Happy (belated) Thanksgiving!

I spent my Thanksgiving yesterday with a few friends in my apartment. Here's a picture of the spread! We went in on one of those grocery store Thanksgiving meals. For $50, you got an 11-lb turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, dinner rolls, cranberry relish and a pie, all ready for reheating. I'm not sure it was such a great deal. We thought it would be super convenient and cheaper than any other option and I guess it was but the mashed potatoes and stuffing came in one of those microwave-safe packages you find in the refrigerated food section... which, in fact, is what I bought for myself when celebrating Thanksgiving alone last year. Silly me, I was expecting food prepared by the people behind the deli counter. Regardless, it was nice to have friends over and we had a good time and it was convenient and quick and it did sort of feel like hosting a real Thanksgiving because I had to time everything correctly and did make spinach-artichoke dip as an appetizer for everyone as well as corn and a non-pie dessert. Hope everyone else had a great holiday!

Movie Review: The Descendants

I saw a sneak preview of The Descendants a couple of days ago. I had also recently read the book on which it is based, as I am wont to do. Surprisingly, the movie very closely follows the book, although of course it can't fit in everything from a 200+ page book. I think the edits made for the big screen were smart ones, though, and, in fact, I can't think of anything they left out that should have been there. I feel like you got a good handle of the characters in both and there was really only one very small change they made to the plot towards the end that was something that didn't make much sense to me when it happened in the book so I'm actually glad that it was changed. Sorry for the vagueness but I don't want to spoil it.

That being said, I didn't enjoy the movie that much. It's getting Oscar buzz and, judging by the audience reaction when I saw it, many were enamored by the film. George Clooney is definitely an amazing actor, as if we didn't realize this before. And Shailene Woodley did pretty well, especially since all I've ever seen her do is star in that insipid ABC Family program, The Secret Life of the American Teenager. But, I just found the whole thing pretty boring. Maybe it was because I knew exactly what was coming since I'd read the book. Maybe it was the lack of comedy - I thought the film would be more of a dramedy since the book had some entertaining moments but the movie seemed too serious. Or, maybe it was just the plot.

The general plot of the film involves George Clooney as Matt, whose wife is dying in a coma thanks to a boating accident and who is forced to suddenly up his child-rearing involvement to his two daughters. To make things worse, he finds out his wife was having an affair pre-accident. And, finally, he is a descendant of a major landowner in Hawaii and has a huge land deal looming over his head while his wife is dying. I guess you would say it's about a middle-aged man finally waking up to the world around him and growing up. And that, I guess, is boring. My suggestion is to wait to rent it or skip it entirely.

Movie Review: Tower Heist

I went to an advanced screening of Tower Heist a few days ago and have to say I enjoyed it. It’s a good mix of action and comedy and stars Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy as the leaders of a group that plan to pull off a $20 million heist in the apartment of a Bernie Madoff-type person played by Alan Alda. There’s a great supporting cast of thieves, including Casey Affleck, Matthew Broderick and Gabourey Sidibe. The movie has a lot of funny moments and is very well-paced. Sometimes with these types of films, they focus too much on the build-up to the heist. And, sometimes the heist takes forever. But this had a great mix of both. And of course there is some suspension of belief regarding the events of the heist but there’s enough to make you laugh that you are willing to overlook some of the ridiculousness. Overall, a pretty enjoyable movie.

Movie Review: Like Crazy

Like Crazy is the story of a young couple – she’s from England; he’s from California – who fall in love while in college and then when she is due to go back home for the summer, decides that she will just skip out on her visa and stay with the man she loves. Well, when she finally does go home for a wedding at the end of the summer, they won’t let her back in the country for violating the terms of her visa. So then the story follows their attempts at a long-distance relationship. It’s a very well-acted film and I read, after seeing it, that a lot of it is improvised, so that makes it even more impressive. However, I had difficulty getting over the premise and that distracted me greatly. If they are so in love – crazy in love so much that she can’t bear to leave for a few weeks - then a little bit of distance shouldn’t affect them as much as it did. Also, the impetuousness of just disregarding what your visa says to stay with your boyfriend is really something that I couldn’t get over and, therefore, had difficulty sympathizing with her. At least there are consequences for this behavior... This film won awards at the Sundance Film Festival so I guess it could be nominated for an Oscar or two and, like I said, the acting was good, so I'm glad to have seen it. But I'm also glad I saw it for free.

Fort Lauderdale: Day Two

I don't think I mentioned yesterday how hot it is here. Yes, that's no surprise that southern Florida is hot in the summer but I guess I had gotten used to DC being a little cooler lately so I was somehow kind of expecting the same here. Duh.

Today I slept in late and finished watching a movie that I started last night. I finally went out when I realized I desperately needed food. I headed towards the part of the city I'd been in last night with the restaurants and souvenir shops but next thing I knew, I was walking down Las Olas Blvd, where supposedly there is shopping and restaurants. There definitely are shops and restaurants but I didn't really realize it was about 2 miles from my hotel. So it was a very long walk in the crazy heat when I was starving. I guess I didn't even get halfway to the end but I needed to eat (and drink) something. I ended up stopping at a place called Mango's where I got this amazing grilled chicken sandwich with a mango mayonnaise on it. So yummy, it was a great choice. Luckily, instead of having to walk all the way back (which would have been tough since I had started to get a blister!), I left the restaurant and ran smack into a trolley that runs for only 50 cents and took me back to the beach - in about 5 minutes. Next time I'll have to take the trolley both ways.

I got back to the beach and went directly to lay out on the beach for a couple hours. So nice. It wasn't even too crowded down in front of my hotel. Then I went to the hotel pool, which was fine but inundated with dragonflies (they have some sort of infestation down here - luckily the things seem to avoid humans), not in the sun and pretty small. I guess it's not so bad that the pool is situated in the shadow of the building so it gets no sun but I was hoping to get some sort of suntan.

Back to the room I went and took a shower and then got ready to get some dinner. But first I got sidetracked by the Internet. It hadn't been working at all this morning and I even called but they said the entire hotel was without due to a down server. Pain in the ass. Eventually I headed out and walked south a bit this time and felt relieved that I booked the hotel I did and not another one that I was looking at that had not a great location. I couldn't decide where to eat but there was a lot going on because Fort Lauderdale has this "Saturday Night Alive" thing every Saturday night in the summer. It brings in musicians and street vendors and offers some drink specials at various spots. It was fine but very crowded. It also was odd because there was someone singing and then you'd walk about ten steps and someone else would be performing. As you might guess, yes, you could still here the one that you had just passed. I decided to just go back to my room and order room service. My hotel is hooked up with the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. to get delivery to my room so that's what I did. It took forever, though. When I ordered, I was told 25-30 minutes and after an hour, the food still hadn't come. i called and they said that the weather had been awful with heavy rains and winds... umm what? I opened my curtains and realized it was pouring rain. So much for Saturday Night Alive, I guess.

Anyway, my food eventually came and it was good. I watched a movie and am now exhausted, ready for bed. Two more days in Florida!

Fort Lauderdale: Day One

I've been pretty absent from my blog lately. I'm not really sure why; however, I will blog my vacation!

I was desperately desiring a vacation, especially after not being allowed to take a day off for all of June and most of July while the girl who works for me was off on maternity leave. I couldn't decide where to go, but I knew it needed to be the beach. I investigated Virginia Beach, Ocean City MD, Nag's Head NC, Myrtle Beach SC, the Jersey Shore and Fort Lauderdale. I figured it would be more affordable to go to a spot I could drive to but I ended up finding a really great price for Fort Lauderdale that included airfare so last week I booked it and here I am! I'd been thinking of the trip for awhile but it was all kind of last minute. Who knew I would pick the only location where I was actually going to be able to go to? All those other spots have been evacuated due to Hurricane Irene. I totally lucked out! That's a first in terms of a vacation. I've had to deal with hurricanes and bad weather on several vacations.

I was worried that I wasn't going to be able to get out of DC before the storm hit but I left yesterday morning with no problems. We had to change our flight path a bit and it took longer, but the weather today was gorgeous. My hotel room is pretty decent too. It's just an average hotel room but it seems to have a great location and I lucked out in getting a corner room that actually gives me a view of the ocean. I really wanted to be oceanfront wherever I went but when it came time to paying for an oceanfront room, I decided it wasn't worth the extra price. Well, I guess I got the best of both worlds.

The water here is such a beautiful turquoise blue. I've never seen anything like it, even when I was in Miami and the Caribbean, I don't think. I got to my hotel and checked in and unpacked by about 3 or 3:30. Then, I realized I was starving so I went for a walk to try to find a place to eat. There are bars and restaurants and souvenir shops for several blocks past my hotel, so I think I'm in a great spot. I ended up eating at a place called Da Big Kahuna and hit up a CVS to buy some food for my room and the beach. There's a mini fridge in my room. After eating, I came back to the hotel, checked out the pool area, the gym and the restaurants and then decided to hit the beach. It was like 6:30ish when I went down there so I figured I had about an hour before it got dark and it was great. The beach was empty and the water was great. There are a million shells around and once you hit the water, you only have shallow water for about 3 steps before there is a significant dropoff. That takes some getting used to... but overall, it's been an amazing first day of my trip.

Movie review: Larry Crowne

I had another sneak peek screening this week; this time, it was Larry Crowne, the Tom Hanks/Julia Roberts movie that came out yesterday. I would call it cute. It was a relatively enjoyable movie with a lot of fun, quirky characters and Tom Hanks as charming as always playing a guy (Larry) who loses his job for not having a college degree and decides to change that by enrolling in community college. He learns a lot, inside and outside the classroom. I kind of feel like there were too many fun, quirky characters, more than necessary. You had Larry's neighbors, Larry's coworkers, Larry's classmates, Larry's scooter gang friends... it's a lot of people to share screen time. Besides the story of Larry kind of hitting rock bottom and then growing into a better version of himself, there is the romance with Julia Roberts' character, which I feel is played up in most of the previews but is really the worst part of the movie. It's a very rushed and forced romance. Julia's character is married but I guess we are supposed to forget that because he's kind of a jerk. She's also very disillusioned and cranky, so much so that it's very hard for me to believe that she puts that all aside due to the ten minutes of alone time she spends with Larry. I do think the movie was cute overall and I definitely didn't leave the theater thinking it was a waste of my time but I kind of wish they had left out the romance and just showed how someone can turn lemons into lemonade.

"All-You-Can-Watch MoviePass Brings Netflix Model to Theaters"

This article talks about MoviePass, a new service that is currently being tested in San Francisco, with plans to expand nationally by the fall. It's a service like NetFlix, where you pay one flat rate fee and can get an unlimited amount of movies each month. In this case, though, instead of DVDs shipped to your home it's movies at the theater that you get for $50.

It's an interesting concept but I don't know many people who go to that many movies each month to make it worthwhile. Of course, the benefit for most companies like this is that people buy something and don't use it enough to make it worth their while but keep the subscription anyway. It's not a bad idea and I'm honestly surprised it's taken so long for something like this to be developed.

The article mentions a cheaper service that is under consideration that costs $30/month for access to four movies and I have to say that might be something I would consider, especially if you can start and stop the service as easily as you can with Netflix. There are definitely months (like in the summer or around the Academy Awards) when there are four movies I would want to see. But not all months. Plus, movies cost over $10 here so really as long as you went at least three times you would be saving some money.

Movie review: Bad Teacher

Bad Teacher opens this weekend and I had the chance to watch it on Wednesday at a free advanced screening. I have to say, I laughed really hard. It seems to be getting only average reviews but it's not often that I laugh so consistently throughout a movie so I recommend it. It's crude and Cameron Diaz plays a really despicable person but she's remarkably good at it and does get her comeuppance a few times. She has a rival teacher that you kind of root for, plus Jason Segel, from How I Met Your Mother, is awesome in that his character sees right through Cameron's character.

Well-Read Cities

I came across this article - Cambridge, Mass. tops Amazon's list of 'well-read' cities - and while that's great and all for Cambridge, I couldn't help but notice that number 10 on the list is Arlington, VA, where I live!

National Dump the Pump Day

Apparently today was National Dump the Pump Day, brought to us by the National Public Transportation Association in an effort to promote the use of public transportation. While I did not take public transportation today, I have dumped the pump recently. Something major is wrong with my car and I've been holding off on getting it fixed for awhile, sort of seeing how long I can make it without a car. It's been about six weeks and it's not been bad. I'm lucky that I can walk to work and be there in about 12 minutes. If worse comes to worst (like there's a major storm or something), I do have the option of taking a bus that leaves about a block from my house and drops me off directly across the street from my work.

Probably the times I miss my car the most is on the weekends. I have to run all my errands on foot or by using public transportation and some days it's harder than others. I have a grocery store about two blocks away and another about 8-10 blocks so I go to both regularly. My other most common errand-running is to the library, which is about 4 blocks away. So those two things are pretty easy, although it does mean that I can't buy too much from the grocery store at one time. Hanging out with friends isn't too tough because a few of my friends don't have cars anyway so we usually meet at spots accessible by public transportation. Going shopping or to Target, one of my favorite stores, is the toughest. I wouldn't call myself a shopaholic but I do like to go shopping every once in awhile. There are a couple malls or shopping centers directly off the Metro and I've also discovered a bus that leaves from by my house and goes directly to Tyson's Corner Center, one of the biggest malls in the area. I tried that out a couple weeks ago and it was super easy. There is a Target on a bus route and I did that in early May but had my car been working, I would've been to Target at least a couple more times since then. The Target I like best is not a quick bus ride away, unfortunately. I guess there are worse things than not visiting Target several times a month.

I've found that I actually enjoy taking the bus. It's nicer than taking the train because you are above ground and can actually look out the window and see sights. It's also cheaper. And, it's kind of a neat way to see a new area. Plus, the NextBus system lets you plug in your stop information and see exactly how many minutes away the next bus is... that enables you to stay at home until the last minute and not have to sit at the bus stop waiting.

In sum, I do plan on getting my car fixed soon but I gave up my parking pass at work, so I have given up the pump in that respect. While I walked often even when I had my parking pass, this means I can't drive at all so it will be a bit of an adjustment.

Movie review: Super 8

I saw an advanced screening of Super 8 over the weekend and I enjoyed it. It's sort of a mix of E.T., Stand by Me and the premiere of Lost. Perhaps Goonies-esque, although I've honestly never seen that. It has a lot of funny moments, plus some thriller, mystery and sci-fi. And it stars Kyle Chandler, who I've had a crush on for years thanks to Friday Night Lights. Well, who am I kidding? It's probably more like since Early Edition. Anyway, I recommend it.

Hulu Plus now on Tivo!

They've only been talking about how Hulu Plus would be available on the Tivo Premiere since it was introduced (at least a year) but it's only just this week that it finally IS available. It was announced on the Hulu blog last Monday and said it would take up to ten days until it was available on all machines. Well, it finally showed up on my machine yesterday! I'm such a huge Hulu fan and even though Hulu Plus has a monthly cost ($7.99), I still thought I might be willing to pay it to get all the Hulu videos played on my TV. Now I'm not sure. Because of this introduction to the Tivo, however, you get a free one-month trial so I'll be sure to try it out for that month, at least. I need to time it correctly for maximum TV-viewing. There are a lot of Hulu shows that are not available on Hulu Plus. Then again, there are a lot of shows available on Hulu Plus not available on Hulu. And if it keeps adding more shows, it's a considerably cheaper option than cable, which I've also been thinking about getting. I'll let you know what happens!

Unaired SNL Clip

This showed up in my Hulu queue as a bit that didn't make it to air Saturday on Saturday Night Live - unfortunately. I thought it was funnier than many of the things that did air. Justin Timberlake plays Mozart and the rest of the cast makes fun of him when he decides that he wants to move from music into acting.

Book Review: Bossypants

Bossypants is the new book by Tina Fey. It's more a collection of essays than it is a straightforward autobiography but I thought it would be perfect to listen to while I drove to Ohio and back a few weeks ago. Also, considering I haven't read a book since the first week of January, I thought it would be a good way to ease back into things. (Does listening to an audio book count as reading?) Anyway, it was a good way to ease back into reading. It was perfect for a road trip with enough funny anecdotes to keep me entertained but stories that weren't too long to make me lose concentration. I love comedians who are not afraid of making themselves look like fools and Tina certainly does this. She even includes some embarrassing photos of herself. I think I found most interesting the parts about Saturday Night Live because it gave a little insight to how the show is done. I highly recommend the book for anyone interested in some easy reading.

Goodbye to Great Characters

I watched the final season of Friday Night Lights on DVD this week, thanks to the library and my friend's portable DVD player (which let me watch it on the train to Philly). It just started airing on NBC yesterday and I might actually watch some episodes again because it was such a great season. I am going to miss those characters so much; I was pretty much crying non-stop through the entire last episode. It took me back to the finale of Lost last year... and makes me wonder how I'm going to feel when One Life to Live goes off the year next year. If I get that worked up about characters I've known 5 or 6 years, how will I handle saying good-bye to characters I've known for nearly 40 years? Crazy.

I Want One: Inflatable Outdoor Color Dot Game

Okay, I don't really want one. It's outrageously overpriced and I don't even have a yard but how fun does this look? It's outdoor Twister. (via)

Cavs game

I went to the Cavs-Wizards game last night here in DC and actually had a really good seat without it even costing too much, thanks to Groupon. I watched the game on TV when I got home and saw myself on TV! It was just a few plays and I knew where I was sitting so I doubt anyone else could see me but I was pretty excited. I am a TV star, ha ha. Anyway, here are some pics from this game (click below for more pics) and the one I went to in December in Cleveland. Both were losses, which I know is shocking considering how many games the Cavs have won all season.

Cavs Games 2010-11 season

Dwight Howard gets it - mostly

Dwight Howard, of the Orlando Magic, was on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon this past week and they talked about his impending free agency... and how another former free agent who is also now playing in Florida handled things.

Mount Vernon

I had a LivingSocial coupon for Mount Vernon, George Washington's house, that expired on March 31 so I headed down there to use it before it expired. I'd never been there but had been planning on going at some point. The coupon enabled me to make that happen for cheaper!

The only problems with going in March is that it was still pretty chilly, none of the crops were in bloom, and some of the features do not operate in the winter. However, overall, it was really nice, with the best part definitely being the property's view. The view is just gorgeous, right on the river; it's no wonder he lived there for like 50 years. There are vegetable gardens, flower gardens, (most of which were not in bloom at all) and livestock.

You go through the mansion on a guided tour so you aren't free to just roam around aimlessly or take pictures. Besides the main mansion, there are a lot of other buildings around, like the greenhouse, the slave quarters, the laundry house, the smokehouse, the garages, the stables, etc... There is also the crypt. George is in the tomb on the right, Martha on the left (that you can barely see).


You also can walk down to the dock and get really close to the water and also see his sixteen-sided barn, which was one many agricultural inventions he apparently had.

I didn't take a lot of pictures but it was pretty cool and wanted to share. It's like a little piece out of the 18th century nestled away outside of 21st century life. Someday I might go again because I didn't really have time to walk through the museum part of it and might take advantage of some of the things that are only available April to October.