I know some of you out there reading are Twilight fans, so I may offend some of you with this post. I never got into Twilight. It always rang hollow to me, and Bella is annoying. Sorry, it had to be said. Compared to the entire universe/canon that JK Rowling created before she even started writing, Stephenie Meyers pales in comparison. JKR is just on a completely different playing field. I just always got the impression that S. Meyers was writing about her personal teenage fantasies, what with sparkling vampires and all that. No where is this comparison (or lack thereof) more evident in the quality of the movies. Yes, the Twi-Hards swoon over every little mention of the series, the actors, etc. But the movies are critically eviscerated, and the company behind the films (Summit) appears to be more concerned with the bottom line and making as much money possible as they can, than the quality of the films. The wigs are budget, the CGI is budget, the films give off a vibe of being cobbled together. While I am not a fan of Twilight, those fans should demand better of the production quality, especially given how rabid they are.
What they need to do is take a page from Warner Brothers. There has never been anything budget about any of the Harry Potter movies. While fans of the books (myself included) may be disappointed that they can't possibly put every aspect of the books onto film, what they do put onto film is quality. I still remember watching the first movie in the theatres almost ten years ago and thinking - yes! That is exactly how I pictured Hermione, Ron, Snape, the Burrow, the Dursleys, the Quidditch. They nailed it. And they did it well. Despite having used various directors over the course of the series, there haven't been major recasts, except Dumbledore and that was owing to the fact that Richard Harris passed away. Even the trailers are done well. The editing, the sound, the graphics - they're all first rate. See for yourself. WB just released the latest trailer for Part 1 of the Deathly Hallows. I can't even begin to describe how excited I am about it. Squeee!!! I can't believe I have to wait until November for this movie. Watch it - and if you are a Potter fan, tell me your eyes didn't well up a bit, or that you didn't get chills. And this is just the TRAILER, people. Four and a half months to go...
29 June 2010
Movie Must See: Toy Story 3
I traveled down to Austin this weekend to see D. We had a NACURH reunion of sorts to go to (more on that later). Having some free time, we hit up the movie theatre on Sunday to see Toy Story 3. It was incredible. I saw the first Toy Story in the movie theatres many years ago when I was in college and I loved it. I never got around to seeing the second one, but trust me, you don't need to have seen it to go see this one. And you must. You have to see this movie. It was funny, heartwrenching, joyous, and everything else you've come to expect from a Pixar film. So if you haven't yet made plans to see it, you need to. ASAP. And I highly recommend the 3D experience.
25 June 2010
24 June 2010
Thursday Recipe
I love Giada De Laurentiis' pasta recipes. I've profiled them here before. This one is to die for - especially if you are a fettuccine fan. It's almost like an Italian version of homemade macaroni and cheese. So good.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fettuccine pasta
- 2 cups grated Asiago cheese, plus 1/4 cup
- 2 (8-ounce) containers creme fraiche
- 1 cup grated Parmesan
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid.
In a large bowl combine the 2 cups Aiago cheese, creme fraiche, Parmesan, thyme, salt, pepper, cooked pasta, and pasta cooking liquid. Gently toss until all the ingredients are combined and the pasta is coated. Place the pasta in a buttered baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup asiago cheese. Bake until golden on top, about 25 minutes. Let sit for at least 5 minutes and serve.
23 June 2010
Splish Splash
I love to swim. I've always loved the water. Both sets of grandparents had pools when I was a baby so I was in the water right from the beginning. My gym has a pool and three mornings a week I swim laps. I don't know how many laps I do - I don't count. I just swim for about 30-40 minutes. At 5:45am, I'm usually the only one in the pool and the solitude is heavenly. No noise, just the sound of the water as I move through. It's kind of like running, you don't really have to think about it, you just go. That half hour gives me the chance to think about my day or plan ahead for stuff or really think about nothing whatsoever, I can just enjoy the quiet time. In the pilot episode of The West Wing, there is a scene with CJ Cregg at the gym and she's explaining to the guy next to her on the treadmill that her hour at the gym was her hour, her time, and then her pager goes off saying that the President had been in a bicycle accident and she falls off the treadmill. While my job and my life are not so high profile or as stressful as the fictional press secretary's, I feel that way about my time swimming laps. It's my time, my hour - no cats wanting breakfast, no laundry or cleaning to do, no phones ringing, no emails. Just me and the water.
21 June 2010
IBKC Fundraiser
Last year, Laurie and the sweet little kitties over at the itty bitty kitty committee raised a whopping $23,000. That amount was able to create a quarantine room for incoming cats to be examined before being let out for adoption. Well, it's one year later and the IBKC is at it again, won't you help out? If you are so inclined (and every little but helped, they got to $23,000 by many small donations, but it adds up!), here is the link:
http://www.theittybittykittycommittee.com/2010/06/lets-rally.html
http://www.theittybittykittycommittee.com/2010/06/lets-rally.html
19 June 2010
And We're Back...
Sigh. I am finally all unpacked and settled in the new apartment in Texas. I have so much space. It's hard to believe I had everything crammed into a smaller place. I am overjoyed at the amount of cabinet and counterspace. There is so much more space to cook and keep things and I don't feel like it's cluttered. I hate clutter. I love this place. Such a good find. The cats like it too and are settling in okay as well. There is a vet who comes highly recommended right around the corner. And since we're talking about location - my apartment is in the best spot. The gym is right across the road. I live within 2 minutes of the grocery, Target, Lowes, Petsmart, IHOP, Chili's, 7-eleven, gas stations, salons, restaurants, tailors, dry cleaners, and access to the major highways in and and around Euless, TX. I could not have asked for anything more.
If there was one thing I would change, it would be to dial down the heat a little bit. It is so dang HOT. Hot as in 80 degrees out when I leave for the gym at 5:45 in the morning. Yes, that is AM. 80 degrees! But on the flipside, I will almost never have to shovel out my car from the snow.
The new job is good. The first couple of weeks at a new job are always the hardest. You're learning about the institution, getting your access set up and starting to train on things. It's not the most exciting time in the job. That comes later. But for now, I like the people I work with and I like the staff who works for me. So we're off to a good start.
The first week has been good - I'm sure the ones to come will be even better!
If there was one thing I would change, it would be to dial down the heat a little bit. It is so dang HOT. Hot as in 80 degrees out when I leave for the gym at 5:45 in the morning. Yes, that is AM. 80 degrees! But on the flipside, I will almost never have to shovel out my car from the snow.
The new job is good. The first couple of weeks at a new job are always the hardest. You're learning about the institution, getting your access set up and starting to train on things. It's not the most exciting time in the job. That comes later. But for now, I like the people I work with and I like the staff who works for me. So we're off to a good start.
The first week has been good - I'm sure the ones to come will be even better!