with Wolves, Awakenings, Ghost, The Godfather Part III, Goodfellas
1991. The Silence of the Lambs, Beauty and the Beast, Bugsy, JFK, The Prince of Tides
1992. Unforgiven, The Crying Game, A Few Good Men, Howards End, Scent of a Woman
1993. Schindler’s List, The Fugitive, In the Name of the Father, The Piano, The Remains of the Day
1994. Forrest Gump, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Pulp Fiction, Quiz Show, The Shawshank Redemption
1995. Braveheart, Apollo 13, Babe, Il Postino (The Postman), Sense and Sensibility
1996. The English Patient, Fargo, Jerry Maguire, Secrets & Lies, Shine
1997. Titanic, As Good as It Gets, The Full Monty, Good Will Hunting, L.A. Confidential
1998. Shakespeare in Love, Elizabeth, Life Is Beautiful (La vita è bella), Saving Private Ryan, The Thin Red Line
1999. American Beauty, The Cider House Rules, The Green Mile, The Insider, The Sixth Sense
2000. Gladiator, Chocolat, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Erin Brockovich, Traffic
2001. A Beautiful Mind, Gosford Park, In the Bedroom, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Moulin Rouge!
2002. Chicago, Gangs of New York, The Hours, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Pianist
2003. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Lost in Translation, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Mystic River, Seabiscuit
2004. Million Dollar Baby, The Aviator, Finding Neverland, Ray, Sideways
2005. Crash, Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Good Night and Good Luck, Munich
2006. The Departed, Babel, Letters from Iwo Jima, Little Miss Sunshine, The Queen
2007. No Country for Old Men, Atonement, Juno, Michael Clayton, There Will Be Blood
2008. Slumdog Millionaire, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Milk, The Reader

It's amazing how many I don't even remember--such as "Z", "The Emigrants", "Cries and Whispers", "Coming Home", "The Dresser". I might have to add these to my Netflix queue, as well as the others I do remember the titles of and never saw.

Also, I didn't realize until I played along, that I have seen NONE of the nominees since 2004--nor have I liked any of the hosts since then except Hugh Jackman. Hmmmm, wonder if there was a correlation there....

Care to play along?

Carfax

Quick note: Last Saturday I was manning the computer for DD as she shopped for used cars. Not knowing how many cars she'd be test-driving and considering, I paid for 10 searches on C*arfax. (My options were 1, 10, and unlimited). They are only good for a month, and she only needed one.

That leaves 9 searches available until approx. March 21. I hate for these to go to waste, so if any of you are in the market for a used car and would like some info on it, let me know and I'll search it for you. You can email me at cloudtoucher1 (at) gmail.com.

Movie Trivia Answer 2/21

All my days seem to be running together--just a blur of gray. Here it is Thursday, and I never posted the answer to last week's movie questions.

Not that I need to--you all seemed to be fans of this movie, too!

Yes, The Professional was Natalie Portman's first movie--done when she was 11 years old. I remember seeing this on cable one evening and wondering who she was and telling my daughter we'd be seeing more of her. This was before computer access and IMDB for us.


I didn't see her again until the Star Wars movie, 5 years later, though she was in 4 movies between, including Heat, a movie she made with Ashley Judd before Where the Heart Is.

She looked a little too thin to me at the Oscars Sunday night.


But just as beautiful.


New question on Saturday (I hope!)

Oscar Review

Am I watching the Oscars? Am I breathing?

Thoughts from the night:

I've missed only one Oscar night in the last 30 years, but I promise, if it's not halfway decent this year, I am swearing off. I hated the Chris Rock year and Jon Stewart was so boring last year I almost fell asleep. I miss Billy Crystal and Whoopi.Let's hope Hugh Jackman does a better job. I admit being impressed by the opening number. An actor who can dance!--and wasn't Anne Hathaway just adorable?

Did you see Marisa Tomei's dress? Stunning! And if Kate Winslett didn't knock your socks off, nothing will! She is looking so elegant! Penelope Cruz--did you hear that she found this vintage dress several years ago and vowed to wear it someday? When she was nominated, she went back and hunted this dress up to buy--and found it! What are the chances? Do you think Meryl Streep and her daughter planned with Amy Adams what to wear, so they would coordinate and not clash when they stood together? Thank goodness real style is coming back. I really couldn't get into the swan feathers.

Oops, spoke too soon. WHAT were Tilda and Whoopi wearing????

Am I the only person not enamored with Jack Black?

Does anyone know who the hairy beast was with Natalie Portman?


What a unique way to present the Best Supportings and Best Actor/Actress Awards! I hope they continue that--the descriptions were so sincere, (except for Anthony Hopkins--must have been his worst acting ever), and it appeared the nominees were being truly honored for their work, instead of participating in a popularity contest.

Worst hair awards:
Phillip Seymour Hoffman (A do-rag, Phillip? Seriously?)
Christopher Walken
Adrien Brody
Mickey Rourke

Bless Jerry Lewis' heart; the man still keeps going, doesn't he? Battling diabetes, serious heart disease, prostate cancer and now Lou Gehrig's diease--he still exhibits grace and dignity.

Not impressive:
Presenting the nominations for original score. The music all ran together the way they set it up--made the scores seem bland and forgettable.
The selections for Best Song. Only 3, none of which could be sung along with, and which all sounded alike, performed the way they were. Were the songwriters on strike this year, too?

I haven't seen Slumdog Millionaire yet, but is it worth all this, or is it just the novelty? I do love that they brought so many of the cast over for the awards. What a terrific experience for them!

The annual Memorial Collage--Queen Latifah did a fabulous job singing! Wish I could say the same for the cameramen--about 1/3 of the time, I couldn't tell who was being honored, unless I recognized their faces. And forgive me for sounding disrespectful, but do most people know the publicists and critics who made it to the list?

Noticeably lacking (hallelujah!)--political agendas and Michael Moore......
Written before Sean Penn took the stage. Well, we almost made it through.

Oh, and Best Commercial Award--Hyundai. Hands down.

Kate Winslett's acceptance? Right up there with the ones given by Cuba Gooding, Jr, Halle Berry, Sally Field.
She had me at hello.

Did anyone else find the collage of films confusing as they highlighted each movie nominated for Best Motion Picture?

My Final Verdict?
1) Hugh Jackman has my vote for a return visit. He was mildly funny without being ridiculous, was gracious and unoffensive, and held his own in a dance production.
2) Keep the presentation format. Fresh, sincere--I like that they explain why these actors and actresses were nominated. The Academy seems to be returning to its roots in awarding Oscars for excellence in the Motion Picture Industry.
3) Songwriters--the field is wide open.


Feel free to disagree.

Saturday (okay, Sunday) at the Movies

Sorry for the delay, folks! I spent most of yesterday on the computer, helping my daughter (who lives over 7 hours away) buy a car!

So here we go.

What was the title of the 1994 movie starring Jean Reno


and Gary Oldman


that was also the debut for a then 11-year-old actress?
(There were 2 working titles--I'll take either)

And, who was this girl?



Answers on Tuesday!

Any Help Appreciated

This is just a quick post to ask if any of my readers are medical transcriptionists? I'm wanting to get started on a PRN or part-time basis, in order to supplement my current income, work into substituting a shift at work for it, and then to do it after I retire--hopefully in about 5 years. But I have questions.

If you could email me at cloudtoucher1@gmail.com, I'd certainly be grateful!
Thanks, all!

Movie Trivia Answer 2/14

Did you know "Finding Nemo" is the number 1 best-selling DVD of all times? It was a terrific movie!

Pat, Libby, and HarryJack's Mom all had one answer in common: The sharks in the 12-step program. "Fish are friends, not food."


In addition, they named navigating the jellyfish,


surviving the whale's belly, traveling with Dorie (a major obstacle), swimming the Australian currents with the Sea turtles,



traveling through the reef, and being caught up in the giant net.

Four more I can think of: the little fish with the mesmerizing light and the big teeth,


reading the address on the goggles, dodging the seagulls ("Mine, mine, mine")


and accessing the dentist's office via the pelican's beak.


I have been collecting different sea fabrics for a Nemo quilt for a couple of years now. I think it'll be fun to put together.

New question on Saturday!

Copyrights and Violations

Remember my mentioning Ellia of Greenbeanbaby Art in this post? Well, for the second time, she has her artwork ripped off and used without her permission or credit given for her work.

This time, someone has been selling items based on Ellia's work! This, despite a small copyright label on her work, and a paragraph in her sidebar requesting that her work be respected and the copyright honored. She's now been forced to superimpose a VERY large copyright symbol right over the top of her illustrations.

Honestly, I don't know why people do this! As a quilter, I don't expect to see anything of mine on someone else's site, because there are only so many different blocks and ways to manipulate them, though I did find one of my early photographs on a stranger's blog. But Ellia is a paper artist, and her drawings are very unique. I've been following her blog for about 18 months now, and I'd know her work anywhere.

The gal who did it, would not respond to Ellia's emails, and deleted her comments. Several of us tried to email this gal, with no response. I clicked on the names of those who gushed over her new designs and hopped over to their blogs, to let them know these were not original designs, but stolen from another, and provided the link to Ellia's work. I encouraged them not to support this deception. One person wrote me back, suggesting I contact the perpetrator personally, that inspiration can come from many sources, and that she did not wish her blog to be used for comments about another.

She's right about her blog; if I'd known any other way to get the word out, I would have. It really made me mad to see people praising this gal for "her" new card designs, when she had stolen them from Ellia. But anyone looking at the two girls' work could see there was no "inspiration"--it was an deliberate act of copyright violation. AND she had the audacity to have a similar copyright post on her site.

The thing is, this person had other lovely designs in her shop--and items I would have willingly bought, myself. However, in my opinion, her reputation is now tarnished and forces me to question the validity of all her designs. If you are truly talented, why the need to copy another's work?

I feel the same way about quilt designs and BOMs. In our quilting bee a couple of years ago, we took turns sharing our favorite blocks in a basic BOM. One of my favorites is Ribbon Star from Marcia Hohn's site. I was very careful to contact Marcia and ask permission to share her instructions for making this block. She very graciously said yes, and only asked that I give her the credit. I copied it directly from her site, which had her copyright at the bottom of each page, and made sure I announced to all at the meeting that these instructions were from Marcia. (Blocks are pretty much public domain now, but the specific instructions and illustrations are what are copyrighted.) She works hard to make patterns available free of charge to anyone who's interested, and her efforts and generosity should be appreciated, not exploited.

This is the reason I quit bringing my quilt magazines to work for a long time. One of the other nurses was a quilter, and we'd have our own little show and tell sessions with things we'd made, and we'd look over the new magazines as they came in. Then I discovered she was taking the magazine back to her unit and photocopying patterns she liked. That's also a violation of copyright. I paid for the magazine, so I am entitled to use any pattern in it; she did not pay, nor did she borrow it from a library. She was getting something for nothing, and I didn't want to be a part of it.

It's illegal, folks, and just plain rude and disrespectful.





Okay, I'll climb down off my soapbox now.




Today, Ellia has posted that the person is refunding the money to those who bought the first products and will issue a "makeover". There was still no apology to Ellia, but at least she is doing right by her customers. Many of her loyal followers have dissed those of us who protested, and that is their right, but I am satisfied to see the woman is attempting to rectify this situation.

Saturday at the Movies 2/14

This week's movie trivia is from a different kind of love story:
Finding Nemo, the love of parents for their children.



Name 3 challenges Marlin faced in searching for his son, Nemo.

Answers on Tuesday!

(and scroll down for my Valentine's surprise)

Chomp, Chomp

That is the sound of me eating my words.

Look what arrived this morning:


Just when I said we never do anything for Valentine's Day, J-Man surprises me.

I do love this man.


P.S. It's also the sound of us sharing the chocolates!

Worst Gift

We don't do Valentine's Day gifts around here--just never got into it. So I don't expect to participate in Judy's giveaway this weekend, but if you get something from your Sweetie, go post about it!

Julie's post, over at Pragmatic Compendium, with that hilarious video, reminded me of the worst gift J-Man ever gave me.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am very much in love with my husband. His love language is acts of service, and he is terrific at it. Just gifts themselves, well they're either a 10 or a 1. Nothing in between.

Prime example of a 10? My iPod nano--though that was really my daughter's idea. Another example of a 10? The tower speaker he got DD for her iPod nano--his own idea.

Prime example of a 1? The gift he got me for my 40th birthday.

A Solar Air Exchanger for my car.

Yep.

I was doing a lot of traveling in my job, and he decided this would be a good thing to keep my car from getting stuffy in the summer sunshine. As an everyday, thinking-of-you gift? Great. Any guy who saw it, thought it was a great gadget. And it was.

But as a gift for the big 4-0?

It sucked.

I had the sympathies of all my friends.

I do remember using it, though I don't think it made much of a difference in my car. Of course, that was a bazillion years ago, and it's long gone. Now it's just a funny memory, one of the many that come from being married for years and years. Don't you just love those?

Not Truly Lost in Cyberspace

I am so sorry, all. Last week was a humdinger at work--one of the top 10 worst 3-night-stretches--and when I got off work Saturday morning I came home and hit the hay hard! So, as sometimes happens with sleeping days and then switching to nights, my internal calendar was off and all day yesterday I was thinking it was Saturday. When it sunk in, I realized I'd missed Saturday at the Movies.

Guess you'll have to take me out to the parking lot and flog me.

And my blog reader was up to 108 Friday (actually, Saturday) night, so I got it down to 83, when lo and behold, it was back up to 100 by last night. I'm slowly making my way through, and trying to leave comments, so please forgive me for being 5 days behind in your messages.

The good news is, the sewing room is almost finished. After viewing it last Tues. afternoon, I realized it needed a second coat. That "dirty, wet sand color", as Lori named it, was showing through just a bit, or at least I could see it, so whether or not it was a figment of my imagination was a moot point. I wouldn't be happy with it if I didn't do a second coat. I'm hoping to get everything back into the room by tonight. Not sure if I'll get the new curtain rod hung and the curtains back up before going back to work tomorrow night, but soon. I just can't stand the chaos of furniture all over the house being out of place.

Yesterday I made a trip back to Home Depot for another quart of paint, since I hadn't bought enough for two coats, and I needed more roller pads and brushes. As I walked in, a smiling man in a bright orange vest asked if I needed any help today. I smiled back and said, no, thanks, I knew just what I wanted. On my way down to the paint section, another smiling orange-vested person asked if I needed help, one told me she liked the cats on my purse (it's a Laurel Burch bag), and another said hello, have a nice day. The paint salesperson went and brought me a cart when I ended up with more items than I could carry, and all the cashiers were standing at the entrance to their registers, smiling and waiting for customers. It was like walking into the Home Depot version of The Stepford Wives. I figure they must be trying something new to encourage business, but it was just a little bit creepy.

Okay, got to get moving. Hopefully we will resume our regular programming soon!

Movie Trivia Answer 1/31

Well, that was easier than I thought it would be! Yes, the movie was The Green Mile, based on the book by Stephen King.


The part of John Coffey was played by Michael Clarke Duncan, who was nominated for Best Supporting Actor (but didn't win). He was so delighted to be recognized on the street, he'd give $5.00 to each person who could call him by all 3 names.


One of my favorite quotes by John Coffey:

Paul Edgecomb: On the day of my judgment, when I stand before God, and He asks me why did I kill one of his true miracles, what am I gonna say? That is was my job? My job?
John Coffey: You tell God the Father it was a kindness you done. I know you hurtin' and worryin', I can feel it on you, but you oughta quit on it now. Because I want it over and done. I do. I'm tired, boss. Tired of bein' on the road, lonely as a sparrow in the rain. Tired of not ever having me a buddy to be with, or tell me where we's coming from or going to, or why. Mostly I'm tired of people being ugly to each other. I'm tired of all the pain I feel and hear in the world everyday. There's too much of it. It's like pieces of glass in my head all the time. Can you understand?
Paul Edgecomb: Yes, John. I think I can.

New question on Saturday!

First Look

Due to popular request, here are some photos of the painting work in progress.
This picture is of the corner to the left of the window in my sewing room, before getting more stuff unloaded and out of the way.

The paint was a flat, pale beige or tan, not sure which is the better term. I hate flat paint. I see no use for it whatsoever. To me, it sucks the light and life right out of a room.

This next photo is panning to the left, and is the photo I plugged into behr.com to visualize my choices.

This is what I was looking at when I wrote about how blue the new color was:

The contrast was a little scary, plus it looks darker in natural light than it does in nighttime incandescent light.

This is that whole wall done:



And panning over to the corner where the window mirror hung:


I am in love with this color! It's so gorgeous! It's "Sapphireberry" from behr.com.

The going is slow, because J-Man is unable to help, so I must unload each bookshelf, move it, do the cutting in, paint the wall and then the trim, before moving the shelf back, restocking it, and repeating this for 2 more bookshelves, as well as the desk. But it'll get done.
I'm thinking it'll take me through Wed. morning to get everything back in its rightful place, including the things that have been shoved around in other rooms to make a space for other furniture, etc. It's the Domino Effect at its best. At least, I'm hoping all is done before going back to work for a 3-night stretch.

Then, sewing by the weekend! Hurray! Good mental health is just over the horizon!

Stashbuster Report Week #5

Zero in.
Zero out.


Boring, huh.

But I'm finally painting the sewing room!!!

It's really blue. Good thing I plan to live here until I'm carted off to either the cemetery or the nursing home.

Pictures later!