Gratitude and the Week in Reviews

[I review the movies "Dallas Buyers Club," "The Way Way Back," "Scenic Route," "The Internship," "And While You Were Here" and the book "House in the Sky."]

But first

 

Gratitude

It's the day after Thanksgiving and, except for the scream I let out that was like a banshee from hell when I stepped on the scale, I am full of gratitude.

And when I think of all that I am grateful for, happy and sometimes funny memories come flooding back.

So the first thing I am grateful for is all of the happy and funny memories I have.

So here is my list of what I am grateful for with some accompanying happy and sometimes funny memories.

Hubby

We found each other over 30 years ago when we were both at loose ends, and over the last 30 years, we have tied those loose ends together and created a happy life.  He has been a good husband and father.

I am so grateful for that.

Happy, Funny Memory:  On our first date, late into the evening, we sang a boozy duet of "Endless Love" together (and I'm not talking about karaoke.  It was just the two of us).

I knew he was the one.


My son

He and I were all alone and I didn't know what the future would be until I met Hubby.  Now 33 years later, my son is a successful attorney and partner in a law firm.  But more importantly, he is a wonderful, kind man, husband and father.

I am so grateful for that.

Happy, funny memory: When he was about the age in the picture above, he told me he loved me "more than life itself."

I was so happy!  I couldn't believe it.  For one thing, what a mature thing to say, but even better, that he loved me that much.  It wasn't until later when he was watching Walt Disney's animated "Robin Hood" movie, which was a particular favorite of his, that I overheard "Robin" say to "Maid Marian," "I love you more than life itself."

So much for that. 



My daughter

My daughter was an amazing student, like her brother.  She was given the opportunity to go to Stanford and that has held her in good stead as she moves forward in her career.  But she is also a wonderful, kind woman who is happily married.

And I am grateful for that.

Happy, funny memory:  When my daughter was learning to speak she had trouble with her compound consonants such as "TR."  She would turn them into "F's."  She also used to like to point at things she would see as we were driving around and yell out what they were. 

Trucks were a favorite.

Well you get the picture.  My mother was not amused.



My parent's long lives

Since I wasn't born until my parents were 40, I am so grateful they both lived to be in their 80's and 90's.  When you think that my parents were 72 when my son was born, it was a miracle he and my daughter (they were 76 when she was born) knew their grandparents at all.  But even though they were young when they knew them, my parents are remembered by my children.  And it doesn't hurt to come from a family with longevity.

I am so grateful for that.

Happy, Funny Memory: My Dad playing and singing this on the piano.

A peanut sat
On a railway track
His heart was all a flutter
Around the bend came number ten
Choo! Choo! Peanut butter!!!

 

And then he would chuckle that deep so-satisfied-with-himself chuckle of his.

And this time of year especially, my mother's pies.

Facebook

I know there is much to despair about with FB but being able to keep up with old friends and meet new ones has helped me immensely as I have moved to a new town, embarked upon retirement, and, dare I say it, old age?  I can keep up with my children, my friends, my relatives, my old friends from long ago...

I am grateful for that.

Happy Funny memory:  I am talking to and sharing with friends from 40 years ago which brings back all kinds of happy and funny memories.



Seattle Stair Walks

Walking is my favorite exercise.  Yes, I go to the gym, but long walks are my exercise of choice.  Add to the walk new neighborhoods and environments and I am in heaven.  When we first moved to Seattle we went through at least two "urban walks" type books and that helped immensely to get to know the place, but we have had the most fun with "Seattle Stairway Walks" by Jake and Cathy Jaramillo. Seattle is a town of hills and stairs to get up and down those hills.  Every walk includes beautiful residential areas, lush greenery and stairs and more stairs.

Happy Memory:  That my ass is smaller because of this book.




Retirement

I am grateful that I have a pension from 30 years of work and can retire.  I know many people can't (like Hubby) or worry about how they will manage without a job.  Retirement enables me to spend time with myself, something I am finding very rewarding.

I am so grateful for that.

Happy Funny Memory:  Working on it.




My Nexus card

We would go to Canada and when crossing the border see this entrance to the border patrol called NEXUS.  It hardly ever had any cars in it.  I decided to investigate.  Hubby and I are now "trusted travelers" and we can not only use that fast line to get across the border to Canada, but we can use the TSA Pre-check line at the airport.  We can keep our shoes on, no need to pull out the Ipad or the cosmetics.  It's quick and easy.  Love it!

I am so grateful for that.

Happy, Funny Memory:  Thinking nah-nah-na-nah-nah as we whiz through security at the airport or across the border.  No, not really, that would be immature and mean.
nah-nah-na-nah-nah




The fact that tea isn't fattening

It seems like such a small thing, but let me tell you...anything that is not fattening is a blessing.

I am so grateful for that.

Happy Memory:  High tea at The Ritz in London.





Skype

With children and grandchildren living hundreds and thousands of miles away, Skype helps keep us connected.

I am so grateful for that.

Happy Funny Memory:  Watching "Cars," the movie with my grandson.  He is obsessed! 

Tivo

When we first got TIVO, I thought this would change my life - well, my TV viewing habits anyway.  No more would I be a captive to the TV.  I could set up automatic recording for shows I liked and then watch them when it was convenient.  Well, that was the idea. 

The reality is it affords me the opportunity to watch way more TV than I ever could have without it. And that's not a good thing.  I find myself setting up Season Passes (this is an action that will automatically record an entire series of a program) for shows I probably never would have watched. 

Not so happy, but funny memory:  I fell to a new low when I actually watched an episode of "Buying Naked."



Slingbox

Hubby gave this to me for Christmas last year.  It works with TIVO and allows you to watch everything on your TV remotely from an IPAD or another device as if you were in real time at home.  It is very cool when you are traveling, especially in other countries where the TV is in a different language.  Not that I spend much time watching TV when I am traveling. Really, I don't.

Strange, funny memory: Here is what I have used it for.  When I am traveling, I turn it on and if I can access my TV from my IPad, I know my TV is still there and we haven't been robbed!



Libraries

I am grateful for libraries, not just because they sustained my career, but because libraries represent what this country is all about:  freedom - the freedom to read, the freedom to access information, the freedom to view and it's a place for people to gather to exchange ideas.

I am grateful for that.

Happy Funny Memory:  All of the wonderful people I have worked with and met, some very funny.



Wine

No elaboration needed here. 

And there is someone else who is grateful for that who will remain nameless, but his initials are W.G.P.

He is so grateful for that.

Speaking of which, my list would not be complete without my gratitude to the Wine Guzzling Poodle and his two cohorts.  They have given us too many happy, funny memories to recount.

This actually is not a complete list. 

I think of things I am grateful for every day.

 

I am grateful for that!

What are you grateful for?

 

 

Now on with the Week in Reviews. 

Take a break from holiday madness, do something nice for yourself, and lose yourself in a film or a book.

 

 

 

Dallas Buyers Club (2013)

Matthew McConaughey plays Ron Woodroof, a hard living homophobe who finds himself with the AIDS virus.  It's 1985 and he can't get the drugs he feels he needs to save himself.  So he sets up a "buyer's club" to help himself and other AIDS sufferers get the drugs they need from Mexico and other countries and the FDA tries to stop him.

Much was made of McConaughey's weight loss and his transformation is amazing.  But Jared Leto must also be recognized.  Looks like he did the same thing.  You would never recognize him from teen heartthrob days, though he makes a beautiful woman.  Both will no doubt be recognized by the Academy come Oscar time. 

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you liked Silkwood or Erin Brockovich, you will like this film.  But it's the acting that stands out here.
                         

***DVDS***

Movies You Might Have Missed
And some you will be glad you did!
(I see the bad ones so you don't have to)

 

The Way Way Back (2013)

 

 

Duncan is 14 and on vacation with his mother and her new overbearing boyfriend.

 

An unflattering picture of adults at play through the eyes of children.

 

It's interesting to see Steve Carell in an unsympathetic role, but Allison Janney is the one who steals the show in the role of the ditzy, drunken next door neighbor with a heart of gold.  You don't often see her play these types of roles.  I am thinking - Academy Award nomination?  Also Liam James is a fine young actor who can convey his character's transformation just through the use of his shoulders.

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...a sweet coming of age story that shows how the sins of the parents can rain down on the children. 

Highly recommended.

 

Scenic Route (2013)

 

 

Two lifelong friends are on a road trip through Death Valley and their truck breaks down.  Bad stuff happens. 

 

I enjoy the occasional horror film and that's what I thought this was going to be, but actually, it was more of a character study about what happens when you are stranded and broken down into your barest most base self and secrets and regrets are revealed - a kind of demented, violent "My Dinner with Andre."

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...It's one of those "will they or won't they" get rescued movies with an ending that will likely spark discussion. I liked it but, Josh, you are too handsome for a Mohawk and romantic comedies miss you!

 

The Internship (2013)

 

 

Two salesmen (of the worst kind) find themselves jobless so talk their way into an internship at Google.

 

Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are both funny guys and this was a cute premise, but this film misses the mark.

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...This is no Wedding Crashers.  

It's predictable and I didn't laugh.

 

 

 

And While You Were Here (2012)

 

 

Unhappy married woman in Naples meets and falls for a young boy.

 

The lush Naples backdrop is the star here.  Otherwise, a rather vapid story with vapid characters.  Jamie Blackley, the young love interest, is worth watching.

 

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you like travelogues, you might enjoy this.  And can Kate Bosworth be any skinnier?

 

 

 

***Book of the Week***

 

A House in the Sky (2013) by Amanda Lindhout

 

 

An adventurous young woman travels to dangerous destinations and finds herself a kidnap victim in Somalia.

For 460 days, Canadian Amanda Lindhout endured all kinds of deprivation and sexual abuse at the hands of her captors, resorting to converting to Islam in hopes of finding compassion in her captors. 

Rosy the Reviewer says...a harrowing read.  If you liked "A Mighty Heart" or "American Hostage," you might like this.

Try your local library for DVDs and books listed.

That's it for this week.

 

See you next Tuesday

where I will share my travel tips for seniors

(and others too)!

 

Thanks for reading! 

If you enjoyed this post,

feel free to subscribe and/or share it with your friends.

Parisian Chic

How to get your Parisian Chic on,

or Why do French women keep messing with our self-esteem?

First it was "French Women Don't Get Fat," and now we have "Paris Street Style:  A Guide to Effortless Chic," "Stuff Parisians Like: Discovering the Quoi in the Je Ne Sais Quoi," "Forever Chic, French Women's Secrets for Timeless Beauty, Style and Substance,"  "Parisian Chic, A Style Guide," and "Lessons from Madame Chic: 20 Stylish Secrets I Learned While Living in Paris." 

It's bad enough that we are thought to be the most obese nation on earth (which the French loathe, being obese, not America - but I could be wrong), but that our style is also crap...It's just too much, or should I say, "C'est trop?!

But if you feel you need to look like a French woman, I feel it's my mission to help you get your Parisian chic on, so I will give you the short and to the point versions of each: 

Naturally she was a French exchange student in the U.S. and, quelle horreur, she got fat and had to go back to France to get skinny again. In the end, nothing really new.  Willpower, small portions, and keep a food diary.  Been there, done that. 

Rosy the Reviewer says...The only real "miracle food" here is the wine.

Here is the breakdown of essential elements for your wardrobe, Parisian style and what not to wear as in quilted jackets and Converse sneakers after the age of 26. 

Funny, when I was in Paris, saw nothing BUT quilted jackets.  Those people couldn't have all been Americans, could they?  No surprises - yes to the LBD and yes to adding vintage items.  No to polyester.  Just not too much - moderation, moderation, moderation.  

French actress and singer Emmanuelle Seigner is quoted: “American women are pulled together perfectly from the moment they wake up in the morning: perfect hair, varnished nails, high heels ... as if they were bound for a cocktail party or some red-carpet affair. French women don’t bother their heads so much.” 

Rosy the Reviewer says...Huh?  She should see me when I wake up.  Bed hair, bitten nails, broken toe that won't fit in high heels...I guess I must be more French than I thought.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings...

Just kidding, those aren't things Parisians like. 

They actually like baguettes, the word putain and saying Americans are stupid.  This is a sort of a send up...or is it?

Rosy the Reviewer says...je ne sais quoi is French for WTF

Finally, one for women of a certain age. 

Did you know we are considered "alluring, mysterious, and seductive?" 

In France, anyway.

Rosy the Reviewer says...One of the pieces of advice: use your Hermes scarf as a cumberbund.  My who, what?

The author is a Chanel model from the 1980's. 

I wish she talked a bit more about what a woman of her age would wear to be chic but here is her "Magnificent Seven:"

The Magnificent Seven:

1. A Man’s Blazer
2. The Trench
3. The Navy (cashmere) Sweater
4. The Tank

5. The Little Black Dress  (there's that LBD again)

6. The Perfect Jeans
7. The Leather Jacket

Rosy the Reviewer says...What?  No mention of a scarf?

French Madame (not THAT kind of madam) straightens out her American exchange student and teaches her the way of the French. 

I had a hard time getting past the chapter "Look Presentable Always," which basically says, if we run around in Uggs and droopy sweatpants, we don't respect ourselves enough to wear the feminine and beautiful things we were meant to wear at all times and heaven forbid we should set foot in Paris.

Rosy the Reviewer says...This is like a new version of "Gigi."

Moi -  Paris 2013

Rosy the Reviewer says...Bottom Line for French Fashion and Lifestyle:  Stop eating so damn much, take the stairs and wear a scarf!

Now on to

The Week in Reviews 

Enough Said (2013)

Eva, a divorced masseuse facing an empty nest meets Albert, also divorced and in a similar situation. 

Never much of a fan of Julia Louis-Dreyfus or James Gandolfini and have always thought Catherine Keener was over-rated but this film helped change my mind.  The acting and screenplay were all first-rate, though I saw where the film was going early on (I was surprised that some of the other people in the audience gasped when they realized the plot twist).  The characters were charming and affecting, though Louis-Dreyfus' character was clueless and verged a bit too close to Elaine at times, but she pulled back just enough to reel me in and I found her acting natural and easy-going.  Gandolfini showed a softer side and seeing him in this film made me sad that his life was cut off before he could mine that side of his talent.  I found the film very touching.

Rosy the Reviewer says...A smart, affecting romantic comedy for the discerning filmgoer.  However, it could use a better title.

Before Midnight (2013)

It started 18 years ago with Before Sunrise when Jesse and Celine met on a train bound for Vienna.  Their instant attraction led them to spend the night together talking, never to meet again.  But another nine years later, they do meet again in Paris in Before Sunset and their romance is rekindled.  And now they are together another nine years later with twins and we spend another day with them, a bit more contentiously than in the past. 

All three films consist of long, smart and funny conversations between Jesse and Celine, this time as they end a summer vacation in Greece.  Using long uninterrupted camera shots as they walk and talk in beautiful surroundings, Jesse and Celine explore the nature of their relationship. Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy share writing credits with Director Richard Linklater, which is apparent in the almost improvisational nature of their dialogue.  Critics likened this trilogy to Michael Apted's Up series (that has followed 14 British children every seven years since 1964).  That's a stretch, but director Linklater has been similarly faithful every nine years since 1995 and created a trilogy that captures the reality of meeting, falling in love and what it takes to stay in love.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you like reality, here it is.  Love is not a fairy tale.  It can be messy.  Smart and beautiful film-making.




The East (2013)

An Eco group is attacking major corporations and our heroine infiltrates, only to be highly affected by the zealous group.

The last time I saw Brit Marling (who co-wrote this screenplay), she was starring in another film she had written, Another Earth (2011), a wonderful little indie film about a planet that is the mirror of earth (recommended). 

Rosy the Reviewer says...A fun diversion, but Brit Marling is the main reason to watch.



Olympus has Fallen (2013)

Another siege upon the White House. 

Butler is a badass as he tries to save the President.  I also liked that the woman Secretary of Defense was a brave badass as well.

Rosy the Reviewer says...very violent, the usual stuff,  but exciting nevertheless.  I wonder what it would have been like in 3-D.

***TV***

Last Tango in Halifax

A delightful British TV series where a couple of senior citizens reunite after years apart. 

Many of my fave British actors are here and it's just a lovely story that will appeal to all of us other senior citizens especially.  Playing on PBS but also Available on Netflix now in Season 3.

Rosy the Reviewer says...Derek Jacobi (remember him in the Cadfael series?) is just a wonderful actor.  His nuances here are a thing to behold.  Highly recommended.

  

That's it for this week. 

This weekend, you can go to the movies, rent a DVD, check out your local music scene or go through your closet and get totally depressed because you are not French!

  

See you Tuesday for my blog

"Rock & Roll Will Never Die!"

Thanks for reading! 

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