Big Video Saturday

One of my new favorite things is "The Rotten Tomatoes Show" on Current TV. The hosts, along with viewers like you and me, critique new movies and present some how-to videos of their own. Like this one.



Because it features a clip from the movie "Big," I think it fulfills my daily Big quota. It's also quite funny, and Brett Erlich is a cutie pie.

My Big Snow Day

We had big plans this week to ski Wednesday and Thursday. Alas, the universe had other plans. Thanks to a spring snowstorm Wednesday morning, the roads were a bit treacherous, so we decided to head out a little later than originally planned. Then, thanks to a truck driver who reportedly was just not paying attention to traffic, the interstate was backed up. It took us an hour to go just a couple miles. Finally, we got around the accident and hit the open road and got to Frisco by about 3:45 p.m. -- just in time to check in to the bed and breakfast.

We stayed at the Galena Street Mountain Inn, and I highly recommend it. It's quiet and comfortable, and the owners are great hosts. They set out wine and cheese in the evening and cook a delicious breakfast in the morning -- homemade granola, fresh fruit, eggs to order, as well as fresh-brewed coffee -- and it cost less than staying at one of the chain motels near the interstate. It also cost half the price of staying in Copper Mountain and was way nicer.

After our wonderful breakfast Thursday morning, we headed out to Copper Mountain (just a few minutes down the road) for our day of skiing. It was a perfect day for it. The temperature reached the low 40s. The sky was so blue it was almost purple. The snow was fresh and fluffy. And the crowds were nonexistent.I skied blue runs the whole day while the S.O. took on one black. I don't know what was different about the day but it was the best day of skiing I think I've ever had. I felt strong and confident and had a ton of fun. We'd like to get one more day in before the end of the season, but I can't imagine it'll beat yesterday.

Big Picture Show

What I watched: "Penelope"

Every once in a while I am left to my own devices with the television. When that happens, I usually watch something I know the S.O. would scoff at or just wouldn't care about. Sometimes, it's a foreign film, sometimes a golden oldie.

This week, it was "Penelope," a film from 2006 that must have had zero publicity (because I'd never heard of it) and that I really enjoyed. It stars Christina Ricci and James McAvoy and it's a sweet little twist on "Beauty and the Beast."

Peter Dinklage is also in it as a rabid reporter, looking for a big scoop. And if you haven't seen Dinklage in "The Station Agent," stop reading right now and go to Blockbuster or Netflix and add it to the top of your queue immediately. I'll wait.

(Files nails, whistles ... ) Oh! You're back. Hi.

Is "Penelope" a romantic comedy? Maybe. I'd call it a fairy tale that appealed to even my cynical nature. It's romantic and sweet and cute. And you can probably guess the end before it comes, but none of that stopped me from smiling. And none of that stopped me from loving the characters I was supposed to love and hating the characters I was supposed to hate.

If you're going to spend 90 minutes watching something that's supposed to be romantic, that's supposed to make you laugh, that's supposed to make you root for the leading lady and man, you may as well spend it watching Christina Ricci and James McAvoy in "Penelope."

Big Obsession Confession

I have a confession to make. I have a bit of an obsession with coffee cups -- travel mugs, cups with pictures, cups with funny sayings, cups from far away places. My latest find is this one.

I found it at World Market (If I'm completely honest, I have a bit of an obsession with that store, too). And it's a really cute cup. It looks like a take-away cup from a coffee shop, complete with the little sleeve to keep you from burning your hands and the white lid. But the cup is ceramic, and the lid and sleeve are silicone.

The S.O. has told me I need to get rid of some of the coffee cups. But I can't get rid of the one with Inky on it or the one from London with Paddington Bear on it or any of the travel mugs because I have to be able to take my coffee with me or the set of red ones that match the plates and bowls.

OK, maybe I have a problem. But I promise you won't see me on "Hoarders" or "Hoarding: Buried Alive" or even "Clean House" any time soon -- well, ever. I promise.

Although ... I did see a really cute coffee cup yesterday ...

Big Step

I finally took a big first step and applied for a personal trainer certification course. Soon, I will not only be your go-to girl for rants, ramblings and stories about my dog, I will also be your go-to girl for fitness know-how.

I promise not to question your choice of menu items or hound you about working out ... unless you ask me to, of course.

This is something I've been thinking about doing for a while. I've just been -- as I always am -- a terrible procrastinator. I'm told most people finish in three or four months but also that I have up to two whole years to complete the program. I really want to be finished by the end of the summer.

Wish me luck.

Big Oops - or not

This is my horoscope today:

Capricorn - You are provoked to express your passionate perspective every chance you get as the Moon joins ruthless Pluto in your 1st House of Personality today. You could go out of your way to make sure that someone knows exactly where you stand on a controversial social issue. But a volcano derives its strength from the intense heat that it holds beneath the surface. Likewise, you have a chance to increase your power by choosing what to say on your own terms. Carefully controlling your message gives you the career endurance that you desire.

I read this after shooting an e-mail off to the guy who coordinates my freelance work with the paper. A week or so ago, I told him I needed to have all the information for my stories by the Friday before my deadline (which still cuts it close). He passed that along to the powers that be and they agreed. This morning, I get an e-mail saying here's the info for this week's story. So, I forward it to him, saying, "What part of Friday deadline do they not understand?"

Maybe I should have read my horoscope first -- or maybe not. I've been looking for a reason to stop doing these stories. Maybe this is it. I complain about the assignments. I complain about the people who won't call me back or completely blow me off. I complain about the last minute BS. Maybe it's time to step away. It's a lot of stupid stress for not a lot of money.

I don't really think I can burn bridges with this guy or even with the paper. I was kind of a bitch when I left and I still got freelance assignments. Maybe rather than a big oops, this is a big wait and see.

Big Picture

Happy Easter!

I took this photo -- and crafted the eggs in the basket -- back when I still wrote for a local parenting magazine. Ripley was mostly interested in the hard-boiled eggs in the basket. The other eggs were wooden.

Easter isn't really a big deal around here. We're not really religious and we don't have kids. And we're not pagan enough to celebrate the coming of spring. But it seemed like a good excuse to post this picture of Ripley -- like I need an excuse to post a picture of my dog.

Yeah, it's probably a little pathetic. Don't judge.