Checking in on Wednesday -- Awards, Interesting Facts About Me, and Stuff

I hope everyone is having a peaceful and happy new year. Just a reminder -- I'd love for everyone who visits this blog, even if you aren't a regular reader, to respond to our reader questionnaire. We're exploring ways to improve the content of On Page and Screen.

Also, please check out our recent movie reviews: Caché by Michael Haneke, Some Mother's Son by Terry George and Jim Sheridan, Suburbia (1983),  My Summer of Love by Pawel Pawlikowski and Ladybird, Ladybird by Ken Loach & Rona Munro.

Now for the fun stuff ...



Josh at The Cinematic Spectacle, who is a terrific blogger/reviewer and one of the most knowledgeable movie buffs around, kindly presented us with two blog awards:

The first one is the "Blog of the Year 2012" Award.

 
The rules for accepting are:

• Select the blog(s) you think deserve the "Blog of the Year 2012" Award.
• Write a blog post and tell us about the blog(s) you have chosen - there's no minimum or maximum number of blogs required - and "present" them with their award.
• Please include a link back to this page and include these ‘rules’ in your post (please don’t alter the rules or the badges!)
• Let the blog(s) you have chosen know that you have given them this award and share the "rules" with them You can now also join our Facebook group – click "like" on this page "Blog of the Year 2012" Award Facebook group and then you can share your blog with an even wider audience
• As a winner of the award – please add a link back to the blog that presented you with the award – and then proudly display the award on your blog and sidebar … and start collecting stars.

(Confession: I don't know what the "collecting stars" part is about.)

The second award is The Versatile Blogger Award:

The rules for accepting are:

• Display the award certificate on your website.
• Announce your win with a post and include a link to whoever presented your award.
• Present 15 awards to deserving bloggers.
• Create a post linking to them and drop them a comment to tip them off.
• Post 7 interesting facts about yourself.

Interesting Facts:

1. My idea of interior decorating is wall-to-wall bookshelves. Because you can never have too many books and movies. And if you get sufficiently carried away, you never have to repaint -- who can see the walls?



2. I started dating my husband when I was 20 and married when I was 23. For the record, I don't recommend settling down with your intended and marrying at such a young age. But for some of us, it's worked out. :-)



3. My first "real" job after college was working as a small-town journalist. I actually had the opportunity to cover a murder trial. My next job (just before starting grad. school) was working night shift in a service station. The biggest challenge, besides boredom, was having guys stop by around 3:00 a.m. and expose themselves to me. Seriously. That's kind of a strange hobby, don't you think?


4. Worst pick-up line I ever heard from a guy? Assuming it was a "pick up" line -- it's hard to be sure. When I was a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill, a dude walked into the bagel shop where I was having lunch and told me I had beautiful eyes. When I thanked him, he said, "And you look very ... fertile." I said, "Excuse me?" assuming I'd heard wrong. He responded, "You know ... you look fertile. Like you'd be a good woman to have a baby with." Huh.


5. My mom came from Itta Bena, Mississippi, the smallest and most boring town in the deep South. We occasionally spent Christmases there visiting Mamaw and Aunt Mary Jo. No one ... I mean NO ONE I have ever run into has ever heard of Itta Bena. Imagine my surprise when it was featured prominently in O Brother, Where Art Thou, which happens to be one of my favorite movies.
   
   You may remember that George "Babyface" Nelson asks "Is this the road to Itta Bena?" and he later robs the Bank of Itta Bena. "Hold the applause and drop yer drawers -- I'm George Nelson and I'm here to sack the city a Itta Bena!" The first time I saw the movie -- when I heard "Is this the road to Itta Bena?" -- I actually screamed at my husband. "Itta Bena! Did hear that, John?? ITTA freaking BENA! Oh. My. God."

I'm fairly confident not much has changed in Mom's hometown since the Great Depression. (*sarcasm alert*) I don't even think they heard about the Civil Rights Movement until the 21st century.


6. I've always liked movies, but I didn't become a real movie buff relatively recently. My daughter/co-blogger became passionate about films when she was about 12 years old. I wanted to be knowledgeable enough to be able to support her in her interests, especially since my kids homeschool in a relaxed way, so I started watching more interesting movies and reading about cinematography and filmmaking. I kind of got hooked.


7. I have always loved history, an interest none of my kids share. It started when I was about 13. Grandma had a collection of historical romances in the sunroom and I started perusing them. Why? To find the Dirty Parts, of course. Mock me if you will, but I grew up in an era without the internet, VCRs, or cable T.V. Curious teens had to be a bit more resourceful back then. :-) Eventually I got tired of poring over the naughty bits in those novels, but I became hooked on the history.
   
   The lesson? Never underestimate the value of prurient interest.

I'm bailing out on passing the award along. I'm not good at sorting out who digs this kind of stuff, who has an "award free blog," and who has already received this honor. Plus, I'm the kind of person who worries a bit too much about excluding someone. If you are one of my favorite bloggers, chances are, you know who you are. :-)