The Blind Side - 41/2 Stars

Wow, we all saw this movie last night and we all loved it! It seriously is such an amazing story, truly inspiring. I can't stop thinking about it and can't wait to see it again. It's a great story, great acting, funny, heartwarming, really everything! I love inspiring true stories and this certainly is. I don't like telling the story because it gives it away I think. I think you all would love it. Everyone is calling it Sandra Bullock's best role ever and I think I agree, she was great in this. I just thought it was very well done and it just leaves you desiring to be a better person.

Sunday's With Sue 11/22/09

Home Alone! Thought I would start the Holiday Season off with a fun, family, holiday movie. I've never seen any of the sequels, but I like this movie a lot, and think it still holds up. Sorry I didn't get to this last night. It started snowing around 5pm, and by 6:30, my power was out. So out of pure boredom, I went to sleep around 7. Oh yeah, sorry I didn't do a Friday quote. I forgot.

Haley got it first! Way to go Haley! Haley got it really quick too. B was next! Yay B! Haven't heard from you in a while! Em was next, then Jeanine, then we got a guess from one of our blog stalkers! Emily Kim! For those who may not know (Dan, Jeanine), Emily (Peterson) Kim is a childhood friend of Emily's. She was hoping we wouldn't mind if she guessed, and I told her of course not. I've always thought it was funny how well the Wright kids got along with the Peterson kids. The Casper's might have them beat, but there are a lot of Wright/Peterson friend combinations. I am friends with Jane, Catherine and Emily are friends with Andi and Emily, and Matt is friends with Spencer. And, we are all still friends.

Here is this week's movie quote:

Some of us are Baptists, others Catholics. My father was an Oldsmobile man.

CHROLS--New Moon Book Thoughts, I

I finished New Moon this morning. Hmmm. Want to say I liked it and liked the books so far, but I can’t say I do. I’m still only barely sympathetic to Bella (and if it weren’t for Kristen Stewart playing her in the movies, I know I’d like her even less!), and I’m now less sympathetic to Edward than I used to be.

Overall, I still like Charlie, and I like the Cullens, and the La Push wolves, and Billy and Emily. To me, their ongoing struggle to transcend their biology and live in a new way that overcomes their baser urges and live with love and as family is the only really compelling part of the novels. Bella’s line to Jacob to the effect of “It isn’t what you are, it’s what you do” that is the heart of the story and the only thing (besides urging from all of you) that keeps me mildly interested in finishing any of the books. The Volturi were kind of fun (especially Aro) but at their glee when the tourists came to their lair for dinner, I lost interest in them.

The major exasperation to me, and where Edward fell many notches in my mind (though he still gets points for choosing the Cullen way of being), is how both Bella and he clearly hate themselves. (I know some people really do care this little for themselves so perhaps it's good to get a glimpse into this kind of mindset, but I just don't enjoy spending time there.) This mutual self-loathing causes them to cling so tightly together—they are each other’s fix—in ways that make me completely uncomfortable. And this is especially bad—-harmful to people, even-—because Meyer thinks, and I think that most readers must think, that theirs is some great love story when it’s really just major dysfunction. Romeo and Juliet are NOT models for genuine love yet Meyer and others hold their story up that way. These books (so far, at least) are, like that play, heroin for romance junkies. “If only I can find my one and only, I will be complete…” “I’d rather have him here with me for just a few more minutes and die than face life without him.” “I can’t live in a world without you in it…” Holy crap! That’s obsession, not love. It’s unhealthy, and far too many people who don't get that will feel badly that they have never felt so deeply about another that they will think there is something wrong with them. I know I need to give folks more credit than that but here in the midst of New Moon mania it's hard to think there is a lot of deep self-reflection going on. (Of course, much of it may simply be because of beautiful boys and beautiful abs and women now feeling empowered to lust much more openly than they used to.... I hope it's mostly that!)

I don’t know if you can tell, but I’m really feeling pretty worked up right now. Sorry to be so blunt! Please fire back and help mellow me!

Happy Birthday Emily!!!

Happy Birthday Emily!!!!


That's all I got.

HAHAHA...A LITTLE OVER THE TOP, PEEPS

I was at the dreaded Wall Mart lamesauce super store this morning and at the checkout counters was this big spread of NEW MOON candy bars. I thought, wow!, a little commercial there boys and girls. They do look pretty good however, milk chocolate, peanut butter, creme and caramel. I bought one to check it out and then thought I would post it so you can all run out and buy a bunch. I bet Edward Cullen won't eat one. Taylor L. the wolf guy would go out and eat a case. Is it Ellen? the dancer. She would tippey toe around them until they were melted mush. Have fun!

Sunday's With Sue 11/15/09

Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory! The classic, 1970's version with Gene Wilder. I think this is my favorite movie from my childhood. I remember being kind of scared of parts, like the Oompa Loompas and the weird boat ride and song Gene Wilder sings, but also just loving it because it is just a crazy, fun, magical movie. I also really liked the books, I think the Glass Elevator was my favorite. If you haven't read the books, I highly recommend doing so. I also really like the Johnny Depp version of the movie. The movies are different enough, that I think you can enjoy the new one without comparing it too much to the original. Johnny Depp is great as always, I love how he's always telling the one kid to stop mumbling. And Depp plays Willy Wonka in a great, kind of creepy way.

Emily guessed it first! Nice job Em! Dan guessed right second, then Ben, and that was it! This was harder for you guys than I thought it would be. Dan's first guess was Monty Python's Meaning of Life. I went back and read the quotes I did and they totally sound like they could be Monty Python.

Here is this week's movie quote:

Person #1- Did anybody order me a plain cheese?

Person #2- Yeah, we did but if you want any somebody's gonna have to barf it all up, cause it's gone.

"THIS IS IT"

Here is a pic of Stanley/Neil/Chester at 4 weeks, 2 days. Pretty cute, huh!

Snob Violin Bow of the Century

• This was just funny to me. I was daydreaming about getting back into playing the violin, and buying myself a nice new bow. The one I have now is fine, but needs to be re-haired, and is not as bouncy and springy as I'd like, but it did get me through All-State Orchestra twice, and bi-annual recitals for 3+ years. It was about $80. So I was on this site, fisherviolins.com, and came across this little gem. Another one I came across was made of "Finest Stallion Hair." I think that there is something different about a stallions hair vs. other horse hair, but I couldn't tell you what. Anyways, my favorite part is that it offers free shipping. In bold. I'm pretty sure the people that buy this bow don't really care about saving $20 on shipping. 
• Free Shipping!
• Finest Old Materials
• Fine Pernambuco Stick
• 14k Gold-Mounted, Hand-Made Frog with Abalone Slide and Parisian Eye
• Gold Winding and Leather Grip
• Siberian Horsehair
• 4/4 Size Only

Price for this glorified piece of horse hair and wood? $8,400. 

Up - 4 Stars

We watched this movie last night and we absolutely loved it! It came out on DVD two days ago. It is a Disney/Pixar so the animation is great and it is all very well done. It is a heartwarming adventure story. It has some really great lessons in it as well. It is a must see for all ages. It also has some great humor. There is a Golden Retriever in it named Doug and I think he was my favorite character, really funny! It follows Mr. Frederickson, Russell, Doug, and Kevin on their adventure to get to Paradise Falls. I don't want to explain the whole story line because it will ruin it. I am making no sense and this is a really hud sauce review but it really is a great movie so you all need to watch it!

OKAY YOU FOUND OUT

I know I called Emily and Rob "crazy idiots" for getting a puppy just before Ells was born. Well what goes around, comes around, and now mom and i are the "idiots". What can I say? We miss having a dog and I am sad driving around town without a dog in the truck. So we are trying it one more time and I must say I can't wait... I am picking the little hummer up on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.



Some name choices on our short list are: Walter, Chester, Tucker, Stanley, Nelson, Baxter and Neil. Any comments would be welcome.

CHROLS--Twilight Progress Report 1

Hey Fellow CHROLS... Finished Twilight yet?

I finished it a few days ago. For the first couple hundred pages I was going a bit crazy being inside Bella's head. I couldn't believe all the angst and second-guessing herself and her feelings and Edward's feelings and all the other high schoolers' feelings and all the rest that apparently goes through a teenage girl's brain. I had to check with Hope to see if it was pretty accurate, which she assured me it was. Yikes. New respect for anyone who makes it through their day with all of that going on!

Things got a bit better in this way after they declared their feelings for each other and the plot turned toward the Cullens and then the other vampires who they meet up with. The action wasn't all that compelling from that point on, but I'll have to say I kind of liked the Cullen stuff (maybe have to rethink the acronym for our little group?). The theological/philosophical issue of overcoming one's nature, striving to be something higher than one's biology encourages one to, is always worth chewing on, and my guess is that theme will continue in the coming books as we meet werewolves and Bella continues to make her choices. I was actually surprised by her being so desirous of being turned so early in the game. I sure as heck hope that Hope wouldn't ever be that boy crazy after just a few weeks that she'd be willing to leave everything behind to follow him into his world.

In that same vein (pun intended), I can't say that I'm all that impressed with Bella as a character so far. She's smart and articulate but her klutzy stuff is a bit overplayed for my taste, and I'd like to see her actually NOT need rescuing quite so often. She's a companion for Edward who has been lonely for so long, but does she really bring much of anything else to the table for the Cullen family? What can/do they learn from her and her particular qualities. Her blood smells really good but I'd like to think it will be more than that as the books unfold.

Overall, I can't say that I'd for certain keep reading the series if it weren't for our Thanksgiving Day New Moon plans, but I'll definitely have at least that one read between now and then. Thanks for encouraging me to venture into Forks at least this far. I'll keep you posted as I look around some more.

Random Movie Quote Quiz

Hey, Peeps. I'm not trying to upstage or mess with SWS. Just a little quote to keep you thinking and active on this blog. Make your guess, or a comment in comments, see who gets it. Probabally Susan.

"Thank God for the model train, because if they didn't have the model train, they wouldn't have gotten the idea for the big train."

Can't wait for Thanksgiving, New Moon, family, food and the pup.

Firelight

My friend Megan sent me this spoof and it is very funny to me. Cat and I just watched Twilight last night, so all the scenes were still fresh in my mind and I was impressed by the good job they did recreating them in classic SNL fashion. Enjoy--

Volturi Baby!

The Twilight Saga: New Moon Volturi Featurette

Trailer Park | MySpace Video

Seeing this gets me so excited to see New Moon. The Volturi have fascinated me since they were mentioned in Twilight and their addition to New Moon is my favorite part about that book. Anyway, I'm excited for the Volturi scene and think the actors they got to play them are excellent. It begs one question though: Is an Aro/vampire Micheal Sheen going to remind me of Austin Powers too?

Sunday's With Sue at last

The Watcher in the Woods! I knew this would be a tough one, but I thought more people would get it. Especially how it's become a classic at the Phister house. I thought of this movie because when Booker was here we were laughing about how Matt scared us while we were watching this movie. I kind of gave it away with the last quote. Anyway, Amy got it first! Way to go Amy! You haven't won in a while, and I don't think you've won since we started the playlist thing, so looking forward to hearing some Amy tunes. Cat got it next and that was it. Haley thought maybe it was Ghostbusters.

Here is this week's movie quote. I'm going to let this one go until next Sunday, since it is already Wednesday:

Just remember, there are many more important things in the world. Many, many more important things. I can't think of what they are, but I'm sure they're out there.

Happy Birthday Kelly!

Kelly is 18 years old today! Hard to believe we have another adult child. Kelly is enjoying her senior year of high school. She is involved in a lot of activities; she is an officer in a club called CAN (a club which encourages kids to stay off drugs & alcohol), she is a peer leader (visits elementary schools to spread the message), played volleyball (kindof--long, sad story :( worst coach in history!), is in her second or third year of stained glass (the sun behind her is not one of her projects--that picture was taken at a friend's house-but she does very nice work!), is taking pottery, Cullinary Arts for the second year for college credit, and some other college classes. She does well in school, LOVES to read vampire books (not just Twilight), and has too many friends for me to keep track of. She just got a snowboard for her birthday (she loves to do that, too!). Transformers is her favorite movie and she loves starbursts, cheese and carbs in all forms. She loves babies and small children and is like a magnet to them. She has a very contagious smile. She lights up the room with her smile and sparkly eyes. She is strong-willed (in a good way), dedicated and friendly to everyone. She thinks she would like to go into the field of social work in the future. Well, there's just a little about Kelly. I feel absolutely privileged to be her mother. Happy Birthday Kellz!! Love you.....Kisses!!!!

Dear Sue

There once was this thing you used to do on the blog and you called it "Sunday's With Sue". What ever happened to that?

Love,
Em