Zoe (aka "The Mess")

Remember back when Gus was a puppy and I had countless blog posts with pictures of him sitting or lying around. I was able to do that because Gus spent most of his time sitting or lying around. Zoe doesn't. Here name is Greek for life, and let's just say that is a very fitting name. She if very lively.

However, I have been getting requests for pictures of Zoe, so tonight BJ and I attempted a photo shoot. We mostly ended up with pictures like this...

or this...


There was one time when I thought I had a good shot, but she decided to like her gigantic jowls with her gigantic pink tongue. So pretty.


After several minutes of these failed attempts, BJ figured out that if he made a continous high-pitched sound, it confused her enough that she would sit still for a few moments. So we ended up with these cock-eyed pictures of her looking utterly confused.



Thankfully, we did manage to get one good picture of Zoe, and in this mother's opinion, it is pretty precious.


And as for Gus...

well, let's just say that the years haven't changed him much.

Further tales of BJ's car

BJ picked me up for lunch today in his car. You know, the car I've written about before. The car that barely runs, but somehow continues to run.

When the car is turned on but not moving (a.k.a. idling), it makes a constant vrooming noise. It's like, "vrOOom, vrOOom, vrOOom." Yeah, something like that.

Anyways, we went through the drive-through at the bank while on our lunch bank, and while waiting in line, are car was making this lovely sound. This is the conversation that ensued:

Me: I'm starting to see why you never take the drive-thru in this car.

BJ: Yeah. It sounds like a purring kitten...with pneumonia.

On aging

I turned 25 last Friday. For the first time in several years, I got to spend my birthday with family. BJ and I headed up to Alton where I got to relax and laugh with my in-laws while eating homemade red velvet cake. It was lovely.

Twenty-five is a kind of big one. It's the halfway point to fifty and an official quarter century.

I noticed the other day that my hands are aging. Really, it's my thumbs. My thumbs are getting wrinkly.

And around my eyes are the slightest hint at coming wrinkles. I've started applying extra moisturizer in that area every morning.

I really don't mind aging. To me, it is exciting watching how the story is unfolding, but there is this one thing that keeps nagging me. You see, my Grandma Pierce and Aunt Doe (women who I happen to have entirely too much in common with) were beautiful 20-, 30-, 40-, all the way to 60- somethings. But around seventy, they became funny looking. It isn't just that wrinkles and gray hair are waiting for me. Everyone has to face that. It is the abnormally large nose, progressively frizzier hair, and stooped posture that gives the allusion of overly long arms that I'm dreading. There's at least a 50% chance that 50 or so years from now, I'm going to be funny looking. Pierce woman don't age into dignified, Helen Mirren-esque ladies. We age into caricatures with over-exaggerated features.

But that is enough of that. Thank you everyone for the birthday cards and Facebook messages. You made it a very special day!

The verdict

Only 6 right for Best Picture

4 right for Director

4 right for Actor

An embarrassing 3 for Actress

4 for Supporting Actor

4 for Supporting Actress

So in all, I got 25 out of 35. Argh. They were tricky this year.

Here's my best guess

Well, I've compiled my list of predictions for Oscar nominations in the hope of humiliating my brother by have vastly more correct. We'll see how that goes. (Here is a list of his picks).

As a side note, I'm not crazy for having ten Best Picture Nominees. This year, they have switched to having ten in that particular category. For the first decade or so of the Academy Awards, there were always ten best picture nominees, so they are returning to that old tradition. I, personally, am thrilled about it.

Best Picture

The Hurt Locker

Avatar

Precious

Up in the Air

Inglorious Basterds

The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Up

The Hangover

A Single Man

Nine

Best Director

James Cameron (Avatar)

Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)

Clint Eastwood (Invictus)

Lee Daniels (Precious)

Quentin Tarantino (Inglorious Basterds)

Best Actor

Jeff Bridges (Crazy Horse)

George Clooney (Up in the Air)

Colin Firth (A Single Man)

Daniel Day-Lewis (Nine)

Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker)

Best Actress

Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)

Meryl Streep (Julie and Julia)

Emily Blunt (The Young Victorian)

Carey Mulligan (An Education)

Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones)

Best Supporting Actor

Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Basterds)

Woody Harrelson (The Messenger)

Matt Damon (Invictus)

Alfred Molina (An Education)

Stanley Tucci (The Lovely Bones)

Best Supporting Actress

Monique (Precious)

Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air)

Anna Kendrick (Up in the Air)

Julianne Moore (A Single Man)

Penelope Cruz (Nine)