Drive Me Away

Continuing on the Oscar journey, I tried watching "Drive" last night. I'd been warned that it gets a bit gruesome, but I thought I'd give it a shot anyway since I already had the DVD in my possession. Anyway, I can't really recommend this to anyone since I didn't see the end of it. I got through about 45 minutes to an hour before all of a sudden the violence starts. So random. We're moving along at a snail's pace and then BAM! Some girl's head gets blown to pieces. I didn't mind that so much, but I can.not.handle. anything involving teeth. So when Ryan takes a hammer to this guy's mouth, I just lost it. Fail. I don't even know if he actually broke the guy's teeth. I didn't stay to watch. I just covered my eyes, pushed stop, and moved onto basic cable. "Big Bang Theory" is my happy place :)

 

I wish "Drive" had more of a "Too Fast Too Furious" feel, but it's definitely not. Ryan Gosling, though amazing to gaze at, is weird. He barely talks and wears 80s clothes although it's not set in the 80s. Weird. Here's the trailer, although it's straight from the first two minutes of the movie...doesn't really give a good indication of what it's about:

 

"Drive" was nominated in the Sound Editing category against "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," "Hugo," "Transformers," and "War Horse." I'm going to venture to say "Drive" will not win.

Oh well. I still love you, boy (aka Ryan Gosling).

Love,

Stephanie Marie

Insta-Dilla

Quesadilla dinner from Hungry-Girl.

Here's the original recipe, but I used feta instead of chedda'. I think it really made this extra creamy. Also, I just layered the plain avocado, Ranch dressing, and Franks hot sauce on the tortilla. I didn't feel like having to wash extra dishes that mixing in separate bowls would create :)

Love, Stephanie Marie

Her Name is Rio

I spent Super Bowl Sunday watching another Oscar movie and putting together a puzzle. Perfect Sunday, if you ask me :) I was supposed to get "Drive" in the mail from Netflix on Saturday, but it never made it (unless my "roommates" are holding it upstairs). So I walked over to the Redbox and grabbed "Rio" instead. Honestly, I think the animated fun movie was a better fit for my lazy Sunday mood.

"Real in Rio" is up for the Music (Original Song) category. I'm not really surprised it's not up for the Animated Feature Film; it wasn't the best overall movie. But the music was definitely the best part. Loved the Latin feel! It's up against only one other song--"Man or Muppet" from the Muppets. I haven't seen that one yet, though, so it's a fair 50/50 shot as far as I can tell. Here's the preview:

Anyone have an opinion on "Real in Rio" vs. "Man or Muppet?"

Love,

Stephanie Marie

Weekend Recap: February 3-5

Breakfast burritos with yummy leftovers.

Hand-made necklace for a friend's 30th birthday.

Hungry Girl's Pasta with clams.

I had a nice and relaxing weekend. Happy hour in Baltimore Friday, walk around the park Saturday, and puzzles and movies Sunday. I also spent Saturday night eating and drinking in D.C. for a friend's 30th birthday. The first of many this year :)

How was your weekend? I skipped the Super Bowl party for something more relaxing, but hear it was a winner!

Love,

Stephanie Marie

The Memory Game or the Game of Life?

I left my house this morning before 7a.m., so I could stop at the Safeway and pick up some ingredients for a Skinny Buffalo Chicken Dip. We're celebrating the Superbowl at work and even though I don't root root root for the Giants or the Patriots, wearing jeans is reason enough to participate. (Casual Friday is not in our vocabulary.) So I donned my Randel El Redskins jersey, jeans, and pumas from the seventh grade and hopped in my car before the sun started to shine.

It's amazing how many differences one hour makes. Although there were fewer people driving to work, there was a world of activity going on early in the morn. I saw a few window washers, an old-school trash collector, and dozens of empty streets. If I didn't mind getting out of bed early, this hour would be right up my ally.

I had another run-in with nostalgia yesterday after work. I had the chance to drive through the town where I went to high school on my day to the dentist office. Although I visit my parents pretty regularly these days, I have little to no reason to drive through the tiny town of Edgewater. Definitely will have to do that again because the memories just blurred by as I drove down the main street: driving late to school, tap dancing classes, barbecue ribs, county fairgrounds, library visits. Good times :)

There's a song I've been hearing a lot on the radio that fits with my recent reminiscing trend. It's Eric Church's "Springsteen" and the lyrics are:

Funny how a melody sounds like a memory

Like a soundtrack to a July Saturday night

Too right. Melodies, sights, and smells have a way of bringing me back to welcome me home wherever I am. Good times.

Would you rather play the Memory Game or the Game of Life?

Love,

Stephanie Marie

PS. My coworkers LOVED the dip. I don't think they even realized it was low calorie!

PPS. My sister always used to make me play Life when we were younger.  Ugh. BAD memory ;)

A Non-Grouchy Oscar

I'm on a mission this year to watch some of the movies that will be up for Oscars this year. Usually, I do the opposite and use the Oscar winners as a to-watch list. But after my Oscar party in San Diego, I decided I wanted to have a better understanding of who was up for the Oscars. I think it'll be more fun if I can actually participate in who I think should win.

So, last night, while crafting, Michelle and I watched "Midnight in Paris." It was super cute, but I agree with Michelle's comment that we could have used a Cliff's Notes for who's who in the characters. There are so many references in this movie to artists from the 1890s and 1920s that I want to take my art history class again just to keep up! Here's the trailer:

If you're interested in gearing up for the Oscars this year (L.A.'s version of the Superbowl), here is the list of this year's nominees. And if you want to have an Oscar party, here's their party kit. It includes drink recipes, bingo, and ballots. I used it last year, and my friends loved it :) They air February 26th at 7p.m.

Care to share any of your Oscar party traditions?

Love,

Stephanie Marie

Oh Yes, It's Ladies' Night!

Sub-heading: "No Longer Just for Tiny Tops and Make-outs!"

Hmm...I'm trying out my Instagram app on my BRAND NEW iPHONE! (Hope you said that in a Bob Barker voice like I did. If not, feel free to pause here and reread it.) It's a super fun app, but I'm not sure it converts to my blogger very well. Anyway, this is the dinner I made for Michelle and me last night. It's Pantry Pasta with shells instead of bow-ties, which was exciting to make because I already had everything  at home..sans Sweet Italian Style With Peppers and Mozzarella Cheese sausage, which I wrote out because not only was it AMAZING, but it's also two-for-one right now at Safeway. Side note: If you don't like garlic, you should just leave it out of this recipe because this dish is sure to keep the vampires at bay!

Anyway, so I made dinner for us for craft night :) Love craft night! And I love that Michelle and I can walk to each other's house for a random Wednesday night craft night. She made a card/photo holder. I made this twine-wrapped vase:

This was my inspiration, if you remember. It still needs a little work. Some loose ends need to be anchored, and Michelle thinks it needs a trimming...perhaps it is a little hairy fuzzy after all. But I love the overall results! All I did was use spray adhesive, starting on the bottom section of an old vase, and wrapped twine up until I hit the top. I didn't get the wraps perfectly straight, so every once in a while I'd do a straight wrap and fill in the holes. For a FREE craft, this thing is bangin'! And I think it will fit perfectly with my rustic chic vibe.

Have you done any crafts lately? It feels really good to complete a pinterest-inspired craft every once in a while. Otherwise, that site just makes me feel inadequate :P

Love,
Stephanie Marie