madameblogalot

The Hunger Games: This young adult novel was captivating! It will be made into a movie this spring and I can see how it will be a hit movie with the teen crowd. The themes of hunger, entertainment, fire, “Big Brother” government and even reality TV make for an interesting story. One I could hardly put down. My daughter and I rate this a HIT.

Catching Fire: This second book in the Hunger Games picks up where book 1 leaves off. It is also a good story, very political. The themes of hunger and fire still figure largely in the book. I rate this one a HIT as well.

Mockingjay: Wow! This trilogy really drew me into the story. While this third book was probably my least favorite in the series, I really like the way it was all wrapped up. As I got into this book I felt like the author had sights already set on the movie screen while writing it (and author’s notes seem to confirm that.) This one is more violent, more “graphic” though not overdone. As I read the author’s notes though, and “hearing” what she was taught by her parents, I can see how the ideas in the book were important to her to convey. I enjoyed the author’s imagination. I like how she used futuristic techniques, while at the same time making some things seem present day as well as including some archaic feel to it. I really like how the themes of hunger and fire resonate throughout all three books; a really good job on weaving that throughout the series. I will rate this book, and the whole trilogy, a HIT for older teens and adults.

Gnomeo and Juliet: I watched this goofy little movie while on my bike. It was a good enough way to pass the time, though I know many of the references from the play were lost on me (too long since I’ve read it.) There were some funny moments and it was light enough (being more of a comedy than a tragedy.) I am sure those who are more into Shakespeare could appreciate the humor better. I will rate it as neither a HIT or MISS but could be an all right way to help pass a bit of time.

Pompeii: Back From the Dead: This new documentary seemed interesting in the fact that new skeletons have been unearthed from Pompeii. The skeletons are all that remains as the ones found in the 19th century are ruined by the casting done to them. I thought it would be interesting to hear what they have found through testing these skeletons. Overall I did not like the “way” in which the film was done; just the overall tone seemed like they were appealing to a younger generation. Overall I gave this documentary a MISS.

Beauty and the Beast: This high school musical featured a few of my daughter’s friends, including her best friend’s sister as Belle. In taking the lead she truly carried the show. While the show and music are fun, this girl truly carried the show with her singing, acting, and poise. She was spectacular and it was fun hearing the little girls in the audience dreaminess over Belle (”it’s Belle”; “she’s in her yellow dress”; etc) I give this show a HIT for the lead actress as well as the girl who played Babette and even the boy doing Lumiere did all right in his role, a tough one to carry.

Micro: Another interesting Michael Crichton book, finished posthumously by Richard Preston. While some of the premise could be mistaken for other cheesy sci-fi hits (The Incredible Shrinking Woman, Honey I Shrunk the Kids) there is some very interesting ideas in here too (maybe more like an “M” rated Magic School Bus.) This one was too violent for me and I felt like some “sexiness” was added just because that is the thing these days-it wasn’t needed at all to advance the story along. I felt the same way about the language as well. Overall I will give this one a HIT though there were moments I was afraid it might be a MISS.

Is that what you call a slacking blogger? I have been pretty distracted from the blog so far this year! Between my workouts, my chasing a toddler around, taking care of household chores and taking my nephews hiking once a week, there is not much time left for blogging! I have my HIT/MISS list ready to go in a couple of days. Other than that, I will try not to be such a slogger!

Permanent. It’s there forever. (Unless you change your mind, spend a lot of money and go through some amount of pain, so I hear.) Otherwise, you will be forever marked. If you have a tattoo placed on your body.

The movement in body art has shifted dramatically over the last five to ten years. Many mainstream people are having “works of art” forever immortalized on their very flesh. It is something that is not only for those just coming of age, many middle aged folks are deciding to permanently ink their bodies as well. But when it comes to allowing a child to have his body tattooed, there are certain limits that are in place.

It seems that the laws vary from state to state, most stating you must be 18, while some states do allow minors to receive a tattoo with parental consent. So when I heard today about the 10 year old who recently received a tattoo, I was pretty taken aback. When I found out why he wanted the tattoo, I could at least understand-to a point- why he wanted it. He wanted it to honor his brother who has died. While I don’t agree with this form of honoring the dead, I do know it has become a fairly normal response among some groups of people. When everywhere kids look they see people with such body art-store clerks, waiters, athletes, their parents, even Barbie-why would they not see this as a normal and acceptable way of responding to their grief, or as everyday/mainstream/normal.

Should a child ever be allowed to have such a permanent reminder on their flesh? Though I know what I would say in response to that, I also think I have an idea of what some close to me would say….So while I think ten is way too young to make such a permanent decision, I am not sure I can actually say it’s “wrong”.

I heard a clip on “The Doctors” today stating that testosterone levels in men are lowering about 20% over a generation ago. The doctor stated they don’t know why the levels are lowering but feel like there is some biological issue taking place, whether caused by pollution, the environment or some other cause. I do wonder if environment does play a role in this. I also wonder if it is just a reflection of demographics. With the baby boomers aging and getting into the years where testosterone levels will decline, then there will be more men reported with lower testosterone levels. I also wonder if the pressure we put on our boys to “feminize” them, or at least “urbanize” them (ie-the “metro male”) is somehow quashing the levels of testosterone output. All very interesting and I guess we’ll see in the future how this question can affect all of us….

Here are the first lines from the first blog post of each month from 2011. I need some variety!

Jan: My dad said I needed to write the date down somewhere today.

A fun date to write (too bad I missed 11.11.11) and fit well with my blogging year in review.

Feb: Staying busy

A rhyming tribute to my life.

March: Just a reminder to spring ahead one hour tonight/tomorrow morning at 2.

A reminder of why we have to “spring forward” each year.

April: In my husband’s training for Iron man it calls for lots of drill training.

Incorporating drill training helps build strength and speed.

May: Fahrenheit 451: I read this book several years ago and liked it.

A HIT or MISS post.

June: I am frugal.

Some things never change!

July: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: When I saw this book for $2 at Barnes and Noble I thought I’d pick it up for a Christmas present.

Another HIT or MISS post. Reading a book I am going to give as a gift doesn’t count as “re-gifting”…

Aug: It took me most of June and half of July to finish this book.

Another HIT or MISS post. I need to try to keep that from being my first post each month!

Sept: …I finished my first ever Olympic distance triathlon.

YAY!

Oct: The Prestige: Wow! What an interesting movie!

surprise, surprise, a HIT or MISS post…

Nov: The Dark Ages: I actually watched this History Channel presentation in Sept. but forgot to list it.

I lead an exciting life…..

Dec: Pirate Latitudes: I found this Michael Crichton book on sale at the grocery store.

I guess I am blogging on autopilot!