No Rain

The weather is finally getting nice around here. There's been quite a bit of rain lately and, frankly, I'm tired of it. I'd like to be able to get some nice patio furniture and just sit outside soaking up the sun. The rain ruins that. Not to mention that it also ruins my husband's garden. Some of our strawberries are already splitting from too much water. Go away rain!

Upcoming Plans

There will be a video game review coming up in the next few days. I just want to play the game a little more to really get the feel for it. Sorry I'm so slow! I'm also going to attempt to get back into watching jdoramas this weekend. It's been so very long since I'm really sat down and watched anything. I have RH Plus waiting for me. It's a show about vampires. Hopefully it's a really good show about vampires. Though I don't think any of them will be doing the hot 'vampire in a tuxedo' thing. Ah well. That is my goal for this weekend. Finish that entire series.

Audiobook suggestions?

As I said last week, I'm working on shedding a few pounds. I think I'm doing a bit better on the food side. However, the exercise side is much more difficult for me. I don't have room in my house for fitness equipment, though I would really like to have a home gym one day. So I guess I'm left with just walking around town a few days a week. It gets really boring though. I did hear a suggestions about listening to audiobooks while walking. I'll have to look around to see if I can find any good ones. Suggestions?

Movie review: Shrek Forever After

My family went to the local drive-in theater to catch the latest Shrek film. Not only did they have someone walking around in a (pretty awful) Shrek costume, complete with a Fiona handler, they also had pony rides and a couple of miniature donkeys. This was probably the absolute perfect place to watch a children's movie.

When we last left our favorite ogres, they were happily retired from royalty and living in their beloved swamp with their three children. However, Shrek has grown weary of the day-to-day responsibilities of being a husband and father, along with being a bit of a celebrity. After a hectic birthday party for the triplets, Shrek comes across Rumplestiltskin, who hates Shrek for taking the kingdom of Far Far Away from him. Shrek makes a deal with Rumple to make him an ogre for one day in exchange for one day from his childhood. Everything around him changes, and not always for the better.

All three of us enjoyed the film. As usual, the bounty hunter, in this case the Pied Piper, is the best character. We all giggled whenever he came on the screen. However, I am glad that the franchise has come to an end. I don't know where else they could take the movie without killing off the fun of it. Also, I'm not really sure that this is a "must see" movie for the theaters. If you are a big fan of Shrek, then by all means rush out to see it. (You probably already have.) If you are only a passing fan though, wait until the DVD release. You aren't missing all that much.

Shedding the pounds

I really need to lose about 50 lbs. Like most people, I'm not too good at doing this by myself. So I logged back into SparkPeople to help me. I'm going to attempt to stick to their menus since they are portioned to have the right amount of calories I should be eating. Then I just have to figure out how to add in some more exercise. I can do this! It is not impossible!

Movie review: Iron Man 2

Our original plan was to see Iron Man 2 at the local drive-in. Unfortunately, a major storm rolled through the area and forced us inside. The movie was still really good.

Tony Stark, now publicly known to be Iron Man, has brought peace to many places in the world. Yet he still has a lot of enemies. The US government believes the Iron Man suit is a weapon and should be under their control. Tony disagrees and refuses to hand over his property. Meanwhile, Ivan Vanko, a Russian man whose father was wronged by Tony's father, is working on a suit of his own. He plans to avenge his father by killing Tony Stark. At the same time, the reactor that is keeping Tony alive is also slowly poisoning him. Never a dull moment for Iron Man.

First off, I'd like to address the major casting change. Rhodey, Tony's best friend, is no longer played by Terrence Howard. Don Cheadle has stepped into those military shoes. I was a little apprehensive when I heard the news. However, my misgivings were misplaced. Cheadle is amazing as Rhodey. In my opinion, he should have had the role from the very beginning.

Now down to the meat and bones of it. I'm not nearly as big a comic book fan as my husband is. While I usually enjoy a good action flick, I look to him to see whether the team has stayed true to the comic. The Iron Man team has done an awesome job and I really wish they could do all of the Marvel films. It would suck to have an awesome Iron Man movie but then have an awful Thor movie then try to smush them all together into the Avengers movie. (By the way, there are a few nods to other heroes...keep an eye out for them!)

So...go and see it. You won't be disappointed. Except maybe in Mickey Rourke.

3D Television

Who has been keeping up with the press releases on 3D TVs? I know Samsung is putting one out, though I'm not sure what the release date it. I'm not sure how I feel about it. On one hand, it could be so awesome to watch something 3D in my own living room. On the other hand, does that mean we need to get those glasses for everyone? Would we have to keep a dozen pairs of glasses around the house for guests when they visit? That seems like a big hassle. I'll have to keep an eye on the reviews when they start coming out.

Movie review: The Princess and The Frog

I took some time last night to watch The Princess and The Frog with my daughter. While the basics of the original fairy tale are included, the story is mostly a big twist. Tiana is a little black girl growing up in (apparently mostly white) New Orleans with her seamstress mother and hard-working father. While it is never revealed what her father does for a living, the main plot point revolves around a restaurant named Tiana's Palace that he dreams of opening. As a child, she played princesses with her friend Charlotte ('Lottie'), who just happens to be the daughter of one of the richest men in New Orleans. However, where Lottie was given everything she wanted, Tiana was taught that hard work would make her dreams come true. When Prince Naveen comes to town, Lottie insists on throwing a party in order to get him to propose to her. Freewheeling Naveen has an unfortunate encounter with "The Shadow Man," a voodoo man, on his way to the costume ball and ends up a frog. Thinking that Tiana is a real princess, he talks her into kissing him, which only turns HER into a frog as well!

As a whole, I enjoyed the movie. Though I admit that I was waiting for the "poor black family" theme to bash me over the head. Luckily, that never really came. Yes, Tiana and her family are not rich and we see the juxtaposition with Charlotte's huge white mansion and her plethora of princess dresses. However, the messages are "You can do anything if you work hard" and "Don't forget what is important in life - loved ones, not money." In my opinion, this is what blasts Tiana way ahead any of the other Disney "princesses." (I actually find it kind of sad that she'll be lumped in with Snow White and Cinderella. She deserves better.) I would definitely recommend this to any parent with a little girl. Watch it together! You won't regret it.