Wicked & Jenny's Birthday

Last weekend I had the pleasure of seeing Wicked with some friends from the book club! Everyone really enjoyed the hit musical. In case you're wondering, the tickets were worth the $88 we paid - a must see performance, especially if you are a Wizard of Oz (film and/or novel), Wicked (novel), or The Great and Powerful Oz (film) fan. I didn't have a favorite part of the show, but the lady who played Elphaba was phenomenal - spot on. She had a set of pipes and could really belt out her songs. I also really enjoyed the references to the film.

Book Club after seeing Wicked

Afterwards some of us went downtown to celebrate Jenny's birthday. I brought cheese cake and red velvet cake, and we hopped around to a few bars. Jenny was feeling it the next morning, haha, but that only means she had a blast!

Birthday Girl, Jenny, & I

Pay It Forward Day

Today is Pay It Forward Day. If you're unfamiliar with the phrase, you should check out the movie entitled "Pay It Forward." Excellent movie; even better concept.

Today is meant to spark inspiration in people to do something nice for three people. The idea is that they would, in response to your kindness, "pay it forward" to three other people. And so on!

Today I did these three nice things for people:

1. I sent a colleague, Bill McNamee, a thank you note through a system at work that allows me to notify his manager that I sent the note. The thank you note was to thank and recognize Bill for the tremendous help he's provided me in becoming accustomed to a system we use at work called Unity.

2. Bought an ice skating package for a friend (includes entry, skate rental, popcorn and a pop).

3. Chipped a few dollars for the next guy at Jimmy John's.

The Sun Also Rises

This was the book club pick for May 2010. I was really excited about reading this book because I enjoy what Hemingway poetry I've read, and the book is a favorite of one of my good friends, Matt.

Unfortunately the book didn't really tickle my fancy. I was able to sludge through the first half. I remember being confused about who was speaking and not know where the story was going. Not that it had to go anywhere, but I didn't know what the point of the book was. I still don't, come to think of it.

The second half of the book was much more interesting with the bull runs and festivities in Spain. Some of the background was drawn out for my tastes, but I was able to keep up with what was going on in the story.

I didn't catch on until late in the book that Lady Brett was a bit of a flirt. I don't understand how or why her fiance put up with that behavior. All along it seemed Jake and Brett were going to have an affair together, but nothing ever really came of it.

Maybe that's the point. That two people can love each other but nothing may ever come from it.

Anyway, the book does not reside so high on my list of favorites as it does on Matt's, but that's the great thing about being in a book club: it'll get you out of your reading box. I'm happy I finished it, and I look forward to discussing the book with Matt (I was out of town for May's book club).

Wikipedia Article
IMDB Article

Where the Heart Is

I saw the movie adaptation of this book before I knew it was a book. When I learned it was a book, I knew I would have to read it, and so I did. It is now one of my favorite books, and one of the top two that I've read so far this year.

The gist of the story is this: a pregnant teenager, Novalee, is traveling across the country with her boy-friend. They make a pit-stop at a Walmart along the way. She goes in to use the restroom; he leaves her there and continues to California. She manages to live in the Walmart for the rest of her pregnancy: through her days she visits the library; at night she retires in the Walmart. The baby comes, the librarian delivers it, and Novalee wakes up in a hospital. Walmart offers her a job for the publicity she provided the company. She still has no where to go, but the Welcome lady takes her into her home.

That's what happens. This is what it means: home is where your history begins. Home is where the heart is. Friends are a type of family. Dreams do come true, but you have to earn them. Everything you do and say can take your life in a different direction than had you not done or said it. Make sure you know what your heart is telling you.

I think Novalee is one of the strongest characters I've ever read about. She came from a broken family, a product of her environment, followed her mother's footsteps and became pregnant, but somewhere along the way she learned that life is good, challenges can be blessings and it's okay to love even if the other person has a completely different history. She has the child, keeps a steady job, pulls her weight in living with the lady who takes her in, she does everything she possibly can for the betterment of her little girl's life all the while finding time to become a talented photographer. That's called scaling impossible walls.

I think one of the best parts of the story is when she gets married to the man she loves. He's the one who loves her and her child more than anything in the world and wants only the best for them. In marrying him she is putting an end to the vicious cycle she fell victim to because she is putting a father-figure in her daughter's life and demonstrating healthy parenting. That is the best gift she could give her daughter if you ask me: a healthy, loving family. By the way, that's exactly where the heart is.

IMDB Article

Wikipedia Article (novel)

Wikipedia Article (film)

The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones was my first Alice Sebold novel.

I had seen the book on the popular fiction tables when you first walk into the book store but I hadn't really paid it attention. When I saw the trailer for the movie version, I knew I'd be reading the book soon. Talk about a line-up: Wahlberg, Saranden, Weisz! Some of my favorites!

But back to the book...

I liked Alice's depiction of Heaven. The story to me was about letting go of life once we pass away and into our Heaven. Everyone's Heaven is unique to themselves, but they can overlap. That concept was entirely fresh to me and fascinating. So this is what happens after we die, according to the book. What would my Heaven be like? With whom would my Heaven overlap?

The book had a magical feel to it. Though there wasn't much supernatural about it. Sometimes Susie would "appear" to her loved ones, namely her younger brother, Buckley, but I found myself almost constantly willing Susie to change the course of an event happening to her family down on Earth. She wanted to, too, but her lesson was that the dead cannot change things for the living. Through memories the dead live on in the minds of the living.

Another neat aspect of the book as the way Alice applied the Butterfly Effect. The small-town death of a young girl changed the lives of so many. Especially Ruth; she was one of my favorite characters who really developed through the novel. I also enjoyed seeing Lindsey change. The grandmother had a lot of spunk; she was always fun and had a quirky way with her wisdom.

***Spoiler alert!!!***

The only thing I didn't fully get was the title. At first I thought it was the bones Mr. Harvey collected from the animals, which led me to believe that eventually Susie's bones would be found. Then the title "The Lovely Bones" would make sense in a literal sense. But in the very end Alice mentions the bones of a body recovering. Meh. It didn't tie together as seamlessly as I had expected/wanted. Or maybe I just missed something.

I liked that justice was served to Mr. Harvey, even if Susie's family never learned of it happening.

***End of spoiler.***

IMDB Article: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0380510/
Apple Trailer: http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/thelovelybones/

Sex, Drugs & Cocoa Puffs

This was the March book club book, suggested by the other Amanda:

This book is a collection of 18 essays where each pop culture topic was hit on during the sleepy, unwinding moments before Chuck fell asleep. Interesting premise, I'd say. I hadn't read a collection of essays before, at least not willingly, so that caught my attention. I liked being able to jump around or skip an essay if it didn't really appeal.

Here is the full list of essays (from Wikipedia) (the ones in bold are my favorites):

• 1. This Is Emo: Klosterman recounts "fake love" we are conditioned to pursue, and the false, unbalanced nature of When Harry Met Sally.
• 2. Billy Sim: Klosterman describes his experience with the reality-mimicking videogame The Simsand how The Sims illustrates that "even eternally free people are enslaved by the process of living."
• 3. What Happens When People Stop Being Polite: The impacts of MTV's The Real World and how it led to the development of one-dimensional personalities.
• 4. Every Dog Must Have His Every Day, Every Drunk Must Have His Drink: An ode to Billy Joel, particularly the universality of his album Glass Houses.
• 5. Appetite for Replication: Klosterman interviews and spends a few days with the members of aGuns N' Roses tribute band, "Paradise City," and outlines the significance of tribute bands.
• 6. Ten Seconds to Love: An analysis of how American culture is upset with the unrealistic images of success it has created, as stemming from a discussion of the Pamela-Tommy sex tape.
• 7. George Will vs. Nick Hornby: A rant against soccer (particularly among youth), claiming it supports outcast culture.
• 8. 33: Klosterman explains how the 1980's rivalry between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics symbolizes all rivalries in life, including politics, religion, and race.
• 9. Porn: An explanation of how the Internet has proliferated the porn industry, as per the need of the presence of the amateur and celebrity in our lives.
• 10. The Lady or the Tiger: A brief history of the cereal industry, and how Kelloggs was begun as a religious company, but now is a microcosm for coolness. The "cocoa puffs" in the title comes from this essay.
• 11. Being Zack Morris: An analysis of Saved by the Bell and how "important things are inevitably cliché."
• 12. Sulking with Lisa Loeb on the Ice Planet Hoth: Why Star Wars is so overrated, and how it has come to represent basic morality.
• 13. The Awe-Inspiring Beauty of Tom Cruise's Shattered, Troll-like Face: A discussion of the question "What is reality?" as answered by movies such as Vanilla Sky, The Matrix, Memento, andWaking Life.
• 14. Toby over Moby: How the Dixie Chicks are the new Van Halen, as they are one of the only pop bands with musical quality, and how Van Halen's teenage boys have been replaced by the Dixie Chicks' teenage girls. Also how music taste is used to gauge coolness, and those who ignorantly say they like all kinds "except country" only say so to appear cool.
• 15. This is Zodiac Speaking: A description of three people Klosterman has interviewed who have known or met serial killers, and an exploration of "What does it mean to know a serial killer?"
• 16. All I Know Is What I Read in the Papers: Most of the media's bias is accidental, and stories are mainly developed by circumstance and by the interviewee who calls the journalist back first. Also how sports reporters hate sports, and how newspapers are designed for those who cannot read.
• 17. I, Rock Chump: Klosterman narrates his visit to the 2002 Pop Music Studies Conference by the Experience Music Project, and how it was largely an experience without rock and roll.
• 18. How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found: A commentary on the Left Behind Series and the lifestyle of Evangelical Christians. The chapter title refers to the book How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found by Doug Richmond.

I'm not going to discuss each of my favorite essays, but I will say this: if you like reading Bill Bryson, I recommend this book. Chuck has that same conversational tone and approach in his writing. On the flip side, if you liked this book, I recommend reading Bill Bryson (conversational tone stories about his travels; I read the book he wrote about his time in Australia).

My all time favorite part of the book was the interlude with the 23 questions he asks people in order to determine if he can really love them. How interesting a method to determine if you can love someone! Here is a sample question:

Question 18: You have won a prize. The prize has two options, and you can choose either (but not both). The first option is a year in Europe with a monthly stipend of $2K. The second option is ten minutes on the moon. Which option do you select?

That gives you an idea of the sort of questions Chuck asks. Some of them I had quick answers to; others I had to think about; still others I'm undecided about. For Question 18, however, I'd take the first option to see Europe! Visiting the moon would be out of this world (ha, get it?), but for ten minutes? Nah, I'd rather 524,160 minutes in Europe with a total of $24K to spend while there. I've always wanted to go to Europe. I've never had that same desire to visit the moon. I enjoy gazing at the moon in the night sky. I'd enjoy gazing at the moon in the night sky from Europe, too.

Wikipedia Article
Official Publisher Page

-Amanda

The Children of Men

This was the book for February's book club, suggested by Joey.



I saw the movie version back in 2006 or so. I remember the movie being very grey and dark, filmed in a choppy manner. I also remember having no idea what was going on in the storyline. Lastly, I hated the ending.

This book-movie relationship is one where I feel the book was phenomenally better than the movie. Although, after re-watching the movie (after having read the book), I did like the movie exponentially more than I did originally.

The movie's storyline was fairly different from that of the book. Some things were still there, like names of people, but other things were not really expanded upon but rather only mentioned (i.e., the Quietus). I thought it was dumb how early on Julianne Moore's character was finished in the movie. In the book her character is the most important human on Earth.

PD paints a very exquisite picture of what life without a human child being born for a couple decades would be like: playgrounds are demolished as they are sad reminders, women cart around dolls to satisfy their maternal needs, the last generation feels no need to be alive. Mostly it's a very depressing outlook, but realistic all the same.

I found the first two thirds of the book to be on the slower side. It was interesting but not gripping. Necessary but not fun (lots of background and story building going on). The last third is where it all happens: the main characters are on the run from the government, the big secret is popped, and some romantic drama ensues. Plus, the ending was done well.

Website
Wikipedia Article

In retrospect I will say that it was refreshing to have "Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs" by Chuck Klosterman as the book for March after such a number of dystopian novels, haha! I do love dystopian novels, but goodness - fresh air, please!

-Amanda

February 2010

I always say, "wow, that was a busy month," but when I say "wow, February was a busy month," I mean it in a way that surpasses any way I've ever said it before. Note: life + owning puppy = life on fast-forward! Here's the run-down for what I trouble I was getting into back in February:

Heidi 72-hour vet check - healthy pup minus the minor ear infection that cleared up in a week's time

Volunteer with BC - first time to volunteer as an adult; it was good.

Euchre Night with BC - first time to host a card night; much fun and more Euchre Nights to come!

Phone Dates with Kristin - started having a weekly phone date with Kristin to work through our devotionals

Bonfire at Joel's - even with the Florida Hospital Lady Track Shack 5K the next morning I still went to Joel's, hung out, met some folks and enjoyed the perfect s'more!

BC Movie Night (I Am Legend) - a favorite movie of mine (also partial inspiration for getting a German Shepherd Dog), and lovely company

Super Bowl Party with Matt - my plans fell through but Matt and company provided for a great group of people with whom to celebrate the event. Sad that the Colts lost but at least a Boilermaker took the championship!

Avatar + Pizza with Matt - loved the movie, discovered a cool pizza joint, great friend with whom to enjoy both

Paws in the Park Walk with Matt - Heidi's first socialization opportunity; Matt joined us for the fun (despite the cold weather!)

The Bling Thing with BC - downtown night! First time to the underground bar (can't think of the name of the place). Loved hanging out in the red, Clue room!

Puppy Valentine's Day Party at Joel's - adorable! Cooked out and made several new puppy friends!

2-week vet check - all healthy!!!

Sunshine movie with Matt - I was right on in knowing that Matt would love that movie! Nice evening and discovered my new favorite white wine!

Sam's Senior State Wrestling Tournament - amazing weekend with family and friends to celebrate Sam's big victory!

Chucky's 21st birthday celebration - belated but brilliant! Can't wait to go out with him again!

Puppy Class 1/8 - so much fun! Heidi loves playing with the other pups, and we both love learning!

Waffles with Matt - we decided my Belgian waffle maker needed to be put to good use. Matt brought fresh strawberries! Yum!

Dinner with Darin - Darin was in town! He got to meet Heidi, see my place, and then he treated me to dinner at Amigo's! I love hanging out with Darin; we always have nice conversation!

Pie & Away We Go movie with Matt - another nice evening in with Matt; we both loved the movie, and I made him a pumpkin pie for helping me get to and from the airport the previous weekend.

BC Movie Night (I Am Legend) - even though I watched the movie recently, it was lovely to host another book club movie night!

Church - finally settled into a schedule with Heidi and figured out how to escape the house for a couple hours to get my spiritual fill

Bonfire at Matt's - wrapped up the month with a great evening at Matt's bonfire! I brought Heidi! Everyone loved her and the cucumber salad I brought. S'mores were amazing!

Heidi - Week 6

Hello, faithful readers!

This has been a ridiculously busy week for me! Non-stop until just now. I've had something going on every evening of the work week so far, and so I've not had much energy to snap photos of Heidi. We have been extending the lengths of our daily walks, though. She loves romping around outside and playing around the pond.

I had an appointment on the other side of Orlando Tuesday evening and had to miss our puppy class this week. I was really bummed, but I will reschedule a make-up class.

All week Heidi's potty training has been at B status. She's been doing really well all week except last night. I kid you not, she peed in her crate FOUR times last night. She's never peed twice in her crate in one night, so I've no idea what that was about, but today she's not had any problems. Let's hope she keeps up the good behavior!

Wednesday I had some book club guests over to watch a book-to-movie, Children of Men. Heidi was well behaved and was gracious enough to let us enjoy the movie without any raucous. Everyone who'd met her shortly after I first got her said how BIG she's grown!

I'm starting to notice a lot of color and texture changes in her coat. Her shoulders and legs are starting to turn from black to the tan, slowly but surely. On the top of her back the fur is becoming silky-like and not so fuzzy. Her ears are still adorable and totally floppy when she trots! Last I weighed her, on Monday, she was 25 pounds. According to my German Shepherd Dog puppy growth chart she is a little behind: by four months she should weigh 36 pounds; right now she is 15.5 weeks old. However, the vet says she's a healthy pup, and Heidi is always energetic and happy, so I'm not worried too much about that.

Here's a photo of Heidi mowing down on a stick. It looks like she has a cigar, haha!

Woofs,

Amanda & Heidi

Strawberry Festival

This weekend I had the pleasure of seeing a long-awaited movie and introducing Heidi to and visiting with several friends!

Friday the book club went to see the new Alice in Wonderland in IMAX 3D. The tale is my favorite childhood story, so there was pretty much no way I was going to leave the theatre satisfied. Plus I'm a Disney and Burton fan. Depp wasn't all he was cracked up to be, but it's certain that the Mad Hatter role was tailor fitted for Depp. I thought Mia played a great adolescent Alice (Mia is Australian, you know). I think my favorite character, however, was the Red Queen, played by one of my favorite actresses, Helena Bohnam Carter. She was great! And I ended up liking the Cheshire Cat a lot more than I thought I would based on his looks alone from the previews; though I do wish they had left him pink and purple. The make-up shifting within a single frame was pretty cool (i.e., on the Mad Hatter when his moods went more than "mad"). I wish they'd renamed the movie to something other than one so similar to the title of the first book on Alice's adventures. The story was more mixed with Through the Looking Glass, but, nevertheless, it was a well-done storyline; something new and creative. I enjoyed mapping the characters in Alice's reality to those in Wonderland.

Directly after the movie I went home, grabbed my overnight bag and Heidi, and headed to Melbourne. I arrived at Aunt Joan's, and, after settling Heidi down, finally got to bed around midnight, which is SUPER late for me these days.

The next morning Heidi got to properly meet Aunt Joan, and then Joan and I went to the Strawberry Festival. Starting things off was the pancake breakfast. For $5 we got two pancakes covered in strawberries, whipped cream and syrup, sausage and OJ (that's better than what one could get at any breakfast diner), and it was perfect! Afterwards Joan and I browsed the markets. I ended up buying a few French hair combs that I've been searching for since my days in Australia.

After the festival I accompanied Aunt Joan to Cocoa for her hair cut appointment, during which I caught up with my mom as we hadn't chatted all week. Then Joan and I stopped by a nursery to pick up some tomato seeds and a special fertilizer she needed. We got back to her house, went on a nice but squirrel-free walk with Heidi, then I headed to visit the guys.

Josh was still golfing when I called, but I was able to reach Dan, so Heidi and I went to his place. He was very hospitable and let me stow Heidi at his place while he and I grabbed some amazing Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches. Afterwards we took Heidi on a nice, long walk and enjoyed the day while we waited for Josh to arrive. Josh met Heidi, then the three of us went bowling. I broke 100 the first game and couldn't hit 80 the second game, haha, but both of the guys one a game each. Josh had a few really great streaks!

After bowling Heidi and I headed out and we caught Andy just in time for a quick dinner before I headed back to Orlando. I was so happy to visit with Andy; we had a lot to catch up on together. The only disappointing thing from this weekend was not getting to hang out with Jared and have him meet Heidi.

Today I went to church, and spent lots of time outside with Heidi as it was a lovely day. We played and also grabbed an afternoon nap. Another lovely Sunday.

Cheers,

Amanda

I Am Legend

For January the book club read this awesome book. I saw the movie before I realized it was a book (hate it when that happens!), and while the movie and book have the same basic storyline, they are quite different in portrayal. I really enjoyed the book, but, like "Fight Club," I enjoyed the movie more, which doesn't happen very often.

Man, I wish I'd written this blog earlier when my thoughts were fresh in my mind. I didn't take notes on the book, so I'll just flip through the pages and write what I feel like at the moment.

What I liked about the book:

---the severe routine Robert developed
---seeing Robert transition from a drunk to a student
---the portrayal of how a person would act when they see another person after not having spoken to or seen another human being in 3 years
---the portrayal of how a person would cope without other humans around (i.e., arguing with oneself)
---the excitement of finding a healthy dog
---the desire to die at ones home when the time comes

What I didn't like about the book:

---it was only 160 pages; super short (the book's size is deceptive as it houses 11 of Richard's short stories, not just "I Am Legend"
---I was mentally biased in what I expected of the characters in the book because I'd already seen the movie, although that made some things surprising, which was nice

And that's all I've got. I do highly recommend this book for zombie/vampire/post-apocolyptic fanatics.

Wikipedia Article
Apple Movie Trailer
IMDB Article

Cheers,

Amanda

Busy Week

Wow, this year has just been super busy, but that's not a bad thing! For me, it's a good thing; I thrive on keeping busy. Although an occasional free night is really desirable. I found an open night tonight, actually. I caught up on some things I'd been putting off, gave Heidi a much-needed bath, and just relaxed, in general. Tomorrow through Sunday will be kind of crazy, though! Outside of work and caring for Heidi, here's what I've got going on this week:

Tuesday: run in the morning, dentist appointment in the afternoon; Euchre night with Joel, Tiffany & Matt in the evening.

Wednesday: roller skating with the book club!!! I'm super excited for this!

Thursday: phone date with Kristin (pending my being able to catch up in my devotions so we can actually have a discussion about them), and yoga.

Friday: dinner and Avatar in IMAX 3D with Matt! Can hardly wait! He's going to be speechless after watching that movie!

Saturday: Paws in the Park walk with Heidi!!! By the way, I've raised more than twice the amount of my original fundraising goal! Thanks to all who've sponsored me and Heidi! Downtown with book clubbers that night?

Sunday: church in the morning, Puppy Party in the afternoon! Joel is hosting a gathering in honor of Heidi's arrival! Plus he has a fenced-in back yard - magical! Skyping family for Valentine's Day love and aiming to get to bed early.

Gotta go walk Heidi!

-Amanda

Inga Visits!

I had the great pleasure of hosting one of my most dear friends last week! Ingeborg made a stop in Orlando on her backpacking trip along the southern US states on her way to Phoenix! It was amazing to see a friend from Australia (we were flat mates over there in Spring 2008 during our study abroad trips; she's from Norway). Of course we had kept in touch, but we hadn't seen one another in the flesh in 18 months! It was amazing to catch up with her in person. Here is the link to the full photo album.

We had something fun to do every day of her stay. Here's the run-down on our little adventure together:

Friday night: Inga arrives; we stay up way too late talking about EVERYTHING; we eat lemon poppy seed muffins with butter and jam; I unwrap all the little presents she brought me from Norway; we gorge on all the candies included in said presents; we have fun speaking "Norway-English," haha; we agree to sleep in the next morning.



Saturday: we slept in; she blogged about her travel to the US while I went for a run; we had pot pies for lunch (her first time having one; she's a fan); she made great friends with Ashes; and we went out for NORWAY NIGHT!



Several of my good friends from the book club joined us in showing Inga Downtown Orlando! We hit Latitudes (to get started), The Lodge (Inga's favorite), and Eye Spy (heaps of dancing); then we capped the evening with some good ole Jimmy John's (another first for Inga).



Sunday: met some folks from the book club for brunch at Hue, downtown. It was quite tasty, but took longer than anticipated, and so we were running behind time to get to the book club at Stardust. I was able to inform Inga of the book we were reading for January in time that she could read it, so she had fun taking part in the discussion with us. We had several new faces at both the brunch and the book club, but Inga was dubbed the "honorary, global book clubber," haha! After the book club we strolled around Lake Eola.



Monday: I had to work; Inga had a nice, lazy day. That evening we were originally planning to go to my Orlando Camera Club meeting to learn about HDR, but we got sucked into a shopping mode and hit Ulta and Ross that evening. We got a little crazy with our nail polish selections! So many to choose from! For dinner I took Inga to Panera.

Tuesday: I worked again, and Inga had another relaxing day. That evening I took a nap while she read, then we went to the California Pizza Kitchen for dinner. After CPK we went downtown, in formal-wear, mind you, to celebrate Joel's birthday at The Citrus Club on the top floor of the BB&T building downtown. It was really elegant, and we had fun chit chatting with Joel and his friend, Dennis. Happy birthday, Joel!



Wednesday: Again, work for me; Inga had a lazy morning; I brought home Jersey Mike's Subs for lunch, then she went to Waterford and I went back to work. That evening we lounged for a bit before going to Urban Flats for some flat bread, live music and she had some wine (as I was driving). Afterwards we went to Borders where I picked up the February book club book and she found a cool iPod case.

At one point through the week I took Inga to The Marble Slab. She was blown away by the concept, haha! She had a crazy concoction, but it really wasn't too bad, less the York Peppermint Patties, haha!



Thursday: after work Inga and I went to Amigo's for dinner where I ate entirely too much, too quickly, haha. Inga picked up heaps of goodies for the pre-screening of the movie "Dear John" that Joel got us tickets for. Ryan met up with us, too, and we camped out for an hour to get excellent seats in the theatre. I didn't cry, though my eyes got a little dewy. Inga cried, I'm pretty sure. We felt the movie was okay, and preferred "The Notebook." Fun time, nonetheless!

Friday: I took the day off to spend a full day with Inga. Ryan hooked us up with some good deals to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventures. Ryan was a great "guide" to the parks. We hit up all the good rides and the longest wait, with one exception (the new roller coaster where they play your song during the ride), was 15 minutes! It was unheard of, I tell ya!



After much walking around, snacking, riding and chatting we got back to my apartment just in time for a quick power nap and prep for the Girls' Night I had planned as the last big to-do before Inga left Orlando. I had a few girls from the book club over, and Tiffany. We chatted, snacked on fruit and fondue, drank wine and had a lovely time painting our nails. I have a feeling there will be more Girls' Nights in the future.



Saturday morning we packed up and drove to Gainesville as it was her next stop and it was on my way to Atlanta to pick up Heidi. So we got a couple extra hours together. She DJ'd for me with the iPods. When we got to her hostel we said our goodbye's quickly to avoid bawling. I sure will miss that girl!

Thank you so much, Inga, for visiting! I loved having you in my home and company! Travel safely as you journey to Phoenix!

-Amanda

PS - Here is the link to Inga's travel blog if you're interested in reading (the second half of each post is in English) about her travels in the US.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

When I learned that the movie was based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story I knew I'd read it in the near future. It was incredibly short, but, like all FSF work I've come by thus far, well done. For being so short it still drew me into the story; I was somehow able to get to know the characters. I could feel their emotion.

One of the main reasons I love this story is because it's a story which revolves around time, but it's not about time travel like most other time stories. What would it be like to see a newborn which had the mind, skin and eyesight of an old man but the size of an infant? What would you tell people? And how would you react as that old man met your own age as he continued growing younger? Could one call it growing? Or would it be wilting? It's fascinating to think about.

I've not yet seen the movie, but look forward to it.

Official Movie Website
Wikipedia Article

Amanda

Breakfast of Champions

I wasn't all that impressed with this book, my first Vonnegut novel. I didn't really know what to expect, and that my be a good thing. The story had no meaningful point as far as I could tell. I think that was Vonnegut's intention, though. I think maybe having no point was his point.

I did enjoy the little drawings; they were entertaining.

I also liked how the two men's lives were explained separately and then woven together towards the end. Another really interesting factor of the story was that the author was also a character - as the author. I couldn't tell if the author = Vonnegut or not, but I kind of think they were one in the same.

Oh! It was hilarious how Kilgore's stories were only published in pornography, haha. Vonnegut has a peculiar sense of humor.

At the book club discussion of this book I learned that some of the characters in this book are also present in some of Vonnegut's other books. I thought that was pretty cool. I've never heard of having characters span books by the same author outside of obvious series, i.e., "The Lord of the Rings" or "Harry Potter."

Anyway, I would rate this book a 2/5 stars. *Shrug.

IMDB Article
Wikipedia Article

Amanda

The Hobbit

A lot of people know who Frodo Baggins is. What a lot of people don't know there's an entire story about Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit whom Frodo considered his uncle. "The Hobbit" is a fantastic story of Bilbo's adventures before those of "The Lord of the Rings" begins. I didn't realize "The Hobbit" was intended as a children's book, though it read quickly and easily as such. In the respect of the intended audience it is much like that of the "Harry Potter" series, enjoyed by all ages.

"The Hobbit" was instantly a favorite. I loved the magic, the languages, the imagery, the journey... It's a story I will surely share with my children.

My favorite chapter was "Riddles in the Dark" where Bilbo plays word games with Gollum.

A movie of "The Hobbit" is being developed! I am excited to see it in theaters! IMDB Article

Wikipedia Article

Amanda

A Little Princess

Book Cover

I'll never forget that I am my daddy's little princess. Vividly I remember him tucking me in at night, leaning down for the good-night kiss and whispering that I'm his little princess. Those encounters have been long gone save in my memory, but he still declares my royalty in emails and voicemails now that I'm far from home. In this respect I was very much like Sara Crewe; she grew up being totally aware that all girls are princesses.

When I was a young girl I would watch A Little Princess all the time. It was one of my favorite movies, and the only one I can recall that made tears well up in my eyes as a child.


Movie Cover

It wasn't for many years that I learned the movie was based on Frances Hodgson Burnettt's book, A Little Princess. It was a treat to read the story and turn the pages of a story I already knew and loved.

The story is simply magical. It's enchanting. It's strong, kind and, reading the story as an adult, I see how powerful a story it really is. Burnett weaves together a lovely tale about how being the bigger, better person is always the way to be; it's how a princess would behave. Giving to those in need, standing up for those who cannot defend themselves, sharing, being honest, doing what's right - these are all descriptions of what made Sara herself.

But Sara demonstrates that not only behaving in actions and words is important but also to pause and think! That is the major point I only just picked up about what Burnett was saying. Many times in the book Burnett describes Sara's patience with her own words, holding her tongue, fighting the urge to flash back at someone who'd treated her wrongly. She paused and thought out her words before she spoke them, and what a difference it can make!

Another aspect I loved about the story was that of India! Ever since seeing the movie I've had a fascination with India. I bet it had something to do with my love of the story Siddhartha, The Kite Runner and my yearning to one day visit India.

Yet another aspect that I loved about the story was the pretending and story-telling! Sara had such a wild and amazing sense of imagination! And her stories were so intense! When I was a child I could hold a candle to Sara's imagination, but to her story-telling, haha, that I wouldn't stand a chance against, but if you know me, that fact is obvious. Anyway, Sara young mind was very grand, and everyone adored her for it being that way.

By the way, most of you know I hardly ever and very rarely cry during movies. Well, I sobbed a good three separate times as I re-watched this movie. I remember being pretty shook up - maybe crying - even when I was young when I watched it! It's just so moving and emotionally powerful! It's a story I cherish very much so.

I've just realized that Princess Sara Crewe is my favorite princess, and that I want to always be just like her. Funny how an imaginary character can be an excellent role model - and one who's much younger than I am presently, and so forth, given that I will always age and she will never. She truly is a little princess.

Here's to all the little princesses,

Amanda

Fahrenheit 451

Fahrenheit 451


This book was the first we read at the East Orlando Twenty-Something Book Club. Turned out to be a pretty good book to kick off with, too: it's a classic, Ray Bradbury is well-known, and being about books, book lovers are bound to appreciate the novel.

At the book club meeting we discussed the book for a good hour and a half. Here are my thoughts:

I'd read a time-travel short-story by Bradbury (A Sound of Thunder) a few years ago for an English class at Purdue, so I knew I was a Bradbury fan. I don't know how to describe his writing style other than it's kind of choppy like those of actual thoughts, at times anyway, and it's poetic, and it has beautiful imagery and his work is just fantastic.

I found the idea of burning books as a punishment for the crime of owning/reading them to be very intriguing. Firemen were meant for burning books when they were discovered, not for putting fires out. Guy, the story's protagonist, is living ignorantly, along with the rest of society, until a young girl - an odd young girl, in comparison to the rest of the population - gets the ball rolling and makes Guy question what he is doing as a fireman. I really liked Clarisse's character because she was so different, dreamy and elegant. It was sad when her role in the story ended.

I enjoyed that the former historians, librarians and professors upheld their own libraries (in their minds). Memorization fascinated me in the story. And it made me realize how accurate Bradbury's story has become in our day and age. We live in a super-sonic speed of life; information flashing all around us; hurry up; let's go! What happened to those old chats with friends, family and neighbors on a nice summer evening out on the porch? That reminds me. I had a professor once tell me that air conditioning was what started all of these changes in society. I believe there's a lot of truth in that: convenience = degradation in many ways. Same with the TV as Ray points out in the novel. A great reason as to why I didn't own my own TV for years and years (I'm just a sucker for watching movies, but know that they are seen on my own time and it's not like TV where it controls my agenda).

Anyway, the book is really great. Definitely worthy of being on several Top 100 Books of All Time lists. Certainly makes you question the world we live in, and it's good to question things and take stands and be true to yourself.

I'm excited for later this month because I'm hosting a movie night for the Book Club to watch this book's film! I've no doubt that it'll be a fun time!

Amanda

The Bubba Roll

Just a quick blurb about the remainder of Sam's visit back in August (for a quick link to the first part, click here).

After a great weekend at the beach and Busch Gardens we settled into a work-week sort of routine. I, of course, went to work as I normally do, while Sam, of course, managed to mix up his days and nights by staying up to ungodly hours of the night (well, morning, really) playing his beloved X-Box. I'm really happy I had an HDTV for him on which he could play his video games.

Through the week we hit the gym a couple times. Sam seemed to like my gym, but he wasn't as blown away as Mom was, haha. Anyway, he was glad to get a couple workouts into his visit. Aside from the gym we saw a movie: The Collector, which neither of us were impressed with. Sam was a little mislead by the preview, apparently. The movie was by the same director as the Saw movies, just to give you an idea of what the film entailed. If it had attended to a small bit of the plot towards the end it would have at least been a decent movie, despite the blood, guts and gore. Oh, well.

The other big event during the week was my taking Sam out for sushi for the first time. I'm happy to report that I've converted yet another person to enjoy sushi. One of my colleagues, Jesse Henderson III, was in town from Maryland, and whenever Jesse visits, a group of us go to Wine Down Wednesdays at Urban Flats, then we have sushi at Fuji Sushi. Sam and I skipped Wine Down and went straight for the sushi. Given that we were with Jesse, it was a fun time; always a riot! Sam and Jesse almost instantly clicked and had a couple moments that I'll chuck under "bonding," haha. Sam's favorite roll was The Bubba Roll; he didn't care at all for my spicy tuna roll, haha. Anyway, the food was delicious and we had a good night.


myself, Sam, Jesse, et. al. at Fuji Sushi


I really enjoyed Sam's company for the week that he visited. I'm so glad we've reached that point in our relationship where we can start to relate and be friends as well as siblings. (The four year age gap made that difficult until recently.) Thanks for a fun visit, Sam! Love you!

Amanda

The Golden Compass

The Golden Compass

A few days ago I finished reading the first book of the trilogy entitled His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman, The Golden Compass. Here's Mr. Pullman:


Phillip Pullman

First of all, this book series, and most of Pullman's work, from what I gather, is geared towards children. When I picked up the book and began reading I found that I sometimes had to consciously bear that fact in mind. For a children's book, however, the story is pretty deep and fairly well developed - almost in the ranks with that of Harry Potter; almost.

Lyra is the main character, and she is quite a little spit-fire. I found that I liked her spunk, but not her lying habits so much; she didn't grow on my quite as much as I think the author had aimed for, but then, again, I am an adult and a child would be much more savvy and embracing towards Lyra.

I wish I'd read the book as a young girl because the imagination and fantasy was definitely present, I just felt like I couldn't quite tap into it. However, I can tap into that when I read HP, so it must be due to other things about the book or author. There were a few twists at the end which sort of left a bad taste in my mouth and declined my interest in continuing the trilogy with the second book. We'll see about that.

One thing I really enjoyed about Pullman's world in the novel (and series, I'm presuming) was that of the dæmons. Dæmons are animal forms of a human's soul; one can talk to them, listen to them, etc. Dæmons are a human's best friend; they are one being emotionally and psychologically. When the humans are children their dæmons can shift animal shapes, and the animals mimic the child's (and later, the adult's - though by then the animal is permanent) mood. It was very fascinating to see how characters were thinking/feeling based on the descriptions of their dæmons. I really liked the dæmons concept. I wonder what life would be like if dæmons were real. Everyone would have one. Almost all of the time the dæmon is the opposite sex of its respective human. People can only physically distance themselves from their dæmons by so much or there is a terrific emotional and physical strain on both the human and the dæmon. When a dæmon dies the human often does, too. When a human dies the dæmon, too, deceases. It is taboo for a human to touch another's dæmons, although dæmons may touch one another. Pullman created a very interesting culture of humans and dæmons.

So now I've added The Golden Compass to my Netflix queue; it's next up. Nicole Kidman, Sam Elliot, Daniel Craig and Eva Green are all in the cast, and I've heard decent things about the movie despite its 3.5/5 star rating.

-Amanda