LOVE: I love the smell of honeysuckle. There are several huge honeysuckle bushes across the street from my parents' house that have been very fragrant this week. It's an especially nice treat as I walk our dog Bailey late at night. The lovely, lovely scent makes me want to breathe (which I don't always do:). Love it.

HATE: Parking tickets. Not that anyone would disagree with me on this point but I have received two "parking" tickets in two different jurisdictions within the past two weeks and I feel like they serve as salt in the wound. I have recently become absent minded somehow and completely misplaced the registration decals for my liscense plates. I've also been too prideful to just order another set because I was sure I would find them. I mean, they have to be somewhere. I don't lose things. It's not even like I forgot to register my car, I just don't have the proof. Oh, also, I got one of the tickets while it was parked outside of my house. Tickets. They are a massive annoyance and frustration and I hate them.

On Art

LOVE: I LOVE Filippo Lippi's work. He was an artist in 15th century Italy who I first really took notice of in 2000 at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence even though I had been admiring his work in the National Gallery of Art here in Washington for years. I love the color he uses and think his work is just beautiful. I almost feel it eminates a sense of peace. Strange, I know, but it's just so lovely. Perhaps it's that I feel Lippi's work is a bit more positively solemn than much of the other religious work of that time.

HATE: On Columbus Day, my cousin Roxanne and I went to the Hirshorn Museum and the National Gallery of Art downtown. I had never been to the Hirshorn before but Roxanne and I decided it would be interesting. And it was, but then we came to the "Recent Acquisitions" area and saw a piece that I'm sure the Smithsonian paid thousands for and we were a bit at a loss:

It is called "Entrails Carpet". Nuf said? I'll say it anyway, I HATE it.

On Movies

LOVE: I LOVE The Visitor and Iron Man and I'm very happy both movies are now available on DVD so you all can see them. If I had any money, I'd own them already and you could borrow them from me. Alas...

The Visitor is a beautiful movie that is heartwarming and heartbreaking at the same time. This movie is of such high quality that I think everyone should see it...for the story but also for the amazing cast.

I also LOVE Iron Man. To me, it is what an "action-slash-superhero movie" should be. Just. Plain. FUN! It also has its serious and sad moments which give the story a more relevant tone. I recommend this movie to anyone who likes fun and kicking bad guy butt. It's really that simple.

HATE: I HATE the currrent obsession with horror films among teenagers and early twenty-somethings. I only ever see the posters or previews for these things but they look SO terrible. I don't know how these studios get away with showing this stuff. Don't we already think American society is too violence obsessed? These movies must be in high demand because there is always at least one of these movies in theaters. The horrifying flick currently playing in theaters is called Quarantine and the preview shows a girl through night vision goggles who is crawling/clawing and screaming (trying to get away from something/one, I assume). Others I've seen advertised have titles like "Saw" and "Hostel" (both of which have several sequels). Don't get me wrong, I like a good scary movie every once-in-a-while to get the adrenaline flowing, but this stuff is far beyond scary. It's disgusting, dirty, demented, destructive and I HATE it.

On TV

LOVE: I LOVE the show "Top Design" on Bravo TV. I think I LOVE it so much because decorating and managing living space is sort of a recently realized passion of mine. I sometimes lie awake in bed at night thinking about how to better layout a room in my parents' or friend's house. Dorky, I know, but this kind of stuff is my creative outlet. I also grew up going to furniture and antique shops and with an appreciation for the beautiful things in life (likely to my detriment). So, I LOVE watching professionals at work and seeing what the process is. My favorites on the show are Nathan and Eddie. I predict Nathan will win the whole thing but Eddie already works for Martha Stewart Living...hello, dream job! Eddie and his apartment in NYC were featured in this week's Home Section of the Post and can be seen here. My favorite episode so far is Episode 5: Triathlon of Decorating. Anywho, LOVE the show and recommend it to anyone who thinks themselves a little decorating/design minded.

HATE: I HATE this commercial: http://www.nationwide.com/about-us/ads-auto.jsp. It's for Nationwide Insurance and it makes me want to punch the TV. I'm not completely sure why I hate it but if it comes on, I have to change the channel immediately or plug my ears and close my eyes. Anything, to avoid it. I almost have a Pavlovian reaction to it. It just makes me angry. And, I HATE it.

The Blog: Day One

HATE: I HATE it when my dog sees a squirrel, dashes after it, pulls me down five steps and lays me out across the sidewalk. I HATE the bloody scrapes I now have on my hands, knee and chin. I HATE that I had to change my clothes because they are now covered in dirt, blood and grass stains. I HATE that I didn't just let go of the leash. And, I HATE that the neighbors walking by saw the whole thing.

LOVE: I LOVE my nephew Joseph. (Thought I'd get this obvious one out of the way early.) I LOVE his cute face, his hugs, his husky voice, his curiosity, his energy, his concern, his optimism, his spirit. And, I LOVE that he loves me.