Pahk the Cah in Hahvad Yahd...

A little fun today. Be sure to stop on by Cafe Karina for this week's American Idol Recap.

And check out the post below this one for the inauguration of a brand new Bloggy Award.

Now, let's see, what kind of American Accent do I have?

What American accent do you have? Your Result: Boston You definitely have a Boston accent, even if you think you don't. Of course, that doesn't mean you are from the Boston area, you may also be from New Hampshire or Maine.
The Midland
The Northeast
Philadelphia
The West
The Inland North
North Central
The South
What American accent do you have? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Right, no big surprise there. What's yours?

Forget the Oscars, it's all about the Candids

A while back I hosted an impromtu contest, and some of my unsuspecting readers and commenters were entered without even knowing it. Because the results were pretty much inconclusive, I decided to award all six entrants with a prize. I was going to merely do a post about why I love visiting each of the blogs belonging to the nominees, but after much thought, I realized that all six have one main thing in common, and that is that all of their blogs are honest, open, frank, sincere, outspoken...in a word "Candid" representations of who they are and what they think. So, I've decided to create my own Blog Award, the Candid Blogger Award, given to those bloggers I believe represent themselves in a refreshing and honest way.

And the Candid Goes to:

Frigga - Because she's not afraid to state her opinions on everything from what music is crap to what she thought of a particular movie, to her political beliefs. I may not always agree with her, but I fully respect that she is a woman unafraid to speak (or blog) her mind, and has passion for everything she says. Besides, she loves Christian Slater, so how could I not love her?

Lil'Mouse - For posts like this one, where she managed to keep her civility (and that inherent niceness I like so much about her) even though the situation called for much stronger and angrier language (well, for me it would have that's for sure). And really, simply because the last line in the post made me laugh out loud.

Ana - Because in posts such as this one, she lays it all out there for us to see, and yet, does it in such a poetic way that you read every word with anticipation of the next. And then there are the times she makes me laugh out loud with how easily she can turn the most mundane of situations into an art form, like here.

Lisa - Just her photography alone gives you a glimpse into what a beautiful person she must be to capture such beauty with her eye. And then you learn more about her and her amazing family, and you can't help but be impressed. She is the true definition of candid and honest on her blog, and I am constantly amazed by her strength.

Joy T - I'm not going to lie to you, Joy's is one of my favorite blogs to visit on my grumpy mornings, because as much as she tries to deny it, she is one of the funniest women I've "met", even when she's just telling you about her day. And she'll try to tell you otherwise, she'll also try to tell you she's grumpy and mean, but that's all a facade! Just ask Mushu. But I do love how she's going to tell it like it is, and if you don't like it, TOUGH, it's her blog!

Pamela - who leaves me the greatest comments, and has the BEST blog header and name out there. With posts such as this one about her childhood, you get to learn about the Pamela of her youth, and with posts like this, about her grandkids, you get to laugh right along with the Rockin' Grandma Pamela.

Enjoy it ladies, it's well deserved. And don't pass this one on, this one is just for you to hold onto and display proudly on your mantles...uh...sidebars. I wish I could do something fancy like give you html code so you could post the photo to your sidebar with a link back to my blog, but I have no idea how to post that information within a post without making it actual html code, so uh...yeah, whatever, just display it as a picture if you want to. ;-)

For the rest of you, don't be jealous, I just might bestow a Candid upon you when you least expect it.

Fun Monday - Candid Karina, This is Your Life

A new look here at Candid Karina today, it may only be March, but I've got Spring Fever like you wouldn't believe. Along with the new look, I'm making some changes, adding some blogs to the blog roll, and a few other things as the month progresses.


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One of these changes is that my American Idol recap posts will now be taking place at a different blog. What? Oh, that's right, I've got a new blog, where I'll be posting all things Pop Culture. Take a sneak peek over at Cafe Karina (still in the building stages) when you have a chance, and then head on back this Wednesday for this week's AI recap.

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Fun Monday this week is being hosted by Janet. And Janet wants to know our life story. Well sort of. Here's the assignment:

Hollywood has come calling. They want to make a movie of your life story!So here's what I want to read about: Write the brief synopsis of this film that you might use to pitch this project and cast the principal players. Who would play you? You can either cast or ignore significant others, children and/or pets. This is, after all, YOUR movie about you you YOU! Illustrate as needed with casting photos or filming locations. Your life not interesting enough? Hey, this is Hollywood. Never let the facts get in the way of a good story!

So the question here at Chez Karina became one of whether we would go with fact or fiction. Over the week I had little ideas of what I could write to pitch my life story, but it wasn't until last night, at dinner with two of my college girlfriends that I realized that in my life, fact has always been so much more interesting than fiction. When I was in college I worked with a guy who would constantly tell me "Your life is even better than most soap operas, I come into work every weekend anticipating what story you'll tell me next". At that time, all my tales were of my dating escapades. Things have changed a bit as I've gotten older, and I certainly don't date nearly as much (uh, at all), but life is still a constant barrage of unexpected and entertaining events. Of course this movie would only be part one of at least a trilogy, because really, there are yet so many adventures yet to be had, so many new paths yet to take, that this movie would only scratch the surface. That said, my movie pitch:

Candid Karina, thirtysomething and single, and not afraid to love it. With a diverse assortment of ex-boyfriends in her past, and a practicaly non-existent dating life at present, she faces each day with a smile, a cup of strong coffee, and a styling pair of shoes on her feet. Whether it is flirting with the "much too young for her" Meinike guy, shopping a Saturday away with her best friend Shopaholic, plotting the next weekend getaway with one of her other friends, or figuring out how a girl in her 30's re-enters the dating world, life is seldom dull, and always an adventure. It's Sex and the City, minus the sex...and the city. But always with the shoes.

Playing yours truly would have to be he highly underappreciated actress Marisa Tomei. When I was in college I was told more than once "You remind me of that girl in My Cousin Vinnie", and though I'm pretty sure it's more due to attitude than appearance, I've always felt a certain kinship with her because of this. Besides, I think she's spunky, and classy all at the same time, and that fits me, I think.

I will take a moment to cast a few of the more prevalant cast of characters in my life as well. Shopaholic would be played by Ziyi Zhang (from Memoirs of a Geisha);Double D would be played by Jennifer Love Hewitt (I'll let you decifer why) ;

and Traveler would totally have to be played by Winona Ryder.

But the really fun group of characters to cast would be the litany of ex-boyfriends and varied love interests (and dis-interests) of years past. All The Boys I've Loved (hmmm, the name of the movie perhaps?)

We've already established that Cognac has an uncanny resemblance to Tyrese and Tyson Beckford, so since Tyrese has done the acting thing, we'll cast him for the part.

On second thought...screw Marisa Tomei, I'll play myself in this movie!

We could easily cast Keanu Reeves as The Bullet,

and put some short dreads on Jamie Foxx and you've got "Slick".

You've yet to learn about "The Soulmate", but in the meantime, let's cast Timbland in that role (and yes, I know he's not an actor, but he's always reminded me of Soulmate, and well, nowadays all actors are singers and all singers are actors, so it's only a matter of time).

There are a lot more bit parts, and some major roles (such as my family) to fill yet, but we'll leave it at that for now, because you have lots more movie proposals to check out over at Janet's Planet.

Pass It On - Part 4

Another week of Lent, another opportunity to do good and pass on the positive feelings.

Monday, February 25th - Started off the week in a wonderful mood, and extended my help to someone who may need it in the future. I made my telephone number available for her to call me whenever she feels the need.

Tuesday, February 26th - Received a telephone call from the local Fire Fighters Association, as I do every year, asking for donations. As much as I'd love to help, most years I say no, because I simly can't spare the money for every organization that calls and asks for it. I was on my way to my usual "No, I'm sorry, I can't help" when I remembered my decision to do for others. I pledged a mere $10, but every bit counts, and truly, what's $10 to me? A pair of shoes I don't need, another purse I have no place for in my closet, a martini I can do without.

Wednesday, February 27th - Thursday, February 28th - Two of those days when a specific good deed doesn't stand out to me, but I do know I continue on with my efforts to be pleasant to strangers, let others go in front of me in traffic, and not reacting negatively to my coworker's incessant need to whisper and gossip within my line of hearing.

Friday, February 29th - Gave a fish a home (hey, every one of God's creatures counts, right?) While at the pet store trying to select my fish, a poor guy standing next to me looked lost and confused, I offered a smile and started a conversation, and helped him by advising him on he finer points of raising Beta Fish. Small thing, but he was grateful, and left the store with a little friend...so he also gave a fish a home.

Saturday, March 1st - Had dinner with two of my college girlfriends that night. One of my girlfriends hates to drive at night, so I always make the trek, a bit out of my way, to pick her up and drive her to our dinners. Not a huge sacrifice, but with the price of gas nowadays, every extra mile is an extra hit in the wallet. Still, I know it takes quite a bit of stress away from her when she knows she does not need to drive, and she has enough stress in her life as it is. I'm glad to help.

Sunday, March 2nd - Is it considered a good deed when you benefit greatly by feeding your inner glutton? Stopped at a Girl Scout table today and bought a ox of cookies. Oh how I love those Samoas. Also, lent my internet access, and therefore my home office, desk and computer, to my friend Shopaholic, who needed it to complete some trainng for her new job. As I write this, she sits at my desk on my desktop, while I type away on my laptop. I had quite a bit of blog work I wanted to get done today, and a lot of that is more easily accomplished on my desktop than my laptop, but she needed it for work, so I gave her the more comfortable workspace. Hey, I'm lucky to have two computers at the moment, so I can't really complain, can I? Also, am about to go out to buy dinner for the both of us (because I've been too caught up in blog world to cook tonight), while I leave her to her training. That's what friends are for, right?

Another great week, one with a spiritual gift for me. How was your week?

Photo Hunt #9 - Party

This week's photo hunter theme is "Party". Here is a photo from my Annual Girls' Night In Christmas Party this past December.

And the aftermath:

Happy Hunting!