Resolutions for 2014

1. Take a tour of the U.S. Capitol building.

2. Create and prepare an original food recipe.

3. Support someone's artistic expression.

4. Patronize a bed and breakfast on vacation.

5. Grow a robust beard.

6. Read a graphic novel for the first time.

7. Learn to use advanced video editing software.

8. Successfully complete the 30 Day Plank Challenge.

9. Focus on long-term, big-picture perspectives.

10. Convince someone else to complete one resolution.

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Revisiting 2013 Resolutions

1. Travel to a new state.
[Hoped to use our summer travel time to head to Austin, Seattle, or Portland - all of which would have qualified here - but a return visit with friends in Tampa was in order.]

2. Learn to cook a perfect homemade veggie burger.

[Disappointing, mostly because I simply let this slip my mind throughout the year. Ready the black beans and oats, I'm revisiting this one soon.]

3. Make faster decisions.

[Did I feel more decisive in 2013? Sure. But it took me, like, ten minutes to decide if I achieved this resolution, so...]

4. Visit the American Museum of Natural History in NYC.

[A perfect birthday present from my love. Also...DINOSAURS!]

5. Volunteer or donate to a new cause each month.

[This is the one resolution I changed midyear (see #10 below). I adapted the sentiment to focus on sorting through our excessive clothing collection and donating a significant portion to charity. Dozens of clothes-filled shopping bags later, resolution complete.]

6. Purchase a musical instrument.

[Why didn't I just purchase this harmonica and call it a day?]

7. Mail a hand-written letter to President Obama.

[This was a cute idea when I thought of it last year, and then I remembered I have terrible handwriting. I'm sure the President was very disappointed.]

8. Take a photo from the top of a mountain.

[No hiking in 2013, unfortunately.]

9. See Mumford & Sons live in concert.

[Nope. And given the recent announcement that they're taking an indefinite break from touring, this one hurts.]

10. Change one resolution in the middle of the year.

[As #5 elaborates above, check.]

(Original Post: 'Resolutions for 2013')

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You Shall Not Pass

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2013 Oscar Predictions

BEST PICTURE
Argo

BEST DIRECTOR
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln

BEST ACTOR
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

BEST ACTRESS
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables

Favorite Movies of 2012

1. Django Unchained

2. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
3. Argo

4. Silver Linings Playbook

5. Moonrise Kingdom

6. The Avengers

7. Looper

8. This is 40

9. Searching for Sugar Man

10. Brave

[Movies I didn't get a chance to see: Zero Dark Thirty, Amour, Cloud Atlas, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, The Grey, Flight.]
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Resolutions for 2013

 1. Travel to a new state.

2. Learn to cook a perfect homemade veggie burger. 

 3. Make faster decisions.

4. Visit the American Museum of Natural History in NYC. 

 5. Volunteer or donate to a new cause each month.

6. Purchase a musical instrument. 

 7. Mail a hand-written letter to President Obama.

8. Take a photo from the top of a mountain. 

 9. See Mumford & Sons live in concert.

10. Change one resolution in the middle of the year. 

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Revisiting 2012 Resolutions

1. Cease biting finger nails once and for all.

[Yep, I finally did it. The experience of trimming my fingernails for the first time in 29 years of existence was quite surreal.]

2. Visit a national park.

[Hoped to visit Ellis Island for the first time, but never made it. And now, due to damage from the hurricane, the island is closed indefinitely.]

3. Write twenty-five pages of anything.

[It seems the countless hours of "writing" I've done in my head while lying awake at night don't count, unfortunately.]

4. Be less frustrated by small issues.

[I really tried, honestly, but then somebody incorrectly uses the word 'infamous' in a Facebook post, and I'm left seething with rage.]

5. Adopt a dog.

[Our community association does not allow dog ownership. Our community association does allow cat ownership. This makes me very, very upset.]

6. Help re-elect President Obama.

[A donation here, a campaign phone call there, and boom: four more years!]

7. Scan collection of childhood photos.

[No way my outdated scanner would have been up to the task. And to be honest, there's something special about having a bunch of old shoeboxes brimming with photos tucked away under the bed.

8. Watch all seasons of Mad Men and/or Breaking Bad.

[And Mad Men instantly moves to the top tier of my favorite television series of all time.]

9. Donate blood.

[Just hours prior to my scheduled appointment, I discovered I was ineligible to donate this year (and possibly beyond). A monetary donation to the American Red Cross would have to suffice.]

10. Complete half of these resolutions by June 30th.

[Not quite, but that's the beauty of making all these resolutions: underperforming still yields good results. Like ending a lifelong bad habit.]

(Original Post: 'Resolutions for 2012')

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My 2012 Presidential Election Prediction

(click map for larger view)
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Barack Obama ~ 303 Electoral Votes, 52% Popular Vote

Mitt Romney ~ 235 Electoral Votes, 47% Popular Vote
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Dennis Nedry

That is all.

2012 Oscar Predictions

BEST PICTURE
Predicted Winner: The Artist

Potential Spoilers: Dare I say Hugo?

Preferred Winner: The Artist

BEST DIRECTOR
Predicted Winner: Michel Hanazavicius, The Artist
Potential Spoilers: Everybody loves Martin Scorsese.

Preferred Winner: Well, Martin Scorsese, of course.

BEST ACTOR
Predicted Winner: Jean Dujardin, The Artist

Potential Spoilers: George Clooney, unfortunately.

Preferred Winner: Jean Dujardin's smile.

BEST ACTRESS
Predicted Winner: Viola Davis, The Help
Potential Spoilers: Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady

Preferred Winner: Team Streep, always and forever.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Predicted Winner: Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Potential Spoilers: Maybe the other veteran actor, Max von Sydow, but most likely not.

Preferred Winner: Hmm, I guess Plummer.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Predicted Winner: Octavia Spencer, The Help
Potential Spoilers: Berenice Bejo, The Artist

Preferred Winner: Melissa "Hot Lava" McCarthy!

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Predicted Winner: Midnight in Paris
Potential Spoilers: The Artist

Preferred Winner: Midnight in Paris

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Predicted Winner: The Descendants
Potential Spoilers: Maybe Moneyball, or Hugo?

Preferred Winner: Hugo

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

Predicted Winner: Rango
Potential Spoilers: If it's a kooky year, maybe Chico & Rita.

Preferred Winner: Anything but Puss in Boots, please.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Predicted Winner: A Separation (Iran)
Potential Spoilers: Any it seems, but leaning towards In Darkness (Poland).

Preferred Winner: Haven't seen any of the five, unfortunately.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
Predicted Winner: Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory
Potential Spoilers: Again, it seems anyone could win, but maybe Undefeated.

Preferred Winner: Once again, haven't seen any of the five.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Predicted Winner: The Tree of Life
Potential Spoilers: The Artist, and outside chance for Hugo.

Preferred Winner: Hugo or The Artist

BEST FILM EDITING
Predicted Winner: The Artist
Potential Spoilers: Hugo

Preferred Winner: Hugo or The Artist

BEST ART DIRECTION
Predicted Winner: Hugo
Potential Spoilers: The Artist

Preferred Winner: The Artist or Hugo...notice a pattern?

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Predicted Winner: The Artist
Potential Spoilers: This category is all over the place, but maybe Jane Eyre or Hugo.

Preferred Winner: The Artist...or Hugo.

BEST MAKEUP
Predicted Winner: The Iron Lady
Potential Spoilers: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Preferred Winner: None really, though the makeup of Albert Nobbs haunts my dreams.

BEST SOUND EDITING
Predicted Winner: Hugo
Potential Spoilers: War Horse

Preferred Winner: Hugo

BEST SOUND MIXING
Predicted Winner: Hugo
Potential Spoilers: War Horse

Preferred Winner: Hugo

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Predicted Winner: Rise of the Planet of the Apes
Potential Spoilers: Hugo, and outside chance for a Harry Potter farewell win.

Preferred Winner: Hugo

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
Predicted Winner: The Artist

Potential Spoilers: Hugo

Preferred Winner: Clearly, no score was more critical this year than The Artist's score.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
Predicted Winner: 'Man or Muppet,' The Muppets
Potential Spoilers: Insert joke here about only one other song being nominated.

Preferred Winner: Academy Award winner Bret McKenzie? Yes, please!

BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM
Predicted Winner: The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
Potential Spoilers: Any really, but maybe La Luna.

Preferred Winner: Loved The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM
Predicted Winner: Saving Face
Potential Spoilers: Thinking The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom.

Preferred Winner: Unfortunately, haven't seen any of them.

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM
Predicted Winner: The Shore
Potential Spoilers: Again, any of them, but maybe Tuba Atlantic or Raju.

Preferred Winner: I don't know, but Time Freak is either the best or worst title ever.

Top Ten Movies of 2011

1. The Artist

2. Hugo

3. Midnight in Paris

4. Bridesmaids

5. Life in a Day

6. Hanna

7. Young Adult

8. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

9. Moneyball

10. Harry Potter, Deathly Hallows: Part 2

[Movies I didn't get a chance to see but would potentially consider for this list: A Separation, Albert Nobbs, Contagion, Drive, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Forks Over Knives, J. Edgar, My Week with Marilyn, Rango, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Adventures of Tin Tin, The Help, The Ides of March, The Iron Lady, War Horse.]