Movie Monday: Groundhog Day (PG)

I was less than a month old when this movie came out, but then again, most of my favorite movies are before my time. I'm going to start a series of themed blog post days, and that makes today Movie Monday. I thought this would be a good first movie since I had been thinking about it earlier through a long, strange train of thought. It led my along its winding path to think that if I was stuck in today, doomed to repeat it over and over, that wouldn't be too bad. After going crazy like the character of the movie does, I could spend my time doing various things and learn life lessons along the way. But to be sure, I definitely wouldn't kidnap a groundhog and drive off a cliff with it.

From a storytelling standpoint, I really love the characterization of the main character and how his imprisonment in time slowly changes him and makes him a man everyone looks up to. He learns from his mistakes (and he makes plenty of them), becomes a better man, and even manages to befriend and save everyone in the town at some point. I wouldn't recommend this movie for younger audiences, but it certainly is among my favorites.

Before School Blues

I'm well into my last week of freedom before the school year starts, and the mixed feelings are already setting in. But I'm not going to miss the long hours with nothing to do as much as I'm going to miss the food. It's nothing amazing and just out of the Food Channel, but there's something wonderful about not having to eat cold peanut butter and jelly sandwiches that taste more like refrigerator and ziplocs than they do anything natural. You know, the kind where the jelly's soaked through the bread and gone stiff, like the sandwich bled out and died in your bag.

I'm going to miss having whatever I want for lunch, so for the next four days I'm going to enjoy lunch. Here's what I had today for lunch:

That right there is the extent of my cooking skills. I overcooked the egg a bit, but it was still delicious and it disappeared within minutes. Later I got creative and made a smoothie:

I know it looks gross and you would probably give me raised eyebrows when I told you what all I put in it but I assure you it was delicious for a first try at making smoothies.

Here's to enjoying varied foods for lunch while we still have a chance!

Movie Review: Despicable Me (PG)

So I finally went to see this movie the other day. It was a long drive up to the movie theater (nearly an hour), but we had to go there since it was the nearest Rave theater that had it in 2-D. I can't see 3-D so Katie was kind enough to change theaters.

It was a cute movie. Some of the sequences in it reminded me of old Loony Toons cartoons where all of the humor was in the character getting blown up or squashed. I found the main character to be a bit creepy at times but I think that was purposeful, and his turn around at the end was really sweet.

But the real adventure was after the movie. The bottom dropped out of the clouds as I was on my way home. The rain was coming down so hard I could hardly see the taillights of the truck in front of me so I stopped at the nearest gas station to wait it out (if that doesn't get me a good driver award, I don't know what will). While I was waiting I ran inside, bought some pretzel M&Ms (which turn out to have the texture of Whoppers, but the taste of a semi-stale pretzel inside), then hopped back in my car and took of now that the rain had slowed. I made it about a mile down the road before being stopped by... a raging river? Across 119?

One hour later, I finally got home. At least we got that rain we needed.

Would I watch this again?: Yes

My rating: 3 out of 5