This is one of those movies that has me looking for the book it is based on just as soon as the credits roll. The movie was good in both its romantic scenes, political scenes and those tense, “what the heck is going on?” scenes, but a little something was missing from the whole. Sometimes the book provides those missing parts.
ps. Billy Crudup. Yum.
Our across-the-street-neighbor Janet Miller took us to this movie when it came out. We saw it at the Egyptian Theater on a Sunday after church. The setting has never been as nice, but this movie is still as delightful as the first time I saw it.
To recapitulate:
Monday and Tuesday I was getting ready for various festivities so I was pretty busy, although “pretty busy” on vacation means lots of time for napping and movies etc. Wednesday I got up and did the last of the Christmas baking, cleaned up and that was that for exertion.
Up and dressed to the shoes: Monday Tuesday, Wednesday
1 hour study Math Test: Monday, Tuesday, none on Wednesday
1 hour blogs: Monday, Tuesday, not Wednesday
1 hour exercise: yes on Monday, none on Tuesday (prepping for Christmas Eve Eve), 20 minutes of shoveling snow on Wednesday
4 hours work: Yes on Monday, Tuesday, about three on Wednesday
Keep up with dishes/picking up: Yes on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
Nap maximum of 30 minutes: I had 30 minute or less naps all three days
Eat only when hungry, stop when full: Yes Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday I didn’t really do this
Plan food the day before: Monday, Tuesday, not Wednesday
Fruit and veggies while watching movies. I watched a movie Monday, and Wednesday, but not Tuesday. I had nothing to eat with any of them.
Looking out the window at the snow it is as if I have been transported from the rainy green city of Portland to some snow covered hamlet somewhere in Colorado or Montana. It is snowing again today and we have inches on the ground. Having lived with snow in some for for over a week now, I can say the following generalizations about Portlanders are true.
They never go out in the snow.
They are unable to operate a snow shovel.
The people of Portland disappear when it snows. They stay holed up in their houses and emerge for only the most dire needs. They never, thank the lord, drive. The cars I’ve seen on the roads this week all have chains on them, but cars are few and far between. This is a good thing as Portlanders have little practice driving in the snow and have little to no skills in that area. Unlike any other place I have lived, the equipment to plow the roads is sparse and the roads themselves aren’t really sanded and definitely not salted. The (very small) downside of this is that life grinds to a halt when we get measurable snow. The upside is that the snow remains beautiful and white instead of nasty and gritty and brown, even on the major roads.
I would guess that 60% of Portlanders don’t own snow shovels. It makes sense. Most of the time when it snows we get a day or so of winter beauty and then everything warms up and it rains. Poof. The snow disappears. Why bother to shovel? This is in stark contrast to Massachusetts, where if you don’t clear the snow from your sidewalk it freezes and remains a slippery mess for weeks, if not months.
After shoveling my walk this morning, I took a walk of about three miles to run some errands. After I left my shoveled walk, guess how many shoveled sidewalks I encountered on my round trip? One. I even took a more traveled route in hopes that I would find some clear sidewalks. Not only do residents of the neighborhood not shovel, but businesses don’t either. The only exception was the North Star Coffee house, and they did the lazy “make a path one snow shovel wide” method. No one even throws down those things that make ice melt.
So it is a winter wonderland here, but one that has me wishing I owned snow shoes.
This was a movie to watch if you like any of the main actors or have a lot of time on your hands. The story line was interesting, though I felt that some of the characters (Bill Pullman) and scenes were sort of dropped into the story randomly. Movies about alcoholics are kind of interesting and I felt like the main character’s attempts to become sober were accurately depicted, though I have no first-hand experience.
Okay, we were really snowed in today. The Max line wasn’t running due to frozen switches. I did very well with my guidelines.
I mostly felt uncomfortable during this supposed “vibrant and uplifiting comedy.” I couldn’t get over the idea that 5.3 million American women experience abuse such as the main character experienced (and worse), yet we rarely see movies about this topic. This movie was beautifully filmed and I enjoyed the main characters and especially Andy Griffith, but I can’t really recommend it.
I’m hoping that the three-week break will bring an end to this particularly hardy strain, but I’m also worried that without our constant emails about the state of the lice infestation, the lice have been colonizing heads, ready to come back stronger than ever. For the sake of the parents and staff, I hope that isn’t the case.
How did it go? Pretty well.
I did get up, went jogging (4) and got dressed (1). For work (5) I spent from 8:30-3:00 (includes transportation time) decorating the tree at my Aunt Pat’s house. I also wrote my Christmas letter and went by the library to see if I could pick up the books on hold. Sadly, they were closed because of the snow. Oh! And I shoveled the walk. I just loaded up the dish washer (7) though have not picked up the house at all today. I actually packaged up the rest of my apple from breakfast this morning because I was full (9) but did get a little full for lunch and dinner.
On the didn’t side.
No nap (6) today, so well under my 30 minute limit. There was no studying for the math test (2) though that was on purpose as I want to take a 2 hour practice test tomorrow, so that will count for both days. I made my food plan (8) this morning, instead of last night. I haven’t watched a movie today, but if I do, I have my eye on a pomegranate (10) in the fridge.
On the maybe side:
I still have 34 minutes left of blog time (3) I may do the full hour.
