Postcards from Germany & the Netherlands

I returned from our Crater Lake Trip to find this postcard from Stephan in Germany.  He works as an art historian and is a specialist in religious architecture.  This is a wonderful example of a Bavarian Baroque church.  Next week, Stephen was going to the Spanish Pyrenees.  

 This is from Sandra in the Netherlands.  She tells me that tomorrow (6/13) is her birthday, that she lives with 4 (!) men, three sons and a husband, and also that she is a part-time teacher.  The quote she included was “Be yourself, no matter what they say” which is from Sting’s song “Englishman in New York” which happens to be one of the first 45RPM records I purchased.

Quoted on Filmspotting. About Channing Tatum, of course.

Filmspotting is a recent discovery, I stumbled across it last fall and really look forward to the weekly podcast, as well as dipping into the archives.  The hosts, Adam and Josh, spend a good 20+ minutes chewing over the movie they’ve chosen to review every week and there is always a top-5 list.  One of the other features is a reader poll.  Every other week they announce the results and read comments.  I’m excited to say I’ve been quoted twice before (both times talking about women and movies!) but the poll for this week was about Channing Tatum.  So you know I had stuff to say about that.  They even linked to my Channing Tatum Personal Film Festival blog post.

http://www.filmspotting.net/reviews/1180-496-top-5-films-of-2014-so-far-the-rover.html

If you would like to listen, click on the above link and then move along to the 25:40 minute mark.

Thanks Filmspotting for making my to-see movie list long, giving me something to listen to when I clean the house and also making me famous!  You know, in that internet way.

Author Reading: Brian Benson at Powell’s

C. and I took in another reading at Powell’s.  C. took a class from Brian Benson through The Attic Institute (which is where the two of us met, though in a different class) and so we were happy to go to his book reading of his first published book.

It was a well attended reading, we were happy to have seats.  Benson’s sister owns a bike shop and coordinated a ride from her shop to the reading, so there were lots of bike-y people in attendance, which is fitting as the memoir is about Benson’s ride from Wisconsin to Portland with his then-girlfriend.

Three sentence movie reviews: The Hot Flashes

I found this to be a very nice movie in that I liked the premise (menopausal women play basketball against high school girls basketball team to raise money for a cause) and enjoyed the actresses, many of whom I don’t see a lot of any more.  However, it was very predictable and most of the characters were fairly solid stereotypes ultimately making this a so-so endeavor.  Put it on your list for when you are home sick with the flu.

Cost:  free from library
Where watched:  at home.

poster from:  http://www.impawards.com/2013/hot_flashes.html
What the hell is up with this poster?  That doesn’t even look like Brooke Shields.  Nor does it look like Brooke Shields looked in this very movie!  IMP Awards, where I grab all these posters from has a comment feature for every poster.  People don’t really comment a lot, but they sure did about this one.  Here’s my favorite:  Thank God that I saw this during the day, ’cause I don’t want to remember this by night.

Postcards from Hungary and Russia

This is from Shawn, occasional commenter, regular reader and also husband of a certain regular commenter.  He went to Budapest for work, lucky dog.  And lucky me, because I got a postcard.  Perhaps I can entice him to comment by asking him if it was difficult to locate postcards.  When I was there we had to go to three different stores before I found some.  But a teenager was leading me around and I’m not sure if he knew what postcards were for.

This is from Kristine in Moscow who has naturally red hair and loves the night sky.   Although she tells me right now there is only four hours from sunset to sunrise, so there isn’t a lot of night sky viewing.  

Great stamps!
There was also a quote printed on the back of the card which she Google translated for me as:
“And what we worry, crying and arguing about loved grieve before that could not stand.  Big eyed stars over the sea silk smooth surface rest by the night.”
I really like the art on this card.

Baby blanket finished!

Nothing like the baby actually being born to motivate the knitting process.
This was made for Mya Rose, Matt’s brand new niece.

I was nearly done with it in March, having knitted most of it while watching Downton Abby this season.  But then I didn’t have any other shows to watch, so nearly done it stayed, until the birth spurred me onward.

Three sentence movie reviews: Twilight Zone the movie.

This was a complete 80s movie from the kind of odd muppet-like things, to the Nazi themed segment to the creepy kid stuff.  It did have Nancy Cartwright (voice of Bart Simpson etc.) onscreen as well as many recognizable stars.  I was down with the Creedence sing along and the Nazi segment and the rest was kind of eh.

Cost:  free from library
Where watched: at home with Matt.

poster from: http://www.impawards.com/1983/twilight_zone_the_movie.html
I love when the posters have visble folds in them.

I’m all for rules and regulations, but can’t this be done electronically?

In the past few months rules in the health care and mortgage industry have kicked in and now we get a monthly statement from HomeStreet Bank telling us about our mortgage which is auto deducted.  Plus, after every appointment at Kaiser (I go once weekly for UV therapy for psoriasis) I receive a mailing telling me how much UV therapy supposedly costs.
I have an entire electronic thing set up at Kaiser so I don’t have to get these types of things, so why don’t they come via that?  And HomeStreet, it would be great to opt in to something like that for the mortgage notification.