Quick update!

Lots of goodies coming soon, like actual photos from my roommate's son's birthday, the OC fair, and Comic Con! But until I've gone through those, let me just say that it's been a crazy couple of weeks. Work has been kind of a nightmare, my kitty broke her jaw and we had a very sad and stressful evening at the vet, and I've been oh-so-tired.

But!

I'm cooking more, I'm exercising more, I've been watching good movies, and everything for the most part hasn't been THAT bad. So I'm just checking in not just to complain, but to say HI and I'm alive.

Orange is the New Black

My apologies for not updating in so long, but the truth is that all my free time this week was spent watching Orange is the New Black, the new show on Netflix everybody is talking about. Yes, it's as good as they say. Craig and I finished the finale last night and I need Season 2 RIGHT NOW. I'm so hooked! Every character is so well-written and well-acted. We get to see their back stories and see them as people beyond typical prison cliches. I'm especially a fan of Sophia (played by Laverne Cox), a transgender inmate who does all their hair. She's just so lovely. And in addition to all the new faces, I'm loving getting to see Natasha Lyonne, Kate Mulgrew, and Laura Prepon. It's a great show, go watch it!

In other news, I had a hellish week and I'm beyond thrilled that the weekend is finally here! Woo!

Carmen

When I grow up, I want to be Carmen Dell'Orefice.

Morgan Spurlock's "30 Days"

I recently started watching Morgan Spurlock's show "30 Days" on Netflix (you know him from his Oscar-nominated documentary Super Size Me)...and it's verrrry interesting! Each episode of the show features someone placed in a situation completely out of their comfort zone for 30 days to get an idea of how other people live their lives. For example, an atheist lived with a Christian family for a month and attended church and Bible study with them. A straight Christian man lived with a gay man for a month and meets his friends and family and sees different aspects of his lifestyle. A man who patrols the Mexican border lives with a family of illegal immigrants for a month. You get the idea.  Regardless of your beliefs, this show is a thought-provoking look at how the other side lives. It definitely has a liberal slant (which I don't mind) but it's definitely worth watching and forming your own opinions about.

How would you challenge yourself for 30 days?

Summer Cinema!

I have a lot of fun with my seasonal movie watching! I watch certain movies at specific times of the year (ask anyone who knows me how seriously I take this!) and these are a few of my favorite summer titles:

1. The Indiana Jones trilogy (Kingdom of the Crystal What?): Indiana Jones means adventure, and adventure is a big summer theme for me!

2. Gidget Goes Hawaiian: I like the first Gidget movie too, but the Hawaiian setting and colorful characters give the second Gidget movie an edge!

3. Do The Right Thing: Spike Lee's film about racial tension on the hottest day of the year. Not exactly happy and uplifting, but an excellent film nonetheless.

4. Stand By Me: Probably one of the best coming-of-age movies ever

5. Close Encounters of the Third Kind: Yeah, there's quite a bit of Steven Spielberg on this list. His movies remind me of my childhood, and I'm always nostalgic in summertime. This one's definitely a favorite.

6. The Sandlot: This movie holds up so well for me...it was one of the first movies I remember seeing in a theatre and I still watch it every year.

7. Beach Blanket Bingo: My favorite of the Annette Funicello/Frankie Avalon movies...pure silliness.

8. Jaws: I just rewatched this one after seeing the annual fireworks in my city on the 3rd of July, and I think that might've been the perfect time. It's insane to me that Spielberg was 27 when he made this film...it's perfect.

9. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial: Another perfect film. This one makes me cry! So good.

10. Grease: With a song called Summer Lovin', how could I not include this one?

11. The Goonies: Indiana Jones meets Stand By Me? Haha

12. Signs: The wind blowing through the cornfields reminds me of hot summer nights...say what you will about M. Night Shyamalan, he made decent movies once (twice?)

What are your favorite summer films?

4th of July!

I love the 4th of July! It's the summeriest of holidays, and this year we had high temperatures and blue skies, perfect for a dip in the pool, an impromptu game of badminton, chowing down on lots of food (including homemade ice cream cookie sandwiches that I brought!), and lighting off some fireworks. It was my niece Daniella's first 4th of July and she was upset by the loud noises at the end of the night, but seemed to enjoy herself otherwise. Just a great couple of days spent with friends and family. Hope yours was good as well!