madameblogalot

The Hunger Games (film): When the movie first started I was not enjoying it as much as I’d hoped and my daughter had to tell me to “chill”. I hate some of the details at the beginning-the cinematography with the jolty camera angles, the way Katniss gets the Mockingjay pin, and a couple of small things like that. As the story progressed though I really like the way the Capitol city was done, I even like some of the details that are different from the book that help to tell the story/move it along on film. I really like how the Gamemakers are done, I think that really helps to get across a big point of the story. This one ended up being a HIT with me.

Time and Again: I got this book as it was referred to by Stephen King in 11/22/63 as being the impetus for his recent time travel novel. When I started reading it I thought there were some similarities in this story and the movie Somewhere in Time. I looked at that movie to see if it had been taken from this book. No, it was from another but the time travel portion seemed very similar, especially at the beginning. The story here was ok,  being both a HIT and MISS for me.  I enjoyed the historical aspects of it, especially the parts that coincided with the Story of Us documentaries that I have been watching.

America: The Story of Us-Boom: Another interesting segment of the US history series. This one starts out in Texas at Spindletop, not so very far from here, with the boom of oil. Then moves on to automobiles and the assembly line, movies and the hunt for water in California. Then on to the race riots, prohibition and gang problems. A very interesting segment, another HIT for me.

We Bought a Zoo: My husband had heard this one was good. And I’d had the opportunity to enter to win and review this video through a homeschool site. My daughter agreed to watch, so I agreed to watch. The story of the family and the family dynamics was good enough (though sad; I did cry a couple of times.) The main kids were cute and good. I could relate to the feelings of sadness of a lost spouse and the feelings of hurt and tension with teenaged children. So that part of the story was a HIT with me. But the surrounding characters were all very hokey as was some of the story. And that part of the movie was a MISS with me. Also another MISS for me is the foul language. I just don’t like the way the use it and especially when they have the kids use it. At least I could buy the teen boy using it in his hurt and anger. But there was no call for the 7 year old girl to just come out and use vulgar language just for the shock value. That was the biggest MISS of all for me.

Congo (novel): I really enjoyed this Crichton novel! I was surprised at the technology used in the book, set in 1979! I enjoyed the story,  found it suspenseful, interesting and not as offensive as some of his other work. This one was a HIT for me.

I just read an article talking about the newest designs in American homes. For many reasons, several builders are responding to the newest surge in a need for multigenerational homes. Mostly driven by the economic downturn and aging baby boomers, many families are making the decision to live in a multigenerational setting. Many cultural groups live this lifestyle anyway and they too are responding to the new homes on the market. Whether aging parents are part of the family, or adult children or delaying marriage or broken marriage, or lost jobs or going back to school, or just a cultural way of living, these home builders are seeing a need and filling it with new homes that meet the rise in demand.

The Story of Us: Civil War: This segment also had some good information and again was a HIT.

Anthem: This required reading for my daughter was a MISS for me. I felt like it went from one extreme to the other, neither of which is healthy.

Nunsense Country Jamboree: This play at a local community college was a  HIT for us (even though we don’t like country music all that much!) in that it was silly and high energy. Yes there is some risque content, but we knew that going in to it (and there was not as much as I had expected!) The cast did a good job of keeping their energy up through the entire performance.

The Story of Us:Heartland: This episode is another HIT. Here I learned that about 1/4 of homesteaders were single women or freed slaves. The Transcontinental Railroad employed civil war vets as well as immigrants. It was found to be cheaper to ship over Chinese workers than to transport Americans from the East. Also, the Chinese man who ended up mixing nitroglycerine at the TCRR site (because the original chemist became an alcoholic) had a son who was the first Chinese to graduate from UC Berkley with an engineering degree. The TCRR also affected times so much that to be able to keep track of train schedules, time zones were introduced. The railroad also opened up the entrepreneurial  business of Mr. Sears. And I learned that the era of the cowboy only lasted about 20 years. What brought it to its end? Barbed Wire fencing.

The Story of Us: Cities: In this episode I learned about the plights affecting the cities of the late 19th century-disease, overcrowding, poverty (slums), and crime. I also learned what an impact skyscrapers, steel and the electric light had on society. I also heard about the shirtwaist factory fire which resulted in laws that are still in effect today. Many parts of this segment related to a book I am reading, including the buildings, the fire, the Statue of Liberty in pieces, and even Sgt. Byrnes of the NYPD. This one is also a HIT (though I don’t like the computer generated Statue of Liberty.)

The countdown has begun for The Hunger Games movies. I know lots of teens are waiting for this one to hit theaters next week. (Too bad not during our spring break time though.) I have been surprised to see it so pumped up in the media as well. Even one of the major morning shows has begun the countdown. They will be doing some stories on the movie next week before opening day. I hope it is not a let down after much hype. Hopefully it will stay true to the book. And perhaps even some of the political messages can be food for thought as well….

Over the last week or two I have had a flare up in knee pain. I am not sure just what to attribute it to, not taking my vitamins, training for a half marathon, or getting out the old jump rope (this is probably the main culprit) but the pain is worse than it has been for some time. And I was getting worried since we are doing a half marathon at the end of April, and I really want to be able to train to be ready for it.

Since the time that my knee started hurting again I have been hearing a lot about inflammation in the body-on the news, on a public tv program, and most recently I have just heard about another product called Nopalea. I have not ever heard of this product before. It is a wellness drink that is made from the Nopal cactus.  I don’t know how it tastes or how well it performs but it is said to reduce inflammation in the joints as well as cleansing the body of toxins. Hearing that it helps the body in overall wellness, most specifically with joint inflammation, I am going to see what I can find out more about this wellness drink.

The little girl I keep is in full blown toddlerhood now. Although she is still some months from turning 2 she is well on her way! She is a good little girl but pretty clever and surely knows what she wants and how to get it! I’ve been reminded this week especially of toddlerhood (which is really not so different from the teens in my house!!) I have kept her late three nights this week and boy I am feeling tired! The constant “no”s and running away and general mischief and trying to get away with all she can (again, like teenage hood!!) are draining. And my knees are really aching-I’m sure from all the running but all the bending down is aggravating them as well. I decided today that we are going to have to start implementing more time outs, since willful disobedience has become pretty blatant. I am truly being reminded of ALL the joys of toddlerhood!

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”.

The Help: A very moving and poignant look at 1960s Mississippi, told from the perspective of “The Help”. This one is a HIT for the way the story is told.

Bladerunner: I did not even finish this movie. The original book (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?) is much better. I guess the movie was a MISS for me.

Sherlock Holmes: Since my husband and daughter went to see the release of the newest Sherlock Holmes, I decided to watch the first one. About half way through my husband woke me up and said he could tell I did not like it. I said no, I thought it was stupid but I would finish it. We did not finish it that night and I did not realize it was only rented for two days so I missed seeing the end of it. I guess it was another MISS.

Arctic Drift: I felt this novel was on the hokey side and took til nearly chapter 70 before it got good. I would rate it as a MISS for me too, though I did appreciate the lack of vulgar language and situations.

Studio White: This book is a collaboration in which my sister was involved. It was interesting though maybe not quite my style. I will rate it as neither a HIT or MISS.

Sarah May Be Listening: Influencing the People Who Matter the Most: This is a small book my dad wrote years ago. I can appreciate the thoughts he is bringing to the reader’s attention, though I will rate the book as neither a HIT or MISS for me.

The Dark Ages: I actually watched this History Channel presentation in Sept. but forgot to list it. I “enjoyed” this film and felt like I learned something and actually put some history together as well. And, as my daughter was studying her world history that week, she quizzed me and it was over some of the things I had just watched! I got some of the questions right! So I guess I will rate this one as a HIT.

Nineteen Minutes: I am not a Jodie Picoult fan. This is only the second book by her I’ve read but daughter may use this as one of her choice readers so I wanted to read ahead of her. This novel about a school shooting is a tough one, which I guess Ms. Picoult writes about (tough current social events.) I just cannot wrap my mind around the way that teen behavior and even some adult behaviors, are normalized in her books-and in so many stories as well. Maybe I have been too naive, or maybe it really is just living in a conservative area of the country. At any rate, the story here is not enjoyable though I was drawn in and wanted to read the book, finishing the 455 page novel in less than a week. Even though I have never been in a school shooting setting I was able to relate to some of the feelings of some of the characters in the book so in that aspect I guess I would rate it a HIT. As for the storyline it is obviously not enjoyable and I hated the ending. I will rate this one as both a HIT and MISS.

the first part last: Another book daughter may read. Not my choice of reading material, but again focuses on a current social issue-teen pregnancy and parenthood. While I hate the language used I did feel like this one was perhaps a bit more realistic, being set in a large city. And the biggest difference in this story is that it is told from the teenage father’s perspective. A good twist. While it does delve into some places I would rather not have my daughter go, it was still descriptive without being too graphic (except for the language.) I did like the tone in which the story was told and felt the bond between the teen father and his newborn baby was beautifully and pretty realistically handled. I love the idea that lends itself to the book’s title: “But I figure if the world were really right, humans would live life backward and do the first part last. They’d be all knowing in the beginning and innocent in the end. Then everybody could end their life on their momma or daddy’s stomach in a warm room, waiting for the soft morning light.” This kind of beauty leads me to go ahead and rate the story as a HIT.

Buck: This documentary about the real Horse Whisperer was very interesting and informative. While I have no interactions with horses, I found Buck’s way with horses to be the same way we should be in relationships with people. Buck is amazing; he came from an abusive childhood and instead of becoming an abuser himself, has turned around to help others over come abuse and to avoid abuse in relationships. While he focuses mainly on the relationship between horse and human, it is so readily applicable to any relationship. It sure made me wish I would have been a better parent. I will rate this one a HIT.

The Wildest Dream: I was intrigued by this movie title and “cast list” so I decided to watch while training on my bike one morning. It was narrated by Liam Neeson and is about the question as to whether George Mallory did in fact make it to the summit of Mt. Everest in 1924. I honestly did not know there was a question about it so found the story very interesting. Apparently in 1999 Conrad Anker, a mountaineer, found George Mallory’s body on his own quest to climb Everest. Mallory’s body was below the summit but it is unclear whether he made it to the top first or not. So Anker decided to recreate the expedition to see if it could indeed have been possible for Mallory to have summited in 1924. The story of Anker’s recreation is interesting. I think the one part that hit me the most though was when Anker showed his family the clothing they had recreated to match Mallory’s. By todays ideals, it could be considered substandard. When Conrad showed his wife and stepsons, the youngest boy, a preteen whose father died while climbing in the Himalayas, was asked if he would wear such clothing to climb Everest. When he replied “NO” his mother asked what he would wear. His response, a quiet, fervent “I wouldn’t climb Everest.”

I was also fascinated by the fact that Mallory used oxygen to aid him on the climb to the top, as well as the fact that his final ascent was filmed. As for Conrad and his partner’s remake of the expedition, it too was fascinating. I was really impressed with Leo’s (Anker’s partner) strength in rock climbing as well as how much altitude affects the climbers. All in all, I rate this film a HIT.

American Assassin: The story itself was fairly intriguing. If you like espionage and intrigue and don’t mind rough language, this might be a good one to read. I will rate this one as neither a HIT or MISS for me.

National Treasure: I watched this one with my oldest nephew while on a trip together. I had resisted before but enjoyed the second one so much I thought I’d give it a try. I really enjoy the history of these movies and thought this was a fun one. Towards the end of the movie I realized I had seen the ending already before. I rate this one as a HIT.

This summer I became lifeguard certified. Part of the lifeguard training included CPR training and certification. All participants in the class had to go through step-by-step instruction to learn the proper technique and procedure for executing CPR. The CPR course included the chest compressions and the mouth to mouth resuscitation. Some people are very uncomfortable giving mouth to mouth to a stranger, but it seemed like there was no other way to help save a life. However, in a campaign from the American Heart Association and the Ad Council, a new digital application has been introduced to help teach the steps of Hands-Only CPR. This could be a good solution for the people who still want to help save lives, but don’t like the uncomfortable situation of mouth to mouth with a stranger. This could become a very popular idea!