American Ingenuity

Gas is now over $4 a gallon and the sentiment seems to be that it isn't heading back down anytime soon. As you may be aware, Ford, Jeep, and Chrysler have come up with their own unique answer to the gas crisis. Some motor companies may be working on the development and production of alternative fuel vehicles, hybrids, and increasing gas mileage in existing models. These are the same companies that have good long-term growth prospects and good sales. Arguably, companies that have seen into the future (perpetual energy crisis based on the increasing demand on the limited resource of oil) are trying to position themselves on the forefront of a better, cleaner, and more efficient car industry.

On the flip side, the American car industry again shows us that they have their head in the sand. Rather than finding a sustainable solution to consumer complaints on rising gas prices, they have come out with this.

Ridiculous.

I'm not sure if Detroit is aware of this, but the problem isn't just that we don't like having to pay more each week at the pump. There is also a little something called global warming. Oh, and the other issue- our dependence on the Middle East for oil- maybe that has also caused us some trouble in recent history?!

Heartwarming article

I found this on MSN this morning and wanted to pass it along...


25 fascinating love facts

By Laura Schaefer

Love is a many splendored thing…and very surprising thing, too. As if you needed proof of that, here are 25 funny little facts about love. Study them, scratch your head over them, and share them with someone you fancy.

1. Men who kiss their wives in the morning live five years longer than those who don't.
2. The oldest known love song was written 4,000 years ago and comes from an area between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
3. When it comes to doing the deed early in the relationship, 78 percent of women would decline an intimate rendezvous if they had not shaved their legs or underarms.
4. Feminist women are more likely than others females to be in a romantic relationship.
5. Two-thirds of people report that they fall in love with someone they’ve known for some time vs. just met.
6. People telling their story of how they fell in love overwhelmingly believe the process is out of their control.
7. Falling in love can induce a calming effect on the body and mind and raises levels of nerve growth factor for about a year, which helps to restore the nervous system and improves the lover’s memory.
8. Love can also exert the same stress on your body as deep fear. You see the same physiological responses—pupil dilation, sweaty palms, and increased heart rate.
9. Brain scans show that people who view photos of their beloved experience an activation of the caudate—the part of the brain involving cravings.
10. The women of the Tiwi tribe in the South Pacific are married at birth.
11. The “Love Detector” service from Korean cell phone operator KTF uses technology that is supposed to analyze voice patterns to see if a lover is speaking honestly and with affection. Users later receive an analysis of the conversation delivered through text message that breaks down the amount of affection, surprise, concentration and honesty of the other speaker.
12. Eleven percent of women have gone online and done research on a person they were dating or were about to meet, versus seven percent of men.
13. Couples’ personalities converge over time to make partners more and more similar.
14. People are more likely to tilt their heads to the right when kissing instead of the left (65 percent of people go to the right!).
15. The tradition of the diamond engagement ring comes from Archduke Maximillian of Austria who, in the 15th century, gave a diamond ring to his fiancée, Mary of Burgundy.
16. Forty-three percent of women prefer their partners never sign “love” to a card unless they are ready for commitment.
17. People who are newly in love produce decreased levels of the hormone serotonin —as low as levels seen in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Perhaps that’s why it’s so easy to feel obsessed when you’re smitten.
18. Philadelphia International Airport finished as the No. 1 best airport for making a love connection, according to a recent survey.
19. According to mathematical theory, we should date a dozen people before choosing a long-term partner; that provides the best chance that you’ll make a love match.
20. A man’s beard grows fastest when he anticipates sex.
21. Verona, the Italian city where Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet took place, receives around 1,000 letters addressed to Juliet every Valentine’s Day.
22. When we get dumped, for a period of time we love the person who rejected us even more, says Dr. Helen Fisher of Rutgers University and author of Why We Love. The brain regions that lit up when we were in a happy union continue to be active.
23. There’s a reason why office romances occur: The single biggest predictor of love is proximity. Familiarity breeds comfort and closeness… and romance.
24. One in five long-term love relationships began with one or both partners being involved with others.
25. OK, this one may not surprise you, but we had to share it: Having a romantic relationship makes both genders happier. The stronger the commitment, the greater the happiness!

Really?! Really?!

I was recently introduced to the hilarity that is linked above- "Really with Seth and Amy", a semi-regular segment on SNL (thanks, J). And boy does this segment hit a chord. Work has been insane lately, so busy and ridiculous that after the third new emergency motion crossed my desk today and I started dialing the opposing attorney' s number all I could think is "Really, Attorney----, really? You think you need to go to court on this? Really? You couldn't have addressed it three days ago at court? Really?! You think this is an emergency?! Really." If this pace continues, it is only a matter of time until I do. However relief is on the way- finally hired a clerk, starting tomorrow. Another one on the way. Ahh.. Finally will have time to breathe again.

April 15- the good with the bad

The Bad: Tax Day. Ballyhooed to the point of cliche, but that doesn't take anything away from the pain of sending even more money to the IRS today.

The Good: Free donuts today from Dunkin Donuts with the purchase of a coffee. A value of less than a dollar, yet so sweet. I can use all the freebies I can get these days!

Favorite Things- Spring 2008

In no particular order, these are the things that I am really looking forward to this Spring:

-Spotting the first buds on the maple trees outside my window

-Al Fresco. Dining al fresco in general, but in particular the restaurant Al Fresco, which recently opened up outside of Davis Square in Somerville. It offers a fantastic brunch and unlike most of the other (many) good brunch places in the area- no wait.

-Open toed shoes. Can't wait to put away heavy socks and boots.

-Driving with my windows open.

-Fresh Peas.

-Tax refund $$.

-Spring cleaning and dumping off bags of infrequently used stuff to Goodwill.

-Less sand on the roads.

-White wine.

-Going to Fenway.

-Sidewalk sales.

Countdown to Feb 24th

The excitement is tempered by the shocking news of Heath Ledger's passing, but there is only one month until Oscars weekend! I have a lot of movie watching to do in the interim. Nominations came out yesterday morning and are listed below. Last year I was able to give my predictions as soon as the nominations came out, but this year I'm going to need a little leeway since I've only seen one of the best picture noms, and I don't even understand why it was nominated .

The only real surprise I see other than Michael Clayton being nominated for Best Picture is the lack of nominations for Before The Devil Knows You Are Dead. Now I didn't particularly love that movie, but the critics seemed to. Apparently not enough to sway Oscar votes its way though. I definitely expected to see it in the screenplay or direction categories.

1. Best Picture: "Atonement," "Juno," "Michael Clayton," "No Country for Old Men," "There Will Be Blood."

2. Actor: George Clooney, "Michael Clayton"; Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood"; Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street"; Tommy Lee Jones, "In the Valley of Elah"; Viggo Mortensen, "Eastern Promises."

3. Actress: Cate Blanchett, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"; Julie Christie, "Away From Her"; Marion Cotillard, "La Vie en Rose"; Laura Linney, "The Savages"; Ellen Page, "Juno."

4. Supporting Actor: Casey Affleck, "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford"; Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men"; Hal Holbrook, "Into the Wild"; Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Charlie Wilson's War"; Tom Wilkinson, "Michael Clayton."

5. Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There"; Ruby Dee, "American Gangster"; Saoirse Ronan, "Atonement"; Amy Ryan, "Gone Baby Gone"; Tilda Swinton, "Michael Clayton."

6. Director: Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"; Jason Reitman, "Juno"; Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"; Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"; Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood."

7. Foreign Film: "Beaufort," Israel; "The Counterfeiters," Austria; "Katyn," Poland; "Mongol," Kazakhstan; "12," Russia.

8. Adapted Screenplay: Christopher Hampton, "Atonement"; Sarah Polley, "Away from Her"; Ronald Harwood, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly"; Joel Coen & Ethan Coen, "No Country for Old Men"; Paul Thomas Anderson, "There Will Be Blood."

9. Original Screenplay: Diablo Cody, "Juno"; Nancy Oliver, "Lars and the Real Girl"; Tony Gilroy, "Michael Clayton"; Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava and Jim Capobianco, "Ratatouille"; Tamara Jenkins, "The Savages."

10. Animated Feature Film: "Persepolis"; "Ratatouille"; "Surf's Up."

11. Art Direction: "American Gangster," "Atonement," "The Golden Compass," "Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street," "There Will Be Blood."

12. Cinematography: "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," "Atonement," "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," "No Country for Old Men," "There Will Be Blood."

13. Sound Mixing: "The Bourne Ultimatum," "No Country for Old Men," "Ratatouille," "3:10 to Yuma," "Transformers."

14. Sound Editing: "The Bourne Ultimatum," "No Country for Old Men," "Ratatouille," "There Will Be Blood," "Transformers."

15. Original Score: "Atonement," Dario Marianelli; "The Kite Runner," Alberto Iglesias; "Michael Clayton," James Newton Howard; "Ratatouille," Michael Giacchino; "3:10 to Yuma," Marco Beltrami.

16. Original Song: "Falling Slowly" from "Once," Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova; "Happy Working Song" from "Enchanted," Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz; "Raise It Up" from "August Rush," Nominees to be determined; "So Close" from "Enchanted," Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz; "That's How You Know" from "Enchanted," Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz.

17. Costume: "Across the Universe," "Atonement," "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," "La Vie en Rose," "Sweeney Todd the Demon Barber of Fleet Street."

18. Documentary Feature: "No End in Sight," "Operation Homecoming: Writing the Wartime Experience," "Sicko," "Taxi to the Dark Side," "War/Dance."

19. Documentary (short subject): "Freeheld," "La Corona (The Crown)," "Salim Baba," "Sari's Mother."

20. Film Editing: "The Bourne Ultimatum," "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," "Into the Wild," "No Country for Old Men," "There Will Be Blood."

21. Makeup: "La Vie en Rose," "Norbit," "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End."

22. Animated Short Film: "I Met the Walrus," "Madame Tutli-Putli," "Meme Les Pigeons Vont au Paradis (Even Pigeons Go to Heaven)," "My Love (Moya Lyubov)," "Peter & the Wolf."

23. Live Action Short Film: "At Night," "Il Supplente (The Substitute)," "Le Mozart des Pickpockets (The Mozart of Pickpockets)," "Tanghi Argentini," "The Tonto Woman."

24. Visual Effects: "The Golden Compass," "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," "Transformers."

Birthday Girl!

Britney turns 26 today whether she realizes it or not!

I love reading up on birthday profile astrology, so I went ahead and looked up Britney's birthday on the website astrology.com.au. This is what I found:

You love people by expressing your emotions and may be somewhat moody, but nevertheless are endearing to others. You have a desire to be liked by one and all but be careful not to sell out for the sake of others approval. Many good musicians authors and artists are born on this day and so you too may be endowed with a sense of the aesthetic and artistic. You exhibit high imagination, idealism and are no doubt a dreamer who likes to fantasise.

You are tolerant and forgiving, always ready to overlook mistakes and give others a second chance. You expect the best from people and draw it out of them, and you enjoy making others comfortable and happy. Because of your emotional generosity, your life is rich with friends, and often financial blessings as well.

You have a buoyant, cheerful disposition and reach out to others in a warm, open, friendly way. Your emotional generosity and lack of pettiness is well known among your circle of friends, and people often seek you out for help, sympathy, or advice. You are always willing to overlook others' faults, and you sometimes overdo your charitableness.

You are easygoing, agreeable, and tolerant, willing to overlook others' mistakes, forget the past, and begin again on a positive note. You enjoy making others comfortable and happy, and sometimes overdo your generosity. You often feel that "everything will turn out all right no matter what I do", and so become lazy and lackadaisical.

Now you can't really deny that this doesn't fit her to the t. On to something with this astrology business, next I head over to Joylight.com to see what the year has in store for Brit. Joylight says "Happy go lucky Sagittarius, you must now pay attention to the details of your career. You can no longer live off the resources of past efforts".

Well I hope that Brit listens. I admit, I am on Team Britney. I don't know how she wormed her way into my heart*, and as much schadenfreude as I derive from her antics, I really do want her to get her act together. Literally, I want more hot britney parading around onstage with an albino cobra wrapped around her. So Britney, it's your birthday. Get it together! Pull on a new wig and some panties, pick yourself up from the bootstraps and pay attention!

* well, I guess her birthday profile explains it- she can't help it but to be endearing, expressive, and buoyant.