Make Me A Bravo Addict

[ Love of the Moment ]  [ 02 ]

Bravo is pretty great.  I was recently having this conversation with a friend who works in television, and although he's not a reality tv junkie like myself, he still agreed that Bravo knows how to do reality television well.  Whether it's Project Runway, Top Chef, and now Make Me A Supermodel, I just can't seem to get enough.  I'll even admit that I find Kathy Griffin amusing and oddly enjoyable.  I'll also admit that I like some pretty crappy reality tv.  VH1 reality tv shows are like car accidents for me- horrible yet sometimes you just look/watch anyway.   But I think Bravo reality tv is way better and a bunch of the shows get good reviews.

Make Me A Supermodel is my current Bravo favorite and newest love of the moment.  I watched it last season, but the second season is already outdoing the first in its second week.  Although they got rid of Nikki Taylor as a co-host and replaced her with Nicole Trunfio, a supermodel who I'd never heard of before, Tyson Beckford is still around.  He plays the mentor role well and isn't quite hard to watch either.  But the best change is the addition of Catherine Malandrino to the judges panel!

Catherine Malandrino is an amazing designer and one of my absolute favorites.  Out of all of my "designer" clothing, the majority of the items are her designs.  Although I haven't been privileged enough to buy any of her recent collections (damn recession!) I was surprised and excited to see her on the first episode.

I also already have a favorite model, Jordan.  She's been doing really well and has already won not once but twice!  And there have only been two episodes!  Plus she's from Tucson where David is also from, so she gets an extra point since I really loved it when I visited last June.  It would be crazy if she keeps up the winning streak!  In the second photo shoot the models had to pose as different types of candy.  Jordan is on the right with Branden, both as candy canes.  This photo is fun but her real photo which she won with is really cool (you can't see the pasties) but I wasn't able to find it online yet.

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Make Me A Supermodel  [ Bravo / Wednesday / 10 ]

Karma or just bad luck?

I'd say that I'm a believer when it comes to karma but I don't notice it very often.  As I was leaving class last night, I was talking to a friend about this guy who isn't from our class but goes to Hunter and also takes the downtown F at 63rd street.  He started talking to me for the first time a few weeks ago and since we get out of class at the same time we always see each other on the platform.  He's an older guy, probably in his forties, and seems pretty nice and harmless.  He doesn't actually bother me but sometimes at 10 at night and after being in class for 4 hours, I just want to listen to my music and zone out.  I'm telling this kid from my class about how the guy always talks to me and sometimes I just don't want to talk to anyone.  He's like, why don't you just go to the next car so you don't have to sit and talk with him?  And I'm thinking, yeah that seems easy enough.

I get off the escalator to the downtown F and the guy is already there talking to someone from his class or whatever.  So I just walk by without making eye contact and sit a little further down the platform, then get on the F one car behind him.  I'm enjoying my music and everything is fine.  It worked, my classmate is so smart.  After a few stops the train starts to get crowded and by midtown, there are no free seats left and a bunch of people are standing.  Then it hits me.  The stench of serious body odor mixed with urine and just total grossness.  I'm not trying to be mean but it smelled like a really dirty homeless person.  Other people must have started smelling it too because everyone's eyes started shifting in that 'I'm trying to be discrete but it's really not working' kind of way.

Then to make matters worse, everyone starts looking at ME.  I got all awkward and started looking through my playlists like, hey it can't be me, I'm listening to my iPod so I'm obviously not homeless!  I came to the conclusion that the culprit was seated directly behind me and that was the reason the smell was so strong.  I seriously had to put my hand up to my face a few times just to breath.  However for some reason, no one did anything about it!  There were a few scarves over noses, but no one changed seats or even moved down to the other end of the car!  I felt like I would look like a bitch if I was the only one who cared enough to relocate so I stayed put as well.

It was almost half my ride that I had to endure this smell, and I probably would have given in and switched seats after Jay street if the train didn't go outside for some fresh air.  The whole time I was thinking it could have been easily avoided if I didn't try to avoid the guy and sat in the first car as I usually do.  I guess I got what I deserved.

Reunited [and it feels so good]

I finally got my laptop back from the Apple Store on Thursday after it didn't turn on a few weeks before that!  It's been so long!  Okay, well like two and a half weeks.  But I shouldn't be writing this since I have an exam to study for, so I'll come back and write more later.

I've never had much trouble with my PowerBook before even though I've had it for almost 5 years now.  Besides the internet, I use it mainly for music and photos with some occasional school work here and there.  However, after thousands of songs and literally tens of thousands of photos (last time I checked, I had over 24,000 photos in iPhoto!  I have no idea how it's possible!) my precious is slowing down.  A few weeks ago it randomly froze for the third time ever with a strange restart message I had never seen before.  After the restart it was working fine but then the next morning, absolutely NOTHING.   It just wouldn't turn on!

I tried trouble shooting online, holding down buttons, taking out the battery, and resetting things, but nothing worked so I knew I had to bring it to an Apple Store.  As some of you may know, getting an appointment at the Genius Bar on a weekend is close to impossible unless you want to venture to midtown at 4am or make the journey to the Staten Island location.  I accompanied Liz to the Staten Island Mall a few years ago when she had a coffee-iBook disaster and once was enough for me, so if I could help it I think I'll pass.

Luckily, my friend Adam is not only an Apple Genius but a Lead Genius!  So what if it's really just a fancy name for a manager of geniuses, I'm still impressed.  David and I were able to go to the midtown Apple Store on a Sunday afternoon without an appointment and Adam diagnosed my lifeless laptop.  Very fittingly, Adam was wearing a Genius shirt that said "Not all heroes wear capes."  Word, Adam totally saved my life.

I had to get the LogicBoard replaced and although I'm still not completely sure what that meant, I do know that it would have cost over a grand but it was only a little over three-hundred dollars to repair my laptop.  I'm no genius but I know that was pretty sweet!  Now it's finally back in action and I couldn't be happier!  Plus, since it was a problem with the LogicBoard and not the hard drive, I didn't lose any information!  Everything is back to normal!  Yes!

Home Is Where The Heart Is

[ Love of the Moment ]  [ 01 ]

LomoHomes are the best place to share analogue photos, meet fellow lomographers, make friends and fans, and enter contests!  With lots of new features and a new look on the beta site, LomoHomes are my first love of the moment because

1]  I just recently discovered the lomography beta site

2] I'm finally getting my fisheye photos on CDs

3] I'll have a great place to share my lomographs

4] I'm sort of obsessed with lomography right now

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LomoHomes [ http://beta.lomography.com/homes ] 

Academy Awards [09]

The beginning of the new year is awards season!  The 2009 Academy Awards nominations were recently announced and the show will be on February 22nd.  Last year, David and I watched the show with his roommate Sarah and her friend Becky.  We each completed our Oscar ballots and put five dollars into the pool.  I hadn't seen many of the nominated movies, but somehow with a little guessing and lots of luck, I went home with twenty bucks at the end of the night!  I haven't seen many of the top-nomintated movies yet again, but I'm hoping to repeat my lucky performance this year!

Here are the nominees...

• Best Picture
• 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
• 'Frost/Nixon'
• 'Milk'
• 'The Reader'
• 'Slumdog Millionaire'
• Best Director
• Danny Boyle'Slumdog Millionaire'
• Stephen Daldry'The Reader'
• David Fincher'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
• Ron Howard'Frost/Nixon'
• Gus Van Sant'Milk'
  
  • Best Actor
  • Richard Jenkins'The Visitor'
  • Frank Langella'Frost/Nixon'
  • Sean Penn'Milk'
  • Brad Pitt'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
  • Mickey Rourke'The Wrestler'
  • Best Actress
  • Anne Hathaway'Rachel Getting Married'
  • Angelina Jolie'Changeling'
  • Melissa Leo'Frozen River'
  • Meryl Streep'Doubt'
  • Kate Winslet'The Reader'
    
    • Best Supporting Actor
    • Josh Brolin'Milk'
    • Robert Downey Jr.'Tropic Thunder'
    • Philip Seymour Hoffman'Doubt'
    • Heath Ledger'The Dark Knight'
    • Michael Shannon'Revolutionary Road'
    • Best Supporting Actress
    • Amy Adams'Doubt'
    • Penelope Cruz'Vicky Cristina Barcelona'
    • Viola Davis'Doubt'
    • Taraji P. Henson'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
    • Marisa Tomei'The Wrestler'
    • Best Animated Feature Film
    • 'Bolt'
    • 'Kung Fu Panda'
    • 'Wall-E'
    • Best Foreign Film
    • 'The Baader Meinhof Complex'

      Germany

    • 'The Class'

      France

    • 'Departures'

      Japan

    • 'Revanche'

      Austria

    • 'Waltz With Bashir'

      Israel

    • Best Original Screenplay
    • 'Milk'

      Dustin Lance Black

    • 'Frozen River'

      Courtney Hunt

    • 'Happy Go Lucky'

      Mike Leigh

    • 'In Bruges'

      Martin McDonagh

    • 'Wall-E'

      Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Pete Docter

    • Best Adapted Screenplay
    • 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

      Eric Roth, Robin Swicord

    • 'Doubt'

      John Patrick Shanley

    • 'Frost/ Nixon'

      Peter Morgan

    • 'The Reader'

      David Hare

    • 'Slumdog Millionaire'

      Simon Beaufoy

    • Best Documentary Feature
    • 'The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)'
    • 'Encounters at the End of the World'
    • 'The Garden'
    • 'Man on Wire'
    • 'Trouble the Water'
    • Best Original Score
    • 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'
    • 'Defiance'
    • 'Milk'
    • 'Slumdog Millionaire'
    • 'WALL-E'
    • Best Original Song

    • 'Down to Earth'

      'WALL-E'

    • 'Jai Ho'

      'Slumdog Millionaire'

    • 'O Saya'

      'Slumdog Millionaire'
    • Best Film Editing
    • 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

      Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall

    • 'The Dark Knight'

      Lee Smith

    • 'Frost/Nixon'

      Mike Hill, Dan Hanley

    • 'Milk'

      Elliot Graham

    • 'Slumdog Millionaire'

      Chris Dickens

    • Best Documentary - Short Subject

    • 'The Conscience of Nhem En'

    • 'The Final Inch'

    • 'Smile Pinki'

    • 'The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306'

    • Best Cinematography
    • 'Changeling'

      Tom Stern

    • 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

      Claudio Miranda

    • 'The Dark Knight'

      Wally Pfister

    • 'The Reader'

      Chris Menges, Roger Deakins

    • 'Slumdog Millionaire'

      Anthony Dod Mantle

    • Best Costume Design
    • 'Australia'

      Catherine Martin

    • 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

      Jacqueline West

    • 'The Duchess'

      Michael O'Connor

    • 'Milk'

      Danny Glicker

    • 'Revolutionary Road'

      Albert Wolsky

    • Best Sound Mixing
    • 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

      David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce, Mark Weingarten

    • 'The Dark Knight'

      Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo, Ed Novick

    • 'Slumdog Millionaire'

      Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty

    • 'WALL-E'

      Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Ben Burtt

    • 'Wanted'

      Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño, Petr Forejt

    • Best Sound Editing
    • 'The Dark Knight'

      Richard King

    • 'Iron Man'

      Frank Eulner, Christopher Boyes

    • 'Slumdog Millionaire'

      Tom Sayers

    • 'WALL-E'

      Ben Burtt, Matthew Wood

    • 'Wanted'

      Wylie Stateman

    • Best Live Action Short Film

    • 'Auf der Strecke (On the Line)'

    • 'Manon on the Asphalt'

    • 'New Boy'

    • 'The Pig'

    • 'Spielzeugland (Toyland)'

    • Best Animated Short Film

    • 'La Maison de Petits Cubes'

    • 'Lavatory - Lovestory'

    • 'Oktapodi'

    • 'Presto'

    • 'This Way Up'

    • Best Makeup
    • 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

      Greg Cannom

    • 'The Dark Knight'

      John Caglione, Jr., Conor O'Sullivan

    • 'Hellboy II: The Golden Army'

      Mike Elizalde, Thom Flout

    • Best Art Direction
    • 'Changeling'

      James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis

    • 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

      Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo

    • 'The Dark Knight'

      Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando

    • 'The Duchess'

      Michael Carlin, Rebecca Alleway

    • 'Revolutionary Road'

      Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt

    • Best Visual Effects
    • 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'

      Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, Craig Barron

    • 'The Dark Knight'

      Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber, Paul Franklin

    • 'Iron Man'

      John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick, Shane Mahan