Movie Night!

I haven’t been much into watching movies these days. Movies used to be exciting to me, especially the oldies, but like reading I have a hard time getting into the mode of either one. Maybe it’s my immersion with writing that I find it hard to relax and just enjoy a movie. Nowadays, when I watch one, I become critical of the characters, or plot, something I never considered years ago.

Since I feel I need to expand my love of the arts, I joined Netflix thinking what a great idea to watch a movie on demand every now and then. So I’m scanning the different movies, and I come across a Sundance Film, Sunshine Cleaning. The past three years, I seem to enjoy Foreign, Independent and Sundance Films more than mainstream.

Sunshine Cleaning is about a single mother and her slacker sister, played by Emily Blunt getting into the business of cleaning up crime scenes, murders, suicides, by removing the stains of the incident. The mother, played by Amy Adams wants to move her quirky, intelligent son into a private school. In order to do so, she needs to make quick cash. As the sisters work together, they begin to appreciate one another and in the end understand how the other feels so many years ago after the loss of their mother.

The subject matter is strange, but I did like Sunshine Cleaning. I feel they could have focused more on the relationship with the sisters to build it up better. Other than that, I found it to be humorous and touching as each character tries to find their way in life. I give the movie 3-1/2 out of 5 film reels.

Any good movies you've watched recently?

Believe

When I was lost, you helped me find my way

without a request, or promise to obey

When I was sick, you brought me back to health

then showed me all of my life’s wealth.

When I was sad, you held my hand for joy to appear

growing more towards you with revere.

When I gave up hope, you led me to your heart

where I knew it was a new start.

When I needed help, it was you who encouraged me

to learn to thrive and feel nothing but free.

When I was successful, I knew you played a role

always helping me to become whole.

Through virtue and sin, you walked with me all the time

‘til one day I hope to have achieved the climb.

God, thank you for loyalty, you’ve been a best friend,

which I hope to see when I come upon the end.

I Don't Like You Jillian Michaels!

My New Year’s resolution was to start living healthy. Between counting calories and doing a 20-minute workout, I already feel my body changing with this being my third week. I wanted to concentrate more on calorie counting then working out right now, but knew they go hand-in-hand so I figured 20-minutes isn’t a big deal.

The online daily fitness diary I signed up for seems to have flashing pictures of Jillian Michaels on every page. Then I’m shopping at Target and there she is giving me the evil eye from the workout equipment area. Price: $8.99. Sold.

There are three levels to Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred, each level consisting of strength, cardio and abs. When I started out doing level 1, I swore at the television the entire time. When I woke the next day thinking my body went into rigor mortis, I swore at Jillian Michaels into the empty room. This week, I started on Level 2, and I’m not swearing as much. Sometimes I think I’m going to go into cardiac arrest, but I push on remembering the years when my body used to be smaller.

As much as I don’t like Jillian Michaels, and as much as I’m not a huge fan of exercise, and as much as I’m still recuperating from pain, I recommend the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred. This DVD allows you to do some modified exercises, but if you do the levels and push to complete each exercise, you will feel a difference. And the best part is it’s 20 minutes long and depending on your weight, can burn 150 to 300 calories. Now go buy Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred, let’s bond together through sweat and pain, and lose not only our patience with her, but the fat too. *winks*

I’m not Write on Time!

I apologize for the lack of blog posts. This week went by and I’m still looking for it. *smiles* It’s time for me to come clean, I don’t write on time, meaning it takes me longer to edit and revise my works. Let’s take for instance my 2008 NaNo (National Novel) that I have only just begun to revise. Tsk. Tsk.

You see the creation of a poem, short story or novel is one of the most thrilling things I could possibly experience, but as any writer I must tweak to perfection. GAH! What once was a thrill has now become a duty to fix my mistakes? I MAKE MISTAKES? The revision time is what I shall call “my procrastination period.” This period is when everything else sounds better than revising. A time when I’m willing to freely workout, shop, paint, or build a small house in order to avoid words that have accumulated dust.

These words gasp and spit out what I originally wrote, picking and punctuating until each line flows into the next, each paragraph gives the next meaning, and the conclusion leaves you speechless.

After this lengthy confession, I must admit my revisions are coming along. I would love to share my opening line with you, my dedicated bloggers, but if I ever plan to publish it I need it hidden from public eyes. *sighs* All I can say is it’s actually the first “first line” I’ve ever written where I sat back and said to myself, “Girl, that ain’t bad.”

Now that I’ve come clean about a slight, very slight, negative of mine, would you care to share one of yours? If not, you can always join my club, The Procrastination Club. See you around.