Monday, July 27, 2009

The Curious Movie

So, we watched "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" the other night. I had really been looking forward to it because I love F. Scott Fitzgerald and I had recently read the short story this movie is "based" on.

The only similarities are the name of the main character and the fact that he ages backwards. I am not kidding or exaggerating. That's it. If they had given the character a different name, they wouldn't even have had to credit Fitzgerald at all.

Having said that, I really enjoyed the movie. I loved the acting and the story was interesting. The love story didn't ring true with me, but maybe that's because it wasn't what I was expecting. And the makeup in this movie is incredible. Whoever made Brad Pitt look 20 again is more than welcome to come over and give me a few tips!

All in all, I would recommend this movie for one viewing. I don't think I'm likely to watch it again, but it was a pleasant way to spend three hours.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Happy birthday, teenager!

My oldest son turns 13 this week. Unbelievable!Here he is as a newborn in 1996.And here he is now. The thing that baffles me the most is how he could have grown so much and I still look exactly the same. One of the mysteries of the universe, I suppose.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Another 80s indulgence

One of the most fun things I do as a parent, although admittedly trivial in the grand scheme of things, is introduce my kids to things I love and see their reactions. Many favorite movies, books, and television shows of mine are waiting for the boys to be old enough to see or read. Much of my favorite music has already been played repeatedly in the van and around the house.

Last week, using Netflix's online instant viewing feature, we all started watching Simon & Simon, season 1. What a time warp! Imagine private detectives in 1981, before computers, before cell phones, before caller ID for crying out loud! This was one of my favorite shows from the time I was 12 until it went off the air in 1989. A true '80s indulgence. I remember I kept a notebook of all the episodes, who guest starred, plot synopses, and favorite lines from the episodes. Yeah, I was obsessed. Mostly due to the extensively gorgeous Jameson Parker, I admit. I'll have to hunt up the picture of the giant Simon & Simon collage I had on my bedroom wall. It was awesome.

Anyway, for such a dated show, the storylines are usually fun and exciting, if a tad predictable. The best parts of every show are the banter between brothers Rick and A.J. and the times they use disguises to get information. Watching this show again, it's no wonder I wanted to be an actor. It looks like they're having so much fun! And I really like that even though there are plenty of murder mysteries, we don't have to see close-ups of the corpse. And even though the brothers have many lady friends, we don't have to look into their bedrooms. Much better than today's television.

So now every night the boys come running upstairs asking to watch Simon & Simon. I told my oldest two they were lucky I didn't know for sure I'd have two boys in a row or they'd be named Rick and A.J. They didn't seem to mind the idea too much.

Friday, July 10, 2009

Cool

Can you believe it's the tenth of July and we haven't turned the air conditioner on once yet this month? One third of the way through July, and no AC! Unbelievable.

I am really loving this weather. This is my idea of perfect. Eighty during the day, sixty at night, with little to no humidity, and a light breeze. Hot enough in the sun for the kids to swim, but cool enough I can sit in the shade comfortably. If it were like this every year, I wouldn't dread summer so much.