Movie Mania
It's January, and it's that time of the year: either stay in motion or fall asleep right where I stand or sit. Preferably with some movie droning on the TV and at least one cat on my lap. I've lost count of how many people I've heard say they're tired right now. Not surprising, given the post holiday let-down and carby foods that are so tempting these days (OK, I will really try to not make any more monstrous casseroles centered around tater tots or bread). These truly are the dark times.
But during that lolling around, I've gotten to watch 'Dune' a couple of times lately. What a weird movie. The story is awesome, yes, but the ways the 80's version depicted the technology are completely off the wall. Still, if I see it on any channel, that's where I'm gonna park.
The week between Christmas and New Years was my own personal 'Ground Hog Day'. Not horrible, just a bit repetitive. I get up, drag myself to the coffee maker. Manage to do 30 minutes of exercise, telling myself I will do the other 15 minutes stairclimbing at work during lunch break. Vow to not eat too many Christmas cookies in the next 18 hours. Feed cats. I shower. Here's where we get a bit of variety: I have my Philosophy 3-in-1 shower gels all lined up on the shower seat. Cinnamon Hot Dots, Maple-Glazed Cake, or Peppermint Bark. All quite delicious. Smoosh my contacts in my eyes and head out to heat up some dinner. Either leftover 'city chicken' (Thank you, Ann), white lasagna, risotto and green salad or some combination thereof. 'The Polar Express' has been on every single night this week on one particular Direct TV channel. I heat up dinner, starting in at the same point in the movie, finish dinner on the couch, relocate into the bathroom and finish watching in there, while I dry my hair and put on make-up, and turn it off at the same exact point in the movie before I hurry out to give Mocha Java his insulin shot, and then out the door to work to face the same lunacy/different department.
Speaking of work, there's been a lot of change: besides the computer upgrade in October (only now is the new system starting to feel natural), a favorite coworker retired in November (we miss you, Bob!!!!!), and his replacement needs a LOT of help/support on the job. Frustrating as hell, because she's been there for 10 years and acts newer than the new hires. And needs to share the details of her odysseys with CPS, law enforcement and the courts concerning her adopted violent, delinquent girls-gone-wild 17-year old twin daughters, and her newly ward-of-the-state three year-old granddaughter (yes, that would mean one of them was pregnant at 14). A new third shift part-timer is going through a drawn-out divorce, and all too willing to share the latest details to everyone and anyone. I seem to be a favorite ear for all this, since I actively listen. Yeah, I just do. Working with these two is a bit like a combination of a phone call from mom and taking a crisis call where I volunteer. While it's revolting everyone else, I seem to have a tolerance for it. There's been a hell of a lot of drama where I volunteer lately, too. Communal living just doesn't suit some DV vicitims, and the resulting friction makes for some interesting reading in the communication log each week (one resident allegedly stabbing another resident's bananas...really??)
So 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' was good for making all that seem tame and normal by comparison. I deliberately gave up 4 hours of perfectly good sleep to join two coworkers/friends to go see the earliest showing in a Grand Blanc theater on a Wednesday. The times I get to do fun things with the girls are so few and far between that giving up large chunks of sleep when the opportunities come up seems like a completely reasonable price to pay. And now I'm reading the book, so hopefully some things will make more sense. Quite, um exciting, to say the least. I'm surprised I was able to fall asleep at all afterwards.
This afternoon, I visited a movie theater for the second time in less than 2 weeks. Sheer craziness! I talked Tim ('I don't like movie theaters! The floors are always sticky!') into going to see 'Red Tails' in Brighton. Despite a small amount of predictablity, it was a great story, plenty of action and eye-candy-filled entertainment.
Yes, I like movies.
But during that lolling around, I've gotten to watch 'Dune' a couple of times lately. What a weird movie. The story is awesome, yes, but the ways the 80's version depicted the technology are completely off the wall. Still, if I see it on any channel, that's where I'm gonna park.
The week between Christmas and New Years was my own personal 'Ground Hog Day'. Not horrible, just a bit repetitive. I get up, drag myself to the coffee maker. Manage to do 30 minutes of exercise, telling myself I will do the other 15 minutes stairclimbing at work during lunch break. Vow to not eat too many Christmas cookies in the next 18 hours. Feed cats. I shower. Here's where we get a bit of variety: I have my Philosophy 3-in-1 shower gels all lined up on the shower seat. Cinnamon Hot Dots, Maple-Glazed Cake, or Peppermint Bark. All quite delicious. Smoosh my contacts in my eyes and head out to heat up some dinner. Either leftover 'city chicken' (Thank you, Ann), white lasagna, risotto and green salad or some combination thereof. 'The Polar Express' has been on every single night this week on one particular Direct TV channel. I heat up dinner, starting in at the same point in the movie, finish dinner on the couch, relocate into the bathroom and finish watching in there, while I dry my hair and put on make-up, and turn it off at the same exact point in the movie before I hurry out to give Mocha Java his insulin shot, and then out the door to work to face the same lunacy/different department.
Speaking of work, there's been a lot of change: besides the computer upgrade in October (only now is the new system starting to feel natural), a favorite coworker retired in November (we miss you, Bob!!!!!), and his replacement needs a LOT of help/support on the job. Frustrating as hell, because she's been there for 10 years and acts newer than the new hires. And needs to share the details of her odysseys with CPS, law enforcement and the courts concerning her adopted violent, delinquent girls-gone-wild 17-year old twin daughters, and her newly ward-of-the-state three year-old granddaughter (yes, that would mean one of them was pregnant at 14). A new third shift part-timer is going through a drawn-out divorce, and all too willing to share the latest details to everyone and anyone. I seem to be a favorite ear for all this, since I actively listen. Yeah, I just do. Working with these two is a bit like a combination of a phone call from mom and taking a crisis call where I volunteer. While it's revolting everyone else, I seem to have a tolerance for it. There's been a hell of a lot of drama where I volunteer lately, too. Communal living just doesn't suit some DV vicitims, and the resulting friction makes for some interesting reading in the communication log each week (one resident allegedly stabbing another resident's bananas...really??)
So 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' was good for making all that seem tame and normal by comparison. I deliberately gave up 4 hours of perfectly good sleep to join two coworkers/friends to go see the earliest showing in a Grand Blanc theater on a Wednesday. The times I get to do fun things with the girls are so few and far between that giving up large chunks of sleep when the opportunities come up seems like a completely reasonable price to pay. And now I'm reading the book, so hopefully some things will make more sense. Quite, um exciting, to say the least. I'm surprised I was able to fall asleep at all afterwards.
This afternoon, I visited a movie theater for the second time in less than 2 weeks. Sheer craziness! I talked Tim ('I don't like movie theaters! The floors are always sticky!') into going to see 'Red Tails' in Brighton. Despite a small amount of predictablity, it was a great story, plenty of action and eye-candy-filled entertainment.
Yes, I like movies.