Trip to a local bank

So, I had to visit a local bank for work business. The bank is not my personal bank or one that we use at the firm. Just a local bank that we randomly do business with occassionaly. I'm not usually a fan of going to this bank because I don't feel as if I receive "quality" service there. Today I was pleasantly surprised! The (newest) branch manager spoke to me and seemed happy to have a customer in the bank. Typically I felt like a leper and each employee seemed unwilling to talk to me for fear that I would ask for their help. Wonderful surprise! I hope the new branch manager does well and turns the branch into a great place. My second observation was of the only other customer in the branch. She was wearing a muumuu that went all the way to the floor and covered her feet. The sleeves were so billowy that they would probably cover her hands if she put her arms down. The pattern of the muumuu was black and white stripped. My first instinct was to hold up a baby lion cub and single "Circle of Life" from The Lion King. I swear if she had a headdress she could have performed with the Broadway musical of said movie...interesting! And my final observation of the visit was with the teller that waited on me! She has lost her eyebrows somehow. She's either never had them or she's removed them by force. And to compensate for her lack of eyebrows she decided to draw some on her face with the help of a makeup pencil. I understand this process, however, I did not understand why she felt the need to draw geometric shapes on her face inches above here her natural brow-line was...and then fill in the space between her eyelashes and her drawn on brows with a very shimmery eye shadow. It was a startling combination that made me want to stare and therefore I tried not to look at her geometric shaped and colored areas for fear of offending. Baby, that aint' natural! That short trip made my day and I just had to share!

Cadillac Records & Shem Creek

Last week I watched Cadillac Records. Yet another movie I chose for the actors and not the story. I hope you can follow me on this, the story was GREAT but the movie was okay. Cadillac Records is about the true story of Chess Records. Leonard Chess found and cultivated such talent as Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry and Etta James. The story of how Chess Records came to be and how all of these great musicians dealt with the growing and changing times during American history was full of drama and intensity. If you love music then I highly recommend this movie. This movie honestly helped me to understand where all of our current (and even classic) music comes from. These guys influenced the Rolling Stones, the Beatles...and too many others to list. If you're a music lover then check out this movie. You won't necessarily love the movie but you'll love the story and appreciate music just a little more. If you know me well then you know that I love nerds. I'm a sucker for them. That's my "type". I even have a t-shirt that says I "heart" nerds. Well, Adrien Brody is 6'1" of pure nerd and one of my top celebrity crushes! He played Leonard Chess, the founder of Chess Records...and I've been a fan of his for a LONG time. Beyonce played Etta James and she was so atypical (translation - not Beyonce) that I actually enjoyed her. Give it a shot. It is a truly great story and one that every music fan should know. As for my most recent book, I just finished Shem Creek by Dorothea Benton Frank. I am head of heels in love with Dot Frank. She is so funny! I always enjoy and appreciate a funny book but a funny, southern, chick-lit book...it just doesn't get any better than that! Reading books by Dot Frank is like visiting a friend that I didn't know I had. I went to Charleston and Myrtle Beach with my parents when I was 12. I swear that reading these books is like reading something from a pen pal that I kept in touch with over the years. I don't feel like I'm reading a novel...I feel like I'm hanging out with some friends. She's so stinking funny! I love that the books slowly intertwine and connect. The stories are not continuous but the characters keep popping up in the books. It's just great fun. I haven't started the fourth book yet. Right now I'm reading a hysterical book sent to me by a dear friend. I can't wait to pass it along. I haven't decided who should receive it yet but it's super fun and easy so keep a look out because it might be headed your way!

Ruined My Night!

As most of you know I don't sleep well when I'm home alone and I've been home alone a lot lately. One of my favorite things about sleeping alone is getting to watch whatever I want on TV. Last night I had just turned on Nick @ Nite and was reading my new book (thanks Nathan) when I had an epiphany! Do you know how someone you know may remind you of someone else but you can never quite put your finger one it? Well, last night I was watching The Nanny when all of a sudden the bells chimed, the light bulb went of and I all but smacked my forehead! For anyone that watched and loved Coming to America..."Aaaahhh!"

Fran Dresher's character is just like...someone I know well and wished I didn't know well! This person always fiddles with her hair. I always think she wears so much makeup that she looks like a clown (correction...she looks just like her mother who looks like a clown) and she says words in the MOST annoying way! Even...names. I know we're in the south and I know we tend to put extra syllables in words...but COME ON! Hearing this girl speak is getting to be like hearing nails on a chalkboard to me. SCREEECH!

So, in conclusion, I just had one of my favorite Nick @ Nite characters ruined with the realization that I have a real "Nanny" in my life. I wish I could mute or change the channel on her. *Sigh*

Book, Movie, Movie, Book & Movie

We've been a little busy lately so I haven't had a chance to post anything new. We're off today so I'm trying to catch up on plenty of things...including the blog.

A good friend recently sent me The Giver by Lois Lowry. It is considered a children's book (young adult) but it won two prestigeous awards so I knew it must be good. It was an excellent thought provoking book. The story is about a boy living in a utopian society but the more he learns the less utopian everything seems. It is such a thought provoking story. One of the things I struggle with in Jackson are "society" folks or as many call it "keeping up with the Jonses". In the utopian society there is none of that. Everyone is equal however in their equality they loose their individuality. It was a very interesting book to read. I hope you take the time to read this book.

Last week we watched The Green Zone with Matt Damon. Are any of you fans of The Office? Holly (Michael's love interest) is in it and it was nice to see her in a serious role. The movie was good and like The Hurt Locker, it proves that we everyday citizens just don't understand war. This movie was a cross between The Borne movies and The Hurt Locker. If you don't mind the seriousness of war then you'll enjoy this movie. It was very interesting to see how powerful men used soldiers as pawns in the "game of war."

Yesterday morning we watched Away We Go with Jim Krasinski and Maya Rudolph. It was hilarious! I highly recommend this movie for anyone that is currently expecting a bably or has recently had a baby. Burt (Krasinski) & Verona (Rudolph) find out they are expecting their first child. They both work from home so they realize they can raise the child anywhere and set off on a journey to visit friends and family and see where they want to end up. Their journey is HYSTERICAL!! Two thumbs up! Go watch this movie!

Also this week I just finished reading Plantation by Dorothea Benton Frank. It is the third book by Frank that I have finished. I think this one may be my favorite! I didn't want it to end. I really felt like I knew the characters and I really could have been friends of them if they were real. It definitely made me wish I lived in South Carolina on a wonderful plantation. It was a great book. Definitely chick lit. This book is definitely recommended for all mothers and daughters! That relationship is special, crazy and...almost indescribable. I can't wait to start her next book, Shem Creek! Oh, and I didn't think there was an order to these books but there is! Definitely read them in order starting with Sullivan's Island!

And finally this morning I totally wasted two and a half hours watching The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest. Ugh! That was a total waste of time. I've read all three Larsson books and watched the first two Swedish movies. I thought I'd enjoy the final movie. Nope, I was totally wrong. It was a total time drain. It didn't follow the book very well and it just...sucked! I don't recommend this one. I really ejoyed watching the first two but this last one gets two thumbs down from me. Save yourself and don't watch!

I haven't been my highest self

So, this was mine and Jeff's first weekend off from our care duties. We have thoroughly enjoyed it! Because God is wonderful and knew exactly what we needed (a wonderfully lazy weekend) it rained and we didn't do anything but laze around the house. It was PERFECT!!

While we enjoyed our lazy weekend we cleaned out the DVR which had filled up rapidly from not being home for two weeks. Then we watched our Netflicks movie, The Kids Are Alright. What an interesting movie...Netflicks had it listed as a comedy and it was NOT a comedy. It wasn't even entertaining but it was thought provoking and very interesting to watch. A lesbian couple raising their two kids and as the kids got older they wanted to meet their donor father. Well it just go crazy after that! The most amazing and...I don't know what word I'm looking for but the best part about the movie was the family's communication skills. Yeah, I know, that sounds bizarre but seriously these people communicated on a whole other level that was just amazing and made me wish that there was a class I could take so I could communicate on a higher level, like this family. At one point one mom says to the other, "I haven't been my highest self and I haven't been very appreciative of you lately." Um, wow?! "I haven't been my highest self." That line has been rolling around in my head for the last two days. And to go along with the communication skills of this family we'll move on to the book I just read.

The Giver by Lois Lowry. What an interesting book. This book was not something I would typically read. It is a Newbery Medal Winner. In the book they also talk about precision of speech. It's something that as a southerner I've never really thought about. When I'm hungry I usually say that I'm starving. That's totally false and an over-exaggeration. The movie and the book have both made me very aware of my misuse of language! I honestly don't know if I will change but I am more aware and hopefully I will speak more properly.

As for the book The Giver. It was great! Even for a children's book (probably a young adult book) it was very entertaining and thought provoking! I'm so glad my friend sent it to me. Please do yourself a favor and read this book! Be checking your mailboxes! This book may show up at your house soon!

2 Theater & 1 DVD

Last week we got our movie on. We went to the movies twice and then we watched a DVD that came in the mail from Netflicks.

First up was No Strings Attached with Natalie Portman and Aston Kutcher. It was hysterical. We laughed all the way through it. It was a typical, predictable rom-com but the writing was funny. We really enjoyed the movie. If you're looking for a laugh and especially if you're looking for a good date movie then you should go watch this one. It was funny and fun.

Next we watched The King's Speech. What an amazing movie!! It is based on a true story and those stories typically make compelling movies. This did not disappoint. And it was actually funny. To be such a great movie that is getting so much award season buzz I didn't expect the funny but it is! If you get a chance you need to watch this movie. Also, something that I enjoyed was how similar the actors looked like the people they portrayed. Two thumbs up! Please do yourself a favor and go see it!

And the DVD we watched was Crazy Heart. Now, this movie knocked my socks off! I'm not a fan of country music. One of my favorite jokes is what do you get when you play a country song backwards? You get your house, your dog and your wife back. Honestly, I was not looking forward to this movie because of the country music and because I didn't think it would have a happy ending. This movie totally blew me away! I even enjoyed the music in the movie. The movie received a lot of award buzz last year and so I figured there had to be something to it. It was wonderful in it's simplicity. There is a scene where Jeff Bridges and Robert Duvall went fishing. I do not enjoy fishing. If I'm going to be on a lake I'd much rather be skiing but watching those two guys made me want to get out on a lake with a fishing pole and just relax. It was such a great movie that was really enjoyable to watch. AND....it did have a happy ending although it was not the one I was expecting. Please go rent this movie if you get a chance. Two more thumbs up!!

Leader or Lemming?

I just finished reading "The Help". It was AMAZING!! Of all the books I've read this one made me want to take the day off work so I could keep reading. I was totally engrossed in this book. It was extremely thought provoking for me. Jeff is probably happy that I've finished the book so I'll stop talking to him about it. I just don't know where to start. If you haven't read it then go get it today. Every time I would talk to Jeff about this book he would tell me I was rambling because one thought leads to another...and another...and another. I know I could really ramble with this post.

The thought that kept occurring to me the most was that we've come so far since the early 1960s and then again we haven't. Something else that I usually do is identify with a character. Sometimes it's easy for me to put myself in the book as a certain character if I really identify with that character. In my dreams I would love to think that I'm Skeeter. I want to be the one that hates the "old ways". I want to be the brave one that tries to make changes in society. I want to be the one with enough confidence to throw everything I know out the window and take the road less traveled. I just don't think I could have done it. Even now after I've finished the book I'm proud of her for telling Stuart the truth but a the same time I wish she would have kept her mouth shut and married him. So...does that make me Elizabeth or Lou Anne? Would I be a Leader or a Lemming?

In the more basic ways I am Skeeter! I can vividly remember my mother comparing me to herself. She's an over-achiever. She graduated college early. She got married at 21, she had me at 24 and soon after that she got her Master's while teaching and raising me and living with my dad. At one point in the book Skeeter's mom says to her, "When I was your age I was married and already had Carlton, Jr." I heard that all through college, "When I was your age I was already graduated." "When I was your age I was married" "When I was your age I already had you." The to compare myself more to Skeeter, I was tall, had massive massive feet, awkward, no boyfriends, funky hair (sometimes I cut my own...and it was crooked, especially on picture day). I can't tell you HOW many times I heard, "You're wearing that?" "Honey, wouldn't you be more comfortable in something else?" And a personal favorite said to me by my mother was, "Whoever told you your hair looked good like that lied to you." That is one that I will never forget. I was home from college (I think freshman year at MTSU) and we were going to the Moss Christmas party down the road. I was feeling good! I was excited to go see friends and as I'm walking out of the bathroom to the front door she cuts me off at the knees (which would have been good in High School because then I would have been the same height as everyone else). There is no time to go wash my hair and re-fix it. I have go to the party and spend the whole night thinking that I need to fix my stupid hair. Ah, memories!

This book was just a wonderful study of human nature. It was extremely thought provoking for me and I highly recommend this book. Two thumbs up!