Legos

Quick post to share this great article about...legos. I just think it is funny; mostly because it is true. And for the record, I usually played legos with my older brother Jason, and I have no idea what we called them...but I know we had names too.

Max was born to be a writer. Can you see why I say that?

In the Waves

I've had lots of ups and downs recently...this buying a home thing is intense. Don't get me wrong, nothing has gone wrong. Just intense.

In the meantime, I've been reading and watching...and dressing up. Yep, I actually participated in Halloween this year, and I have the partially used can of fake blood to prove it. For the record, when you tell someone, without context, that you are going to be a "dead grandma" for Halloween, they look at you kinda strangely and then brush past the subject.

So the story goes that a few friends from work and I have recently (for the last few months actually) been quite enrapt in the world of Sookie Stackhouse. I read all the books, including the short stories last week--that last one was a strange one!, and my friends all read the books and watch True Blood on HBO, which is based on the books. So, we had the brilliant idea to dress up as the characters for Halloween. I was Sookie's poor, murdered grandmother Adele (hence the fake blood), EJ was Sookie, CG was "Foiled Hair" Eric, JG was "Vampy" Pam, JH was "Flapper" Lorena, DH was "Crispy" Bill, AG was Andy Bellefleur, B was Jason Stackhouse, J&N were Sam and Mary Ann. Sorry, you're going to have to bribe me for a picture...

Watch and Read

Had the chance to watch a few movies in the last few weeks.
Two weekends ago I watched The Secret Life of Bees. Pretty good. I started reading the book shortly afterward and it seems the movie followed the book closely.

Then a group of us had a girls' night and watched My Life in Ruins. Nothing new here, but entertaining enough and chock full of beautiful scenery...I think I need to start planning a trip to Greece.

This past weekend I watched Away We Go. Definitely one of the best movies I've seen recently. It felt really fresh. It was a perspective you don't often see in movies--two people actually in love figuring out life together.

And since I mentioned what I'm reading, I will mention that I'm also reading unChristian, which has been illuminating in a way. I don't agree with everything the book puts forth, but the authors make some excellent points. Finding the actions to go along with the new ways my mind views things will be the challenge.

So Exciting!

Baseball. Twins. Win. Awesome.

Until about five years ago, I didn't really like baseball. I'm convinced it was the memories of very little me having to amuse myself at the baseball diamond while my older brother played little league--the game itself didn't interest me at the time, but the dirt under the bleachers might have...

Then a different brother started watching Twins games on TV, and since we both still lived at our parents' house I had no choice but to watch (if I wanted to watch anything, of course).

Then I moved close enough to go to games and started going to games.

And now I listen to games on the radio when I can't watch them cause they are too exciting to not pay attention to!

Which leads to tonight's entertainment: a 12-inning nail biter with the outcome of sending the Twins to the postseason in New York. Go Twins!

October 4, 2009

What I did today
sleep in
eat
bake muffins
paint
listen to the Twins win (while painting)
listen to Veronica Mars season 2 (while painting)
catch up with friends via email and social networking sites
watch The Secret Lives of Bees
put an offer on a condo
proofread

Great day.

It's Officially Fall

Both by the calendar and by the weather (in MN) it is officially fall now. The leaves are even changing. I like the change...opens up a whole new part of my wardrobe.

So, what's been entertaining me recently? Well, lots actually. First, a few links:
Because, yes, I'm a lover of punctuation. Aren't you?
Seriously, who comes up with this stuff? And yes, I kinda want to go.
This is just fascinating and slightly entrancing.

This next one has a story. I work for a publisher and occasionally have to find a photo for a book. We often use Getty. So I was looking for a photo of a gas station in the 1970s (specifically during the gas shortage) and I get about ten photos with this caption: Clapton in a Jumpsuit. Don't believe me? Try it. Refine by date (1970s) and make sure editorial is checked. Made me laugh, so I thought I would share.

I'm now on season 2 of Battlestar Galactica. But as I'm also watching a few new Fall shows (and a couple of old ones) I'm having trouble finding time. On the lineup: Castle, The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother (when I'm home in time), The Good Wife, Glee, The Vampire Diaries, N3mbers, and, well, you get the picture. Been painting too (one for my friend Megan and finishing Bec's) and while doing so rewatched Veronica Mars Season 1. Amazing TV. I highly recommend it to anyone and everyone.

Summer 09

(I'm going to start off pretending like I have been posting all along, cause catching up is mighty daunting seeing as the reason I haven't been posting is that I've been kinda busy...)

Watched 2 movies this last weekend that I had never seen before, but that I had either read the book or watched another version of the story five years ago or so. And with both, I found that my expectations didn't match what was there, but not in positive or negative way, just a different way...that ever happened to you? What I'm trying to say is The Tale of Despereaux and Gypsy were pretty good movies, but the book (by Kate DiCamillo) and the Bette Midler versions (from what I can remember) were way different.

I also did some painting this weekend. I finished a series that I started awhile ago--I finally got around to adding the black outlines to make them look like stained glass. Not perfect, but I'm pretty happy with the result. (Having low expectations of myself helps:)

I also started a set for former roommate Becky (who just moved into her first house; congrats!) I'm trying to put together, with my own unique twist, the art she picked out at a store, the colors she wants to use, and the style she likes. I find this always to be an enjoyable stretching exercise for me. They aren't done yet (just the first step) but I promise to show them once they are.

Update to my summer: I've taken trips to Indiana, Colorado, and Wisconsin already, and will soon be headed to Missouri and later in the summer South Dakota. All of these are planned activities: Indiana was to counsel at a youth conference (great kids, great staff, great program.) Colorado was for a mother/daughter weekend with my mom, aunts, cousin, and some mutual friends--it could also be referred to as Colorado arts weekend as we managed to fit in a play, an arts festival, and a Symphony at Red Rocks in the course of three days. Wisconsin was helping with a youth camp--always fun times. And lets just say "The Next Generation" rocked. Updates on the other trips as they come!

I'm also reading a few books: started the Sookie Stackhouse novels (seriously addictive, I had to make my friend hold onto the next two until I have time to read them), reading another Lauren Willig novel, which so far has been a great addition to the series, and am leisurely making my way through UnChristian. It is a little hard to get into because it brings up a lot of statistics and I'm not used to reading this type of nonfiction, but the information so far has been, let's say needed.

Oh, and I started Battlestar Gallactica a few weeks ago, then had to wait for another disc, and haven't had time to continue. So far, so good.

I've been filling in with Newsweek and Time articles as well as Facebook, Twitter, and the ever-expanding email. Lots of reading, lots of entertainment.

Oh, and when I mentioned trips, I forgot to mention my short travels for two weddings in June. Congratulations to Ross and Jacqueline and Tamar and Nathan. And now, I leave you with this cause I found it entertaining enough to clip out last week.

The Catcher in the Rye

I forgot something in that last post. And instead of editing it in, I'm giving it its own...I'm about 1/2 way through The Catcher in the Rye and I'm not really getting what all the fuss is about. Maybe it just isn't my thing. Part of my dislike is that I don't appreciate all of the swearing and blaspheming, even though I can understand how using that language tells you about the character and informs the atmosphere of the story.

Anyway, one of my friends mentioned that she had compiled a list of books (I believe it was 100) to read. (I think there was a caveat here, like 100 books to read in the next year, or some such thing, but I don't remember...) She said just compiling the list was challenging and fun; she tried to include books that she was "supposed to have read" in school and classics and popular new novels and nonfiction (I think on that last one.) Oh, and I realize that made it sound like she didn't read what she was supposed to in school, but I think she actually meant books that her schools didn't read that other people's had them read. Anyway, the point of this second paragraph is that The Catcher in the Rye would have been on that list because I feel like this coming of age story would best be read while actually coming of age instead of after you realize how stupid you used to be :)

Negligence pt 2

The negligence continues...life has been busy. And yet, it is one of those things that when people ask me "with what?" I struggle to answer. Bizarre. I guess the short answer is I have a lot of little things to do which fill all the time without being interesting to anyone other than me. Plus I am looking for a condo; although that has been more mental effort than physical effort recently. It sure is stressful. Oh, and work has been busy...

Anyway, new stuff...
I watched Thirteen, Whale Rider, and Spiderman 3 in the last few weeks. Unfortunately, I had to piecemeal the first two. They were both really good movies, albeit Thirteen was hard to watch, especially for someone who wasn't tempted by those vices in junior high, high school, college...or ever. But it was definitely worthwhile to open my eyes to what others go through. Whale Rider was culturally interesting and made me think about gender roles. Spiderman 3 was about what I expected...which wasn't much...and, yes, I did fall asleep and have to rewind.

TV
Lost. Loved the finale. Others were disappointed by the white light and wanted another scene. I thought it was perfect. My favorite part: Rose and Bernard. The writers look at what people want and then give it to them in their own special way. Fabulous.
The rest of my TV watching is pretty much on hold now for the summer. I don't really watch reality TV on a regular basis...

Music
I've been on a crazy music binge recently. (This means I need to stop letting myself go shopping; see above mention of my spending tens of thousands of dollars in the near future...) Top two: Eric Hutchinson and Mat Kearney. I'm very much a mood listener though, so some of the others may pop up to the top in the near future.

Paintings
I painted this for my friends Kate and Rob for their wedding (I hope they like it!) Kate, and now Rob, like to swing dance...


New Things
Trying new things is one of my favorite ways to be entertained (even if I never do it again.) This past weekend, I had the opportunity to play paintball with some friends of mine (and a few people I barely know.) It was very, very fun. And exhausting. And a little painful. Jon or Joel mentioned that the really direct hits aren't quite as painful as getting punched, but pretty close...well, I've never been punched, but now I think I have a good idea of what it feels like. :) I don't think I will feel the need to play very often, but I hope to play again someday. Related note: Nathan, one of the guys I played with, sent this link today:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8067908.stm
Read it. It's funny and thought provoking...and the comments that I read were pretty high caliber, which is not always the case...

So, while I haven't been posting much, I have been busy finding entertaining things to share. Doesn't that make it all better?

Negligence

I've been very negligent. And now I will have to catch up, which will be even more time consuming than usual because my memory isn't that great (hence starting this blog) so I will have to retrace a few steps to figure out what has been entertaining me recently. Let's go for the current highlights and I will work my way back:

Music: Mat Kearney has a new album coming out in May. The single is awesome and I'm looking forward to the new record. Listen here.

TV: After watching very little TV for the last eight months or so, I have suddenly become much more engrossed again. Top picks are Lost (still) and Castle and The Unusuals (more on those at a later date.)

Books: I went on a self-imposed fiction fast for Lent, reading only news magazines, specifically Newsweek and Time. Some great articles and a lot of not so happy news. Sometimes you just have to say "ugh." I decided to reenter the world of fiction on Easter Monday with Wuthering Heights, a classic that I had not read. This doesn't really up the good news factor, but I'm almost done and the ending promises to have a glimmer. Next up is a book my uncle wrote about growing up in South Dakota in the 1930s and 1940s, It Takes Cow Chips to Make Dinner. Should be interesting.

Internet: I joined Twitter and am finding it fascinating. I haven't figured out all of the ins and outs yet, but let's just say the entertainment factor is make or break based on who you are following. JM is random and funny, which I find wildly entertaining. I also watched a video of a Charlie Rose interview with The Dave Matthews Band tonight. Charlie Rose is special. It's just him and a guest talking and yet his fascination and adept questioning just draw me in every time. Still, I don't manage to figure out when he is on normally...Finally, I discovered, when looking for info on new albums, that John Mayer is chronicling the writing of his forthcoming album on a newly-revamped sight. I love this kind of insider stuff. Creative people and the creative industries fascinate and entertain me, and I like to get inside their creative sphere...if you feel the same, check it out.

Movies: There has been more than this, but the most recent is Traitor. Don Cheadle and Guy Pearce are great actors and this movie was wonderfully layered and honest. Worth a second watch when I have more time to devote more attention. I also recently watched HSM3 with my roommates--another example of cheesy entertainment at its best. I preferred the first one I think, but this one had its moments too.

Output: I inherited (in a manor of speaking) a guitar. And now I want to learn how to play it. It is a goal for the coming year.

As a last gift, I bring you a link to hilarity that my roommate shared with me.

Best Buffy Yet and more great Lost

I watched an episode of Buffy today that was quite possibly one of the best 44 minutes of television ever. It was worth all 5 1/2 seasons that went before. Normal Again by Diego Gutierrez (yes, I looked that up) was awesome. Buffy drifts between her world and a world where her parents and together and she is...insane. Awesome. The acting was great. Enough said.

Lost season 5 did a little throwback this week. This episode, rather than paranormal time traveling and flipping between the 6 and the rest focused on Locke and led the audience through his most recent travels...ala season 1. I very much enjoyed the twists and the unanswered questions. There were also some major dagger through the heart moments. Gut-wrenching. Great TV.

Oscars, Lost, Mentalist, and bad reality TV

I watched the Oscars on Sunday. I'm not sure when the last time I watched an entire Awards show was, but it has been awhile. It always helps to know someone who really cares and talks about it so you know what is going on (thanks, Jen!) It also helps to have your roommates watch with you so you can talk about gowns, crazy speeches, and lame cut shots of exes.

My biggest feeling after watching the Oscars: wanting to be a part of an inclusive group like that again...really collaborative...team-like. I was on a lot of teams and in a lot of groups in my younger years...I kinda miss that. Plus, I think working on movies would be incredibly fun hard work.

Becky (one of the aforementioned roommates) wanted me to mention The Mentalist because every time she has that show on it sucks me in...he is just so charismatic and interesting; his interpersonal skills are so unique; and he is so cute. He is also surrounded by amusing side characters. Still, I haven't made the leap into knowing when it is on to keep watching...

I do, however, make a date for Lost each week. (No, not an actually date, but I know when it is on even if I can't watch it then...) This season has been great from my point of view. I'm excited they are back and can't wait to see what crazy things the producers have cooked up...somehow I don't think they are in the same time as the other survivors yet, but I've been wrong before. I was right, however, in my guess that the helicopter pilot, Frank, was the pilot on the Ajira flight--I could not have been more excited, as everyone I talked to about the show in the last week will tell you (since I made sure to point this fact out to them.)

Bad reality TV--yep, I'm still embarrassed, but my roommates and I watched the finale of True Beauty this week (at least its over!) It was painful, but at least the person we thought should win did: she was, in essence, the least vain person in the house. I was mildly shocked when I realized how little intelligence the finalists had. For some reason, I think the average person is brighter than they are--must be because I have so many highly intelligent roommates, friends, and family members. :)

Buffy

I'm not sure if I have mentioned this before, but I've been slowly watching my way through all seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Joss Whedon is a genius and somewhat infuriating, which I think he would enjoy...

I'm about half way through season 6, and I recently watched the musical episode (well, listened is more accurate...) and I need to rewatch it (or so says Jen, who loaned me the DVDs.) It was entertaining and I can't help but marvel at the writer's (ready Joss Whedon's, but I know there are a few others too) ability to do a show like this based on the type of show they have (it easily works into the series because crazy it what the series does.) The singing of many of the cast members was not top notch, but the fact that they were doing it was pretty much amazing. I will revisit the topic after a second viewing.

A couple good and a blah

Let's see...what have I watched recently?

Last weekend I experienced The Good Shepherd. Very intriguing. I might have to watch it again to see if I understood it. Matt Damon did a great job--I could never understand what his covert ops character was thinking when I wasn't supposed to. I also came to the realization that I would make a horrible spy. I can't handle never being able to trust anyone.

The second movie of the weekend Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. I thought I knew what to expect, but it was much better than that. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would watch it again, although I'm pretty sure I won't any time soon. Afterall, there are so many out there...

Last night my roommate and I watched Nights in Rodanthe, which was exactly what I expected. It wasn't surprising and it wasn't enthralling (my roommate found it very slow but it also isn't her type of movie). I didn't get drawn into the story at all really...so this goes in the "not gonna watch it again" pile.

output

So I do a lot of inputting...movies, music, TV...I love it all. But occasionally I do some outputting. I try to find my creative side. I'm working with a friend on writing more (although not well...) and I've been painting. Here is my most recent creation (although I may add the words, elegantly of course, "Light of life"). I have a follow-up/companion piece in my head, but we shall see...

I'm also considering doing a version of the four seasons...four paintings (squares that could be hung in a square) of the same scene in the four seasons. I'm not sure I could pull it off; but what do you think, should I try?

Reality TV

I don't really like reality TV. I've only watched Project Runway and Top Chef on a regular basis. But I can get sucked into just about anything for an hour once in awhile...which is why I spent about 40 minutes tonight watching True Beauty. It is kind of a train wreck--not really all that compelling, completely fake, and painfully entertaining. Of course, watching it with roommates always makes it more entertaining, so if you are gonna give it a try, I recommend watching it with others. Then at least you can scoff together.

finishing up

So, Sunday...

First movie: Tyler Perry's Daddy's Little Girls. I gotta admit I liked it and would even consider watching it again. The "bad guy" of the movie was a little over the top, but the two main characters were interesting and dynamic.

Second movie: Wanted. I wasn't really sure what to expect since I hadn't heard a lot about it, but I enjoyed it. There was enough to figure out and fast enough action to engage the audience. It did start out a little slow, but was worth it in the end. My roommate liked it enough that she has already declared she will be buying it.

Intermission entertainment: a few episodes of How I Met Your Mother, Season 1. Funny show I always enjoy. It was a little strange to go back to the beginning though...

Third movie (yes, three in one day :) Underworld. I've seen this movie before, so obviously I enjoyed it enough to watch it again. It always makes me wish I could jump out of third-floor window and land perfectly on my feet. Yeah, I see bones breaking instead too...

Movies galore

It was a busy weekend on the movie front (thanks to my roommate :)

I started out with The Duchess. Kiera Knightly isn't my favorite actress, but she does to a good job. The movie was well-acted--I liked who I was supposed to and hated who I was supposed to. The layers were there for the characters. The costumes and sets were fabulous. But, the movie was depressing. I got to the end and I was just sad. End result: won't be viewing this one again soon.

Saturday had a return engagement of Down Periscope. This is one of the movies I own. When it came out oh-so-many-years ago, I thought it looked stupid, but my brother got me to watch it, and it is indeed a very funny movie. Purchase-worthy indeed.

Second movie of the double Saturday feature was Blood and Chocolate. I didn't know much about this movie going in--just watch the Blockbuster envelope said. I found it pretty entertaining and wouldn't count out watching it again at some point. Interesting point: the main actor, Hugh Dancy, got engaged to Claire Danes this week.

more weekend movies next post...

Colbert Report

I don't actually get Comedy Central (it's a shame, I know...) so I don't get to watch the Colbert Report. But this video I linked to on a publishing blog this week had me laughing out loud. So I thought I would share: Steve Martin and Colbert duke it out using Danielle Steele and a banjo and guitar. Entertaining stuff.

N3mbers

I have always loved TV, but recently I have slowed down, partially due to the distraction of some excellent reading (see previous post) and partially because it hasn't been keeping my interest. Really, the only show I make sure to watch any more is Lost. The only other show I have watched on a regular basis is N3mbers, which has a great dynamic and some crazy math and a slew of interesting side players. My appreciation of this show, along with Big Bang Theory (which I only get to watch when my regular Friday plans fall through), led me to a revelation--I like watching smart people. Someone finally figured out that smart people deserve to be on TV as something other than nerds with highwater pants and big black glasses. I'm very happy about it. Happy viewing.

Stephanie Plum

My Janet Evanovich obsession is nearing its hiatus. I have one and a half of the between the numbers books left and then I have to wait with the rest of the world until she writes another one. That means I read all 14 books in the series plus 3 of the 4 extra ones in about 5 weeks. Yikes! These books are massively entertaining and I'm sure at some point I will re-read them all--maybe multiple times. They have a few minuses to them--beware if you dislike strong language or some sexual content--but the pluses, mostly the colorful characters, are very strong.

Camp Rock!

Remember my love of cheesy movies? Yeah, this is in that delightful category too. You groan at least 5 times, and you can't quite handle some of the line delivers...but I still love it. This wasn't a well-acted movie, but much of the music was catchy (the finale was a little disappointing) and the singers had very nice voices. No repeat viewing necessary.

Weekend Viewing

It is always strange to watch a classic movie--you hear enough about it, but no details. So when I watched Psycho, the Bates motel was kinda familiar, and I knew Norman was crazy (the title kind of clues you in) but I still couldn't quite go with my gut. I thought maybe his mom really was dead, but I kept second guessing myself. I guess that's the brilliance of Hitchcock. No repeat viewing scheduled.

Pride was your typical triumphant sports movie--figure out who you are, bind together to overcome, and challenge the assumptions of others. Decent movie, nothing exceptional. Don't feel the need to ever watch it again.

And finally, as a bonus, I watched Another Cinderella Story. First of all, I love cheesy movies. But they need to have a twist--too predictable and I feel like I wasted my time. So some of the plot details must be different. I was pleasantly surprised that this one moved forward pretty quickly. "Prince Charming" was more together than he often is--it drives me nuts when he runs into the girl 8 times before tying it all together. This movie was pretty much what I expected and managed to pleasantly surprise me. Probably won't be watching it again, but won't shut the door on it.

LOST!

Love it. Love it. And I'm very excited the new season started this week. My favorite part of this show...trying to figure out what in the world is going on! I love the confusion. And I'm confident that when it is all said and done, the creators will let us in on all of the secrets. I'm considering a serious fest at some point after all is done: one week, 6 seasons, a little exercise, and lots of food! (No working allowed.)

And while I'm on the subject, the guy at EW.com, Doc Jensen, has an amazing recap every week (Thanks, Jen!). If I were more insightful, I would fight him for his job :)

Janet E, Stephenie Meyer, and C.S. Lewis

I recently started reading (due to the encouragement of a friend) the Janet Evanovich series about Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter extraordinaire. These books are seriously addictive, as is evidenced by my being on book 7 after approximately 15 days of having them. Mostly they are just funny. She is inept; the men are gorgeous; the criminals are ready to shoot, maim, and slap. Overall, very entertaining.

Also on the hit list currently...Stephenie Meyer's tag on to the Twilight Series, Midnight Sun. It got leaked, she posted it so that people like me could read it without feeling guilty about it being out there without permission (gotta love that.) I only read one chapter (I read the saga about 6 weeks ago) but it is already fantastic...and this is without editing. She has yet to finish it, but with what I've read so far, even after reading the rest, I'm sure I will purchase this as a companion to the rest of the series. Fabulous!

I'm also reading The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis with a few friends. So far, it is hazy. It hasn't gotten discussion going yet, but I have great hopes for next week.

Bride Wars

Some of my female friends and I went out to see Bride Wars today (one of who is engaged and a few of whom are married.) Not sure what the concensus was from the other ladies, but I thought it was decent. It didn't fall into many of the pitfalls of typical female comedies, but it didn't rise too far above either. I enjoyed it, but probably won't feel the need to see it again soon.

Getting Started

I'm a consumer. I love media of all kinds. So this blog is my attempt to keep track of all of the things I listen to, read, watch, visit and create. I'm easily entertained, so let the entertainment begin...