This holiday I have taken the opportunity to indulge in one of my pleasures; going to the movies. It is rare that I go to the movies. Time, money, and lack of a good story. But I do try to take my youngest to a children's movie at least two to three times a year. And my daughter and I happen to have the same taste in movies and books so we often go to movie openings - at my expense of course.
This holiday was no different. DD and I went to The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn. DD ad I have much of the same tastes in movies and books. And the Twilight Saga is one of our guilty pleasures. There is something about love at first sight, endless love, all-consuming passion, etc. that really melts a girl. The stories are all what we wish for but know will never truly happen. Well, at least I do.
Then I took Gabe to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. Hmmm. It was...interesting. Gabe was into the movie until the last 10 minutes. Then he wanted to play with my iPod. The music was good though. I just wonder how the actors feel being second wheels to non-existent computer animated chipmunks. Not only that but the actors who lend their voices as the chipmunks are entirely unrecognizable. So, you only know who voiced who by watching the credits. Then you're like, Justin Long voiced Alvin??? Wow. How'd they change his voice? And did he do his own singing?
DH surprised me. He rarely goes to the movies. I think the last movie he went to was "The Sixth Sense" and he figured it out about 30 minutes into the movie. So that was a dud. Anyway, DH actually surprised me and went to no only one, but two movies with me. We went to see the latest Sherlock Holmes movie a few weeks back. I primarily wanted to see it as it stars Noomi Rapace, the actress who starred in the Swedish version of The Millenium Trilogy. I enjoyed the movie. But it was funny, midway through the movie a man down our row fell asleep and snored through about 40 minutes. I didn't find out until after the movie that DH is not a Robert Downey, Jr. fan. So, it was very considerate of him to go to the movie with me.
And tonight. Tonight, the crowning glory. The U.S. version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I've been seriously wanting to see it. But since my full-time return to work it's been difficult. I get tired easily and can only do so much a day. I was supposed to go with DD and her girlfriend, a friend of mine and her niece and girlfriend, but the schedules just weren't working out. So, I was surprised when DH offered to go with me. I guess I've been talking about it a bit much around the house.
Anyway, we went tonight. And I was hooked from the very beginning of the starting credits. I am in love with David Fincher and Rooney Mara. David Fincher for directing a masterpiece, and Rooney Mara for embodying Lisbeth Salander body and soul. I have to say the U.S. version is better than the Swedish version. And it stays truer to the book. I LOVED the movie! And I can't wait until the next part of the trilogy. I will probably watch Dragon Tattoo at least two or three more times. It was that good. I will warn you. It's long, and there are a few scenes of extreme violence. But the story line and the subplots were well put together. And the action does not slow down. At. All. Sweden is now on my bucket list as a country to visit.
What next? Well, there's Underworld, The Awakening in February. DD and I go to those movies together too. And David Fincher, if you're out there reading this. Thank you. I thought I was afraid I was a bit too far to the left for enjoying movies in which the subject matter might be unpleasant. I totally get your style and I do enjoy it. And Rooney Mara? Dayum, you're good! You gave Lisbeth a vulnerability while keeping her isolated and hard.
28 December 2011
09 December 2011
Hope Springs Eternal
It's late, and I can't sleep.It's been a few weeks and I haven't posted on my blog, so tonight is the night. I've got some things on my mind, and I want to share them.
First off, this has been an interesting year for me. The year started traumatically. My daughter was going through some very turbulent times with her then girlfriend who had some substance issues. DD is stubborn like her mom, and we butt heads a lot. So, it was just more of the same from the past 3-4 years. Then came a root canal. And a month later another root canal. Insurance was maxed out, so I had to come up with a creative solution to paying the endodontist. School boundaries changed, and my special needs son was moved to a new school. And any parent of an Autistic child knows that change is not a positive in the child's world. A month later and I'm in the hospital having a malignant tumor removed from my knee, which led to radiation therapy. And DD had not one, but two, nasty encounters with dogs. Both needed medical treatment, but she only received treatment from the second encounter - which almost resulted in a rabies series of shots.
I started back to work part-time in October, working from home. This led to several misunderstandings which led to a comedy of errors in paycheck sourcing, which also led to either no collection calls or an over-abundance of collection calls.
Now, many would say, and have said, "Wow, you've had a rough year." But it's funny. I don't view it that way at all. I view it as an opportunity to learn more about physiology, radiology, life, and myself. And an opportunity to de-stress; something that was well overdue. I hear the well-meaning remarks, but you know what? I'm okay. Really. I mean, the tumor was in my knee, not in my head. And I had to go through some painful processes. And money's been tight. And a whole bunch of other things. But here's the point. There are so many other people so much worse off than me and my family.
Take for instance Lynsey Lee (http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/08/9303600-teen-says-blood-clot-after-taking-yaz-destroyed-her-life). She's only 19 and her life may never get off the ground. She's got an inoperable blood clot in her lung, she lost a scholarship, and she's had to severely curtail her activities.
And then there's a coworker who's had one heck of a year: Hysterectomy, divorce, motorcycle accident with broken collarbone, which led to the doctors finding a pre-cancerous mass in her right lung. Damn! This was all in 2011! And there's another coworker whose only child was killed in an unfortunate accident back in June. On top of that there was a rash of deaths of several coworkers; like nothing we'd ever seen in our company. Every Monday, for almost the entire summer, we received a communication of a death in the workforce. That's 12 weeks! In over 20 years, I can honestly count on one hand how many coworkers died. Then this year came along.
I've had my share of sorrow, stress, pain and fear; the loss of a child, the birth of a special needs child, an unruly DD (who made me gray almost overnight), and cancer. But to put it in perspective, I'd like to share something from a group I belong to. We are given a question daily and have the option to reply. Yesterday's question was "What specific character trait do you want to be known for and why?" This was my reply; "Being positive and looking for the bright/funny side. There's so much sh*t in this world that can bring us down. Looking up. Well, you've got to. Otherwise, where would you be? So, in all I do, I want to be known for looking up."
And that is how I view life. Yes, bad things happen. No, there is no rhyme or reason. Nor is there any fairness to it all. So, the only way to come out the other end relatively sane and somewhat satisfied is to let it go. To look at life as the glass half full. When something goes wrong in the house DH, God bless him, says "that's how my life is." And I say, No, that is NOT how your life is. The same things happen to everyone. It's how you respond to them that makes the difference. It's what you learn from them. And what's taken me years to learn; look up. Be positive. There is always something to learn, to laugh at, to take with you.
I had a good childhood. I think for the first 16 years of my life we moved at least once a year. Sometimes 2 or 3 times. It was stressful. And I was always the new kid in school. And I always seemed to come from the wrong side of the train tracks. And money was scarce. But you know what? My sister and I got to spend every summer with either our grandparents in Pennsylvania or our grandmother in New Mexico. And as my parents, sister and I were traveling or moving, we got to visit so many different places across the United States. Not because we had to, but because we wanted to. We were in the vicinity, we had the time, so why not? And what I learned from our parents and our experiences was life is one giant classroom. We are always learning.
And that's why I want to be known for looking up. Because no matter what happens in life, the cup is always half full. I officially claim this as my own, original quote. And from hereafter, this quote is to be known as coming from Julia Elizabeth Melder Jenkins; "Hope springs eternal."
So, the next time something doesn't go your way, turn it around. This is your learning opportunity. And maybe next time....
First off, this has been an interesting year for me. The year started traumatically. My daughter was going through some very turbulent times with her then girlfriend who had some substance issues. DD is stubborn like her mom, and we butt heads a lot. So, it was just more of the same from the past 3-4 years. Then came a root canal. And a month later another root canal. Insurance was maxed out, so I had to come up with a creative solution to paying the endodontist. School boundaries changed, and my special needs son was moved to a new school. And any parent of an Autistic child knows that change is not a positive in the child's world. A month later and I'm in the hospital having a malignant tumor removed from my knee, which led to radiation therapy. And DD had not one, but two, nasty encounters with dogs. Both needed medical treatment, but she only received treatment from the second encounter - which almost resulted in a rabies series of shots.
I started back to work part-time in October, working from home. This led to several misunderstandings which led to a comedy of errors in paycheck sourcing, which also led to either no collection calls or an over-abundance of collection calls.
Now, many would say, and have said, "Wow, you've had a rough year." But it's funny. I don't view it that way at all. I view it as an opportunity to learn more about physiology, radiology, life, and myself. And an opportunity to de-stress; something that was well overdue. I hear the well-meaning remarks, but you know what? I'm okay. Really. I mean, the tumor was in my knee, not in my head. And I had to go through some painful processes. And money's been tight. And a whole bunch of other things. But here's the point. There are so many other people so much worse off than me and my family.
Take for instance Lynsey Lee (http://vitals.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/08/9303600-teen-says-blood-clot-after-taking-yaz-destroyed-her-life). She's only 19 and her life may never get off the ground. She's got an inoperable blood clot in her lung, she lost a scholarship, and she's had to severely curtail her activities.
And then there's a coworker who's had one heck of a year: Hysterectomy, divorce, motorcycle accident with broken collarbone, which led to the doctors finding a pre-cancerous mass in her right lung. Damn! This was all in 2011! And there's another coworker whose only child was killed in an unfortunate accident back in June. On top of that there was a rash of deaths of several coworkers; like nothing we'd ever seen in our company. Every Monday, for almost the entire summer, we received a communication of a death in the workforce. That's 12 weeks! In over 20 years, I can honestly count on one hand how many coworkers died. Then this year came along.
I've had my share of sorrow, stress, pain and fear; the loss of a child, the birth of a special needs child, an unruly DD (who made me gray almost overnight), and cancer. But to put it in perspective, I'd like to share something from a group I belong to. We are given a question daily and have the option to reply. Yesterday's question was "What specific character trait do you want to be known for and why?" This was my reply; "Being positive and looking for the bright/funny side. There's so much sh*t in this world that can bring us down. Looking up. Well, you've got to. Otherwise, where would you be? So, in all I do, I want to be known for looking up."
And that is how I view life. Yes, bad things happen. No, there is no rhyme or reason. Nor is there any fairness to it all. So, the only way to come out the other end relatively sane and somewhat satisfied is to let it go. To look at life as the glass half full. When something goes wrong in the house DH, God bless him, says "that's how my life is." And I say, No, that is NOT how your life is. The same things happen to everyone. It's how you respond to them that makes the difference. It's what you learn from them. And what's taken me years to learn; look up. Be positive. There is always something to learn, to laugh at, to take with you.
I had a good childhood. I think for the first 16 years of my life we moved at least once a year. Sometimes 2 or 3 times. It was stressful. And I was always the new kid in school. And I always seemed to come from the wrong side of the train tracks. And money was scarce. But you know what? My sister and I got to spend every summer with either our grandparents in Pennsylvania or our grandmother in New Mexico. And as my parents, sister and I were traveling or moving, we got to visit so many different places across the United States. Not because we had to, but because we wanted to. We were in the vicinity, we had the time, so why not? And what I learned from our parents and our experiences was life is one giant classroom. We are always learning.
And that's why I want to be known for looking up. Because no matter what happens in life, the cup is always half full. I officially claim this as my own, original quote. And from hereafter, this quote is to be known as coming from Julia Elizabeth Melder Jenkins; "Hope springs eternal."
So, the next time something doesn't go your way, turn it around. This is your learning opportunity. And maybe next time....
05 December 2011
Attitude Improvement! : )
So, it's the holiday season. And in my last post I was feeling...down. Things are going better now. I've decided to take a more laid back perspective of the holidays. That means no lights on the house, and the tree may be this weekend or next. I am definitely not going to stress. Life is too short for stressing. I've got all the relatives' gifts purchased and all but one package shipped. The Christmas cards will be short and sweet and will be sent next week. And the family's gifts are, for the most part, purchased. I told DH no big gifts between the two of us this year. I truly don't know what to get him. Definitely no electronics. He massacres them!
I think what's improved my overall attitude is that I have started going back to church. I didn't go for a while, and I've gone the last two weeks. It's definitely helped my attitude. And I've been reading the book of Daniel. I've not spent much time learning about him, so now is my time to learn. And even though money is tight, I've been tithing. And praying. So, all that combined has helped tremendously with my attitude.
Now if it would only snow here! It snowed my second Christmas in Florida - an unprecedented event that shut down all of NE Florida. Since then, I've only seen snow when visiting relatives or skiing in West Virginia.
Granted, this is a brief post, but it's a post nonetheless. I just wanted to share that things are looking up. I hope to have something more interesting to write about soon.
I think what's improved my overall attitude is that I have started going back to church. I didn't go for a while, and I've gone the last two weeks. It's definitely helped my attitude. And I've been reading the book of Daniel. I've not spent much time learning about him, so now is my time to learn. And even though money is tight, I've been tithing. And praying. So, all that combined has helped tremendously with my attitude.
Now if it would only snow here! It snowed my second Christmas in Florida - an unprecedented event that shut down all of NE Florida. Since then, I've only seen snow when visiting relatives or skiing in West Virginia.
Granted, this is a brief post, but it's a post nonetheless. I just wanted to share that things are looking up. I hope to have something more interesting to write about soon.
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