War of the Worlds

Sorry. I couldn't think of an original headlinesque title. It's past midnight on a Wednesday. Nobody should be surprised by my lack of creativity.

But I just got home from watching War of the Worlds, and I wanted to do a quick review before I forgot anything.

First of all, I want to say that it has been awhile since I've seen a special effects film and have actually been VERY impressed with the effects. But there were moments in War of the Worlds that I just said "wow." One moment in particular that involves a flaming train speeding past was just breathtaking. The aliens were cool, but nothing special as far as aliens go. They were fairly similar to those seen previously in films like Independance Day and Signs. One different thing about them is the way they moved. It was really quite creepy.

I don't want to go into much detail because I'd hate to spoil the film, but I will say that the story is fun and there were some edge of the seat moments. The basic story involves aliens in these big machines that come up from the ground. Beware of holes in the asphalt. An alien death machine with three spindly legs might emerge unexpectedly from them. Tom Cruise was very good in his role of a part time father who just didn't know how to relate to his kids. Of course, the subplot has to do with him learning how to relate to them, etc.

Honestly, I was concerned going into this film that I wouldn't be able to watch it without thinking of the current Tom Cruise craziness that has been all over the media lately. But actually, it didn't affect my enjoyment of the film at all. Except once, when his character is sleeping on a sofa with his daughter (played beautifully by Dakota Fanning) and the thought popped into my head "in ten years or so, he can propose to her in Paris." But I quickly squashed that thought and the movie went on. One word about Dakota Fanning. This kid can act. Someone I know said she will have an Oscar before she hits puberty, and I totally agree with that. The kid is awesome. And she's the most sympathetic and interesting character in the film, even with Tom's conflicted and intense character.

The big reveal at the end was very interesting and I thought it made sense. I haven't seen the original movie that was done in the 50's, nor have I heard copies of the radio broadcasts, so this movie was my introduction to the story, other than what I've heard from my father, who was a big fan of the old movie.

Overall, the movie is good and enjoyable. It's a rousing adventure with some edge of your seat moments. But don't think about it too much, because over analysis will poke major holes in the asphalt.. I mean story.

Beauty in everything

I am a firm believer in the fact that there is beauty in everything. Even people who seem completely awful have some good traits, and even objects that seem ugly have some beauty. Hannah, my sister's daughter, was running around outside the other day, and her shoes were causing her some trouble. They were a little too big and were rubbing blisters on her feet. Hannah has two brothers, so she likes to run around like they do. The only thing she could do was slip off the too-large shoes and run barefoot across the lawn. I watched her do this for awhile, wondering when I lost the ability to spontaneously remove my shoes and run through the grass. I keep thinking something like that might be fun, but it wouldn't be a proper thing for an adult to do. Before I started my current job, it was pretty common to see me in town or at a movie wearing a t-shirt and some jeans. I don't dress that way anymore. I can't decide if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

So I sat there watching the 2 year old Hannah running through the grass and made a decision. I slipped off my shoes, glanced down the road both ways, and ran across the lawn. As I scooped her up and twirled her around, I felt years younger. We twirled around for awhile, until I started feeling dizzy and slightly ill. So that was the end of my experiment. I snapped the above picture as I was lying on the ground (because of being dizzy) because I wanted to remember what it felt like to run through the grass without my shoes. I have decided to start doing unexpected things a lot more often. It'll make life more interesting and enjoyable. So these shoes are beautiful to me, because they remind me that it's okay to go without shoes sometimes. It's okay to act like a kid. It's a very bad idea to get so wrapped up in being an adult that we forget to enjoy life the way a child does.

"How's my downward dog?"

Niles Crane from Frasier just said this. Besides making me laugh, this particular episode reminds me of me. Niles is trying to do yoga and he's not very good. I'm attempting yoga myself, and it's not even possible to describe how awful I am! And downward dog... not my favorite pose! Actually, I'm best at the corpse pose. If you know anything about yoga, you know that one is just basically lying on the floor! That's the one I'm good at..

Every night, before I go to bed, I set my clock an hour earlier than I need to wake up. I always say that I'm going to do a workout, shower, get dressed, have a good (low fat) breakfast, finish getting ready, and go to work.

But in the morning, I usually hit snooze four times and end up with just enough time to get a quick shower, brush my teeth and my hair, throw on some clothes, and run out the door. I do my makeup in the car on the way to work.

Working out is reserved for after work, and often I'm too tired to do it when I get home. So I'm going to try again tomorrow morning. Here's hoping I don't roll over and hit snooze four times!

"You look so cute today!"

I've heard this about twenty times today. I bought some new clothes the other day, totally different from my normal style. I wore one of the outfits to work today and everyone seems to be surprised that I "look cute." It's amazing what a skirt will do. Maybe that's it. I never wear skirts. It's always suits with pants because they're just easier to wear. But I bought some summer skirts and tops, and it appears that they are working for me! It's strange.

Wait until they see the other new outfits I bought. I'm totally reinventing myself this summer. It's kinda fun, actually!

Edited to add:

Summer WriMo Summary:
Goal: 75,000 by August 31
Genre: Inspirational Romance
Working Title: Summer's Blossom
Word Count: 9,112

"You've got to create your own personal vision statement"

So I was at this professional development workshop yesterday, and the motivational speaker told us to come up with a personal vision statement. Since she said that, I've been thinking about it. I need to start really listing my goals and I need a personal vision statement. A motto to live by. Something to hold onto during difficult times. Oddly, as I'm writing this, "Everybody Loves Raymond" is on, and Ray is talking about how he doesn't have any goals or dreams for his life.

So now I'm thinking about goals and dreams as well as personal vision statements. I mean, what's a personal vision statement, anyway?

Okay, so I googled "personal vision statement" and now I have an idea of what it is supposed to be, but I still don't know what mine should say. Basically, a personal vision statement should say where you want to be and what you want to be doing in the future. Basically, it's sort of the ideal for your life, but should also encompass the things that are already important to you that you have accomplished or are working on accomplishing. So I guess my personal vision statement would have to include several areas of life: personal, professional, spiritual, and social.

So let's break this down.

Personal: obviously I want to be able to feel good about myself. This would include physical apperance, mental and emotional health, and having things in my life that I can be proud of. I would like to continue working for causes I believe in, such as hunger-related and poverty-related issues. I would like to continue to support charities that mean something to me and would like to do more volunteer work.

Professional: I want to be a published author at some point. This summer, I will finish my first novel. I will write the last word before August 31. By September 30, I will be finished editing it and will send it off. I will be published before I turn 30. Professionally, I would like to continue learning all about the PR field, especially as it applies to working in nonprofit. I would like to get my Master's degree in Communication and eventually become a college professor. I'd love to teach PR and media writing classes. And speech. I think it would be a blast to teach speech. I really would like to be able to support myself as a writer one day, but I have plenty of other options, just in case!

Spiritual: I want to continue growing in my spiritual journey. I think it's important to always continue growing closer to God and gaining a better understanding of God's ways. I want to make sure that I always present a positive witness when I come into contact with people, so that they will know that being a Christian is cool! I want to be involved in some sort of ministry, which is something I've wanted most of my life. I'm just not sure what that is yet.

Social: I love my friends. I enjoy spending time with them and it's great to have people to talk to. I'd like a few more friends, though. Some Christian friends that I can spend time with. I would like to meet a nice Christian guy to be friends with and then to date, and eventually to marry. I want to have a child one day. It doesn't matter if it is a girl or a boy, I just think it would be cool to have someone running around who is a part of me and someone else.

So I guess that's a starting point to setting goals and writing a personal vision statement. I'd go futher and put them together to get the actual statement, but my fingers hurt and I'm going to stop typing now. Maybe later...

Batman Begins: hopefully not the end

Yes, the first Batman movie was amazing, and yes, the ones following it pretty much sucked. But if there was one thing that could save the Batman franchise, it was Christian Bale! And save it he did. Bale plays both the tortured Bruce Wayne and the mysterious Batman with gusto and total commitment, drawing the audience in and not letting them go until the very end. I literally found myself wanting more, more, more after this movie ended. Seeing how such a great and mysterious character began was interesting and enjoyable. Seeing how the now-familiar suit and Batmobile originated was just as interesting. The fight scenes were all very well done. There's something about a good looking man in a mysterious suit fighting bad guys that is just very exciting! :)

One warning, young children would probably be frightened at some of the images in this movie. There is an emphisis on fear and panic, and there are many images in the film that really bring that fear and panic to the audience.

But for the adult, even if you're not a comic book fan, Batman Begins is a beautiful film with an important message, wrapped up in some of the best action and drama you will find in theaters right now! I'd say it's the second best movie I've seen all year (Serenity being the best, of course.)

One other thing I'd like to add is about the music. It is incredible. I was more affected by the music in Batman Begins than I was by the music in Revenge of the Sith (and I'd say the music was one of the strongest parts of Revenge of the Sith.)

So Batman Begins is a great film, a fabulous adventure, and an awesome cinematic experience. It's a great movie to go see while waiting for September 30 and the release of Serenity! (just had to say that!)

"This is an inconvenience store"

This quote is from me. Warning: rant to follow. I stopped for gas this morning at a local corner gas station. I got ready to start pumping my gas and they very nastily told me that I had to prepay. Now, usually I'm happy to use my check card and I usually do prepay, but this morning I wanted to go into the store and purchase a caffeinated beverage. It was early and I needed to wake up before my long drive to work. So anyway, they told me I had to prepay. But the problem is, I didn't know how much gas I was going to need, so I couldn't go into the store, prepay for my gas and get my drink, and then pump the gas. What if I paid too much? What if I didn't pay enough to fill my gas tank? You see the problem. The problem with paying for the gas outside and then going into the store is that I rarely carry cash with me anymore and I've been keeping my change at work so I can get a drink from the vending machines. I'm addicted to caffeine. But that's neither here nor there. I'm continuing my rant now. So basically the problem is, I have to choose between the gas and the drink. I wasn't willing to compromise on either one. So I walked into the store, asked them if they could bend the rule so I could get my drink and my gas, and was told that they wouldn't do that. Now, I don't normally ask businesses if they can bend rules. I know they have those rules for a reason. But I've been getting gas from this particular gas station almost exclusively for the last 12 years. They know me and they know I'm not going to drive away after pumping my gas. But they still wouldn't do it. So I devolved into the high school version of myself, flipped my hair, and said (very sarcastically) "This isn't a convenience store, it's an inconvenience store. I'll never stop here again." I plan to keep that promise.

It's sad when people force businesses to make inconvenient and sometimes ridiculous rules to make sure they don't take a loss from theft. I mean, I'm unhappy about gas prices too, but the last thing in the world I would do is steal from someone. They are just trying to make a buck, just like I am when I go to work. But still, the inconvenience of the thing frustrated me. I don't know. Maybe I'm just used to things being ultra convenient. Maybe I need to get over it. But I know one thing. I'll never stop at that store again.