Sunday, July 20, 2008

Movies in the Summer--Relaxing in the Cold Dark

I love going to the movies in the summer. There's something refreshing about a cold dark room where you can sit and escape. Here are some of the movies I've seen so far and how I would rate them.

Five Stars--Amazing
Four Stars--Great
Three Stars--Good
Two Stars--Okay to rent on dvd
One Star--Okay to rent on dvd if you have nothing better to do

Beware that I have not put the ratings on any of the movies I've recommended. If ratings are a concern to you, please, Google the movie title and find the rating. Thanks.

"Iron Man" -- Five stars: I was just blown away and Robert Downy Jr.'s performance was a masterpiece. I don't want to say too much as it will give it away. A must!

"The Incredible Hulk"-- Four and a Half stars: Wonderful but an inch below "Iron Man." Well worth seeing.

"Journey to the Center of the Earth"--Two stars: I was disappointed. I went with someone who loves this story and it ruined it for him. Brandon Fraser was good but the script let him down.

Now if you're going to the dvd rental store anyway, there are three recommendations I have to make.

"The Lives of Others"--A Five Star movie--an amazing drama about life before the Berlin wall fell. It's riveting. I couldn't leave the room. I don't want to say too much.

"Black Sheep"--Four Stars worth of giggles: It's a New Zealander film on zombies--when I wasn't laughing hysterically--my mouth was open in disbelief. Yes, the Kiwis have quite a sense of humor.

"Shaun of the Dead"--Five Stars worth of laughs: This zombie movie comes from Britain and answers the age old question of what to do when surrounded when zombies. I'm not telling. You'll just have to see it.

That's it for now. I've got kickboxing to do. Bammm!

--Susan

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Kicking the Box - Poison Ivy & Death Not Necessarily Together

In the never ending search to Kick the Box--all those stereotypes and preconceived notions, I had the chance to look at poison ivy up close and personal and the death of a friend.

I've been ill for the last two weeks. For me, the poison ivy rash doesn't go away under the usual treatments. It spreads. Forget about itching. I don't itch. I burn. I needed a doctor's help and a severe med to begin to recover, which I have. The funny thing about this, was that I couldn't figure out how I came in touch with poison ivy. Then I remembered. I was in bed on a Monday two weeks ago and realized that I hadn't put out the garbage for the collectors. I jumped out of bed and ran out to pull the cans up to the street. One lid fell into the grass and overgrowth of the woods. I searched for it in the dark. When I came in I washed my hands, but by the rash in the morning the poison ivy must have brushed an arm. What followed was a hectic, sleepless, and painful two weeks. All along I tried to maintain my normal life--do chores, work on the websites I maintain, and write. Between the pain and the med interfering with my ability to concentrate, it was difficult to do. I was incredibly grateful when my vacation started. Though the medication made me sleepy, tired, and nausous in addition to creating brain fog, it has beaten the poison ivy.

I look at it this way. The poison ivy kicked me and I kicked it right back. While the medication had the reverse reaction on me, it gave me much needed sleep. Even though I had planned to do a ton of things in the last two weeks, my plans changed. I guess they were supposed to and that's okay.

Death is something else I've been kicking around. Friday a dear friend of mine died. When I received the email from another friend, I sat stunned reading it. This friend named Tom was very close to my family. He was a geniunely kind person. When my husband was in the hospital, it seemed that everything in the house began to break. My computer went out and after trying everything I could think of, I called him. He came over and opened up my computer. There was a screw laying on the motherboard. He looked at it and said, "You have a screw loose." We laughed and laughed. A thousand memories went through my head as I read that email and thought about him. I am glad he came my way. I don't know what you believe, but I know deep in the core of my being that death is just a door to another realm. I know that those he's meeting now will be glad he came their way too.