my review of “cloud atlas”

I had the pleasure of viewing “Cloud Atlas” on Sunday evening with mom and sister. We all agreed it was a great movie, even though it contained some very disturbing concepts. I didn’t read the book, so I’m not sure how closely the movie follows it.

The actors did a great job of playing multiple roles, especially Tom Hanks. I think that man could play any character. The dude that was in “The Matrix” and always said “Mr. Anderson” was wonderful – especially as the evil, green man that Tom Hanks sees. Even though the green dude was awful, that character was probably the most memorable in the movie.

I didn’t cry – thought I might, but I never did. I did laugh my butt off in some places. One scene involved a cat and that was the funniest part to me.

It was a long film, but I really enjoyed it and the time went by quickly. I went in thinking it was 127 minutes long…I think it was more like 172 minutes because we were in there 3 hours.

My recommendation is to go see the movie. It’s one of the best I’ve seen in quite a while.

arsenic in apple juice

Ok, folks, this one is serious! My sister (thankfully) warned me about buying apple juice that comes from Chinese apples because of the high levels of arsenic. I don’t know how I missed this news, but thankfully she’s watching out for us.

I found an article that tells more about it from September of last year, so read up on it and do your own research – http://news.consumerreports.org/home/2011/09/debate-grows-over-arsenic-in-apple-juice.html

I can tell you that I’ve had a hard time finding USA apple juice, but I’ve found Great Value (WalMart) and Food Club (Food City) claims to be made in the USA. You really have to read all over the bottle to find the country of origin. I’m starting to think it’s not even worth drinking and definitely not safe to give to my child.

Just one more reason I really need to learn how to garden…

the irish guy named “patty”

I had a crazy dream the other night (which happens almost every night), but I thought I’d start blogging about some of these weirdo dreams and trying to figure out where they are coming from.

Part of the dream was about my younger sister who brought home a new boyfriend. He was Irish and his name was Patty. He was teaching my sister how to embroider with pink thread on pink velour. Later on in the dream, I went to work (but my office looked different) and I fell asleep, waking up at 8 pm. While I was asleep, it had snowed 3 inches and I was trying to get home. Before I left work, I went to talk to my boss and he was sitting behind his laptop. I had long hair in the dream (I have a very short cut right now) and my long hair kept pulling toward his computer like it was full of static.

So, here’s my breakdown of why I think I dreamed some of this stuff…

• I had been talking about my dad’s siblings earlier that day and his sister’s name was Patty.
• The pink on pink probably came from a guy who was wearing this orange shirt with an orange logo embroidered on it. I had complimented this guy on that subtle design earlier that day. The pink came from me thinking of breast cancer awareness.
• Not sure about the rest of the dream…my mom always said when she dreamed of white or snow, someone died, so I always hate dreaming about white or snow. I do dream about snow a lot, though.

A few nights before that, I dreamed about my boss’s son (he may be 8 or 9 years old) who was driving this white little pickup around (there’s white again for you). He was herding cows (there’s a pasture full of cows in my front yard) and needed my help. Strange thing was, these cows turned to homosexual men while we were herding them… I’m thinking that part came from me seeing my gay friend around that time? Anyway, it was a strange dream, too. I’m sure they’ll get even weirder the closer we get to the full moon!

having kids

The other evening, my sister and I went to dinner, taking along my almost 9 month old son. It was in the evening (obviously, that’s when people eat dinner) and he was getting sleepy so he was pretty wiggly and didn’t want to stay in his high chair. So, I wrestled him while trying to eat my dinner. I looked across the table and my sister is looking at me and I can see it in her face – “I don’t know how you do it!” She offered to hold the baby while I ate and then we could switch off, but I told her it’s just part of it and I don’t mind.

It’s funny, because a year ago before I was a mom, I would have been thinking the very same thing if I would have been witness to what she saw. But, something changes when you become a mom. Maybe I’m not like everyone else, but I truly LOVE being a mom! I think I always knew that I would because ever since I was little, I wanted to be pregnant and have 4 kids. Now, the 4 kids part I’ve changed my mind about, but I really did enjoy being pregnant. Thankfully, I wasn’t sick and I didn’t swell and all that, so it was a pretty easy 9 months for me.

Anyway, back to being a mom…I just can’t imagine my life without or son now and my husband agrees. We both think he’s the neatest thing ever and celebrating tiny victories like that first tooth popping through and him standing up to hold on to the pack and play all by himself are a big part of our lives now.

I don’t know where I’m going with all of this, but I feel very blessed and honored to have been selected to be a mom to my son and just a mom in general. It’s truly something to enjoy.

Oh, and I think that if my sister ever becomes a mom, she’ll understand what I’m talking about. 🙂

1590

I wanted to blog earlier, but I wasn’t feeling inspired, so I started reading instead…then inspiration hit me!

This weekend, I finished up the book “Shadow of Night” by Deborah Harkness, which was the second in a trilogy, I believe. The first book was great and the second book was even better. In the book, the characters go back to 1590 in search of a missing book that is full of secrets. Doesn’t sound too far fetched, right?

I started reading a new book tonight – “How to Make an American Quilt.” Do you remember the movie from the 90s (I guess) with Wynona Rider? Anyway, I found an old copy in this antique store for $1 and bought it. Within the first chapter of the book, it mentions the lost colony of 1590! Now, do tell me, how in the WORLD do I read two books, back to back, by different authors that both mention the lost Roanoke Island colony of 1590? It’s just a bit too ironic, I think. I mean, this is only the second book I’ve read in over 9 months (that doesn’t pertain to baby stuff, that is).

Speaking of baby stuff, I have to throw in there that my son’s first tooth popped through this weekend! It took almost 9 months to show, but finally that little rigid edge has broken the surface.

I saw this ad in a magazine and just had to share… Check it out. At first I thought it was ridiculous, but after watching the video on their home page, now I think I might end up ordering one of the darn things! Excuse me, I have to use the restroom…

I didn’t know you were supposed to use the toilet fully clothed! I guess that’s what I’ve been doing wrong all these years.

snooki, mitt romney, and the magazines

My husband’s grandmother has been passing me old issues of “People” magazine and my husband makes fun of my reading them. He knows I’m not into famous people and honestly, I didn’t know who Snooki was until reading this stupid article recently. Did you know this Snooki had a baby? I’m not sure why the good Lord has allowed someone with a head full of air to procreate, but there are bigger mysteries in this world. Some of my favorite quotes from her interview….

• “Before I was pushing, I put bronzer on and [false] eyelashes. I wanted to look pretty for him!” As a woman who went through labor approximately 8 months ago, that has to be one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard.
• When asked if they were going to move into their own place soon, the reply was, “It’ll take a year or two. We’re in no rush, because it’s great here, and we have to concentrate on Lorenzo.” Can you hear me rolling my eyes? I’m assuming this ex party girl earned a boatload of money on that Jersey Shore show and she’s live at home with her parents?! Puh-leeze!

I just had to share my disappointment of what the world is coming to.

On a lighter note, I bought my husband a subscription to “ESPN” magazine as a school fundraiser and I read it more than he does. I love the ads in that magazine (it really appeals to my marketing background) and there was the best article about Mitt Romney’s family vacation and their mini family Olympics they do each year. I was impressed that they have done this mini triathlon each year and he almost got beaten by his daughter-in-law who had just given birth about 8 weeks earlier. I have to say I like the idea of a man who focuses on family vacations (albeit at his $8 million mansion) with fitness involved.

Getting back to those good ads – it’s Snickers that have the BEST ads in ESPN magazine. See example below…

Exhibit A: an aromatherapy candle ad featuring Jerome Bettis. I first saw it and thought, “What the heck?!”

Exhibit B: The real ad for Snickers. Pretty darn good marketing and I’m not even their target market!

One more magazine thought and I’m done with this topic – I love “Real Simple”. I feel so inspired after reading that magazine and looking at the pictures. If only I could muster up the energy to cook some of the good looking recipes that I read in there.

Happy reading!