I was reading a magazine article about how high-waisted jeans are the "in" fashion thing right now, and it got me to thinking: Remember all those styles that we thought were soooo in, but now, looking back, were completely horrendous?

I'm talking leggings -- or, even better, leggings with stirrups! The horror!

How about the socks-worn-outside-the-pants craze from the mid-'80s?

Or the sweatshirts with one shoulder exposed. (Thanks, "Flashdance.")

Then there was the "Relax, Don't Do it" and "Frankie Goes to Hollywood" t-shirts. Remember how huge they were? I had one that said "Feed the World" that could have clothed the world. Ugh, I shudder at the thought.

I won't even go into all the Madonna fads.

What were we thinking? And, years from now, what will we think of what we're wearing right now?

I watched "Akeelah and the Bee" this weekend, a nice, sweet film about an inner-city girl who makes it all the way to the national spelling bee. It's a cute story. Of course, I cried -- big surprise. But that got me thinking about how I love to cry at movies. You know how sometimes you just need a good cry, not for any reason other than just because? And you know how you feel tons better afterwards? Well, here's a list of my favorite tearjerkers -- movies that are sure to gets those tears flowing:

"Bridges of Madison County" -- That scene where she's in the car with her husband, and she sees Clint's car, and has to fight not to run out to him? Heartbreaking.

"The Notebook" -- This entire movie made me cry, but no part more than when James Garner says goodbye to his wife as she's dying. I'm crying right now just thinking about it.

"Whale Rider" -- If you have not yet seen this movie, please run out and get it. It's one of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen. I didn't cry until three-quarters of the way through it, but then I couldn't stop.

"Life is Beautiful" -- If you don't cry at this movie, you're not human.

"Schindler's List" -- If you don't cry at this movie, you're not human.

"Steel Magnolias" -- That cemetery scene kills me.

"Fried Green Tomatoes" -- It's not a tearjerker per se, but it still gets me.

"Beaches" -- Yes, it was manipulative in its sappiness. Still cried.

"Jerry Maguire" -- Back when I was still watching Tom Cruise movies.

I was sitting on the couch this weekend, trying to catch up on some TiVo'd shows. I was working my way through a bag of mixed nuts -- you know, the kind with the shells on them that require a nutcracker.

So there I was, trying to crack open a walnut. It was a little tough, so I really put some elbow grease into it. Well, I guess I put just a little too much, because the walnut opened with such force that a piece of the shell shot right up my nose.

No, you didn't read that wrong.

Let's just say that the next few minutes involved a pair of tweezers, a close-up mirror and a steady hand.

Talk about having a stuffed-up nose. Ba-dum-pum.

I was watching "24" the other night -- Ok, how awesome was that?!? -- and there was a scene between Jack Bauer and Assad, the former terrorist. Assad tells Jack that "visitors" is terrorist code for "nuclear weapons," to which Jack replies, "nucular weapons?"

Yes, folks, "nucular" weapons. It was enough to tear me away from the storyline, if only for a moment.

How is it that the guy playing Assad, Alexander Siddig, who's Sudanese, can pronounce "nuclear" correctly, but Kiefer, from the good ol' US of A, can't? So all you immigrant haters, step down! It sorta puts a little wrench in your ideology when a foreigner can speak English better than an American, doesn't it?

But I digress.

Anyways, it got me thinking about other words and phrases that are mispronounced or misused that drive me crazy. So, since I love lists so much, here's a list of my linguistic pet peeves:

Possessive vs. Plural: People, this is the bane of my existence. You don't buy "egg's"; you buy "eggs." You don't read "Sundays paper"; you read "Sunday's paper." And, although I get the logic behind using "It's" instead of "Its" in phrases such as "The cat took its sweet time," it's is incorrect. "It's" means "it is" -- that's it.

Aunt vs. Ant. I'm an aunt, not an ant. Although I may sometimes look like one, I am not, in fact, an insect.

Irregardless: There's no such word. It's just "regardless."

Conversating: Again, there's no such word. What you're doing is conversing.

Axe vs. Ask: Please don't axe me. I like life. Why not try asking me?

The Disappearing "R": It's February and library, not Febuary and libary.

You vs. I: Or should that be you vs. me? Argh. There used to be a time when people used "me" when they should have used "I." They were corrected, so they overcompensated and now use "I" instead of "me." It's not always "you and I." If Mark gives cookies to Laura and me, he's given cookies to Laura and he's given them to me. He hasn't given them to Laura and I; he can't give cookies to I. Don't fight it.

I'm sure there are other things I can't think of at this moment, but these are the big ones. I'm just trying to make this planet a little better, one word at a time.

A couple of weeks ago, I lamented the start of a new year, because it meant another birthday on the way. What I neglected to realize at the time was that the new year also brings ... TV premieres!

That's right, several TV shows will either start or re-start their seasons. Sunday and Monday night: four new hours of "24"! Jack Bauer's back and ready to kick some terrorist a**.

Returning favorites include "Grey's Anatomy" (I've missed those Seattle Grace hotties) and, of course, "American Idol," the show I love to hate. (Or is that hate to love?)

Other shows starting soon include "Monk," everyone's number-one neurotic detective; "Psych," a new favorite; and "Nashville Star," the poor man's "American Idol."

Oh, and I'm all atizzy over Liev Schreiber temporarily joining "CSI" while Grissom, er, I mean William Peterson, goes all theater actor on us. "Damn you Grissom!"

So happy new year to all my TV-loving friends. Oh, darn it; there goes my resolution to get a boyfriend. Oh, well, I'd rather have TV. And yes, I know how sad that is.

So I found a church, an Episcopal one, in town. I've been there a couple of times now, and I do like it. For one, the priest (I'm not quite sure what to call him -- father? reverend?) is really nice. He makes sure to talk to everyone, and has made me feel very welcome. I also like his sermons, because they're very informal and current. I also like the Jesus-as-teacher-not-preacher mentality. The church serves the community through a nonprofit organization, so it's really more of a community-outreach church. I have to go a few more times before I decide whether it'll stick, but I think this might work out.

So that's one resolution down, three more to go. Well, two to go. I already blew the "be more patient" one. Now seriously, did anyone believe that would actually happen?

Well, it is a new year, which means new resolutions. I don't know how long these will last, but here's a list of the things I'd like to improve on, along with their difficulty rating (one star being the easiest):

I resolve to:

1. Be more patient. Especially with stupid people. Darg, I hate stupid people. But I will be better this year. I will try not to use sarcasm as a way to handle stupid people. And I will try not to let their stupidity get to me or get me down. Instead, I will realize that everyone, no matter how stupid, has a reason for being. ****

2. Go back to church. Every year, I toy with the idea of going back to church, and every year I remember why I don't: I don't agree with much of what the Catholic religion believes in. For one, I believe women should be allowed into the priesthood. Also, I don't agree that priests should remain celibate and single. And I disagree with their non-acceptance of gays (though, to be fair, that's pretty much the same in any established religion). But then I thought, why do I have to go to a Catholic church? There are other, more liberal, Christian denominations. After some research, I decided to give a local Episcopal church a try. I went yesterday, and it was nice. Much of the mass was just like Catholic mass, so I didn't feel too out-of-place. And the rector was nice and introduced me to everyone at mass. Plus, the church is very active in the community, especially through a nonprofit foundation that helps the homeless and developmentally disabled in the area. This one should be easy to keep. *

3. Get a boyfriend. Hah, easier said than done, but this year, I will at least try. I will become active in community groups again, and will meet new people, and, bladder be damned, I will not have to "go to the bathroom" the next time a cute guy tries to talk with me! No more! *****

4. Get fit. Yes, it's the old standby, the one everyone mentions. Doesn't mean I can't use it, though, right? ***

Now, let's see how many of those are still in play in a month or so...

Happy new year!!!