bluehighlights.com

Real-life "Frogger"

noreply@blogger.com ('becca) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:13:00 +0000

The Telegraph is reporting that animal rights groups in France are working hard to make crossing the road a lot easier for French frogs, toads and newts.

But why is it so important for the jumpy critters to get to the other side? According to the Association for the Protection of Wild Animals, the creatures are attempting "to reach the damp areas [where] they need to reproduce." Unfortunately, the number of drive-by squishings has risen to the millions, and the group is worried that the total frog/toad/newt population is being affected.

So, what can be done to help our hopping brothers? The Association has a two-fold plan. They're currently trying to have road signs put up to alert drivers of amphibian crossings. Their second idea is a little more ambitious: the group is lobbying local authorities to build little tunnels under the highway so that the frogs and toads can hop across safely.

this information brought to you courtesy of mental_floss watercooler ammo.

L&O: CI

noreply@blogger.com ('becca) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 04:57:00 +0000

so i've started watching Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Season One. i'm surprised that of the four episodes on disc one, i've seen at least two of them. i say "at least two" because the first episode felt very familiar, but i'm not quite certain i'd seen it before.

i don't expect you to find the above information interesting. i'm just writing it to keep you informed.

Oscar picks

noreply@blogger.com ('becca) — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 02:12:00 +0000

last weekend i sat down with marlana, fred & liz to watch all the Oscar nominees. we had an agreement that if we got 20 minutes into a movie, and no one was enjoying it, we would turn it off. we took advantage of that agreement with two of them movies: District 9 and The Hurt Locker. fortunately, those were the two i'd gotten from NetFlix, so i was able to bring them home with me. i watched them in their entirety this afternoon. so i've seen all 10 nominees. my thoughts, in order of preference:

Avatar - my choice for Best Picture. absolutely amazing. and, it just got moved to the $5 kerasotes in merrillville, so i'm hoping to see it on the big screen. it has to be even better that way.

The Hurt Locker - i know, we turned this one off halfway through. but the last 45 minutes make this movie. i can not say i enjoyed this movie - but the timeliness and rawness of it are impossible to ignore. if it wins, i will not be surprised or disappointed.

Inglourious Basterds - this movie is fabulously funny. quentin tartentino did a marvelous job here. it's always good when the audience is cheering for the movie to defy historical facts & re-write the story.

The Blind Side - sandra bullock's performance was stellar. i know the movie won't win best picture, but i do hope she'll be properly acknowledged for her performance. best line in the movie? "who'd have thought we'd have a black son before we knew a democrat?"

Precious - again, it would be hard to say i enjoyed this movie. but it's very well made, and the honesty in it gives it power. perhaps it should be higher on my list. it's probably more likely to win than Inglourious or Blind Side.

District 9 - we turned this one off about as soon as we could after the 20 minute mark. it's bloody and science-fictiony ... but i really enjoyed it. the aliens are well made, and the storyline is intriguing. it interests me that they set it in South Africa, as many of the human attitudes struck me as american arrogance - but maybe i'm too hard on my own country. humans as a whole may simply be that arrogant.

Up In The Air - again, a timely movie. and good, though every one of us was mad when we guessed one of the twists at the end.

Up - this was really cute, but i thought it dragged in the middle. i'm hoping this doesn't mean i'm outgrowing Pixar movies.

An Education - not a bad movie, but nothing spectacular either. i wasn't pleased with the ending. they needed to cut it off earlier. it's almost like they gave too much follow through, not enough was left for the viewer to guess at.

A Serious Man - ugh, seriously? this one i did not understand. and i've spent a good chunk of time daydreaming at work trying to understand it. and i just can't. if it wins ... my brain may explode.

april's owl

noreply@blogger.com ('becca) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:11:00 +0000

this morning, as i was watching Public Enemies, i crocheted a little owl for april. he stands about 1.5" tall.

yarn art

noreply@blogger.com ('becca) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 04:37:00 +0000

meet my newest yarn creations. aren't they cute?

for reference: to the tops of their heads (no ears included) the white fellow is 3.5" tall, the gray fellow 3.25". the green bunny is 2.25" tall, and my favorite so far. the littlest fellow is about 1.5" tall, and i'm thinking of hitting his antennae with a little glue to help them stand up straighter.

brand new weekend

noreply@blogger.com ('becca) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 04:22:00 +0000

one of my goals this year is to do 31 things i've never done before. this past weekend i made a decent dent in that goal.

fred, liz and i headed down to marlana's for an oscar weekend. we went for sushi friday night - the first new thing.

we tried a variety of rolls. some cooked, some raw. some tuna, some salmon. some shrimp, some eel. yes, eel. it was fabulous. we had a great time.

over the course of the weekend we managed to watch every movie that's been nominated for this year's Best Picture award at the Oscars. or, at least, we tried to watch them all. we agreed that if we got 20 minutes in and no one was enjoying it, we would turn it off. we took advantage of that with two of the movies. the other 8 we watched in their entirety. i've certainly never watched that many oscar nominees before.

we headed home sunday afternoon, but traffic on 465 was terrible, so i took us on a little detour. undoubtedly we did not save any time by detouring. there were a lot of other people doing the same thing we were, so we still sat in traffic. we did, however, pass a Trader Joe's along the detour. and seeing as none of us had ever been to a Trader Joe's, we simply had to stop. :)

i'm watching ... me?

noreply@blogger.com ('becca) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:57:00 +0000

when i sit on my sofa, there are times when i catch sight of my camera out of the corner of my eye. it takes me surprise. as if it were a poor attempt at a hidden camera, and someone was watching me. but then, it's my camera. and why would i need to be watching me? i already know what i'm doing.

ghost train

noreply@blogger.com ('becca) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:56:00 +0000

fresh snow

noreply@blogger.com ('becca) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:55:00 +0000

the lunch crew

noreply@blogger.com ('becca) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:54:00 +0000

tree scarf at work

noreply@blogger.com ('becca) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:53:00 +0000

getting lost

noreply@blogger.com ('becca) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 06:49:00 +0000

i have, admittedly, watched copious amounts of johnny depp movies in the past week. but tonight, as i watched Chocolat, i again experienced a strange phenomenon that had struck me earlier in the week. i was completely relaxed. i had no concept of what day it was, what time it was or what obligations were nearing me. and the very attempt to clear that haze was quickly pushed from my mind.

apparently a little haze can be good for us.

the value of johnny

noreply@blogger.com ('becca) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 16:02:00 +0000

i figured out that if i switch to the 8-at-a-time plan from netflix, and watch the movies as quickly as possible (three per night, most nights) i can watch all of johnny's movies before going to see Alice in Wonderland on opening night. that sounds awesome.

and a bit overwhelming. i should have come up with this plan last week.

crabs in the dishwasher

noreply@blogger.com ('becca) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 04:17:00 +0000

so i didn't move on to Gilbert Grape. instead i started watching Benny & Joon again with the commentary track on. what have i learned? that there was a third cooking scene originally shot. sure, we see sam make grilled cheese with an iron and mashed potatoes with a tennis racket ... but what was cut from the movie? he apparently cooked crabs in the dishwasher. kid you not. the fellow on the commentary just said so.

i've also learned that benny was originally going to be a psychiatrist instead of a mechanic. and that they thought about naming the movie "it's a shame about raisins."

i'm starting to love the commentary tracks.

quiet productivity

noreply@blogger.com ('becca) — Sun, 14 Feb 2010 03:08:00 +0000

i have watched four johnny depp movies in the past 27 hours. five if you count the fact that i watched Edward Scissorhands twice. no, i'm not crazy ... the second time i watched it i turned on tim burton's commentary.

okay, so maybe i am crazy. but that's beside the point.

during the movie watching i framed some artwork for my mom, made marked progress on a present (Christmas? birthday? i just don't know), and got the dividers made for my TOW31 book. oh, and some laundry - it is saturday, after all. in between movies i got the scorecards printed for the 31 game series of phase 10. and did a little cleaning in the living room.

i do believe i'm avoiding facebook completely from now until monday. i won't complain about all the sappiness that is currently oozing from the site right now ... but i will say that the last couple of "i heart valentine's day" posts made me throw up in my mouth a little bit. i did, however, get a valentine in the mail yesterday. my niece loves me. :)

i wonder if i got mail today ... i haven't been outside the house. i like to take my carefree weekends very seriously.

and now i think i'll pop a bag of popcorn and check out the special features on Benny & Joon. and then, on to What's Eating Gilbert Grape.

blog-o-versary

noreply@blogger.com ('becca) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 12:41:00 +0000

wow, six years ago today i posted my first blog entry at bluehighlights.com. six years. crazy.

the makings of a great year

noreply@blogger.com ('becca) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:42:00 +0000

so far my 31st year has been all about making. i know, i'm only two weeks into the year, but hear me out ...

i spent my birthday making my 2009 archives continue through my birthday. it just makes more sense, and it's easier on the post tags to do it that way.

i also finished making my 30th Year Journal. it has tabbed sections for each goal - seen here is the ireland recap.

the making has gone both ways. april made me this fabulous artwork for my birthday.

and patti made me this adorable banner, which is still atop my television.

i spent the weekend after my birthday at my parents' house, and my mom made a big deal about my birthday. there were streamers on the bedroom door when i got up on sunday and balloons hanging over the kitchen table. it was great! :)

on saturday i made this southwestern quiche that was scrumdidliumptious.

plus i made progress on my 31st Year Journal. i made a monthly overview calendar, so i can keep track of when i make progress on the goals. but sorting through the calendar to decipher what scribbling goes with which goal would be a pain. so i sorted through all my pens & markers and found 31 distinct colors. then i paired each color with a goal, and made labels for the caps so i could stay consistent.

yes, i know that makes me a nerd. :)

on sunday i made a muffuletta for dinner, and i made croutons out of the bread i scooped out of the sandwich loaf.

and today i realized i could make my hair go back in li'l braided pigtails.

yup, it's gonna be a good year.

the one with 31

noreply@blogger.com ('becca) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 21:12:00 +0000

alright, who's ready for a new list? :)

if you're not familiar with my list making, let me explain. on my birthday, i publish a list of goals equal in number to my age. today i turn 31, so this year's list has 31 goals. i've done this each year since 27. if you're interested: the 27 project, the great 28 and the year before 30. v3.0 was just summed up this morning - you can scroll down to see that one.

1. watch 31 johnny depp movies: between my netflix queue and my own stash of movies, i have 37 movies available to me. one that netflix doesn't have is The Brave, which i hear is johnny's directorial debut. i may do a little searching to find a copy of that one.

2. read 31 chapters: i have a beautiful bookcase filled with beautiful books. most of which i've never opened. i can't commit to reading 31 books - it's too much and i don't want to be tied to reading a book i'm not enjoying. so i'm going to read 31 chapters. granted, all i need to do is read Eclipse (which has been sitting next to my bed for months) and i'll be almost done. :)

3. go 31 days without watching Friends: hi. i'm 'becca. and i'm addicted to Friends.

4. make 31 new recipes: it's too bad i couldn't have started this one two weeks ago. i've made a lot of new stuff lately. :)

5. prepare food for someone else 31 times: it can be dinner, it can be appetizers, it can be cookies. but why make 31 new recipes & not share them? :)

6. take 31 photos a day for 31 consecutive days: this works out to being a photo for every 31 minutes i'm awake. it's nice of the math to work out that way, isn't it? i'm thinking of setting the alarm on my phone to go off every 31 minutes, and taking a photo of what ever is in front of me at the time. i think people at work will just start to phase it out.

7. send 31 pieces of mail: that's pretty self-explanatory, right?

8. blog 31 days in a row: i've done it before, i can do it again.

9. watch 31 episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent: truth is, i love Vincent D'Onofrio (even if i do have to copy & paste his name because i can't spell it). 31 episodes won't even cover 2 full seasons, but it'll give me something to watch as i avoid the Friends dvds. :)

10. watch 31 Friends episodes in preparation: i want to have a Friends trivia party this year. but since all of my goals include the number 31 one (and i can't fit 31 people in the house. nor do i know 31 people who would come to such a party), this was the best way to include it on the list. i know, i'm also avoiding Friends for 31 days. but i'm thinking i'll avoid the show early in the year and then have fresh eyes to watch 31 episodes & glean trivia goodies.

11. take 31 photos of the same object or scene: i want to do a series of photographs where the only thing that changes is time. perhaps all the photos will have the same framing of my backyard, but when i take one each day you'll see the flowers bloom or the grass get cut or whatever.

12. do 31 things i've never done before: the thing is, i think i'm probably more daring than i realize. i want to pay attention to the things i do this year and really notice when i'm pushing myself to do something new.

13. lose 31 pounds.: i've dropped about 15 pounds since the beginning of december. i can lose 31 more - and keep them off.

14. drive 31 miles on US Route 31: US Route 31 is a north/south highway that spans from northern michigan to southern alabama. it's total length is 1280 miles. since it's so stinkin' close, i'm thinking i need to drive at least 31 miles of it.

15. go 31 days without meat: i don't have any moral issues with eating animals. in fact, i think they're quite tasty. but i want to try some vegetarian goodness. really rely on the fruits of the earth. and, you'll notice, i'm not forcing those 31 days to be consecutive. 31 days total, spread throughout the year, without meat.

16. make 31 pieces of jerky: last year i used the dehydrator for halloween decor. this year, i'm making jerky. personally, i like how i talk about dried animal right after saying i want to go 31 days as a vegetarian.

17. sew 31 seams on a quilt: i don't have to finish anything, but i really need to sew!

18. take at least 3100 photos: this past year i did more traveling than ever, so my photo count was way up (around 5600). i don't foresee quite as much travel this year, but i still want to take a lot of photos.

19. play a 31-game series of Phase 10 with liz: hopefully i can continue my current winning streak. :)

20. fill 31 holes: that's my creative way of saying i'm taking down the photo wall in the living room.

21. make use of 31 photos from Ireland: part of the reason i'm taking down the photo wall is because i can't swap out the photos easily. i have nothing from Ireland printed out & displayed. i need to do that.

22: play 31 notes on a musical instrument: it can be the trumpet, the fluglehorn, the accordion or the piano. i just need to play.

23. ride 31 miles on my bike: not all at once, but i need to use my bike this year.

24. scan 31 old photos: this will require buying a scanner. or using my parents'. and since all the old photos are already at my parents' house, that works out nicely.

25. go 31 days without leaving dirty dishes in the sink for more than 31 hours: i stink at washing dishes promptly. this goal doesn't require me to wash them immediately, but it will help keep the kitchen much tidier.

26. secret: i believe the time will come this year when i can reveal this one. however, to avoid any conflict or misunderstanding, i'm keeping it hush-hush until that time arrives. if it doesn't, i'm sorry.

27. give 31 handmade gifts: i'm going to try very hard to not have to include my handmade Christmas cards in this goal ... but a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, right?

28. finish Christmas presents at least 31 hours early: "early" being defined as "before i leave for my parents' house."

29. print 31 photos for the photo album: my photo album is seriously behind.

30. print 31 more photos for the photo album: honest, i don't have anything printed since spring of 2005.

31. print another 31 photos for the photo album:spring of 2005, people!

the list: final wrap-up

noreply@blogger.com ('becca) — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 09:13:00 +0000

this year has, without a doubt, been fabulous. i'm sitting here searching for the perfect words to sum it up, but i'm becoming convinced those words don't exist. or, at least, i don't know how to string them together properly. so, instead, i'll give you a quick rundown on how my goals turned out. that's why you're here anyway, right? :)

1. host a party. in october i had about a dozen people over for a Pumpkin Slaughter. we had a great time and proved that my house CAN hold more than five people. :)

2. attend a series of cubs games. this did not happen. beth & i drove out to denver, but only went to one of the four games. we decided to spend our time & money having fun in the mountains instead. so ... defeat, but definitely worth it. even if the cubs lost miserably at the game we attended.

3. organize my recipes. done! thanks to a nifty three-ring binder and some page protectors, my recipes are easily accessible and logically categorized.

4. take a trip with marlana for our 30th birthdays. so amazing. ireland is amazing. the scenery was amazing. our accommodations were amazing. marlana is amazing. i would not have traded this trip for anything. i can only hope we celebrate 35 with the same panache.

5. on time bloodwork & med refill. done! i'll need to get to the doctor in the next week or so to stay on time, but i did well this year.

6. secret. this was accomplished, but i'm leaving it a secret. :)

7. use my dehydrator. done! i used my dehydrator to dry both chicken bones & apples for halloween decorations. next, i'm trying some jerky.

8. finish catch 22. finally done! granted, the book is still sitting on my night stand, exactly where i tossed it when i was done ... but i finished it!

9. carry the french fry embargo through the end of april (with an exception for ireland). may 1, 2009 would have marked one year without deep-fried french fries. i made it until march 29, 2009 (excluding ireland). i had french fries in ireland, which was allowed, but i enjoyed them so much i had to eat them when i got back, too. :) almost 11 months though; that's impressive.

10. blog 260 times. done! did you get sick of me?

11. hang out with dave. done! dave came to the Pumpkin Slaughter!

12. secret. this one i will reveal. :) my goal was to take a photo a day for the entire year. the result? 342 photos. i only missed 13 days! i think that's pretty amazing. and you can see them here. if you view them as a slideshow, you may want to click "show info", as a few of them do have captions. i plan to continue to add to this photo album. and possibly even add older photos - one from each day i shot pictures. it's an interesting glimpse.

13. photograph the alphabet. done, three times over.

14. blog the tasting of a variety of cheeses. alright, it wasn't the "year of the cheese" as i'd hoped, but i did my best. :)

15. add three bloody games to my game closet. done! Falling: The Zombie Edition, Gloom and Unexploded Cows.

16. host a bloody game night. jonathan, laure, beth & i did some raucous bloody gaming in may.

17. send Christmas cards. done!

18. finish watching all the movies alan alda appears in that are available from netflix. done! it took me 8 months, but i watched 23 alan alda movies this year. and i love him more than ever.

19. take a trip to colorado. i spent a good long weekend in colorado this summer, and it was fantastic. i got to hang out with jonathan & laure. lynn came down to meet us, so we got to spend together. beth & i got to drive up through the mountains. *sigh* i could live in colorado.

20. plant some vegetables. last month i thought about burying a baby carrot in the dirt with my houseplant, but that seemed like cheating. :)

21. take a trip by myself. total defeat, and i'm okay with it. while i would have enjoyed a weekend away by myself, i was able to do so much traveling with friends this year that i could never complain. i wouldn't have traded a single one of those trips for a weekend by myself.

22. crochet a scarf. done! and the tree in my front lawn in warmer because of it.

23. eat pizza in 10 different towns/cities. done! this wasn't as easy as i expected, but in the end i actually hit 13.

24. make a muffuletta. done! it came out so tasty for new year's eve that i made baby muffulettas for hanging out with friends the next week.

25. journal my 30th year. done! well, mostly. :) it needs a couple of finishing touches (like a cover), but it's mostly ready to be bound.

26. attempt a traveling journal. can i count NaBloPoMo? there were 15 of us participating from around the country ... i have to be able to count that.

27. participate in illustration friday six times. done! and i had a lot of fun while doing it. even if it did make my blog pop up when my name is googled. ;)

28. finish a quilt for myself. at the beginning of the year i pointed out that i have three quilts for myself started right now. surely i could finish one of them, right? nope, shirley, apparently i couldn't. :)

29. customize the recycled table in the living room. another goal that bested me. other than moving the table into the living room & putting a plant on top, it's still the same as it was when i brought it home.

30. work on the california photo book. it's not much, but i do have the 500+ photos narrowed down to about 75 photos. and i have those 75 printed as thumbnails so i can pick my finals. i decided i didn't want to start printing full-sized photos until i finished the trip (before my 36th birthday). that way i could lay out the entire book at once. but i made progress. and that's all i was looking for.

now, onto the list for the new year ... :)