Oscars

I watched the Oscars last night. It's one of three events each year that I miss being able to watch because we don't have cable (the other two are baseball playoff and summer Olympics). We went over to Norma's this year. I thought this year was interesting, lots of changes. First, I thought Hugh Jackman did a great job. I found it interesting they did not pick a comedian to host, as they traditionally have in the past. I also really like how they had five previous winners present the actor/actress awards. I think the only down-side to the event was I did not see many of the movies that were nominated, so I did not feel connected to the nominees. Best part of the evening...Sean Penn's speech, hands down. "For those who voted for the ban against gay marriage to sit and reflect and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren's eyes if they continue that way of support. We've got to have equal rights for everyone." I think that even beat Tom Hank's acceptance speech for Best Actor in Philadelphia.

Valentines Day

We had a very nice Valentines Day yesterday. We started the weekend off with Friday the 13th Part 6, viewed on Friday the 13th. The morning of Valentines Day we drove out to Bodega Bay for breakfast at the Sandpiper Cafe http://www.sandpiperrestaurant.com/. We drove around Bodega Bay looking for homes for sale. The prices have come down there too, but it is still pretty expensive to own a beach home. After driving back, we spend most of the day around the house. Ethan worked on the car and I was just lazy. In the evening we watched Sweeney Todd. We always end up watching horror films on what should be romantic days. On our second wedding anviersary we went to the movies to watch the Halloween re-make. We really don't do much for Valentines (see Paws for Love posts). Ethan bought me a card and these yummy sugar cookies.

Paws for Love Recap

Paws for love was on Saturday. We had a great time. We bought a painting and won a silent auction which included a buddhabag, books, and a Safeway gift card. The buddhabag is perfect for Jeter. It's like a furry sleeping bag. http://www.buddhabag.net/

Taxes & Student Loans

I did our taxes this weekend. We owe for the feds, but are getting a return from the state, which put us at about a $400.00 net refund. We are lucky to have the mortgage interest deduction or we would owe like $8,000. I had to look up some information about my student loan (because you can deduct the interest paid) and I noticed I only have $1,300 left on my loan. It will be paid off around this time next year. My first thought was that went by fast, but in reality I have been out of college for almost 9 years. In terms of paying off a bill, that seems like a really long time to hold debt and pay interest. But in terms of an investment, it is the best money I have spent or probably will ever spend. But I am still going to celebrate when it is payed off!

Super Bowl Recap

Had a wonderful time yesterday watching the Super Bowl. Ethan and I went to "The Guys" house, who are a group of roommates with whom Ethan knows through work. They have a great place for hanging out and watching sports. They have two T.V.s with room for everyone to sit and watch the game. Besides the game they had beer pong, beer, the BBQ, lots of snacks and goodies. Ethan and I both won in the pool: I won 50 dollars for the 2nd Quarter score and Ethan 100 for the final score. Funny thing is, we won in a pool that I coordinated! I think the nicest part of the whole day was hanging out with such a great group of people. It is so nice being around people who don't bother me about having kids. In fact these are people who could give a crap about me having kids. It didn't come up once. There are just not many people I can be around anymore who can manage to not piss me off with the subject. I actually felt excited all day today because I was in a social situation in which the statements "You will see when you have kids" or "You dont understand, you're not a mother" were not stated. Yes!