Day 11 – Project 365

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The pond at the entrance to our neighborhood…half of it froze over! I liked the reflections, and although it isn’t the greatest photo technically…I still think it’s pretty. Plus, it’s rather symbolic of what the last week has been like around here.

Day 10 – Project 365

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Killer schnoozer…or yawning schnoozer?

Day 9 – Project 365

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Current knitting project ~ afghan with supa-ginormous needles.

Day 8 – Project 365

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Day 7 – Project 365

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After this morning’s roast chicken success (merci, Julia Child), I decided to take the fruits of my efforts and add them to this Chicken Tamale Casserole. I’ve been looking for new, lower-fat “Wintertime” dishes and this one was pretty good.

The only “complaints” at the recipe’s site were that the corn muffin mix is a little on the sweet side (I used Jiffy too…it was all Target had in that size), and it is. But…I didn’t really mind. I’m used to more savory Mexican dishes and the sweetness was a nice change of pace.

I also added chopped olives, but I don’t think they really added anything special or distinctive to the recipe. Will likely skip those next time.

All in all, thumbs up!

Clearly I’m not a food blogger…not yet. Maybe I should change my name to Julie.

Day 6 – Project 365

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Beaujolais Vieux…about three weeks past it’s prime. Cheers!

Day 5 – Project 365

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Daisy, in Seth’s spot on the couch. She misses her daddy.

Day 4 – Project 365

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The one in the middle was multi-tasking: listening to music, yapping on the phone, and chomping his gum.

Day 3 – Project 365

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You know that phrase, “Why don’t you take a picture, it’ll last longer”? I thought it would be really cute to take a picture of the opening title for It’s Complicated for Project 365…original.  After all, this project is supposed to be my photographic account of 2010.

By the time we got to the closing credits I started thinking, “Dear God, now that I’ve committed this photo to The Project, I’m always going to be reminded we went and saw this movie.”

Yes folks, it was that bad.  I suppose the argument could be made that I wasn’t the target demographic for this movie.  I am not Catholic, nor did I live in the Bronx in the 60s, but I still liked Doubt (another Streep flick, by the by). I’m not new to the Nancy Meyers schtick…I saw Something’s Gotta Give along with the rest of the world, and enjoyed it. What Women Want is one of my favorite movies.  The Holiday, though?  Terrible. AWFUL. Bad casting, bad script, and a gross under-utilization of Jack Black.

But, I like Meryl Streep. I like Alec Baldwin. I like romantic comedies. However, I don’t like movies that downplay adultery just because the two people involved were married for twenty years before divorcing ten years ago. I don’t like movies that make it look like the marriage crumbling was entirely the man’s fault until three minutes before the movie ends, when the ex-wife sheepishly admits to maybe, perhaps playing an itty bitty role herself.  I don’t like movies that have useless characters…like Jake’s 5-year old stepson (hmm…Modern Family much?) who served no purpose whatsoever except to make me happy Jake won’t have to pay child support post-divorce.

And the laughing.  You know those scenes where people laugh…just because?  Whatever is going on isn’t terrible funny, or clever…yet people laugh that “knowing” laugh. There were a couple of scenes like that in Sex and The City, and It’s Complicated was overflowing with them. Everything is sooooooo funny.

Plus, Jane lives in a perfect Santa Barbara compound (I lived there, housing like that ain’t cheap) with the perfect bakery boutique, the perfect backyard, the perfect garden (which is enormous, by the by), and the perfect grown adult children (well, except for the fact that they all behave as if they’re nine). Jane had no flaws…none. Tell me again, what exactly is complicated about her life…hmm?  Hmm?

Ohhh…that’s right. She’s been in therapy for eight years, and clearly hadn’t learned a damn thing since she got drunk and had sex with her married ex. It’s not her fault, though. She’s lonely. She has unfinished business. She wants revenge. It’s the wine’s fault. And Tom Petty’s.

Maybe that’s why I liked Diane Keaton’s Erica in Something’s Gotta Give…girlfriend had plenty of flaws, which made her endearing.  You can’t help but root for a character who is totally neurotic and seems to be one book deal away from a nervous breakdown.

Anyhoo, I didn’t like It’s Complicated and Seth liked it even less. Plus I think Steve Martin’s had some, ahem, work done.

We did enjoy coming up with titles for future Nancy Meyers movies, though. Please feel free to add your own ideas in the comments.

• It Is What It Is
• Que Sera, Sera
• It’s Not What You Think
• Whaddya Do?
• I Feel Like We’re Two Characters In a Nancy Meyers Film
• It Just Felt Right
• It’s Always Something
• It’s Another Iteration of It’s
• It’s the Wine’s Fault…and Tom Petty’s
• Well Don’t That Just Beat All!

Day 2 – Project 365

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Day 1 ~ Project 365

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So I’ve decided to do the Project 365 thing this year…a photo a day. A photo is like a thousand words, right? I didn’t manage to make it through NanoblogmojoJLo or whatever it was I tried a couple years ago, when the goal was to blog every day. Besides, ya’ll don’t want to hear from me every day and I don’t want to write every day.

But…it seems my iPhone fills up with at least 365 nonsensical photos a year, so this could be fun.

And of course, I start off the year by forgetting to blog my inaugural photo. Way to kick off the project. BUT…I did take the photo on the correct day, and who cares if I posted it a day late. You’re a forgiving bunch.

Happy New Year…cheers to 2010!