Friday, January 30, 2009
Um, I'll have the duck, please?
I guess it takes a mud duck to realize we could all use a little duck in our lives. I love that the duck is named "Frank".
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Guess whooooo?
My sister and brother-in-law often have a houseful of guests, but even they were surprised by this little fellow who showed up in their fireplace recently.
Little Pigwidgeon here was checked over by a wildlife rehabber, given a drink, and sent on his merry way.
I had my own screech owl encounter some years ago at my parents' house. I stepped out of the house into the garage, only to discover a little screech owl sitting on top of some shelving, about two feet from my head. Caught off guard, I was the one who did the screeching.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Parlo Italiano un po
In a much-needed attempt to slot some productive, yet escapist, fun into my life, I've enrolled in Italian class. I have no immediate plans to travel to Italy, although I would like to visit someday. I just love learning languages; call me a dork, but my brain is wired that way.
I first took an Italian class years ago, when I lived in Minneapolis. I lasted all of about five weeks I think, before I got bored and gave it up. The only thing I remembered was the phrase, "Dov'è il gabinetti?" which means, "Where are the bathrooms?" A totally useful phrase, to be sure, but only if you could understand the response. Which I could not.
So here I am, xx+ years later, older and wiser, and more in need of something stimulating to keep my brain from shriveling up into a knot of staff schedules and book orders. I actually made it through Italian I, and last week, started Italian 2/3. A lot of the people are continuing from that last class, which is nice, because we're all comfortable with each other. One problem many of us seem to have, though, is filtering Italian through a different foreign language. When I'm stuck for a word, it's French that pops into my head. It feels very strange to me, because I haven't taken French since college (during the Mesozoic Era) and I never achieved any real fluency. Yet all these words and phrases keep popping into my head. Como se chiama? Je m'appelle Collie, merci.
Last night was our second night of review, and it's slowly (but painfully) coming back to me: numbers, letters, verb conjugations, etc. For one of our exercises, we had to take a picture from a magazine and write a sentence describing what we saw. We then critiqued each others' sentences for spelling, grammar, etc. Not to brag or anything, but mine was the only sentence that didn't require correction (key tip: keep the sentence simple). What was this literary masterpiece, you ask? Why, please allow me to share:
Il letto è bianco e i cuscini sono azzurri.
And that's all she wrote.
I first took an Italian class years ago, when I lived in Minneapolis. I lasted all of about five weeks I think, before I got bored and gave it up. The only thing I remembered was the phrase, "Dov'è il gabinetti?" which means, "Where are the bathrooms?" A totally useful phrase, to be sure, but only if you could understand the response. Which I could not.
So here I am, xx+ years later, older and wiser, and more in need of something stimulating to keep my brain from shriveling up into a knot of staff schedules and book orders. I actually made it through Italian I, and last week, started Italian 2/3. A lot of the people are continuing from that last class, which is nice, because we're all comfortable with each other. One problem many of us seem to have, though, is filtering Italian through a different foreign language. When I'm stuck for a word, it's French that pops into my head. It feels very strange to me, because I haven't taken French since college (during the Mesozoic Era) and I never achieved any real fluency. Yet all these words and phrases keep popping into my head. Como se chiama? Je m'appelle Collie, merci.
Last night was our second night of review, and it's slowly (but painfully) coming back to me: numbers, letters, verb conjugations, etc. For one of our exercises, we had to take a picture from a magazine and write a sentence describing what we saw. We then critiqued each others' sentences for spelling, grammar, etc. Not to brag or anything, but mine was the only sentence that didn't require correction (key tip: keep the sentence simple). What was this literary masterpiece, you ask? Why, please allow me to share:
Il letto è bianco e i cuscini sono azzurri.
And that's all she wrote.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Pop culture couch potato
I watched the Golden Globes award show on Sunday night, mostly because it's fun to critique the crazy wardrobe choices some stars make (I'm talking to you, Drew Barrymore. You thought that that Drunken Marilyn hairdo was a good choice? Really?).
Rather more to the point of the awards show, though, is the fact that I have seen very few of the nominated films. Since most of the films were released in the last part of 2008, and I live in an culturally quiet corner of the Upper Midwest, it takes a little longer for these movies to make their way to the local theater (or theatre, as the local movie chain grandly calls it).
Surprisingly, I have watched quite a few movies (mostly on DVD) since the start of the New Year. Can't say why...usually it's a struggle for me to get through one DVD in a weekend. Maybe it's because it's so cold out. Maybe it's because there's nothing good on TV right now (Lost premieres a week from today!!). Maybe I'm just in more of a movie watching mood. Anyway, in no particular orer, here's a recap of some of the movies I've seen recently:
Mad Men, season 1 (on DVD): I've fallen hard for this TV show. The acting and writing are outstanding, and the time period of the early 1960s is recreated with absolute faithfulness. Since I'm one of those cheapskates who doesn't subscribe to cable or satellite TV, I just might break down and subscribe to Netflix to keep up with this series.
Australia (at the theater): Baz Luhrmann's sweeping story of Australia right before WWII. Part comedy, part western, part war movie, part love story, this is an epic in an old-school way, like Gone With the Wind or The Ten Commandments. Hugh Jackman is definitely a plus, but this was ultimately a disappointment for me. The story was predictable (when I can guess the dialog in advance, that's bad) and there were plot holes you could drive a herd of cattle through. Hugh Jackman (did I mention him?) is pretty, though.
Leatherheads (on DVD): Cute comedy with George Clooney about the early days of football. Goofy fun in the style of His Girl Friday.
The Fall (on DVD): This one stuck with me long after I watched it. It is visually stunning, and the acting between the two leads is wonderful. At its core, the movie is about the relationship between a young man and a little girl who meet in the hospital. The plot cuts back and forth between their developing friendship and the adventure story he tells her to entertain her. I loved the contrast between the naturalism of the hospital scenes and the fantasy segments of the adventure story. Incredible scenery and awesome art direction. The story of how the movie was made is nearly as interesting as the movie itself!
Deception (on DVD): Suspense thriller starring Hugh Jackman (again) and Ewan McGregor. It wasn't bad, reminding me of Derailed. Like that movie, though, the cast was better than the movie itself.
Sweeney Todd (on DVD): Too grisly for my taste.
Slumdog Millionaire (at the theater): Well, when I see a Golden Globe winner, I pick a good one! A must-see movie.
Rather more to the point of the awards show, though, is the fact that I have seen very few of the nominated films. Since most of the films were released in the last part of 2008, and I live in an culturally quiet corner of the Upper Midwest, it takes a little longer for these movies to make their way to the local theater (or theatre, as the local movie chain grandly calls it).
Surprisingly, I have watched quite a few movies (mostly on DVD) since the start of the New Year. Can't say why...usually it's a struggle for me to get through one DVD in a weekend. Maybe it's because it's so cold out. Maybe it's because there's nothing good on TV right now (Lost premieres a week from today!!). Maybe I'm just in more of a movie watching mood. Anyway, in no particular orer, here's a recap of some of the movies I've seen recently:
Mad Men, season 1 (on DVD): I've fallen hard for this TV show. The acting and writing are outstanding, and the time period of the early 1960s is recreated with absolute faithfulness. Since I'm one of those cheapskates who doesn't subscribe to cable or satellite TV, I just might break down and subscribe to Netflix to keep up with this series.
Australia (at the theater): Baz Luhrmann's sweeping story of Australia right before WWII. Part comedy, part western, part war movie, part love story, this is an epic in an old-school way, like Gone With the Wind or The Ten Commandments. Hugh Jackman is definitely a plus, but this was ultimately a disappointment for me. The story was predictable (when I can guess the dialog in advance, that's bad) and there were plot holes you could drive a herd of cattle through. Hugh Jackman (did I mention him?) is pretty, though.
Leatherheads (on DVD): Cute comedy with George Clooney about the early days of football. Goofy fun in the style of His Girl Friday.
The Fall (on DVD): This one stuck with me long after I watched it. It is visually stunning, and the acting between the two leads is wonderful. At its core, the movie is about the relationship between a young man and a little girl who meet in the hospital. The plot cuts back and forth between their developing friendship and the adventure story he tells her to entertain her. I loved the contrast between the naturalism of the hospital scenes and the fantasy segments of the adventure story. Incredible scenery and awesome art direction. The story of how the movie was made is nearly as interesting as the movie itself!
Deception (on DVD): Suspense thriller starring Hugh Jackman (again) and Ewan McGregor. It wasn't bad, reminding me of Derailed. Like that movie, though, the cast was better than the movie itself.
Sweeney Todd (on DVD): Too grisly for my taste.
Slumdog Millionaire (at the theater): Well, when I see a Golden Globe winner, I pick a good one! A must-see movie.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Friday, January 2, 2009
Snowball
Welcome back, old friend.
The Evil Driveway of Doom torments me no longer. Of course, this photo does not do justice to the full extent of the EDoD's full torment. From where I stood while taking this picture, there were at least two more car lengths behind me.
Even the dogs decided to brave the winter weather. Here Polly is doing her best Poor Little Match Girl impression (note the artfully raised paw). And yes, that's right, my dogs have winter coats. I would like to point out that they have very short fur and get cold very easily. DO NOT JUDGE ME! It's not like I dress them in doll clothes or anything.
I hope the New Year brings you lots of big purple bouncy balls.
The Evil Driveway of Doom torments me no longer. Of course, this photo does not do justice to the full extent of the EDoD's full torment. From where I stood while taking this picture, there were at least two more car lengths behind me.
Even the dogs decided to brave the winter weather. Here Polly is doing her best Poor Little Match Girl impression (note the artfully raised paw). And yes, that's right, my dogs have winter coats. I would like to point out that they have very short fur and get cold very easily. DO NOT JUDGE ME! It's not like I dress them in doll clothes or anything.
I hope the New Year brings you lots of big purple bouncy balls.
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