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Movies that Don’t Suck - July 28, 2008
Author: Jenn, Category: Play
Given that I don’t often have a lot of free time, and when I do it tends to be in relatively short bursts, I spend much of it watching movies these days. (When I have random free time, it’s just easy to pop in a DVD or something.) So I decided to add a “regular” feature here detailing movies I’ve seen in the somewhat recent past that didn’t completely suck. Here’s the first edition of movies that Jenn says don’t suck ass:
My House in Umbria
Keeping Mum
In Bruges
Love and Other Disasters
Since this is the first of these kinds of posts, I’ll list several other decent movies I’ve seen over the past couple of weeks / months, but without going into detail:
- Night Watch
(finally got around to this one - I’ve been wanting to see it since I found out from one of the bands on the soundtrack that the US distribution was settled - quite a while back) - 4 stars
- Dawn of the Dead
(yeah, I know - I’m probably one of the last people to see it) - 4.5 stars
- Ladies in Lavender
(a bit slower than I would have liked, and I didn’t feel like the ending really summed too much up, but you can’t go wrong with Maggie Smith and Judi Dench) - 3 stars
- The House of Yes
(a deliciously fucked up film) - 4 stars
- Love Actually
(not as great as the hype led me to believe, but it didn’t suck) - 3 stars
- Top Hat
(Given my love of older musicals and Fred Astaire in particular, I surprisingly haven’t seen all of the Fred and Ginger films - Loved this one - wasn’t it great when actors actually had to have some talent other than “looking pretty?”) - 4 stars
I’ll tell you when a long weekend isn’t such a good thing:
- When it’s unexpectedly forced on you, so you don’t have time to make plans to enjoy it.
- When you wake up one morning during that long weekend to crippling back pain that lasts for days.
- When you find out more than one instant messenger account of yours was hacked.
- When you get emails from your Web host threatening account suspension, when even they can’t really figure out what the problem is.
I could go on. I’ve been “off” of work since Thursday, and won’t be back to normal until Tuesday. This is because we had some incredibly nasty storms on Wednesday afternoon and evening (not terribly common for my area, although these past few months we’ve been hit unusually hard).
The storm led to some not-so-mild leaking in my office area - above where I sit (as in a trampoline-sized water spot over my head) and over a section of my desk where I tend to keep my notes and files for projects I’m working on. I’m just thankful I caught the leak in that area quickly enough to move files before much was damaged.
So I took off of work Thursday to clean up some of the mess and start moving some of my office stuff - also thinking the maintenance guys would be in to take a look at things. They weren’t able to actually do anything that day, so I was told they’d be back Friday. A guy came Friday, and I had to take off due to them having to fix the ceiling interior (the fumes of the sealant they use overpower the whole place and made me violently ill (sorry for the image) this past spring when they had an issue in the exact same area.
Well, they fixed the ceiling, but weren’t able to go up on the roof - they’re supposed to do that Monday. Well, that would have been OK had a nice weekend been planned. But no - Saturday night and then again Sunday we had more crazy-assed storms. So I had more leaking in the area (yes, the area that they just fixed). I had to have a maintenance guy called in on his day off (yeah, I felt bad about it) to have them put a drip pan in the little attic area to at least stop more water from getting into my apartment. They’re still going to fix the roof on Monday, and they’ll now have to re-fix the ceiling, which means I’m off of work on Monday as well, again due to the fumes that will keep me out of here for several hours. Lovely.
I’m not blaming the maintenance guys or anything. And I even love storms. But this just has me going a bit nuts. If I’m going to have a 5-day weekend, I wish it were planned in advance, so I could have spent it actually doing something. Instead I spent it in pain, relocating all of my office electronics to another room, and re-positionaling bowls, pots, and glasses to catch the water that’s so insistent about getting into my apartment.
I won’t even get into the other drama of the last few days. It’s all working itself out (except for my hacked AIM accounts, but ranting about AOL’s lack of customer service and apparent support of identity theft would take far more energy than I’m willing to expend right now).
Update: My ceiling is finally relatively “fixed,” they claim to have found and fixed the leak up on the roof finally, my back’s doing much better, I was able to recover one of the hacked accounts, and my host fixed the issue I was having with them, even apologizing saying it was a mistake on their end. So joyous day. We have a happy Jenn again.
Pouring a rum and coke or two - or three. Lying back in bed, reminiscing about loves lost with a combination of sappy love songs and those empowering female anthems playing in the background while you occasionally belt out the tunes at the top of your lungs. Sounds depressing, right? Or perhaps more pathetic? That’s how I would summarize my last few evenings.
No. I didn’t recently go through a breakup. I’d need a new boyfriend first for that. Instead, I’m working.
I’ve been repeatedly forcing myself into my past - past boyfriends and the corresponding breakups, all for the good of a novel I’m working on.
The working title of the book isThree Weeks. Ironically, it’s a comedy.
The book deals with a character not terribly unlike myself - nearing 30, and progressively more tormented by the thought of dealing with that all-too-common stigma on single women over 30 (I don’t care what those “40 is the new 30″ folks are saying just to make themselves feel younger - it does still exist).
The novel is actually broken down into a series of 15 shorter stories (after the outlining, I’m expecting to drop a few - maybe 10 in the end), each detailing a past failed relationship. We’re not talking about long-term, serious beaus and we’re not talking about one-night stands. No. Jillian (the lead) is looking back on those more fleeting romances - realizing that most “went sour” in a revealing three-week period.
Whether the relationship ended after three weeks, or the three week mark was simply the point of no return, she realizes that’s her “magic number” - apparently all the staying power she has.
While progressing through the book she works to come to terms with her singledom while evaluating what she’s learned from those past relationships - what each of those three week periods (at least should have) taught her.
The structure of the book itself involves an introduction, and then a chapter for each relationship, broken down into five segments / scenes - how she met the guy, week one, week two, week three, and how the relationship ultimately ended. And of course we’ll have a closing section for the novel as a whole.
I’m currently outlining the novel (and I’m expecting to complete that by the end of this coming weekend - about a two-week outlining process). While I’m coming up with these relationship scenarios, I’m forcing myself to become Jillian by re-living my own past relationships in my mind - trying to recall the emotions most people would prefer to forget.
So for the sake of humour, I have to delve into the more depressing side of my past. I look at it this way - perhaps my exes will finally be good for something.
(Note: None of the male characters in the book are actually based on specific exes of my own - that would make for a far more boring story)
And now I’m off to ponder past boyfriends, good booze, and the lighter side of having your heart broken.
Organic Fudge - Chocolate on the Job
Author: Jenn, Category: Stuff
One of the greatest things about blogging being a part of my overall business model is that all of the great things I do or try for the sake of reviews are technically a part of my work. This past week that included eating chocolate “on the job” - lots of it. Envy me ladies.
I had some organic Rich Rainforest Dark fudge sent over for review from Earth’s Sweet Pleasures. Here’s my review:
Not previously having any kind of organic food shipped via mail, I had no idea what to expect when I received the Rich Rainforest Dark fudge from Earth’s Sweet Pleasures. I was imagining that something like fudge would arrive on the soft side given the summer heat.
Much to my surprise, it arrived in perfect condition - no melting; no stickiness. As a matter of fact, there was a “dry” element to it that a lot of fudge lacks. I mean that in a good way. Dry to the touch, but it could practically melt in your mouth - now that’s what fudge is supposed to be like if you ask me.
In addition to being new to organic fudge at all, I’m also not a big chocolate lover. It’s rare that I actually want to eat chocolate, but I found that once I tasted this, I was loving it (and sharing it - it was equally loved all around). The fudge was so rich that it was ideal - it could satisfy any chocolate craving, but you wouldn’t find yourself mindlessly devouring it (something that rich has to be savored; not inhaled).
In addition to loving the organic fudge itself, the way it’s packaged was wonderful (probably even moreso for the chocoholic types) - it’s broken down into individual one ounce cubes, so you always know exactly what you’re eating - something anyone counting calories would love. I don’t know what exactly makes this fudge so outstanding. All I know is that I fully intend to order more.
Fudge = Family Female Bonding
OK, so we didn’t actually “bond” over fudge, but not being the chocolate-craving type myself, I decided to share with my mother and my sister. I brought some over to their place, and they both loved it. My sister’s first reaction had to do with the “dry” element (in a good way) that I mentioned in the review above. My mother doesn’t particularly like fudge - but this she said “went down easy” - she loved it. See that? It isn’t just me. This is some good stuff.
How it Measured Up
Why share one type of fudge if we could share three? I hadn’t eaten any kind of fudge in ages, so I didn’t feel that a review alone was enough (and you don’t have to be a chocolate addict to occasionally just want an excuse to eat more of it).
I decided to pit it against two other types of fudge: Plain chocolate fudge from the local Gertrude Hawk shop, and some plain chocolate fudge from a local department store, Boscov’s (they make it “in-house”).
The organic fudge from Earth’s Sweet Pleasures came out on top when all three of us compared all three types of fudge.
For my mother and me, it won hands-down. The department store fudge tasted like glorified canned cake frosting rather than fudge (I couldn’t eat more than a dime-sized piece to test it - gave the rest to them, and I believe it’s still just sitting around). My mother said the Gertrude Hawk fudge seemed sweeter - too sweet compared to the organic fudge she had earlier. I loved the Gertrude Hawk fudge, but not as much as the other option. It was definitely rich. My problem has more to do with how it was stored - they had it sitting next to peanut butter fudge, and it picked up the taste (disgustingly so - a rich chocolate fudge that’s “plain” shouldn’t have a lingering and somewhat overpowering taste of peanuts).
For my sister, the same complaints were made about the department store fudge. She had a tougher time choosing between the shipped fudge and the Gertrude Hawk fudge.
In the end, if I wanted fudge immediately, I’d run to the store and get it from Gertrude Hawk. If I knew I was going to need it (special event, just to have for a weekend, for a gift, etc.), I would absolutely order from Earth’s Sweet Pleasures instead.
What I Wouldn’t do for a Gay Man
Author: Jenn, Category: Love
You’ve probably heard some woman, at some point, say something to the effect of “all the good men are taken or gay.” While I know it’s far from the truth, it can certainly seem that way.
Anyway, my sister and I were having an odd conversation earlier (we have a lot of those), and somehow we got on the topic of Rupert Everett. I believe it was because we were hanging out a few days previously, when that movie with him and Madonna came on TV (while we didn’t have any intention of watching it - Madonna as an actress just doesn’t do anything for us - we were mesmerized by him - we often are).
We were talking about how much relationships suck, and how if it came down to it, hooking up with a gay man would be ideal (if he were anything like Everett of course - although I think I’m on the verge of swearing off British men - poor me) - suave, adorable, well-spoken…. and no post-hookup man drama. Seriously, there are reasons a lot of women find themselves attracted to gay men (and it’s not just because we can’t have them).
Now, for starters, I’m not the “hook up” type of gal to begin with; gay or straight. But I seriously think straight men could learn a lot from their gay counterparts. So what exactly is it that we love so much about gay guys?
- They get us - or at least they seem to.
- They talk to us - and more importantly, they often listen (although I’ve known a few exceptions).
- They’re comfortable around us (there’s very little that’s less attractive than someone who can’t just be himself - and many men really aren’t themselves around women - and we do notice).
So anyway, we’re having a 2 or 3 night Rupert Everett movie-thon (only one a night; nothing exciting). Tonight we watched My Best Friend’s Wedding (that movie always reminds me why I won’t date men who stay friends with exes), and tomorrow we’re going to watch The Importance of Being Earnest (love it). If we do a third, we’ll probably watch An Ideal Husband (which I haven’t seen in a few years, and don’t remember much about at the moment).
That’s that - a gay hookup (or at the very least finding a new gay best friend) is sounding like it might be the best relationship in my future. Either that, or hopefuly a straight guy will step up to the plate. We’ll see how I feel if I hit 30 and I’m still single.
Helping the Seemingly Helpless
Author: Jenn, Category: Work
Today I want to talk about something that really rubs me the wrong way - people who ask for “help” when what they really want is for you to give them a complete blueprint for success, or some step-by-step guide with guarantees. I’m talking about business today - specifically two types of people: those looking to become freelance writers and those looking to make money blogging.
I do both.
I write about both.
I give people tips on how they can successfully do both as well.
Still I get emails from people essentially saying they want to make a full-time income this way working from home, but have absolutely no idea where to start. Then they ask me to tell them how I do it.
Sometimes I feel for them. More often, it makes me want to scream. I used to try to help them. Now I generally just link them to one of my blogs and let them research everything I’ve already laid out there.
These folks frustrate the hell out of me, but they do get one thing right. At least they’re trying to learn - that’s much better than jumping into something like a new career while you’re clueless.
What they get wrong is that they expect someone to hold their hand through the process or tell them how to exactly replicate their own success.
What’s worse is that when I do tell people how to succeed at it (my blogs and such aren’t making me “rich” but I do very well - I’m working towards full-time blogging by the end of ‘09 if things keep going as planned). Here’s what I tell them:
- Choose a specialty or niche (both for freelancing and for blogging) based not only on what makes money now (as that always changes), but on what you know and won’t get sick of in a few weeks or months.
- Start researching the basics of getting yourself set up (for blogging that might mean getting a blog physically set up and hosted; for freelancing that might mean learning about the administrative duties you’ll be responsible for on top of client work).
- When it comes to freelance writing, learn how to set your rates properly from the start (and don’t accept ridiculously low rates just because others tell you that’s what new writers have to do - those people are clueless).
- Learn the basics of effective marketing before you get started. That does NOT mean learn the tactics everyone else is using - it means learn the fundamentals that serve as a foundation in understanding any and all potential marketing tactics, as well as helping you understand your own target market (if you don’t know who they are and what influences them to buy, click on ads, visit your blog again, spread the word, etc., you won’t make it very far).
- Start networking! This is true whether you’re writing for clients or managing your own blogs - networks matter. These are people that will link to you, refer gigs to you, and more.
- Work your ass off. If you don’t treat your blog or your freelancing as much like a business as possible, chances are that you won’t come close to the rewards you’re hoping to receive in the long run.
- Speaking of the long run, don’t expect to immediately get rich. It just doesn’t happen often, and you should never bank on being an exception to any rule.
Essentially, my response is to tell them that they need to educate themselves, build their networks, and work hard. Of course, that’s not what they want to hear. They think I have some magic want I can wave to make them an instant success. But like it or not, it’s good old fashioned work that builds a sustainable and solid income stream - even online.
</rant>
YogaToes Knock My Socks Off
Author: Jenn, Category: Stuff
I learned a long time ago not to take my feet for granted. I pamper them often enough I suppose. I’m also a fan of yoga. But yoga for your feet? I’ll admit the YogaToes name was the first thing that got my attention.
After looking into YogaToes (from YogaPro), I found myself itching to try them. But I was hesitant. The price isn’t ridiculous or anything, but it was just enough to make me wonder if I really wanted to spend that much for something I was going to stick between my toes.
Then two things happened:
- I was having guy issues (and man-induced mood swings are best alleviated with personal pampering), and
- I was paging through a magazine and saw a coupon for $15 off YogaToes (or something like that).
In that moment of “weakness” I let out a big “Why not?” and went online to order a pair.
Remind me to spend more money when I’m down.
YogaToes are the best purchase I’ve made for myself in a while when it comes to things that simply make me feel good (and I went on a pampering “binge” just a few months ago, so that’s saying something). I’d say they’re “better than chocolate,” but that wouldn’t be saying much, as I’m anything but a chocoholic.
OK. I love them. But what do they do?
Yoga toes are toe separators on steroids. You know those little toe separators you use during a pedicure? It’s a similar concept - only it feels awesome.
You slide your toes into the holes in the rubbery (although honestly scentless, not to mention easy to clean) YogaToes, and they’re basically pulled apart. You can wet the YogaToes if you find it hard to get them on, but I generally find that I don’t need to do that.
My only wish is that they offered a larger size (I have big old freaky feet, so I used the medium size - they also have small). However, it’s not their fault that I don’t feel more of a stretch (and I do feel a stretch). I would say I wear flip flops 95% of the time, and I pretty much never have my feet in pointy-toed shoes. In otherwords, my feet aren’t as abused as those of many women - my toes aren’t regularly crammed together, so they didn’t need to be stretched out much.
The longer I keep them on, the more I forget about them, but the more I feel them working. Yes, I know that sounds contradictory, but it’s the truth.
I feel most of the stretch between the last two toes on my right foot, which are closer together than my other toes for whatever reason. You could call it pain. But I love it. No, I’m not a masochist - it’s the kind of “pain” that lets you know something’s working, but not so uncomfortable that you want to stop. It’s good pain.
I wear my YogaToes as often as possible. I’m even wearing them right now while I’m blogging. I couldn’t suggest strongly enough that you do the same.
Whether you abuse your feet daily in pointy-toed heels, or you just want to treat your feet to a bit of deserved attention, YogaToes are more than worth the investment. Not only do they make your feet feel great, but they’re as close to effortless as you can get when it comes to any kind of stretching - you just put them on and forget about them.
Personally I bought the pretty blue ones you see here in the pictures, but don’t fret - there are plenty of feminine (and even manly) options to choose from.