The Return of the Geek!

I have returned from vacation! Just like last year, I will be posting about the various places my family visited while we were away. (Sorry, no posts about the document management system from Dokmee.net) We spent last week in the Williamsburg, Virginia area. I thought about starting the vacation posts today but I need to catch up on some things first. That means that vacation posts will start bright and early tomorrow morning!

Animals!

I don't think I talked about our new dog. We recently rescued a long-haired dachshund from one of the local shelters. Her name is Tilly and she is the sweetest thing. She follows me everywhere. Unfortunately, her previous owner didn't care for her very well so almost all of her teeth were pulled. That doesn't make her any more lovable though. Her favorite thing is curling up with me on the couch. What other animals do I have? Two dogs: a female sheltie/pomeranian mix named Bella and a female Shiba Inu named Yumi. One cat: a calico named Isis. (Her brother, a black and white named Therin, passed away earlier this year.) Two chinchillas named Orihime and Rukia (note to self: see if industrial bearings will fit in chinchilla wheel. The squeaking is annoying.) And one bird: a green cheek conure named Mochi.

Yes, we have a lot of animals in our house. But they are all well-loved and spoiled to death. Luckily, we can't fit any more in the house!

Hiatus

Not that I've been posting a lot lately, but TGW will be going on a scheduled hiatus next week. I'm going to try to do a lot of brainstorming so, when we come back, we'll be better than ever. Until then, don't go crazy and hole yourself up in a metal building or something. We'll be back before you know it. (Hopefully with a way to work around the YouTube block at work ;) )

Summer fun

I went tubing with my daughter, my husband, my sister, her boyfriend, and two of my cousins on the Schuylkill River on Tuesday. Despite not liking water-based activities, we had a good time. My daughter, my husband, and I had a raft, while everyone else had inner tubes. It took us about three hours to float down the river. During that time, we saw two turtles, a ton of fish, a Great Blue Heron, and some hawks. There was also tons of junk from humans too. Every time we floated over an old tire, my sister would yell out "TIRE!" It turned into a bit of a game for everyone.

Not being much of a water person, I had to go buy a new bathing suit for the excursion. Luckily, I managed to find one that I adore. It's really a swim dress but it doesn't look like it belongs on a grandmother. It's pretty darn cute. I also picked up a new pair of sunglasses. While I wish I could afford a pair of Tom Ford Sunglasses, mine are just cheapo $20 Walmart sunglasses. That way I won't feel awful if they get lost or broken.

Anyway, tubing can be a great day of fun if you're with the right people. I'm not sure how popular it is outside of Pennsylvania but if you get a chance to try it, go!

Jmovie review: My Darling is a Foreigner

Title: My Darling is a Foreigner Release date: 4/10/10 Genre: Slice of Life Cast: Inoue Mao, Jonathan Sherr Plot: Saori (Inoue) strives to be a manga artist. She has fallen in love with an American man, Tony (Sherr). This is the story of their relationship. What is good: Inoue Mao is still adorable. What is bad: There isn't a lot of substance. Letter rating: C

I was really looking forward to seeing this movie. I love Inoue Mao and I thought the plot seemed cute. Unfortunately, at the end, I realized that there wasn't a whole lot there. What the movie claims as cultural differences are sometimes just the differences between men and women. At one point, Saori laments that she does all of the housework while Tony does nothing. So, being the nice man that he is, Tony starts washing the dishes and doing the laundry. However, he doesn't really know how to do these things properly. Instead of taking him aside to show him how to do the chores, she just kinda grumbles through it. I don't see this is a cultural difference. I think men all over the world don't know how to wash dishes.

As a matter of fact, there are only a few cultural differences shown. When Saori introduces Tony to her family at her sister's wedding, Tony doesn't understand how the family communicates. The parents jokingly put down their children but Tony doesn't get the joke. It isn't until the end of the movie that he understands her family dynamic.

Despite wanting to enjoy the movie, I found it somewhat boring. It's basically the story of their day-to-day life. If you have nothing better to do, it's not an awful movie to sit through. At least there's the adorable Inoue Mao to save it!

JMovie review: Liar Game: The Final Stage

Title: Liar Game: The Final Stage Release date: 3/6/10 Genre: psychological thriller Cast: Toda Erika, Matsuda Shota Plot: Kanzaki Nao (Toda) and Akiyama Shinichi (Matsuda) have finally reached the final stage of the Liar Game. Will they be able to beat the game and shut it down for good? What is good: Toda Erika's acting has finally reached the level to match Matsuda Shota's. What is bad: The ending was a bit of a letdown. Letter rating: B

I think my biggest problem with this series is how little the plot changes. The players still need to work together in order to beat the game but no one wants to. It's frustrating. It also makes the game's result obvious. In the end, I liked the series. I just would have liked it with a little more variety.

JDorama review: Liar Game 2

Title: Liar Game 2 Broadcast dates: 11/10/09 - 1/19/10 Number of episodes: 9 Genre: psychological thriller Cast: Toda Erika, Matsuda Shota, Kikuchi Rinko Plot: Once again, Kanzaki Nao and Akiyama Shinichi are thrown into the Liar Game. However, their goal is not to obtain the most money. It is to take down the Office and end the Game forever. What is good: It's nice to have an actual rival for Akiyama to deal with. What is bad: The outcome is still predictable. Letter rating: B

This season picks up awhile after the first season ended. Even though there are new players and new challenges, the outcomes are still the same. Since the advertise the Final Stage movie in the very beginning of the show, we already know that Akiyama and Kanzaki will advance to the next rounds. Luckily, the different challenges keep the show entertaining. I wonder what the movie will be like.

An early Happy Independence Day

Thankfully, this is a long weekend. Instead of spending all my time surfing around http://www.sensareviews.net, my family is going on a road rally today. What is a road rally, you ask?

Well, it's a lot like a scavenger hunt via car. The organizer gives you a list of clues that gives you the route you have to follow. It is your job (mostly the job of the passengers) to figure out the clues to give the driver the proper directions. Whoever gets to the end with the best time (it's a timed event with a staggered start) wins. I think this particular one gives prizes for most clues successfully answered. See, you can "win" the route without actually following the real route. They are tons of fun. If you can find one near you, go for it. It's a run way to spend the day with your friends/family.