Five Things for Friday

1. This week I watched the PBS Masterpiece Classic movies Wuthering Heights and Great Expecations, which have been hanging out in my DVR waiting to be watched. They both blew me away! These British actors and their movies, they kill me. I think about the stories and the characters and the actors who play them for days afterward. It's almost, almost as good as reading the books. I don't even like Wuthering Heights very much (I find it too depressing and frustrating), but I was bewitched by the movie!

Could this actor who plays Pip have a more beautiful face? Apparently not...he also models for Burberry!

2. The Wall Street Journal (which I enjoy reading and is the namesake for this blog) posted a list this week of the best and worst jobs of 2013. The headline of the article is "Dust Off Your Math Skills: Actuary is the Best Job of 2013." That's pretty awesome because my husband is an actuary! In the nearly 11 years that he's been one, I've found that many people don't know what an actuary is or does (read the article to find out!), but it really is a good job if you're a math/business person. The rankings are based on five criteria: physical demands, work environment, income, stress, and hiring outlook. I think it's pretty funny that newspaper reporter is ranked #200, dead last. Poor WSJ reporters! I'm surprised by that ranking actually--I think journalism would be a fun career to go into.

3. I saw this on Facebook this week, and I think it's so funny and so true! It is exactly what I've thought for pretty much my whole life. Why must the bed feel so uncomfortable at night when you're having trouble getting to sleep but so perfect, like the most comfy bed in the world, in the morning when it's time to get up? It is one of the cruel ironies of life!

4. This week People magazine rated Gwyneth Paltrow as the most beautiful woman in the world. It's true that she is very beautiful and I think her looks are classic and timeless, like the cover says.

One of the kindest compliments anyone ever gave me that still helps me feel better on my ugly days was when I was at a fancy party in Philadelphia my freshman year of college with the creme de la creme of Philadelphia society (my roommate's father was one of them; that's why I was there), and a server came up to me and said, "Did anyone ever tell you that you look like Gwyneth Paltrow?" and pretended to snap my picture. And he really meant it! Or seemed to anyway. I must say that I think I did look really good that night (other than my shoes, which were hideous, but I was having an extraordinarily good hair day and my dress was cute and fit me perfectly). It's true that I was 18 at the time and probably near the peak of good looks in my life, but still, that meant, and still means, so much to me. Never underestimate the power of giving or receiving a seemingly random compliment!

5. This has been a weird week for me. My focus and motivation haven't been as high as they usually are and I've felt scatterbrained, almost like I have ADD. This happens sometimes for a few days at a time and I don't know why. I've also been having almost daily headaches and painful neck and shoulder aches. I'm getting a massage tomorrow so that should help relieve my physical kinks, and hopefully my focus will be restored over the weekend. Oh these lovely crazy bodies of ours! One minute I feel completely in control of mine and the next, I feel like I'm at its mercy!

Have a great weekend!