Here is what we planned to do today, to celebrate the fact that my old soul is now 35:

• Brunch in Napa at the Boon Fly Café, for the most amazingly fresh & delicious dozen tiny gourmet sugar donuts in the world
  
• Dinner & a movie (Sweeney Todd) at the brand new Sundance Kabuki Cinema in San Francisco, where you can reserve your seats online and eat an upscale meal while viewing the film from the Balcony Bar
  
• Go see SF’s all-female band Making Dinner live at the Bottom of the Hill, featuring my buddy’s sister on drums (hi Zarah!)
  

And thanks to the thunder, lightning, gale force winds, hail and relentless rain (combined with the fact that I shouldn’t be out and about in all of that only three weeks after back surgery), this is what we actually did:

• Brunch at the closest possible dive
  
• Watched Ocean’s Thirteen on DVD
• Dinner at the closest possible restaurant
  
• Border’s; bought a stack of books & a movie (A View to a Kill, my favorite Bond movie ever)

But hey, it turned out to be a great day (and probably a cheaper one at that). No complaints. Had to share.

Three weeks ago today, I had back surgery. Today, I can walk and drive without pain, and I returned to work (all without the assistance of medication)!

To sum up, here is how I spent the last 21 days of my life:

• Books: 2
• Episodes of 30 Rock (Season 1) on DVD: 2
• Episodes of Nip/Tuck (Season 4) on DVD: 3
• Episodes of Lost (Season 3) on DVD: 8
• Naps: 13
• Blog entries posted: 15
• Movies (cable/TiVO/theater): 15
• Movie-doku puzzles: 21 (13 successes, 8 failures)
  

In retrospect, I was quite productive for someone recovering from major surgery and under the (prescribed) influence!

I hate that we only make resolutions at the end of each year, as we reflect back on what we didn’t accomplish (again) while looking forward to a new year of possibilities. That being said, I always play along. 

Here is my wish list for 2008:

1. The Writer’s Strike ends on their terms; they receive fair compensation for their work via digital distribution and also earn an additional $.04 more per DVD sold.
   
2. A blue president.
   
3. Normal weather. More rain, fewer fires (at least in CA).
4. A greener effort by all; environmental advances by individuals and companies alike.
   
5. World peace? Peace in the Middle East?
   

And the personal stuff:

1. More reading, more writing (at least 3-4 blog entries per week) & increased readership.
2. Health and healing; full recovery from back surgery and return to an active lifestyle.
   
3. The annual goals: lose weight, use that gym membership, yada yada yada.
   
4. The Oakland A’s contend. That’s all. No expectations of a division championship or beyond.
5. Fabulous family time on both continents with all 11 nieces & nephews, 5 sets of brother & sister in-laws, both pairs of parents and my hero/idol/role model (my 97 year old grandmother).

Happy New Year, friends and readers.

A few entries ago I posted about my renewed love of reading books; that I have been turning off the laptop at night in favor of some quality nonfiction. Today, as I had the pleasure of cleaning out my personal library (note: sarcasm), I started to ponder the significance of the books we choose to keep and those we discard.

Right now, the following books are stacked on the nightstand and awaiting my eyes (after I finish Eat Pray Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert):

• The Man Who Heard Voices: Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career on a Fairy Tale (Michael Bamberger)
  
• A Star is Found: Our Adventures Casting Some of Hollywood’s Biggest Movies (Janet Hirshenson & Jane Jenkins)
  
• Tiny Ladies in Shiny Pants (by Six Feet Under/Grey’s Anatomy writer Jill Soloway)

What? I like to alternate between entertainment industry insight and intellectually stimulating novels.  Don’t judge me.

Oh friends, I have a confession to make. Let’s start with the good news though.

And now, for the disappointing news…at least to the 14 of you who were nice enough to enter my Recommend a Movie/Win a Movie contest. I am a bum. I haven’t watched very many of the films that you suggested. Here are some excuses.

1. I couldn’t drive to the video store to stock up on rentals.
2. I am somewhat cheap; my Netflix subscription is only for 1 DVD at a time.
3. I am lazy. I started to TiVO tons of movies I haven’t seen, and VERY few of the ones you recommended have been on cable lately.
   
4. I have been watching at least two episodes of Lost (Season 3) per day, taking detailed notes in anticipation of a Season 4 preview blog next month. Nerd alert!
   

So I am extending this contest into the new year. Even though I won’t have as much time after returning to work, I plan to watch all of your selections. Obviously it will take a few months to get through all 35 movies, so I thank you in advance for you patience!

I want to wish all of you and yours a very warm, safe and happy holiday. Personally, I am looking forward to a change of scenery. As much as I love this house, I am ready to leave it after spending 8 solid days within these walls.

- Jo