Powered by Tofu

Oscar 2010 time! So I almost completed #59 (Watch all 5 10 Best Picture Nominees before the Oscars) in 2008, and then last year around this time I was in Costa Rica, so 2010 it is!

I’m starting with 2 for 10 this year, but seriously why are there ten Best Picture nominations? Usually there are only five. I need more time! At least the plan is logistically possible this year, but there are two movies on the list that I don’t think I can bring myself to watch (how are Sandra Bullock and Mariah Carey in Oscar nominated movies anyway?).

2010 Best Picture Nominations:

1. Avatar (James Cameron and Jon Landau) – in theaters
2. The Blind Side – in theaters
3. District 9 (Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham – DVD
4. An Education (Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey) – in theaters (DVD in March)
5. The Hurt Locker – DVD
6. Inglourious Basterds (Lawrence Bender) – DVD
7. Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire (Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness) – in theaters (DVD in March)
8. A Serious Man (Joel Coen and Ethan Coen) DVD on February 9
9. Up (Jonas Rivera) – DVD
10. Up in the Air (Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman) – in theaters

What movie gets your vote?

It’s time for another round of Answer Me This! — in which we discover hilarious (ok, sometimes sad) keyword searches that people have searched for and unwittingly arrived at my blog. Interestingly enough, a lot of people are wondering “What makes me happy?” these days. An excellent question, although I can only tell you what makes me happy — many, many things — but feel free to use them as happiness inspiration.

• I have a block of tofu, now what? Best question, evah! I like this recipe for Tofu Stir Fry
• How to make the restaurant guest happy Priceless.
• Has anyone traveled with there kids to Vietnam Where? Oh, there! No, but I’m sure some have traveled with their kids to Vietnam.
• Hello Kitty toilet Unfortunately, I have not seen a Hello Kitty toilet, but I’m sure you can find one in Japan — they even have Hello Kitty condoms.
• Hispanic countries that eat rice and beans Is this a trick question?
• How to make Germans happy #1. Be on time. #2. Make lists. #3. Don’t make stupid jokes about making Germans happy.
• How to convince someone to go scuba diving Tell them it’s fun. If fun doesn’t appeal to them, just tell them it will be an adventure. If amazing adventures don’t appeal to them, just tell them to save their money and go snorkeling instead.
• How to run a crepe business Mmm crepes… I would have hundreds of questions for this one, but I do have mighty fine Nutella & Banana Crepes to share.
• How to travel to another continent #1 Get a passport. #2 Go by boat or plane.
• Phoning it in at the gym – I’m glad to see that Jillian Michaels is annoying other people with her overuse of this saying.
• public transport ikea sunrise Yes, yes, and yes. All things that make me smile.
• Salvia trellis from IKEA where to buy? I don’t think you need my help with this one. Hint: start with the place after “from” in your search.
• Should I contribute to my 401k from my bonus? Decidedly so, it lowers your effective tax rate… just do it.
• things that come from cows I feel like 1st graders are reading my blog.
• what is the going price for a 48′ long finished shipping container I don’t know, but I’m intrigued!
• what to eat after 30 day shred workout? lots of food
• “a canadian” “mark h” spain You’re so vain — Mark H from Canada who was traveling in Spain… you probably think this blog is about you. For the record, I didn’t meet a Mark H from Canada when I was in Spain, probably because he was too busy Googling himself.
• Expedit bookcase fit taxi singapore Hmmm… if I remember correctly, most of their taxis were Corollas, so I would say yes, but only if they let you fold the seats down. :P
• A new machine that can shred your own food under 45 or 30 seconds I’m filing a patent for this new blender/shredder machine as I type this.
• couldn’t finish day 1 level 1 of 30 day shred Sorry, but there’s no excuse for that — try harder!
• How will i look after 30 day shred Well that depends on a lot of things… what you look like now, what you eat, your body type, how hard you try etc
  
• how to pronounce chefchaouen Chef (”a cook”) sh ow (as in “cow”) in.
• McMenamins ruby’s spa coupons Wait, what? I want! If you find one, do share!
• Obama having a beer with lunch “before work” Hello there, Republicans. Dad, is that you? I’m loving the quotes around “work”
• oregan reading progams – Hmm… sounds like we need to start some Oregon spelling programs. (photo by: laurakgibbs)

Any questions?

It’s been a while since I did a non-travel related Things That Make Me Happy round-up (ok, the last one I did was in September for my frugal blog). So without further ado, here are 10 things that make me happy right now.

1. groupon – how cool is Groupon? OK, this week’s deals have completely sucked, but maybe that’s a good thing, as I’ve bought way too many deals lately — really, you can never have too many home goods and massages though. Plus, it’s awesome getting a $10 credit when a friend buys something. groupon

2. striped knee socks – Japan officially has the coolest sock selection. I bought a pair of striped knee socks when I was in Tokyo, and they’re my absolute favorite socks — perfect for winter and they make me smile. American Apparel sells some similar [almost as cool] ones, but not sure on the fit as they’re unisex, so they might be gigantic in the ankles. $10 american apparel

3. green – I love green. Yep, I’m oddly drawn to green. I often find myself thinking “ooh I really like something about this…” and then I’m all “oh, it’s because that entire wall is painted green.” Perhaps that’s what prompted me to buy a green handbag a few months ago. <3

4. learning to make a perfect omelette – I checked out Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking at the library last fall and as luck would have it, got to keep it for several months. I had lots of time to practice making the perfect omelette — as you may have guessed it’s all about the butter. $18.50 amazon

5. cuff bracelets – Although I’ve never been much of a jewelry fan, I love cuff bracelets. I bought a silver one in Essaouira, Morocco and it’s one of my favorite travel ’souvenirs’.

6. dahlias – I love dahlias because they’re almost obnoxiously colorful and every single one is completely different… and they remind me of summer.

7. love it or leave it coat rack – a daily reminder to live at 100%, instead of just surviving. Life. is. short. $24 urban outfitters

8. burt’s bees chapstick – every day’s a jolly holiday with you Burt! $3 everywhere

9. better off ted – This show is incredibly funny. Add it to your Hulu queue stat! free hulu

10. grey suede pumps – I have joint custody originally found/borrow often a pair of Franco Sartos. They make me smile. nordstrom rack

What’s on your list?

I finally bought a bed! :) I feel like such a grown up — my first bed purchase. And after hosteling for a year, and then sleeping on the floor for [almost] a year, it’s nice to finally have a bed again.

Now I get to complain about mattress manufacturers and retailers… #1. Having several names for the same product for different retailers is UNCOOL — I don’t want to play games, just give me the facts! #2. If you refuse to quote me a price when I walk in your store, I will leave and not return (*cough* BedMart *cough*). /rant

I wish IKEA would bring back the Hopen bed frame in a lighter color. I love the design of the HOPEN, it looks like a park bench… hmmm not sure what that says about me, but… loves it!

“Always buy good shoes and a good bed as if you aren’t in one you are in the other.” –some random quote I heard once

In other news, I considered painting one wall in my bedroom last weekend, and then promptly drove to Home Depot. For making disturbingly quick decisions, I was conservative and bought a sample paint for $1.50 (awesome deal, yeah? I was chatting to an employee and they said Home Depot is closing out all of their Ralph Lauren paints and switching to Martha Stewart, so deals galore!). Anyway, Mediterranean blue is officially awesome and I can’t wait to finish my paint project next weekend. :)

I’ve also been considering putting Blik artwork on the blue wall or leaving part of it a white outline of some kind. Unfortunately, I found a Blik “headboard” and it’s called the Olivia. Dammit, don’t they know I have issues with wanting to buy things that say my name? ugggh. I don’t really like it, but the narcissism is totally calling my name. ;)  I really like this one though. Thoughts?

So I finally got my living room curtains up last weekend. I had a slight change of plans after making about 12 trial holes in the wall. And after trying a concrete drill bit, I came to the realization that getting anchors into that part of the wall was a no-go. ‘A’ for effort, right? Nothing a little bit of drywall mud can’t fix. :P  So I decided to hang the curtain rod closer to the ceiling on the drop-out box thing. It cuts about 6″ off the living room, when the curtains are closed, but I think it looks pretty cool since it covers the entire wall. Now I just need curtain tie-backs. I found a few in the Urban Outfitters clearance section, so help me out!

Which ones should I get? The bird, the key or the daisy? They all match the wrought-iron look of the curtain rod, but I’m leaning toward the key…

Dilemma #2 (*giggle*): I want to hang a pendent lamp in the corner (between the TV and the window). I still love the IKEA KNAPPA hanging pendant lamp (yes, the one that’s pictured in about 200 home tours on Apartment Therapy), but I also like the West Elm Capiz hanging pendant knock-off that World Market has (for $70 vs $259). So dear Internetz, which pendant lamp would look better in my living room?