Another Movie Review from Me: Batman Begins

I should probably read up on the proper way to write a movie review. I love movies. I love to watch them. I love to talk about them. But I tend to feel like a dolt when I get on line and try to tell you sweet readers why you should or shouldn't watch a certain movie. However, it hasn't been stopping me. Maybe I'll come up with my own special movie reviewing angle. I'll have to think about it. For now, here's another crappy review by me.

Batman Begins. I liked it very, very, very, very, very much.

Ha, just kidding. I did like it. Not sure I liked it that much. I'm also not THAT bad of a reviewer. Kevin has been ordering obscure, bizarre foreign films from Netflix. I picked this one. I'm glad I did.

The mood of the film was somewhat dark, but it fits with the characters and the story. I love Christian Bale. He made an excellent Batman, in my opinion. As the title says, in this film we get to see how Batman became Batman. I think that's a pretty tall order, but I felt they lived up to the franchise. It was interesting, large in scope, and well done. Liam Neeson as his mentor was a bit type cast (ahem...Star Wars). Katie Holmes was, well Katie Holmes. She was definitely cute, but I have a hard time not thinking of her as Tom Cruise's wife. Oh well. She did a fine job with the role, even if she was slightly unbelievable as a D.A. Gary Oldman was gold, as usual. I loved him as Gordon. Morgan Freeman, ditto. Michael Caine was proper without being cold and warm without being overly sentimental. He was like a good wink. An actor I had never heard of played the Scarecrow, and he was great. Cillian Murphy, I believe was his name. He was very creepy.

The scene where Bruce Wayne and Rachel are supposed to be teenagers came off as false for both Kevin and me. They very distractingly just tried to use the actors' hair to make them appear younger. Sorry, I think Christian Bale is hawt, but he is definitely not 17. Maybe because he is hot, he cannot play 17. And Katie Holmes, well, maybe she just does look 17 and the weird hair made her look 12. I couldn't concentrate on the scene due to the ridiculousness of it. They maybe should have had teenage actors. I don't know.

Overall, the effects were great, and it had a good pace. Some of the car chase type stuff went on a little long for me, but it would probably be ok for most. The action was crazy fast-paced, but I kept up with it for the most part. The humans were belieavable and likeable, unless they weren't supposed to be. I find it interesting that the villain also had a valid point for his villainy. That's a relatively new and fascinating angle in movies--good and bad aren't so cut and dried. We can understand what is "bad". It's more real. I like it. The sets were fabulously gothic and yet somehow somewhat modern.

Thumbs up. It would be worth having to put my kid back to sleep a few times and sneaking away back downstairs. That's how I have to rate things. "Is this worth taking the chance that he will wake up when I sneak away, and I'll have to start all over again?" Batman Begins was.

~t

Date a Millionaire

Oh, if only I were single. I do seriously enjoy all the dating shows and websites out there. And I do seriously think it's possibly a good way to meet someone if you are single. I suppose if I were still single it might not be so enjoyable, but I couldn't resist bringing a new one to your attention, especially if you are interested in Millionaire Dating.

This site really cuts to the quick. Their tagline is "find your sugar daddy today". Wow. People are getting so honest these days. I didn't actually think millionaires needed any help finding people to sugar daddy (can I use that as a verb?). But who knows. I'm sure there are recluse millionaires out there, and I suppose this site is a help to them. Not to mention all the people looking for sugar daddies (and sugar mommas, I imagine). And hey, how fun to pick out someone from a bunch of millionaire girlfriend/boyfriend hopefuls.

Joining is free and easy. If I were single, I'm not sure I could resist. I want all you single people to sign up and then comment back and let me know how it goes. I find this very curious. Go, check it out for me! (But, as always, BE SAFE!)



~t

Toddlers are cute

Zane has really been a lot of fun lately. He's been stringing more and more words together into sentences. "I ate it, Mommy!" was a recent one. I also enjoyed him running around saying "Luke hiffin' toes" It took me a bit before I realized he was saying "Luke sniffin' toes". (If you haven't been following along, Luke is our puppy, not some weirdo sniffing toes.)

Last night in bed he was asking if we could have cake. I said we would probably have some in a couple days for my birthday. He said, "Buy hum?" (Buy some?) I said, "Maybe. Or maybe Daddy will make it." He said, "Make it. I help Daddy." Awwww.

Today, in the grocery store, he just took out his binkie, looked at me and said, "You rock, Mommy!"

Here's another pic of his cuteness. Sorry it's kinda crappy. We never got that new camera. Dangit.

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~t

Insurance!

I tend to trust in the wisdom of the universe. But I still believe in the importance of insurance. Kevin got into some trouble a few years ago when he let his car insurance lapse. Unfortunately, that's just when his accident happened and he lost his car. This goes on his record for something like 7 years. That is something you don't want to have to experience.

So, since then, we've been very good about keeping our insurance up to date. I tend to find something I like and stick with it, but it's a good idea to home insurance on the same policy with your car insurance. Usually, companies will give you a discount when you "buy in bulk", so to speak.

I know that none of this is any fun to deal with, but it goes a long way towards making sure you can enjoy some peace of mind, especially if something happens (like our roof just blowing off in a windstorm!) We were really glad we had good insurance then.

~t

Sicky Sickos

Remarkably, it seems we have been less sick this school year than in a long time. However, Caspian came down with this weird 2 hour illness the other night. He got sick, fevery, etc., took some medicine and was fine and went to school the next day. Then he got sick over the weekend again. And now Kevin has the same thing. Darn. We are 50% sickos here. I guess Kevin won't get that carnival together for my birthday on Tuesday. Yes, I just dropped the birthday hint. LOL. Let's see who's paying attention. Caspian also got a wound today. I'll have to get a pic and show it later. What is with these guys? I guess they are being guys.

~t

Great Deal!

If you like to shop online, you have to check out ebates.com. It is such an easy way to save money. All you need is an email address. They have over 800 stores that participate with discounts and coupons. And these aren't obscure stores--they're popular ones like drugstore.com.

There is no membership fee, so you really can't lose. And, if the discounts aren't enough for you, the stores also offer up to 25% cash back. (Drugstore.com's cash back is 6%.) All you have to do, after you sign up, is to go to ebates.com before you start shopping. And, if you have trouble remembering that, you can download their Moe Money Maker to remind you. Nice.

~t

Zane is tough

Poor little Zane got cut this week. By, as he calls it, his "big book". It is a very cool book. He was, unfortunately, trying to jump over it. Here is the result of a missed jump:

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He has been dutifully telling everyone he was "hurt really bad". However, he's a brave buckeroo, and got right back on the book.

Here he is, the next day, giving it another go:


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And I cannot resist posting this one with Dora:


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~t

Pingo!

We all know the global community is getting smaller and smaller. The internet is, of course, a big part of that. But, sometimes you just want to make a good old fashioned phone call to your international friends. Luckily, that is getting more and more finanically reasonable thanks to services like Pingo's international calling cards online.

Just for signing up with Pingo, you can get up to 4 free hours of international calls. Approximately 90% of Pingo's customers return to use their services again, so you know they're doing something right.

Kevin has some friends in Australia that we can call much more reasonably with Pingo's Australia calling card rates. Deals like that can make all the difference. Check it out!



~t

Full Moon in Leo: Feb 1-2

I've been noticing beautiful Luna in the sky the past few nights. I can't believe two weeks have passed since the new moon. I thought she was full tonight, but not technically until 9:45pm PST tomorrow. (This timing puts the full moon into the 2nd in the Eastern U.S.)

If you'd like to read more about it, here's some specific info on this upcoming lunation from astro-blogger Jeffrey Kishner. Here's another really nice full moon in Leo article by Jean Hinson Lall from mooncircles.com.

~t

Egreetings

I've been talking about how much I love email. Another great function of email is the ecard. Ecards are wonderfully handy and convenient for any holiday. Check out these free, funny Valentine's Day eCards.

Here's a pic for a taste of the Valentine sillyness:



There is a great variety of funny, risque, animated eCards available for birthdays, Valentines, and many other occasions. If you're unsure about the commitment, you can get a free 30-day trial membership. When you're checking it out, be sure you have some fun by personalizing your cards with your own messages and even a picture. If you decide to take the plunge, a membership is a very reasonable $13.99 for a year. Think of all the paper cards you'd buy in a year. And these can be selected, personalized and scheduled to go out on any day. OR, if you forget (or get a last minute Valentine), you can send cards out on the same day. Love that.



~t

New Specs, at Long Last

I know, this has been a very exciting continuing saga. The broken glasses. The bad fixing by the husband. The geeky tape. The eye appointment (mostly covered by my new insurance, too--how cool!) Well, here is the final result of all of that. Thank you all for taking this journey with me. I'd like to thank all of the little people. You know who you are.

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And yes, those are non-glare lenses. Thank you Target Optical lady (Why can't I remember her name?) Part of the reason I got the non-glare, was for these pictures, dear reader. Snif snif.

~t

Email Marketing

I was asked to compose a sort of letter poem discussing how I feel about email. Ahhhh...email. I love it. I remember back over 10 years ago when my Dad got me hooked up online and I thought, "What do I need this for?" Ha! I need this for EVERYTHING! So, that is my first word for what email means to me. It is my everything. Here is a video version of what I wrote:



This post brought to you on behalf of MindComet, makers of amazing Email Marketing. And come on, who doesn't love email?



~t

Grisly Reality

Zane is having his very first Mars return. They happen just about every two years. It is the time when Mars returns to the place it was at when you were born.

You all know what Mars stands for, right? Well, if you don't, it's the male principle. Action, agression, excitement, raw sexuality. It also rules cuts and scrapes and bloody things. I think accidents, too. Zane had a very Martian experience yesterday. Check the poor little tyke out:

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I know, that's sad, isn't it? He's being pretty tough about it. He was touching it today and we were talking about how tough he is. He's been doing a lot of good talking lately. Here he is looking a little bit better so you don't have to focus so much on that nasty scrape:


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See? He's allright.

~t

Weight Loss Wednesday: Week 3 Results

Here we are on Weightloss Wednesday again!

Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.

Start Weight: 216
Goal Weight: 150
Total to lose: 66 lbs

Last Weigh In: 180.8
This Weigh In: 182.8
Total this week: +2

Total loss overall: 33.2
Total left to lose: 32.8

Wah. I have my period?

I am trying to focus on daily good habits. But apparently, it's hard.

I'll keep at it. Back on the horse, right?

~t

Protein Power

I had been putting off getting protein powder because it's so expensive. I'd been waiting and waiting and I finally decided I wouldn't wait anymore. I'm telling you, it makes all the difference for me in being able to stick to better eating habits. I find my body craves protein. When I'm hungry I could eat carbs until the cows come home. Hopefully, the cows come home early, because maybe then I'll stop eating carbs. Ok, that was a crazy digression. I lost it on my eating goals yesterday, but I'm back on track today and having snacks and breakfast that include the good ole protein powder are really making a difference. It leaves me feeling much more satisfied. Just thought I'd share.

Be Mine

There's just about 3 weeks to Valentines Day, so our lovers in the audience better start thinking about what you're going to do. How about something easy? I'm always down for easy gifts. I'm talking about Valentines baskets.

Gourmetgiftbaskets.com has a number of pre-designed baskets available with the finest in chocolates, nuts, wines, and fruits from the finest orchards, vineyards, and cheese makers in the world. But, you can also create a more personalized gift by designing your own and picking out the very favorite delicacies that you know your love will enjoy the most.

I don't know that I'd play this, but they did have a somewhat unique gift in the Strip Chocolate Checkers. They also had some great bubble bath and accessories baskets. Check it out.

~t

Poor Cow

Luke was cracking me up the way he was really going to town on his toy cow's tail today. He's getting bigger and bigger. (Luke, not the cow.)

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A little while later, Kevin told Luke to drop the toilet paper or paper towel or tissue he had in his mouth. He likes to get into the garbage. Yucko. Turns out it was none of the above. Cow tail.


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He doesn't seem too upset about it.


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~t

Leukemia Information

Cancer is such a heartbreaking disease. It can be especially so when you realize there is a chance it was preventable. If you have cancer, following is an important question for you. Was your Cancer Caused by solvents? If so, you may be entitled to legal compensation. Leukemia411.org has important information on:

Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
Leukopenia
Chronic myologic leukemia (CML)
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas (NHL)
Multiple Myeloma
Myeloma
Leukemia Lawsuits

If you feel as though solvents, maybe have been involved in your instance of cancer, you can contact the legal team at leukemia411.org. They will evaluate your case and see if you may be entitled to monetary compensation. Every little bit helps.



~t

Ba Ba Bock

We have been enamored of Ba Ba Bock's since we first purchased Zane's awesome Halloween Costume. Since then, we have collected a few other Ba Ba Bock's. This one became attached to Zane the other day, much to his amusement.



(I seem to catch my floor in photos a lot. Hmmm. I guess perhaps I am subconsciously super-proud of our beautiful hardwood floors. Love 'em. Especially with puppies and toddlers, who make MESSES!)

~t

Landmark Education

I've been interested in personal development for well over a decade. One name that comes up over and over again is landmark education. I have not personally taken any landmark courses (yet), but have heard from a number of their graduates how useful the program has been for them.

I am intrigued landmark education for a few reasons:

1. Their reputation and what I've heard from graduates myself.

2. The results they promise are intriguing to say the least. Here is a quote: Graduates "report major, positive results in the following areas:

• The quality of their relationships.
• The confidence with which they conduct their lives.
• The level of their personal productivity.
• The experience of the difference they make.
• The degree to which they enjoy their lives."

3. Among other things, Landmark education uses the power of language to show you how to change your own life. That is a powerful tool.

If you have an interest in any of these results in your life, you should definitely check out landmark education.



~t