Carlisle Cullen, the 'drunk jock'

I knew that I recognized the actor who play Dr Carlisle Cullen in the movie Twilight, but I could not place him. So I looked him up; thanks, IMDB!


This guy, this compassionate doctor, this gorgeous man who loves and fears God...

...is played by the same guy who was the drunk, cocky, idiotic jock is Can't Hardly Wait!

Funny? Yes, I do believe it is!

Where the Church and I stand on opposite sides of the Fence

OK, "The Church", let me get a few things straight. You think it is immoral to teach people how to protect themselves and prevent multiple pregnancies in a nation with an unbearable population growth problem?

...look, I know we don't always see eye to eye on everything, and we accept one another anyway in the name of the Lord, but what in the Sam Hill are you thinking?!?

The Roman Catholic church has deemed it "immoral" to "establish a national family planning program [in the Philippines] that would include sex education and advice on birth control".

Yeah, you're right. It is much more moral to allow the population to grow out of control, causing thousands of children to starve and to resort to seedy means to earning.

Way to go, "The Church". Thanks for making us all look bad... again.

So Far, Best Birthday Ever!

OK, I know it is only 8:30am on my bday, but technically the fun started yesterday. I had dinner at The Cheesecake Factory with my family - yum! Everything was delicious. Brad gave me presents at the restaurant. Guys, he did so well! He got me the Sports Nights 10th Anniversary Edition boxset, which I blogged about months ago. it has new interviews, gag reels, lots of fun stuff. He also got me an iTunes gift card, bc he wasnt sure what CD to buy. He tried to find Raining Jane, which just shows how well he listens. He also picked out two beautiful long-sleeved tops from Express; one deep teal and the other black and pink with a big fleur-de-lis on the front. Way to go, Bradley!


My folks gave me a $50 DISNEY gift card! SWEET!!


After dinner, Brad and I wandered over to Del Friscos Double Eagle Steakhouse in the Galleria. It has been there close to a year, but we dont get to that side of town as much anymore. It is GORGEOUS on the inside! The ambience was incredible, and their wine list is really impressive. We sat at the bar for a drink. Our waiter, Joe, came over and decided to tell us everything there si to know about that restaurant. I mean that in a good way; we were not bored. We had lots of questions and such. Joe asked if we has seen the upstairs bar yet (where they have TVs), and we hadnt. He said, "Come on up there and check it out; I'll buy you a drink." So of course we went up there. It is also beautiful, but a bit more of a fun attitude. And the Cosmo was ssttrroonngg, but yummy. So if you feel like a fun drink, or an expenisve and worthy steak, check out Del Friscos. If you sit in the bar, make sure and ask for Joe - he will take great care of you!





So then this morning I woke up pretty hungry. In our office, we have a Breakfast Club, so every Friday a few people bring enough yummy for everyone in the group. I was kind fo grumbling in the car that "there had better be something good, because I am really hungry today". Well, one of the guys who brought for everyone brought a special breakfast for me for my birthday! he heard me talking to someone yesterday abotu how I hadnt had a bagel Dog (from Einstein Bros) in AGES, so he went there and got me one PLUS a fruit-topped muffin thing. It smelled SO GOOD in my cubicle this morning! So I had special yummy this morning.

**Grags just sent me the iTunes album Jingle Spells, which is all Wizard Rock Christmas music!!**

Wish me luck tonight - Howl At The Moon is gonna be fun!

Sad Songs

A friend of mine (and I use the term loosely because, if we were to run into each other in public, we would probably do that “I think I know you” glance, and then walk away without risking being wrong – we know ‘of’ each other more than anything, and to be honest, it is probably 87% on my end… did I ramble enough for ya?)… right, so a “friend” of mine wrote a blog recently about the saddest songs ever.



He and his sis were listing sad songs they loved off the top of their heads. I don’t love listening to sad songs, because why make myself cry, really, BUT some of these are amazing, and others I have never heard of. Here are their lists:


"Lost Cause," Beck
"Crying," Roy Orbison
"Are You Still in Love With Me?", Tift Merritt
"Hallelujah," Jeff Buckley
"He Stopped Loving Her Today," George Jones
"Houses on the Hill," Whiskeytown
"Martha," Tom Waits
"Winona," "Nothing Lasts," "Your Sweet Voice," "Everything Changes," "I Almost Forgot," Matthew Sweet
"Steven," Denison Witmer
"Far, Far Away," Wilco
"I Should Have Been True," The Mavericks
"Oh My Sweet Carolina," "La Cienega Just Smiled," "September," Ryan Adams
"Please Tell My Brother," Golden Smog
"Salome," Old 97's
"Travelin' Soldier," "Without You," Dixie Chicks
"The Stars Above and My Heart in Your Hands," Christopher Denny (to which I attached the caveat that it's so sad I can only listen to it every couple of months)
"Sweetest Waste of Time," Kasey Chambers and Shane Nicholson
"I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry," Hank Williams
"Broke, Lovesick, & Driftin'," Hank Williams III
"Always On My Mind," Willie Nelson
"Please Break My Heart," Caitlin Cary and Thad Cockrell

The Sis

"Fred Jones," Ben Folds
"Casimir Pulaski Day," Sufjan Stevens
"The Lonely 1," Wilco
"Your Long Journey," Robert Plant and Allison Krauss
"Mad World," Gary Jules
"The Blower's Daugter," "Amie," Damien Rice
"She's Got You," "Crazy," "Walkin' After Midnight," Patsy Cline
"A Ghost in This House," Allison Krauss and Union Station

I know, right? I might cry just looking at this list. I know more songs on her list than his, though. And I seriously heart what I know of Sufjan Stevens. W2G, Sis.

Then he opened the blog for comments. He got a lot of suggestions, so allow me copy the ones I know and agree with:
Tears in Heaven--Eric Clapton
Hurt--Johnny Cash -(LOVE this one!)
Last Kiss - Pearl Jam
Disarm - The Smashing Pumpkins
"Brick" by Ben Folds 5
Playboy Mommy - Tori Amos
Almost Lover - A Fine Frenzy (on all of my playlists)
Imagine: John Lennon
Eleanor Rigby: The Beatles
Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone, Bill Withers
I Can't Make You Love Me - Bonnie Rait
"Kissing You" by Des'ree
Hide and Seek - Imogen Heap
Fix You - Coldplay (OK, I almost cried just typing this one out)
Colorblind - Counting Crows
Missing the War - Ben Folds Five

Evaporated - Ben Folds Five
Yesterday - The Beatles
"Dreaming With A Broken Heart," John Mayer
Adia-Sarah McLachlan
Fred Jones Part 2 – Ben Folds

Bawling yet? Well here are my additions, some of which are just "songs that make me cry":

“Are You Alright?” – Lucinda Williams
“Hello” – Evanescence
“I Miss You” – Incubus (high school shout-out)
“Let Me Leave” – Marc Broussard
“The Lighthouse Tale” – Nickel Creek
“You Are Goodbye” – Holly Conlan
“Between the Lines” – Sara Bareilles
“City” – Sara Bareilles
“Epiphany” – Staind
“Gravity” – Sara Bareilles
“Let It Be” – The Beatles (but the version from Across The Universe)
“The Most Beautiful Things” – Jimmy Eat World (I miss Rob…)
“Trampled Rose” – Alison Krauss and Robert Plant
“Sister Rosetta Goes Before Us” - Alison Krauss and Robert Plant

(Broadway Musicals – obviously I am leaving out thousands…)
“Alabanza” – In The Heights
“Still Hurting” – The Last Five Years
“Nobody Needs to Know” – The Last Five Years
“The Next Ten Minutes” – The Last Five Years
“The Guilty Ones” – Spring Awakening
“Touch Me” – Spring Awakening
“Whispering” – Spring Awakening
“I’ll Cover You (reprise)” – Rent (Seriously, I might cry right now)
“Those You’ve Known” – Spring Awakening
“On the Willows” – Godspell
“For Good” – Wicked
“All the Wasted Time” – Parade
“And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” – Dreamgirls
*I’m not going to list EVERY song in ‘The Civil War’, but they pretty much all make me cry*
“I’d Give it All for You” – Songs For A New World
“The I Love You Song” – 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
“I Wish I Could Go Back to College” – Avenue Q
“Johnny Can’t Decide” – tick, tick…BOOM!

“Louder Than Words” – tick, tick…BOOM!

Wanna know what makes me happy?

http://land.allears.net/blogs/dnews/2008/11/walt_disney_world_vacation_pac.html

Yeah, that's right. Did you read it? NO? Ugh, you lazy.

The new year will bring new ways for guests to celebrate their special occasions with family and friends at Walt Disney World Resort – and special savings that make a Disney vacation even more affordable.
Guests who buy a four-night/four-day non-discounted Walt Disney Travel Co. Magic Your Way hotel and ticket package for stays most nights from Jan. 4 to April 4, 2009, and April 19 to June 27, 2009, will receive three extra nights of hotel accommodations and three more days added to their theme park tickets for free.
As a bonus, guests traveling on this package from Jan. 4 to March 29, 2009, will also receive a free $200 Disney Gift Card to splurge on merchandise, dining or other Disney fun.

Now, unfortunately I do not see us getting to do this; not that soon anyway. But OH MY LANDS that looks like such a great deal! And a $200 gift card?!?

(Yeah, I say "Oh my lands"... what about it? My Mamie says it... and it is better than swearing...)

So, for those who have not heard my speech about a "Wish List" this year (birthday/Christmas), the top thing on my list is Disney Gift Cards. I'm sure we will want/need to save for a while planning our next trip. That way we can upgrade to a better resort (although the All Star Sports was fun). The third thing on my Wish List is travel vouchers - basically gift cards to airlines and such. Brad and I have so much stuff - far more than we need. And while there are things we need, most of them are not material (or easily afforded). Right now we are trying to focus on saving for things like, oh I don't know, a HOUSE. My point is that memories are higher on our priority list than things right now. We want to go to new York [if only we could get up there while Binkie is still on Broadway] by next summer, but that it a lot of saving in little time. We wouldn't need to pay for a hotel, but travel alone would be steep. Plus, with plays, food and shopping...pretty penny. So I don't know... if you are likely to send me a gift this year (BTW, thank you in advance) those are my wishes.

Oh, and the second thing is a mini fridge. Just for the curious...

The Reader

yea, more trailers!

This movie looks fascinating, and with Kate Winslet and Ralph Fiennes, I'm sold:

Monsters vs. Aliens

More cartoon movies that would make no impact but for their cast list:

HUGH LAURIE
Seth Rogen
Will Arnett
Paul Rudd
Reese Witherspoon
Rainn Wilson
Kiefer Sutherland
Stephen Colbert

Um... yes please!!!

The Tale of Despereaux

OK, so it is a cartoon movie about mice. Kind of puts it on my mental back burner. Then you see the cast:
Matthew Broderick
Kevin Kline
Dustin Hoffman
Sigourney Weaver
Christopher Lloyd
Emma Watson
Ronnie Coltrane
William H Macy
Stanley Tucci
Tracey Ullman

...you have my attention.

And I know Im a loser, but it gives me such glee when actors from the Harry Potter movies work together in other films (Hermione and Hagrid in this one, Ron and Mrs Weasley in The Driving Lesson, which I HEART!)

I am so sick of it, really

Ask me why I am surprised? Ask me why, after 6 years of similar treatment, I am surprised at this behavior. Go ahead, ask me...
You know what, don't ask me, because I have absolutely no good reason.
I know I am not the BEST friend in the world. I forget birthdays, I am horrible at returning calls, and on more than a few occasions I have made very selfish decisions. But you know what? That does not excuse other people being bad friends.
And let me be more specific. If you make plans with me, and those plans change, and you do not call me, you suck. OK? If you and I have agreed to meet somewhere or to go do something and it turns out that you cannot/will not make it, effing call me! It isn't hard. It would take 30 seconds max to send a quick text. If I am not worth 30 seconds to you, that is something I need to know.

Happy effing birthday.

Prayers

Sheila W, the wife of my coworker Kevin, passed away this morning. Please pray for Kevin and for their 5 year old daughter, Shelby.

Tagged

I have been tagged by Grags - I wont continue the tagging (bc other than Grags none of my friends make consistent blogs), but I will do as I am told this time.



I was supposed to post and explain the 6th picture from my 6th album. Well, is nuck on to Facebook. I went 6 backwards from the start, not the 6th one I created. I got a wedding pic.





It does not require much explanation. We were just announced as Mr and Mrs Brad Phillips, and we are now making our way back up the aisle, lookin' all hot. Look how handsome my baby is, lookin' sharp.

An Opera from Twisted Pictures?

Many of you know of my love for the Rock Opera genre. I discovered one today that will be released next Friday. It is called Repo: The Genetic Opera. It is listed as Fantasy, Musical, Horror.

And it is produced by Twisted Pictures.

They produce the SAW movies.

....................

Huh?

Now, if only I could stomach constant, graphic violence, I would be really excited about this. it looks FASCINATING! It is set in comic book's favorite setting: the not-too-distant future (2056). A worldwide epidemic has made organ failure prevalent. A company called GeneCo, that finances organs like new cars, has come to the rescue. Just make sure you never miss a payment, because if you do they will send out the repo men to reposess your organs. Murder is made legal, and these men literally perform sudden surgeries wherever they catch you.

And it is a rock opera.

From the trailer, the music sounds a little bit awesome. And Sarah Brightman is in it; interesting. Also interesting, although potentially less exciting, is that Paris Hilton is in the cast.

That's her in the pic as Amber Sweet.

Alexa Vega plays the ingenue. You remember her; she was the girl in Spy Kids... yeah, color me disturbed.