And Then My Brain Went For A Walk...

I'm not sure how many people's minds work like mine, but I think mine is rather unique--even if it isn't.  (I like to think of myself as special--it helps my low self esteem.  ;))  Most of the time when I have a quiet moment, my brain will go off on its own and lead me to places I wouldn't dream of going by myself.  I kind of have a game of 'six degrees of separation' going on all of the time and it is quite interesting.  Most of the time when I'm in the shower, my mind takes a break--that is why I'll get out of the shower and not remember whether I rinsed the conditioner out of my hair or not.  And that will lead me to get back IN the shower and re-rinse, just to be sure.  But I digress...

The other night, I was thinking about how most people have a favorite movie, favorite song, favorite actor, etc, etc.  I tried coming up with ONE favorite to fit each category and it just didn't happen.  I tend to have a lot of 'favorites.'  There are a number of movies I will watch over and over again, but not one of them is my absolute 'favorite.'  I could tell you my top 10*--or any random number--movies that I love, but couldn't narrow it down to just one.  So this got my brain to working and I came up with a DIFFERENT way of telling you all of some of my favorites.  So, here goes:

--The first movie I remember sobbing about until I was sick is:

        Brian's Song

I know this was a made-for-TV movie, but it is categorized as a movie, nonetheless.  While other movies have made me cry, this one just did me in--and it continued to make me sob every time I saw it for the next several years.  I watched it again a few years ago and it didn't have the same emotional edge that it had years ago, but it WAS a good crying-time movie.

--The first movie to make me LITERALLY jump when I watched it:

Aliens

This was the first of the Alien movies with Sigourney Weaver and by far the best of the lot.  While Psycho was OMG! frightening--and kept me from showering while alone in the house for YEARS (I STILL have a hard time showering when I'm alone)--Aliens just made me jump right out of my seat.

--The movie that made me fall in love with Al Pacino was:

Serpico

He was so drop-dead gorgeous in this movie!  I had already seen him in 'Panic in Needle Park,' but this movie was why I have the biggest crush on him.

--The first movie I laughed so hard I almost peed my pants AND that I quoted for weeks after:

Young Frankenstein

To this day, I'm not sure I ever laughed as hard at another movie.  And I still haven't found another one with  as many funny quotes as this one had.

And that concludes my very short list.  My brain had to stop its wandering because I was done with my shower--AND I remembered to rinse the conditioner out, so I didn't need to reenter.  This brings a couple of questions for you:  Do you have a favorite movie, or several?  Does your mind take off and invite you along for the ride?  And are you ever afraid your mind WON'T come back when it's done walking around?  ;D

*The movies I will watch over and over again:

Slap Shot

Miracle

Mystery, Alaska

Jeremiah Johnson

Blues Brothers

Animal House

Arsenic and Old Lace

Secondhand Lions

Anatomy of a Murder

Mr Blandings Builds His Dream House

And that is only a partial list.  ;D

Love and Forgiveness

In 1970, the movie 'Love Story' came out and it brought to the world one of the most famous taglines ever:  "Love means never having to say you're sorry."  In our minds, that was one of the most profound and wonderful things that we had ever heard.  Considering we were probably sobbing so hard that our brains were muddled or we were on an acid trip and EVERYTHING seemed wonderful, I can forgive everyone for thinking this.  However, through the years I have come to realize that the statement is just so much bullshit--sounds good and means absolutely nothing.  (Kind of like politicians...)

Let's look at this a little further.  Forgiveness is pretty much part of the foundation of civilization.  We do something wrong--big OR small--and we are expected to feel remorse and ask for forgiveness from the person/people we wronged.  We see this in our courts and we see this on television and we read this in print.  Entire crime/law shows are written just so we can see the criminal allocute in court--and the criminal usually gets a lighter sentence for confessing, feeling remorse, and saying "I'm sorry."  How often have we seen politicians or celebrities take to the airwaves and apologize for saying or doing something the rest of the world sees as wrong?  And then the person usually goes off and continues with his/her career as if s/he did nothing wrong whatsoever--and we allow it because of the "I'm sorry."  (The Chris Brown 'incident/s' come to mind, however, I'm not 100% sure he ever used the words "I'm sorry.")

How often have we been wronged personally?  When our child lashes out at the age of three and slaps us, we INSIST on an apology and a promise to never hit again.  How many more divorces would there be if a spouse never apologized for wrong behavior?  Anything from leaving the wet towels in the middle of the bathroom floor to an affair can be rectified by a heartfelt "I'm sorry and will never do it again."  So, where does the statement "Love means never having to say your sorry." fit into anyone's concept of a loving relationship?

Therapists tell us--and clergy people, as well--that we CAN move forward if someone doesn't apologize for wronging us--we just need to forgive and move on.  This is something I have tried to do with The Family, and while I haven't been able to as of yet, I'm working on it.  To forgive a person's bad behavior when s/he doesn't think s/he did anything wrong takes a very strong person.  (I haven't become that strong, yet.)  We always like to have our feelings validated, that we were hurt in some way--and when the person doing the hurting doesn't see this, it minimalizes our feelings and shows just how little the wrongful person feels for us.  Causing hurt and pain to another person DEMANDS an apology and when that doesn't happen, how can a relationship continue in a loving way?  Instead of "Love means never having to say you're sorry" it should read "Love is saying you're sorry--and MEANING it."

At The Movies

If you haven't seen the trailer for 'One For the Money' yet, you soon will.  This is the movie adaptation of the first of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels--the first of 22 she has written.  The first one was published in 1994 and I started reading the series in 1995.  I've read all of the books and am still enjoying them--even though some of them are starting to seem like Evanovich is 'phoning it in,' so to speak.  For the most part, I laugh until I cry while reading these books and have been known to wake the household with my laughter--at 3:00AM.  I certainly hope she doesn't continue this series too much longer because the books are not as good as they once were--it is best to get out when you still are on top.  Anyway, before I start with the movie, here is a bit about some of the characters:

The main character, Stephanie Plum, is a Jersey girl.  In Book 1 she is recently divorced and laid off from her job as a lingerie buyer.  Desperate, she gets a job as a bounty hunter/apprehension agent.  Having no experience is no deterrent, as she is in real need of a job--and the bail bondsman is her cousin.  Stephanie lives on her own in a nondescript apartment building with her hamster, Rex.  She is quite close with her family and often goes to her parent's house to eat--especially when she is having money trouble.  Stephanie describes herself as being of Italian-Hungarian descent, that she has a fast metabolism, has brown curly hair and blue eyes.

Stephanie's parents live five miles away and her maternal grandmother lives with them.  While The Parents try and cope with a daughter who is involved with serious situations, they also have to cope with grandma, who is more than a little 'off.'  Grandma's favorite thing to do is attend wakes at the local funeral homes.  She often will open the casket to 'take a peek'--and this usually has hysterical consequences.  At some point, she acquires a gun and will whip it out at very inappropriate times--she manages to shoot a (cooked) turkey during dinner in Book 1.  

Stephanie gets two men in her life in the first book.  Joe Morelli is someone she has know almost her entire life. Joe--or the Italian Stallion--is a bad boy turned vice cop in the 'Burg.'  She gave up her virginity to him when she was 16 and they have had a love/hate relationship ever since.  They renew acquaintances in Book 1.  The second man that Stephanie becomes involved with is Ranger.  He is Cuban-American and a fellow bounty hunter.  Ranger is gorgeous and mysterious and a man of few words.  (He has the ability to turn Stephanie's knees to Jell-o just by whispering "Babe" in her ear.)

Vinnie--Stephanie's cousin--owns the bail bond office where she finds work.  He is a complete and total sleazoid--it is rumored that he once had a romantic encounter with a duck--and most people can barely tolerate him.  Most of his time is spent avoiding work of any kind and talking to his bookie.

In the first book, Stephanie meets Lula--a hooker.  Eventually, Lula 'gives up the life' and goes to work in the bail bond office as a file clerk.  She is best described as a plus-size black woman who attempts to shove a size 16 body into size 10 spandex.  She favors bold and bright colors in her apparel.

While this series of books are described as crime novels, I find them to be more comedy than anything.  The first few books had more dire and serious aspects to them, but the later books seem to be much more light-hearted.  One of the best things in the books are the crazy, kooky characters.  A running joke throughout all of the books is Stephanie's inability to keep cars in one piece--she has the tendency to get several destroyed in every book.  (Although, she isn't always entirely culpable in the destruction of the vehicles.)  The one car that never gets damaged in any way is the one designated as her 'go-to' car whenever she is in need:  Her uncle's powder blue '53 Buick Roadmaster.

Almost from the time The Youngest and I started reading these books, we could see them being turned into movies.  We would sit and discuss who we wanted to play each part and pretty much agreed on who would be best suited for each role.  And now the first of what may be many movies has been filmed and is about to show up in the theaters.  To say I am more than a little disappointed, is an understatement.  I realize that the people who would have been perfect for these roles are 10+ years older (or dead!) and wouldn't work anymore, but still.  (Actually, some of the actors probably were too old ten years ago even.)  I'm not sure I will be seeing this, as I cannot tolerate the actress who will be playing Stephanie:  Katherine Heigl.  Anyway, here are the actors cast in the movie and the ones I think would have been a better fit.

Stephanie:
Katherine Heigl was cast.

I always thought that Stephanie Zimbalist (remember her?) would have done wonders with this role.

(Of course, I remember her from her 'Remington Steele' days and she was WAY too old even ten years ago.)  Other suggestions were Debra Messing and Sandra Bullock.   I'm REALLY not feeling Heigl in this part and I hope it won't hurt the movie too badly.

Joe Morelli:

Jason O'Mara was cast.

I favored Joe Penny in this role.

Once again, I remember him from his younger days.  Some people thought that Joe should have been played by Joe Manganiello or  David Boreanaz.  I'm not too sure which of today's actors I would pick...

Ranger:

Daniel Sunjata was cast.

I could never see anyone but Benjamin Bratt as Ranger.

One suggestion for Ranger that I might be able to get behind is Jason Momoa, but I'm not too sure about Vin Diesel or 'The Rock' in this part.

Lula:

Sherri Shepherd was cast.

The only one I could ever see as Lula was Marsha Warfield.

She probably was too old to play Lula even when she was on 'Night Court,' but I could see her in this part. The other actors suggested instead were Mo'Nique and Queen Latifah.  I could see Queen Latifah doing this part well.

Vinnie:

Patrick Fischler was cast.

I really can see this casting, but my first choice would have been Danny DeVito.  No one plays sleaze like he does.

Some thought that Steve Buscemi was made for this part--and I could see him doing it, as well.

Grandma:

Debbie Reynolds was cast.

I could see no one but Estelle Getty playing Grandma.

Most people think that Betty White or Ann Morgan Guilbert would have been much better choices.  I agree that Ann Guilbert would have played the hell out of this role.

Now the question is, have any of you read these books?  How do my picks match with yours?  And other than these books, have you ever made up your mind as to who should play certain characters in movie adaptations of books you have read--and how pleased or disappointed have you been?  Do movie adaptations ever live up to your expectations or are they always worse than the books?  Discuss.

Going To The Movies

I really enjoyed reading the 'Girl With a Dragon Tattoo' trilogy.  I find that books have so much more to offer than their movie counterparts, but was quite intrigued when I found out that there had been a Swedish version of the book/s made.  Even though I could only find the (first) movie in Swedish with English subtitles, I enjoyed it quite a bit.  It was very true to the book and well done.  The US trailer:

After hearing about the Swedish movie, I found out that Hollywood decided to do a US version.  And I cringed.  I was extremely afraid that the actors in the US version would be 'pretty'--not what the characters in the book were described like, at all.  And I had no better feel about the new version when I saw who they cast as Lisbeth:

Rooney Mara

photo by Eric Roffman

Look at that sweet face!  How could she POSSIBLY be the troubled soul that is Lisbeth Salander?  I KNEW this would be a disaster.  And then I saw this:

via W magazine

It looks like they did a good job transforming her into the character--hopefully the girl can act.  We'll have to see just how close to the book the movie stays--THAT will determine whether it is as good/better than the original.  I am very much looking forward to this--so much, that I just may go to the theater and see it there.  I don't do this often, at all, so it better be worth it.  The trailer is very interesting:

So, are there any movies you are looking forward to seeing this winter?

Reality

Every time I am channel-surfing and see the movie 'Jeremiah Johnson' playing, I stop and watch it.  For some reason or another, it is one of my favorite movies.  I have always like Robert Redford and he is the star, but I also like the story.  In a few words:  'Jeremiah Johnson' is the story of a guy who decided to go west and become a Mountain Man.  He wanted to live a life of solitude and trap, hunt, and fish.  And because of circumstances, he got caught up in a 'war' with the Crow nation--and this helped him establish his reputation.  It was a story of a man who wanted to be left alone and 'do his own thing,' but it didn't happen in that way.  Despite the fact that there was a lot of killing in the movie--very little blood, however--it was kind of idyllic and beautiful in its own way.  But what else would you expect from a Robert Redford movie?

A couple of months back, I FINALLY decided to investigate 'Jeremiah Johnson' a little further, after another viewing of the movie.  I found out that there was a REAL person that this movie was based on and his name was John Johnson--and as in the case of most of the Mountain Men, he was very much different than the man portrayed in the movie.  When I realized that there was a book written about John Johnson, I KNEW I had to read it.

The book 'Crow Killer:  The Saga of Liver-Eating Johnson' is in a genre that I don't normally gravitate to.  While I DO read some biographies,  I don't know if I would necessarily read one of a 'western' character.  But this book was completely fascinating--probably because it was a very truthful look at a period of US history that has been exaggerated so much over the years.  This book was published in 1958 and I was amazed and surprised at how 'unvarnished' the truthfulness of the story was.  We are so used to the days where the 'red men' were vilified as savages--as so many of the movies and TV shows of the 50s did--and today we are being brainwashed into believing that they did NOTHING wrong, whatsoever, to ANY 'white men.'  This book showed the savagery that both groups of people brought down on each other.  And this was accomplished in a way that was quite matter-of-fact--this was how living was then and the book showed it.  There was no judging, no blame, and both the 'white men' and the 'red men' were shown to be savages, as well as kind and compassionate.  The movie did, to a certain extent, have an even-handedness about it, but change was already coming and, while subtle, it was implied that the killing of Johnson's wife was pretty much justified.  (He led a group of men through the sacred burial grounds of the Crow, even though he KNEW it was forbidden--so the Crow were justified in their revenge.  In the book, it was just a group of young Crow who were on a rampage, who killed his wife.  HE was justified in going after THEM for revenge.)  Tiny, subtle difference, but very glaring when you examine the book and movie side-by-side.

Without going into the book much further, I must say that it was refreshing to read a book that really didn't have an agenda attached to it.  This was a straight-forward history of what this country was like--although it was done in a non-dry way, as too many history books are.  With the political correctness today, I really wonder if this book would be allowed to be published--OR if it would be protested because of the 'hatred' that the Native Americans had to endure in it.  I really wish we could get more plain truth and less of the PC crap that we have to have today.  For crying out loud, the word 'nigger' isn't allowed to be uttered in ANY context--in a news story or as a quote, even--because it isn't PC.  In this book, some of the Native Americans were called 'red niggers' by the Mountain Men--and this isn't something you would be allowed to write today without a horrible backlash.  I guess I'm just getting old, because I will have to say 'sometimes I wish for the good old days.'  ;)



***John Johnson got his nickname of 'Liver-Eating Johnson' because he cut out the livers of the Crow he killed and ate them raw.  (This was an insult to his enemies.)  Cannibalism as a way to survive or insult another wasn't unknown at this time in history.  This is something that I wonder how it would be handled in a book published today--would it be written as it actually was, or would it be white-washed?  I DO wonder how much of what I read today has been 'sanitized for others' possible hurt feelings.'***

Whoa!

I watched the Twilight movie. It stunk so bad that I used an entire can of air freshener just to try and rid my house of the stench. Now, the story was exactly like the book--not too bad, but not very good, either. What was bad about this movie was the acting. To say the actors--especially the female lead, Kristen Stewart--aren't good, is an understatement. They make Keanu Reeves look like a Shakespearean/classical genius! (I LOVE Keanu Reeves--in the movies he's suited for. And THOSE are a bit few and far between.) Between the lack of acting skills and the 'longing, lovesick' looks--which were pathetic and looked more like the actors were about to hurl--that were supposed to BE acting, this movie has no right to be shown anywhere but on Mystery Science Theater. I would pay good money to see Mike, Tom Servo, and Crow completely and totally eviscerate this movie. Hmm, could it be so bad that it is actually good? Nah--teeny boppers wouldn't be interested if that was the case.

Books and Movies

Since there really hasn't been much in the way of new TV shows to watch lately, I decided to try and catch up on some movies that I never saw. I am really beginning to regret my decision. I'm not finding anything worth watching and I'm not sure if it is because the movies being made are just bad or if there is something wrong with me. (Okay, it probably IS me, but...)

I remember when there was a lot of talk about the movie Babel. I wasn't interested enough to go to the theater to see it, but I recorded it and watched it the other night. Well, there are 2+ hours of my life that I will never get back! I don't understand the whole point of the movie. So, there are four sets of people thousands of miles away whose lives intertwine in ways they can't imagine--big deal. I don't get why it was praised.

Juno was another movie that got quite good reviews. Fine, it was kind of cute, but not good enough to recommend it to anyone else. Again, not my cup of tea. A young girl gets pregnant and gives up her baby--so what? Not worth my time.

I REALLY don't like Cormac McCarthy's books--I've read The Road and Child of God and have vowed to NEVER read anything the man writes ever again. So why, you may ask, did I watch No Country For Old Men? I have no answer!!!!! Not the least bit entertaining--and I can't even begin to talk about the ending, or lack thereof! It made no sense at all--but then, neither of the books of McCarthy's had endings, so I shouldn't have been surprised. I guess I just am missing something.

And talking about endings: why don't movies have real endings anymore? Juno ended in a very dumb way and I have already discussed McCarthy's endings, so... All I want is closure to whatever I watch--is that too much to ask?

The last movie I watched and liked a lot was Eragon. It was a fantasy/scifi movie based on the first book of the trilogy written by Christopher Paolini. I seem to gravitate toward scifi, so it wasn't a surprise that I would like this. I thought they did a terrific job and hope the other two books are made into movies, also.

I haven't had too much luck in the book department lately, either. Recently I read two older books that I felt I needed to read and they both disappointed. In Cold Blood, while well written, was too much like the movie for me to enjoy. I had seen the original movie years ago and felt as if I had read the book before. But, I plodded through it. Then I read American Psycho--OMG!!! I think the only reason I finished it was to get to the end, hoping the explanation for everything that preceeded was a sick fantasy of the main character. No such luck--AND it didn't have a 'proper' ending either. AAACCCKKK!!!

Right now I'm reading Catch-22 and wish I could stop. (Once I start reading a book, I HAVE to finish it--that's just the way I am.) I. just. don't. get. it. It isn't the least bit entertaining and I have yet to find a character in the book that I like. Damn.

Just before starting Catch-22, I read Wicked. I can't understand HOW they made a musical out of it, but it was mildly entertaining. I didn't think the author explained some things well enough in some places and in others he seemed to explain too much. There was way too much I didn't understand about some of the characters and their motivation, and that sucked. The author has written two more books--possibly more will be coming--and I plan on reading them JUST so I can find out if he answers some of my questions. One thing I have to say though, I will NEVER be able to watch The Wizard Of Oz the same way again!

So, I guess my life will continue to revolve around hockey and after the season is over, I will re-watch my favorite hockey movies: Slap Shot, Miracle, and Mystery, Alaska. They just don't make them like that anymore! ;)

Let's Get Ready To Ramble

This is the phone call you don't want to get: A co-worker at your spouse's workplace calls to talk to your spouse--while he is supposed to be at work! Yep, I got that call today! The co-worker explained that she didn't look at the schedule before making the call and apologized, but it sure sent my heart pumping for a minute. She made sure to tell K to, once again, apologize when he got home.

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We are under a lake effect snow advisory again. I was hoping the snow wouldn't be here yet, but I think it won't be going away till April. I KNOW it is going to come every year, but it still seems too early whenever it gets here. Last week it was reported that at the National Weather Service office 10 miles away 44" have fallen so far this season. The average for this time of year is 22", so we might have a record-breaker in the making.

**********

Today I went for my pre-appointment blood-letting. My internist has moved to a new office and I'm not sure I am pleased. The only way to explain the atmosphere in this new office is to think of a combination emergency room and walk-in clinic--complete with kids. Not only does this office have internists, but there is also a pediatrician. It has been YEARS since I had to sit in a waiting room with kids. The people in the waiting room were stacked like cord wood and no one seemed to be going anywhere. I would think about changing doctors, but I have been seeing him for about 10 years and like him very much, so I guess I have to put up with the place. Yuck.

**********

Last week the TV series The Shield ran the final episode. I don't know what exactly I expected to happen, but whatever I thought, DIDN'T. It seemed almost anti-climactic in a way. While there were some deaths that were kind of expected, the absolute ending was so quiet that it almost faded away. It was very disappointing on some level.

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Speaking of disappointing: Now that I have movie channels and On Demand on the TV in the kitchen, I have decided to try and catch up on movies that I haven't seen. I wish I hadn't. In the past couple of weeks I have watched Children of Men, Apocalypto, Pan's Labyrinth, and Mr Bean's Holiday. Of these, I couldn't watch all of Mr Bean--I LOVE Rowan Atkinson as Mr Bean--as I found it quite dull; Pan's Labyrinth disappointed because I thought it was going to be something like one of the Narnia movies and it wasn't at all; and I feel they didn't do enough with Children of Men. Apocalypto was filmed beautifully and had a compelling story, but it seems as if MORE could have been done with it--it held my attention, but not much beyond that. I have recorded Babel and Bridge to Terebithia, so I hope those are better watching.

**********

The thing that WASN'T disappointing was the win the Wings had over the Ducks tonight, 2-1. We finally saw a glimpse of the Wings that SHOULD be playing--they hustled for most of the 60 minutes and worked harder than they have most of this season. They had 47 shots on goal and kept the Ducks to only 16. Once again--or should I say STILL--the question is: what the hell do the Wings have to do to actually get the damn puck to go into the net? With that many shots on goal, the score should have been 14-1, at least! Giguere hadn't played for a few games, he has had personal troubles, and he couldn't have had his head in the game, yet the Wings couldn't get that puck past him. They did, however, chase him out of the goal--he couldn't play the third period due to dehydration. I guess all the work they made him do...

The Wings don't have to play again till Thursday, so they will have time to do practices and address some of the problems they have had. Holmstrom is skating again and should be back by the end of the week and Chelios is skating and may be back within two weeks, so things are getting better. It is hard to complain when they ARE winning and have such a good record, but, as a Red Wing fan, I always want more! Oh, well.

"Psycho" Virgin

My youngest and her husband watched the movie Psycho last night. He had never seen it before. She said he was shocked and surprised at the appropriate moments. I love being with a Psycho virgin when they experience the movie for the first time--not much is more enjoyable than that! I had the pleasure of introducing both of my girls to the movie. I guess it's time to find another virgin--I need a little bit of fun. :)

Something Else That's Boring

With nothing interesting to say, I decided to post a list of some of the movies I have never seen. What can I say, it's been a slow news day! :)

--Casablanca
--Goodfellas
--Chinatown
--L A Confidential
--The Maltese Falcon
--Singin' In The Rain
--On The Waterfront
--Annie Hall
--any Marx Brothers' movies
--40 Year Old Virgin*
--Titanic*
--Scarface
--Rebel Without A Cause
--Shane
--anything by Michael Moore*
--Halloween (any number)*

So, am I depriving myself by never having seen any of these? Are any of the movies on the list your favorite? Feedback will be welcome.


*Don't ever plan on seeing.

Sunday Evening (Can't Have a Better Title Than This, Right?)

Burg in Oklahoma wrote all about their ice storm on Friday--nasty stuff. While we had freezing rain, we didn't get as much as they had--and ours was more of the 'black ice' variety. Of course, this kept ME home! Since the drizzle stopped, we have been getting snow--looks as if winter has arrived. We are now under a lake effect snow warning through tomorrow night. While we here in the city don't (usually) have as much to worry about, the out-lying areas may be getting up to 12" of the white stuff. I guess we may not have to worry about the dog-sled races being canceled for lack of snow!

I am closing in on 500 posts with this blog and 4000 hits--and not one of the hits has come by way of searching for 'Harry Potter.' Hmmm, I'm still wondering whether the 'Harry Potter' experiment was a bust? Yesterday and today my hits have dropped off dramatically from what they were all during the week--is it just because it's the weekend? Don't know. I do find it all fascinating, though--I'd love to find out what the sociologists are saying about all of this. I'm sure I could find an article online if I REALLY was that interested--but I'm too lazy to search for one now.

With football winding down, NBC has now put hockey on its schedule. Yesterday I watched the Flyers and Penguins play. I really enjoyed seeing two Eastern conference teams play--not something I can see too often. I now have several players in the East in my sights of 'players I can't stand.' :)

Yesterday was 'hockey day in Canada.' I don't exactly know WHAT that means--I thought EVERY day was hockey day in Canada! Anyway, after the Red Wings game last night--which they won 6-3 (YAY!!!)--I could have watched at least two more games (on our 'local' Canadian station) AND a taped replay during the early morning hours. I decided that watching two games in one day was more than enough--don't need to overdose on hockey!

Hockey is the only sport I watch, so I don't get to see too many of the commercials that are geared toward sports' fans. However, I HAVE been seeing a few that are making me gag already and a couple that make me laugh each time I see them. I am SOOOO sick of hearing the 'American Pie' song being played for the Chevy commercials. ENOUGH ALREADY!! So you payed too much for the rights to use the song --suck it up and admit you made a mistake and DUMP IT! The other one that makes me want to switch channels--which I usually do--is the country singer singing about 'built Ford tough.' It isn't ONLY that I dislike country music, but it is more the OVERUSE of the damn song. Let's move on, PLEASE! My favorite commercial of the moment is the lizard versus Jeep one--makes me laugh every time I see it! Another one that I LOVE is quite old--don't think it is playing on TV anymore--and it is the crab and Honda Element one. HYSTERICAL!

I haven't gotten to watch too many movies lately, but did manage to see a couple. Cinderella Man, I thought, was very good. Quite understated, but well done. I thought the acting was good--Zellweger was actually okay--and the story was interesting. I was not aware of the story of Jim Braddock, even though I am a boxing fan. (Obviously, not a big enough fan! :)) I also got to see Walk the Line. I thought the performances were amazing--Phoenix and Witherspoon were unbelievable with their singing abilities--but I just was not happy with the script. I thought the story could have been told better--I never quite knew how much time passed between scenes. Sometimes it seemed as if only a day or two had passed, sometimes it was months--but it just was not EXPLAINED. For example: one day Cash 'tried' pills and in the next scene he was strung out on all sorts of things--but there was no indication as to how long of a time there was between the two scenes. I found it a bit confusing. And the reason I wasn't too thrilled with the movie has absolutely NO relationship to my dislike of country music--I REALLY, REALLY, REALLY wanted to like it. I grew up being 'forced' to listen to country music--that's all that was ever played around our house--so that is where the dislike comes from. Also, I practically knew every detail of Johnny Cash's life because The Mother pretty much worshiped the man, so the movie just didn't do it for me. While I would recommend it, I just wouldn't want to build it up too much--as had been done before its release.

24 begins the new season tonight. And, yes, it is being broadcast as I am sitting here typing. I am taping it so that I can savor EVERY minute of it later tonight. I hope it is a good season--can't get enough of Jack Bauer!

And Now Playing...

I just finished my list of shows to be taped for the next week and it seems the fall premiers are beginning. On Monday, Prison Break will start its second season--can't wait! I hope it will be as good as the first season was. I know, it was totally implausible, but it sure kept your attention--and it isn't too hard to watch Wentworth Miller, either!

The movie Slap Shot is going to be celebrating its 25th anniversary shortly. The reason I even mention this is, the Hanson brothers will be here in October as a promotion for our local Junior 'A' team. One, I want to see the movie again--I just may have to buy it--and two, I sure hope we get to the game when they are here. It should be fun!

Little Bits

Nothing very exciting has been happening around here, so I will just write some bits and pieces for now.

--I have to make hotel reservations for three separate times and I really should do it tomorrow. This month we MAY be going to the party/reception that A's husband's parents are having for them. I know that A wants us there, but I'm not sure if K will go. He HAS to decide so I can make the reservations. Next month is the party for them that C and The Mother will be giving. I have to get rooms for K and me, but also for our friends, who will be coming up. We want to be in adjacent rooms, so it will be easier for me to call--also, they will only be staying one night and we will be there for two. It will be confusing, I'm sure. And, of course, I still have to do the reservations for the weekend of The Concert--can't book that too early!

--I decided that it would be fun to have some of my favorite television shows on DVD, so I have begun to buy them. I already have the first DVD of Wings and I have ordered Night Court, Everwood, and Dinosaurs. I can't wait to rewatch the Dinosaurs episodes--I just loved the baby! It was a good show--too bad it didn't last. I also plan on getting Gilmore Girls, Firefly, and Farscape. At the cost of some of these, I will have many years of buying before I get all I want! I think I have watched WAY too much TV over the years!

--Still haven't gotten to my garden. K should be all done with overtime, so we probably will be able to start planting next week at the latest. I don't have to worry about not having a long growing season for my flowers, as I always do annuals. The biggest problem I may have is availability--I sure hope there are SOME plants left when I get around to buying.

--The last two movies I watched: War of the Worlds and Batman Begins. K taped these for me the other week and I finally got around to watching them several days ago. Well, I wish I wouldn't have wasted my time with War of the Worlds. I am VERY disappointed in the job that Spielberg did on this movie--after all, we KNOW he can do so much better; such as, Close Encounters and ET! The story was lousy, the special effects were nothing special and I couldn't get past Tom Cruise's personal life long enough to see him as the character he played. A very, very bad movie all around. However, I really liked Batman Begins! It really held my interest and if they did another one with Christian Bale--and used the same writers--I would see it.

--What I'm listening to: I found the playlist that Eric Clapton has been using in his concerts in Europe and I have been able to duplicate it--well most of it--from the CDs I have. I sit here and listen to the songs and get more excited about the concert. I told A the other night that the money we spent for the tickets will have been worth it if ALL I get to hear him play is Layla and Cocaine--which are on the playlist. I just can't wait. However, I am sure I will have to pay K back for this--and that just might mean going to a country music concert. It STILL will have been worth it, though!

--What I'm reading: I am reading The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe by Douglas Adams. This is a sequel to The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. I can't figure out why it has taken me so long to read The Hitchhiker's books, but I really am enjoying them--I find them absolutely, hysterically funny. I laughed till I cried when they said the answer to The Question was "42." (You would have to read it yourself to see the humor. :))

--Monday night is Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals, so I will be planted right in front of the TV watching very intently. K will be at work, so I have to tape it for him. We'll see if Carolina can pull off a win so that they can win it all in front of their hometown fans. Go 'Canes!

--So you don't forget: Father's Day is Sunday. I ordered K's gift--a new MP3 player--and it should be in this week. I guess he'll have to get something for The Father and we can drop it off for him when we go to pick up my sewing machine from the shop later this week. Oh, yay.

One of My Favs

We have cable TV. While K has digital cable with all of the movie channels, etc, in the living room, I ONLY have 75 channels on my kitchen TV. This is more than enough for me and I find things to watch most of the time. When I sat down to read the newspaper this evening, I channel surfed so I would have something on in the background. I happened onto AMC (the American Movie Channel) and they were playing one of my favorite movies: The Blues Brothers. Unfortunately I didn't get to see more than the last half hour or so, but I enjoyed what I did see. I still think John Belushi was one of the most talented people in entertainment--it is too bad we lost him so young. I guess I have to get to one of our local stores very soon as they are having a sale and The Blues Brothers is one of the sale titles. Then I don't have to worry about missing the beginning of the movie ever again.

More of My Trivial Life

Today C. sounded more like herself than she has in many days--we're hoping she has completely turned the corner with this virus. She was out and about today, so she hopes she won't pay for it tomorrow.

A good friend and I went to a local Italian restaurant to celebrate her birthday. Good food and good company, what more can you ask for? We try to get together for dinner once every four weeks or so--you have to MAKE time to be with friends, or they fall by the wayside.

What I am listening to: Back Home by Eric Clapton. I'm enjoying it very much, but if EC sang the alphabet, I would be thrilled!

What I am reading: The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. I have had the book sitting around here for several months and I decided it was time to read it. I'm about halfway through and am enjoying the read. However, I don't feel it is as great as the reviews made me think it was going to be--maybe I'll feel differently after I'm done. I'm finding that everything is happening too quickly and too neatly--there could have been much more tension built into the plot. But, as I said, maybe it will change as I get further along.

What I am watching (movies): Just watched The Forgotten last night and it should be put in the FORGOTTEN pile. NOW I realize why it didn't stay in the theaters for very long: it was just bad. There is so much that could have been done with this story to make it much better--I am left with more questions than answers after seeing it, but I really don't care. I'm sorry I wasted my time.

What I am watching (television): The premier episode of Prison Break was on the other night and I think we have a winner. In a lot of ways it is like 24, you have to just go along with the plot and not think too much. There are quite a few very improbable happenings, but what goes on is also very fascinating. I liked the way you could see how the plan was coming together--kind of a window into the main character's mind. If the rest of the episodes are as good as this one, then I will gladly watch for the rest of the season. (There is some gore in the show and I wound up peaking at the screen through my fingers for the last 5 minutes of the episode--I SO did not want to see what was going to happen!)

A Wandering Mind

Just letting my mind do a little bit of wandering:

--Our cat is showing her first signs of getting old: she's starting to drool when she's content.

--At the last minute, K. decided to plant a garden this year. It doesn't seem as if it really matters one way or the other 'cause the chipmunks have taken and chewed on all of the green tomatoes. No BLTs with home grown tomatoes this year.

--There are two movies I REALLY want to see: Serenity (scifi) and March of the Penguins (documentary). Unfortunately, I probably won't get to see either one for almost a year, or whenever they make it to HBO, Showtime, etc.

--I am always battling different kinds of bugs in this house, but this year is really something. We have an infestation of tiny moths, beetles of all sizes, and spiders on steroids. Yep, those spiders have been doing SOMETHING, 'cause they are bigger than they ever have been before.

--The construction continues. What I don't understand is this: Why can't people obey signs? Big signs declare "ROAD CLOSED" and there are barricades across 2/3 of the street, yet people drive right through as if everything was normal. The road is down to (barely) one lane and is open to residents only, but some people seem to think signs don't pertain to them.

--C. and her family were in town and stopped in today. While I love seeing them--the kids are adorable :)--having six extra people in this house is something I am not used to. K. and I lead a very quiet life, just the two of us and the cat, so it is a little unnerving to have that many extra people around. Our place is not child-proofed, so I have to make sure the babies don't get into anything to hurt themselves. K. does his part by carrying whichever little one wants to be carried, just as he did with our kids. By the time they leave, we are exhausted! (And, no, I don't follow the kids around so they don't destroy any of my "precious" stuff, I just worry about them getting hurt.) It would be nice if we could just put things away from their reach, but that is an impossibility--at least we can close doors to SOME of the rooms they don't need to be in!

--We finally had a good thunderstorm today. We really haven't had many storms this year--we are in drought conditions--so it was nice to have rain for a change. Unfortunately the weather is supposed to get hot again this coming week, so we'll have to see if the drought continues.

What I'm Reading, Watching, and Listening To

For the last week or so, I've been reading State of Fear by Michael Crichton. I'm enjoying it quite a bit--but, then, I enjoy all of his books.

The last movie I watched was Miracle. It's the story of the 1980 US Olympic hockey team and their miracle win. A great story done very well.

The last couple of weeks I've been listening to King of the Electric Blues (Muddy Waters) and Howlin' Wolf/Moanin' in the Moonlight (Howlin' Wolf.) Great blues.

Hope you have a great weekend.

Confused

Recently I watched a couple of Quentin Tarantino movies (the sanitized TV versions) and I just don't get it! Critics, as well as others, go on and on about how great his movies are and I fail to see what is so wonderful. Instead of using violence and bad language as devices to move the story along, he uses a (minimal) story to go from one violent act to another, all the while having the characters use language no one I know uses. To me, his movies are all about violence and language and very little in the way of plot or character development. I consider myself fairly intelligent and sophisticated enough for my life-style, but I JUST DON'T GET IT! Maybe I'm just getting too old and conservative to understand.