Cluster Cuss

My favorite childhood authors include Ann M. Martin and Roald Dahl. I read almost every Babysitters Club book there was, I will forever thank whichever parent it was that had the great idea to pay for me to be in that book club. They delivered three to my door each month, including special collections and something extra for my birthday each year. I hope I am accurately remembering the joy those books brought me- because some of my favorite moments at 3221 Lakeland Court are sitting under a blanket that was over the heat vent with a quilt, Kristy, Mary Anne and the rest of the club.  

I have already written about the wonderful world of Matilda my favorite Roald Dahl story, click here if you missed it. But today we are watching the film adaptation of The Fantastic Mr. Fox. This film is animated, but I am not sure if it is claymation, like Wallace and Gromit. I think it is for sure stop motion. Actually it sort of looks like the foxes are puppets. Anyway it is directed by Wes Anderson so it has some of the familiar actors lending their voice talents that find themselves in other Wes Anderson movies adding in George Clooney and Meryl Streep as Mr. and Mrs. Fox. The film and the book are similar in story but not exactly the same. 

One of my favorite parts of this film is the fact that there are no swear words in the movie. They use the word cuss instead. It brings a smile to my face. Against his wife's better judgement, Mr. Fox goes back to his old ways, stealing from the three mean farmers that live around their tree. Mr. Fox gets greedy and it results in his tail being shot off by the three farmers, who are hell bent on killing Mr. Fox because he stole chickens, goose, turkey, and cider. The Fox's dig down and far away to escape the three angry farmers. It appears as though things are safe, but then gallons of alcoholic cider are introduced to the story and whoa! You need to see the rest of the film for the end of the story. One of the morals of this story is that Mr. Fox has a desire to make everyone think he is "fantastic" that he does not make the best decisions for himself and his family. 

I had some trouble coming up with an RA program with this film. I am not sure that the moral I saw when watching this film was actually intended by Mr. Dahl. I did find it interesting that the animals in this film put bandit hats on when they start a mission. Well except for Ash, Mr. Fox's son- he wears a tube sock. Maybe instead of planning a program, you should get together with your residents, make some bandit hats out of old tshirts, and teach each other karate or spend 30 minutes meditating. As a residence life professional I feel I have to discourage mischief publicly, so avoid mischief.  

Cheese!!

There are few things I enjoy more than eating. I like to read, I like movies, I like the internet...but I LOVE eating. One of my favorite things to do on weekends is to sort of picnic at home. I am not sure why I do not do it more often. Once I was watching Ina Garten on the Barefoot Contessa and I learned that there is a name to my kind of picnic. It is called a Ploughman's Lunch and it dates back to a long time ago. It is some meat, bread, and cheese on a tray. When you work out in the fields all day and you need a lunch that is hearty but quick. I like to think my weekends of laundry and dust bunny annihilation are very comparable to working in the fields all day.  

My lunch looked NOTHING like this :)

At my house I have a couple variations: wheat thins, cheddar, an apple, some other kind of cheese, then some more cheese, option two is cucumber, feta, tomatoes, wheat thins or some sort of bread. I call that one my quasi-Greek meal. I skip the meat part, I do not cook a lot of meat around here so there is not a lot left over for things like a ploughman's lunch. Sometimes I add some wine or juice but most often I just drink water. There is something I really like about cheese and crackers and water. I suppose I should make sure to point out that this is not an endorsement for wheat thins, I like a lot of crackers, but wheat thins with sharp cheddar cheese is just a winning combo. 

But I eat these things just off the cutting board on the floor in the living room. Well I cut them to eat, you know, I don't pre-cut things. I added an orange yesterday too. It makes me feel like I am camping or on vacation. To make things even better this weekend I still had the smokey smell in my jacket from the first bonfire of the season so the house had a certain campfire smell.

Enough Bat Speed?

Surprise, surprise! I watched one of my favorite movies today! Fever Pitch! My favorite part about this movie is that they had to rewrite the ending because the Curse of the Bambino was broken and the Red Sox came back to win it! Oh and I love Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore together. This is such a cute movie. It also has an AWESOME soundtrack. If you do not already own it I suggest you get to it. It is a great listen from start to finish kind of album. They do not make albums like that anymore-that is why I have always been drawn to soundtracks. 

But honesty there are two things I was contemplating while watching this film today. One is that I have been very vocal about my disappointment with music albums today. The majority are focused on the "grab a track" kind of albums and not "listen from start to finish" kind of albums. I think there is a distinct difference in an artist that can produce hot tracks that you want to listen to in order because that is the best way to enjoy the music and the ones that have one or two top songs that they just want to sell. 

The other thing is anonymity. I started this blog under complete anonymity and no one knew it was me posting all of these incredibly witty things. But I used to look at it as both a creative and emotional outlet- I did not realize that until I went to write the post about Frankie and Johnny. I held back on things I was thinking about while posting that I probably would have shared a year ago before my identity was tied to it. In a way I suppose that really makes me part of this current generation and their fascination with Yik Yak and other anonymous sites. I might understand what that means now. Maybe I will explore that more later but I suppose I should focus on the film right now!

In the film Fever Pitch, there are two main characters-Ben (Fallon) and Lindsey (Barrymore) and they start to date each other, she is a workaholic and he is a math teacher and a die hard Red Sox fan. Actually die hard might be an understatement. According to Lindsey he even has Yankee toilet paper. As we watch they have some of the age old relationship issues, they have lots of fun with one another, make out a lot, enjoy interests that are similar and different, they even confront a possible pregnancy. The Red Sox are essential to the story and if you did not know much about them beforehand you will by the end of the movie. Lindsey gets an offer to go to Paris and invites Ben, but he can't go because the Red Sox have a big game. She spills the beans that her period is late and even though Ben does not go to Paris, he guys a little Red Sox jersey in size one for a player yet to be named. It appears that this possible pregnancy has derailed paradise for the love birds. Lindsey is not sure about Ben anymore and in fact there are a few minutes when it looks like Ben and Lindsey might not make it- but I will go ahead and ruin it for you- they end up together in the end.  

You find yourself rooting for the Red Sox just as much as you are rooting for Ben and Lindsey to make it. There is something likable about a love story like this one, it is simple and sweet. This story has all the pieces it needs, attraction, laughter, make outs, little drama, more making out, BIG drama, happy resolution. Isn't that the classic combination of events that makes a great story that can be told again and again? Well if I were to plan a program about this movie, I think I would focus on obsession. Like Ben's obsession with the Red Sox. College students can all find some sort of obsession or addiction they have: checking facebook every hour or some other social media, Starbucks, I am sure they can find something. In RA training one year some RAs read James Frey's book A Million Little Pieces and one of the RHDs that year came up with an activity for RAs to give them a tiny bit of perspective about addiction. I am not suggesting that giving up checking facebook for a period of time at all compares to drug addiction and the challenges that addiction brings someone, but it was an interesting activity. The RAs were challenged to cut that addiction cold turkey and journal about it- at times when they were not successful and cheated a bit and when they resisted the urge. Then they compared that to the struggle that they read about in the book. RAs can compare their struggle in this instance to Ben's struggle to choose Lindsey over the Red Sox. Oh boy. That might spark some interesting conversation!

Do You Believe in Fairies?

Another day another feeling of plain crap. Not even pretty, glittered covered crap- just yuck. Well this yuck just turned into luck for you readers. Today I started to watch Finding Neverland a great Johnny Depp film. This movie is all about imagination, the wonderful imagination of J.M. Barrie. I love imagination-I feel fortunate to have a wild imagination myself. My imagination sometimes joins forces with my anxiety and makes for tough times in this brain of mine. 

Anyway I was very excited to see Peter Pan form before my eyes in this film, and then I remembered why I have not seen it in ages. The disc is defective! I remember now the jumping between scenes of James' cold and unimaginative wife and his creative filled afternoons with Sylvia Davies and her wonderful boys, Peter, George, Jack and Michael. This movie is a real tear jerker so I am glad that I did not get to see all of it. It is hard to figure out James' and Sylvia's relationship- it appears that they have become good friends, even though there is a little bit of affection there. Sylvia's husband had died before we meet her and one of her boys, Peter, is having an especially rough time of it. That is probably the best part of the film for me- watching Johnny Depp and Freddie Highmore (that is the actor playing Peter) interact with one another. It is also pretty great to see Dustin Hoffman who plays Captain Hook in the the Peter Pan film Hook work though as J.M. Barrie's producer. 

It is hard to accurately capture everything in a film, Hollywood has to pick a focus. Otherwise all these great movies would last hours and hours. So for Finding Neverland the main focus of the film is about little boys growing up, dealing with grown up things like death, loss of imagination and such. Not death itself, even though it is pervasive through the whole plot. I always start to tear up as one of the theatre goers- Mrs. Snow comes up to James after the show and talks about how her husband had died, then little Peter outs James as Peter Pan and then the whole show at home for Sylvia. I am a water works of a mess. What a great story! 

If I were to program around this film I would have to play with the always a child theme, but not something like coloring books or something like- I would find games like Pretty Pretty Princess or Mall Madness. Games that force you to act goofy and giggle so the real child part of you can come out. None one will be left with their cool caps on- no one. 

I Love The Way You Swig

I have been feeling quite under the weather. That makes for a lot of time on one's rump. I decided to get back on board with the ZYX project. The selection today is Frankie and Johnny. I am not sure how this film got into my collection. I have mentioned before that I usually only

purchase movies I have seen a million times. I have only seen this movie a couple times. But by the time I finished watching it I remembered- it has food, small NYC apartments, Greeks!, gay best friends and laugh out loud funny moments. Those are some of my favorite things! It stars Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino and one of my FAVORITE actors Hector Elizondo- bonus points for those of you who can go back through the gems on the blog here and find my other Hector spotlights. There is also a film of the same name that stars Elvis Presley- this film is not a remake or anything like that, both movies just use the names and the famous song "Frankie and Johnny" from 1904.

Anyway so Frankie and Johnny both end up in NY for different reasons. Frankie is a waitress and we later find out used to be in a very abusive relationship and Johnny just got out of prison. They end up to be working in the same restaurant. Hector has a ponytail and runs the restaurant where they work and at one point you see a VCR on sale in a window for $199. That is crazy! But as my loyal blog followers might also know- I am not a big fan of these overly romantic movies anymore. This movie has some lovey dovey going on. And some kind of gross kissing, like suck on the whole face kind of kissing. Gross. And there is some s.e.x. I fast forwarded through that- double gross. 

Frankie reminds me of me in a way- she is nice but might be at her wits end. She is one tough cookie too- she don't need nobody for nothing. She is also friends with all the other waitresses at work, sort of like a little family. She talks to the regulars and cares about them, and I love that when someone cannot open a jar, they hand it to Frankie and she opens it almost effortlessly. And because it is women's history month, that makes me smile a little extra. She's got a mouth on her- I love the use of the f word when it is appropriate like it is in this movie. I read somewhere that people thought Michelle was too pretty to play Frankie and maybe that is why it looks like she does not wear makeup in the film, but again that reminds me of me. 

The Apollo Restaurant she works in is painted in a way that makes it look like Greece or another Mediterranean  isle- which reminds me of Grecian Island, my favorite Coney Island restaurant from home. There is also one scene where she is eating warm caramel sauce from the jar and it gets stuck in her throat and she gives herself the heimlich maneuver. It doesn't sound funny but it was- and it was right after she is looking at all these couples in their NY apartments having dinner or petting their puppy. I am sure it was meant to give us viewers the impression that she does not want to die alone, as she almost dies alone in her apartment. That makes me think of that line in When Harry Met Sally when Harry tells Sally he does not want want to "die one of those NY deaths where no one notices until the smell seeps out into the hallway." Anyway, Johnny comes on strong and some other things happen, and well...you will have to watch the rest of the movie to find out. 

If I were to program with Frankie and Johnny, I am not sure what I would do. Hold on while I ponder that...listen to Claire de Lune for a minute...google Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune...ok program time.

You could plan one about proper dental hygiene, the feng shui of elephant decor, how to live in a studio apartment, or even use this movie as part of a Garry Marshall film festival that highlights some great Rom Coms. I recently learned some new internet slang so hmu if you want more programming info. :)

No!

I have been told a few times that I might have a condition-or ability depending on how you look at it-that makes it nearly impossible to say no. So naturally I went to the internet for some answers. I am sure that there are some WebMD experts that can educate me on such a condition. The Internet Therapist told me that the inability to say no is a characteristic of codependency. Putting the needs of others before the needs of oneself and causing a deterioration of one's emotional and mental well being is a the result of not using that powerful two letter word. 

Wendy Wallbridge reminded me that when I say no to something I am in fact saying yes to something else. This makes sense to me-and at times I do say no to social engagements just so I can say yes to Netflix.

Andreas Moritz brings up the excellent point that sometimes one feel pressures to say yes because of beliefs that are connected with education or religion, or even gender and class. There is the societal pressure for a woman to say yes, especially to her parents, significant others, maybe even her children. Well anyone who knows me, knows that I do not have a problem saying no to my family when I feel my mental or physical health will benefit from saying no! And now that it is March I can remind you that I do not feel any pressures to do anything that some man asked me to do!

On my first page of Google hits I was even given some coaching by a company in the UK on how to say no. It was actually pretty good advice. Things I might take back to the workplace. That brings me to another point- I think there is a work "no" and a personal "no."I will admit that I have trouble saying no at work. When a student asks me for something or when I can help with something I always try to make it work in my schedule. I have said no a couple of times to being part of a committee or part of planning things like Women's History month and I can honestly say that I feel guilty when I do- and I recognize that is a problem. 

In my personal life I have become much better at saying no to things that I do not want to do. I have declined more social engagements in the last three years then I have since college when I was too busy to say yes! 

But I am a sucker for someone I care about-I do not want to hurt their feelings nor do I want to see them suffer. I say yes to a lot of things I am sure that I have suffered or have done a dis-service to those friends too on occasion. But I honestly feel my heart is in the right place-I never intend to make matters worse with all my yesing, nor do I want to be taken advantage of during those times. And if any of you reading this call to ask me for a favor in the next few days, I would think twice.

Oh yeah-that's right. The No Machine is in the garage ready to go. I am going to be driving that bad boy all over the place. For a little while anyway. I am sure that the sucker in me will be out in full force in no time :)