tuckergurl

Friday Night Lights

There is a marathon on Bravo today and I just can not shut it off. I have been meaning to sit down and watch it. Now I see what all the fuss is about. So good! So well acted and directed and moving! Talk about a show with a lot of testosterone.

I really do need to be more productive though. The weekends just do not feel long enough and I never get done even a fraction of what I need to. Are two days enough for other folks? I am in awe of how much other people get accomplished in a weekend. I know that part of the problem is my waking up late. The other part is my television addiction. Sigh.

OK, I am going to get off my a**.

Top 5 Movies of 2006

I have friends who have "things" about movies. One friend won't see sad movies. She says life is hard enough so why would she want to see movies that are depressing. One friend won't see any movies that have violence in them. She can not deal with it. Then there are the people who will not see a movie because certain celebs are in them. Helen Hunt is my person. I will not see a movie she is in. She just annoys me. Robin Wright Penn used to be that person for me but she grew on me finally.

This year, I just gave into my "things" and decided not to see films that I do not want to for whatever random reason. I think this feeling was actually my attitude for 2006. I stopped giving to people that I was not getting anything back from. I just stopped doing things I did not want to do because life is too short. It is really freeing.

So I did not see United 93 or World Trade Center because I am not ready to deal with September 11th yet. These may be good films but hey, that's what Netflix is for. I did not see The Last King of Scotland because I am done with genocide for a while. I did not see Little Children because the trailer is super annoying and I really hated In The Bedroom, which was directed by the same director.

So here is my top five for 2006 :

5. Dave Chappelle's Block Party: This film was so much fun. Dave is hysterical and this is one of the great music documentaries/concert films. I never get to see music documentaries about music I actually listen to. I should buy this. Why haven't I yet?

4. Little Miss Sunshine: Such a great, fun, smart surprise. That little girl is amazing!

3. The Departed: I already talked about how I loved this movie. So entertaining.

2. Half Nelson: This is the best indie film of the year. It really is a masterpiece. So few films have guts like this one. It takes on race, class. Ryan Gosling is brilliant! I loved it.

1. Dreamgirls: There was nothing disappointing about this movie. It was so fun and huge and moving and ... just fun! I saw it at the greatest movie theater in New York, The Ziegfeld, and I highly recommend seeing it there. It makes the film feel even more theatrical which seems appropriate for a film like this. If Jennifer Hudson does not get nominated for an Academy Award, I will eat my hat. (Who came up with that saying anyway?)

The Contemplation Begins... My Year in Cities 2006

The year is coming to an end so you know what that means ... many entries consisting of lists. I am beginning with the places I went in 2006 as a stalling tactic. I have a few more movies to see before I can put up my best of 2006. I always try to squeeze them in right at the end of the year. That list comes a bit later.

For now, I am very excited to list the places I went in 2006. My goal is to leave the country at least once a year and so far so good! I was insanely fortunate this year to travel so much. I love to travel. The more exotic places were personal. The more mundane for work. But hey, I'm not complaining! I've been travelling a lot directing industrials and advocacy videos which is cool. Directing is always a good thing!

Without further ado:

Park City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Los Angeles, CA
Cape Town, South Africa
Johannesburg, South Africa*
Kigali, Rwanda
Abuja, Nigeria
Lagos, Nigeria
Accra, Ghana
Kokrobite, Ghana
Baltimore, MD*
Washington DC*
Chicago, IL
Boston, MA
Philadelphia, PA
Union City, NJ*
Las Vegas, NV
Brooklyn, NY* (For some reason people include where they live so I will too!)
New York, NY*

One or more nights spent in each place. Those cities marked with an * were visited multiple times on non-consecutive days.

Thinking Of You

I was watching VH1 Soul while I was deciding where to donate money to charity for the holidays. Every year I give money in my parents and my brother's name. I've been doing this for years and it is just really nice to get something in their honor. I decided to give money to The Global Fund. I usually decide to give to a few different places but since I spent so much time in Africa this year, it seemed to make sense.

This video came on and I had forgotten what a beautiful song and video it was. It seemed appropriate for me for this holiday season. Happy Holidays!

The New Layout

I was considering moving this blog over to my Vox blog but decided against it. I've had this address for almost three years now and I have grown used to it. Plus I don't want to deal with figuring out what to do with my old entries. I feel like this blog was the beginning of a new era for me in a lot of ways and I like having it here in its complete form.

I did decide to choose a new layout. It is less "personalized" but I think it is easier to read and less cluttered. Plus, YouTube videos are easier to watch with this layout and I know that I will be putting up more and more of them as time goes on.

I do have a blog on Vox but I really just do the question of the day. I do encourage you to become my friend on Vox though because every once in a while I post an entry there that I do not post here. Usually that entry is more personal in nature and not something I want the whole internet to know about.

On Vox, you can create entries that are only for Friends and Family and I do take advantage of that sometimes. (I encourage Vox for all new to blogging. It is free and the privacy options are unlike anything else on the internet right now. If Vox was around when I first started, I would have started there. Oh well. I still support the folks at Six Apart.) It is rare for me to post something only on the Vox blog so don't feel like you're missing out on this one.

For some reason, I felt like I owed my blogging audience some kind of explanation about all of this. I have no idea why. Anyway, consider yourself updated.

Man This Is Funny

After the Lazy Sunday sketch, I became a fan of Mr. Andy Samberg. When I heard about this sketch with Justin Timberlake, I almost was afraid to see it because I knew I would be completely obsessed with it. I was correct. Man, this sh** is funny. So damn funny.

(The FCC probably wants me to warn you that this skit is dirty. Consider yourself warned.)

I Was "That Person"

Last night I saw a bad movie, The Good Shepherd.  I did not pay for it so I am not too upset about it.  It was just really, really boring.  It was disappointing and really sort of flat.  2 hours and 45 minutes without previews!  Plus, Angelina Jolie and no steamy sex scene.  Come on!  It was beautifully shot and had an all star cast but not much else.  It just seemed like a strange choice for a film directed by Robert DeNiro.  Well, there is one black girl in it.  (For all of you who do not know this, DeNiro has a thing for the black girls.  Oh yes he does!)  And a few random people from Good Fellas were randomly in the film although they had no reason to be at all.

Come to think of it, a lot of people were miscast in this movie!   I really think that a bunch of celebrities pulled out their planners (or got their assistants together) and found a few months they were all free and said, "Hey, why not make a film with DeNiro?  It will be fun.  Who cares if the script is too long and there are multiple loose ends that are never resolved.  It will all work out." 

Anyway, when movies are this boring, Beeber and I are really bad.  We are those people that make fun of the movie the whole time.  It just makes time pass much faster.  It's not nice or considerate but we can't help it.  We've got to get something out of the experience.

So to that women who was really pissed at us, I guess I'm sorry.  But were you really enjoying that movie anyway?

Sometimes There's An Easy Solution

I just needed a new ethernet cable. I just bought this one but I did buy it at a 99 cent store so I guess you get what you pay for. More blogging to come.

angela and beth in awe of kibra's gift

angela and beth in awe of kibra's gift
Originally uploaded by Shira Golding.

This is from our holiday party. So hysterical!

Internet Down!

My internet has been down at my house for almost a week.  They are trying to fix it but it has been hard to post since work has been busy. 

My friend has this survey up on her site.  It is taken from Vanity Fair's Questionnaire at the back of their mag that was adapted from Proust's Questionnaire.  For some reason, I was really into it and decided to answer the questions much as my friend did, without editing myself.  Here is what I came up with:

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

A beautiful summer's day.  A nice swim in the ocean.  That's harder to define than I thought.

What is your greatest fear?

Not living my life to its fullest.

What historical figure do you most identify with?

I had a thing for Joan of Arc when I was younger but I think I was just a martyr.

Which living person do you most admire?

Nelson Mandela

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

Insecurity

What trait do you most deplore in others?

Narcissism

What is your greatest extravagance?

Fancy dinners.

On what occasion do you lie?

Sometimes to make a story sound a bit better.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?

My tummy

What is your favorite journey?

I enjoy the journey towards Prospect Park on a sunny day.

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

I need a bit more info on the situation before I can answer that one.

Which living person do you most despise?

Next question.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse?

amazing, awesome, bananas

What is your greatest regret?

I regret not calling my brother right when I got back from Argentina. 

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

I know the answer in my heart but I won't share it with the internet.

When and where were you happiest?

I will share my most recent happy/blissful moment and that was the last day I was in Ghana.  I was staying at this amazing place and I just felt beautiful and fulfilled.

Which talent would you most like to have?

I would love to play the piano and be a black Fiona Apple.  It ain't gonna happen though.

What is your current state of mind?

Hot -- my office is a sauna.  Oh, state of mind, pretty good.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I'd take more risks.

If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?

I'd like to feel more connected to them. 

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what would it be?

George Clooney.  It just seems so fun to be him.

If you could choose what or who to come back as, what would it be?

Isn't that the same question.  OK, I'll give a different answer and say I'd come back as a dolphin.

What do your consider your greatest achievement?

My sanity

What is your most treasured possession?

My friends

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

I don't think I am philosophical enough to answer this one.  Or maybe I just don't want to go there.

What is your most marked characteristic?

My height.

What is the quality you most like in a man?

An ability to not take himself too seriously.

What is the quality you most admire in a woman?

Sincerity.

What do you most value in your friends?

Loyalty.

Who are your favourite writers?

Zadie Smith, Charles Dickens, Edwidge Danticat, Dave Eggers, John Edgar Wideman.

Who is your favourite hero of fiction?

Dolores from She's Come Undone.

Who are your heroes in real life?

Back to Nelson.

What are your favourite names?

Delphine, Emma, Tucker, Tess, Benicio, Cole

What is it that you most dislike?

Fakeness, cotton candy, beets

How would you like to die?

In my sleep.

What is your motto?

I need a motto.  I really do.