Yawn. This movie can’t quite make its mind up what it is, there’s just not enough wit involved to pull it above the mediocre level for which it has settled. The action is not quite spectacular enough to be a draw and there’s not enough witty humour to amuse.
Current temperature: here 14F/-10C, there 0C/32F
So we’ve had snow, of and on, these last few months but today was the first time I needed to shovel knowing that if I didn’t the sun wouldn’t fix the situation. The storm didn’t bring much in precipitation but the wind blew everything around enough that there was plenty of snow to be dumped in the driveway by the ploughs as they cleared the street.
I managed to start shovelling early in the afternoon, so the sky was clear and a bright blue, and standing in the sunlight was pleasant. The shadow of the house only crossed the pavement in one corner so I didn’t get to stand in the cold for too long. The job took about 40 minutes and was not too onerous. The tricky spots as usual were the end of the front walk, which was filled in up to 6 or 7 inches by the wind and the two spots where the pavement intersects with the street which the snow plough had filled in.
Current temperature: here 14f/-10C, there -1C/30F
Head Girl by Susan Gilbert, September 2010
They are a rambunctious rabble,
gathered at one’s table.
One wonders if one has the mix right?
Geoffrey seems to have knuckled under one’s latest diktat,
even if he’s gone all Brussels on one.
Willie is.
Snooze inducing. The sensible wet side,
balanced by the mad monk, to one’s far right.
Sadly, Norman is nowhere in sight.
Maybe someone stole his bicycle?
Words will be had.
Oh my, Michael’s soft silky mane is so out of control.
All it needs is a good brushing, stroking, teasing, petting.
One might wind one’s fingers around those long luscious locks.
God, no! Cecil is flirting with one again. If one were not such a people person one would bash his head in with one’s hand bag. (It is a lethal weapon, registered with Her Majesty’s Secret Service.) Only to be used in the most desperate circumstances. Apparently, this does not count.
My. One is thirsty. Where is one’s husband when he is needed?
A cuppa would go down right well about now.
Hokum. But deliciously fun hokum. A pretty boy hero meets a spunky heroine and they do battle with a dastardly bad guy in a plot that makes absolutely no sense. Gotta say Jake Gyllenhaal is seriously hot and buff and well worth the price of admission. Great popcorn and soda outing.
Current temperature: here 13C/55F, there 57F/14C
Sweet. It’s not often we get to see young interesting female leads in a movie made primarily for young girls so this was a real treat. The plot isn’t particularly unexpected but did make me laugh quite frequently. A very enjoyable time was had by all.
Current temperature: here 55F/13C, there 14C/57F
… Quit dieting and declare a truce with your body. Authors: Kate Harding and Marianne Kirby.
I was a big fan of Shapely Prose, the fat acceptance blog begun by Kate Harding, and mostly bought this book to be supportive and see if there were further insights to be gained that were not obvious from following along at the blog when it was still active.
It quickly became clear that I am not the target audience for this book. From the word go I found the book’s style to be far to be to loosey goosey and was not impressed by the lack of depth and seriousness. I think this book is much more suited to a twenty something who’s never really given much thought to how the world works and how she’s being manipulated and mislead by the main stream media. In some respects this book is a not unreasonable introduction to the subject and a jumping off point to learn more.
For me the style was way to informal. The style of writing more suited to a blog, rather than a book I’ve paid hard earned cash for. I wanted more depth and seriousness. While studies were quoted there was no really digging down into analysing what science had to say about fat issues. I wanted to grapple up front and personal with the hard issues where this was a brief introduction and hand shake.
The book definitely has an urban bias, which makes a number of its suggestions untenable for those living in a rural environment.
Current temperature: here 55F/13C, there 17C/63F
Erratic. This was a little like a roller coaster ride, zooming up to brilliantly good and down to ditch water dull. Can’t recommend it really but there are some great little bits and pieces hidden along the way. The visuals are spectacular though why anyone would need to watch this in 3-d is beyond me. I love that we have a heroine who squashes her buckle and comes through to win the day. Plus the white queen is one of the creepiest, supposedly good guys, you’ll ever come across. She was brilliant. Somehow in the end this film didn’t amount to more than the sum of its parts and certainly left me wondering why on earth it was made.
Current temperature: here 61F/16C, there 14C/57F
Dull. Yeah, so this was a huge disappointment and didn’t pass the WeatherGrrrl sleep test. Luckily I don’t live in the real world where ticket prices are obscene so my little nap didn’t cost the earth. Popcorn and soda were tasty though. You could definitely see the budget up there on the big screen, shame they didn’t save anything for the script. I have a brain. It needs to be engaged. This failed completely. I’d also love to see some female characters who have, um, a character, and aren’t just part of the scenery for the adolescent-boy part of the audience.
Current temperature: here 63F/17C, there 17C/63F
Viewing faith through an atheist’s eyes by Hemant Mehta.
This is a very odd little book. A sort of guide to improving the church going experience from an atheist point of view. Huh? I understand that being a member of a community that shares a set of values/beliefs can be an important part in constructing a happy decent life. But if those social groups are based on a religious perspective shouldn’t a set of shared beliefs about the world be what binds you together not the experience in the pew? Shouldn’t you be examining what you believe, how it lines up with reality and whether or not it leads you to a happy decent life? At the end of the day I don’t think this book helps with that at all.
Current temperature: here 61F/16C, there 17C/63F
Tense. So these kind of movies always make me incredibly tense and this one is no different. As the movie unfolded the question that came to mind was, ‘wtf is the west doing in Iraq?’ The entire situation makes no sense and the insanity of being there is clearly played out in this movie. Definitely a must see but in no way could it be described as enjoyable. As an examination of male addiction to war it is quite exemplary.
Current temperature: here 77F/25C, there 9C/48F
