I recently finished reading Cressida Cowell’s book, “How to train your dragon”, and as I suspected, it was totally different from the movie. So different that it was difficult to get into the book because the movie is so vividly imprinted in my mind. So different that about the only thing in common were some of the names of the characters and the name of their island. The book was still entertaining, and slyly funny, but what I didn’t like was that “Toothless” the dragon in the book was generally selfish, pouty and difficult — not endearing like the one in the movie. And I don’t like my main characters to be selfish, pouty and difficult. It’s hard to like them and root for them when they’re like that. It’s actually keeping me from reading the other books in the series.
Archive for April, 2011
A “dragon” in name only
Saturday, April 23rd, 2011Texting not txtg
Saturday, April 23rd, 2011I don’t text often, but when I do, I feel compelled to spell things out in full and use correct grammar. I know it takes at least twice as much time to not abbreviate, but I just can’t do it. How old-fashioned is that??
A “Rio” Review
Friday, April 22nd, 2011Good, not great. For me, the best part of the movie was the “scenery” of Rio. Most probably the closest I’ll ever get to seeing it. I must confess that I did get a bit wacky at the end of the movie. Blu, the main character and a blue macaw, chooses a girl bird he just met over the girl human who raised him. I felt like it was a direct analogy to your kids leaving home and I was afraid Blu (and therefore my children) would never see his “mom” again. Yes, I was actually in tears in the car ride home, seeking reassurances from my children that they would indeed visit mom and dad once they “left the nest”. I told you I got wacky!
Finding an alternative for fresh flowers
Friday, April 22nd, 2011
I get so bad about taking care of real flowers on our deck in the summer, but I love the color they bring. Last year I tried to mix artificial flowers with real green plants. It looked okay, but I still had to take care of the real plants. So this year, I’m trying “recycled flowers”. I made them with old cassette tape holders, green bottle caps, CDs, and other miscellaneous items. I tied them to the railing with a thin wire. With the constant rain this week, I’ve had to try different strategies to make this work (it’s been a good test!). The biggest problem was that the glue I had used with a hot glue gun dissolved from the rain so I switched to the waterproof “Omnistick”. I know they’re kind of strange, but we like them anyway. If these two end up working out, I’ll make a few more and have my gardening done for the summer!
See a movie at Highland Theatre
Friday, April 22nd, 2011
The Highland Theatre, in Akron’s Highland Square, was a great place to take the kids today for a first-run movie. I called the theatre to make sure the movie would be playing this afternoon, and a real person answered the phone! When’s the last time that happened when you called a movie theatre?? And not just any person, but the owner, Ted Bare. Bare also sold us our tickets, then showed up a few minutes later to serve us popcorn. Again, when’s the last time that happened to you at the movies? Tickets for the first-run movie it’s showing are $5 a piece for any one, any time. A small box of popcorn is, get this, one dollar! I believe they also sell wine and beer. AND it’s a big theatre with a big screen. You can park for free across the street by the library. It was such a refreshing change from the multiplexes. We don’t often see first-run movies, but if we do, I’ll have to remember to go here.
Recycle your electronics …
Thursday, April 21st, 2011May 6 and May 7 at the Cuyahoga Falls Service Complex, 2560 Bailey Road. You don’t even have to be a Falls resident. Here’s just some of the stuff you can bring: Cell Phones, Ink Jet Printer & Toner Cartridges, Apple iPods & MP3 Players, Alarm Clocks & Household Phones, Digital Cameras & All Types of Video Cameras, GPS Devices & Radar Detectors, Video Game Consoles & Handheld Game Systems, Laptop & Tower Computers; Keyboards, Speakers & Accessories, DVD & VHS Players, CDs, Floppy Disks & DVDs. Here’s the link for more info: https://cfo.cityofcf.com/web/news/2011-04-11/city-cuyahoga-falls-e-recycle-drive
Speaking of “Madonna” …
Tuesday, April 19th, 2011I don’t care how Catholic you are, I don’t think naming your daughter “Madonna” is a good idea. The name sets up such high expectations that you’re pretty much asking for a rebellious child. Case in point: in the mid 70s, my older sister went to a Catholic grade school with a girl named Madonna.. This “Madonna” was surely not virgin as she got pregnant in the 8th grade. Yikes.
“There was Springsteen, Madonna, way before Nirvana”
Tuesday, April 19th, 2011Lyrics from Bowling for Soup’s song ”1985″. Funnily enough, I just found this written in a card I received in the summer of 1985 from a long-lost friend:
Guess what?? Tod and I waited in line last week and bought 8 Springsteen tickets for August 7th at the stadium. I can’t wait. That will be one hot concert! I can hardly wait. (I think I said that already, but I’m so excited!) Are you going? The only problem is, now I have 2 Beach Boys tickets to get rid of because they play the same night. Wanna buy some?? I sorta wanted to see them both — but oh well. No one tops “The Bruce” baby!
Can you believe it’s 26 years later … and still, no one tops “The Bruce”!
Soap bubbles burst
Friday, April 15th, 2011I just heard today that two more soap operas are being cancelled: “All My Children” and “One Life to Live”. And to that, I say, oh well. I had my soap opera phase in grade school and high school. Who didn’t run home after school to see what was happening with Luke and Laura on “General Hospital”? (Though I always thought it was interesting that their relationship, billed as so romantic, began when Luke raped Laura). And even though things often got ridiculous — do you remember when Port Charles was put in a deep freeze? — soap operas are so addictive I had to keep watching. When school prevented me from seeing “All My Children” and “One Life to Live” I was lucky enough that my mom subscribed to “Soap Opera Digest” so I could keep up. I know some people see soap operas as their “escape”. It’s just not my thing, and hasn’t been for 25 years.
Music, TV or silence?
Friday, April 15th, 2011I’m a total music lover so I have to have some kind of music playing in our home almost 100% of the time. (Except when I go to sleep — then I need absolute quiet. My daughters, on the other hand, set the CD player on repeat so they can listen to one CD over and over all night long. For the past six weeks it’s been the soundtrack to “How to Train Your Dragon”.) Anyhow, we don’t watch TV and although some people say they use the TV as “background noise” I would find it annoying. And silence all the time — uh huh. It’s too, um, silent. What got me thinking about this was that a neighbor girl was over, playing in our living room, and asked, “Why do you have music on?” as if it were the strangest thing she’d heard. I’ll have to ask her if they’re a TV or silent household.