3 posts tagged “4th of july”
This year Susan, Belle, D and I went to Anaheim to see an Angels and Blue Jays game. D surprised me because right in the middle of the park is a huge waterlandscape. Is waterlandscape even a word? It's a fountain, and I wish we were closer to it. It kind of gave me a water hazard feeling from putt putt. We had pretty nice seats, well in my opinion. We were on the field and up the firstbase line. Maybe if I watched any of the game I would have something else to say about things. It was a pretty okay place to sit for the fireworks and that was what really was important to me.
I, of course, have no idea what the score was... I read during the game. I wasn't the only one, because Belle, who was appalled by the lack of skill the Blue Jays were showing, read Fragile Things. She assures me it isn't any better than I thought, but she has pulled through and read much further than I did. I do know that the Angels won by a lot and they didn't play all of the last inning because of it. Baseball is not like hockey and I just don't really care to know the intricacies of it. I do wish Canada had a better showing. They probably let us win because of it being a holiday and all.
The fireworks were really nice. I am going to go down nostalgia lane and talk a bit about what kind of magical wonderness fireworks mean to me. When I was a child my mom and I would go to Lake Ariel, that is in PA, and we would set up in the church yard by this big rock and we would get a pizza, from Kay's Pizza and we would 'ooo' and 'ahh' as the fireworks went off over the lake. A few times after I was married we went other places, one time was Lake Wallenpaupack and there was pizza there too. It was tradition in a world where there just wasn't any sort of traditions. This became really important to me. So now, as an adult, I have to re-enact this tradition to overcome this feeling of disconnection with that old life, that old me. Every year I have to go see the fireworks and remind myself that no matter how abnormal and warped my childhood was, I had this one normal thing. I had this one time when family was something. So fast forward 30 odd years and we come to this year. I was a little disappointed in my inability to capture the shots I wanted to with the camera, but as I got twenty some pictures, I need to get a grip and not cry too much.
You Can Dance for the performance show and results show this week and she wanted to know if I wanted to go. I sure as by golly did! I even channeled some Mary there. So I had to email Dr. Moore when I got home tonight about canceling therapy so that I can go on Monday. I am a little nervous about how I will go and deal with the crowd but I am really excited. Of course it is the week AFTER Matt and Kourtni were voted off though. Booo! I was disappointed because I still think Comfort and Jessica should have gone before Kourtni and Thayne should have gone rather than Matt. But it didn't go that way and I will have to watch Thayne and Jessica *ahem* entertain me on Monday. I wish it weren't so. The one thing I was happy and then disappointed by was seeing Lacey and Benji. Benji did a WCS for Joshua and Katee and it was really not impressive. Sad.
And lastly, Blood and Chocolate. After we got home from the game tonight I talked D into watching the movie with me. I had read enough criticism about the movie to know that it was vastly different from the book and that became apparent in the first minute of the film. I was mostly confused as I tried to figure out who was who and what was what. The adaptation was so horrible that it was a clusterfuck of lore and bits and pieces of the book with pure fabrication. I felt terrible for Hugh Dancy and fans of the book. Neither deserved the tripe this movie served up. It was no longer a coming of age story which was what made the book so interesting. They villanized one of the [heroes??] of the book. I didn't like him in the book but I really didn't like him in the movie. And then they defied one of the principle storylines of the book with Rafe and killed him off midway through. Hey sorry if I just spoiled you, but you didn't want to see this movie anyway. I want my memories of the mediocre book back... now I have this bad taste in my mouth and these horrible images in the back of my eyes. No wonder it only made 6million in the box office. Yes, six million. Everyone else was smarter than me and held off seeing it.
First thing first, Susan turned my eye to a James McAvoy interview with Ann Curry on Today that totally made me feel ashamed and dirty all at once. I can't get the embed button to work right but go here and watch it. The thing is as creepy as Curry is... I kind of see her point. It make me realize things about myself, as a woman and a predator, that I clearly need pointed out so that I can work on it. James McAvoy, I promise never to jump you, no matter how appealing the idea may seem when we cross paths. I'll take up bird watching or some other stalking based hobby that will work these kinks out in no time. ***SIGH***
Tonight D and I went to see Hancock at the Grove. I wasn't sure what to expect but I knew it would be entertaining and I wasn't disappointed. I give the film some high marks, I laughed quite a bit. Will Smith can act the panties off a part and he was perfect as Hancock. I almost think that after his steamy hot performance in Bad Boys, this may be "my favorite Will Smith movie". He's clearly not riding the hot and sexy train in this that he was in the Bad Boys franchise. On to other points on this film... I LOVED JASON BATEMAN. I don't know if I just never stopped loving him from Family Ties or if he just reiterates that every time I see him in something new. I thought he was perfect in this though. Charlize Theron kind of confuses me. I never know who she is supposed to be doing the warm cuddly scenes with because I kind of get that vibe from every scene she is with another actor. Maybe in this movie that was a good thing. I think I still liked her in Aeon Flux more than this movie though. I'm not saying she wasn't servicable and good... I'm just sayin'. I think the ending of the film is a bit to hollywood happily ever after. I would have liked them to do the sacrificing bit. I am happy to say that the overall story wasn't hurt or hindered by the lore and the history. I didn't care enough to point fingers and bitch. I say it again, I liked the movie. They could even do sequels with the set-up in the end. ??millions will see to that I'm sure.
I have been on a Harlequin Blaze kick the last few days and in the last two days alone I have read No Stopping Now by Dawn Atkins, One for the Road by Crystal Green, Swept Away, also by Dawn Atkins and now I'm reading French Kissing by Nancy Warren. I don't know how to describe the act of reading them but they are popcorn books. They are really small and straight forward, no real hooks, no calories. They are easy to devour. I only have maybe 3 or 4 left on the shelf though because I've read the little stockpile I had, so tonight I went on BookMooch and ordered 10 more. I will probably go through another period where I don't read them at all and that is fine. It really isn't like they take up any space if they sit on the shelf and await another lull. I just know that it would be hell if I did hit a low point and then didn't have any there to fill in the blues.
I was looking for another Sarah Dessen novel while I was at the bookstore and I was disappointed in their selection. I think I will probably give in and make an Amazon order sometime in the near future. I would love Someone Like You and Dreamland and they aren't usually stocked at the B&N at the Grove. I could also get Little Grrl Lost then as well, and no one can ever bitch about Amazon's prices. I will see how the week turns out.
Oh and books that I've started and then lost my interest in... Not that I had that as a topic at all, but it needed to be a subject of it's own. I started Victoria Alexander's The Perfect Wife and I read chapter 1 and then put it down and got something else. I really hate being like this. I loved her Effington books and her Last Man Standing trilogy, although the most interesting man was the last one who didn't get his story told. *harumpf* I am hoping that it is just a touch of my common first-thirty-page-irritation. I really hate introductions. I like books that are action from the get go and little character building in the typical refrain is done. I find the repeating of information annoying. It's my biggest pet peeve with Dark-Hunter books. I know the tale of the Apollite history like I know my own. We need a new way to tell it. //rant
As I mentioned earlier, Susan, Heather, D and I are going to see the Angels and the Blue Jays in Anaheim tomorrow. I like the fireworks so the last few years D and Belle and I have been going to see Dodgers games for the 4th. This year they aren't playing a home game so we all are going afield. I'm very happy to see Belle and Susan. The day should be good. I plan to take pictures, of course. Lots of pictures so I can spam this Vox with every color of the rainbow fireworks.
Today is an inspired entry, 20 things that are good, just to remind myself that not everything sucks. So here I go in no special order.
1. Kitties. They are always good. I think mine are better than yours but kittycat people around the world should gather for the biggest cuddlefest in the known universe.
2. Angel: After the Fall. I like it much better than Season 4 Angel and almost as much as Season 5. It maintains the characterization from the TV show while pushing the limits of the Buffy/Angel-verses. I have to say that it's much better than the Buffy comics which just went places because they no longer had to deal with the limitations of the known budget and believability. 50 ft. Dawn and Lesbian Buffy, my ass.
3. BOOKS. Where do I start. I feel like my time on earth screws with my ability to read as much as I possibly could. There are too many good books. So hard to imagine a world without them. I think they are so much better than food and air. Books are true necessities.
4. Awake is the New Sleep by Ben Lee. I love this CD. I could listen to it on repeat for hours or not listen to it for a month and it always gives me the same warm and tinglies no matter what. I just don't get how Ben Lee can be so amazing and still be a mere mortal.
5. Lentil Loaf or Rice Loaf. The one thing I really miss about not eating meat is meatloaf. Lentil/rice loaf is a pretty good substitute. I wish I had it more often.
6. Diet Snapple. I'm a big fan of the Peach, Lemon and Raspberry and haven't tried the Plumagranite. Is that what it's called. Now I embarrassed myself not knowing the name of it.
7. The Gap. I am a Gap girl. I love it. I wish that the workers weren't such nazis but I can handle my own, sort of. Fall. Into. The. Gap.
8. Tide pools/Sea stars. I could spend all day at the ocean looking for sea life at the tide pools. There are days when I count how many sea stars we can find... the most was 14. I wish I could find the picture Aaron took with me and the giant sea star in Carpinteria.
9. 300. I don't know exactly what I love about this movie but I do, sincerely, love something about it. I know the humor is a bit stick to your ribs but it makes me giggle everytime. Gerard Butler is fantastic and it has Michael Fassbender in it and I think there is something about him. I loved him in Hex too.
11. Raspberries. I like to eat them out of the container, with little to no ceremony. An entire 6 oz plastic tray is barely enough for me. I also get raspberry iced teas from Iso: Fusion Cafe and it is made from syrup of raspberries. Mmmmmm.
13. Spoons. No one could have too many. Spoons are glorious. The only things that compete with them are straws. Spoons rock.
15. Barnes and Noble/Borders/Amazon. This sort of leads us back into number 3, but these are places not things. These three places are akin to Mecca. I just wish that they were more giving with their pricing of things. I guess they try with all the coupons and discounts, but books shouldn't be so expensive. Don't anyone bring up libraries... it's like prostitution for books. I like them being mine and mine alone.
18. Fountains and waterfalls. Maybe it's just water or could be the facade of happy waters. I do like rivers and oceans too. I am constantly taking pictures of water. Just today I took a pair of photos for my assignment from Dr. Moore, of a fountain.< Worst construction of a sentence commited in a long, long, long time.
19. Root beer. I know it is points damning but I love knee high bottles of Route 66, Sioux City, Boylan's, etc... I love Galco and I could spend hundreds of dollars there in no time.
20. Volvo commercial with the terribly adorable chatterbox little girl. I love her to death. If I were guaranteed to to have one just like her, I might explore other options.
