2017 Resolutions

Decided to make a a quick list of some of the resolutions I want to work on in the next year. 

My 2017 Goals

Get Healthy & Eat Better

Yes I know that these are the same goals everyone has every year. But they are good goals to have. And you never know, this may be the year that it all works out.

One thing I would really like to try doing is to attempt new recipes that are healthier as apposed to the few recipes I know that are almost all terribly unhealthy....but delicious.

Run a 5K

This year I am planning on running a 5K. I have never done this before and I am a bit nervous but I have picked out a 5k in March and I am going to do it even if I end up walking most of it.

College

College is going to take up most of my time in the next year. I am doubling up on classes with the hope of graduating my May 2018. My goal is to work my butt off and get good grades.

Honestly with college taking over my life in the next year I can only focus on a handful of goals, but I think these are really good ones to strive for. Improvement of the body and the mind.

Hope you all have a fun and safe New Year.

Bright Sides of 2016?

I have been trying to make a list of the things that have happened this year that have been good. Unfortunately I am writing this on the day that Carrie Fisher has been taken away. The painful bookend to a year that began with the loss of David Bowie, my hero and first love. Honestly 2016 has been a cruel year. 

Yet even in the darkest nights there will always be some light.

Here are a few things that have made this no good year tolerable.

College

After far too many years, I am back in school working towards my BA. With the way my life was going I doubted I would ever be able to do this. Money is an issue but I am doing my best to make it work.

Movies

For the better part of the last decade my parents and I had to give up everything to take care of my grandfathers. Sometimes it's the little things that you miss the most. This year my mother and I managed to go to the actual movie theaters. Captain America: Civil War, Ghostbusters, Star Trek Beyond, Ab Fab the Movie. We plan to see Rogue One before the year is out. 

Theatre

This year I won 2016-2017 season tickets to see the touring musicals including Newsies and Elf (which have already played) and soon Dirty Dancing and Something Rotten. I am really looking forward to Something Rotten, a Shakespeare musical that may have THE Adam Pascal touring. Don't know if this is true but I really really hope so.

This was one of the best things I have won, I am such a musical theatre lover...Really I make Tony Award Cookies that got tweeted by the official Tony Awards Twitter : )

Reading

2016 Reading Challenge

Melissa has completed her goal of reading 25 books in 2016!

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40 of 25 (100%)

view books

This year I read 40 new to me books. My favorites were Circle of Friends, Poldark, Sunne in Splendor(over 900 pages but really good) and oddly enough The Host. My goal was 25. Next year with all the college classes I am planning on taking this will probably be a lot lower.

And the most important of all

Logan and Finn

I am not putting a picture of her up here but my cousin had the most perfect child last March. Even her name is perfect, Logan (my favorite film is Logan's Run). She is the sweetest baby ever, and I don't like kids so that is saying a lot.

And then there is Finn.

He is at least three times this size now. I can hardly pick him up. He is now my parents' baby because my house and yard could not handle him...also I was sleep deprived and had gotten behind on class work. Puppies are hard work but I still adore him. He is just now my little "brother". 

Also he is named after Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Despite the few good things, I am ready for this year to end. All I can do is hope 2017 is better. 

Holidays

Literary Fixation: My Booky Wook

I think Russell Brand is a pretty good comedian. I really enjoyed him and Noel Fielding on the Big Fat Quiz of the Year. Thank you Youtube!

His biography has been on my "To Be Read List" for awhile and with my break from classes I finally had the chance to read it.

It started out pretty good. His writing style is humorous and peppered with slang that reminds me of A Clockwork Orange. 

The first part concerning his childhood and beginnings in acting school are pretty interesting and flow fairly well.

Once he starts writing about his years on drugs is when he starts to lose me.

The timeline isn't really linear and it is overall chaotic. Which you can argue is a good representation on being on drugs. 

I honestly wanted to skip most of these passages. While chaotic, they were also repetitive.

Some of the stories he mentions are just so uncomfortable. I do not know how he managed to survive this period of his life.

Another downside for me was the place where it ended. He did not really talk about his experiences after the drug years. I became aware of him after he did his stint in rehab. I think he is an interesting actor and I would have like to have read about his work on the films he has been in since then.

I will not say this is a bad book. It was a truthful and interesting account of his life with an emphasis on what his world was like during his drug fueled years.

I now feel the need to re-watch the old Big Fat Quiz videos. 

    

Netflix Picks- December 2016

I have a lot of catching up to do with Netflix but I thought I would choose a few to write about. Some I haven't seen yet, but I plan on binging during my brief reprieve from school work.

Vicar of Dibley

I love this series. It is about a female Vicar, played by the adorable and hilarious Dawn French, who is sent to a oddball village. While it is a comedy there are some really sweet moments, especially in the Christmas episodes. Semi family friendly.

Sense8

I have mentioned this shoe before because I think it is a fantastic sci-fi series without being a typical sci-fi show. There is going to be a Christmas episode coming out this month with the second seasons starting this summer. Now would be a great time to catch up or re-watch. 

The Crown

I have not had a chance to watch this yet but it looks really good. I am a fan of many of the actors involved. Gotta love Matt Smith.

Not on Netflix

Westworld

I have started watching Westworld on HBO. I am not finished just yet but so far I like it. 

Back...for a little while

My first semester at OU is over! All A's so I'm pretty happy.

Next semester will be rough. I am taking 3 classes per eight weeks, a total of 6 classes for the Spring semester. I anticipate an anxiety attack or two.

Even though school has taken over my life since October I have had a few non-academic things happen.

I went with my best friend to see the Elf! The Musical.

I did not have high hopes for this musical, since I am not a huge fan of the film, but I actually enjoyed this show.

My friend had never seen the movie so she went in with an open mid.

Honestly, it was a fun musical. Family friendly with a few winks and nudges for the adults in the audience. Pretty good.

The holidays are around the corner so I have been helping my mother make presents for her friends. Turning old shirts into pillows. My mom is not really able to sew, thus I ended up making all of these pillows. I tried to show her how to use the sewing machine (which she managed to almost break) and to hand sew the pillows closed (again bad idea). 

Candy Boxes

Soon we will be on a candy making quest. So much fudge! It will be painful. 

I have a few blog posts planned for this month. I don't want to completely abandon this blog. For at least the rest of the month of December I will be back on my blogging schedule of Wednesdays and Fridays. *Hopefully

Changes: An Update

I have been absent on this blog for awhile now.
I do have a reason and I am pretty excited about it.
I am going back to college to earn a BA! I had to put my education on hold for a few years to help out my family...(plus college is expensive).
It may not be the best time financially to throw myself back into this arena but I can't wait another decade hoping that everything will fall into place.

Now to the blog:
I really don't want to say that I am giving up this blog. I have "met" so many wonderfully people thanks to this and the Geek Girl PPC. So I will just say that I will still be around but the posts my be infrequent. If there is something I really want to write about I will. As for my normal monthly posts, like Faux Foodie and Lit Fix, I won't be writing those much.

Social Media
I will still be active on Twitter and Instagram because my friends live there.
Any blog post I write will be mentioned on Twitter too.

I am really excited for this second chance. This is a great opportunity that I don't want to lose. Still I am a geek girl to my core and will always be one. eris_discord42 will be back (probably sporadically but still back).
I will definitely get something together for October of next year. I'm thinking all Beetlejuice themed posts for HallowFest2017.

Newsies The Musical

It feels like forever since I have be able to see a touring company musical. 

I managed to win tickets to the full 2016-2017 season at the Tulsa PAC.

The first musical just happened to be NEWSIES!!!

I loved the movie (added points for featuring actors from RoundHouse). When I saw the Tony awards a few years ago that had a Newsies performance featured I knew I needed to see this show.

The musical changes some things from the film. Instead of Bill Pullman's reporter helping the boys out it is actually a female reporter that replaces Davey and Les' sister and becomes the love interest for Jack Kelly.

The music is great. All the songs that I liked in the movie are made bigger and better. All of the new songs feel like they should have always been there.

But the main attraction with Newsies- the DANCING

Just wow!

These actors kill it. They even dance during scenery changes so that there is never a lag in the show. Let me just say that I expected some amazing dancing but I was still blown away.

I want to take dance classes now.

Of course going to a musical would not be complete without getting the program.

From what I understand, this national tour is almost over. The last stop will be in Austin, TX. But there is some possible good news.

A live performance of Newsies has been recorded in LA which means that it may end up being released to DVD. This has happened with RENT, Cats, Shrek, Into the Woods... so there is hope that Newsies might be available to own. If this happens I would recommend getting a copy. 

Literary Fixation- A Rant on Classics

Don't let the title make you think I dislike classic novels.

That is not this case in this rant. It is because I have read many classic novels that I have loved that I am writing this.

Lately every "classic" novel I have read has been bad i.e. boring, bad pacing, unlikable characters etc.

Age of Innocence is the book that broke this reader's back. It has been on my TBR list for quite awhile. Yet reading this book took all my will power. Dull as dry toast springs to mind.

When I refer to classic novels I mean books that are more then a few decades old and are on recommended reading lists such as "Every-man's Library" or "Books Everyone Should Read".

Many of this books I have loved. Examples:

 All of Jane Austen's books

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

The Poldark series

Women in Love by D H Lawrence

A Room with a View by E M Forster

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

There have even been some classic novels that are not my favorites/ or I had a hard time reading but I thought they were work it.

Little Dorritt by Charles Dickens ( Took me three years to finish, still worth it)

The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy ( Everyone in the books eventually dies from old age, but the characters are interesting)

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (The main character is cruel but I still enjoy this book)

As you can see I do have an affinity for the classics. Yet somehow nearly every classic novel I have read in the past year or so I have really disliked.

With Age of Innocence I didn't care at all about any of the characters. 

Vanity Fair consisted of mainly characters I couldn't stand.

Jude the Obscure left me feeling hopeless

And I never liked the Great Gatsby. I know it is technically a good novel but not for me.

This year my favorite books that I have read have been the first two books in the Poldark series, the epic historical fiction The Sunne in Splendour and The Host by the Twilight writer Stephanie Meyer (still shocked about that one). 

I think I am going to take a break from the Classics for awhile. If I draw one from my TBR box, I'll just toss it back in.

Netflix Picks- September 2016

For this month's Netflix picks I am choosing movies from the 1980's in honor of my birthday.

Unfortunately a lot of films that I love from the 1980's are not streaming on Netflix; Blue Lagoon, Labyrinth, Casual Sex?, Clue... but here are a few that I think are pretty good.

To Be or Not To Be (1983)

Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft star as a Jewish married couple who are stage actors in Poland when WWII starts. The movie is funny while hinting at the reality of what the Jews faced in WWII. Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft's chemistry is delightful, you can tell they enjoyed working together. And baby Tim Matheson is adorable as a soldier with a crush on Bancroft's character.

The Princess Bride (1987)

If you have never seen The Princess Bride you have missed out. It combines everything needed for an entertaining film. You have romance, adventure, sword fighting, kidnapping, evil royals and Billy Crystal.

Trust me.

Have fun storming the castle!

A Room With A View (1985)

This is not for everyone.

I happen to like costume dramas with that epic scenic feel. If you like Downton Abbey you may enjoy this. Bonus is a younger Maggie Smith as the dowdy chaperone. 

Hairspray (1988)

Most people think John Travolta and Zac Efron when the title Hairspray appears. Heh NOPE! John Waters original film is delightfully odd. Debbie Harry and Sonny Bono play the parents of the mean "Amber". The actress playing "Amber" later went on to be Vitamin C, you know the singer who sang that graduation song.

That is just the beginning of the strangeness of this movie

* At one point I tried to tease my cousin's hair like the girls in the movie, bad idea.

The Super Mario Bros Super Show (1989)

I remember watching this as a kid. Of course I had a nintendo system and played Mario games (and Duck Hunt). Still one of the strangest shows I can remember. But it brings back all the feels.

Birthday 2016

My birthday is September 1st. This year I had planned on going all Captain America/ Stucky. Unfortunately my birthday cake plan went wrong and I ended up getting Krispy Kreme in place of a Stucky Shield cake. 

And because I was rather disappointed in not having the cake I envisioned I also had to comfort myself with multiple cheesecake from the CheeseCake Factory. Just look at that Godiva cheesecake in the middle. Decadent. 

What would a birthday be without some splurging. I adore LUSH bath bombs but the mall that has a LUSH store is almost an hour away. I get these sparingly but I am ecstatic when I do get them. Grabbed an Intergalactic (turns the water such a pretty blue that I feel like a mermaid) and Dragon's Egg (this ones smells amazing). 

In this far away mall is a store called Lolli and Pops that carries all different kinds of candy. They even have areas with candy from different countries. Of course I head straight to the British candy. Those white chocolate buttons are the best white chocolate candy I have ever had.  

And the Disney Store. This is what I bought at the actual store. My Alice obsession is still going strong. Once I got home I realized that I needed a few more things. In a couple of days I should be getting a "gift" in the mail.

Essentially my birthday was pretty good. I had lunch with my mom and a small shopping spree.

Still haven't found the Labyrinth Funko Pops yet. The quest continues.

August 2016 Wrap Up

I haven't been on here a lot recently. I'm sorry about that but I have a very good reason that I will not mention yet.

But here's a hint...

Not going to say anything else until I get a few things situated first.

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IGGLES

This month was the 3rd IggleCamp!!

I was in Troop Impala. Unfortunately I am not a Supernatural fan so I didn't do any of the watch-a-longs. But I did participate in the Photo Scavenger Hunts. 

I love that I have been a part of this online camp for the past three years (even though I didn't get to participate as much as I planned...see above)

My first troop was Marshwiggles and last year I was part of Troop Hakuna Matata.

This camp is how I made all my twitter friends.

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Oklahoma HEAT

100 Degrees and 100% Humidity. 

That is what every day feels like now.

I just cannot escape it.

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Basically that is it for August. My birthday is this week and I have some STUCKY plans for my cake this year. Should have the pics up Friday.

I also won season tickets to the Tulsa PAC for all the touring musicals this season. The first one is in September, Newsies! Hopefully I will have something to write about and the time to write it. Of course I am in my planning stage for HallowFest16, which will be all Tim Burton related.

Better things are coming!

Iggle Camp Scavenger Hunt Pictures 2016

It's IggleCamp time!

I'm in Troop Impala this year. 

I love the Photo Scavenger Hunts so of course I had to participate. Although I am missing one, the blanket fort. But I managed to get the rest. They are in order.

Literary Fixation- The Lovely Bones

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold has been on my "To Be Read" list for a while. Again I watched the movie before the book.

I knew that this would not be a happy go lucky type of book. Still it was hard to read. After finishing it I just felt morose.

Possible spoilers ahead

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The story starts with the narrator, Susie Salmon, talking about her murder. The majority of the book centers not on Susie herself, but on her observations of the people she left behind. Susie is able to watch the Earth from her version of Heaven. She not only watches but she knows what people are thinking and feeling.

This includes her murderer.
The story takes place over about a decade. The Salmon family never truly comes to terms with the loss of Susie but they slowly grow to live with the void she left.   

After seeing a film and then watching a movie it is hard not to compare the two. I will say that the movie doesn't do the book justice. The characters of Susie's siblings, Lindsey and Buckley, are not explore enough in the film. In the book they are focal points. Their dealing with Susie's death and the break up of the family as well as everything that comes with growing up in general.

It has been awhile since I watched the film but I don't think it included the Heckler brothers, Samuel and Hal, who are pretty important figures in the book.
Samuel is Lindsey's soulmate. She turns to him after Susie's murder. Hal is Samuel's older brother. He becomes a surrogate older sibling/parent to the Salmons. The Heckler brothers really step up with mom Abigail runs away from her family.

The book spans from Susie's murder forwards throughout the years until her sister Lindsey is married and has a child named after Susie.
One of the things that disturbed me is that there isn't any real resolution with the murderer, Mr. Harvey. After killing Susie he gets away and continues to kill people until a "random" icicle sends him to his death. He never gets caught despite everyone knowing he did it. I know this book is set in the 1970's but even then there had to be some form of interstate communication when it came to murderers.
Two other characters that Susie watches intently are Ray and Ruth. Ray was Susie's first and only kiss. A foreign boy at school that loved her. She was carrying a love note from him when she was killed. He becomes friends with Ruth after Susie dies. Ruth is the last person Susie had contact with on Earth before her "soul" left. Because of that Ruth is now haunted by "ghosts". She can sense and even see the "ghosts" when she is in an area where they died.

While I think this is a good book I doubt it will ever be a re-read for me. It just left me feeling a little bit depressed. 

Faux Foodie- Mini Boston Cream Pies

It's Faux Foodie time!

This time we made mini Boston Cream Pies.

The first step is making the pastry cream. We used a recipe from Joy of Cooking. Making this cream is a bit tricky. It can easily turn into scrabbled eggs. The trick is to slowly add the hot liquid to the egg yolks so that it heats the eggs gradually.

After the pasty cream is finished into the refrigerator until it is time to pipe it onto the mini cakes.

We used a basic yellow cake for the cupcakes. Trying to get them all even is a hassle but I feel like we did a decent job. Once they cold we took them out of their wrappers and sliced them in half.

Piping the pastry cream onto the bottom halves of the cakes and then putting the tops back on. This is starting to sound a little dirty.

Here is where our Boston Cream pies differ from other ones. Instead of using a chocolate frosting we used a semi-sweet chocolate ganache. It is make from heavy whipping cream, semi sweet chocolate chips and a splash of vanilla. I know it is not the traditional route but it is amazing. We just poured the ganache on top of the cupcakes, yummy. Since I made these with my mom I just have to let you know she had the idea for adding the extra chocolate chip on top. 

Star Trek Beyond Review

There is a symmetry to my seeing Star Trek Beyond in the actual movie theater. The last film I saw in an actual movie theater prior to this year's Captain America: Civil War was Star Trek (2009). Absolutely loved it. Went on a quest to all the Burger Kings in Tulsa to find all the promo glasses, which I still have in their boxes. Since my mom and I have been on a roll this year in going to see movies this one was a no-brainer.

I don't like to write full synopsis in my reviews, wikipedia does it better, instead I will tell you what I liked and possibly what I didn't like about this film. There will be spoilers.

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By now we know the main crew in this Star Trek alternate universe, still in this film there is more time spent on some characters that needed a bit more fleshing out. Included in this are Scotty, Sulu and Chekov. They are given more screen time and have more to do compare to previous films. Something I really enjoyed was the mix matched pairing that happened; Kirk & Chekov, Spock & Bones, Sulu & Uhura and Scotty with new ally Jaylah. This gave the characters and actors a chance to expand themselves in the circumstances and change up the chemistry between actors. I must address that in the light of the recent passing of Anton Yelchin (Chekov) it was nice to see him have a good amount of screen time especially with Kirk.

Idris Elba's Krall was a really good villain. I did not recognize him until the end. (BTW I tried to go into this film as uninformed as possible of spoilers and casting. I thought it would be interesting to see it that way).

My favorite parts included every scene with Spock and Bones. It might just be that I love this version of Bones no matter who he is with. My mom really liked the scenes with Scotty and the new "Lassie" Jaylah. Honestly I really liked Jaylah. Kirk will always have to rescue a damsel in distress, because he's James T Kirk, but at least Jaylah holds her own for the most part. Should the Star Trek reboot series continue I would like to see her involved with the Enterprise crew. Perhaps she can take up the mantle that will be left by Chekov. I do wonder if they will make more of these films. They could end it now as a trilogy. And continuing on after the loss of a main actor will always be difficult.

Back to the film. For a two hour film the pacing is pretty good. The action scenes are a bit difficult to watch on a movie screen. A little disorienting but not so bad that it ruins anything. Maybe a film about space needs the audience to feel disoriented. 

My mom's only complaint was the "trite" building up to the show between Kirk and Krall and that Kirk could have taken him out earlier. This is where we differ. This is an action/ sci-fi film. It needs that tension. The buildup and the showdown. And Kirk has to give the villain a chance to do the right thing because Kirk is a hero. Yes Kirk had the opportunity to stop him but would he still be a hero if he did that? Not to Kirk himself. He must give every chance for redemption, that is who Captain Kirk is.

Basically to sum it up. I loved it. Go see it.

Dammit Jim...  

Netflix Picks- August 2016

This month Netflix hasn't added anything new that I feel like recommending. Instead I thought I would theme this month's choices.

Here are some of my "guilty-pleasure" movies and films.

As always: As of the time I am writing this all of these films and tv shows are currently streaming on Netflix USA but that could change at any minute.

Grease 2

This movie is a disaster on so many levels but I can sing most of the soundtrack by memory. Hated the lead male character. But the T-Birds and Pink Ladies are great, even though I could have beaten up these T-birds. 

Favorite songs: Cool Rider, Let's Do It For Our Country and Reproduction

Liv and Maddie

I somehow stumbled upon this Disney show...and I liked it. It's like a modern day Patty Duke Show. Bonus points for actually having Ms. Patty Duke herself guest star. For Buffy fans, you might recognize the mom, she played Anya's demon friend Halfrek and Spike's former crush Cecily.

Heathers

I grew up watching Heathers. It is a dark comedy and may not be for everyone but Christian Slater is perfection as JD and I wanted to be Winona Ryder's Veronica (still do). I have been obsessed with the musical version of Heathers. I plan on seeing a local theatre production of it around the end of the month. If you like this movie listen to the Heathers The Musical soundtrack. Theatre Girl Scream

40 Days and 40 Nights

After watching Penny Dreadful I am reminded how adorable/hot Josh Hartnett is. 40 Days and 40 Nights is a rom-com using the Lent as the abstaining plot device. As far as early 2000's rom-coms go this is pretty good even when it is embarrassing to watch.  

Birthday Wishlist 2016

My birthday is in less then a month.

I thought it would be fun to make a geeky birthday wishlist. Hint hint family and friends that read this ; )

Labyrinth Funko Pops

(picture from Funko)

Everytime Funko asks what new Pops we want I always say David Bowie or Labyrith. And this month the whole Labyrinth set is coming out! I need them all.

T-Shirts from Jordanene

(Pictures from Jordanene.com)

I want the Agent Carter "I Know My Value" shirt and the Bucky version of (ie red and gray) "I'm With You Til The End Of The Line" shirt. I really like the style of Jordanene's shirts. Fandom people will get them but non-fandom people will just think they are interesting saying. Win all around.

All the Marvel

I am a big Marvel fan. Especially the Captain America/Avengers/Thor movies. I also love Agents of Shield and Agent Carter. You really can't go wrong with getting me anything in this area.

Captain America: Civil War will be out on DVD in September. Need this!

But there are also a ton of Marvel Funko Pops I am missing.

(Pictures from Funko)

Currently missing from my Marvel collection: Winter Soldier (Civil War), Agent Carter, Scarlet Witch, Black Widow, Vision, Loki, Couslon and Agent May.

Alice (or the entire inventory of Hot Topic)

(Picture from Hot Topic)

Having read my blog you probably know that I love all things Alice and Wonderland (not a big fan of the Tim Burton versions though). Hot Topic always has some great Alice swag. Currently wanting this bag.

Also Hot Topic is full of everything I love including Harley Quinn, Who merch, American Horror Story, Zelda...so much. 

Game of Thrones Mystery Minis

(Picture from Entertainment Earth)

I love Funko Mystery Minis. Especially the Game of Thrones ones. There are getting hard to find in the real world right now. Screw Pokemon, I must collect all the GoT minis.

July Wrap Up/ Ab Fab Review

It's the monthly wrap up post. I am also going to add my review to Absolutely Fabulous the Movie at the end.

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Let's start off with the lowest point of the month.

TORNADO!

Technically straight line winds, but they can actually be worse than a funnel cloud. I was at work, there wasn't a Tornado Watch. The worst of "Tornado Season" is supposed to be over. Then BAM, I'm hiding in a bathroom at work with a bunch of other people. I hate tornadoes!

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Changing Things Up

I have mentioned last week that I am going to try and focus on getting physical fit. I am actually eating grapes as I write this...but I want chocolate. Making better choices. That is the plan. Since I have been feeling off lately I also cut off my hair. It is shoulder length so it isn't drastic, but my hair was really long to begin with. 

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Jabba

Just something I wanted to share. I made a clay Jabba the Hutt for an online contest. Didn't win but at least I have this monstrosity.

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Absolutely Fabulous the Movie

I have grown up watching the British TV series Absolutely Fabulous. I think it may have been one of the first British shows I ever watch. It is one of the few TV shows that my parents and I both like.

Although I love the show, the movie was just okay. Since it is a limited run release it cost about $10 to see. Not really worth it for the price. I did laugh a few times and smile quite a bit.

In some ways it is a good send off to a beloved show. So many of the pasts characters show up. Edina and Patsy are still out of control and doing it with style. It just felt a bit off. Maybe because it is the end.

All that aside there were some good moments. Jon Hamm and Patsy, YES! Also Chris Colfer as Edina's stylist was a perfect way to do a cameo.

The final resolution between Saffy and Edina was sweet. That for me was important for the end of this all encompassing franchise. 

When this comes out on DVD I will probably get it along with the entire series. It does give a nice closure but not at movie theater prices.

Ghostbusters 2016 Review

My mom and I went to see the female led Ghostbusters. There probably will be spoilers from here on.

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Having grown up with the original Ghostbusters films as well as the cartoon version (I am still looking for the damned Ecto Cooler that was supposed to come out this summer) I was a little unsure of this film. My biggest concern wasn't a female cast but of casting any other actor or actress to play the same exact roles as the original actors. I didn't want to watch anyone try and play "Bill Murray" if you get what I mean.

I am pleased to say that this film didn't do that.

There wasn't a "Female Ray" or anything like that. Instead they cast truly funny actresses and wrote well rounded (for a comedy) characters that are not just rehashed characters from the original films.

Kristin Wiig's semi straight-laced Erin is the first character introduced and what I liked best is that Wiig made her funny without going over the top. With four comedic actress leading this picture there needed to be a balance in the comedy. Most of her funniest parts are almost dry in their delivery. Her lusting after Chris Hemsworth really speaks to a few people, my mom included.

Honestly I liked all the main characters. Melissa McCarthy's Abby balances enthusiasm with science know how. Leslie Jones' Patty gets to be the over the top character because she can deliver a character like that and still be relatable. Most of the big laughs in the theater were for her. But my main love is for Kate McKinnon. I have been a fan of McKinnon since The Big Gay Sketch Show. Her Jillian stole scenes with less dialog then the other actress, but she doesn't need to say anything to be funny. My personal highlight, the DeBarge blowtorch-fire-fire extinguisher dance. Of course I must mention Chris Hemsworth's Kevin. It is great to see an actor like him embrace the ridiculous dimness of his character and play with it. The dancing scene during the credits was fantastic. Such a pretty man.

This Ghostbusters embraces the past movies without trying to remake them. All of the living original Ghostbusters actors have cameos including Sigourney Weaver and Annie Potts. They all play different characters from the original films. Which I like. It adds to the film for people that loved the first films but doesn't take away anything from the new characters. There is also a tribute to the late Harold Ramis, he is seen as a bust behind Charles Dance's character at the college towards the beginning of the film. And not to be left out Slimer and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man show up too.

The plot itself is entertaining and well paced. It never felt like it was dragging. I don;t want to write a full synopsis here but I will say that despite being a comedy it does manage to have an endearing moment or two.

Conclusion: I thought this was an entertaining film. It introduces fun new Ghostbusters but gives a few nods and winks to the past films.     

Out Of Sorts

"Out of sorts", a strange phrase but pretty accurate to how I've been feeling lately.
I am not sure which of the various aspects of my life is making me feel this way. It would be so easy to blame it on the horrific Oklahoma weather of late 100 degrees and tornadoes. Thanks Oklahoma
But I think it is more then the heat that is leaving me drained. I'm restless and listless, angry and sad, basically a general melancholy that I just can't shake.
I have to find a way out of this funk.
Since some aspects of my life cannot be changed at present I will focus on the things that I can control and change.
Thus I have decided to really focus on my physical well being and work towards getting fit and healthy.I am going to add new exercises and make better choices with my diet. (This shouldn't affect Faux Foodie since everyone needs to treat themselves occasionally)
I have tried before to get fit and failed because I tried to change everything at once.

 This time I am not going to turn my diet upside down, I am just going to make a conscience effort to choose better foods and portions, that doesn't mean I will cut out the foods I love. Instead of chips or candy I can grab some fruit. Instead of fried chicken and gravy, baked chicken and a side salad. This is what I have taken from various health blogs and articles.
I am hoping this will jump start me out of this "blah" haze I'm in. To have goals to work towards may just be what I need.
I really don't know why I am writing this. Maybe I just need this out there.
I try to stay away from posts that are not fun and upbeat but even in this I am trying to find the positive.


  

Literary Fixation- Poldark

After watching Poldark on PBS I wanted to read the books and I an delighted I did. The books do not take away from the TV series or vice versa. In many ways the books have given me more insight into the characters as well as a few interesting surprises.

Ross Poldark

The first book in the Poldark series. One of the things that surprised me in this book versus the TV show is the age of Delmelza when she is first introduced. The timeline in the show seems shorter then in the books. It actually took three or four years for Demelza to grow up and be noticed by Ross. In the series it seems like maybe a year. In fact the book Ross Poldark takes place over the course of a few years.

Also Demelza's appearance in the TV series is far different from the books. In the book she has dark hair and eyes, whereas in the TV series she has red hair and green eyes.

Not that this takes anything away from the character. Her portrayal in the TV series is pretty spot on for the book character.

The first books, Ross Poldark, focuses on Ross' transition back to England after the Revolutionary war, his recovery from the heartbreak of Elizabeth marrying his cousin Francis and his growing dislike of his own social class.

As the book progresses he finds himself falling in love with his servant, Demelza after they are married. 

The book is an easy read. There isn't much flowery language or too much scenic descriptions that you sometimes find in in these types of novels. It flows well and even if this had been the only book instead of the first book in a series it ends rather neatly without forcing a cliffhanger on the reader.

Demelza

The second novel in the Poldark series is Demelza and it focuses on both Demelza and Ross. Their lives during the happiest times and their lowest moments.

Compared to the TV series Francis and Elizabeth are mentioned but hardly appear in the novel except here and there. Even though they contribute to some important events for Demelza and Ross.

A large part of this book centers on Ross' attempts at a smelting company to help the mines in general and to take away some of the power from people like the Warleggans. Another story line that weaves its way through the book is the secret romance between Verity Poldark and Capt Blamey and the fallout of their elopement. Unlike the first book, Demelza ends on a more melancholy note, yet there is still a glimmer of hope.

If you enjoyed the TV series you will probably like these books and the other way around if you have read these already and have been thinking about watching the TV series.

The books give greater details about minor characters seen in the show as well as giving extra insight into main characters like Ross and Demelza.

After reading these I feel that the TV series had done a great job at translating the books. The casting is perfect, Ross could have easily been portrayed as too brooding but Aiden Turner balances brooding with a touch of charm. Eleanor Tomlinson is just perfect as Demelza. She manages to be both tomboyish and elegant in turn.

Have you seen or read Poldark? What do you think?

Faux Foodie: Bananas Foster

This month for Faux Foodie we made something we have always wanted to try, Bananas Foster.

After finding a pretty simple recipe my mom and I dived in.

Just to let you know, since we were not sure if the rum would flame up or the ingredients would scorched we used an old, beat up looking pan. I don't want anyone thinking I usually use this unflattering pan in the pictures below : P 

I also found this mini bottle of rum at the liquor store. Release The Kraken!!

The All Recipes version seemed pretty straight forward. Melt the butter. 

Add the Brown sugar.

Then stir in vanilla, rum and cinnamon. 

(To be honest I was kinda hoping for a bit of a flame..nope)

Cut the bananas so that they look odd before putting them in the bubbling mixture. 

Cook until the bananas are warmed through. 

And scoop onto ice cream.

Pretty simple.

My mom liked this but I didn't. It turned out okay but it just wasn't to my taste. In truth I have never been a spiced rum fan and the only dark rum we could find was spiced. That added to the cinnamon just didn't appeal to me. 

Still this is something we have both wanted to try and I'm glad we did.