A pride and prejudice for all people....

So, I've been all whipped up into a frenzy waiting to see "Bride and Prejudice," a Bollywood-esque take on P&P, when suddenly I see a clip for "Pride and Prejudice", starring Keira Knightley! Of course I had to come home and google it, and it's true! Apparently this version will be more traditional, set in 1796, the time it was written. It comes out in the UK & US in 2005, but appears to be too new to have an official website, trailer, etc. available. In this process, I've learned 2 things:
1) There are people way more obsessed with Pride and Prejudice than I am
2) There is, or will soon be, a P&P for every tribe and tongue and nation

To summarize:
1. The Brits assert their sovereignty (2005)...and lure us with Keira
2. India has some Pride and Prejudice, too (2005)
3. A Modern, Mormon Pride & Prejudice...really (2004)
4. If it's not Pride & Prejudice, it must be its evil twin... Bridget Jones (2001)
5. The BBC outdoes itself (1995)- women worldwide want to take home Colin Firth
6. BBC Pride & Prejudice (1985)
7. The classic (1940)- Can Laurence Olivier make up for the fact it's been chopped down to 2 hours?

I left a couple TV versions out. If I've missed your favorite version, leave a comment. I've spent enough time on this for now!

bzzzzzzzy

It's only tuesday, are you kidding me?

I honestly thought I had more to do than I could ever finish, but I got a Public Finance exam out of the way, and a good draft of a mini-paper that I can finish tomorrow...so I can cave in to popular demand (from 1 person) and update my blog.

Cincinnati was a blast. Got to reunite with my Motley Crew (not to be confused with the similarly named band), to remember past fun, enjoy present fun, and plot future fun. A trip to England? White water rafting? Starting a school in Cancun? Nice to visit what little family I have left in Cincy, especially since they could all be gone in the next year or so! Ate Graeter's Ice Cream. mmmm. Went to Half Price Books and bought 7 books I will not read for a long time. I think books fall into a category with wine, cheese, and women....they get better with age. Went to my beloved Vineyard, where Dave is getting more and more ornery. (See why men don't get better with age? haha) So...thanks for making it fun, guys! It was a much needed break from school, except for those hours and hours I spent studying finance.

I have nothing else to say. All this discipline is turning me into a boring robot! I'll leave you with a quote that actually came from a textbook (pathetic), to summarize all I've learned about sound fiscal policy:

"Don't tax you, don't tax me, tax that fellow behind the tree." - Former Senator Russell Long

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here's a great big hug from me to you! Unless you're a Very Bored Stranger reading my blog- that might be weird.

I know you're all in suspense over the speed dating results (see below). Well...I got 3 matches. I put down yes for 5 guys, I think, so at least I'm batting over .500. One of them e-mailed me already..."Tall Law Guy". Hmmm...now I feel unsure, in spite of my self-imposed rule to "give any decent guy a chance." Things are complicated by the fact that he's in my law class, and can't be avoided.

I found something more valuable than 1,000 men- a good coffee shop. Fair trade coffee, a good ratio of sinking-in chairs to study-friendly tables, nice background music (Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holliday- the same music I brought to listen to), free wi-fi, and almost everything's for sale...the art, the furniture, the lamps. Not that I'll buy anything, but at least if I get attached I'll have the option.

In other lovely news, I get to visit my beloved friends in Cincy in just 4 days! Hooray!

Tunes: Over the Rhine (it's a band, not just a bad part of town)
Quotes/Lyrics: "I'd lie for you, I'd cry for you, I'd lay my body down and die for you. If that isn't love, it'll have to do, until the real thing comes along."-Lady Day sang it best

speed everything

I made up for lost time by going on 10 dates in one night. In 30 minutes to be precise. Some grad student org had speed dating, and I was intrigued, so I convinced some friends and myself that it wasn't totally weird and went. I thought it would be like speed chess, but with words. It was much less elegant, considering we had to yell across a table and all my ideas of strategic questions and responses went out the window. Still, it was an experience. For those who aren't up on this, you have an equal number of men and women, you talk for 3 minutes, decide if you like him, write yes/no by his name, then you rotate and talk to the next person. Any yeses (what's the plural of yes??) that match up get each other's email address a few days later. It's not a few days later yet. Don't get your hopes up. It takes me 3 months to 3 years to feel comfortable with someone, so 3 minutes was probably not enough to make a real connection. For my part, I wouldn't have wanted to date many of them for more than 3 minutes.

I wish I could speed read. I am swamped, as I've been spending more time on volunteer commitments (and social commitments) than homework lately. I'm the default responder in water law next week, which means whenever the discussion lags (which happens often) i have to get it going, and the prof is free to drill me with unexpected questions (which he often does). I have to know groundwater laws backward and forward.

Restoration Ecology field trip to Green's Bluff today- nice to see Chad and that sexy stud Duke (a chocolate lab, for those who don't know). Our "restoration" project was tearing down sheds and pulling up fenceposts. At least it's on newly purchased property, where they'll actually plant trees and make it part of the preserve. I was concerned we'd just be making space for a new shed. Ripping things apart was fun. So was killing multiflora rose...I know you're jealous, Laura!

Tunes: Count Basie Orchestra, Clifford Brown, John Coltrane (now I'm listening to the library's jazz collection A to Z- parts of it, at least)

4 days of fun

This post is dedicated to my Restoration Ecology prof. He canceled class on Monday, giving me a 4-day weekend!

Highlights so far:

Grill out in People's Park- every month, the church I'm going to grills up a bunch of burgers, veggie burgers, and hot dogs for whoever's hanging around. Wasn't sure how it would be, but it was nice. Extra warm day. There were teenagers, students, and other people who hang around downtown a lot. Nice to meet a part of the community that I (unfortunately) pass by without a word each day. Being myself, I did more serving than socializing, but I got to share a few stories and laughs. Reminded me of Thursday dinners at Living Water.

Return of the King-extended version. At last! I've seen it all. I want an Aragorn for Valentine's Day!

Lunch buffet at Bombay house. Indian food. 'Nough said.

Chocolate fest! One of my lifelong dreams come true. I bought a golden ticket and entered a world filled with samples of dark chocolate, milk chocolate, caramel filled, mint filled and almond filled chocolate, chocolate ice cream, chocolate cookies, chocolate cake, chocolate brownies, chocolate covered cherries, chocolate cheesecake, chocolate stout (gross), chocolate mint tea, chocolate bars, chocolate truffles...and many cups of milk. More chocolate than I could eat, which I didn't think was possible. By the time we left, volunteers were literally pouring candy into our hands, purses, pockets...it was like Willy Wonka.

The Core- my new favorite workout at the fitness center, targets all my "wobbly bits". I've only done one official workout this weekend, but thanks to my stability ball and hand weights, I've done something every day to make some body part ache.

Renewed a friendship that had been on hiatus for 3+ years. It was fun. I might have to look up some more high school pals.

Did not watch the Superbowl, as I was supposedly doing homework, and had no desire to see the patriots punish more innocent victims. I see that on the news all the time. Saw a good episode of CSI instead. I've got a busy day tomorrow!

Music: Billy Joel-Greatest Hits, Norah Jones- Feels like Home (I'm listening to my CDs from A to Z.)
Pages: Cadillac Desert; the American West and its disappearing water. Yes, brother, I'm still reading it- took a break to finish "Ravens". Good historical anecdotes, scandalous government behavior, and cultural & political insights. A little dense at times.
Quotes: "You can have a little tea party on your tummy."- Denise Austin, Fat-blasting Yoga

reading and eating

I feel like that's all I've been doing lately. Besides going to class, tutoring, and the occasional meeting. Went out for sushi on Sunday...oh I guess that was eating, too. And step aerobics- a much-needed activity that counteracts the effects of reading and eating. I will make it to cardio kickboxing someday, but it's hard to motivate myself to go back to campus at 8:00 pm. And the one time I went, the class was full. No way am I kickboxing with only 3 feet of space on each side of me. That's as exciting as the updates are gonna get for awhile. I don't want to misrepresent the grad school experience.

Tunes-Cowboy Junkies-Studio; Ben Folds-Rockin' the Suburbs
Pages- Legal Control of Water Resources- required reading, of course- a real page turner
Flicks- I squeezed in "Remains of the Day" a couple days ago- great actors, but if you are a fan of sweet love stories, do not watch this. Depressingly realistic.
Quotes- "Everybody knows, it hurts to grow up."- Ben Folds