The Status of Me

I know I've been really quiet lately. We've had a lot of changes this summer. My husband started a new job about three months ago, which has been going very well, but has brought on a lot of changes. (Maybe I'll be able to start my own home based business so I can stop working in an office as a grunt.) Also, my daughter's schedule has been very hectic. She's taking a dance class this summer, as well as continuing her swimming lessons. And, while she does spend a few weeks at my in-laws' house, I end up missing her terribly during those weeks so I don't get a lot accomplished. Needless to say, summer is heading to a close. We have a vacation coming up (more about that in another post) then a quick weekend trip then school starts again. With any luck, I'll be back on track doing the things that I love - listening to music, watching jdoramas, and writing. This summer has gone by fast!

Movie review: The Fourth Kind

The Fourth Kind is a sci-fi thriller starring Milla Jovovich, The title refers to the four "kinds" of alien contact. The first kind is a UFO sighting, the second kind is observation of a physical result (like a crop circle or radiation), the third kind is contact, and the fourth kind is abduction. Jovovich plays a Hollywood version of "real life" psychologist Dr. Abby Tyler. The movie shows both "real" footage from wireless cctv cameras, as well as a "Hollywood" version with actors in the roles of the participants. According to Dr. Tyler, her husband was mysteriously murdered. As she takes over his life's work, she finds that the people of Nome, Alaska have been unknowingly abducted every night by 'non-human intelligence.' Through hypnosis and therapy, she tries to get to the bottom of what is going on in this small town.

I was skeptical about the validity of the "real life" portions of the movie. Hey, I remember when The Blair Witch Project pulled the wool over my eyes. I wasn't about to let it happen again. Needless to say, the movie is entirely fiction. There is no real life Dr. Abby Taylor and the movie wasn't even shot in Nome. (It was shot in Bulgaria because it's prettier than Nome.) Since the movie pretty much revolves around you believing that this stuff really happened to people (the movie starts off with Jovovich speaking to us out of character about how this is a dramatization of real life events and that real life video and audio recordings will be shown), it's difficult to get invested in the characters. I spent a good portion of the movie waiting for the big death scene. In case you didn't know, the movie is rated PG-13...there isn't a whole lot of really scary things that happen. It's mostly sudden screams and things like that. I think that the movie might have been better if they went for the R rating and added a bit more blood. Not necessarily exploding head type things, but maybe some severe nosebleeds or bleeding from the ears.

If you can suspend your belief for awhile, it's not really a terrible movie. There's some interesting side-by-side video comparing the "real" footage to the "Hollywood' footage. Granted, it would have been better if the grainy footage was actually real footage instead of video that was separately shot by different actors. Overall, I just found it bland and uninteresting.

Argh!

We're at that time of year when I don't really have anything to talk about. I can't seem to get my butt in gear to do much of anything. And in about 2 weeks, I will be going on vacation with my family. (BTW - I think I NEED these mbt shoes. They are those "exercise shoes" that supposedly help out while you walk. Those would help a lot on vacation!) Hopefully in the next two weeks I'll convince myself to do more than waste time watching YouTube clips. I have lost so many nights to YouTube...

My new nails

After work on Friday, I took a trip to the salon to get my nails done. I decided to get some fake gel nails to make my hands look better. Here is the result:

They are a little long but I'm getting used to them. I might go back next week to get them shortened. I haven't made a decision yet.

Tarot Day!

Today is my Tarot for Charity drive. I am raising funds to help the Humane Society of Berks County build their new dog park and equine rescue center. I might be volunteering there once the equine rescue is built. Anyway, you don't need a LiveJournal account in order to participate. I don't do legal or health advice. (The best you'll get is "Take your prenatal vitamins!") And you don't have to donate if you don't want to. You are more than welcome to ask for one free card with no strings.

Clothes shopping

I should really buy some new clothes. The stuff I have now is so old that there are holes in them! There is some cute coogi clothing, but I think I would look odd in them. Like I'm trying to be young and hip when I'm ancient and uncool. ;_; Oh, what to do...I want to look cute but not like I'm trying to be a teenager again. Suggestions?

Tarot for Charity

I am feeling much, much better today. So now I can tell you about the Tarot for Charity event that I will be running on Thursday. All requests need to be made at the LiveJournal community: http://community.livejournal.com/yumenotarot. You do not need a LiveJournal account in order to participate. REQUESTS MADE HERE WILL NOT BE HONORED!

The local humane society is working on building a dog park and horse rescue center. While construction seems to be going very well, they are still in need of many items. So, I will hold another Tarot for Charity event on Thursday, July 15. Yes, I know this is short notice but hopefully we can pull together something awesome.

This time around we'll be doing something slightly different:

A one card draw will be free.

A three card draw will be $5.00

A five card draw will be $10.00

A full ten card reading will be $15.00

Requests will be taken from 7AM until midnight EST on July 15. The cards will not be pulled immediately (as I have work and sleep and stuff), but all requests will be honored and cards will be pulled as soon as possible.

Oh Mondays

I had an awful allergy attack yesterday. Despite taking medication, I was still really congested. As a result, I didn't sleep very well last night. Which, of course, means I feel like crap today. I guess getting sick is one of the best diets for quick weight loss. Though I'm not technically "sick." It's not like anyone is going to catch my allergies. It would be nice to go home and try to sleep it all off. But I won't. I'll muscle my way through the work day. I can do it!