Thursday, June 29, 2006

A story about the last time I consumed "Chicken Little"


i should say that i “tried” to consume this. After about half an hour i gave up. Even with the voice talents of several actors that i like this could not hold my interest and didn’t seem to be going anywhere. i already know the ending, so maybe that didn’t help, but it felt like they were trying to rip of Pixar and were failing at it badly.

don't be envious, but...

this has never been hard for me, even though i’m fat it’s a stretch i can always pull off. What i sometimes have to work towards a bit is feet together, hands flat on the floor. If i couldn’t touch my toes it would be really wierd.

not terrible, not the best

by Tony Scott

i had heard this was bad so much that i actually expected it to be bad: it wasn’t. It wasn’t the best movie of all time, and it was a little strange, but i think i’d rank it alongside Swordfish… a bit disapointing but still with enough umph to be good. Plenty of twists and turns, great quotes from Domino in the special features (she sounds like a kindred spirit), and in the same style as Man on Fire. Enjoyable, but neither Scott will never be a favorite, just worth a look-see.

everything is excellent

by Liev Schreiber

This film was absolutely hilarious but also had lots of depth. It was riveting to see the countryside, how American everything was for the young people and how traditional it was at their destination. The question “is the war over?” was heartbreaking but at the same time you have to wonder why anyone would cut themself off from the world like that. But to live in fear for decades! “Alex” made the movie, and Elijah Wood was stunning. How can anyone be that blank? What it’s hard for someone who doesn’t act to realize is that everything the actor is thinking is picked up by the camera and to be so totally expressionless… it can only be accomplished by someone who has mastered the art of acting, actors struggle for years to master the skill. All in all this was a fun rigid search.

the Remote Woman reports

by Frank Coraci

This movie was pretty awesome. Sandler’s usual style of humor has been toned down but is still there. This movie is acutally science fiction at its best but i doubt many people would label it that way. All the actors deliver excellent performances, the settings are incredible (though a bit predictable), and the story definitely has heart and humor. Definitely worth checking out.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Kristi/Kristine needs

Kristi needs to know exactly what time she is to be
doing something and exactly how it is to be done.
(that is rather helpful in some situations)

It seems that Kristi needs this type of concrete
feedback to grasp her own progress.

Kristi needs to be patient. It takes a month or two
for most big companies to write a check. (so it did!
and they still owe me $200...)

The combination of Red?s title animation with its
over 70 filters offers the range Kristi needs to match
the content of any story.

There is a difference between being "bold" and being
"bossy"--Kristi needs to figure that out, fast. (okay,
but you don't have to be so harsh!)

and...

What's wrong with Kristine? Nothing! She is undergoing
the natural process of "letting go and grabbing on".
Kristine needs a mentor who knows that (a) change is a
predictable series of stages; (b) change is a process;
(c) change is individualized; (d) anxiety and
uncertainty are a part of change; and (e) people
involved in change need personal and technical
support. Such a mentor can help Kristine. (Wow, where
do i sign up?)

Kristine needs to make one to hang in the shop. (from
a knitting blog... but i don't have a shop)

Maybe Kristine needs to find out how Texas deals with
child molesters.

Kristine needs to concentrate on her psychiatry
assignment. Kristine needs to find a boyfriend to
obsses about. Kristine doesn't know what she needs.

Kristine needs the lead-time!

Friday, June 16, 2006

stuck in my head

i was sure by now ~ that You would have reached down ~ and wiped our tears away ~ stepped in and saved the day ~ but once again, i say "Amen," and it’s still raining

as the thunder rolls ~ i barely hear You whisper through the rain ~ "I’m with you" ~ and as Your mercy falls ~ i raise my hands and praise the God who gives ~ and takes away

i’ll praise You in this storm ~ and i will lift my hands ~ for You are who You are ~ no matter where i am ~ every tear i’ve cried ~ You hold in Your hand ~ You never left my side ~ and though my heart is torn ~ i will praise You in this storm

i remember when ~ i stumbled in the wind ~ You heard my cry ~ You raised me up again ~ my strength is almost gone ~ how can i carry on ~ if i can’t find You

as the thunder rolls ~ i barely hear You whisper through the rain ~ "I’m with you" ~ and as Your mercy falls ~ i raise my hands and praise the God who gives ~ and takes away

i’ll praise You in this storm ~ and i will lift my hands ~ for You are who You are ~ no matter where i am ~ every tear i’ve cried ~ You hold in Your hand ~ You never left my side ~ and though my heart is torn ~ i will praise You in this storm

i lift my eyes unto the hills ~ where does my help come from? ~ my help comes from the Lord ~ the Maker of Heaven and Earth

i’ll praise You in this storm ~ and i will lift my hands ~ for You are who You are ~ no matter where i am ~ every tear i’ve cried ~ You hold in Your hand ~ You never left my side ~ and though my heart is torn ~ i will praise You in this storm

~ Praise You in This Storm (Casting Crowns)

that pesky little question

The question everyone has been asking me for weeks now is: "Why in the world did you shave your head?!?" i always want to quote Shaw and say "Why not?" But the truth is that there are many answers to this question on multiple levels.

Firstly, because i've always wanted to see what it would be like! i've always thought that Demi Moore looked sexier with a shaved head (as seen in G.I. Jane). Sigourney Weaver shaved her head in one of the Alien movies (the third one, i think). Natalie Portman shaved her head for V is for Vendetta (which i haven't seen yet) and looked fabulous. Geneva Locke and Kyley Statham had their heads shaved for Dark Angel. i wanted to know what i would look like, had been wanting to do it for years, and decided that it was finally time to take the plunge. If not now, when?

Secondly, i am not a lesbian, nor a skinhead, i'm just trying something new.

Thirdly, i'm always hot in the summer, especially when my hair is on my neck.

My mother thinks that it's important for a woman to cover her head with long hair--if not a head covering--as specified in 1 Corinthians 11. Some might argue that since i have prophecied with my head uncovered in the past i should have my head shaved anyway. But covering my head would also indicate submission to my father that--let's face it--isn't exactly there anymore as i have chosen to be in submission to God alone until i am married. i don't consider myself to be under my father's authority anymore, not since i moved away. This passage also says that a woman's hair is for her glory... i don't want to be glorified right now. i feel ugly. i know that i'm outwardly beautiful, but i feel wretched because i'm sinful, fat, and depressed. i don't want to be glorified, i want God to be glorified.

All Nazarites shave their heads after their vow is fulfilled or if they are made unclean (Numbers 6)... this includes women. So i thought that shaving my head would be okay with God, even if i'm not taking any special vow. Also, i had read in the Bible (Job 1:20-22) references to cutting hair in mourning, which was one of the main thing that attracted to me to the idea in the first place. But then i read a verse (but do not remember where) that led me to believe that one shouldn't cut their hair in mourning... i'm not sure, in any rate when i shaved my head i did it more with the intention of not mourning anymore, of not dwelling on my unhappiness but focusing on God and seeking His will. i don't know if i have accomplished this or if ignoring my pain (which eventually leads to stuffing it back inside) is good or not. Anyways, these were my reasons, i hope they have been informative.

sorry about the silence

what i'm knitting ~ swimsuit coverup
what i'm listening to ~ 12 Stones by 12 Stones

Every time i finally get to lock the doors and turn out the lights at work it always seems utterly surreal to me. i never expect the shift to end, it's so endless. Plus the work absolutely drains me so by the time i get home i usually don't feel up to writing but i'm hours away from winding down enough to sleep. Lately i've only been working ten hour shifts, which makes it even worse. But the schedule should change soon, and i might even get better days off (read: the weekend!). This is great because the church picnic at Highline Lake is coming up and i'd like to take the Motorcycle Safety Course this summer.

So... why is it so weird for the shift to be over? i think it's like everything else in my life: at this point, i don't expect the bad / depressing / hard stuff to ever be over, but for it to keep going on forever. Which scares me because if (no, when) i do ever get through this hard stuff will i even notice? Will i suddenly be ecstatically joyful? It seems impossible, but it's all that i live for.

Mom told me yesterday that she doesn't read this blog very much because in RL she'll think i'm happy and doing fine and then she'll read here that i'm not. i guess that it's true, in RL i have to just forget about the pain and stuff it inside just to get through each day. My boss and customers have said that i'm laughing all the time... i have to laugh so i won't cry. i have to laugh so i won't collapse. i have to laugh so the loneliness won't overwhelm me. i don't feel depressed, i don't have time to be depressed. i don't have time to live. i know that work is my life now, but that's just more depressing if i let myself think about it. So i hold on.

These things don't feel overwhelmingly sad. i do have moments of joy and hope. But mostly i am just numb, overwhelmed, and trying to shut out any moments of weakness. More to come in a few moments...

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

absolutely hilarious

by Lasse Hallström

This movie has a much more modern feel to it than Cyrano did: it’s more akin to Knight’s Tale than, say, Elizabeth or a Shakespeare, but the good thing is that this movie is also a lot better and funnier than any of the aforementioned films. The humor of Cyrano was subtle, Casanova is very obvious and in-your-face about it. Miller, Platt, and Olin all deliver in particular… interesting for me to watch because i’m a fan of Three Musketeers and Alias and also have Sin City on dvd. Ledger was also good: makes me want to see the Brothers Grimm more than ever and Ned Kelly again (though it definitely wasn’t as depressing as the latter or Lord’s of Dogtown). Definitely worth checking out.

well acted, well portrayed, still bad behavior

by Christopher Menaul

The actors in this production were excellently cast, and the movie was extremely well made, but overall this story was rather depressing and full of immoral behavior. The members of the family who were following their hearts were also adulterous. The members of the family who were upstanding citizens were backstabbing gossipers. Not a pretty picture is portrayed here: darkness lurks beneath all the starched collars and jewels. Ioan Gruffudd blew me away as Phil, and Irene and Soames were especially riveting in their parts. i would guess that this series was fairly true to the books. This miniseries is a perfect example of the fact that just because something is well made doesn’t necessarily mean that it is enjoyable. Three stars because i didn’t “like” it but it’s still worth seeing i guess.

Monday, June 12, 2006

beauty in unexpected places

When i moved to Whitewater, i thought it looked dead. The land is covered with salt that creates a greyish color and doesn’t allow much to grow (it seemed to me). Years ago this was ranch country, but now it’s just empty. And then i moved away to the east where everything is close, covered with trees, and humid. i missed the wide open spaces of desert, blue skies, and emptiness. Funny enough, it was Seabiscuit that really got me, when Chris Cooper is riding across the beautiful but disappearing expanse on horseback. Now that i have moved back i see the beauty here, living in the shadow of the Grand Mesa, the empty is not an enemy. There is beauty here, such as driving home at night and seeing the moonlight glinting off the salt in the ground as if it were snow, or coming over a horizon and seeing the glint of the Gunnison River, or just listening to the wind blow (and it blows a lot!). This place has little to do with whitewater rafting even if there is a canoe/kayak takeout here. We are more than a little town. We are an expanse of people who have chosen to forsake the city in order to live closer to nature. We have animals, junk in the yard, and just aren’t what most people consider normal. This tiny town is spread out across miles of Colorado high desert, and we like it that way. The emptiness does not consume us, it enriches us. i like Whitewater loads more than i like Grand Junction and Clifton (where crazy drivers abound, even if we are hours away from the insanity of Denver and Las Vegas traffic). And no one tells us to put our dog on a leash or get the junk off our land or to get the weeds removed or the City will do it for you. i’m glad we don’t have to worry about any of the b.s. Here, at least for a little while longer, America is still about freedom.

sequel, please?

by Garth Nix

Warning: spoilers below.

This book was very strange in that it didn’t feel like the conclusion to a trilogy, it felt like another step. It was a good book, not the best, and raises just as many questions as it answers. What happens to Lirael and everyone else? Does she end up with Nick or Sam? Was this book named after her (the Abhorsen who turned out to be the Abhorsen-in-waiting after all) or Sabriel (who is hardly in it). Where is the disreputable dog going? Good triumphs, and all that, but why on earth do they bury the hemispheres together? Why not simply destroy them altogether or bury them very far apart from one another? Engrossing, but descriptions of the dead hands (which i guess are basically zombies) teeter on the edge of morbid fascination with titilating word play. Good book, though not the best ever, entertaining and worth a look-see at least.

Friday, June 02, 2006

Why I recommend "Nanny McPhee : Based on the Collected Tales of Nurse Matilda"

by Christianna Brand

While this isn’t as good as usual for an Emma Thompson adaptation (let’s face it, these books aren’t exactly literary classics and she did take some liberties) this film is definitely worth a viewing, especially if there are some kids in the house. Colin Firth has somehow perfected the art of portraying a man who doesn’t have a backbone. Angela Lansbury was spot on. Kelly MacDonald and Thomas Sangster were excellent. One of the most interesting things about watching this movie is seeing Nanny McPhee’s transformation: by the end Emma Thompson shines with beauty and grace. This was a tad too Hollywood-dumbed-down for my taste, but if Cheaper By the Dozen or Yours, Mine, and Ours are favorites for you, you’ll love this film, too.

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Dumbed Down Da Vinci

by Dan Brown

After hearing so much about this book, it was nothing like what i was expecting. It was entirely predictable and not suspenseful at all. I had things figured out while the main characters were still reeling and wondering what the heck was going on. It took forever to get to anything... and it turned out that i was listening to an abridged version! If it would have been the full version i think i would have been bored to tears. This is entirely fiction and unbelievable.

The way Mary Magdalene was presented as the wife of Christ was not offensive to me as a Christian, but perhaps this is because i just finished taking Mythology and the way gods and goddesses were presented as equals has become usual to me. i have no trouble with the concept of Jesus marrying a woman other than the fact that it's not biblical. If Jesus wanted to marry someone He could have, but as He didn't it's a moot point. This is only fiction, looking at different possibilities, which i don't think is wrong as long as one realizes that these possibilities are not the truth.

i know little about the beliefs of da Vinci or the other former members mentioned save Sir Isaac Newton: he, i know, was a Christian and gave Christ and other peoples' research the glory for all of his accomplishments. He would not have been the member of a secret society like this unless there were biblical differences as i mentioned.

i am relieved that the pagan rituals weren't outlined in detail, though perhaps it was different in the full version of the book. i don't know why anyone is complaining about there being no sex in the movie; there was no sex in the book! If this is different in the full version, please tell me.

Overall, this book was a poorly written bore masquarading as a hit. The beginning was okay. The middle dragged. The ending was the final straw: it was pointless and dumb and destroyed an already tottering mess. Badly written with a myriad of unbelievable elements, i am not impressed.