movies

The First Week…

Angela21 Comments

… of my being laid off (for 4 weeks to start) got off to a great start. These past 3 days? Not so much. I have gotten a lot of leaves raked, been cooking and cleaning, and crocheting. I have been trying to do something constructive every day and it is just too much.

I now have requests for 10 pairs of slippers. Don’t mind the scar and veins, breaking your ankle in 3 places can wreck a foot

My anxiety has been on fire since Wednesday, and our new Michigan orders have even the most basic things being restricted.

I have a duck pen and coop to get built, but the weather and my aching body are not cooperating these last couple of days. Snow? Really???

I have a stack of books to read, some from the library and some I bought last month. I have instead been binge watching Midsomer Murders for the past week when I am not outside.

I think not being able to celebrate Easter with my family and church is bothering me more than I realize right now. I am assuming when my youngest daughter and I are eating dinner Sunday it will hit me like a brick to the face.

I know so many others have it so much worse than I do, and I am trying to focus on how fortunate I am to keep my spirits up. And this too shall pass.

I am about to watch The Passion of the Christ. If that can’t fix my attitude, nothing will.

I hope you are all coping with whatever level of quarantine you are under right now, and staying healthy and happy!

I would love to hear what you are doing to feel good, and even what is getting you down right now!

Be well and I look forward to hearing from you!

The Stanley Hotel

Angela17 Comments

Okay, so this is not a book review of The Shining, but I just spent several days in Colorado with my girls, and son-in-law, visiting my 21 year old who lives there. I did not know (or I should say, remember), that the Stanley Hotel was in Colorado. We were driving up to Estes Park, and I said “Wow, that looks just like the Stanley Hotel, to which 3 of my kids said….”Um, it is Mom.” To which I completely freaked-geeked out so of course we had to stop. If I had realized this, I would have scheduled one of their tours. We did wander around inside where we were allowed, and I have to admit, using the restroom was really creepy. Two of my girls refused to go inside. I was also the only one in the vehicle who had ever seen the movie, so I bought copies of it when I returned home to send to the kids who haven’t seen it 🙂

Have you ever visited or stayed here? I do not think I could sleep there to be honest.

What I’m Watching!

Angela33 Comments

Watching? Not reading? Yes; watching. I hate to admit it, but lately I have been spending more time watching tv than reading books. But in my defense; I have read 4 books this past weekend, so I think I’m winning!

It is too hot in Michigan right now to even think about leaving the house. Unless if the power goes out and your house warms up to those 110 degree heat indexes. Then just leave…

Michigan weather meme 1

Watching: Shameless. Two of my daughters have been raving about this show, and as I woke up before 4 am this morning and started coffee (yes, that is 23 hours awake right now), I caught about the first 5 episodes before I had to get in the car and drive all over West Michigan.

Side note: it was an awesome day with family and friends, so feeling good!

Also watched the movie Game night, with Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams. Loved it. The second rental from Family Video was Paul, Apostle of Christ. Watched it twice, and will be adding it to my collection.

Game Night Image redbox

Paul, Apostle of Christ Movie Image

Rewatching: Sons of Anarchy. Missed the gang, so I am back into the middle of season 2 and with this hot weather, I have plenty of inside time to make a dent in it.

Also rewatching Ozark (NetFlix), for the 3rd time. Anxiously waiting for season two on August 31st!

Always Watching: I have to sleep with the tv on; so I am always watching documentaries on Christianity, History, and various historical figures from Presidents, to artists, to anything I want to learn about. I also binge watch British game shows (they call them panel shows), and 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, Q1, and Would I Lie to You are my favorites. I cannot get enough of Jimmy Carr, Jon Richardson, Sean Lock, and David Mitchell.

When all of this stuff is not occupying me, along with chasing daughters around with everything they have going on, my two boys are always good for entertainment. In case if you have not met Benjamin (Bare Bottom Benjamin Blue), and Franklin (Furless Franklin), before; these are my two hairless cats that pretty much run the house, and my life.

Benny and Franklin 1

Do you have television favorites you cannot get enough of?

You Did WHAT To That Book?

Angela3 Comments

Oh, nothing much…just turned it into a movie.

So, when I can’t read the books I would like to be reading, I tend to think about those books. (If you are starting to think I have a problem; you are too late).

I have been thinking about the number of books that have been made into movies. And that is a huge number. It seems to be the theme lately for movies. Take the list of best-selling books, and turn them all into movies so we can keep making money. Do I think it is a bad thing? No, I don’t. To a point. Now I have seen some really bad movies that were excellent books. They should have just left it alone. I have never seen a movie that was better than the book. Ever.

HP Cast

Now I absolutely love Harry Potter, and was beyond thrilled when they started making those movies. Yes, I own them all. And Yes, I still re-read the books. I also have all of the Lord of the Ring movies.  As well as the 2 Hunger Games movies that are out. And the two Percy Jackson movies that are out. Yes, I will admit I have all 4 of the Twilight movies (I love those too). I have the 3 Narnia movies, anxiously awaiting if they are actually going to make “The Silver Chair” or not. Inkheart? I watch that movie all the time. I wish they would have made Inkspell and Inkdeath into movies as well. I could go on all day like this (I have a slight DVD problem as well).

Inkheart, Inkspell, Inkdeath
Inkheart, Inkspell, Inkdeath

As for the classics…. To Kill A Mockingbird was an outstanding movie, and one of my favorite books. I read it about once a year. Of Mice and Men actually has 2 movies out; one from 1939, and one from 1992. Disney has turned more books into movies and amusement park rides than anyone else could possibly even get away with.

Should these books be made into movies though? I think that the current books that have the author writing or editing the screenplay, and being on the movie set is perfectly fine. But what about those books where the author is no longer alive? Maybe their family sold the rights to have a movie made, but do they really, truly know how the author would want the book to be interpreted? Are these relatives instead taking liberties with the author’s words and thoughts, and possibly using them in a way they never intended? Would C.S. Lewis care that his series of Narnia books were made into movies? Maybe only as much as he might care that more often than not they are sold and read out of the order that he intended for them to be read.

cs-lewis-read pdf

Yes, this works in the reverse as well. As soon as a major motion picture is a box office hit, there are books all over the place about it.

As much as I love my movies based on books, sometimes I just really wish Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked like I thought they were supposed to. In “my” version of the stories. I can never again read these stories and see them as anything other than the actors who portrayed them. I honestly can no longer remember what I imagined them to look like. It’s like one of the joys I get from reading has been taken away from me.

Can you tell what book I am reading in my photo?