a new obsession

i think i may have found my next crafting project: i'm in love with amy butler's brick path quilt! i'm thinking about heading to hobby lobby next week to see what sorts of scrap material they have to start building up a small stockpile to make this in all the (ha!) free time i have these days. but i really do feel the need for a creative outlet -- too much work certainly does make the preppy prof a dull girl!

speaking of work? nowhere near the home stretch on this set of essays. so far i'm at 6/33. somehow that just does not seem fair...

the girls are on the move!

fellow golden girls fans: make sure you tune in on sunday to the hallmark channel for a marathon of the girls! the show is moving after being on lifetime for what seems like an eternity, and they're having a special day of episodes to mark the move. i can't ever decide which episode is my favorite, but all of my most-loved moments seem to center around sophia (who doesn't love sophia?) and rose -- she's just so childlike in her wonder about everything in the world, and that is hilarious. here's one of my favorite scenes -- rose thinks she has "died and gone to heaven." oh, and of course, the parody video of the girls as the election '08 candidates!

also, it seems to be "entertainment with old people" day, but everyone needs to check out the clara cannucciari cooking show on youtube -- she's 91, and she and her grandson produce a show where she demonstrates recipes that she and her mother made during the depression. she's adorable!

more grading tonight -- and then i'm going to spend some time sketching out more ideas for the persuasion novel. i really feel like this could go somewhere if i just had enough time to sit down and get through it!

another long day

lesson planning? check. we're going to keep pushing on cultural studies questions tomorrow, and things should hopefully work out okay. so now i've given myself the rest of the evening to chill on the couch, eat potato chips, and watch 30 rock on tv and old episodes of rich girls on youtube. ah, relaxation. if i could just forget that i have all those papers to grade tomorrow, i'd be totally zen.

after my weekly liz lemon fix, i'm switching over to pbs for the video of last night's stevie wonder extravaganza at the white house. can't wait to see the prom king and queen of dc there! ;) (and it just started -- and he's kicking off with "sir duke"! my favorite!)

austen fans, check it out -- the first preview art panels from the new marvel pride and prejudice comic books! i've already got mine ordered, and i can't wait until they come in the mail!

still working on the editing project for that forgotten regency novella that i've rediscovered. i really think this could be an amazing edition if it all takes off -- i've got plans for the introduction, the annotations, and even the appendix material, with primary sources, contemporary reviews, and more. i'm not sure that i'll have the clout yet to convince a press like broadview to publish my stuff, but i think they'd really benefit from something like this text for college students -- it's short enough to be read quickly, but it's got so many dimensions that it could be interpreted in lots and lots of different ways.

tomorrow: teaching, laundry, grading, more grading, possibly drinks later. and hopefully a hell of a lot of sleep!

frank, the first dog

ah, ash wednesday, one of the most morbid and yet strangely comforting days of the religious year. there's something so ritualistic and nostalgic about bundling up to go to mass on a february night and having the priest smear ashes on your forehead. i went to a new parish tonight and really liked it. the songs they chose were great, and the place was packed. but i have to admit that i washed my ashes off when i got home ... if i don't, i always forget about them and then end up with ashy smears all over my house. i'll just have to remember that "to dust i shall return" without the visual cue.

the obamas have chosen their dog breed! our new first puppy is going to be a portuguese water hound, and apparently the first lady is upset that the girls want to name him frank. i disagree -- i love old man names for pets, and frank the first dog sounds just delightful to me!

also, the obamas hosted a special event in honor of stevie wonder tonight, and i love the first lady's hair! picspam here at the lovely obama_daily. video is here at the always awesome ontd_political. president obama deserved a little stevie-wonder fun time after that amazing congressional address last night. health care and education ... hell yes!

so sad to hear about the unexpected death of david cameron's son, ivan. i have always admired the way he and his wife have devoted themselves to making life better not only for ivan but also for all other disabled children in britain, working to pass initiatives to promote scientific research and raising awareness by speaking about their son and allowing him to be photographed with the family. prayers and condolences to the whole family; little ivan is now pain free in a better place, and i'm sure it's comforting that they have that lovely thought to cling to in their grief.

and now, i'm off for bed. what a long day!

anyone want to lesson plan for me?

having one of those evenings where i should be lesson planning (for tomorrow! eek!) and grading essays, and i somehow cannot make my brain cooperate. we're working on a rather abstract and complex text in my lower-level course right now, and thinking up ways to complicate the discussion while still steering them toward a more nuanced understanding of the essay is really just eluding me at the moment. looks like there will be major freewriting going on in the preppy prof's class tomorrow...

thought obama did a really great job with his speech tonight, and i loved the emphasis on education, health care, and personal responsibility for all americans. he's managed to stay inspiring even after the rah-rah campaigning portion of the political journey has ended, and i love it. he makes me want to be a better american, and that's got to be worth something. i love that he's trying to make us all understand that we have massive common ground despite our differences.

in royal news today, crown princess victoria of sweden got engaged to her long-time boyfriend, daniel westling. i love that yet another "normal" person is marrying into a european royal family. they look incredibly happy, and i can't wait to see what her wedding dress looks like. if her classy engagement dresses (and ring -- what a rock!) are any indication, it's going to be gorgeous.

still having the persuasion-inspired piece knocking around in my head. i'm thinking henry cavill is my ideal stand in for the "wentworth" character. maybe that will be fun to dream about tonight, even if the lesson planning goes as pear-shaped as i expect it will.

the post-oscar fashion wrap-up

the oscars were so good last night! loved the montages, loved hugh jackman, loved loved loved the past winners paying tribute to the nominated actors. i literally gasped when the curtains rose during the supporting actress category and revealed freaking eva marie saint! and then sophia loren later, and deniro/hopkins for best actor? oh, it was just lovely. everyone seemed so genuinely touched. i hope they keep doing it, with new surprise stars every year.

but i have to say, my two favorite moments were the pineapple express comedy montage (the two of them laughing at the reader had me rolling, and then when they brought in the saving private ryan cinematographer, i just died from the hilarious surrealism of it all) and kate winslet's dad's whistle. that was beyond adorable.

my predictions were way off, obviously: i think i only had three of six, and two of those were slumdog and heath ledger, which were totally shoe-in awards. i'm still kind of sad meryl didn't win, but i thought it was great that kate won after losing for all those years!

but the most important part, obviously, was the clothes! seriously, why the people at e! or the tv guide channel haven't yet called me up to join their bitchy fashion panels is just beyond me. but, since they haven't, i suppose i'll just have to content myself with my best/worst verdicts here.

prettiest: penelope cruz. so, so, so pretty!
most majestic: kate winslet. i think it's the hair. and i can't tell if this dress was gray or blue, but i do like it.
most likely to appear in a titian painting: meryl streep. gorgeous.
silliest bow: amanda seyfried. i only wish she had a backwards "k" on her chest, too.
best places to hide snacks: tilda swinton. that's what i'd use all that extra fabric for. it is a long show.
best jewelry: taraji p. henson. her hair was also super cute.
most exotic: freida pinto. i heard some people didn't like this, but it's just so bollywood. very appropriate.
most annoying: evan rachel wood. i have nothing to back this up with, it's just a gut feeling.
most likely to be mistaken for a bob mackie barbie: melissa george. except she's missing a fur stole.
best french flair: marion cotillard. also, she wins the "hottest boyfriend" award. mm, canet...
most likely to sleep in/on her dress later: jessica biel. it reminds me of makeshift togas i wore in college.
grouchiest: angelina jolie. also, it looked like she was wearing a green ring pop.
most painful earlobes: heidi klum. ow!
most painful boobs: sarah jessica parker. ow, ow, ow!
least likely to be put in a corner: as always, jennifer grey. no, really, apparently that is her. i know!

and now, back to work. have a report tomorrow, plus students coming in, and all i can think about is the plot for the persuasion-inspired novel i've got bouncing around in my brain. why does the muse always strike when you've got a million other things to do?

i love the oscars!

i love oscar sunday ... i almost always give myself the entire day to be lazy, sit around on my couch, and watch great old movies before switching over to the red carpet coverage on e! and then the ceremony itself. so excited for hugh. i loved him when he hosted the tonys, and i imagine he's going to be awesome hosting the oscars. i'm intrigued by all this secrecy around the special guests and presenters, too ... dare i hope for some classic hollywood stars? and to make tonight even more special, i'm indulging with a little chinese takeout, too ... yum!

okay, so here are my picks for the major awards:
best picture - slumdog millionaire
best director - stephen daldry, the reader
best actor - mickey rourke
best actress - meryl streep
best supporting actor - heath ledger (rip)
best supporting actress - amy adams

in other news, there's a giveaway over at historical-fiction.com right now for all my fellow austen groupies. they're giving away a copy of the annotated pride and prejudice and a book called lost in austen that apparently doesn't have anything to do with amanda price. you just have to comment with your favorite austen character -- i punted for miss elinor, of course!

more after the oscars -- for the obligatory thumbs up/thumbs down on the fashion choices, natch!