Marlins

I know that kids say ridiculous things all the time.

Teenagers are just plain ridiculous, but I do love them. This past weekend we began a series walking through the book of Exodus with our 6th-12th graders. I taught on the first four chapters and in order to catch up on Israelite history I asked questions and they answered... or at least tried to.

Me: Can anyone tell me the name of the FATHER of the nation of Israel?

Student 1: Moses?

Me: Nope. He is part of the nation, but not the father.

Student 2: Reuben?

Me: Good memory, but he is actually one of the 12 tribes of Israel.

Student 3: Joseph?

Me: (starts singing) Father_____ had many sons, many sons had Father...

BLANK STARES

Me: Ok. Let's start at the beginning. There once was a man named Abram...

Me: ...So, Joseph is in Egypt and his father and brothers are back home. There is a famine throughout the entire world. Because of this famine... wait. Can anyone tell me what a famine is?

Student: A fish.

Me: Nope. I believe you're thinking of a marlin.

Me: Ok, so Pharaoh commands the midwives to actually kill the baby boys of the Israelites but to let the baby girls live. The midwives honor and love God, so they don't do it. Pharaoh speaks to the midwives again... wait... does anyone know what a midwife does?

Student: She's the second wife.

Me: Uh... nope... (*sigh*) a midwife...

Happy Monday and good luck getting "Father Abraham" out of your head.

3rd Annual Oscar Picks

So it begins.

(Cue lightning/thunder/crazy end-of-the-world type weather. And uruk-hai.)

It’s time once again for me to announce my highly-anticipated, never wrong* Oscar picks! Read on for my thoughts on all 24 categories, and GET EXCITED! The Academy Awards are tomorrow, people!

Best Picture: After spending quite a bit of time trying to understand the new preferential voting system that I mentioned earlier this week (the best explanation is here) and how it would impact the vote, I feel all the more confident in selecting “The Hurt Locker” as the big winner. It may not be every voter's number one choice, but it won’t be very many people’s number ten choice, like I think “Avatar” might be. If this were an ordinary year with a traditional ‘majority rules’ method, I think “Avatar” might just have it, but too many Academy voters have a strong dislike for it. In the end, I’ll be surprised if anything but “The Hurt Locker” takes it.

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow will be the first female to ever win an Academy Award for directing. About time, right? If she doesn’t win for “The Hurt Locker” (and I feel pretty certain she will), I could see Quentin Tarantino taking home the gold before I could see James Cameron walking away with it. But it’ll be one of those three!

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges has this thing in the bag. A very deep, crazy-glued shut bag. He’s a super well-liked actor, and the Academy is awarding him as much for his entire career as for “Crazy Heart.”

Best Actress: I never thought I would ever in a million years say this, but here goes: I predict that Sandra Bullock will win an Oscar for Best Actress. Can you believe that? I mean, I do love me some Sandy (“While You Were Sleeping” anyone?), but… I don’t know. I didn’t think she was as crazy amazing in “The Blind Side” as everyone else seems to. But she’s kind of America’s sweetheart right now, and tomorrow night that’ll be enough for her to beat out runner-up Meryl Streep’s splendid performance in “Julie and Julia.”

Supporting Actor: I hope Christoph Waltz’s acceptance speech for “Inglourious Basterds” isn’t as long-winded and bizarre as his other’s have been this awards season, as he’s won about a persquillion Best Supporting Actor trophies. But I’m sure he’s practiced, because he’s virtually guaranteed a win for his ridiculously creepy/hilarious/unsettling portrayal of half-crazy/all-awesome Nazi colonel Hans Landa.

Supporting Actress: This is the one category that I had to skip writing about and come back to later. I saw "Precious" two months ago and still can't put into words how incredible I found Mo'Nique's turn as the demented and abusive mother to be. She absolutely blew me away, and I saw no better acting performance in 2009. If I continue with the praise of Mo'Nique as Mary in "Precious" (and I very easily could), it would soon grow in length and overtake this entire blog entry, so I'll end by simply saying: Mo'Nique will win this category.

Animated Feature: The rule is typically: don’t bet against Pixar. This year is no different, but not because it’s Pixar, but because it’s “Up.” “Up” is the first film since “Beauty and the Beast” to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, which is a pretty significant feat, even if there is an expanded category this year. That really says something about “Up,” and even though it won’t win in its fight with the big guys, it will most certainly beat out the other nominees in the Animated Feature category.

Art Direction: You saw “Avatar,” right? So…you really shouldn’t be wondering why I’m picking it in this category.

Cinematography: Or this one. Because…hi. “Avatar.”

Costume Design: To quote, um, me from last year: “…the Academy loves them some corsets,” and “The Duchess” did indeed win. So I’ll stick by that logic and go with “The Young Victoria.”

Editing: This is one of the categories I’ve really been struggling with this time around. Last year I just went with my Best Picture winner and that strategy worked out, but “Slumdog” was such a sure bet in the BP category! This time around, everything surrounding “Avatar” and “Hurt Locker” is so jumbled up, and I just don’t know what to do! However, since I’m naming it up top in the Best Picture category, I think I’ll just stick with “The Hurt Locker.”

Makeup: The word is that the Academy likes Fantasy and Sci-Fi for this category, which makes sense. Seems like they’d be more likely to acknowledge big over-the-top makeup than the subtler fare you’d see in something like “The Young Victoria.” “Star Trek” it is!

Original Score: Ah, score of my life! So looking forward to seeing Michael Giacchino (who also writes the music for “Lost”) win for his amazing, fantastic, wondrous, dazzling work on “Up.”

Original Song: I really loved ‘Almost There’ from “The Princess and the Frog,” and listen to it pretty much all the time (Well, when I’m not listening to “Up.”). However, I think this award is going to ‘The Weary Kind’ from “Crazy Heart.”

Original Screenplay: Quentin should get some Oscar love in this category, if nothing else. Who else could turn a World War II film into some sort of bizarre, wishful fantasy? No one, that’s who. Check the “Inglourious Basterds” box on your ballots, kids.

Adapted Screenplay: Poor “Up in the Air.” Despite being an early favorite for Best Picture, it has lost so. Much. Steam. But writer/director Jason Reitman will pick up “Up in the Air’s” only win of the evening in this category, if nothing else.

Sound Mixing: Even though “The Hurt Locker” had some really good bomb sounds, my gut tells me to throw all technical awards in the “Avatar” pile.

Sound Editing: So by default, this award goes to “Avatar” as well.

Visual Effects: If there’s any such thing as a sure bet at the Academy Awards this year, it’s that “Avatar” will win the Oscar for Visual Effects. Done and done.

Documentary Feature: “The Cove,” “The Cove,” “The Cove.” “The Cove.”

Documentary Short: Although “China’s Unnatural Disaster” sounds like Oscar bait of the purest kind, I think voters might go for a more local human interest story in the form of “The Last Truck.” I think.

Foreign Language Film: I’ve heard a lot about “The White Ribbon” this year, and haven’t heard anything about the other nominees. So… I think I’ll stick with “The White Ribbon!”

Live-Action Short: I am torn between a stack of movies that I’ve barely heard of. But I’ve seen a few people mention “Miracle Fish,” so let’s go with that.

*Not highly anticipated, and actually quite frequently wrong.

Finish Line

6.4 miles deserved waffles.

Apparently the miles deserved lots and lots of waffles. This recipe doesn't play around. Mom sent the recipe yesterday so I could have something to work towards while I ran. Yes, food is an excellent source of bribery.

(From Light & Delish magazine)

BUTTERMILK PANCAKES/WAFFLES

3 cups flour
1 1/2 T. sugar
3 t. baking powder
1 1/2 t. baking soda
3/4 t. salt
3 eggs, beaten
3 T. melted butter
1 1/2 c. buttermilk
1 1/2 c. milk
3/4 t. vanilla

oil or Pam for the griddle.

Place flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large mixing b9owl and stir, using a whisk, to thoroughly combine.
Add egg, melted butter, buttermilk, milk and vanilla to mix and stir until just combined (MOST important to NOT overstir - batter will be lumpy!).
Let mixture rest for 1 to 2 minutes. (For waffles, spray waffle iron w/ high temperature PAM or baste with canola oil.) Heat griddle over high heat until hot. Reduce heat to medium-low. Lightly brush griddle with canola oil.
Pour 1/3 c. batter for each pancake (1/2 c. for each waffle), leaving 2 inches between each one. Cook until bubbles form on the pancake surface and the underside is golden, about 5 minutes. (Leave waffles to cook until they quit steaming.)
Flip pancakes and cook until golden, about 2 more minutes.

*This recipe will make 18 pancakes or 7-8 waffles. (you will *most probably want to cut the recipe by 1/3 or 2/3 if you are cooking just for the 2 of you.)

Yes, we *most probably* should have done that. Instead I ate a half of a waffle for every mile I ran.

Photo Play

This picture was taken for Empire Magazine's 20th Anniversary. It was part of a series of photos of actors returning to their most iconic roles. Here's Sean Bean and Viggo Mortenson, returning to "The Fellowship of the Ring."

This is part of a series that was done to promote "Coraline," one of my very favorite films of the year. They did a whole alphabet set, with different pictures for each letter.

Here, see? This is the whole thing. Gorgeous.

This guy has a whole series of seriously clever graphics. Check it out.

This set of old-fashioned travel posters were made in promotion of the DVD release of "Up." Is it any wonder that I love them?

This guy takes his inspiration from kids' pictures and paints them to look as realistic as possible. Isn't he amazing?

Hilarious. For more, visit PassiveAggressiveNotes.com.

All for now. Have a happy Friday!

Fine. I give up.

Hi. I'm Ginger, and I've had just enough of a ridiculous experience with on-line dating to feel comfortable blogging about it.

I signed up for Match.com when I first moved to Phoenix. It was comical. Really comical. Like "While You Were Sleeping" or "Cold Comfort Farm" crazy characters. I went on dates with two different guys.

THE FIRST: A police officer with chocolate cupcake on face throughout the entire date. HSW (for those of you who speak PC). The second date I took back-ups with me: my friend and her son. My date ate her son's nachos... just leaned over me and ate them off the kids plate.

THE SECOND: Clingy? Is that what I'm looking for? I received a poem on our second date. A very thoughtful gift that was read to me atop a mountain as we looked over the Phoenix sky line. When I broke things off after the third date there were some tears. Oh no, no. Not me. Him.

I'm not sure why I tried to have that conversation in the car while we were still 20 minutes from my house. But he asked... "So, you think we can do this again?" [Blood pumping so loudly in my brain that I'm guessing he can hear it.] I don't want to lie, so I reply, "I don't... think so." I prayed feverishly for the rapture the entire ride home. It did not come. What did come was an e-mail the next day that read, "I heard the song 'You're Beautiful' by James Blunt on the radio today and I shed a tear for you. But that's what stuff like this does to me."

I took a break.

One year and just one date later (a very nice welder who really liked to talk about welding) and I decided to listen to what the commercials were telling me... try eharmony. Heck - I knew at least five happily married couples who had met that way. I told myself, "I work with kids. I'm not ever going to step foot into a club. I would like to go on a date in my 20's." I took the forever long test and ended up in dialogue with a very nice classical musician... from Dallas. I always thought I might return to Texas one day... it calls to me like a lighthouse every few months. We talked on the phone for a while and things were great - but we didn't actually meet. Soon he sent the anticipated message that "as great as this is, I'm going to date someone I can see." I couldn't fault the guy, but I abandoned my account and the hopes of meeting someone in Arizona.

I've dated since then - but just hadn't found it. This past July I turned down an amazing job at one of my favorite places on earth that would have subsequently taken me back to Texas. I was convinced that God had me here in the desert to see things through. I started my job in the youth department, jumped back on stage in "Camelot", began planning for an in-house girl's conference, and made preparations to travel to Mozambique with the church. I felt like God had showered opportunity and blessing in spades! But, if you've read any of my blog entries from this past fall - you know that valleys tend to follow peaks.

The end of September found me discouraged, opportunities removed, and with loneliness entering the picture in a very real and palpable way. I turned my hands out to the Lord and asked like the Israelites, "Have you brought us to the desert to die?" God didn't lead them out of Egypt to make them hungry. The truth is that sacrifice on my part really serves to allow God to provide in HIS way, not just in the way I desire. So I started eating up the Psalms and I got out of the way.

October 9th, on a whim, I signed up for 3 months of eharmony. It was on sale... who could blame me? All I wanted was one normal date. I didn't over think it. I just did it. And on October 10th I was matched with him. Two weeks later a girlfriend wanted to check out what an eharmony profile looked like. And gosh darn it... she knew him. She had gone to high school with his sister and even lived with his family. She told me to go ahead and let him have the phone number he had asked for. So I did.

ME: "Why did you keep me in Arizona? You took everything away that you had given me!"

GOD: "Just wait."

ME: "Maybe I should just move back to Texas and find a job later."

GOD: "Just wait."

ME: "Maybe I could... wait a second."

GOD: "Good plan. You're welcome."

Thank you. Oh dear Lord, thank you.

Lost My Mind

Okay, so tonight's episode of "Lost" is probably the best one of the season so far. Definitely my favorite of these first six episodes. Just...dang.

I don't want to ruin this for those who haven't seen it yet (ie my sister), BUT I must mention that when a certain person was revealed? Cooking eggs? I screamed and jumped up on my couch and had to pause the show to recover a little bit before I could even think about continuing to watch. (Luckily my brother was watching with me and was able to push play for me, amidst much eye-rolling at my theatrics I am sure.)

Anyway. I've been waiting for a while to have my mind blown by a returning character, and tonight's was so unexpected, random, and AWESOME that I now have a hole in the back of my head. From the mind-blown-ness.

Not to build anything up for you or anything....

The ending? Super creepy. I'll never listen to that song the same again. GAH!

For some unknown reason I ended all the craziness of the episode holding both my television remotes to the sides of my face.

Head over to http://darkufo.blogspot.com/ for a ton of really well-written Lost recaps. A writer called Vozzek is by far the best-- he always catches things I've missed, and made connections I never would have come up with in a quirrillion years. Don't miss it. No pun intended....

In conclusion... What?


(Zero "Lost" spoilers involved in this video, by the way!)

One giant leap.

Today I ran.

Today I ran for one hour and one minute. That's the longest stretch of time I've ever run.

Today I ran 6 miles without stopping. That's the longest distance that I've ever run. Ever.

This Saturday I will run my first 10k race. I started the year intending to run a 1/2 marathon this spring. I began running in October, by myself, and without any sort of a training program. I trained while listening to "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" and "This American Life" podcasts. My pace was all over the place. I was plagued by knee pain and lack of motivation, but I stuck with it... at least enough to sign up for a 10k.

Today, I traded the podcasts for a new iTunes playlist. It was great. It kept me focused and on target time wise. I'm planning on running the race with music. The only problem is that I have song A.D.D. I stuck it out to the end today, but I'm nervous for Saturday. I need new songs. I have running fever and the only cure is good music.

Help. I need 18 new songs for Saturday. What do you recommend?