Cleaner than a...

I can't think of what is super clean. I'm too tired to think!

It's summer, and technically I have nothing to do, so I'm cleaning. Trying to make up for my lack of cleaning during the school year. Deep, deep cleaning. Cleaning out, under, behind. Hopefully, starting clean will make it easier to keep clean. We'll see!!

The clean rooms (2 so far) are SO nice!! It makes me want to just plow through and clean the rest. But I'm exhausted. It's great exercise. I guess. I sweat and my body hurts, so I must be exercising, right?!

I'm doing one room at a time in an attempt to not tire myself and cut corners. And it's working. I'm exhausted when I'm done with a room. But the cleanness spurs me into the next room on the next scheduled cleaning day.

I can't wait to be done!!!

Movie Review - Larry Crowne, etc.

LARRY CROWNE -
Finally a movie to talk about in a good way!! This was very cute!! A love story for the later in life single people. A story of hope and change and overcoming obstacles. Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts are, as always, great and great together. I recommend.

While I'm typing... FOOTLOOSE (S)-
The original Footloose is a classic for a reason. Good story, decent acting and fabulous music. The new version is good!! The best part is Willard, the sidekick of Ten, the main character. Unfortunately, the music was altered and changed which made this viewer unhappy. See it anyway, if you haven't already.

I can't even think of others I've watched without going to my list. That's how good they were. Wait, I do know last night was THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL. It wasn't bad. Slow. And since its true, you know how its going to end, though I didn't figure it out until about 3/4 through. I did learn a little history about the family.

I'm currently trying to decide what the final movie should be for the summer. I'm thinking perhaps something in theaters. I've decided it will be Friday, August 17. Funny how involved this quest has become!!

Movie Review(s) - Our Idiot Brother, Jeff Who Lives at Home

Apparently there a lot of messed up families with grown brothers who don't have it all together.

I didn't realize it beforehand but these two movies - OUR IDIOT BROTHER and JEFF WHO LIVES AT HOME - are quite similar. There's a brother who is not quite what the family wants him to be. One's kind of a happy hippy; the other is a wandering pothead. There are affairs and homosexuality in both, and family coming around to their brother's way of thinking, sort of. Only one has a cute kid and cuter dog though.

I'm actually writing this while watching JEFF. I'm not sure that the world needs to watch either movie, but if you had to pick one, pick OUR IDIOT BROTHER. It's clearer from the beginning that he's not really an idiot. Oh, wait, I think Jeff just found his purpose. Still not one I'd recommend. (update: the good news is it's only 83 minutes long. the end was happy and interesting.)

On a completely different genre - GREY GARDENS was okay. This was a highly acclaimed, many award nominated, HBO (?) movie. The acting was great and the story was interesting. But kinda sad. Not in a teary way, but more of a that sucks for them kind of way. It went from one era to another and back and was mildly confusing. Of course, I was doing other stuff while watching.

The only movie that's kept me paying attention more or less, in a while, was THIS MEANS WAR.

Movie Review - Horrible Bosses

HORRIBLE BOSSES

I didn't really know what to expect. I'd heard it was funny, but from one of the writers (I follow him on Twitter) so wasn't sure he was the best source. It's about 3 guys who decide to murder their bosses. How could that be funny?! But, it was! It was mostly clean - not a lot of unnecessary language (except for the character whose name contained a curse word), very little sex (one of the bad bosses was a sexual harasser), and in the end, it all sort of worked out okay.

Also watched THE DESCENDENTS - didn't like it. WAY too slow. No plot - there was a plot, I guess, but it wasn't very exciting.

ZOOKEEPER was very cute. Talking animals made it unrealistic, but still cute, feel good, with a happy ending.

Running

I've always wanted to be a runner. My dad was a runner. He still is, just slower and not as far. Actually he's really more of a cyclist these days. Anyway, I grew up going to foot races with dad. Ultramarathons mostly- any distance over 26.2 miles.

I did a little running in high school. I think it was an escape. I put on my walkman and went into the woods. I enjoyed it, though my memories are of the songs (Tiffany!!) and woods, not the physical feeling of running.

 For years, I haven't run. I don't like to run. I hike. I bike. Running isn't my thing. Of course, I haven't actually gone out for a run in years and years. I'm currently reading Eat & Run by Scott Jurek. Scott won the Western States 100 ultramarathon 7 years in a row. He's also vegan. It's a good book, told in a fun and funny narative about his becoming a runner, and the metamorphosis of his diet. It's also fun because I'm familiar with the most of the races he's talking about - I've been to the aid stations he refers to and such!! He's really making me want to be a runner. He even has some advice about the physical act of running. I think a lot of the training and food stuff could apply to cycling or hiking. But he makes me want to go for a run...

And so... I'm going for a run. Someday. Soon. (I'm waiting to talk to my doc about it - not just putting it off!!)

Movie Review - One Last Dance & others

ONE LAST DANCE Patrick Swayze and his wife dance. They're former dancers who are asked to come back and dance a specific dance. There's drama, of course. Overall, it was pretty good. Not the best acting, lots of dancing. However, it had an element of sad, to me. I cried when the two were dancing at the end, because, well, it was their last dance! Not really, exactly; it was made several years before Patrick died, but still, it was hard not to associate some symbolism in my head. Others I've watched recently: SEABISCUIT - slow. good story but it just seemed to drag and drag. I did other stuff, out of the room, and didn't feel like I missed anything when I'd come back! But, sure it was uplifting and all that. IDES OF MARCH - okay. didn't grip me, but I have come to the conclusion that Ryan Gosling is hot. I've tried twice to watch THE INFORMANT! but the copy I got at the library is scratched and keeps hanging up not too far in. Not sure I'll ever bother to see it in its entirety. Next on my list (meaning I already have them) Casino Royale and Zookeeper.