Lindz's Whims

Checking In After Week 1

2011-01-10T17:28:00.000-08:00

Completed: 3 (~~strike through~~)
On Track: 25 (Italics)
See the updated list here.

Daily Tasks:
Considering the whole idea behind keeping up with daily tasks is that I'm trying to get into the habit, I'm trying to leave myself some room for error. I would consider completing a daily task 75% of the time would be sufficient. Therefore, I cannot miss the task more than 250 times. That is where I will draw the line at the end of the 1001 days. By those standards, I would consider all of my daily tasks on track (as noted by the italics) with the exceptions of the tasks that I haven't even started yet.

Weekly Tasks:
Weekly tasks are a lot easier to stick to as they only need to be done once a week. I would consider completing my weekly tasks 90% of the time to be successful. This means that I can miss 14 weeks and still be okay at the end of my 1001 days.

Overview as of January 9, 2011:

Completed Tasks
3.Say I love you while angry: Not going to delve into personal details, but we can check that one off the list.

9. Become more organized and use a planner: I've always found that even with the increasing of being able to track appointments and to do lists on computers, I don't find it nearly as effective as having something to look at in front of me. I have started using a day planner, and it is so much more effective.

67. Find a beauty routine that works and stick to it: I've been using several Clinique products. At night I wash with their Rinse Off Foaming Cleanser and then apply the Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel. Every other night I use their Exfoliating Scrub after washing my face. In the morning I apply my only non Clinique product, Aveeno Active Naturals Ultra-Calming Daily Moisturizer SPF-15. The only reason I use this is because it has the SPF in it. I also apply Clinique Even Better Makeup and Clinique Quick Blush. I've just started the night time routine this week, but the morning routine I've been doing for quiet a while, just not as regularly.

Tasks In Progress
I'm not going to summarize every task I have in progress, as most of them are indeed common sense. I may just point out when I finish a book or cover the unique tasks.

11. Set one goal and complete it weekly (1/1): My goal for this week was to sort through my safe and throw out all the old utility bills and credit card statements. They had been building up for years, as we never had a shredder to properly sort through them and dispose of all of that information. My files are also organized more sensibly.

34. Watch what I eat, and don’t go over recommended calorie intake for the week (0/1): This was a challenge, but I had the iPod app I was using to aid me set to lose half a pound per week. I set it to maintain my weight (because that is my actual goal) and it adjusted my daily intake by about 300 calories beginning today. I believe going by those parameters, I would have met my goal last week. We'll see how this week goes.

87. Read 101 books (0/101): I'm currently reading The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest on my NOOK. I will review the book when I finish it.

92. Purchase each Classic Disney movie that is released from the Vault before it goes back in: The current movies about to go into the vault are Pinocchio, Fantasia / Fantasia 2000, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The only one I haven't purchased yet is Snow White. I have until April to get that, so I will follow up around then.

98. Only be playing one long term video game (party games are the exception) at a time on each system: The current games I am playing on each system are Disney Epic Mickey, LittleBigPlanet, Fable III. Expect to see reviews as I finish these games up.

Xbox Kinect

2011-01-03T19:04:00.000-08:00

This year for Christmas I received the Xbox Kinect (plus Kinect Adventures). I would recommend this product to anybody. It comes with a copy of Kinect Adventures, which is a pretty decent starter game. It is more than capable of keeping one occupied until they are able to spring for another game. The only downside is that there are only five mini games, and variations on those games, so it can become repetitive fairly quickly.

The Kinect itself has plenty of interesting features. The first of which is of course the motion sensing technology. It works great, and was able to pick up my movements with no trouble. Pausing the game or exiting to the dashboard is as easy as holding my left arm at a 45 degree angle. Selecting options is easy as well, requiring my hand to hover over my choice, while a time counts up to give me a chance to change my mind or make sure I'm choosing the option I want. I'm sure the quality of the motion control will vary based on the programming of the individual games, but so far everything has worked wonderfully.

The second feature Kinect offers is the voice recognition. Simply say "Xbox" while in the Kinect hub and a prompt of commands appears on the screen. If you can read it, you can say it and the Xbox promptly obeys. I have had no trouble getting it to follow my commands so far, and have never had to repeat myself. My only wish is that it had more command options, such as powering down the system. Also, I've noticed that while I can open and close the tray with voice command, if a game is in the tray, the only option is to play the game. While, no big deal, because I'd be required to get up to remove the game regardless of what voice command offers, it was a little bit of a quirk.

The final and most standout feature in my opinion is the facial recognition. I simply wave at the Xbox after turning it on and it recognizes me and logs me in under my Xbox LIVE account. This feature is not perfect and the level of light in the area can affect it's ability to recognize an individual user. To remedy this, Xbox offers users the option to go through the memorization process multiple times to allow for multiple levels of light and conditions. For example, when I originally went through the facial recognition process, it was evening and the only thing illuminating my living room was artificial light. The next day, while the room was filled with sunlight, I attempt to log in and the Kinect did not recognize me. I simply went through the process again and now the Kinect recognizes me day and night.

Overall, I think the connect is a wonderful addition to the Xbox, and definitely advances it in the console wars between Xbox 360, Wii, and the PS3. While, it is too soon to tell, I believe the capabilities of the Kinect has to potential to set Xbox miles ahead of the competition.

101 things in 1001 days

2011-01-01T00:01:00.000-08:00

Start Date: January 1st, 2011

End Date: September 28, 2013
Last Update: January 10, 2011

Introduction

1. Post this list somewhere I see it everyday

2. Update the list once a week to see where I’m at (1/1)

Love

~~3. Say I love you while angry~~

4. Have a weekly date night with SO (0/1)

5. Eat dinner at kitchen table with SO once a week (0/1)

Career

6. Get promoted to GS-12

7. Complete all of the BOMI classes for an FMA

8. Wake up on time everyday for a month

~~9. Use a planner to be more organized at work~~

10. Earn regional recognition through work

Household

11. Set one goal and complete it weekly (1/1)
12. Buy a house

13. Scoop the litter box instead of SO at least once a week (0/1)

14. Spend 15 minutes each weekday cleaning (7/8)

15. Spend an hour each weekend cleaning (1/1)

16. Cook at least once a week (1/1)

17. Try a new recipe once a month

18. Finish laundry every weekend (1/1)

19. Buy new living room set and bedroom set for new house

20. Make bed every morning (1/1)

21. Start Composting

22. Get a dog

23. Sort through my paper pile and file weekly (1/1)

Finance

24. Obtain $10000 in savings (not including down payment for house)

25. Invest anything above $10000

26. Save 10% of each paycheck

27. Only eat out for lunch once a week at work (1/1)

28. Clip coupons weekly and actually use them (1/1)

29. Empty my wallet of change each week and stash it in the change jar (0/1)

30. Be contributing 15% to my TSP by the end of 1001 days

31. Complete my taxes within two weeks of getting the W-2

Health (Mind, Body, and Spirit)

32. Start a dream journal

33. Exercise at least three times a week (1/3)

34. Watch what I eat, and don’t go over recommended calorie inake for the week (0/1)

35. Attend church weekly (1/1)

36. Read the Bible

37. Subscribe to dictionary.com’s word of the day, and use each word (1/8)

38. Give at least 1% of salary to CFC each year

39. Give up something negative or do something beneficial for Lent each year

40. Keep a journal and write in it at least once a week (0/1)

41. Keep up with daily beauty routine morning and night (7/8)

42. Watch the news or read the news paper daily (5/8)

43. Start a swear jar. 25¢ per offense.

44. Visit dentist every six months

45. Visit doctor once a year

46. Complete a half marathon

47. Complete a marathon

48. Take a multi-vitamin daily (0/8)

49. Take fish oil daily (0/8)

50. Eat a fruit or vegetable with every meal (liquid form counts)(6/8)

51. Take a relaxing bath once a week (0/1)

52. By organic produce

53. Pay for the person behind me at a drive-thru

54. Drink 8 glasses of water per day (4/8)

55. Complete P90X Lean

56. Complete P90X Standard

57. Eat Breakfast Everyday (7/8)

58. Have my cholesterol tested

59. Find my blood type

Friends and Family

60. Keep track of birthdays and send birthday cards

61. Call home at least once a week to catch up (1/1)

62. Send Christmas Cards every year

63. Find a pen pal

64. Bake Christmas cookies for everybody

65. Bring a homemade dish to pass to family functions

Appearance and Self Esteem

66. Purchase a new fashionable item once a pay period (purse, clothing, etc.) (1/1)

~~67. Find a beauty routine that works and stick to it~~

68. Go through my closet each season and donate old clothes

69. Find a hair salon and visit regularly.

70. Wear jewelry

71. Purchase armoire to keep jewelry in

Hobbies/Travel

72. Write for the NaNoWriMo each year

73. Take falconry classes

74. Publish a book online

75. Learn a foreign language

76. Watch IMDB’s top 250 movies (86/250)

77. Play my violin again

78. Go to a Red Wings game

79. Post in my blog at least three times a week (1/3)

80. Take a trip out of the country

81. See the ball drop at Times Square on NYE

82. Create a scrapbook

83. Play a board game once a month.

84. Check out a show on Broadway Chicago at least every season

85. Attend some sort of show a month (music, comedy, play etc.)

86. See a movie in the theater once a month

87. Read 101 books (0/101)

88. Go skiing

89. Go to Lollapalooza

90. Go white water rafting

91. Attend an Autographing Signing at local theater

92. Purchase each Classic Disney movie that is realeased from the Vault before it goes back in

93. Participate in project 365

94. Learn to Belly Dance

95. Eat at a 5-star restaurant

96. Go to Vegas

97. See all Oscar Best Picture Winners (16/85)

98. Only be playing one long term video game (party games are the exception) at a time on each system

Conclusion

99. Donate $10 to charity for each task not completed

100. Save $10 for each task completed

101. Start a new list upon completion of this list

Since I epically failed last year...

2010-12-31T13:33:00.000-08:00

I'm restarting the 101 things list. I've added some new items, so we'll see how that goes.

I'm going to be blogging more often this year, so stay tuned for more posts and reviews of everything and anything.

The Future of Stuff..

2010-01-27T13:04:00.000-08:00

Forgive me for sounding old fashion, but upon discovering this article, I found myself slightly saddened by the some of the trends addressed in this article.

1. DVDs: This is probably the easiest one the get over, assuming Blu-Ray still continues to sell. I had no problems with changing mediums. VHS to DVD was no problem, sure I had to by all of my Disney Movies all over again on DVD. Those are really the only movies I own. Disney also happens to be offering the alternative. They sell their Blu-Ray discs with a copy of the DVD. This way, even though I haven't quiet moved up to Blu-Ray yet, I'll have a copy when I do make the transition (not to mention Blu-Ray players are backwards compatible. I have no concerns about the Netflix rentals either.

This article, however, mentions that downloading movies is becoming to popular way to go. This concerns me because when I like something enough to purchase, I would like something tangible to display on a shelf. Files of movies on a computer would not satisfy me nearly as much.

2. Home Telephone Service: I still have a land line, and for as long as they are available, I will continue to have a land line. I also have a cell phone, but I try to limit my use on it when I'm in my own home as much as possible. My land line service does not drop my calls as much as my cell phone. I suppose if home phone service does become obsolete, then I will have to buy one of those devices that hook up to your cell phone so you can use it similar to a land line. Cell phones are tiny, and much harder to keep track of in your own home. I would much rather not have to wear my BlackBerry on my hip at all times even in my own home. I keep it in my purse, and would rather not have to chase my purse down every time I hear my phone ring.

3. Newspaper/Magazine Subscriptions: I love reading hard copies of the magazine. Staring at a computer screen all day can be taxing. The best thing in the world is to just unplug and relax upon returning home from work. To do so, reading a hard copy of the newspaper or a favorite magazine is great. I do not think I will ever catch on to the Kindle thing.

4. CDs: This is what I am saddest to see go. As I mentioned of DVDs, I do not mind the media changes so much as I don't like to lose something tangible. I will gladly use iTunes to download a single or two, but if I plan on buying an entire album from one of my favorite artists, I prefer to have something tangible in my hands. This isn't the same as when Vinyl went to cassette, or cassette to CD. It may seem like a waste of space to rip a CD to the iPod, and then put the CD on a shelf somewhere. To mean, it doesn't feel that way. They are like collectors items, the same way people keep their old Vinyl records. I have had discussions about this in the past, and find that many of my peers do not feel the same way, so it could be just me.

Maybe this is just my apprehension at letting so many things of the past go. We're moving into the digital age, and losing touch of everything tangible. This is something I may just be having a hard time moving past, so perhaps I am just a little too old fashion. This may be the same way future generations have felt at the creation of cable TV or moving from telegraph to telephone.

Readers: How do you feel about the potential of these rapidly approaching evolutions in technology? Do you think many of these items really will become obsolete? Are you releuctant about the changes as well, or do you think I'm just crazy? Their were a couple other items in the article I didn't mention because they aren't relevant to me. Do you have any differing opinions on these items as well?

Review: Avatar

2010-01-25T13:38:00.000-08:00

Avatar is a film that lives up to the hype, without a doubt. Usually when a movie is amped up so much, and one goes to see it with such high expectations, it is easy to leave dissapointed. I loved this movie from start to finish. I went to see it in a regular movie theater setting, so I wasn't as taken with the special effects as those who might see it in IMAX (this is definitely on my to-do list, though). I was suprised at how much I enjoyed the plot, as I had heard much about how it was the effects that made this film truly great, and the plot was average. Read on.

The plot of this film follows Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) as he takes over his recently deceased brother's position in a corporate operation to mine "Unobtainium" from a planet know as Pandora. Pandora is inhabited by a feline-like people known as "Na'Vi" and the militants hired by this corporation seek to either civilize the Na'Vi or eliminate them. Jake is enlisted in the Avatar program, where he learns to telepathically pilot a hybrid between a human and Na'Vi to gain their trust. He meets Neytiri who then shows him their way. I found the character development to be highly effective. I was truly caring about the characters as the film progressed, and felt attached to the story. The effect were marvolous, and I found many of the scenes truly breath taking. I can't wait to see this movie again in 3D to have the whole experiance, and that is very rare. I have not seen a movie in the theater more than once since Titanic (which is another James Cameron film). It seems Avatar is setting out to achieve much more than Titanic had as well, and I hope it suceeds. I don't doubt that I will want to own this film upon its release, as well. It is that good. 5 out of 5 stars.

Review: District 9

2010-01-22T13:12:00.000-08:00

District 9 was a refreshing new Sci-fi movie that had me engaged for a good portion of the film. The portrayal of this film as a mockumentary was an effective way of taking on the subject matter of this film. I just wish it wouldn't have strayed away from this concept into a shoot-em up toward the end. Read on for full review.

This film follows Wikus Van de Merwe (Sharlto Copley) as he is tasked in obtaining signatures from aliens (known as "prawns") so he could relocate them from a slum prison to an even smaller prison located further away from humans. These aliens had come to Earth with their damaged ship twenty years prior to the events in this film. They have been segregrated from the human population, and treated like dogs. The film gives viewers little oportunity to empathize with the aliens, as they are portrayed as mindless insects from the start. Wikus has an unfortunate encounter with an alien substances, and is turned on by his fellow humans and is forced to seek shelter in District 9. He sides with an alien named Christopher Johnson who is only trying to restore his mothership and obtain help for his people. Wikus and Christopher shoot their way through the remaining parts of the films, and this is the point where I felt the film faltered. The ending, while leaving a lot to be wondered and sets up for a sequel, is actually a very effective conclusion to this film. This film was an original concept and was enjoyable for the most part. While I was engaged throughout the film, I found the shoot out parts to be a little boring and drawn out. Overall, a rather enjoyable film. 4 out of 5 stars.

Review: Paranormal Activity

2010-01-20T12:41:00.000-08:00

I'll admit, I am very easiliy scared, and watched a good portion of Paranormal Activity from behind my closed fingers. This movie scared the crap out of me. The film starts off relativly slow, but I didn't mind that one bit. I was on the edge of my seat for a good portion near the end, as each night the paranormal activity escalated. Read on for the full review.

The plot of the film follows college student Katie (Katie Featherson) and her day trader boyfriend Micah (Micah Sloat) as they document the paranormal entity that has been following Katie for a good portion of her life. I found the characters in this film to be very convincing and real, enough so that I really cared about what happened to them as the film progressed. The scares in this film are cheap, but they worked. The mystery of the film was what amped the scare level up as much as it did. It was refershing to see this movie be so scary without depending on blood and gore as many modern horror movie do. There were no credits at the end of the film, which added to the feel of it being a home video. Upon the end of the film, I was racing for the remote to turn on regular TV and quickly forget the scares this movie offered. I thought I was fine until I attempted to fall asleep that night. I heard every sound in my apartment amplified all night. Don't let that deter you, though. I scare easily, and have an overactive imagination. I will add that I watched this movie in a dark apartment with just me and my fiance. I can imagine the setting you watch it in would have a big impact on the terror level. Overall, this film did it's job, and for what it was trying to achieve, it did so perfectly. 5 out of 5 stars.

101 Things Update

2010-01-18T12:39:00.000-08:00

Quiet a few of my goals are on-going things that need to be done regularly. Because of this, I will allow myself to count them as complete as long as I do something 90% of the time. The whole point of those items is to do something beneficial, so I have to allow room for improvement. If failing to do something once knocked it off my list right off the bat, then there is no point in trying to improve. I will touch on the goals that I've completed as a whole, and the goals that need improvement. The day to day goals on my main list will reflect a score for how many times they were missed. For a complete look at where I'm at, please see the original list, which I've edited to portray my success.

Completed (Key: Bolded on list)
Buy a designer purse
I received a Vera Bradley purse from my grandma as a gift. I decided that gifts should count, as why would I want to purchase a new purse when I have a perfectly good one that was free to me.

Buy a video camcorder

This was another freebie we received. My fiance's work gives away various items at their Christmas party, and we walked away with a Flip camcorder. I am actually very pleased with this item, and this was the exact camcorder I was considering buying for myself anyway. It is very simple to use, and creates a high quality video.

Remarks:
This week was rather tough, as I worked a lot of overtime, and was not home for other than sleep the entire week. I missed out on a lot of house work and quality time with my fiance, so there are a lot of daily and weekly tasks that I missed. I also failed miserably at keeping up with the blog last week.

Checking Off IMDB's Top 250 Films...Part I

2010-01-08T09:50:00.000-08:00

One of my goals for the 101 in 1001 days is watching every film on IMDB's top 250 film list. This list is evolving as people provide reviews and opinions form of new movies. I will list some of the films that are on the current list that I have already seen and provide a brief summary of what I thought of the film. They are listed below.

1. The Shawshank Redemption: A very enjoyable film. I thought the message in it was very good, and this is probably one of the best movies based on a Stephen King novel I've ever seen. 5 out of 5 stars

5. Pulp Fiction: Not my favorite Quentin Tarantino flick, but reached more popularity that some of his other older films, so I can see how it obtained such a high position on the Top 250. 4 out of 5 stars.

6. Schindler's List: I hadn't seen this movie since I was in High School, but I still remember how significant it was to me then. This was a very moving film, and well worthy of it's position in the Top 250. 5 out of 5 stars.

9. The Dark Knight: Since this film is so recent, it is much easier for me to explain my thoughts on it. The first movie bored me, but this once kept me intrigued the entire time. I think all of the cast did a great job in this one. The replay value of this movie is very high, and it is usually a crowd pleaser when trying to watch movies as a group. 5 out of 5 stars.

11. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: I enjoyed all of the Lord of the Rings films. This one was action packed, and a great conclusion to the trilogy. Definitely worth watching again. 4 out of 5 stars.

12. Star Wars Episode IV: I've seen Star Wars in pieces so many times that I've probably seen the entire film. The other ones (originals) I know I have caught glimpses of, but don't remember well enough to provide an effective rating. The first Star Wars was a great film, and something I could watch again and again and still enjoy it. 5 out of 5 stars.

17. Fight Club: Fight Club is a great movie. I've seen it a couple times. It has the humor and depth that makes it such a memorable film. Great cast as well. 5 out of 5 stars.

20. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: I have to be honest and say that this movie is my favorite of the trilogy. I'll be honest, maybe I like it so much because it is simple. I can easily remember what occurred in this film first the other two (which in my mind sort of mesh together). 5 out of 5 stars.

22. Psycho: Psycho is a great film. I can understand how it terrified so many people when it first came out (even if it is tame compared to today's standards). Hitchcock truly is the master of suspense, and all of his films are wonderful. The plot to this film takes many different twists and turns. The biggest twist may not be a secret any longer, but the plot is still a roller coaster ride. 5 out of 5 stars.

24. The Silence of the Lambs: This is another film I could watch repeatedly. It has had such an impact of popular culture, and was a revelation at the time it was released. While it may be disturbing, this film is really worth watching. 5 out of 5 stars.

Readers: What are your thoughts on any of these films?

2010-01-07T10:26:00.000-08:00

My fiance and I watched Seven Pounds recently, and I found it to be a very wonderful film. I know it has had mixed reviews, and I have had friends tell me that it is "so predictable." In the below review, I will explain why that while it was predictable it didn't matter to this film. Please note that this review may contain spoilers as I attempt to explain why I feel this movie was not predictable, but the fact that what I will reveal is made apparent in the very first scene, I feel this will not impact the viewing experience for any readers. I will try to explain everything as ambiguously as possible, but even still it may not be possible to prevent spoilers. All I can say now is that I strongly recommend watching this movie. Read on at your own discretion.

The very first scene in the film made "Ben" Thomas' (Will Smith) intentions very clear. What we don't understand is the motive. The film goes on to depict Ben interacting with a variety of individuals in regard to their troubles with the IRS. There is no big twist at the end, and why should their be? Knowing how the film will end is what makes the events that occur throughout the film that much more painful. The view knows what is going on in Ben's head, and the pain he is experiencing. Even when one may have completely checked out of life, love happens. Unfortunately, the love story in this movie isn't as simple. The film portrays a love story in the most beautiful and gut wrenching way. In fact, upon finishing the film I had to just sit and let the message soak in while the credits rolled. This is a film that will remain with me for a long time. I would strongly recommend that you give this movie a chance. 5 out of 5 stars.

First Attempt at Freeing My Mind

2010-01-06T10:05:00.000-08:00

As part of my 101 things, I chose to attempt to answer the 50 Questions That Will Free Your Mind. Today, I attempted to answer the ones that came to me right away as I was reading them. I will take a stab at the harder ones in the future.

2. Which is worse, failing or never trying?

Failing for sure. I am not one to jump into tasks that are a huge gamble. If the cost is minimal I am willing to take a chance, but I am not one to take unnecessary risk.

6. If happiness was the national currency, what kind of work would make you rich?

Honestly, the career path I chose is one that makes me truly happy. I enjoy the work I do and feel accomplished at the end of the day. That said, the reason I didn't choose the career path that would make me happiest is because the availability of these types of jobs are very small. I used to dream of training killer whales and Sea World. If it weren't all but impossible to have a job doing so, then that would be the kind of work that would make me rich.

8. If the average human life span was 40 years, how would you live your life differently?

I would have gotten married and had children rather than focusing on developing a career right away.

9. To what degree have you actually controlled the course your life has taken?

I am very much in control of the course my life has taken. The decisions I have made are 100% my own.

10. Are you more worried about doing things right, or doing the right things?

Doing the right thing is the most important. I could not do something that would cause for me to go against my morals.

11. You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire. They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend. The criticism is distasteful and unjustified. What do you do?

I would like to say that I would stand up for this friend. I am pretty sure I would, especially if the criticism is unjustified. I have little difficulty in standing up for someone, and I doubt the fact that I respect and admire the individuals that need to be stood up to will change my mind.

13. Would you break the law to save a loved one?

Without hesitation.

19. If you had to move to a state or country besides the one you currently live in, where would you move and why?

Michigan in a heart beat. It would be wonderful for my fiance and I to be close to our families.

20. Do you push the elevator button more than once? Do you really believe it makes the elevator faster?

No, because I know it doesn't make the elevator move faster.

21. Would you rather be a worried genius or a joyful simpleton?

Joyful simpleton. I take great pride in my intelligence, but if I was simpleminded and happy, I would not know what I was missing.

24. Which is worse, when a good friend moves away, or losing touch with a good friend who lives right near you?

The good friend moving away. It is always possible to see the ones that live far away, but losing touch is far worse.

26. Would you rather lose all of your old memories, or never be able to make new ones?

I would rather lose all of my old memories. I am still young, and have years to make new, wonderful memories. I am sure as I age, my feelings on this will change.

28. Has your greatest fear ever come true?

No, it hasn't.

37. If you just won a million dollars, would you quit your job?

No. Regardless of however many millions of dollars, I would not quit my job at the point in time.

38. Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?

More work I enjoy doing. When I have more assignments at work, the day goes quickly and I enjoy myself.

39. Do you feel like you’ve lived this day a hundred times before?

Not at all. I think I am capable of finding enjoyment in many things. I have a wide variety of tasks to keep me busy, so my life never feels repetitive.

42. Would you be willing to reduce your life expectancy by 10 years to become extremely attractive or famous?

No. Plain and simply, no.

50. Decisions are being made right now. The question is: Are you making them for yourself, or are you letting others make them for you?

I feel as though I already answered this one. I make my own decisions.

Review: Wii Fit Plus

2010-01-05T10:04:00.000-08:00

Another item I received for Christmas is the new Wii Fit Plus. I had seen this played at a friend's house when we had a Wii party after they bought theirs. The new features were enough to convince me that it would be a great improvement over the original. I tried it out with my mom Christmas Day. She was the reason I decided to purchase the original Wii Fit, as her and my dad already had it. Even she enjoyed the game significantly, and was asking to play it several times during the weekend I was in town. Read on for my full review.

Review

Upon starting up the game, the first thing I noticed was that all of my original data from Wii Fit had transfered over to the new game, so I started out with the guilt of the little balance board icon telling me he hadn't seen me in a while and even forgetting my name (and mistakenly calling me by my fiance's name). The new games are fun and challenging, and the multiplay capabilities allows for motivation to work out more often. Afterall, excercise is more fun when you have a partner. It allows for players to switch back and forth with the click of a small icon in the game selection area. No need to log out and log in as a new player. The new ability to estimate calories burned is also a useful tool. If I know I overindulged on food and have to excercise a little harder than usual, than I know exactly how hard I'll need to work out. The assignment of METs to each game allows for me to use better judgement in choosing a routine I'd like to try based on how much of a workout I want. They have also added the ability to create pets and babies so that you can track their weight. There aren't any special fitness routines for them or anything, but it will chart their weight. Plus, I think it's cute to have the little kitty Miis. If I'm doing certain activities, sometimes I can see my cat following me around as I jog, for example.

The only feature I was slightly dissappointed in is the custom routines. When I read on the box that in had routines based on what the user wanted to accomplish, I thought that meant it would recommend activites to me based on data I put in. That is not the case. It has several preset groupings of activities that you can use to accomplish certain tasks (ie: flatten tummy, maintain figure, warm up, relax). While it is handy, I was hoping for a more custom workout. It isn't that much of a disadvantage, though, as I am perfectly capable of choosing my own activities, and it allows you to combine more than one routine to create a semi-custom workout.

Overall, this game is a good investment. As part of my 101 things, I plan on using the Wii Fit more often. Wii Fit Plus provides just the right features to encourage me to increase the amount I work out. I very much look forward to working out on it, and would gladly recommend this product to anybody. 5 out of 5 stars.

Our Xbox is Wireless...Finally!

2010-01-04T10:00:00.000-08:00

As I've said in previous posts, our Xbox 360 was purchased for Christmas over a year ago. We had not even considered purchasing the Xbox 360 until we learned that Final Fantasy XIII was to be released on multiple platforms. Our biggest reason for choosing the Xbox over the PS3 is that it has the ability to stream Netflix movies directly to the TV. (This is something the PS3 can do now, but was not available at the time we were considering the purchase). The streaming ability of Netflix is awesome, but we are not big fans of watching movies on the computer. We had been procrastination on purchasing a wireless adapter, and failed to do so mainly because we just never thought to when we were out and about shopping.

This year for Christmas we recieved the wireless adapter for our Xbox from my parents. Out of all the gifts we've received, this is the one we put to use first. It fits securely in the back of our Xbox and stays out of the way. We set up our Xbox Live membership, and can now watch any Netflix movie or TV show that is available for instant streaming. Hopefully this will help with checking off some movies from the list I must watch for my 101 things. This also enabled us to access downloadable contents for Dragon Age: Origins, and will probably provide us with the motivation to purchase some massive multiplayer online games. I don't even know why we waited so long in obtaining this. If you have an Xbox 360 and aren't online yet, I would recommend a wireless adapter. No messy cords to trip over, and it is easy to set up.

Readers: Any of you Xbox 360 users out there? What games do you like to play online? Any recommendations?

Review: Confessions of a Shopaholic

2010-01-03T16:12:00.000-08:00

My fiance and I rented Confessions of a Shopaholic for a light-hearted movie to watch. We have been falling behind on new releases, and I remember every time we saw a trailer for it, we'd both mention wanting to see it. We made the right choice in renting this one. My fiance enjoyed it, so this might be a pretty good chick flick to watch that the guys won't cringe about either. Read on for the full review.

Review

This movie isn't some epic thought provoking film, so viewers should keep that in mind while watching this film. It is really just a fun film. Isla Fisher is aborable in this movie. I think her ability to portray the main character as such a likeable, allbiet not money smart, woman is what made this movie. As a not so typical girl who absolutly loaths shopping, I still found this movie very enjoyable. It didn't focus so much on her shopping as it did on how she handles her new job writing for a financial magazine. There is enough romance and shopping to keep the girls into it, and plenty of slapstick style comedy that the guys should love as well. An all around winner in my book. 4 out of 5 stars.

Just Because I Went to Community College Doesn't Mean I'm Lazy

2010-01-02T13:49:00.000-08:00

Too often I see people sneer at the thought of going to community college in lieu of a four year school after graduating. I remember watching the movie Accepted and wondering why these kids were acting as though the concept of going to community college was worse than not going to college at all. I don't understand where this mentality comes from. The fact that they cost less and let almost anybody in does not mean the quality of their classes is any less that that of comparable classes at a four year school. In fact, I believe my decision to put off going to a four year school and attend community college was the best decision I could have made at that point in my life.

Upon graduating, I had the option of going away for college or attending a community college less that twelve minutes from my parents' house. I chose the later, and obtained a two year degree. This experience was very rewarding. The professors were very talented, and some of the best educators I've had taught at this school. One professor joked that we could fail his Calculus class three times for the cost of taking the equivalent at a four year school once. While still not a good thing to fail a class, doing so for a third of the cost at community college would allow for less dedicated students to realize they need to work harder without losing out on as much financially. They say college is not for everyone, and isn't it better to realize it at a cost of $1500 worth of tuition versus $10,000 worth of tuition and room and board at a different school. The two year degree I obtained allowed me to transfer to any school, and the counselors worked with me based on the program I wanted to go into at a future four year school. When I graduated with a bachelors degree from a four year school, I did so with zero debt. I had to finance only two years at the more expensive school rather than four. I also had the benefit of a couple more years working at my job in my hometown to build up my savings. Community college gave me the head start I needed. It is the end result that matters in the long run, not the means one uses to achieve it.

Why Do Credit Cards Get Such A Bad Reputation?

2009-12-30T08:15:00.000-08:00

I guess it is about time I shared an opinionated blog post. I don't set out to offend, and I doubt this post will offend. I just wanted to put it out there that what I am about to share is my opinion and nothing more.

I often see people speaking negatively of credit cards. Most recently, I noticed this on the message boards for Confessions of a Shopaholic, which was essentially a film about a young woman who abused her credit card (review coming soon). I have no problem with people not using credit cards. That is a personal choice, regardless of the reason behind it. That said, it does bother me when people mention their non- use of credit cards in a way that implies that people who do use credit cards are idiots for doing so.

I believe that when used properly, a credit card can be a valuable tool. There are multiple reasons behind this. First off, credit cards will not charge interest on any charges paid off by the due date specified on the bill. This allows for me to purchase items without being forced to carry cash, and I earn cash back in return. Both of those are very major perks. Last June my wallet was stolen. I had a small amount of cash and a couple credit cards. The cash was gone, but it was an amount significantly less than it would have been had I not been using credit cards for the majority of my purchases. I promptly canceled all of my cards, and found that one was used for over $200. I was not liable for one cent of it. Had I been carrying cash instead, I would have been out $200.

Using my credit card also earns me cash back. Up to 5% on certain purchases. Many times, this 5% is available in a category I often purchase anyway, such as gas or groceries. It could add up to an easy $20 dollars a month, just for buying the same things I'd normally use cash for.

Understandably, credit cards aren't for everybody. Not everybody can be handed this magical card the allows them to buy as much as they want without paying upfront. I can imagine that it could be easy to lose track of charges as well. This is when credit card companies become the bad guy by charging interest. It is their right, though, as they are loaning a user credit, which in the long run, the credit company is accountable for. They are also known for changing their terms in a way that is unfair to the user. This can also be avoided if the user is careful.

Honestly, in spite of the negative aspects, I find credit cards to be very useful. I also know many people who have gotten themselves into trouble with credit cards, and have written them off with good reason. Others choose not to use them for a wide variety of reasons, and I hold no objections to that. On the other hand, I just don't like hearing comments such as "oh, this is why credit cards shouldn't exist" and the next time I pull out my plastic, I hope those who have negative opinions of credit cards don't assume I am up to my ears in debt, because that is far from the truth.

Readers: No specific questions this time, I would love for you to share you thoughts

Post Chrismas Thoughts

2009-12-29T08:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas has passed again this year. It always seems to go by so fast. At this time of the year, I try to reflect on the past year and think about ways I can improve over the next year. I also take advantage of this time to enjoy quality time with my fiancé and the post- holiday bliss.

We had a good Christmas this year, and received a multitude of gifts that will greatly improve our home. We have artwork to decorate our walls, utensils for our kitchen, and the newest edition of Wii Fit to help with our New Years Resolutions. It is sad to return home, and get back into the daily grind, but at the same time I am glad to be back home after the long weekend.

On to New Years... I hope to put this blog to good use in keeping up with the resolutions I make. I plan on posting a list of 101 things I plan to accomplish in 1001 days. I have attempted this in the past and failed miserably. This year (and then some) I will have my readers to hold me accountable, imagined or not. So, expect to see a list being published first thing New Years Day, if all goes according to plan. I will post follow up posts periodically that link back to the original and explain my progress. I am currently unsure of how I will go about doing so, but more on that when the time comes. This will by no means be the meat and potatoes of this blog, but will provide regular content in addition to my periodic reviews and meetings with my book club.

Readers: Do you have any resolutions for the new year? If so, by all means, share. I may need some inspiration in coming up with 101 items by the end of the week.

Review: Cube

2009-12-26T10:00:00.000-08:00

This movie will be very difficult to review. Mainly because I am not 100% sure how I felt about the movie. Usually when I sleep on it, a review will come to me. I watched it, I enjoyed watching it, but at the same time I found myself wondering what the heck is up with it. In all fairness, I suppose I will have to write a neutral review, due to the number of times I found myself rolling my eyes (mentally perhaps) at this movie. Read on for more.

Review

The premise of the movie is several strangers being stranded in this strange room together. They discover that all the rooms are connected, and some of these rooms are trapped with a wide variety of deadly devices. They discover that each of them has a purpose, a reason for being put into this cube-like prison, and use their talents to attempt to find a way out. They soon discover that the cube itself isn't the biggest danger they'll face. The acting is never consistent. Sometimes it is horrible and other times it isn't half bad. Part of my wonders if the actors practiced their skills whilst filming the movie, and thus wound up being better. The attempt at portraying how fragile the human psyche should be commended. This movie was probably made with a very low budget (one set lit in different colors to make it seem like different rooms), and it seems very highly received in the SciFy community. If you are into SciFy, by all means check out. I am sure many people would find it enjoyable. I'll admit that while I was not very into the beginning of the movie, I found the end to be very intense. I was routing for the characters by then (even Levin, who I disliked for being so darn bratty in the beginning). I wish the acting would have been a little bit better, as then I could have given this movie a high rating, earning it a hit status. 3 out of 5 stars.

Where does free time go?

2009-12-23T11:02:00.000-08:00

First, I apologize for the span between posts. When I started this blog, I anticipated a post a day. I thought the simplest way to go about that would be to spend as much time as possible whenever I thought about it stockpiling posts, and then scheduling them to be posted later on. This is a very effective method for me, as long as the post isn't relevant to some sort of current event. If that were the case, I would schedule said blog to be posted earlier. I know it seems silly to want to be so diligent about a blog that may not have many readers, if any. If I don't care; however, than why should any potential readers? I would like to be reliable, as that can keep readers coming back. The fact that I fell behind a couple of days on my blog really brought up the subject that I am surprised at the lack of free time I have.

When I was in college I was balancing class for 18 credit hours (most of the time), working part time, homework, and a very active social life without sacrificing the much needed "me" time. I also had that mentality that I was very busy, and my ability to balance straight As and my social life was something to be proud of. I mean, if you took into account my work schedule and class schedule, not to mention homework, it came out to close to a 40 hour week. Enter the real world. I work 40 hours a week, and find myself with less free time than I've ever had. I wake up at 6:00 AM (sometimes I'll hit snooze until 6:20 AM), leave my apartment at around 7:20 AM to catch my train. I work nine and a half hour days in exchange for an extra day off every pay period. Thus, I sacrifice a good portion of my day. I arrive home at a little after 7:00 PM in time to eat dinner, catch up on a little housework, and then retire sometime between 9:00 and 9:30 PM. I do not go in bed at this time, but use it to sip some tea and unwind before a fall asleep sometime after 10:00 PM. Weekends are hit or miss as far as how busy they are. Summertime we're often taking trips to visit family, and with the holidays coming up we've been booked many of the weekends. My extra day off has been moved around to make up for Holidays that my fiance has off, but I do not for our trips home lately. I dread how I will manage my time when in the (distant) future I have children.

Keep in mind that I am by no means complaining about my schedule (I know many people work and keep tougher schedules than this). I am more remarking on how naive I was in college thinking that I was busy with school. I do manage to fit in several of my hobbies in that short period between 9:00 PM and 10:00 PM. I will read, or work on my blog, catch up on DVR, or just spend that time chatting about my day with my fiance. The extra hour and a half on the train each day also helps. Unfortunately, I have no way to blog on the train. I'm trying to see if I can find an app for my new iPod that will offer this capability (many may be rendered useless without an internet connection), but I fear the small keypad may become taxing. We will see how this goes in the future. Perhaps a good topic would be how I manage my busy schedule.

Readers: Any time saving tricks you use to get through the day? Do you feel you're far busier now that you were when you were younger? Also, any recommendations for blogging apps for the iPod?

DVR is My New Best Friend

2009-12-17T12:05:00.000-08:00

My fiance and I signed up for a new company to offer us cable upon moving into our new apartment. The cost is about the same as what our previous company would have charged after the trial period, but offers at least 100 more channels. It also offers us DVR, so we record and are able to watch a larger variety of show than we previously watched. We can also keep an eye out for movies we want to see and record them. Currently, our DVR records fourteen different shows. Read on for a brief list of show I currently have my DVR set to record.

Bridezillas: This show started out as something I watched to gain ideas for our upcoming wedding. Soon I realized nothing could be gained by watching these outrageous situations, but it quickly turned into a guilty pleasure. I know the show is possibly scripted, and at the very least they choose to edit in the most unflattering way for these brides. I find this show to be a bit of a train wreck. Terrible, but you really can't take your eyes off of it.

Castle: Being a former fan of Serenity and Firefly, the fact that Nathan Fillion is the lead drew my interest to this show. The shout out to Firefly on the Halloween episode truly made my day. I found this show to actually be very interesting. Nathan Fillion was really made for this type of role. He had a role on Desperate Housewives for a season, but it was truly not made for him.

Community: This is another show I started watching because of my appreciation of the lead. I had seen Joel McHale on The Soup, and after several shameless plugs for Community, I made sure to tune in for the pilot. I find this to be a very entertaining comedy. Chevy Chase plays a great role in the show as well.

Desperate Housewives: This show is one I was hooked on before I moved away. I usually don't even end up watching the DVR for this one, as I usually catch it the night it plays due to my excitement over this series. The DVR is more of a precaution incase I find myself away from home on a Sunday night.

Grey's Anatomy: This is the same situation as Desperate Housewives. The DVR is only a precaution. I have been a long time viewer of this show. Last year I missed the season finale and had to wait for it to be replayed (not a big fan on TV on a computer). By the time it got around to being played again, the epic ending had already been revealed to me. Not going to happen again this season.

Heroes: This show is my fiance's fave. I can't get into it. Every time I sit down to watch it with him, I find myself drifting off.

House: Another show of my fiance's. I will sit and watch it with him occasionally, but it won't break my heart if he watched it without me and deleted it.

How I Met Your Mother: After hearing so many people rave about this show, I thought I'd give it a try. I fell in love instantly. The cast is amazing, but especially NPH. This is a very fun and enjoyable sit-com.

Law & Order: SVU: Law & Order is a show that I would always catch re-runs of on USA. I would always stop and watch if that were the case. My last year of college, I began catching new episodes on NBC. Now we record it and keep up with the new episodes.

My Fair Wedding with David Tutera: Something we've recorded dozens of episodes of, and I haven't watched a single one. I thought it would be a decent way to get ideas for the wedding planning. We'll see if I ever get around to watching it.

Say Yes to the Dress: This is a wedding show I do NOT watch for ideas. I could never afford one of these dresses. For some reason, it is just fun to watch the brides try on the dresses.

The Soup: I love The Soup. I even remember watching Talking Soup when that was around. Joel McHale is funny, and the randomness of the show is great. Even better is catching every single episode so that I can be "in" on all of the inside/recurring gags.

V: We were following this new ABC show from the beginning. The fact that it had another actress who had previously been on Firefly/Serenity was a bonus. Then we tune and see they had two former cast members of Firefly/Serenity on the show. The story is awesome to boot. This is another show we usually catch the night of.

Readers: Any shows you can't stand to miss? Do you watch and of the above shows? Do you have any recommendations to add to our DVR?

Freebies from the Internet

2009-12-16T09:28:00.000-08:00

I recently joined a website called Swagbucks. Out of all the internet "freebies" concepts out there, this one seems to be the most rewarding. It may take a long time to stack up enough Swagbucks to earn something, but they sure do seem to add up quick. The concept is that you earn points through various ways and can redeem them for a wide variety of items in the Swagstore. They have various things from gift cards, to books, to magazine subscriptions, MP3s, TV show episodes. Maybe you could even save up for a PS3...

There are various ways you can earn the points. The first and easiest way is to use the search function. It is a search powered by Ask and Google, so the results are decent. I do find what I'm looking for when I used the search function. For some reason there are only two or three pages of results, but I know that if I don't find what I'm looking for by the second or third page, it is time to reform my search. I have earned close to twenty Swagbucks in just under two weeks by casually searching. They offer special search sites that feature a specific band or sports team, and the Swagstore from that site will also carry specific merchandise. For example, I search with The Who, and have access to a variety of The Who merchandise if I choose.

The next way is to refer somebody. My referral link is on the side bar of the blog, and also where the link above will take you. For every person you refer, you earn one Swagbuck for every Swagbuck they earn for the first 100 Swagbucks. If you have many friends, this could add up quickly.

Swagbucks also runs many different competitions or offer random codes for redemption of Swagbucks. I've gotten an email newsletter with a code, gone on a quick scavenger hunt on a t-shirt website (all I had to do was find a red shirt with Chuck Norris on it, the code was in the product description.) They do Twitter word contests, trivia, prediction polls, and many other things.

The final way that I've found is through the completion of special offers. I renewed my subscription to a magazine I normally read anyway, and earned a quick 20 Swagbucks. Haven't tried Netflix yet? Sign up for another 75 Swagbucks. Disney Movie Club? 150 Swagbucks. Those two things I had signed up to prior to Swagbucks, so I'm a little bummed I missed out.

In just two weeks I've already earned enough points to redeem for a $5 Amazon gift card, $25 dollar Resturaunts.com gift card, several different comic books or gift cards, and a Detroit Lions' pennant, just to give some examples. This is two weeks of doing no extra work at all, just using Swagbucks in place of Google. I'll have to post an update when I actually redeem something, but in the mean time, it is definantly worth a shot.

Review: Dragon Age Origins

2009-12-15T11:35:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was a huge accomplishment for me. I beat my very first RPG since Super Mario RPG for SNES. Granted, I was 18 years old the first time I beat Super Mario RPG. I'm not the most devoted gamer, especially when it comes to RPGs. I will play until I get stuck, give up for months, and then come back again and feel the need to restart because I went without playing for so long. It is a vicious, endless cycle. Well, back on topic, I beat Dragon Age this weekend. I had been playing this game quiet a bit, fighting it out with my fiance over who could play next. This game was just amazing in my opinion. Read on for the full review.

Review

Now, the sole fact that such a poorly skilled gamer as myself managed to beat Dragon Age: Origins on my own might deter the more hardcore gaming crowd. Fear not, as there are three higher levels of difficulty, and they do make the difference. My fiance finds himself struggling with battles that I managed with little difficulty. This was fine for me. A mild challenge is all I need to enjoy a game, assuming the story is good, and this one was.

I had never played a game created by BioWare before, as Knights of the Old Republic had frustrated me right at the beginning. I was familiar with the concept behind KotOR before I began DAO. I found myself deeply emersed in the story from the start. The fact that the actions I made affected the story was a major bonus. There was more excitement out of what happened in the game, especially when I knew something I had done beforehand had caused it. I loved the way that I could interact with the members of the party, and had fun just talking to them until I had exhausted all of my options.

The graphics of the game were fairly good. I read in a review on IGN that one complaint was that the blood spatters would appear on the ranged characters, even though they never got close to the battle. I found the opposite effect when I played, so I wonder if the program had been altered prior to the full release. There were a couple glitches, such as somebody's head being in the way during the conversation screens, and at one point I remember seeing the head of a wolf I had summoned poking through the chest of an NPC I was conversing with. I was able the shrug these issues off.

Upon finishing the game, I was already planning my next character, and the way I would approach the game a second time. There are multiple endings, and I plan to try for a happier one this time around. The ability to choose your actions allows for the replay of this game to be fairly high. I can't imagine the conversations being boring as well, as you have the capability to control the direction the conversations can go. This was a fine video game, and probably the best RPG to have been released in 2009. 5 out of 5 stars.

Oh, How I Love My Coffee

2009-12-14T11:00:00.000-08:00

I hadn't always been a big fan of coffee. I would drink it on occasion when I was high school aged, but it would require tons and tons of sugar. I'm pretty sure the saying "would you like some coffee with your sugar?" would have fit me like a T. I didn't realize how much of a benefit coffee could be until I had moved out of my parent's house for college. My parents had bought me a little coffee maker before I left. It was a really nice coffee maker, and made twelve cups. I would drink around two mugs of coffee with a little bit of flavored creamer before heading off to class. It became part of my morning routine. Then I discovered when I ran out of creamer, drinking it black was not a completly terrible thing. I found myself enjoying the taste of coffee.

I graduated from college, and moved out on my own. I began to find myself more rushed in the morning. My co-workers had started a coffee club, so I found myself neglecting my little coffee maker at home in exchange for coffee already prepared by one of my co-workers who was an early bird and always arrived early. When staffing changes occured, I found nobody was willing to keep up with the coffee club, so I was on my own again.

At this point I had fallen in love with a single serve coffee brewer that a friend of mine had. I purchased a little single cup brewer from Keurig. I fell in love. It was the cheapest one available. The only down side was that I had to add water each time I used it and the brew time was a little long compared to the other ones. I kept it for about a year, until Keurig ran a promotion in the city I work in. They were handing out coupons for 20% off a brewer, so I decided that was enough justification to purchase an upgrade. This brewer makes all the difference. It has a resevoir, so I don't always have to worry about adding water everytime I make a cup of coffee. It brews in about a minute. I have a timer on it, so by the time I wake up it is already kicking on and warming up to make me a wonderful cup of coffee. I would recommend one of these brewers to any coffee drinker. It even has options for those who do not like coffee, such has hot chocolate or tea. I have a cup of camamile tea every night before bed.

Readers: Have you tried the single serve coffee? Do you have a type of coffee brewer you just swear by? If you haven't tried single serve coffee, would you consider switching or would you stick to what you know? Why or why not?

Review: Brothers

2009-12-13T08:09:00.000-08:00

I went to see Brothers with some girl friends last night. This is a very difficult movie for me to review at the moment. The acting was great, but I left the film with a bad taste in my mouth. It may have just been the subject matter it was focused on. I had never seen the trailer for this film, so I was unsure of what I was in for, even though friends were able to give me a brief synopsis. The leading cast was great, though my personal displeasure of Tobey Maguire may have had an impact on my outlook. I will attempt to approach this film without personal bias. I will also not reveal any spoilers, as anyone who had seen the trailer (which I had watched after seeing the movie) will have the basic idea of what this film is about. Read on...

Review

This film embarks on the story of Sam Cahill (Maguire) and the impact his supposed death, and then return from being a POW has on his family. There is some romantic tensions between the Sam's wife Grace (Natalie Portman) and her brother-in-law Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal). This is not the central theme of the movie as one might have derived. The movie more focuses on the emotional roller coaster this family goes through as they find out Sam is dead, and then find out he is not dead. He returns a changed man, and this creates tension with his family. He is also highly suspective of what may have happened between Grace and Tommy while he was away.

The cast manages to portray these emotions superbly. Even the little girls were so convincing in their roles. There is some debate of some lines the eldest child had that seemed too mature for her, but I think people tend to forget how intuitive children really are. I found these girls did an amazing job. This film will having you laughing and smiling for a moment, and then crying the next. I truly felt as though these were real people.

The subject matter for this film is intense. I do not know whether or not the director had some political agenda, nor do I care. The truth of the matter is that these things do happen in war, and they affect the people in a way that civilians will probably never understand. I had a hard time not being angry at Sam for his actions, but at the same time knew that when somebody returns from war going through what he had, they are a different person. He may have been alive physically, but the Sam that left never came back from Afghanistan. 4 out of 5 stars.

Review: I Love You, Man

2009-12-12T14:16:00.000-08:00

My fiance and I subscribe to Netflix, and thus watch plenty of movies in our free time. Our most recent rental was I Love You, Man. This movie was not quiet what I expected, considering it starred both Paul Rudd and Jason Segel. I was expecting a movie similar to Pineapple Express or the Hangover, which are both very funny movies. This movie, however; was something anybody could enjoy. I would have no regrets watching this movie with my grandmother, for example. Read on for the full review.]

Review

The film starts out with Peter Klaven (Rudd) proposing to his girlfriend Zooey (Rashida Jones). After overhearing Zooey being warned by her girlfriends how needy guys can be if they don't have any male friends, Peter goes out of his way to set up several "man dates" to meet a potential best friend/best man. After many failures he meets Sydney Fife (Segel). Sydney is clrearly an intelligent, funny person, though he is quiet different than Peter in many ways.

Rudd and Segel share an awesome chemisty. Their quick liking to each other is very believable. They both play very likeable characters, even with their vast differences from each other. The cast of supporting actors was enjoyable too. There is a wide range of familiar faces that appear in this film. Segel even gets into a fist fight with the one and only Lou Ferrigno. Fans of the male stoner comedies such as Pineapple Express will enjoy this movie, but the touch of romance and lighter humor will be enjoyable by those that may have been turned off by the latter mentioned comedies. 5 out of 5 stars.

X-Box Wars

2009-12-11T14:36:00.000-08:00

Last year for Christmas I bought my fiance an X-Box 360. He played it a little bit, but found he didn't have time to obsess over it the way some boys do. I play on it probably about as much as he does. Neither of us had touched the darn thing in a couple of months until we heard of the game titled Dragon Age: Origins. Sure enough, we purchased the game with some gift cards I received through work. The second I started playing I was hooked. Upon beating the game, I will need to post a review. In the meantime, all I can say is that it is a constant battle over who can play.

My fiance's argument is that I had spent more hours on it than he, and he needed to catch up. He was out of town for a weekend, and I'll admit that I played a little bit more than I should have. Heck, at the moment I am typing this blog he is playing, though I had my turn this afternoon. That is the problem with this game is that there is no way to play together, and he would rather not watch me play as I am ahead of him and he doesn't want to spoil the plot. At the same time, I don't like to watch him play since he is more diligent at discovering party members and techniques that I just passed by in my haste to advance the story.

I haven't been this addicted to a video game since Donkey Kong Country came out when I was in grade school. That was when I experienced my first and only case of Nintendo Thumb. Of course, it was very minor, and went away the second I quit playing (which I did). No blisters or anything, though I'm sure if I continued that is the route it would have taken. Unfortunately, the difference between now and then is that I didn't have to share my SNES with anybody.

Readers: Do you have a video game that you found yourself obsessed with momentarily? If you're not much of a gamer, any other hobbies? What video games are you currently playing?

Some Finale Thoughts About the Twilight Series So Far

2009-12-10T10:25:00.000-08:00

I promise, this is the last post for a minute about Twilight. Seeing the second movie and reading the second book brought up a couple of items that I figured blog worthy. I feel as though Meyer should be given credit for coming up with such a great idea and she delivers it effectively enough. On the other hand, she seems to play around with the rules of the Twilight world to fit her convenience. Also, the main character is makes me roll my eyes a little too much. Disclaimer: There may be some spoilers.

Vampires

If you're anything like me and you read Twilight you probably had a similar reaction to the "sparkle" scene. I was reading the book I remember reading the book, getting past that point, and setting the book down for a minute. I looked at the nearest person at the time and saind "Okay, so the real reason vampires can't go into the sunlight is because they're shiny?" Meyer is turning vampires into the next unicorn. According to mythology, a unicorn was an untamable beast. The only thing that could calm it was a virgin maiden. But they weren't pretty white horses either. They evolved into that overtime. Originally, the description of the unicorn was similar to that of a Rhino, which may be where the myth had come from. In the last few decades, unicorns were found postered on the walls in pre-teen girls' rooms all over the place. Sound familiar? Now Edward Cullen is postered on the walls in pre-teen girls' rooms all over the world. In Meyer's defense, authors have been changing vampires to fit their story for years, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. To me, the sparkling thing just took the vampires too far. Even the bad vampires glitter. What point does it serve?

Continuity

This became very apparent to me in the book New Moon. Meyer attempted to explain that Bella is immune to the special abilities of vampires. This is why Edward and Aro couldn't read her mind, and Jane couldn't torture her. If this is the case, than why can Alice see her future? Or Jasper calm her emotions? Because it works for Meyer's story, that's why. Same can be said for Alice's lack of seeing Jacob when he pulled Bella out of the ocean. If werewolves were made only to fight vampires, it makes sense that he may be immune to their powers. Then we find out Edward can read Jacob's mind...

Bella

When I read the first book, all I could think of was how much of a jerk Edward was, and how I couldn't stand his controlling nature. Then I found a lovely little article on cracked.com that explained it totally isn't Edward, it is all Bella.

Feminists often attack Edward for being a condescending, misogynistic jerk towards Bella. They often cite that fact that he treats Bella like a doe-eyed dipshit that needs to be kept on a leash to stop her from trying to play with oncoming traffic. What these people fail to realize is that Edward's treatment of her stems not from the fact that she's female, but because her favorite hobby consists of trying to find new and exciting ways to get killed by household objects. One of Edward's earliest encounters with Bella consisted of rescuing her from becoming roadkill, and subsequent outings have consistently shown her to have the intelligence and dexterity of an apricot. Edward treats her as if she is constantly in danger, not because he's sexist, but because her own ability to detect trouble usually kicks in about half an hour after it's been and gone. He can hardly be blamed for being a bit protective at times - although it is unlikely that Darwin would approve of Edward fucking around with his gene pool so much.

I hated that she spent most of the second book all "woe-is-me" and what not. Now, it probably is normal for a teenage to be sad for a couple weeks, and tear up at reminders for maybe even a month or two. Bella had a hole in her stomach for four odd months or so after being dumped, and spent so much time talking about it in the book. Isn't that how long she had been with Edward before the dumping happened? Honestly, I'm kind of insulted. I love my fiance plenty, but I wouldn't ride motorcycles or jump off cliffs just to hear is voice if he left me.

Well, in conclusion, I really sound like I hate Twilight. I don't. I'll read the next book, and enjoy it, but for crying out loud Bella, pick the werewolf. He's closer to human, and it isn't like cuddling with a slab of granite.

Review: The Second Twilight Adaption Seemed Subpar

2009-12-09T10:12:00.000-08:00

So after rushing through the New Moon novel, I went to see the movie last Saturday. I went into the movie feeling optimistic. I enjoyed the first movie well enough, and since I liked the second book so much more than the first, I thought the same would be true for the second. I guess I was wrong.

Review

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart's chemistry was actually cringe worthy. Aren't they a real life couple? The saving grace of this movie was what made the book good as well, the increased amount of time Bella spent with Jacob. Taylor Launter could act circles around the leading couple. The movie seemed rushed. They tried to cram everything into a two hour and ten minute film. I think an extra half hour wouldn't have hurt, and could have made for a more natural transistion between everything that happened. I do think the director managed to do a very good job being true to the book, at the very least, but the acting really brought it down for me. Bella's mumbling and crazy blink thing she did, and Edward kissing her like he is making out with a lamp post or something were a couple examples. Was the first movie really this bad? Maybe the difference was that I rented the first one rather than seeing it on the big screen. Either way, I walked out of the theater relativly pleased with my choice, but feeling that the movie lacked something. 3 out of 5 stars.

Finding a Social Life in the Suburbs

2009-12-08T12:01:00.000-08:00

About a year and a half ago I found myself graduated from college, and facing a move to a big city thanks to my choice in career. I chose to live in the suburbs as I am from a small town, and wanted something that would not overwhelm me too much. I am currently very happy with that decision as I have the choice between a fun night in the city or a quiet evening in the quaint downtown of the suburbs. The biggest problem I faced was meeting people. I thought a book club would be fun, and had always been interested in trying one out. I found a website for new comers to the town. Unfortunately, everything was scheduled during the day. It seemed to be targeting stay at home moms. So, I continued to commute into the city and befriend my co-workers. They all lived in the city, so if I ever wanted to spend a night out, it had to be in the city. My now fiance moved in shortly after I did, so at least I wasn't completely on my own.

We eventually found out that a couple we knew from Michigan (where we are originally from) had moved to a neighboring suburb. We spent many weekends having a wonderful time, and meeting mutual friends. All of these friends happened to be significantly older than the two of us, though we managed to relate to them wonderfully.

A month ago, one of my co-workers posted something on facebook about wanting to start a book club. I casually commented that I had been wanting to join a book club for a while, but figured that not much would come of it. People often post statuses on facebook on the whim. To my delight, I received a message about starting up. A few of her former high school classmates were interested as well. We had our first meeting in ealy November.

Now, to my readers. If you are interested, feel free to follow along and participate in a virtual book club. The review of the first book we read can be found here. Feel free to share your thoughts you have read it. Currently, we are reading Devil in the White City. We will be finishing up by the 20th of December, though I may not post our thoughts and my personal review of it until the following Monday. Please follow along and let me know what you think.

An Explanation of my Review Labels

2009-12-07T14:47:00.000-08:00

I enjoy reading, watching movies, and a wide variety of other activities. Since many of the posts that seem to be coming out of this blog already are reviews, I wanted to elaborate on my reviewing standards. I will be rating films, videos, and books on a five star rating system. A rating of four or five will be labeled as a hit. Therefore, one could easily use the label cloud to find something that I thought was favorable. Three is something I did not feel too strongly about either way. A one or a two will be labeled as a flop.

As my reviews go on, I may devise a more complex system. Currently, this is simple enough. If a reader finds their tastes similar to mine, perhaps they can use my blog as a way to check out a new book or movie. If one's taste differs, then I suppose this will be a good way to know what films to avoid.

Readers: If you read the review, please share your thoughts with me. Be it about the film, movie, or book; or my review itself. Recommendations are always more than welcome.

Review: New Moon - How the Twilight Saga Sucked Me In

2009-12-06T12:10:00.000-08:00

I have kept myself far away from the Twilight mania that seems to be affecting women ages twelve to forty. I overhead a co-worker talking about Twilight, and I did read it to see what it was all about. After I finished the book, I found myself hating each and every one of the main characters. Bella was superficial, Edward was a stalker, and all of Bella's friends were one dimensional. I watched the movie out of curiosity to see what it was all about. I found myself enjoying the movie very much. Without Bella's constant narration, her and Edward seemed entirely different. To add to the appeal, the baseball scene featured a song by my favorite artist. "Super-massive Blackhole" by Muse. Sure, it may be superficial of me to enjoy a movie because of one song added to the soundtrack, but that wasn't the sole reason I enjoyed the film. When the second film came out, I had decided I wanted to see it. Before doing so, I had to read the book...

Review

I went into New Moon disliking many of the main characters, something that could have been a deal breaker for any other book. I really did not want to like this book. This did not matter in the end; however, because I loved it! The tension of New Moon sucked me in. I found myself able to ignore the skepticism I had of Bella and Edward (it is fiction, after all). The way Meyer handled the first few months after Edward left took my breath away. For a moment, I could feel that hole that Bella described endlessly. Then I found myself truly liking Jacob, and then disliking Edward less than I did before reading this book. It was entrancing. Though, I must admit that after reading this, I will have to join Team Jacob. 4 out of 5 stars.

Book Club: Manic

2009-12-05T12:06:00.000-08:00

Recently, I joined a book club. There is an interesting story behind my look for a local book club in the uppity suburbs at a later date. At our very first meeting, we chose to read the book Manic: A Memoir. The synopsis from the inside flap read:

"I didn't tell anyone that I was going to Santa Fe to kill myself."

On the outside, Terri Cheney was a highly successful, attractive Beverly Hills entertainment lawyer. But behind her seemingly flawless façade lay a dangerous secret—for the better part of her life Cheney had been battling debilitating bipolar disorder and concealing a pharmacy's worth of prescriptions meant to stabilize her moods and make her "normal."

In bursts of prose that mirror the devastating highs and extreme lows of her illness, Cheney describes her roller-coaster life with shocking honesty—from glamorous parties to a night in jail; from flying fourteen kites off the edge of a cliff in a thunderstorm to crying beneath her office desk; from electroshock therapy to a suicide attempt fueled by tequila and prescription painkillers.

With Manic, Cheney gives voice to the unarticulated madness she endured. The clinical terms used to describe her illness were so inadequate that she chose to focus instead on her own experience, in her words, "on what bipolar disorder felt like inside my own body." Here the events unfold episodically, from mood to mood, the way she lived and remembers life. In this way the reader is able to viscerally experience the incredible speeding highs of mania and the crushing blows of depression, just as Cheney did. Manic does not simply explain bipolar disorder—it takes us in its grasp and does not let go.

In the tradition of Darkness Visible and An Unquiet Mind, Manic is Girl, Interrupted with the girl all grown up. This harrowing yet hopeful book is more than just a searing insider's account of what it's really like to live with bipolar disorder. It is a testament to the sharp beauty of a life lived in extremes.

I'm not one to usually read memoirs, as I personally prefer fiction. For the sake of the book club I dove right in. We only gave ourselves a week to read this one, as it was short and the print was fairly large.

Review

Reading this book almost made me feel like I was bipolar. The author intentionally wrote the book so that the chapters were not in chronological order. It felt as though she did it to give the reader a sense of how lost she was, and how her personality shifted drastically. This became a little confusing at the beginning. As I read, though, all these mysterious people she'd mention became know. The book comes together in the end. By the time I finished the first chapter, it had drawn me in. I was both mortified and hooked. Throughout the book, the author makes some decisions that caused me to momentarily judge her decisions, but I had to remind myself of everything she had gone through, and that her brain chemistry was far different than mine, and there was no way I could emphasize. This book is a really eye-opener into this mental illness that affects far too many people. 4 out of 5 stars.