(80) Drink only water for one month

What am I thinking?? I'm not sure, but I'm definitely going to try to drink only water for the entire month of December. This includes our trip to NYC, Christmas and New Years Eve. I'm not too concerned about NYC because that'll keep the costs down, but I'm not sure if I can keep it up through the holidays. As much as I don't like changing the rules, I think I will allow this to include Crystal Light type drinks, especially those 'on-the-go' type packets you can mix with your bottled water. The nutritional value is still the same (if not a few calories difference), there's just some flavoring involved there.

So, here goes - wish me luck! :)

(54) Movie List

Chinatown

I've been on a movie watching kick lately and it feels good to get these knocked off the list and my life a little touched by each one. There are so many movies on the DVR and I have no clue what the available memory is so I knew I needed to start getting through those soon. The problem is that they are/were all in the top 100 IMDB movies so I can count on them to have depth and complexity so it takes a certain level of attention to fully appreciate them. I don't do well with those so I have to make sure I'm getting a good variety when I watch them. The older movies tend to have more humor and/or lightheartedness so I prefer those over the more deep, reflective ones of recent past.

Anyway, on to the movie. I've got to say, I was a little hesitant to watch this one because of Jack Nicholson. When I hear that name, only one character comes to mind - The Joker. Then a few other movies sprinkle in - The Shining, As Good As It Gets, Anger Management, etc - but none of those are as significant in my head. I was pleasantly surprised at his character's dry wit and cynicism. Sure, several of his roles have involved that type of personality, but I really haven't had much exposure to most of his movies so it wasn't over the top for me. I do enjoy the occasional crime drama type show/movie so this had enough twists and turns to keep me interested. I will say though, I've never seen someone be cut into their nose like that (see above pic) so yeah, that was a bit painful to watch, but I guess it could've been worse. The ending definitely left me with a bad taste in my mouth though...I won't ruin it, but let's just say movies aren't made (or don't end) like they used to.

As with all the movies I've watched so far, I definitely recommend it, but it mostly appeals to those who like (or don't dislike) Nicholson and enjoy crime drama type movies.

(54) Movie List

The Sting

I can't get over how similar Robert Redford and Brad Pitt look alike! They really need to play the father/son roles in something. They did have a movie together though - Spy Game. Anyway, I was extremely excited to see that Alamo Drafthouse was playing this at the location closest to our house (there are 4 in the Austin area and this one is maybe 10 minutes from home). Normally the one downtown plays the older stuff so I knew I had to check this one out since it was so close.

I had read a little bit about the plot beforehand to get an idea of what kind of movie it was and knew I would probably be a little confused with the characters here and there. I tend to get names and roles mixed up sometimes, but Chris helped me keep up with those. The acting was great (as expected from Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Robert Shaw, etc) and the plot kept me interested and laughing through parts of it. I loved the elaborate 'acting' scenes they did to trick Shaw's character - so clever. Other than my general problem with keeping up with names, it was an excellent movie with an excellent group of actors and I'm so grateful I was able to see it on the big screen. :) Oh, and I couldn't get "The Entertainer" out of my head for a few hours afterwards...but it was worth it.

(54) Movie List

In an effort to try to get through everything, I'm going to try to keep these movie "reviews" short. Also, I had mentioned some of the repetitive goals that I'm having trouble doing on a regular basis (once/week and once/month things). Jenn suggested that I shift those goals a little bit and rather than trying to do those from day one, I could work on making those a habit. That sounds much more realistic and attainable without feeling like I've already failed. While I think being super busy during the holidays will prevent me from starting these routines, I think that's more of a reason to take some time to myself and do those things. So we'll see how it goes. Ok, here are some movies I watched recently.

Sunset Boulevard:
"All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up."
Older movies can be harder to judge, especially with my lack of exposure to them. Our standards of what a movie should have/be are so dramatically different so it's tough being objective without wondering, "is this something they did a lot? is this normal?" But anyway, this was an interesting story of a screen writer lacking funds and befriending an older has-been actress who hires him to edit a script she wrote. She starts to fall in love with him while trying to relive her fame and then ends up going insane towards the end. The story got more interesting as it played out so I definitely enjoyed it more than I expected.

Amelie:

These "short" reviews aren't working. I'll try to work on that. Anyway, this movie always puts a smile on my face. It really conveys the beauty and innocence of youth and then throws in some funny twists, a love story and some Amelie-initiated karma along the way. It's subtitled, but it wasn't an issue for me (it can be with other movies). The visual effects, coloration/lighting and music help create the lightheartedness vibe, while still maintaining the flow of the story. I'd recommend this movie to everyone, although it does have a not-so-family-friendly scene a time or two.

Fight Club:


I love this movie and have seen it countless times. I'm a huge Brad Pitt fan, not just because he's nice to look at, but also because he picks such a wide variety of roles and does well at them, in my opinion. But anyway, I can't really explain the movie in a few sentences so I'll just say that when/if you decide to watch this, you need to pay attention the whole time. There are so many little things that I still catch for the first time after seeing the movie 10+ times. It's not for the easily offended or grossed out. That is all. :)

The Professional:

Wow, what a role for Natalie Portman! This falls under the typical good guy/bad guy movie with guns, fighting, corruption, etc, but it had a different undertone to it. I can't really place it, but the interaction between Leon and Mathilda was interesting and it was amusing to see the girl turn the tables on Leon, who is supposed to be the tough guy, hitman type. She plays a tough kid who has been through a lot and deals with it her own way. Oh and Gary Oldman was also in this - I really can't see/hear him without thinking of his character Jean-Baptiste Emanuel Zorg in "The Fifth Element" with the thick southern-esque accent. Besides that weirdness, it had a strong emotional element that appealed to me.

Well, this concludes the movie review portion of the things I've completed recently. I hope to be able to upload a bunch of photos and put together some posts very soon. Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving week!

Where'd I go?

Yeah, I'm not really sure where I went. I was physically here, but mentally, I've been anywhere but. Anyway, I have SO many things to post about, but I'll just make a quick list of things to remind me to make longer posts later (and to make sure everyone knew I was still alive and well and at least trying to keep up)...

Movies I've seen and still need to post about:

- The Professional
- Amelie
- Fight Club

There are at least 10 movies on the DVR (I love my AT&T Uverse!) and probably 20+ in our collection that we need to start watching. We had a solid groove of watching 2-3/week a couple months ago, but who knew we'd be busy as the holidays crept closer? :)

Let's see...I also completed the following:

- Vote in the '08 election
- Participate in a 5k
- Read one book every month (x2)
- New recipe every month (x2)
- Attend a UT football game

Things I just can't seem to do on a regular basis:

- Ride bike once/month
- Yoga once/week
- Meditate once/month
- Detail CR-V interior once/month

I feel like I've failed the ones above, but I need to remind myself that I'm really bad about starting routines, but once I repeat it a few times, I'm set. I need to actually schedule it in and make no excuses. They really don't take that much time so I'll see if I can put more effort into these and at least do it for a majority of the 1001 days. :)

Things I've started, never finished and will have to restart again:

- 100-Push-up challenge
- 365 Days Photo project (will start again on Jan 1st to make it easier to track)

And finally, things that I'd like to finish (that are more than feasible) before the end of the year:

- Clear/organize garage to be able to fit one car
- Buy new washer/dryer (if Sears or Home Depot will give me a good deal on Black Friday)
- Mail a secret to PostSecret
- Clean off work desk to minimize clutter
- Visit 5 places in USA's top 41 wonders (going to NYC in a month!)
- Pay for the person behind me in a drive-through
- Finish laser hair removal treatments (I may need one more appt in '09, but we'll see)

Ok, after listing everything out like that, I don't feel so bad about the things I haven't done and have at least given myself a renewed burst of motivation to get back to it. Hopefully I can post some pictures and movie reviews soon...