Update on life and other musings...

Well, I suppose it's time for a "what's happening in Cary's life?" post because it seems like a lot of my posts are award show rants/raves. (Granted, the Oscar nominations went live today and the Grammy awards are on February 8, but those are two future blog entries)

Anyhow... So far in the time that I've been back to school for CA training and the start of the semester, I really can't complain too much. My neighbors are being quieter this semester, which is great for me and the residents on the other side. I'm keeping my head above water, though sometimes I need a life preserver.

My classes are pretty awesome. Only one class a day except Mondays (oh, the joys of a night class) and two online classes (one of which is a late start class anyway). My 400 level capstone class is a lot of reading, but it's a pretty sweet class. And having friends in it is always a plus.

I have 2 400-level classes, 2 200-level, and 1 100-level. I still can't believe that I'm already a college junior, and only need 4 more classes for my major. Admittedly, it is a little scary. I have ideas of what I'd like to do after graduation next year, but those ideas change weekly. I would love to go to grad school... But I don't know what I want to study (or where, for that matter). Money, location, and the program are all things to consider. Do I want to go into Human Resources? Should I get an MBA? Am I willing to relocate completely? How far should I go? Would I be guaranteed a TA or GA position to help fund my education? What about housing if I go somewhere not close to home?

I've also applied for an internship through UPMC Health Systems in Human Resources, but I haven't heard back from anyone regarding that. I also picked up an Upward Bound application today. Don't get me wrong, I love my seasonal job at OfficeMax (and they've told me they'll take me back a third time), but I'd like to experience something new (and possibly relevant to my future career, whatever that may be).

I suppose only time will tell at this point... I'm just hoping that something, somewhere along the line will pop up, a lightbulb will flash, and I'll know that that something is exactly what I want to do.

The 68th Golden Globe Awards, Part Deux

And so the awards season begins...

Admittedly, now that I've heard a TON about The King Speech, I would have picked it for some of the awards, but live and learn.

[If I picked a winner for a category, either a "my winner prediction" or a "who I want to win," then I made the heading a bolded purple, just for shiggles.]

Best Motion Picture [Drama]
My winner prediction | Inception
Who I want to win | Inception
Winner | The Social Network
[Pardon my French, but what the fuck happened?!]

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture [Drama]
My winner prediction | Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Who I want to win | Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Winner | Natalie Portman, The Black Swan

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture [Drama]
My winner prediction | Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Who I want to win | Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Winner | Colin Firth, The King's Speech

Best Motion Picture [Comedy or Musical]
My winner prediction | Alice in Wonderland
Who I want to win | Alice in Wonderland
Winner | The Kids are All Right
[I really, really would like to see this movie now]

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture [Comedy or Musical]
My winner prediction | Angelina Jolie, The Tourist
Who I want to win | Emma Stone, Easy A
Winner | Annette Bening, The Kids are All Right

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture [Comedy or Musical]
My winner prediction | Jake Gyllenhaal, Love and Other Drugs
Who I want to win | Jake Gyllenhaal, Love and Other Drugs
Winner | Paul Giamatti, Barney's Version

Best Animated Picture
My winner prediction | Toy Story 3
Who I want to win | Toy Story 3
Winner | Toy Story 3

Best Foreign Language Film
I haven't seen any of these, nor heard of any of them, so I have no predictions/want to see winner for this category. Though I feel the Millennium trilogy got robbed here. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was brilliant. Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist got robbed as well.
Winner | In a Better World [Denmark]
Note: I've since learned that because The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was released in 2009, it wasn't eligible to win/be nominated.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
My winner prediction | Amy Adams, The Fighter
Who I want to win | Amy Adams, The Fighter
Winner | Melissa Leo, The Fighter

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
My winner prediction | Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
Who I want to win | Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
Winner | Christian Bale, The Fighter

Best Director - Motion Picture
My winner prediction | Christopher Nolan, Inception
Who I want to win | Christopher Nolan, Inception
Winner | David Fincher, The Social Network

Best Screenplay [Motion Picture]
My winner prediction | Christopher Nolan, Inception
Who I want to win | Christopher Nolan, Inception
Winner | Aaron Sorkin, The Social Network

Best Original Score [Motion Picture]
My winner prediction | Hans Zimmer, Inception -or- Danny Elfman, Alice in Wonderland
Who I want to win | Hans Zimmer, Inception
Winner | Trent Reznor, The Social Network

Best Original Song [Motion Picture]
I haven't seen any of these, so I have no predictions/want to see winner for this category.
Winner | "You Haven't Seen the Last of Me," from Burlesque

Best Television Series [Drama]
My winner prediction | The Walking Dead -or- Mad Men
Who I want to win | The Walking Dead
Winner | Boardwalk Empire

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series [Drama]
My winner prediction | Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Who I want to win | Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer
Winner | Katey Sagal, Sons of Anarchy

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series [Drama]
My winner prediction | Bryan Cranston, Mad Men
Who I want to win | Hugh Laurie, House
Winner | Steve Buscemi, Boardwalk Empire

Best Television Series [Comedy or Musical]
My winner prediction | The Big Bang Theory
Who I want to win | The Big Bang Theory
Winner | Glee
The Big Bang Theory > Glee

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series [Comedy or Musical]
My winner prediction | Toni Collette, United States of Tara
Who I want to win | Toni Collete, United States of Tara
Winner | Laura Linney, The Big C
[Also, RIP Romulus Linney]

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series [Comedy or Musical]
My winner prediction | Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Who I want to win | Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Winner | Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Best Mini Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
My winner prediction | You Don't Know Jack
Who I want to win | Temple Grandin
Winner | Carlos

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
My winner prediction | Claire Danes, Temple Grandin
Who I want to win | Claire Danes, Temple Grandin
Winner | Claire Danes, Temple Grandin

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
My winner prediction | Al Pacino, You Don't Know Jack
Who I want to win | Al Pacino, You Don't Know Jack
Winner | Al Pacino, You Don't Know Jack

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television
My winner prediction | Jane Lynch, Glee
Who I want to win | Sofia Vergara, Modern Family
Winner | Jane Lynch, Glee

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television
My winner prediction | Scott Caan, Hawaii 5-O
Who I want to win | Chris Colfer, Glee
Winner | Chris Colfer, Glee

And, of course, some favorite quotes from the night
Ricky Gervais
- "It's going to be a night of partying and heavy drinking. Or, as Charlie Sheen calls it, breakfast."
- "I'm not sure if I totally understood the season finale [of Lost], but I'm pretty sure the fat one ate them all."
John Lassiter
- "Were you two even born when the first Toy Story came out?"
Steve Carrell
- "There's also the story of King George V-I."
Jim Parsons
- "The writers, my writers, how crass."

Oh, and one last thing: INCEPTION. GOT. ROBBED.

Snapshots of 2010

Wow. What a year. It's been filled with love, hate, confusion, snow (and a lot of it), awkwardness, laughter, memories, and so many indescribable/you just had to be there moments... And, of course, some that's what she said moments.

I've met people this year who I feel like I've known my entire life, and only wish that our friendships would have started much sooner. I can say that I wouldn't be the person I am today, sitting with a potentially fractured wrist, without so many of the experiences I've had in this year alone. From watching some of my best guy friends cram their feet into too small high heels to seeing Frank Warren present PostSecret (I feel as though the stamp in the book is perfect for this year: "Free your secrets and become who you are." I opened up to a few people this year, and I'm usually not the kind of person to do so. Freeing some of my secrets led to a lot of great friendships and experiences) to a lot of self-discovery, this was a crazy year.

I also got closer to my family this year. Even though I wasn't able to come home a lot because of having the CA job, my brother and I were able to mend our relationship. The distance for college has been really good for us (even if it is only half an hour). We have so many random stories to share (including one about a Twilight Zone-esque donut run at 9:30 at night). I also got to see three concerts this year with my dad, all of which were incredible. My mom and I also might have our differences, but her getting into grad school was one of the proudest moments I've shared with her.

Admittedly, there are things I would have changed. But those are in the past now. In the words of All Time Low, "maybe it's not my weekend, but it's gonna be my year." 2011, Cary's ready to make some changes for the better. Here goes nothing.

The 68th Golden Globe Awards

In keeping with my previous posts about the Grammy Awards and the Emmys, why not keep this mini tradition going and have a post about the GGs? [Admittedly, I've not seen as many of these movies as I would have liked, so I'm going off of what friends have told me, what I've read online, etc., when I pick winners for things I haven't seen.]

Not unlike my Grammy picks, I'll present the category, my winner prediction, and who I want to see win. And on Sunday, January 16, we'll see how the picks shape up to the winners... So it begins.

Best Motion Picture [Drama]
My winner prediction | Inception [though it could be an interesting battle with The Social Network]
Who I want to win | Inception

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture [Drama]
My winner prediction | Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Who I want to win | Natalie Portman
[Confession: This is one of those movies I haven't seen but have heard great things about]

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture [Drama]
My winner prediction | Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Who I want to win | Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network

Best Motion Picture [Comedy or Musical]
My winner prediction | Alice in Wonderland
Who I want to win | Alice in Wonderland
[Also soon appearing as a bulletin board...]

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture [Comedy or Musical]
My winner prediction | Angelina Jolie, The Tourist
Who I want to win | Emma Stone, Easy A

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture [Comedy or Musical]
My winner prediction | Jake Gyllenhaal, Love and Other Drugs
Who I want to win | Jake Gyllenhaal, Love and Other Drugs

Best Animated Picture
My winner prediction | Toy Story 3
Who I want to win | Toy Story 3 [Do I really need to explain myself for this one? Didn't think so]

Best Foreign Language Film
I haven't seen any of these, nor heard of any of them, so I have no predictions/want to see winner for this category. Though I feel the Millennium trilogy got robbed here. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was brilliant. Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist got robbed as well.

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
My winner prediction | Amy Adams, The Fighter
Who I want to win | Amy Adams, The Fighter

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
My winner prediction | Andrew Garfield, The Social Network
Who I want to win | Andrew Garfield, The Social Network

Best Director - Motion Picture
My winner prediction | Christopher Nolan, Inception
Who I want to win | Christopher Nolan, Inception

Best Screenplay [Motion Picture]
My winner prediction | Christopher Nolan, Inception
Who I want to win | Christopher Nolan, Inception

Best Original Score [Motion Picture]
My winner prediction | Hans Zimmer, Inception -or- Danny Elfman, Alice in Wonderland
Who I want to win | Christopher Nolan, Inception

Best Original Song [Motion Picture]
I haven't seen any of these, so I have no predictions/want to see winner for this category.

Best Television Series [Drama]
My winner prediction | The Walking Dead -or- Mad Men
Who I want to win | The Walking Dead

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series [Drama]
My winner prediction | Elisabeth Moss, Mad Men
Who I want to win | Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series [Drama]
My winner prediction | Bryan Cranston, Mad Men
Who I want to win | Hugh Laurie, House

Best Television Series [Comedy or Musical]
My winner prediction | The Big Bang Theory
Who I want to win | The Big Bang Theory

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series [Comedy or Musical]
My winner prediction | Toni Collette, United States of Tara
Who I want to win | Toni Collete, United States of Tara

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series [Comedy or Musical]
My winner prediction | Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory
Who I want to win | Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Best Mini Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
My winner prediction | You Don't Know Jack
Who I want to win | Temple Grandin
[TG did clean up though at the Emmys]

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
My winner prediction | Claire Danes, Temple Grandin
Who I want to win | Claire Danes, Temple Grandin

Best Performance by an Actor in a Mini Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
My winner prediction | Al Pacino, You Don't Know Jack
Who I want to win | Al Pacino, You Don't Know Jack

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television
My winner prediction | Jane Lynch, Glee
Who I want to win | Sofia Vergara, Modern Family

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television
My winner prediction | Scott Caan, Hawaii 5-O
Who I want to win | Chris Colfer, Glee
[From what little Glee I have watched, I love Chris' acting]

And some last notes, gripes, etc.
- Where is Lost? Not on any nomination. Wtf.
- I realize now I need to RedBox some of these movies over break [and yes, I just verbed that noun].
- Yes, I really, really liked Inception.
- Mariska Hargitay wasn't nominated for best actress in a TV series [drama]... I guess you can't win 'em all.
- The nominations for Scott Pilgrim and Repo Men are also not anywhere on these lists.