Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Funny Farm

Had a great weekend at my friend A's ancestral farm house in rural IL - just had the most fun hanging out on porches, playing games and chatting with everyone!

We went to an Amish quilt auction. Amish people make good donuts, but they are very strange AND they wouldn't sell me one of their bonnets.

We like to hug
When people leave, they have a cool tradition: ringing this old school bell!

Sunday, July 19, 2009

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Saw HP and the H-B Prince today. Wanna hear how lame I am? Wanted to go on Friday night, but couldn't get tickets until 9:55 was too sleepy to go. Am old.

Anywho - I really liked it! It probably wasn't my favorite (that's #3), but it was fun to watch - I thought this one was so full of detail, I loved the shots of the great hall, the various offices, the evolving love stories... I just recently re-read the book, and I think they did a pretty good job of sticking to the key parts of the story - even added a bit (without giving too much away: fire, field) that was super-cool.

Helena Bonham Carter and Alan Rickman were just delicious - they must have been having the time of their lives, and Jim Broadbent - what an actor, he's so terrific.

Ah HA! So, it IS true - the final book will be split into two movies, released Nov. 2010 and May 2011. I was just talking with my sis about this today and we agreed that it would be best if they released them like, max, one month apart, but... whatever. If only we had been consulted. *sigh*

Thursday, July 16, 2009

cow pie

Here are a few pics from my trip to IN last week. We saw these lovely, friendly, lickity brown swiss calves that were as soft as cats (tongues like cats too!)

Isn't little M the cutest thing you ever saw? He was "feeding" the cows by dumping straw on their heads.
and here's moi and my adorable sister! I miss you, C!!!!

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Summer Movie Madness

I've seen a lot of movies in the past few weeks and way behind on my bloggin'! More to come later on my trip to IN after I download my pics and see if there's anything great in there to share.

Saw Moon several weeks ago with husband in an outflux of wifely generosity when really wanted to see Away We Go. Sam Rockwell plays an astronaut who's been on a solitary mission for, I forget, three or five years - I don't think I'll ruin it by telling you that he finds a man who looks just like him on the moon (you'll learn that much from the trailer). The story is a kind of mystery with a rather interesting exploration of the concept of identity. It's obviously going for, and I think achieves, a real 2001 vibe, complete with an all-powerful robot that follows him around and talks to him. Rockwell kills.

Away We Go seems to be the indie favorite du jour and was certainly one of the best movies I've seen recently. Featuring John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph and written by Dave Eggers - how could you go wrong? Simply amazing supporting cast, including Allison Janney who almost steals the show as an unorthodox mother and friend. For me, it rather wonderfully captured that perhaps universal idea that Everyone Is Completely Bonkers Except Me and partly the ol' I Certainly Wouldn't Raise MY Kids Like THEM. As my friend J.D. wrote on my Facebook: the two leads were, well, they were basically US. True that.

I saw Public Enemies, the John Dillinger film, in Indiana, which was rather appropriate because everyone I know in Indiana has a Dillinger story. When I was a kid my friend unwrapped a gun (!) from a cloth and told me it had belonged to him. An erstwhile uncle claims his grandma had gone on a date with him. (If you've got one, leave it in comments, please!) It's a surprisingly boring movie that rather plods along despite bank robberies and prison break-outs. The fabulous Marion Cotillard is underused. I once again broke my No Movies With Less Than Two Women Rule - and I paid for it! (See also: Moon.)

Saw My Sister's Keeper with my mom and sister with the slightly bizarre but not unusual gleeful anticipation of bawling our eyes out. The promised tear-jerker did contain a few heart-string pulling moments, but, for the most part it was ridiculous, manipulative and contrived. The three of us, quite familiar with the emotional devastation of a family member in a near-death experience called bullshit on most of the film. Also stars Alec Baldwin who I'd been watching nightly in some Thomas the Train thing (also staring a v. creepy Peter Fonda) with beloved nephew - I managed to stir up a few illicit snorts by whispering "See you in Shining Time!" (not quite sure what that even means) at the end of the movie.

Thursday, July 09, 2009

back home again, in Indiana

I've been in Indiana for the past week visiting my family - beloved sister and nephew are visiting and having the best time talking with little M and hanging out with C. Every day we've been here, have had a rash of visitors and go everywhere in huge packs. Is fun.

Highlights include:
  • drinking coffee every morning and admiring M and his various talents
  • showing folks the video I made: An Aunt is Born
  • a visit to a local creamery with some youngsters
  • Setting off fireworks with me da'

    Lowlights:
  • a soggy 4th of July ):
  • My M couldn't stay the whole time
  • A crazy ultra-conservative church service (excluding the baptism of K's C, which was lovely)

    I'll be sad to head back tomorrow - but looking forward to seeing my husband and have a fun weekend lined up in the hinterland.
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