A site to behold

Okay, so we all know I've been typing away at this little TV blog, but with Josh's help (aka his total competence and my lack thereof) I have finally decided to take it to the next level.

Behold, the brand-new TV and Sympathy!


It's all organized! You can sort stuff! And read recaps and reviews! And email me! And much, much more! (Okay, not that much, but it's still cool.)

So what are you doing gawking at the image and twiddling your thumbs? Head on over to the site to bust out some feedback, sing its praises, or give Josh props for his mad PHP skillz. Homeboy knows his stuff!

Beyonce's new video is intense

- Have you watched it? For serious.

- Ooh, book awards! I'd vote, but I haven't read nearly enough of them.

- Something about this is so disturbing. When I look at pictures of people who have committed gruesome crimes, it often seems to me that there's something vacant in their eyes. But is that really true, or is it me trying to convince myself that I would know a monster if ever came across one?

- Okay, well, that's quite a glum topic. How about this instead? I'm sure if JB ran into someone of that ilk, he'd know what to do.

- And someone who quite earnestly wished to take part in a scam, but had a few questions first.

- I got pretty tired of the song "Hey Ya" but this version is kinda cool.



- And, to be really sure we end this sucker on a happy note:



Ahhh. Much better.

All rise!

On the subject of mix CDs, as Barney from How I Met Your Mother puts it, "People often think a good mix should rise and fall, but people are wrong! It should be all rise, baby!" While either version of his "Get Psyched" mix is pretty freaking awesome, Abbey and I created one that may rival it for sheer danceability.

I have posted its contents below for your enjoyment and mocking. Note that the order is irrelevant, as I am a devout shuffler. Also, more importantly, keep in mind that the point of the mix is not to be objectively good. It is to be, subjectively, fun for me to dance or work out to. High energy! Low quality!

1. Faded - SoulDecision
2. Girlfriend - N*SYNC featuring Nelly
3. Buttons - Pussycat Dolls
4. Poison - Bel Biv Devoe
5. Lose My Breath - Destiny's Child
6. SexyBack - Justin Timberlake
7. You Shook Me All Night Long - AC/DC
8. Love Machine - The Miracles
9. SOS - Rihanna
10. Hips Don't Lie - Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean
11. Yeah - Usher featuring Lil Jon
12. Whatta Man - Salt N Pepa
13. Like A Feather - Nikka Costa
14. La La - Ashlee Simpson
15. No Diggity - Blackstreet
16. I'm a Slave 4 U - Britney Spears
17. Gold Digger - Kanye West

There you have it. Murry, I heartily encourage you to download these songs if you have not already. The first one in particular is a total trashy blast from the past.

And, in conclusion, I love YouTube.

Things that just walked by me

1) A corgi


2) A man wearing short shorts


One of these things made me happier than the other. Guess which!

It's Billy Idol's favorite time of year!

Okay, so it seems to be wedding season. I went to Carmen's wedding. Three of my coworkers are getting married in October. Corey's mom is getting married in September. And now -- the final straw -- my childhood friend Jackie got married last weekend.

I haven't seen Jackie in a few years. That, and the fact that she'll always be a not-her-present-opening three-year-old in my mind, is making it sort of hard for me to accept the fact that she is a married, settled woman. Like, what have I been doing with my life? People joke about Josh and I getting hitched in about ten minutes, but I am just so not there. How can I feel so young, and people younger than me feel old enough to get married? The mind, it is boggled.

Even though I'm not very into the idea of me getting married currently, I'm not against the idea of marriage in any way. I love weddings! New York Magazine has a feature about all these happy wedding stories. A couple I really liked are here and here and here. Actually, this one is my favorite. I'm such a frickin' softie.

And on the subject of wedding pictures that are pretty, there's always Dad and Nilofer's wedding in Yosemite. Gorgeous!

ETA: I had most of this post finished when I discovered that yet another coworker of mine had gotten engaged. !!! They're taking over, people. They will blind you with their shiny rings and optimism! LOCK YOUR DOORS. ;)

Blueberry fields forever

I love blueberries. They are so tasty, when you get good ones that have just that essence of blueberry that pops in your mouth. De-freakin'-licious. They've had them at the cafe in my building all week and I have been eating them. A lot. Maybe I will turn into a big blueberry like Violet Beauregarde. Let's hope that doesn't happen.

I've think always been I'm a fruit and vegetable person, though Mom should be able to say whether that's a fiction or not.

I'd say my top 5 fruits are (not in exact order):

1. Blueberries
2. Strawberries
3. Nectarines
4. Mango
5. Red grapes

Fruits I DO NOT like include papaya and watermelon (though I do like watermelon-flavored things).

And my top 5 vegetables are:

1. Broccoli
2. Sugar Snap Peas (or peas of any sort, really)
3. Carrots
4. Spinach
5. Green beans

Vegetables I DO NOT like include lima beans and avocado.

Wikipedia is telling me garlic is a vegetable, but I do not quite agree with it, or at least do not feel it merits inclusion in this list. Although, man do I love me some garlic.

This post has been pretty pointless, eh? Maybe I'm suffering from some sort of blueberry-induced psychosis. This is further evidenced by the fact that I woke up last night laughing from a dream. Yes, I was dreaming about trying to form some sort of women's basketball team and was having trouble tying one of my teammate's shoes. I apparently found this so hilarious, I laughed myself awake.

Have you ever done that? One of the other times I remember laughing out loud while dreaming was when I dreamt that the cast of Friends and I were throwing around a red ball in my old bedroom in San Jose. It was So. Much. Fun. I was sleeping over at Murry's at the time, and she thought I was asphyxiating in my sleep or something. I wasn't; I was just having a rollicking good time for no reason whatsoever.

August is not sweater weather

And yet here I am, all sweatered up. It's actually kind of cold here! There's a breeze. I'm not baking. It's unsettling. Serendipitously, however, it does permit me to sport some of my new clothing acquisitions! I recently went on a Gap binge and bought several sweaters, some flat shoes, and brown pants. I heart the Gap, even if some of their fall clothes are not very characteristically Gap.

- I love articles that predict the success of a relationship based on movie selections. I posted one a couple weeks ago, and here's another good one: Pajiba's Guide to Third-Date Flicks. I like the idea of 'test movies' to gauge whether someone can appreciate the same things you do. I think Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind might be one. Probably So I Married An Axe Murderer too.

- Oh, and this is sad. I'll miss this babyfishmouth-guessing, Roy Rogers wagon wheel coffee table-owning, "Restaurants are to people in the '80s what theater was to people in the '60s" funnyman.

- On a happier note, I was already thinking of going auburn again this fall. This very credible study might just push me over the edge. What do you think?

- Heath Ledger as the next Joker makes me happy too. Josh isn't so sure he'll be great, figuring Nicholson is the one and only, but I think Heath's got the wicked grin to carry it off. It'll just be a different version. Plus, I bet Carmen won't be bummed by the casting. :)

- Oh, and since a bunch of you probably don't read my TV Blog but seem sorta curious what I think of movies, you can go read my review of The Illusionist on that blog. It was a fun evening -- the director was super nice (signed poster!), Sar likes Nu-Go Organic bars (just like me!), and Edward Norton is an attractive man (drool!). The end.

Secret shame #72: Christina Aguilera

I remember when I first heard Genie in a Bottle back in 1999 on MTV. I went from "this looks lame" to "I kind of like it..." to "I do like it! Is that wrong?" Despite Christina Aguilera's sudden popularity, I felt I was, indeed, sort of wrong. This feeling was not helped by the fact that Corey decided to start singing snippets of the song to/at me from time to time ("She's a Julie in a bottle...") Thanks, buddy. Really.

Later, my college friend Todd and I bonded over our shared unspeakable love of The Aguilera (and also, I am loathe to admit, The Spears). During one memorable drive down to So Cal, we had a big old trashy pop music sing-off, and it was delightful. But there were still not many to whom I would admit my enjoyment of her tunes.

So, is it okay to like Christina Aguilera now? She's married, she's stopped wearing assless chaps, she's stopped publicly feuding with Fred Durst. Can I like her?

Look at this interview. She's even articulate and kind of sassy and she clearly likes her husband a lot, which is refreshing and sweet.

Or, check out her whole album over at the MTV website. Sure, she's still rocking the semi-pretentious interludes, but at least there isn't any painfully mispronounced Spanish this time around.

What do you think...is it ok for me to like the artist formerly known as Xtina? Or should I go shut myself in a closet and listen with my headphones on?

Choyresma foreva!

Carmen and John are married!!!

Let's just take a moment to let that sink in.

...

Okay. Sunk? Good. Now we can talk about how awesome the wedding was. Because it was awesome -- sweet and fun and gorgeous and silly and heartfelt.

Let's get down to it in pic fashion:

I arrived a bit before the ceremony and had only a few minutes to wait before it began. It took place in a lovely garden area of Villa Montalvo in Saratoga. The weather was warm but not super sunny. Once the wedding party proceeded down the aisle, we got down to the vows, readings, and singing.


Here we see Sar rocking her maid of honor duties and John checking out his hot-ass wife-to-be. Though I didn't capture it on film, Carmen and John's first kiss as a wedded couple was ardent and adorable, if not exactly church tongue. (That reference is for you, Sar.)

After the ceremony was done, the wedding party took some time to take photos both serious and silly while the rest of the guests snacked, boozed, and signed the guestbook. I trailed in toward the end of picture-taking to snap this beaut of the bridesmaids fawning over the studly groom.


Can you blame them? He looks dashing! Of course, everyone in the wedding party was looking pretty fab. Observe Sar posing with bellissime bridesmaids Wilma, Kathy, and Caroline (and pimpin' groomsman Andrew)...


...and also basking in the hotness of best man Steve and best dance instructor Joel.


After the pics were done, we all headed to the balcony, where tables had been set out for dinner. Steve and Sara gave really sweet and silly speeches, and we all chowed down on the buffet-style bounty, followed by delicious cake.


Of course, the tastiest thing in that photo is Mrs. Q herself. What a bombshell! She looked absolutely glam and gorgeous in her dress, which she removed just a short while later...


...for all the dancing, perverts! Carmen and John shared their first dance to "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)" -- and they rocked it.

Then, of course, eeeeveryone got down. Steve shared his skills with Carmen and (after a few more glasses of champagne, I'm guessing) Sara.














The DJ was great and we got to enjoy several hours of awesome retro tunes (Sir Mix-A-Lot, Nelly, MJ, and more) that really made us want to shake it. Or, tango it, as the picture of Andrew and me illustrates.



All in all, it was an amazing, beautiful, joyful time. Let me leave you with pictures of just two of the many numerous happy couples at the event.














Love to all -- especially to newlyweds Carmen and John! You two are beautiful and I really appreciate you both sharing your celebration with me.

P.S. I've been informed that one of the newlyweds (can't remember which, who cares since they're a unit now ;) ) doesn't like the term "Choyresma". After this post, I'll try not to use it. Too much. ;) Come on! Smooshing names is so "Brangelina" - it makes you that much closer to Ms. Jolie!

Best Week Ever?

You know, you'd think with Josh gone, I'd be able to get a lot done. None of that wasted time cuddling or enjoying each other's company or whatnot. But nooooo, it turns out that last week was one of my busiest so far this summer.

Just check out this run-down of July 29th-August 4th. Madness! Madness!

Saturday: Choy-Quaresma wedding extravaganza. Awesome!
Sunday: Abbey shop/gab-fest. Girly!
Monday: The Illusionist. Good!
Tuesday: Softball. MVP!
Wednesday: The Devil Wears Prada. Fluffy!
Thursday: Kelly Clarkson. Poppy!
Friday: Work. Work. Work.

I'll try to post about a few of these forthwith, but wanted to give you a preview of some of the things you can expect this week. That is, once I start being alert and functioning on a basic human level. So sleeeepy...

Making up for lost time

Just because I've been lazy at posting lately, here's a whole list of things I've found interesting while traveling through the series of tubes known as the internet recently.

- Let's just say it's a good thing that Josh's DVD collection includes So I Married An Axe Murderer, The Princess Bride and other goodies rather than, say, Exit Wounds. (He does, however, own Rollerball. Is it less shameful if it's the original?)

- Of course, of the 50 Films to See Before You Die, Josh's collection is only coming in at 22%. I, on the other hand, have viewed a whopping 34%. Yeah, I don't really care. The list is pretty crappy. No Citizen Kane, and yet Erin Brockovitch made the cut? I could probably create a list of the top ten foot ailments and it would get press. People just love lists.

- And of course on that note we go to the Top 50 Film Endings. This list is definitely more interesting, as they offer a little commentary behind their choices. For me, at least, it's often the commentary more than the content that makes a list interesting. Everybody likes different things, but it's why they like them that makes life interesting.

- And straight from the interesting to the adorable: can you identify these celebrity babies? Matilda and Violet are super-cute.

- And, a more intelligent quiz: can you spot the fake smile? The psych major in me did okay (85%), but a couple of them are on the fence. Orbicularis oculi, baby!

- Next, for something that requires NO intelligence whatsoever to enjoy: Cute Overload. This one kills me, although this one isn't bad either. I think I should go look at this site whenever I'm in a bad mood because it will invariably induce glee.

Many happy Returns

Another thing I started writing back in the beginning of July and am finally hastening to post here:

Superman Returns is awesome. Maybe not Batman Begins awesome, but certainly Spiderman II awesome. Kate Bosworth wasn't amazing, but I think she was passable. She's just too young for the role. Why would they pick someone who isn't realistically old enough to be a seasoned reporter with a five-year-old son? Watching an interview with her, she agreed to the role before she saw the script, so in her defense she didn't know she'd be playing Lois five years later with a young'un.

However, Brandon Routh is a really, really attractive man. I sort of get all the references to him looking like Christopher Reeve, but sort of not, since Brandon's fatally cute and Chris kind of isn't. (Note: Before seeing SR, I hadn't seen the other Superman movies, so I wasn't really comparing performances. Unless you count Dean Cain a valid comparison, which he sort of is -- at least, Carmen would think so!)

Roger Ebert doesn't agree with me, though. Wanker. (It's okay. I know not everyone agrees with me.) However, I read this line in the EW review: "Routh, who actually resembles a tall, buff Jason Schwartzman, lacks that authority [that Reeve had]; he's virtually the same age as Reeve was when Reeve first played the part, but Routh's Superman isn't quite a man -- he's closer to an eager adolescent."

I don't think that's a consequence of Routh playing Superman. I think that's a consequence of times changing. A few decades ago, 26 was a different age. People were married, settled, much more ahead in their lives. Today, many 26-year-olds still live with their parents and don't have nearly the independence they did back then. Routh isn't just a man-boy -- he's part of a whole generation of man-boys: Generation X. Represent!

On a note that's tangentially Superman-related, check out this video of Kevin Smith talking about how he almost wrote the script for Superman returns. The guy might be a mite tetchy, but he knows funny.

Roadshow rules

I love the Alamo theater in Austin. So the fact that they're involved with this too? Even awesomer. I want to go to the one at Alcatraz. Fun! Alas, obtaining tickets does not exactly seem doable.

However: also, fun! 32 Worst Song Lyrics - though I think the inclusion of Dashboard Confessional is a bit much, I second their nomination of "My Humps" and "Horse with No Name". Shudder.

And, this is extremely pleasing to me. Couple it with the fact that Brisco County Jr. just came out on DVD, and it's a Bruce Campbell-fest of awesomeness.

Note: I started this post a couple weeks ago, and I'm just finishing in now. I lose at life! Also, my computer has been making vaguely angry fan noises for quite some time now. It is quite hot. I feel like I should give it a break, but I have much, much more work to complete. It can sleep when it's dead. (Computer: Please don't die! I love you!)

Clearly a week without Josh is impairing my mental functions.