Moving Pictures

I haven't been to the movies in like a month.

Now, this is not a big deal. But it is odd for me. After all, we are less than a month after the Oscars. And for the first year since probably high school, I didn't see the majority of the nominated films. No long days at the theater. No making lists and combing blogs obsessively. (I said obsessively. I read what I usually read as far as books and magazines - a list that skews toward entertainment.)

And I'm OK with that. Thanks to Netflix I had actually seen the Best Picture. But that's about it. And if it weren't available on DVD for quite a few weeks I probably would have missed The Hurt Locker.

Part of my entertainment relative abstinence is location (I quite wanted to see Precious, which never came to my area). Part timing (I was otherwise occupied for all of Up in the Air's local run). Part lack of interest (just not excited about Avatar, although in past years I would have gone anyway). Part Brokefest 2010 (though this is a minor detail, it did affect my decision making).

Maybe this year will be a blip in my radar - maybe next year I will see all (10?) Best Picture nominees. Maybe I never will again. Maybe I won't even watch the broadcast in future years. I don't know. I still enjoy movies. I still watch them often. And I still really like going to the theater, though I wish people would consider that a cell phone-free time. And I still like to read the blogs and see the dresses and read Entertainment Weekly. I think this year was just a year of other priorities. And that's OK.

P.S. Speaking of movies, if you haven't yet read Chris Jones's profile of Roger Ebert in Esquire, do yourself a favor and read it now. It moved me nearly to tears, and I'm usually not so inclined. Also, read Ebert's journal. Even now, he's much more than a man with thumbs.

Cheese Tortellini with Beans and Feta

In my quest to make your lives better, here is a recipe I recently made and enjoyed. I added zucchini, which I wouldn't do again, and I cooked the spinach when I added the beans to the pasta. I used canned tomatoes, because it's February and I live here. I think you could make the topping with pretty much any pasta. The original creators of this recipe are my mom's best friends over at Better Homes & Gardens (she already gets all their magazines, so in an effort to give them more money she got me and my sister subscriptions for Christmas).

9 oz. refrigerated cheese-filled spinach tortellini
15-oz. can cannellini (white kidney) beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large tomato, chopped
Ground black pepper
4 cups baby spinach

Cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain and return to pan.

Add drained beans, feta cheese, and olive oil to tortellini in saucepan. Cook over medium heat until beans are hot and cheese begins to melt, gently stirring occasionally. Add tomato; cook 1 minute more. Sprinkle black pepper.

Divide spinach among four dinner plates or shallow salad bowls. Top with tortellini mixture. Serves 4.

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In other news, I correctly called 14 Oscar winners, and my new Lent project is the 100 push-up challenge. I am doing knee push-ups because I am a wuss, but either way it will tone my arms and core (closer to the sage dress, and also a good look in general).

Victory 1

Knoephla soup was tasty! Turned out exactly like it was supposed to, so that was awesome. Knoephlas were originally a little big, but it turns out you can just cut them in half even when they are partially cooked. I am pretty excited about this progress. Cut my finger on a can of tomatoes last night, but still happy. Ripped out several recipes for consideration this weekend.

Shoulder continues to heal. The exercise class I usually attend is cancelled all week, so trying a new one Thursday and determined to work out on my own tomorrow (volleyball tonight counted in my world).

Need to narrow down the professional development. Now. At the point in the year where my job is a little dull, so I need to make some progress there. Just need the specifics on that.

Purchased a spiffy new laptop over the weekend, so the blog can now be cooler. For some reason my camera wouldn't start just now, but I assume that's just the battery. But keeping with the blog so far.

One of my yearly goals is to see all th Oscar nominated movies. I never meet this goal, and this year seems to be no exception. At this point it's a geography issue ... most of them never come to a theater near me. But I have made peace with that, and I am doing OK so far this year. Side note, but there you go.