i get by with a little help from my friends...

On Tuesday, I had a good feeling about something. I wasn't sure what but I knew the thought of a good Tuesday was rare. After I got ready for the day, I checked my email and low and behold, there was an email saying there might be a match for me with a host family in Rome! Now if you've been following what little I've posted of this upcoming journey so far, you might be thinking, "aren't you leaving REALLY soon?" The answer is: yes. 7 weeks from today, I believe. WHOA.

The timeline for finding a host family is actually on track. Those things do not happen several months in advance (plus wouldn't that leave a ton of room for either party to change their mind?). Approximately 8 weeks before departure is when I was told they started matching families. It makes sense to me but those around me seem to be panicking *for* me. LOL Since this is not a definite match yet and I have not directly spoken with this family, I don't want to lay out the details yet of what I know of them. I'll wait until all of that is concrete- whether it's with them or another family. Otherwise, we'll all be bombarded with details that may not even be needed.

I had Italian class on Monday night and realized how much I really enjoy going there. I'm not around a ton of people in my line of work (just kids) so it is nice to be around adults for 1.5 hours a week. Ha! I feel like I'm learning so much in there and am excited to learn more on my own but the truth is, my Italian is lacking. I am trying though and will continue to try in Italy. I just picked up 4 new audiobook sets from the library to add to my computer and iPod. My first priority is still finishing my schoolwork before I go, obviously. That I am not yet caught up in. Grad school is hard. I don't have actual deadlines but I'm not caught up as far as I feel I should be.

Enjoying my cup of lavender tea before bed. Yeah, it's not even 9:30pm and I'm dead-tired. That's how it is all winter. There's no sun so you feel like a sloth all day and can take a nap at any moment. Imagine that for 8 months of the year. I keep changing it but this year, it will be 8 months of pretty much winter. GROSS!

The Roman sun is calling my name.

there ain't no doubt I love this land...

Excuse the cheesy blog entry title but MY PASSPORT HAS ARRIVED!!! I received an email last Wednesday morning, saying it would be delivered the following Monday. Imagine my surprise when 2 hours later, the mail truck showed up in my driveway (never happens) and I watched the mail lady pull out a USPS flat rate envelope in slow motion... I knew it was my passport and super EARLY too! It only took about 2 weeks to renew it.

I was so happy, "Proud To Be An American" popped into my head when I opened it. ahaha I'm serious. I liked how the actual picture was attached to the old ones, instead of being scanned onto the new ones but the new passports are beautiful.

So now, I sit back for a bit and wait to hear about my new Italian family and which area of Rome I will be living in.

There are only 8 weeks left.

YIKES! While this is all so exciting and I can't wait, I still have a lot to do! Everything I own has to be donated, sold or boxed. Plus, I'm taking my Grad courses at the same time, so there are those.

Lets do this!

what a girl wants...

Dear Crissy is giving away an HP TouchSmart 310

I am still trying to get used to blogger so please be patient if my html shows up wrong and I edit the post 14 times to correct it. I do know basic html but I haven't used those skills in about 10 years.

Anyway, I am posting about the HP TouchSmart 310 contest because I would love one! I don't actually have a desktop computer. I *had* one when I moved from California but I gave it to my sister-in-law to use. My classes are online and it is really hard for me to be productive if I am not sitting at a desk. My old Macbook Pro died less than a year after buying it- not by product failure but due to a sleep-induced accident so I only claim partial responsibility. LOL I do use my phone now most often for the internet. Having a desktop computer would mean getting my assignments done on time and in the correct format! Being a user of Apple products for a few years made me unable to type things in Microsoft Word for class or take online skill tests for jobs- which has caused big issues. Oh how I would love a desktop PC again... and one that is so compact too!

take this sinking boat and point it home

FINALLY mailed my passport in for renewal today- despite it still being WAY below 0F. It will arrive in Philly on Friday, take 4-6 weeks (est) and be sent back to me via overnight service. Yeah!!

Now to finish the letter to my new future host family and find some family pictures as well. The translation of my form to the Italian consulate- in Italian- is completed but I want to send it to my Italian instructor to proofread. Making a mistake on a short answer-formatted form TO Italy would be beyond embarrassing.

I really shouldn't type so late at night. It's just not very poetic. But that's really all I have for updates regarding Italy today. This blog will chug along like my VW up my current nanny family's icy, steep driveway until closer to trip time.

Choo choo!

it's all happening...

My next round of paperwork for ITALY was turned in last weekend! Now we begin the more in-depth paperwork in order to match me up with a family, since I am doing a homestay. I have to translate some of this next batch of paperwork into Italian!



Today, I got my new passport photos taken so I can send my passport in Monday for renewal.

Last weekend, I bought new luggage for my trip (London Fog!) with the swiveling wheels. Instead of two 28" pieces, I opted for one 28" and one 24"- the 24" was on clearance for $64! My search continue for a carry-on that will match, otherwise I will be just fine with the one I got a couple months ago from a giftcard my part-time mall job had given me. It has a giraffe pattern so it doesn't quite match my classy London Fog luggage but it's a carry-on so I'm not as concerned about it matching. I haven't measured it yet though. Carry-ons can be 24" x 14" x 9". The LF dome bag carry-on I want is selling for $48 on sale, but I found a brand new one on ebay that I forgot to bid on for $17.99 (and it sold at that price too... *kicking self*).

My US Italian family that I part-time nanny for gave me a book of the "First 1000 Words to Learn In Italian." It's pretty awesome. It has pictures just like a kids' book to help learn faster. I also had my first Italian language class last Monday night!

Everything is becoming very real!!

Golden Globe Awards- My Picks

Tomorrow on NBC, the pre-cursor to the Oscars will air: The Golden Globes.

Each year, I try my hardest to watch as many nominated films as I can. This way, I can give a more accurate decision to who I believe *should* win both awards. There seems to be a lack of depth to the choices in several categories this year. I knew I wanted to see a film last weekend in the theater and one today but had a really hard time deciding which. This is not due to all the wonderful choices out there... and a few of the highly-acclaimed films still aren't widely released in my area.

Without further ado... and please note, these are my choices for who SHOULD win, not who I THINK will win:


BEST MOTION PICTURE DRAMA:

-Black Swan
-The Fighter
-Inception
-The King's Speech
-The Social Network

The Social Network actually blew me away. I wasn't expecting it to, to be honest. A film about our favorite internet time-waster doesn't exactly sound like award-season material. From the very first scene of witty banter, my hopes became high. The script held my interest throughout the entire film. I was intrigued by the background of a multi-billion-dollar empire that I didn't give much thought to when I logged in on a daily basis. Whether the story held truth or not didn't matter. The performances, script, direction and score were all spot on.

I am incredibly confused how The Fighter made it into this category. This film has been critically-panned more than praised and it lacks originality.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS- DRAMA

-Halle Berry (Frankie and Alice)
-Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)
-Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)
-Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
-Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine)

I may be the critiquing oddball here but I think Jennifer Lawrence's gritty but understated performace should win here. There was no fancy makeup or costuming in this film. What you saw is what you got. The actors in this film all had to push through rough exteriors with emotional gusto. A bright future lurks for Jennifer Lawrence, who no doubt has casting versatility.

Natalie Portman has her best role yet but it also feels like it could be the beginning of the end to her serious acting career. Her next film is a rom-com with Ashton Kutcher. That speaks for itself. In the film after that, she's "The Other Woman" (literally)- a Hollywood cliche recycled in 3/4 films. Several recent Best Actress winners have nearly fallen off the radar upon winning. This is why I think she *will* win; the signs are pointing in that direction from all sides. Plus, it's really her only far-reaching role to date. The rest have all been consistently... similar.

I have to admit, I am personally surprised that Hailie Steinfeld (True Grit) wasn't nominated. She won the Critics' Choice Award last night, deservedly so, but it is obvious she was shut out of the Globes only because of her age. I think it could have been an opportunity to give notice for her potential in the long haul for Hollywood, instead of one to fail. For shame.

No comment on why Halle Berry and Nicole Kidman are nominated this year.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR- DRAMA

-Jesse Eisenberg (Social Network)
-Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
-James Franco (127 Hours)
-Ryan Gosling (Blue Valentine)
-Mark Wahlberg (The Fighter)

I honestly laughed when I saw Wahlberg's name in this category. He's proven to have a more serious acting future in "The Lovely Bones." I don't get the choice here at all.

Ryan Gosling is very much a method actor. I don't dislike the guy but I think he is incredibly predictable onscreen. His movements are calculated and as a Filmspotting critic pointed out, he is ALWAYS moving in a scene. He'll scratch his ear, fidget with something, wipe his nose... it's almost like a multiple-choice test. "Which one will he do next?"

It's an incredibly tough choice in this category between the other three but I think it is James Franco's YEAR in everything. He was on General Hospital, just because he could be. People who once hated his non-chalant attitude onscreen before suddenly began to respect him because he creates his own rules. He carried the entire film on his shoulders in this one and physically endured the conditions his character endured in a less than friendly environment. Audiences felt his pain (sometimes a bit too much so) and I have never been in a theater that was as quiet and focused as I did for "127 Hours."

Jesse Eisenberg still has a bright future ahead of him, in so far as I think he will have yet another phenomenal role in a few years. Here, he proved to be an actor with depth that I both loved and hated at the same time. That is one of the single-most important aspects I look for in a leading actor. I just don't think it will be his year. If it is, it will be the peak of his career, sadly.

Colin Firth is so likable and meek and sweet in everything he does. I regretfully have not seen "The King's Speech" yet and am dying too. However, he is so consistent in his films, I almost feel like it wasn't much of a stretch for him this time around. I may be proven wrong.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

-Amy Adams (The Fighter)
-Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech)
-Mila Kunis (Black Swan)
-Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
-Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom)

I feel like half of this category was chosen wrongly. Helena Bonham Carter is my pick because she captivates me in the film's trailers. She does in everything she's in. I think she would be the smartest bet, since the others would all be forgotten after this year if they win. Sad but true.

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE

-Christian Bale (The Fighter)
-Michael Douglas (Wall Street)
-Andrew Garfield (The Social Network)
-Jeremy Renner (The Town)
-Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)

That is not a mistake, I have two choices here! Since I haven't seen "The King's Speech" yet, I'm assuming Rush's accolades hold true. He is always brilliant. He will most likely win too. Bale is a strong contender but again: "The Fighter?" Andrew Garfield hasn't been recognized as much here in the US for his work but he is one of my favorite future stars. Re-watching "The Social Network," I think he earned his nomination here from his absolutely gripping scene in the Facebook headquarters near the end of the film. Watch it again and you will believe too.

BEST DIRECTOR

-Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
-David Fincher (The Social Network)
-Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)
-Christopher Nolan (Inception)
-David O. Russell (The Fighter)

A film cannot be brilliant without its director. Fincher is always respected and I think he should be incredibly proud of creating a film about Facebook that easily could have turned into a joke. Well-done.


"The Social Network" is deserving of a sweep. I think "The King's Speech" will win most of the awards though. It's a period piece, which the Hollywood Foreign Press Association loves and who isn't a sucker for British accents? The Fighter being nominated so frequently is mind-boggling and frankly, a bit ridiculous. Christian Bale is the only nominee that makes sense. 127 Hours should have earned a Best Director nomination in Danny Boyle but he was probably overshadowed by his previous work on "Slumdog Millionaire." "True Grit" is a surprising omission this year. Of course, "No Country For Old Men" was a recent accolade for the Coen Brothers but I think the simplicity of "True Grit," carried by a 12-year old girl and Jeff Bridges (another snub) still stick in my mind several hours after viewing it.

My film critiques are typically a lot better. I should not wait until the end of a night to even try explaining myself. ;)

this is the new year.

I'm working on starting this blog over for 2011. There is a lot I still need to learn, as it is nothing like LJ, ahaha. I have gotten so used to LJ's design for the past 7 years that anything else is a challenge for me. However, I will be adding links to other blogs that I have been enjoying, as well as more about the process for my trip to Italy (and then ABOUT my trip when I get there!).

Enjoy today's featured blog:
Turning The Clock Back

Check out the GIVEAWAYS over there, which are awesome. My favorites are the Barista Bath & Body and Libretea giveaways. Yum.

:)