Friday night was my company’s holiday party. It was about the same as last years, except completely different people and Jason was able to make it there this year. We had a white elephant gift exchange, in which I ended up with “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” which I was very satisfied with. That doesn’t often happen with white elephant gift exchanges.

The next night was our friend’s “Tacky Christmas Sweater” party. Where we both sported the lovely sweaters shown below. We searched high and low to find Jason a tacky enough sweater, but nothing met our standards. So, on Saturday afternoon I spend three hours sewing a felt monstrosity on to one of his existing sweaters. As you can see, it turned out pretty well. In fact, we are not sure if we want to take it off of the sweater. My sweater on the other hand, looked perfect on the rack, but when I put it on, it felt like it was made for a linebacker. It was medium sweater from the junior section of Nordstrom circa 1989. I felt like I needed three layers of shoulder pads to fill the thing out. Awkward.

On Sunday afternoon, we went to Jason’s Union’s holiday party. A few people he knew turned out and Jason ended up getting the second highest score out of everyone who attended. This was the party where we proceed to eat half of an overly greasy pizza, when we weren’t even hungry, and then followed it up with dinner at Sharky’s, when we were again, not hungry.

So beside the fact that we both now have stomach issues, a cold and sore muscles from bowling, it was a pretty good weekend.

Best Motion Picture-Drama

• American Gangster
• Atonement
• Eastern Promises
• The Great Debaters
• Michael Clayton
• No Country for Old Men
• There Will Be Blood

Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama

• George Clooney, Michael Clayton
• Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
• James McAvoy, Atonement
• Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises
• Denzel Washington, American Gangster

Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama

• Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
• Julie Christie, Away From Her
• Jodie Foster, The Brave One
• Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart
• Keira Knightley, Atonement

Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

• Across the Universe
• Charlie Wilson’s War
• Hairspray
• Juno
• Sweeney Todd

Best Actor, Musical or Comedy

• Johnny Depp, Sweeney Todd
• Ryan Gosling, Lars and the Real Girl
• Tom Hanks, Charlie Wilson’s War
• Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Savages
• John C. Reilly, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

Best Actress, Musical or Comedy

• Amy Adams, Enchanted
• Nikki Blonsky, Hairspray
• Helena Bonham Carter, Sweeney Todd
• Marion Cotillard, La Vie en Rose
• Ellen Page, Juno

Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama

• Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There
• Julia Roberts, Charlie Wilson’s War
• Saoirse Ronan, Atonement
• Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
• Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama

• Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
• Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
• Philip Seymour Hoffman, Charlie Wilson’s War
• John Travolta, Hairspray
• Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

Best Director

• Tim Burton, Sweeney Todd
• Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, No Country for Old Men
• Julian Schnabel, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
• Ridley Scott, American Gangster
• Joe Wright, Atonement

Best Screenplay

• Diablo Cody, Juno
• Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, No Country for Old Men
• Christopher Hampton, Atonement
• Ronald Harwood, The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
• Aaron Sorkin, Charlie Wilson’s War

Best Foreign Language Film

• 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Romania)
• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (France/U.S.)
• The Kite Runner (U.S.)
• Lust, Caution (Taiwan)
• Perseopolis (France)

Best Animated Film

• Bee Movie
• Ratatouille
• The Simpsons Movie

Best Original Score

• Michael Brook, Kaki King, Eddie Vedder, Into the Wild
• Clint Eastwood, Grace is Gone
• Alberto Iglesias, The Kite Runner
• Dario Marianelli, Atonement
• Howard Shore, Eastern Promises

Best Original Song

• “Despedida,” Love in the Time of Cholera
• “Grace is Gone,” Grace is Gone
• “Guaranteed,” Into the Wild
• “That’s How You Know,” Enchanted
• “Walk Hard,” Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

TELEVISION

Best Series in a Drama

• Big Love
• Damages
• Grey’s Anatomy
• House
• Mad Men
• The Tudors

Best Actor in a Drama Series

• Michael C. Hall, Dexter
• Jon Hamm, Mad Men
• Hugh Laurie, House
• Jonathan Rhys Meyers, The Tudors
• Bill Paxton, Big Love

Best Actress in a Drama

• Patricia Arquette, Medium
• Glenn Close, Damages
• Minnie Driver, The Riches
• Edie Falco, The Sopranos
• Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
• Holly Hunter, Saving Grace
• Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Best Series in a Musical or Comedy

• 30 Rock
• Californication
• Entourage
• Extras
• Pushing Daisies

Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy

• Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
• America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
• Tina Fey, 30 Rock
• Anna Friel, Pushing Daisies
• Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds

Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy

• Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
• Steve Carell, The Office
• David Duchovny, Californication
• Ricky Gervais, Extras
• Lee Pace, Pushing Daisies

Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Movie

• Rose Byrne, Damages
• Rachel Griffiths, Brothers & Sisters
• Katherine Heigl, Grey’s Anatomy
• Samantha Morton, Longford
• Anna Paquin, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
• Jamie Pressly, My Name is Earl

Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Movie

• Ted Danson, Damages
• Kevin Dillon, Entourage
• Jeremy Piven, Entourage
• Andy Serkis, Longford
• William Shatner, Boston Legal
• Donald Sutherland, Dirty Sexy Money

Best Miniseries or Movie

• Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
• The Company
• Five Days
• Longford
• The State Within

Best Actress, Miniseries or Movie

• Bryce Dallas Howard, As You Like It
• Debra Messing, The Starter Wife
• Queen Latifah, Life Support
• Sissy Spacek, Pictures of Hollis Woods
• Ruth Wilson, Jane Eyre (Masterpiece Theatre)

Best Actor, Miniseries or Movie

• Adam Beach, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
• Ernest Borgnine, A Grandpa for Christmas
• Jim Broadbent, Longford
• Jason Isaacs, The State Within
• James Nesbitt, Jekyll

First Course

Second Course

Ollie’s Feast

He downed everything within minutes, except for the carrots. Typical.

Trip-to-Jamaica

Decorating for Christmas!

Fa-la-la-la-la!

Best Present Ever!

This is what I get to see everyday on the way to work. Everyone honks in support and it slows traffic down. Not only are they making us poor, but they are making my commute longer! Ugh!

California weather is really starting to bum me out. It has been in the 80′s all this week. It’s NOVEMBER! I am more than ready to be listening to Christmas music and put up my tree, but the weather is fighting against me. Don’t get me wrong, I am listening to Christmas regardless and have already begun to address my Christmas cards, but still I feel I should be wearing gloves and scarf to do so.

The weather has not stopped me from almost buying all of my Christmas presents. I don’t believe I have ever purchased so many Christmas presents this early before. This is probably because I have never had so much time to surf the internet before in my life.

Song of the Day: How Lucky We Are – Meiko

Christmas Song of the Day: Last Christmas – Wham!