Presents

I feel better!!! Unfortunately did not attempt the toast method, so cannot report on those results (next time maybe ill remember).

Last night MrGrizz and I had a date night (have I ever mentioned we are in a long distance relationship, LDR, so we only see each other weekends). We met in the middle and decided to do dinner and a movie since he'll be in the studio all weekend. Seeing him, and getting a nice big bear hug, definitely pulled me out of my funk. Although, I will admit we had a bit of an odd conversation at one point...

MrGrizz was raised Catholic (celebrates Christmas). I am Jewish (keep Kosher mostly, celebrate Hanukkah, never celebrated Christmas). We are both on budgets this year and decided to do a 40$ limit on presents. But is it 40$ for two presents- one for each Holiday? or 40$ on each? Very confusing. We decided that he would get me a Christmas present and I'd get him a Hanukkah present. Problem solved. Hanukkah is very early this year (starts December 1) and with November proving to be very busy (trip to DC, thanksgiving, T&E's wedding) I wanted to get my shopping done early. I got him his present (YAY! I think he'll really like it. And it was under 40$ barely). I also found something for his mum. And I was thinking what to get his sister and Dad. I told him what I got for his mum and he seemed upset. Side-note, I got her the three Stieg Larsson books that I had just finished. MrGrizz didn't like the idea of me getting his family gifts because then he would feel obligated to get my family gifts. I understand this from a monetary standpoint. But it upset me a little. I want to get his family Hanukkah gifts. I don't really care if he gets my family anything. I'm still unsure of what to do. I mean they wouldn't be extravagant gifts by any means, but I also don't want to upset them. I may hold off for a little while, maybe get them Christmas gifts. We'll see.

Feeling Sad? Make Toast!

Or so says some researchers at Cardiff University. Maybe I'll try this when I get home today. Have you ever had one of those days where you just are in a funk? Welcome to my day. In truth, I've been feeling like this all week. I just have some weeks were I feel, for lack of a better term, blah.

Whenever it happens I try and pinpoint from where it is stemming (just like I do for my anxiety also). This week the two are coupled: the blues & anxiety. This past weekend was MrGrizz birthday (a different post on the play we went to and the awesome surprise party I threw him!), and I did not get nearly enough sleep. Usually sleep deprivation like that triggers these feelings in me. Along with my, um, cycle being a little messed up (stupid hormones) this leads to me feeling BLAH. I do not like it!

So perhaps I will go home and make toast. When I first saw the title of the article I thought that was code for something. (Un)fortunately it was not.

Movie Reviews

Anyone who knows me knows I love movies! I really do. I don't know if its the stories, the visuals, the escape, all of the above; but there is nothing better to me than after a long stressful day (or week) of work cuddling up either in bed or in a theater and getting transported into a new time/place for a few hours.

I watch a good number of them a month. Netflix - greatest invention ever! So I thought every month or two doing a movie review post could be fun. From now on I'll take better notes of what I actually see, but for this post will have to do it by memory.

Red
In theaters
I really enjoyed it. It was a longer movie (almost 2 hours), but it did not seem drawn out at all. And I didn't get up to use the bathroom at all (a big deal for me, tiny tiny bladder). Along with the action, it was hysterical. I was laughing basically from start to finish. John Malkovich makes the movie. His character had me crying at one point I was laughing so hard. This movie is definitely a must see! Even though its an action move, I'd say renting it and seeing it on a regular TV would be just as good.

The Social Network
In theaters
I had been putting off seeing this movie. Yes I have a facebook account, but No I did not want to spend the money to see a movie about it. I was surprisingly pleased with the movie though. The actor who played Mark Zuckerberg, Jesse Eisenberg, did a superb job (side note, does anyone know if the real life person Mark has Asperger's syndrome?). The fact that I lived through a lot of the movie (I will clarify this statement in a second), made it even more interesting. Mark Zuckerberg is about my age and we were in collage the same time (not at the same school). I remember when my friends at Harvard and then Columbia would talk about this TheFacebook thing. When it finally came to my school - quite a while later - I remember everyone skipping classes to make an account. Recommend. But can definitely watch at home. Wait until Netflix.

The Human Centipede
On DVD
I want to preface this with I had absolutely NO desire to watch this movie what so ever. I had actually heard about it from my Dad, and after his mini description thought hell no! MrGrizz really wanted to see it and it was on instant watch on Netflix. It was late (I always fall asleep at late night movies in bed, always!), so I figured I'd probably be asleep shortly after the credits anyway, so why not. And I will admit, I was really curious to see what it actually looked like!! There were some definite GROSS parts. But mostly inferred grossness not outright showing you it (does that make sense). I was a little disappointed in what the human centipede actually looked like. If you are really interested, I'd suggest Google-ing it instead of wasting the time to watch the movie. In my opinion, this movie can be skipped.

Devil
In Theaters
I am usually disappointed with M Night Shyamalan movies, but I can say I was pleasantly surprised with this one. I mean, yes, of course some parts were predictable and it did have a creepiness factor to it. Its hard to talk about the movie without giving it away. When its on one of the movie channels or on Netflix instant queue, I'd say go for it.

The Expendables
In Theaters
I better have gotten brownie points for seeing this with MrGrizz. It is a total guy's action movie. Lots of violence. Not really any naked women. And lots and lots of killing. I wasn't bored while seeing it, and was mildly entertained. If you need to say I'm sorry to your (male) SO or want to make him really happy: Rent this.

The Other Guys
In Theaters
I will be completely honest, I had a full out panic attack while watching this movie. I vaguely remember the premise. It would be unfair to critique it all, because when I think of this movie all I remember is thinking I was dying the whole time. I did calm down a bit for the ending credits - really nicely done. Ha. When it comes out on DVD Ill try and watch it again.

Wow, I watch too many movies. Here are some other ones that came out recently on DVD recently that I've seen...
Iron Man 2: Go see it. Amazing. Just as great as I remember it from the theater.
A Nightmare on Elm Street: Neat graphics.Pretty good remake. Not too scary.
Letters to Juliet: Chick flick. Good if you want to turn your brain off for a little. Not believable storyline though.
Get Him to the Greek: I saw this in the theater so I don't remember specifics. I remember laughing a lot. And not hating it. Will put you in a good mood.
Predators: See description for The Expendables. Ha.

Ok maybe Ill do these a little more often so I don't have to write a novel each time! What movies have you seen recently that you: love, hate, fell asleep through?

Book Review

I finally finished reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. A friend lent me the book awhile ago (Karen, I am returning it this weekend!), and I had never gotten past the prologue. When I heard they were doing an American movie (they already have a Swedish version) I made a promise to myself that I would finally finish the book. I have a habit of starting books (for example: The Da Vinci Code) and once I find out they are making a movie for it, I stop. Horrible thing to admit I know.

Side note: They made one of my favorite books into a movie (Choke by Chuck Palahniuk) and I HATED it - the movie, that is. Awful, awful, awful. But I wonder if I had not read the book - or liked the book - would I have enjoyed the movie? There are also a few books that (I think) I would love if they made into a movie: Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahnuik, The Giver by Lois Lowry (my favorite childhood book), and World War Z by Max Brooks. What book would you like to see on the big screen?

Review of the book. I LOVED IT! I didn't start out loving it. The beginning has two story lines, that you know are going to intersect, but it takes awhile for it to happen. That just annoys me, as it was very confusing in the beginning. I also despise when movies do this. I end up asking a million questions and annoying everyone in the audience. I also want to point out, that I had no idea what the novel was about! I had no expectations going into it, except that almost everyone on my morning train commute was reading it (men and woman alike!). It turned out to be part mystery, part corporate thriller. They do deal with some adult themes: rape, murder, assault; but not in an overtly gory way.

I do have a confession to make. Once I realized what one of the main mysteries of the book was, I turned the book a few hundred pages and skimmed to find out the answer. Yes, I am one of those people. Ha.

In short, I definitely recommend the book! There are three (so far) in the series of these characters. I plan on reading the other two at some point - may move on to something else in the mean time.

I actually just put in an Amazon.com order for my next set of books to read, including: The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest by Stieg Larsson. These are the next two in the series. Also, Why Men Marry Bitches by Sherry Argov. A friend told me about this, and it sounds both informative and hysterical. So we shall see. I'll probably read this one next, then finish out The Girl series. What is on your reading list?

Girl Crush

I love Brigitte Bardot - and I especially love this photo of her. I must find a guitar this weekend. Whenever asked who would I have play me in a movie I answer with a brunette Brigitte.

And yes, I will acknowledge that she kind of does remind me of Pamela Anderson. And in related news, my other girl crushes: Zooey Deschanel and Natalie Portman. Is anyone else looking forward to seeing Black Swan? Who is your girl crush?

iPhone

Up until recently people were absolutely shocked that I didn't have an iPhones. It just doesn't fit my tech-nerd-engineer profile to NOT have an iPhone. My response was that I was afraid of being too connected - that I would like to keep my phone my phone and my computer my computer.

But then I got the iPhone 3GS (I know the 4 is out now, more on that later). I was tempted by the fruit. And from there my worst fears about the whole thing came true.

I've had my fun for a good six months but I'm ready to put in place a few rules... if only for myself.

The iPhone Rules:

• I will not use my iPhone as a distraction in order to avoid awkward social situations. Like being in an elevator full of strangers. Instead, I will face them head-on, like generations before us, with a small talk and a smile.
• I will not look at my iPhone while have a meal or conversation with someone. This is probably my biggest pet peeve in the whole world. It used to kill me when I was iPhone free but since I got mine I've noticed myself slipping into this unattractive habit. When I'm choosing to have a meal with someone, I want that person to feel like they are the most important person in the whole world. I want to give them my undivided attention and would like the same in return (by the way, I fail at this often). And on that note...
• I will not check my iPhone just because someone else is. This behavior is contagious - like a sneeze. One person checks their phone and it becomes a domino effect. Because nobody likes sitting around looking like they have nothing to do while their friends are checking out what everyone else in the world is doing.
• I will not check my email after 7pm. This extends to my computer as well. Work has been following me into the evenings and I don't like it. No matter how much that little email icon on my iPhone is haunting me - but I will not check it. Again, often fail at this. I will also probably get yelled at for this rule, because as a graduate student we are slaves! Its true, but that is an entirely different post.
• I will choose reading books or magazines over refreshing my Facebook every 3 seconds. FB has become an addiction. I HAVE to know what my 200 friends have to say, or what they are doing, or now where they are, all the time. The iPhone is an enabler.
• I will not choose playing Zombie Farm over getting it on. Again, not just a funny exaggeration. I'm putting an end to this torrid love affair with the zombies. In fact, I'm going to ban my iPhone (as sexy as it is) from hanging out in the bedroom altogether. Well at least when I am in a bedroom with MrGrizz, otherwise I'm allowed! Hm, he should probably follow this rule too, hint hint.

With all of that said, I love the maps, camera and the immediate and accessible resources the iPhone allows. But from here on out, I'm choosing real life over the one that fits in the palm of my hand.

Yes, I know the iPhone 4 has just come out. I am not going to upgrade for awhile. MrGrizz just put in the order for his 4 last night (mainly for the awesome camera it has), and all I could do was laugh and think of this comic from The Oatmeal: