in the past 2 days I have been to 2 sneak previews. I have another one tonight but don't think I'll be posting about that one for while.
PLAYING FOR KEEPS is about a "down on his luck" former soccer player, unsurprisinly played by Gerard Butler.......in pretty much the same role he played in The Ugly Truth and The Bounty Hunter. depending on who you talk to, he has moved to Virginia to connect with his son or to try and win back his ex-wife......... who is played by a Jessica Biel that was made as homely as possible but conveniently engaged and just a few weeks away from being married. Playing is a completely by the book romantic comedy. I had hoped for just a few surprises or twists, but was denied.......thus making this the perfect movie if you want an excuse for a girls' night out or a reason to sit in the dark and eat popcorn. for me, this would be a great movie for a cold rainy afternoon where I am too lazy to grab the remote and change the channel.
ANNA KARENINA is at the opposite end of the cinematic spectrum. beautiful and lyrical, this movie is written like a ballet with characters and scenes flowing together and through each other. with a story that had been told so many times before, they obviously knew they needed an unique approach and I think they found it. in fact, I kept waiting for someone to break out in song.........ala Moulin Rouge. but, this take obviously hasn't set well with several of the "real" critics........and there were a couple of people who walked out of the screening. perhaps this version is a bit too artsy for the main stream movie goer? and a few of the actors seemed to be a bit mis-matched to their characters..........I believe a certain blond hair blue eyed gentlemen was cast more for how great he looked against the backdrops than for his skills as an actor.......and pretty much anyone short of Kristen Stewart could have played the title character. the stand out performance for me was Jude Law. he was elegant, tortured, dignified, and understated as the cuckolded husband. end result: unless you really truly dislike anything other than the normal teen age boy humor, car chase, sci-fi kind of flic that is generally being offered, this is a must-see-in-the-theater movie. and if it tells you something.......hubby came out of the theater impressed.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Saturday, November 17, 2012
I saw you walking in the rain.....
at least I hope that is what you would say if you were driving around while I was walking Dolly last night. and now I hope you are humming this good ol' song too.....
okay.....back to my point.......it was dark when I got home and before I had gotten out the front door it had started to drizzle. but, after a few days of no walks and bad weather forecasted for the next few days, Dolly needed a walk! I needed one too. the dark was a bigger problem than the rain. I had yelled (from the privacy of my closed window car) at several bicycle riders with no lights and wearing dark closes all week. so what to do?!?!
I grabbed a couple of these Blackburn Click Combo Lights from the family's bikes.....................hey, I'm a resourceful kinda gal! I attached one to Dolly's collar (over her raincoat) and the other to the end of the lease at my end. I set hers to blink and mine to a solid light and we headed out the door. not a perfect solution but it was going to get us moving.
our walk was about a mile and a half. for most of the walk it drizzled. for part of the walk it poured. I think the lights worked. no one ran us over. but then again, in mid-day with full sunlight we have had our share of near misses, so I don't know if that is really a way to judge if the lights worked. I can tell you that my raincoat didn't.............I ended up with a few wet spots. that was not fun. Dolly's raincoat (she won't wear a rain hat) worked, but that didn't keep her from shaking constantly.
I have no clue what we are going to do in the coming rainy months. two days of no walks and Dolly runs an Indy 500 through the house.......usually as we are trying to go to sleep. the lights aren't a long term solution but they worked.
how do you exercise your dog in the bad weather?
oh, and btw, after that cold wet walk, Dolly is still bouncing off the walls and all over me!
okay.....back to my point.......it was dark when I got home and before I had gotten out the front door it had started to drizzle. but, after a few days of no walks and bad weather forecasted for the next few days, Dolly needed a walk! I needed one too. the dark was a bigger problem than the rain. I had yelled (from the privacy of my closed window car) at several bicycle riders with no lights and wearing dark closes all week. so what to do?!?!
I grabbed a couple of these Blackburn Click Combo Lights from the family's bikes.....................hey, I'm a resourceful kinda gal! I attached one to Dolly's collar (over her raincoat) and the other to the end of the lease at my end. I set hers to blink and mine to a solid light and we headed out the door. not a perfect solution but it was going to get us moving.
our walk was about a mile and a half. for most of the walk it drizzled. for part of the walk it poured. I think the lights worked. no one ran us over. but then again, in mid-day with full sunlight we have had our share of near misses, so I don't know if that is really a way to judge if the lights worked. I can tell you that my raincoat didn't.............I ended up with a few wet spots. that was not fun. Dolly's raincoat (she won't wear a rain hat) worked, but that didn't keep her from shaking constantly.
I have no clue what we are going to do in the coming rainy months. two days of no walks and Dolly runs an Indy 500 through the house.......usually as we are trying to go to sleep. the lights aren't a long term solution but they worked.
how do you exercise your dog in the bad weather?
oh, and btw, after that cold wet walk, Dolly is still bouncing off the walls and all over me!
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
RANT Update!
last month I got a little upset on my blog about people driving around schools, kids, busses, etc. well.....I have an update for you!
the stupid woman (I really want to use another word here.......you know the one......feel free to use it in your head) was sentenced to two hours over two days of standing out in the cold with a sign that reads "Only an idiot would drive on the sidewalk to avoid a school bus." now, while I am an absolute fan of making the punishment fit the crime, I don't think two days is enough time. and, based on the fact that she showed up smoking a cigarette and wearing earphones (and was checking her cell phone during her first day), I don't think she really got the point. what would have been a more appropriate punishment? oh........working a school crosswalk where she can be on the front lines of dealing with idiots like herself that don't have the patience to not run over little kids. and I would make it a couple months of time so she really gets the picture.................hopefully with lots of rain and snow.
as for the two boys struck in a crosswalk, no update there. I am guessing/hoping in this case that no news is good news? the woman is in jail courtesy of her being dui and without a drivers license. (go figure) I have no clue what happened in court last week. I will note that I drove by the intersection this weekend and improvements are still being made to the crosswalks and sidewalks, similar to the ones that are driving me crazy by my park. supposedly the work will all be done before the end of November. I am not holding my breathe.......though Dolly may be. it is totally putting a cramp into her walking schedule.
the stupid woman (I really want to use another word here.......you know the one......feel free to use it in your head) was sentenced to two hours over two days of standing out in the cold with a sign that reads "Only an idiot would drive on the sidewalk to avoid a school bus." now, while I am an absolute fan of making the punishment fit the crime, I don't think two days is enough time. and, based on the fact that she showed up smoking a cigarette and wearing earphones (and was checking her cell phone during her first day), I don't think she really got the point. what would have been a more appropriate punishment? oh........working a school crosswalk where she can be on the front lines of dealing with idiots like herself that don't have the patience to not run over little kids. and I would make it a couple months of time so she really gets the picture.................hopefully with lots of rain and snow.
as for the two boys struck in a crosswalk, no update there. I am guessing/hoping in this case that no news is good news? the woman is in jail courtesy of her being dui and without a drivers license. (go figure) I have no clue what happened in court last week. I will note that I drove by the intersection this weekend and improvements are still being made to the crosswalks and sidewalks, similar to the ones that are driving me crazy by my park. supposedly the work will all be done before the end of November. I am not holding my breathe.......though Dolly may be. it is totally putting a cramp into her walking schedule.
Monday, October 22, 2012
why I vote in person......
because, gosh darn it, sure would be great to vote by mail!
voting by mail means you don't walk to the polling place with your kids every election (I'll admit sometimes we drive due to weather or time constraints)
and this is super important to me. it is easy to tell the boys that I voted and they should too. but I think it makes a greater impact when they see their parents take the time and effort to show up at the ballot box. they also get to see the others who have done the same. and yes, they also get to see those really slow old people who call them "honey" or "sugar" and give them an "I just voted" sticker even though that would be a federal offense (voting, not the sticker or sweet name calling).
sadly, this choice has caused me to miss voting in one election. an unplanned business trip out of town snafued my plans. but I figured if I missed one election in 27 years I am doing pretty darn good!
today is the last day to register to vote in California. if you are 18 or over, do it! do it, read about the issues and candidates and make an informed choice! start here now: REGISTER TO VOTE ONLINE!
- voting by mail means you get to do everything in the peace and quiet of your own home......assuming you ever have peace and quiet there.
- voting by mail means you can do it whenever it is convenient for you.
- voting by mail means you don't have to stand in lines and deal with really slow old people working at the polls who can't seem to figure out that yes, you ARE the Berg that is listed right under the Berg they just checked in! (funny how that works!)
voting by mail means you don't walk to the polling place with your kids every election (I'll admit sometimes we drive due to weather or time constraints)
and this is super important to me. it is easy to tell the boys that I voted and they should too. but I think it makes a greater impact when they see their parents take the time and effort to show up at the ballot box. they also get to see the others who have done the same. and yes, they also get to see those really slow old people who call them "honey" or "sugar" and give them an "I just voted" sticker even though that would be a federal offense (voting, not the sticker or sweet name calling).
sadly, this choice has caused me to miss voting in one election. an unplanned business trip out of town snafued my plans. but I figured if I missed one election in 27 years I am doing pretty darn good!
today is the last day to register to vote in California. if you are 18 or over, do it! do it, read about the issues and candidates and make an informed choice! start here now: REGISTER TO VOTE ONLINE!
Saturday, October 20, 2012
not those Halloween kinda treats!
a long time ago my oldest son used to steal dog treats from our dog, Tessa. I am sure it was because the little bone treats looked rather similar to his teething biscuits. we used to joke about how nice Ryan's hair looked...........he does have nice hair........maybe I should have snagged a few?
needless to say, this habit lasted quite awhile.......until one day Ryan picked a black bone. those were "charcoal" flavored. poor Bug had black smoosh all around his mouth and a scowl all over his face. that was the last treat Tessa lost to him!
fast forward to a couple weeks ago....... Dolly got some new treats. I opened the bag to give her one and DANG! those babies smelled GOOD!!! like muffin kinda good. pumpkin and blueberry kinda good. that afternoon Dolly and I spent some time with a friend and we were wondering what the treats might taste like......cuz really, they smelled totally yummy! well, we didn't have the bag to check out the ingredients so weren't daring enough to try them.........even after several beer samples.
don't they look good?? like little tasty cookies!
I went home and checked the label: pumpkin, organic oatmeal, pearled barley, potatoes, oat fiber, canola oil, brown sugar, blueberries, cinnamon, natural flavor, vanilla, mixed tocopherois. hey, the only thing I don't know about is that last one. don't ask me to pronounce it, but the lovely internet says it has something to do with vitamin E. that's a good thing, right?!?!?
so the next morning, I took the bag to brunch with said friend (who I won't name but was craving potato pancakes with me).......and we tried them! oh, yes we did! we are wild and crazy women!
and..........BLAH!!! totally bland!! how can dogs eat this?!?!? it was like eating particle board snacks. sheesh!! I was totally disappointed. no wonder Dolly looks lovingly at people food. the girl just wants some flavor!
so sad! I had such hopes for these. they would have been so easy to have around as handy little snacks........like pumpkin blueberry goldfish or something. bah hum bug!
needless to say, this habit lasted quite awhile.......until one day Ryan picked a black bone. those were "charcoal" flavored. poor Bug had black smoosh all around his mouth and a scowl all over his face. that was the last treat Tessa lost to him!
fast forward to a couple weeks ago....... Dolly got some new treats. I opened the bag to give her one and DANG! those babies smelled GOOD!!! like muffin kinda good. pumpkin and blueberry kinda good. that afternoon Dolly and I spent some time with a friend and we were wondering what the treats might taste like......cuz really, they smelled totally yummy! well, we didn't have the bag to check out the ingredients so weren't daring enough to try them.........even after several beer samples.
I went home and checked the label: pumpkin, organic oatmeal, pearled barley, potatoes, oat fiber, canola oil, brown sugar, blueberries, cinnamon, natural flavor, vanilla, mixed tocopherois. hey, the only thing I don't know about is that last one. don't ask me to pronounce it, but the lovely internet says it has something to do with vitamin E. that's a good thing, right?!?!?
so the next morning, I took the bag to brunch with said friend (who I won't name but was craving potato pancakes with me).......and we tried them! oh, yes we did! we are wild and crazy women!
and..........BLAH!!! totally bland!! how can dogs eat this?!?!? it was like eating particle board snacks. sheesh!! I was totally disappointed. no wonder Dolly looks lovingly at people food. the girl just wants some flavor!
so sad! I had such hopes for these. they would have been so easy to have around as handy little snacks........like pumpkin blueberry goldfish or something. bah hum bug!
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
(INSERT RANT HERE)
people turn into horrible selfish things when they get behind the wheel of a car!
not a new thought for me......but two events have brought it to the forefront:
this past week two kids were hit while crossing a major intersection near our house......on their way to school. you know, that school they walk to EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL DAY! in a crosswalk.....with the little white walking dude light telling them they were safe to cross the street......with a grownup just a few feet behind them. but that didn't seem to matter to a woman driving down the street. what did they need to do that was more important than watching the road? their job for the entire time that engine is running is to DRIVE! everything else can wait!
Crash Badly Injures Two Little Boys - SacBee
I know this first hand. I used to have to drive down a large busy street to take my oldest to school. if we were running late I knew I would have to wait behind those big ol' flashing red lights while the school bus stopped to pick up some kids for another school. every day we ran late I stopped............. and then prayed that I wouldn't get rear ended by some SUV speeding mad down the street who wasn't about to stop for those silly lights. you think I am joking?!?! oh no.......SO many times people honked and me, swerved around me, slammed on their breaks, etc. and we aren't talking about just the first few weeks of school while people got used to seeing the busses again. ridiculous!
then things like this kinda makes me feel a bit better:
PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO.......it's short and worth it.
I LOVE that they caught it on video and the woman was pulled over! sadly, I have so very little hope that anything came out of this other than a ticket. I wouldn't even be surprised if the lady went back to doing the same thing in the near future! why oh why should she interrupt HER life for a silly bus full of kids!
I see the same problem when an ambulance or fire truck is trying to make its way down a street, lights a' blazing, horns a' blaring. but people don't move the heck out of their way! oh they do for a cop car.......sure! those people can give them a ticket, figure out they aren't wearing their seatbelt, etc......but why bother for an ambulance or fire truck? this is what I think:
EVERYTIME YOU SEE AN AMBULANCE OR FIRE TRUCK...........assume it is hurrying off to save one of your loved ones......put a fire out at your house!
make you act any differently?? I hope not........I hope you aren't one of those people who don't get out of the way. but if you are or know of someone who is.........put that concept right up front in your noggin.......because you just never ever ever know!
I guess that was two rants.......bonus!
not a new thought for me......but two events have brought it to the forefront:
this past week two kids were hit while crossing a major intersection near our house......on their way to school. you know, that school they walk to EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL DAY! in a crosswalk.....with the little white walking dude light telling them they were safe to cross the street......with a grownup just a few feet behind them. but that didn't seem to matter to a woman driving down the street. what did they need to do that was more important than watching the road? their job for the entire time that engine is running is to DRIVE! everything else can wait!
Crash Badly Injures Two Little Boys - SacBee
I know this first hand. I used to have to drive down a large busy street to take my oldest to school. if we were running late I knew I would have to wait behind those big ol' flashing red lights while the school bus stopped to pick up some kids for another school. every day we ran late I stopped............. and then prayed that I wouldn't get rear ended by some SUV speeding mad down the street who wasn't about to stop for those silly lights. you think I am joking?!?! oh no.......SO many times people honked and me, swerved around me, slammed on their breaks, etc. and we aren't talking about just the first few weeks of school while people got used to seeing the busses again. ridiculous!
then things like this kinda makes me feel a bit better:
PLEASE WATCH THIS VIDEO.......it's short and worth it.
I LOVE that they caught it on video and the woman was pulled over! sadly, I have so very little hope that anything came out of this other than a ticket. I wouldn't even be surprised if the lady went back to doing the same thing in the near future! why oh why should she interrupt HER life for a silly bus full of kids!
I see the same problem when an ambulance or fire truck is trying to make its way down a street, lights a' blazing, horns a' blaring. but people don't move the heck out of their way! oh they do for a cop car.......sure! those people can give them a ticket, figure out they aren't wearing their seatbelt, etc......but why bother for an ambulance or fire truck? this is what I think:
EVERYTIME YOU SEE AN AMBULANCE OR FIRE TRUCK...........assume it is hurrying off to save one of your loved ones......put a fire out at your house!
make you act any differently?? I hope not........I hope you aren't one of those people who don't get out of the way. but if you are or know of someone who is.........put that concept right up front in your noggin.......because you just never ever ever know!
I guess that was two rants.......bonus!
Friday, October 5, 2012
Variations on a Halloween theme....aka: a recipe I played with
so there is this blog I follow, My Baking Addiction, and she posts the most amazing recipes! all of them are easy enough for me to actually understand and make! Jamie......you know, cuz we are close like that......posts great seasonal recipes, giveaways, etc. I highly suggest you check her out.....and follow her.
a couple weeks ago she posted a recipe for Candy Corn Oreo Truffles. now I will admit, I wasn't interested in them. I WAS, however, totally focused on the concept of Candy Corn Oreos! who knew these existed........only at Target! I probably hadn't noticed them because I was busy hunting down the Boo Berry cereal. but lucky for me, a friend was planning on hunting down the elusive limited edition Oreos and was willing to snag a box or two for me! in fact, swellyn was awesome and not only grabbed me THREE boxes.......but also delivered them! so you can say that she helped subsidize this excursion into sugarland......
the next week, MBA posted another recipe featuring the Oreos I was now in possession of.......and oh yeah, I was totally making this one! Candy Corn Oreo Bark! for the win!!! but while considering the recipe, my mind started churning........please go read her blog post and then come back......this will all make more sense.......I'll wait.......
la la la la la...........
okay.....done? so I started wondering.....do I HAVE to use white chocolate? sometimes that is super sweet. and what happens if I don't like or (gasp!) can't find Candy Corn Oreos? will regular Oreos suffice? if you know me, and you probably do if you haven't closed out the window and gone back to Dancing With The Stars (or something) then you know I am not quite so good at following directions.......
thus my experiment........
a couple weeks ago she posted a recipe for Candy Corn Oreo Truffles. now I will admit, I wasn't interested in them. I WAS, however, totally focused on the concept of Candy Corn Oreos! who knew these existed........only at Target! I probably hadn't noticed them because I was busy hunting down the Boo Berry cereal. but lucky for me, a friend was planning on hunting down the elusive limited edition Oreos and was willing to snag a box or two for me! in fact, swellyn was awesome and not only grabbed me THREE boxes.......but also delivered them! so you can say that she helped subsidize this excursion into sugarland......
the next week, MBA posted another recipe featuring the Oreos I was now in possession of.......and oh yeah, I was totally making this one! Candy Corn Oreo Bark! for the win!!! but while considering the recipe, my mind started churning........please go read her blog post and then come back......this will all make more sense.......I'll wait.......
la la la la la...........
okay.....done? so I started wondering.....do I HAVE to use white chocolate? sometimes that is super sweet. and what happens if I don't like or (gasp!) can't find Candy Corn Oreos? will regular Oreos suffice? if you know me, and you probably do if you haven't closed out the window and gone back to Dancing With The Stars (or something) then you know I am not quite so good at following directions.......
thus my experiment........
upper right corner: original recipe - white chocolate and Candy Corn Oreos
upper left corner: semi-sweet chocolate and Candy Corn Oreos
lower left corner: white chocolate and Halloween Oreos (chocolate wafer and orange filling)
lower right corner: semi-sweet chocolate and Halloween Oreos
so here's the deal........the semi-sweet chocolate didn't set the way the white chocolate did. I am sure if I were a "real" cook.....or paid attention......I'd know why. but I don't and it didn't. hubby said they almost felt like a fudgy brownie. my second problem was the chocolate set too quickly and didn't get down into the pan enough to hold onto all the yummy goodies at the bottom........trust me I have a pile of peanuts and pretzel bits to prove it. (was I suppose to toss the goodies in the chocolate?!?!?)
BUT........that didn't equal a failure! I learned something and still have a full bag of Candy Corn Oreos to eat or bake with.........wonder if Jamie is posting anymore recipes?!?!?!
my favorite version was the white chocolate with Halloween Oreos. I thought the Candy Corn Oreos were too sweet and the chocolate wafers gave the right balance. overall it was a sweet success and now I have a LOT of Candy Corn Oreo Bark to share with friends!
and since I had to go back and correct my spelling way too many times (typing "Cane" instead of "Corn") I think I need to play around like this when the Christmas Oreos come out!
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