Elizabethtown - it's all in the timing

I just re-watched Elizabethtown tonight.

It's not a great movie, and the first time I saw it I thought - meh, it's ok.
This time around I liked it a little more.

I'm not sure why, but it's been about 8 years since the last time I saw it.  Really when you think about it - a lot's changed in 8 years.  With me, with my life, with the world - all that junk.

It's funny how when we change, the way we see things change.  You can read a book, watch a movie, or meet a person - and everything is different.  You experience it completely differently than you did before!  It's certainly not something you think of at the time, but the second time around you think:  Man, I can totally relate to this movie.  Or man, this person GETS ME.  Or holy shit - why didn't I see this before?  It was right in front of my face!

Anyway, it's just funny.  Funny how things change.  How we change.

I liked this movie better the second time around.  The way they dealt with death.  With family.  With the insecurities that come with love - and the security that comes from finding someone who gets you.  It's kind of beautiful when you see it that way.

And it made me want to go on a road trip - really bad!  Ha!

You should check it out if you want a nice melancholy movie with a damn good soundtrack.  :)  It's a nice distraction.  Enjoy it.

America the Beautiful 2 - and thoughts on body image

Last night I watched the documentary America the Beautiful 2: The Thin Commandments. If you remember, I've actually watched the original documentary America the Beautiful, and I really enjoyed it!  This one was pretty eye opening as well. 

Now, there are some things that got me frustrated about how Darryl Roberts approached this.  In the beginning it seemed as though he was supporting people being overweight - whether they were healthy or not.  

But as the film progressed I realized that he was actually making a really good point.  Diets don't work.  I'm living proof.  I've been on every diet possible (South Beach, Weight Watchers, Total Body Transformation, etc.), and I've always either gained the weight back - or MORE than when I started.  The people out there who can actually lose weight and keep it off by dieting is a very small number.  He goes on to argue this point, and I definitely agreed with him. 

What annoyed me is how he tried to do the "Raw Food Diet", and how he couldn't even bring himself to eat the food (or even try to enjoy it).  I know that the DIET can be difficult, but I truly believe that most of what that "diet" preaches is probably what we should be eating.  Low sodium, lots of veggies & fruits, low or no dairy, no animals, etc.  I think the reason why he hated it so much was because he was used to eating high sodium CRAP with no nutrients!  Of course it will taste weird at first, because your taste buds and your body have been overloaded with shit your entire life!  Ugh - that was frustrating.  

But many of the other points he brought up were very valid, and very interesting.  Especially the part he brought up about BMI and how that measurement is out dated, and kind of ridiculous in determining if you're actually overweight or not!  I didn't even know that they lowered the original "normal" BMI number that they had in the 70's.  It used to be 28, and now it's around 24 (at the high end)!  If I had been born back then, my weight would have been NORMAL in the 70's, but now I'm considered overweight.  Are you kidding me? 

They also had a great interview with a professional dancer that just happens to be a bigger girl.  She was saying that it's fascinating how our culture loves "thin" so much, that no matter how unhealthy the person, they're OK.  They're not bothered - they're still seemingly "healthy" even if they eat like crap and never work out.  But the heavier person, who is actually healthy - is looked at as unhealthy.  This girl who works out 5x a week, eats healthfully but just happens to be larger is criticized because of her size.  So interesting, and so sad.  

I was obsessed with dieting at one point in my life.  I actually started a blog about one of my other many diet attempts, which is where this comparison picture comes from: 

Yeah, that picture on the left?  I was the thinnest I've ever been - 135 pounds.  I worked out obsessively.  All I ate was chicken, broccoli, and maybe a different vegetable every now and then.  No fruits - fruit was sugar and that's all I saw it as.  

I also smoked a pack of cigarettes a day. 

In the picture on the right (which is basically the size I am now - my natural size), I was practicing Roller Derby at least 4x a week.  I was eating a healthy vegetarian diet, but still enjoying pizza & ice cream every now & then.  I also stopped smoking. 

Yet when I looked at these pictures, I was dissapointed.  I beat myself up over my lack of discipline.  Only because I wasn't "thin".

Now that I've finally learn to love my body the way it is, I know that I was one of the many American women that fell victim to societal judgement.  I'm so glad that I finally learned that I'm beautiful just the way I am - and that I don't have to kill myself with crazy restrictive dieting or over-exercising to be healthy and happy.  

Watching this documentary kind of helped confirm that for me.  I hope that everyone can learn this about themselves in one way or another!!  You are amazing and beautiful!!  Yes exercise, healthy foods, and healthy mind are all VERY important parts of living your life to the fullest.  But being "thin" isn't necessarily the key to it all. 

And there's my two cents, folks! :) 

America the Beautiful - great documentary!

Over the weekend I watched a very interesting documentary on Netflix called "America the Beautiful". 

This film was a really great look into why Americans (specifically American women), are so obsessed with beauty and looks.  It's shocking, funny, and also a bit frightening. 

It made me think of having a very blunt discussion with a typical American man (if they were being blunt as well): 

Me:  "Why don't you find me attractive?"
Man:  "Your tummy is too big, and your thighs are large."
Me:  "Why is that unattractive?"
Man:  "Because you don't look like Gisele, or like a hot actress.  They have flat stomachs and thin legs."
Me:  "And why are they beautiful, and not me?"
Man:  "Because they just ARE."
Me:  "But why are flat stomachs and thin legs beautiful, but not full tummies and round thighs?"
Man:  "Uhhhhhmmmm...."

It dives into topics like this, as well as eating disorders, self-esteem issues, the advertising industry, the make-up industry, etc.  One of the parts that I found the most fascinating was when they were talking about how up until 1995 (I think), Fiji did not have television.  They valued full rounded bodies, because that meant you were healthy, and fed well.  In just two years after finally getting television their perspectives had changed, and suddenly women wanted to be thinner, and men wanted them that way too.  In just two years.  No WONDER we're so messed up - we've been being fed this crap for over 50 years!


It also kind of made me want to throw out all of my makeup and start over!  It's shocking the amount of cancer-causing agents that are found in makeups and skin products (lotions, etc.), that are not banned in the US.  Since Europe started regulating the chemicals put in cosmetics, they've banned over 460 harmful ingredients from being allowed into those products.  So far, the FDA has banned 6.  SIX.  

The plastic surgery, and the young girls wanting to get it done was shocking as well.  What are we teaching our young girls??  It's awful!  

I also realized that this video that I loved so much was actually a clip from this film!  Ha! 

Anyway, I'd highly recommend this film to men & women alike.  It's well researched, informative, and really opened my eyes to a lot of things I've been thinking about lately.   Here is a link to the trailer if you want to check it out!

If you look back through my blog, you'll probably notice that I've struggled a lot with weight, the number on the scale going up & down, and my body image (as most American women do).  But once I started thinking more about what BEAUTY really is (especially with the fact that I'm getting my head shaved soon), I really started thinking - what is beautiful to me?  

Beauty can be on the outside, yes, but if not combined with inner beauty it dissapears.  Beauty is in the heart, the mind, the soul.  It is in the brightness of smiles and eyes.  It's in kindness and goodness.  It's in happiness.  

I have been thinking about it more and more, before I even found out about this documentary.  And I realized, I'm beautiful - exactly the way I am.  I know this might seem like an easy thing for people to say, but for me to say it AND truly believe it is a huge step for me.  I think the film explained it well when a mother said "how is a girl supposed to think when all her life she hears her mother - the woman she looks up to most - say how her tummy is too big, that she needs to lose weight... then she looks in the mirror and says, 'I look like that too'."  It's not just my mom though - I'm a product of this society.  I've been told all my life by movies, television, magazines that I'm NOT beautiful.  

I would throw out my bathroom scale, but I know John likes to use it sometimes - so I'm just not going to use it anymore.  That thing has only brought me pain and dissapointment, and I'm sick and tired of beating myself over that number going up one digit.  It's just insane, and I'm over it!

After 31 years of being bombarded by all of it, I've decided to let it go.  I will no longer get depressed when I open a magazine, turn on the TV, or watch a movie.  I will wear things that hug my curves, and who cares if they show a little of my wobbly bits here & there!  I will embrace my body and love it for all of the flaws, because really - who decided they were flaws anyway!?  Not me!! 

Please watch this documentary, and think about all of this yourself too.  
Love your tree.  Love yourself.  
You are beautiful.  

Sherlock Holmes & other goings on

Last night I watched "Sherlock Holmes: Game of Shadows" for the first time. 

Personally, I thought the first film was pretty darn great and a ton of fun.  And this one definitely did not leave me dissapointed!  It was clever, funny, mysterious, full of action and fantastic special effects / camera work - I loved it! 

I've never read any of the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle stories of the infamous Sherlock Holmes.  However, my sister has and she claims that these films have been pretty darn true to form.  She said "you know how he solves parts of the mystery without you knowing it, then they go back and tell you what he did and how he figured it out?  Yah, that's totally how they do it in the stories too!"  Pretty freakin' cool. 

And am I wrong, or is Robert Downey, Jr still sexy as hell??  Maybe it's just that he's the protagonist and the hero, yet can still make fun of himself.  And he looks quite dashing with a bit of grey and a few wrinkles if you ask me.  

ANYhoodle, it was fun and I'd highly recommend it.  In fact, I'll probably watch it again soon since John still hasn't seen it, and I kind of told him I'd watch it with him.  Whoops. :) 

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Other than that, things have been pretty low-key lately!  John has been spending some time in the mountains biking and working with a friend, and I've been having a lot of lazy days at home (watching movies, Felicity, the Olympics, reading, etc). 

OH, and I finished "Eat Pray Love" which I really enjoyed!  Wonderful book!  

This weekend?  MORE CAMPING and I totally can't wait.  I really hope we can have a campfire (it's what I'm expecting now, so it would suck if we couldn't).  And even MORE CAMPING next weekend!!  Yep, two weekends in a row - I'm totally stoked.  And I'm realizing how much camping equipment I still need to invest in.  Haha! 

Ready for the weekend / Current thoughts

The last few days have been pretty lazy for me, and I've been loving it.  After the craziness of this past weekend (that came out of NOWHERE - in a good way, of course), I needed some relaxing time.  

John and I have been watching the Olympics in amazement, and snuggling with Fudge a bunch (much to his dismay).  He purrs even when he is upset.  Silly kitty!

I have also been spending a lot of time catching up on books I've been wanting to read.  Lately I've been snuggling up with Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert.  I know, I know - I'm like 5 years late.  But so far I'm really enjoying it, and I'm glad I picked it up!  

She's a really great writer, and I really feel like I can relate to her.  Well, I've never been through a divorce, but I can understand where she is in her life - feeling like she's lost, trying to find out who she is and what she wants, trying to grow and be a better person, and dealing with all of the things that you start thinking about after you hit 30 (should I have children? what am I doing with my life?), etc.

I think it's a lot of fun, clever, and heartwarming.  I heard the movie isn't great, but I'm still going to watch it when I've finished reading the book. 

Since I've been walking to work lately, I also just finished listening to another book - Outliers by Malcom Gladwell.  It was FASCINATING, and really well written.  I can't imagine reading it in book-form (it may have been difficult for me to stay focused), but it was great in audio-book-form.  

It really makes you think about how circumstances, luck, when you were born, your background, where you grew up, who your parents were - ALL of that - really plays into who you are and what you become.  He talks about how these extraordinary people may have great minds (the ones we call "geniuses"), but in reality, we aren't as far away from them as we thought.  

If you're ready to have your mind blown, and many "a-HA! that makes sense!" moments - definitely check out this book.  It was for our book club last month, and I totally slacked on reading it - haha!  But it was awesome! 

Last night I had the night to myself (John was bowling), so I ate some Ben & Jerry's, had a beer and some leftover perogis, and watched Underworld: Awakening.  I really enjoyed the other Underworld movies - the stories are great, the action is fun, and hey, it's vampires & werewolves!  Can't beat that! 

I was wondering if they would slack off on the story since this is the 3rd Underworld movie in the series (technically "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" that came out after the 2nd film was a prequel to the first film).  Yes, I'm a nerd.  I love these movies.  But they didn't slack - and it was actually pretty good!  Some interesting twists, fun action, and lots of vampire / werewolf goodness.  

They (of course) left it open-ended, so I'm sure we'll be getting a 4th installment soon.  But I'm sure I'll be more than happy to watch that one too! 

And lastly, I've been watching Felicity all over again on Netflix! 
Kendra totally reminded me of the wonderfulness of this show - I loved it when I was in High School, and I'm kind of loving it all over again now!  I've only watched probably the first 5 episodes for now, but it is making me so darn happy, it's kind of ridiculous.  I love seeing all the late-90's fashions again (just as I did when I re-watched "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"), and it's so fun to get to know the characters again.  

I love how at the end of every episode there's a slow-motion-walking-through-new-york sequence too.  Never noticed it before, but it cracks me up every time!  Ha! 


I've also had some other things on my mind lately... 

Hiking & camping!  We have 2 more camping trips coming up very soon, and I'm SO excited for them.
We're planning to do two 14ers over the two weekends we go, so that should be quite the challenge.  I really hope we can have a fire this time, but with all the rain we have been getting in the evenings I'm thinking we should be okay.  I would hate to go the whole summer without having a campfire!

  
NYC!  My cousin Cody and his girlfriend Danielle are getting married in October, which means I FINALLY get to take a real vacation!  WOOHOO!  John is coming with me, and we get to stay with my sister Amber which I'm totally thrilled about of course.  I got my tickets booked, and I CAN'T WAIT!

And, of course....
BOOKS, BOOKS BOOKS!

I stopped by the library on my way home from work this week, and I got a little carried away (especially since I'm still reading Eat, Pray, Love)!

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho is our next book club book, and I'm really excited to read it.  I actually can't believe I haven't read it YET!  But it's gonna be a good one I'm sure.

I also picked up The Gates by John Connoly.  He wrote The Book of Lost Things - one of my most favorite book club reads!  I don't know where I'll find the time... but I'm reading it!

I can't leave the library without browsing through the cookbooks, so I picked up At My Grandmother's Knee - a cookbook with hand-me-down classic Southern-style recipes.  So far everything looks amazing!

 
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! 

All images (that are not my personal photos), are from Pinterest.

No Impact Man!

I rented the documentary film No Impact Man from the library recently, and last night I watched it.  If you haven't heard of it, it's about a man and his family living in New York City that decided to waste less and go without their regular luxuries for an entire year - not only to see the impact that it made on the planet, but how it would effect others - and to see if it was even possible to live that green!  

Here is the trailer: 




Honestly, I thought the film was very inspiring.  I think a lot of people are intimidated by making green choices in their lives, and they think that they need to go to the extreme like he did.  But really, it doesn't take much.  And after watching this film, I realized I could be doing more. 

I have been doing things little-by-little to make my life more green, and to tread lightly on the earth.  

Here are a few things that I've taken on over the past 5-years or so (that you could do too if you feel inspired!): 

- I went vegetarian (Meat production is one of the biggest pollutants on the planet)

- I stopped driving my car so much (I try to bike / walk as much as possible, and if I need to go farther ride my scooter)

- I bring a to-go cup with me to coffee shops and have them fill it (instead of wasting a paper cup)

- I always carry a re-useable water bottle

- I bring my own bags to the grocery store at all times (even if I have to walk back to the car because I forgot them), and if I don't have a bag with me I still ask for no plastic bag (and try to shove everything in my purse instead)

- I try to turn off lights and unplug appliances as much as I can (I'm always following John around the house and switching off lights as I go)

- I've started buying beans, rice, and other foods in bulk to save on packaging 

- I go to the Farmer's Market during summer & fall for all of my fruits & veggies, and buy local

- Most of the time I follow the toilet-flushing rule of "yellow, let it mellow - brown, flush it down" to cut back on water waste

- John and I have started composting our food scraps

- I have made the move to washable cloth handkerchiefs (instead of tissues, even though John still thinks it's gross)  

- I try to shop at thrift stores or do clothing exchanges instead of buying new clothing and accessories 

- We use cloth napkins, cloth dish towels, and sponges as much as possible (instead of paper towels)

- I buy natural cleaning products (although after watching this film I realized it's frustrating that we can't re-fill  them, and I'm still using a lot of packaging)

- I make my own vegetable broth now instead of buying the packaged kind with our leftover veggie scraps.  I keep them in the freezer in a container until I have enough to boil, then after using them I put them in re-used glass jars, and compost the scraps!

Just to name a few things! 

But after watching this movie, I realized there's still more that I could be doing.  I mean, I know that I work hard at being green and not being wasteful.  As the film pointed out, we're a consumer culture - and right now we have all been taught since childhood to throw things away because it's unsanitary not to.  We're a disposable culture, and it's killing our planet.  

No Impact Man (Colin Beavan), and his adorable little girl!

I guess it made me think of the other things that I could be working on more.  I need to stop using the damn plastic bags that are provided for bulk products, and for produce.  Ugh - plastic everywhere!!  For something that we make so disposable, why do we make it out of PLASTIC - that NEVER decomposes!!  It doesn't make any sense.  I'm going to get mesh / cheesecloth bags to bring with me from now on instead, and just keep them with my grocery bags.  


Also, even though it takes a while for us to use them, I hate that we still get paper towels.  We could easily get some more dish towels and re-use them over & over - just wash them in between!  I'm going to work on that too. 


I want to ride my bike / walk more.  I already do it a lot, but I'm going to make less excuses about it.  I want my scooter to be last resort, and I want my car to be VERY last resort (I mean, hailing or a freakin' snowstorm. Or if I'm being chased by bears).  I want to take the train instead of driving, and carpool more as well. 


I also would like to work on buying less packaged goods.  I feel like I've made a big step over the past few years with making the move to non-canned beans (and cooking them myself from bulk), but I'd like to move towards also making my own spaghetti sauce (which is pretty darn easy), and my own soups more often too.  It's not hard to do these things, it just takes a little planning!  And I'm pretty good at planning (most of the time). ;)


And last (but not least), I would like to work harder at eating seasonally, and buying locally as much as possible.  I am pretty good about this with fruit as I usually don't even like how fruit tastes when it's out of season.  But I could be better about my veggies, and learn how to love my root veggies in the winter time, and wait for the peaches when they come in season!  


Now, if only I could figure out how to get John to cut back on eating so many bananas! ;)  

What are YOU doing to help the planet, and make things better for the next generation? 



Here is a link to the No Impact Man blog for more information!

First Hike of the Season! (and Insanity progress)

Yesterday Stacey & I went up to Frisco to do a hike up to Lilly Pad Lake!  

It was such a beautiful day - the boys went snowboarding at Breckenridge's last day of the season, and we decided to do our first hike of the season instead.  We brought some snacks, and hit the trail. 

I absolutely love this hike.  It was one of the first ones I did with my family when we first moved to Colorado, and this is probably the 4th or 5th time I've done it.  It's only about 1.5 miles to the lake, so 3 miles roundtrip.  And the scenery is just gorgeous! 

The weather was PERFECT too!  Not too hot, with a bit of a chilly breeze (but not too chilly).  It was gorgeous, and I had an awesome time. 

When we got to the lake we stopped for lunch.  I brought a sandwich (on a Rudi's Organic sandwich flat - only 1 Weight Watchers point!), with romaine lettuce, ricotta cheese, mushrooms, mustard, and roasted red peppers.  I also had an apple and some granola.  YUM. 

Stacey on our little lunch break by the lake! 

For some reason there were a lot of downed trees on the path this time - I think from the thunderstorms and wind that have been whipping through the area lately.  So we had to climb over some trees & such - it was quite an adventure.  Stacey decided to ride one like a cowgirl.  Hilarious. :) 

Our little dirt path of happiness. 

I drove home afterwards - it wasn't a terribly hard hike, but I was pretty exhausted!  My legs were still tingling from the walk - it was a great workout. 

Of course I had to come home and do my Insanity workout afterward - that was rough!  Haha!  But I totally did it. ;)

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Speaking of which, as far as my progress with the INSANITY workouts go - I'm just over 2-weeks in (17 days to be exact)!  It's still hard as heck, but I'm pushin' on through.  I took my measurements, and my weight after beginning a couple of weeks ago - and I've got some great news! 

I'm down 5 more pounds (WOOT), which means I'm now down a TOTAL of 15 pounds since the beginning of the year.  YEAH!  

I'm also down a 1/2 an inch around my chest, a 1/2 an inch around my waist, and a FULL INCH around my hips!  Holy moly!  After 2 weeks!! 

Now again, I am combining the workouts with eating right - I've started Weight Watchers again (basically picked up from when I used to do their Core plan), and that's definitely sped up my results.  Remember, eating makes up 70% of your weight loss - the other 30% is activity! 

I think the best part about this so far is that my clothes are fitting me better.  My jeans don't pinch, and my t-shirts are starting to hang looser around my tummy.  It's AWESOME! 
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After my crazy workout, I finally got to relax.  I watched Inception for the 4th time (LOVE that movie!!), and when I found out The Cutting Edge was on Netflix - I had to watch that one too!! 

I'd totally forgotten how great this movie is.  It's kind of a classic from my childhood!  It's actually really witty - some of the one-liners still crack me up.  I may need to watch Blades of Glory again too, just because of how much fun I had with this one! 

Hope you all had an AWESOME weekend! :) 

 

Cabin in the Woods - is TOTALLY AWESOME!!

John was out of town for a little while, so when he got back yesterday we decided to have a real date night!  We got some dinner at our favorite lil' Mexican restaurant, Benny's, then we went to go see Cabin in the Woods. 

HOLY CRAPNUTS.  It was AWESOME!!

Click Here to watch the trailer.

My older sister went to see it last week, and LOVED it which totally sold it for me.  She is NOT a scary movie person.  Well, she secretly loves them, but she's a big ol' scaredy cat.  The last time I was visiting her it took a lot of convincing to get her to go see the new Fright Night with me - and she had a lot of fun in the end. ;)

So when I heard that she thought it was awesome, I had to go check it out.

And it was. Totally. Awesome.

Let me revise - it's totally awesome if you are the type of person that loves dark humor.  That kind of likes scary movies already, loves a good twist, great comic relief, clever & witty writing style, and can laugh when the gore turns ridiculous.  I should have known that I would be destined to love this movie when I found out it was co-written by Joss Whedon - the guy who wrote two of my favorite TV shows (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Firefly).  Of COURSE it would encompass all of those things!

If you can't see the funny in weird / twisted / crazy / slightly disturbing things, then this might not be the movie for you.  But if you're already a fan of movies like Shaun of the Dead, Kill Bill, Fright Night, etc. - I think you'll have a great time.

I can't wait to see this one again!! :)

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers! (and my love of Musicals)

The other night while flicking channels, I randomly came across a news station that was talking about the fact that Jane Powell was going to be in Denver to promote the TCM film festival!  She was going to be at the Mayan Theater to speak before a FREE showing of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. 

I kinda freaked out a little bit. 

Jane Powell: 

My mom kind of brought us up watching musicals when we were kids, so we've always been HUGE fans of these films.  Seven Brides for Seven Brothers is one of my favorites!!  So my little sis and I picked up a 4-pack of mini-bottles of wine, and headed to the theater! 

We are so excited!! :D  I couldn't wait to see it on the big screen - so awesome.  The program was advertising all of the films they'd be playing on TCM for the festival - I only wish I had that channel!  Ha! 

We were sitting pretty far back which is why this pic is so fuzzy.  But there she is!  Jane Powell!  Still as gorgeous as ever.  And she was super funny and witty too!  

After the interview they introduced the film.  I couldn't resist snapping a couple of shots during it... 

One of my favorite dance scenes - for "Goin' Courtin'".  Love it!  

THIS however is my absolutely favorite dance scene from the movie.  It's absolutely fantastic: 

I just love that musicals are kind of coming back now.  I remember when I first saw the revival film of Chicago (with Renee Zelleweger & Catherine Zeta-Jones), I thought "YES!!  THEY'RE BACK!!" Sigh, I just love musicals so much.  It's not just about being a good actor - you have to be able to sing and dance too.  And the energy is just thrilling!

Anyway, if you haven't seen this movie, you absolutely MUST.  It's so much fun, the choreography is fantastic, and the music is wonderful.  And Howard Keel is in it.  Did I fail to mention him?  :D 

Here are some more of my favorite classic musicals if you want to get caught up and rent them from the library! 

Funny Face 

Singin' in the Rain

On the Town 

Hello Dolly

Funny Girl

 Here's one of my favorite scenes from Funny Girl.  And no, not just because they're rollerskating. ;) I just LOVE Barbara Streisand in this movie!  

White Christmas

Court Jester

An American in Paris

West Side Story

That's just a handful, but they'll get you started. ;) 

All images (not taken by me) from Google Image search.  Video and screen shots copywrite MGM.

Sucker Punch & Devil

The other night John and I watched a coupla movies!  I went a little hog-wild at the library and rented like 10 of 'em (the maximum amount you're allowed to check out at one time), so we had to get crackin' on watching them. :) 

First up, Sucker Punch.

This movie was DEFINITELY visually stimulating.  If you can't tell by the movie poster, of course. ;)

It's shot beautifully, the characters are gorgeous, the costumes, visual effects, settings, and lighting are all amazing.

But the story & the acting?  Meh.

I honestly felt no connection with any of these girls.  I really wasn't worried if any of them got hurt or injured or killed - they were just kinda there to be lovely to look at.  Yeah, they were pretty badass (they must have trained a lot to do everything they did - and had some great stunt people), but I really didn't believe that they cared about each other at all.

Also the dialogue?  What the heck?  They were trying REALLY hard to make the movie deeper than it really was.  Something about "you never know who your guardian angel will be..." blahblahblah.  It made NO sense whatsoever with the plot, and the rest of the script was just plain boring.  Even the "twist" at the end was boring.

Ah, well.  It was okay.  There really were some pretty amazing fight scenes (I think the one with them fighting the robots in the train was my favorite)!  The music was fun (mostly dark & rockin' cover songs), and it was kind of cool to watch.  Here's a trailer for ya!




Next up, Devil. 

I'd actually seen this movie once before, but I've been on an M. Night Shyamalan kick lately. ;)

I wanted to re-watch it, because I remember really liking it the first time around.  The story is really well written, and the actors are really phenomenal.  It had to be super challenging to film most of the movie in a teeny little elevator too, but it really added to the suspense (and created the feeling of anxiety in such a tight space).

The first time I saw this film, I thought the storyline was really good, but in the end (the overall theme), was a bit cheesy.  However the second time I watched it, I really appreciated it.  It's very much about our ideas of God and the Devil, and I like the way that they comment on this with the film.

Also, the suspense is fantastic!!  It's damn scary - and very Hitchcock-esque in the way that they use what you CAN'T see to scare you even more that what you CAN see.  It's very thrilling, and the little twists & turns were absolutely riveting. 

Unlike Sucker Punch (which went on wayyy longer than I thought it needed to), this movie was a short 1 hour 15 minutes - and just the right amount of time.  It also had an excellent twist at the end which I totally did not see coming the first time around.  I LOVE it when that happens!

Click here to watch the trailer for Devil.  

So there you go!  I'd very highly recommend Devil if you like thrillers. :)  
Next up to watch from the library, Alien 3 (I only just watched Alien and Aliens last year - I know, I'm SO far behind), and Inglorious Basterds.  I can't believe I haven't seen that movie yet!   

My 31st Birthday (also known as the best weekend ever!)

I didn't think I could top my Epic 30th Birthday Roller Disco party, but I sure as heckfire did!  It was definitely a bit more low-key than last year, but awesome just the same!

Friday night was pretty low-key, but lovely.  I had a night to myself at home, and I just enjoyed relaxing and snuggling with the kitty! 

Saturday morning I used a massage gift certificate that I'd bought through Groupon near the end of last year.  It was kind of the best way to start the day EVER! :)  

I then headed down to Castle Rock to see our old family friend Connie who was visiting from out of town.  I had breakfast with her and my mom - it was so nice to catch up! 

After that, I met up with my friend Korey at Chuck E Cheese's for her 34th b-day party.  It was kind of ridiculous, but kind of fun too.  I love how my friends can still be kids, even though we're all grown up now.

I headed home to get changed, and to get my booty to the Fillmore for the roller derby bout!  My team (the United States Pummeling Service) played the Pikes Peak Derby Dames (from Colorado Springs).  I didn't skate myself, but I did sing the National Anthem! 

  
Dave Wood got a photo of me in action (thanks, Dave!) - I was so nervous, but I tried really hard not to be!  John took a video of me in action... 
 


Pretty cool, huh!?  It was so amazing to get up in front of that many people and just sing my heart out!  Man - what a rush.  

The bout was great - USPS won by a good 200 points.  So it was definitely a blowout, but still fun to watch!  I started rooting for Pikes Peak near the end though - I would've loved to see them come back a bit.  They were fighting tooth & nail, so I gotta give them props! 

After the bout we headed to Goosetown for drinks and libations.  I had a bit too much to drink (of course - ugh), but still had a super fun time.  We headed to Rockbar for a minute, then John and I headed home. 

The next morning I had a bunch of friends over for brunch!  It was WONDERFUL - and totally kept within my Spending Fast guidelines.  I made a couple of casseroles, and everyone was gracious enough to bring food & drink to share.  I'm so glad we did it this way too, because more people could come, and we had tons of food!  SO awesome. 

    
OH and John gave me my birthday gift!  His aunt made this CUSTOM for me - isn't that awesome??  The silverware are garden markers, and I think they're just adorable.  I can't wait 'till we have the garden started and we can actually use them!  :)

Sean actually had a story about getting that shirt for free the night before when we were at Rockbar... it was pretty hilarious!  I guess he saved a guy's iPad from landing on the sticky, disgusting dance floor.  Way to go, Sean!

Meredith holding Nikki's little bundle of joy, Nico!  Isn't he just the cutest!?

My derby wife, Megan (below with the scowl - she's so silly) that I started this blog with, brought the Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch pictured above, and a 1/2 gallon of milk.  I gotta say, it was one of the best things I've ever had someone bring to a brunch!  LOL!

Me & Cat A Combs!  She rocked it at the bout the night before - she jammed a bunch of times, and did an amazing job!  She's such a rockstar. :)

John sure does love his Blackhawks...

Katy is in love with her juicer as much as I am - this is one of her concoctions!  It's apple, carrot, ginger juice - but she puts WAY too much ginger in it for my liking. ;)  She's a spicy gal, so she likes it spicy!

Daddy & baby.  Nico is so cute!!

Me and my birthday twin!!  Ryan and I have the same birthday - just 1 year apart.  We've known each other since High School, and we celebrate our birthdays together every year!  Pretty awesome.

I couldn't resist putting these pictures together... Bill is totally crazy about our kitty, Fudge.  So it's him & Fudge, and Me with Nico!  Haha!

It actually even got warm enough for us to take the party outside - how awesome is that?? It was like 65 degrees and sunny - SO beautiful.  We played frisbee, and the guys played bags.  It was great!

After doing a quick clean-up, John and I enjoyed some down time on the couch watching TV, and checking email.  I took a 15-minute nap, that was perfect!  Then I got a call from Korey (her b-day was at Chuck E Cheese's the day before) - she said they were going for a bike ride.  Of course, we had to join! 

We went to the park, we stopped and played on a swing set AND a see-saw - it was hilarious!  Kind of the best bike ride ever.  :)  We kept getting into giggle-fits. 

That night, my family took me out to dinner at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Company!  I wanted to go there because I wanted CRAB LEGS like nothin' else!  And I sure did get what I wanted.  In case you're wondering - "hey, aren't you vegetarian?  Or vegan or something?" - well, I'm kind of all of that.  Technically I'm Pescitarian (a mostly vegetarian that eats fish), but I try to eat vegan at home as much as possible, I eat vegetarian all other times, and every now & then I enjoy some seafood.  I hope that clears things up a bit! 

I kinda love this picture of my parents with John.  Hilarious!

It was so wonderful to see Deb too - our family friend of many many years.  She's so hilarious - I love her!!  And Taryn's haircut looks absolutely adorable too.  She's making me want to cut my hair off! ;)
 

John had some fun with playing with his food! 

And I got my ridiculously delicious & buttery crab legs.  They were everything I hoped they would be!

After dinner, John and I came home and watched I Love You Phillip Morris.  I actually really enjoyed it!  It certainly wasn't what we expected - I didn't realize that it was based on a true story, and that Steven Russell had escaped from prison so many times.  Kind of crazy! 

Ewan McGregor was absolutely adorable, and I think they both did a great job of portraying a gay couple.  There's a scene where they're dancing in their cell when they're in prison together, and it's a really tender moment.  

It was sad, funny, and overall really fun.  Definitely check it out!   


All-in-all, my weekend was totally amazing.  I have the best people in my life, I swear.  :)  I felt so loved and special, and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.  Yay for another awesome birthday!!