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.
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.
Not unlike the Emmys, I like to predict Grammy Award winners. Am I good at it? I don't know. This is the first time I've done it. I cut out a LOT of the nominations, as there are 108 categories or so, and nobody wants to read about best Native American album.
And on February 8, we'll see how the predictions match up... Let's begin, shall we?
And, yes, in some instances, I picked a few (so sue me - it's my blog, dammit).
Record of the Year
My winner prediction | Empire State of Mind/Jay-Z and Alicia Keys
Who I want to win | F*** You/Cee Lo Green -or- Need You Now/Lady Antebellum
Album of the Year
My winner prediction | The Fame Monster/Lady Gaga -or- Teenage Dream/Katy Perry
Who I want to win | Need You Now/Lady Antebellum
Song of the Year
My winner prediction | "Love the Way You Lie"/Eminem feat. Rihanna
Who I want to win | "F*** You"/Cee Lo Green -or- "Need You Now"/Lady Antebellum [Can you tell I love these songs?]
Best New Artist
My winner prediction | No clue, really. Possibly Mumford and Songs
Who I want to win | Florence and the Machine. Definitely not Justin Bieber.
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance
My winner prediction | "Bad Romance"/Lady Gaga -or- "Teenage Dream"/Katy Perry
Who I want to win | "Chasing Pirates"/Norah Jones
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
My winner prediction | "Haven't Met You Yet"/Michael Buble [This song is slowly growing on me. I felt it was way overplayed when it first was released.]
Who I want to win | "Whataya Want from Me"/Adam Lambert [This song actually has some really silly memories attached to it.] -or- "Just the Way You Are"/Bruno Mars
Best Pop Performance by a Duo or a Group with Vocals
My winner prediction | "Hey, Soul Sister (Live)"/Train [I love most of Train's music... but this is the exception to that rule. I cannot stand this song for the life of me. I only picked it to win because it gets so much play time.]
Who I want to win | "The Only Exception," by Paramore
Also, Journey > Glee. Always.
Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
My winner prediction | "California Gurls"/Katy Perry & Eminem
Who I want to win | ...Honestly, I don't like any of the nominations. Especially "Airplanes." I can't stand that song.
Best Pop Instrumental Performance
My winner prediction | "Nessun Dorma"/Jeff Beck
Who I want to win | "No Mystery"/Stanley Clark [I love Stanley Clark's music]
Best Pop Instrumental Album
My winner prediction | Heart and Soul/Kenny G
Who I want to win | Heart and Soul/Kenny G
Best Pop Vocal Album
My winner prediction | Teenage Dream/Katy Perry -or- The Fame Monster/Lady Gaga
Who I want to win | I Dreamed a Dream/Susan Boyle
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
My winner prediction | Fly Me to the Moon/Rod Stewart
Who I want to win | Crazy Love/Michael Buble
Best Solo Rock Performance
My winner prediction | Crossroads/John Mayer
Who I want to win | Helter Skelter/Paul McCartney
Best Rock Performance by a Duo or a Group with Vocals
My winner prediction | Resistance/Muse
Who I want to win | Resistance/Muse
Best Alternative Rock Album
My winner prediction | The Suburbs/Arcade Fire
Who I want to win | Infinite Arms/Band of Horses
Best Urban/Alternative Performance
My winner prediction | "F*** You"/Cee Lo Green
Who I want to win | "F*** You"/Cee Lo Green
Best Country Performance by a Duo or a Group with Vocals
My winner prediction | "Need You Now"/Lady Antebellum
Who I want to win | "Need You Now"/Lady Antebellum
...obviously
Best Contemporary Jazz Album
My winner prediction | The Stanley Clark Band/The Stanley Clark Band
Who I want to win | The Stanley Clark Band/The Stanley Clark Band
Best Comedy Album
My winner prediction | I Told You I Was Freaky/Flight of the Conchords
Who I want to win | I Told You I Was Freaky/Flight of the Conchords
...I love these guys
Best Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television, or Other Visual Media
My winner prediction | Avatar/James Horner, Inception/Hans Zimmer, -or- Toy Story 3/Randy Newman
Who I want to win | Avatar/James Horner, Inception/Hans Zimmer, -or- Toy Story 3/Randy Newman
Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television, or Other Visual Media
My winner prediction | "I See You"/Avatar/James Horner
Who I want to win | "I See You"/Avatar/James Horner
Best Historical Album
My winner prediction | The Beatles (Original Studio Recordings)
Who I want to win | The Beatles (Original Studio Recordings)
And random things I learned along the way...
- There are a lot of categories/genres that are super-obscure, like Native American, Hawaiian, Zedeco, etc.
- Michael Daugherty wrote a composition that shares a name with one of my favorite Lost episodes: Deux Ex Machina
- The "academy" for the Grammys differentiates between traditional and contemporary albums
Hey, don't write yourself off yet
It's only in your head you feel left out or looked down on.
Just try your best, try everything you can.
And don't you worry what they tell themselves when you're away.
Wow. What a difference ten days can make. Ten days ago, I was stressed, burned out, broken, and ready to throw it all away. I try to hide the stresses of everyday (which isn't a good idea, but it's what I do), but then it starts eating at me, little by little.
After my posting the list of everything I had to accomplish, I realized something. Some little voice inside my head said go... And, boy, I have I gone. I've held two floor meetings, taken tests and quizzes, wrote (okay, bullshitted) a 14 page paper, and so much more. And you know what? I finally felt like I was accomplishing something. It was a great feeling. (It just took me until the middle of November to realize it.)
It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the ride.
Everything (everything) will be just fine, everything (everything) will be alright (alright).
Hey, you know they're all the same.
You know you're doing better on your own, so don't buy in.
Live right now.
Yeah, just be yourself.
It doesn't matter if it's good enough for someone else.
I made time for myself and got a lot done, but still managed to make time for my friends. Even though we're all a bit crazy when we hang out, they're the ones who help me maintain what little I have left of my sanity.
They're the ones who keep me grounded, make me realize it's the little things I'll remember the most, and sometimes give me a metaphorical kick in the butt when I need it (or, if you're Amber, a socially awkward grope, usually in public). Couldn't ask for a better group of people to call my friends.
It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the ride.
Everything (everything) will be just fine, everything (everything) will be alright (alright).
It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the ride.
Everything (everything) will be just fine, everything (everything) will be alright (alright).
I had an awesome sophomore year... And this year is shaping up to be just as awesome.
Between the countless quotes, awkward moments, and memories; the forty-six (!) lockouts I've had from residents; four of my female residents asking if I've ever had a drink (no), if they can buy me a beer (no joke), and if they could find me a boyfriend (also no); and trying to figure out my place in the world, I can't believe that my first semester as a CA is nearly over.
There were times I wanted to throw in the towel and fly a white flag... But then the little voice talks to me again and pulls me back on my feet. Sometimes, that little voice is inside me, a song, a conversation with a friend... It's amazing what form that little voice shines through.
I also can't believe that this time in exactly a month, the semester will be over, I'll be sitting at home with no worries of residents knocking on my door at 4:15 AM asking to be let in, or complaining about their neighbors' music levels, and I won't be stapling my fingers to my bulletin boards instead of the letters that are supposed to be on there.
Hey, don't write yourself off yet.
It's only in your head you feel left out or looked down on.
Just do your best, do everything you can.
And don't you worry what the bitter hearts are gonna say.
It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the ride.
Everything (everything) will be just fine, everything (everything) will be alright (alright).
It just takes some time, little girl you're in the middle of the ride.
Everything (everything) will be just fine, everything (everything) will be alright (alright).
Lyrics to "The Middle," by Jimmy Eat World
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKsxPW6i3pM
