Quick Hits – November 2016

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!  I had a wonderful dinner with my family back in PA.  I considered saving this post until tomorrow, but I mostly had it written anyway so here it is.  I am on target this month with two TV shows, two movies, two books, and a tiny bit of overflow.  Overall this month was a pretty good entertainment month.  I dabbled in some popular picks as well as took in some more random choices.

Warning:  Although I tried not to delve into plots too deeply, there are potential spoilers in the reviews below.  Read at your own risk.

TV Series:  Daredevil:  Season 2 (2016)

As you know, I loved season 1 of Daredevil.  I enthusiastically entered into season 2 only to be a little disappointed.  This season starts with a mass murderer on the loose, gunning down rival gangs in the city.  Daredevil engages this new vigilante, known as The Punisher, on several occasions.  The Punisher is honestly the better fighter, so he bests Daredevil a number of times but does not kill him.  The resulting Punisher and Daredevil dialog scenes with each trying to convince the other his way is better (kill vs. no kill) are enthralling.  Once again, Marvel showed spectacular judgment in casting choices with Jon Bernthal as The Punisher.  Whenever he was on the screen, I could not take my eyes off him.  He brought the perfect balance between cold, calculated revenge and sympathetic, grieving father.  If season 2 had been solely about The Punisher, I think it would have again been a fantastic season.  Instead, they introduced another character Elektra in episode 5.  This was a completely separate story involving an ancient Japanese cult trying to track down and retrieve a powerful weapon known as the Black Sky.  Unfortunately, these scenes varied between annoying (Elektra was a brat) and boring (despite their supposed history I felt no chemistry between Daredevil and Elektra).  Although The Punisher’s story never disappeared, Elektra’s storyline dominates the remainder of the season.  I had to drag myself through the middle of the season, perking up when The Punisher came to the forefront and sulking when we stuck to Elektra.  There eventually is a development in the Elektra story that suddenly makes it much more interesting.  It comes way too late to salvage this season, but it may make an interesting turn for next season.  Season 2 ended with a number of open storylines, so now I am excitedly waiting for season 3 (not scheduled until 2018).  My final conclusion is watch season 2, but be prepared to push your way through the middle.

TV Series:  Stranger Things:  Season 1 (2016)

If you love Stephen King, you will love this show.  While it was not written and produced by King, the Duffer brothers openly admit they were heavily influenced by his early work.  The basic premise of this show is strange things start happening in Hawkins, Indiana and they just keep getting stranger.  People go missing, a young girl with psychic powers shows up, a faceless monster is on the loose, and government officials try to hide the truth from the town.  The casting was well done with a few familiar faces.  The acting was great.  The show had fantastic plot executed with a pacing that was perfection.  While the first part of the series does open lot of confusing questions, the action kept moving steadily forward filling in the blanks as it went.  My attention was kept every single episode to such an extent that I often arrived at the end without feeling like an hour had passed.  Effects were well done with everything somehow looking like it was actually filmed in the 80s but still using modern non-cheesy effects.  It has a thrillingly spooky and weird tone without ever becoming too scary.  The end nicely wraps up all the major plot points while still leaving a couple open threads to build Season 2.  I cannot wait to see what happens next.

Movie:  Inside Out (2015)

I have loved almost all of the Pixar movies, and this one is no exception.  According to this movie, each of us has five major emotions – Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust – that control our responses to life.  Each memory is made and colored by one of the five emotions, including some very special “core” memories that constitute the essence of each person.  When Riley, age 11, moves across the country, she has trouble adjusting to the change and her emotions suffer some upheaval.  Previously, the command center was under Joy’s control.  Now Sadness is struggling for power and starting to tinge previously Joy-ful memories.  The struggle between the two characters ends with both of them becoming lost in long-term memory where they are unable to help when Riley’s core memories start to crumble.  The rest of the movie shows us whether Joy and Sadness can work together to get back to central command and save Riley.  This movie was great on a children’s level with bright colors, funny moments, fast-paced action, and a good message about the appropriateness to recognize all emotions.  This movie was even better on an adult level with a profound underlying theme of how emotions and memory work.  I laughed and cried during it.  Like other Pixar movies, it is a feel good movie that makes you want to watch it again.  One of my favorite parts comes at the end where we are treated to a particularly funny montage showing the emotional makeup of other character’s command centers.  Bonus material includes an animated short about Volcano love set to catchy ukulele music.  I highly recommend this whether you have children to share it or not.

Movie:  The Gift (2015)

This thriller was decidedly average.  Jason Bateman was strong as the husband Simon, a more dramatic role from his usual fare, and Joel Edgerton did a good job as the slightly off-color old school friend Gordo.  No one else really impressed me much, particular Rebecca Hall as the wife Robyn who was not particularly engaging despite dominating the script.  The storyline was interesting, but I feel like the plot opened a lot of questions, particularly around Robyn, that were never answered.  The whole story is based on them moving from Chicago back to Los Angeles to salvage their marriage and make a fresh start.  We get lots of hints of things that went wrong in Chicago, but it is never stated exactly what happened.  She had a miscarriage and a drug problem, but how were the two related, why did she seemingly lose her job over the whole thing, and how much did her husband contributed to the situation?  Once in LA, Gordo shows up, hinting at Simon’s sinister past.  We eventually learn the details of what happened between them in high school, and are provided with ample evidence that underneath Simon has not changed.  The ending includes an appropriately creepy plot twist that basically emphasizes that karma can be a bitch.  This movie had a slightly suspenseful weird vibe to it, but never crossed over into the intense anticipation territory and certainly never made it to scary.  I do not necessarily consider this bad, but it might be disappointing to some who watch the previews and expected more.  My final conclusion was this movie was fine but not great.  I did not regret seeing it, but I cannot provide a strong recommendation for it.

Book:  The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins (2015)

I have been enjoying all the mysteries that I have been reading lately.  With all the hype surrounding this book, I figured it was time to put this one in my reading pile.  This book gets an A for interesting, but a C for surprising conclusion.  I have never considered myself very good at solving mysteries, but I had this one figured out very early in the novel.  Although there was one tiny section toward the end that made me second guess myself, ultimately I decided my first suspect was right and it was.   Initially this made me feel a little disappointed, but upon reflection I enjoyed the book.  I was satisfied when we wrapped up to the bad guy reveal and punishment.  The book concept was original, exploiting the psychology behind how we absorb the things we see or do not see about all the strangers we pass every day.  The characters, while maybe not likable always, were definitely interesting.  You know from the first couple pages that the main narrator was a drunk who has blackouts frequently.  You know immediately she is not going to be reliable source of storytelling.  Although there is a bit of a curious onlooker about her, she seems to genuinely be trying to help but ends up getting more involved than she ever meant to be.  The missing girl’s story, told through flashbacks, reveals an angry and unlikable character, who has suffered some horrible heartbreaks in her past.  It does not absolve her from her actions leading to the situation, but it at least makes her understandable.  I would recommend this book.  Do not read it for the twists, but enjoy it for the interesting story.

Book:  The Girls by Emma Cline (2016)

I am on a role lately of reading books that have been hyped on the internet.  This one is a reimagining of the Charles Manson family murders in the 1960s as told by a young girl running on the fringes of the group.  It is not a gory retelling of the actual murders, though there is some description of the crime itself.  Instead the bulk of the novel is a probe into the teenage psyche attempting to puzzle out the reasons why young girls are attracted to cults and participate in the horrors that go along with that existence.  Evie is fourteen and having a rough summer.  Her parents are divorced, her Dad does not see her much, and her Mom has begun dating a string of men she does not like.  Her best friend dumps her abruptly over a clumsy accident that angered a boy the friend likes.  Evie’s own crush has a girlfriend with whom he runs away and rumor has it impregnated.  All this leaves Evie alone wandering the city for something to do.  She sees The Girls around town and becomes infatuated with one of them Suzanne.  Suzanne represents a freedom from caring that Evie yearns to embody but cannot.  Although Evie does interact with the cult leader, Russell, she is less concerned with him than Suzanne.  I think this missed connection is why this novel ends up more an angsty coming-of-age tale, and less a thriller.  Evie does not understand why The Girls would commit the murders for Russell any more than we do.  Overall I liked it, but it definitely plays safely around the fringes of the Manson cult instead of jumping full into the horror.

Overflow:

TV Series:  Galavant:  Season 1 (2015) – Yes.  It is perfect for those nights when you do not want

     to think too hard and just laugh.

Movie:  E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) – Yes.  It is a classic.

Book:  Managers as Mentors:  Building Partnerships for Learning by Chip R. Bell and Marshall Goldsmith (Third Edition, 2013) – Yes.  There are no groundbreaking new ideas, but it 

     covers some basic management lessons in a well-executed manner.

See you next week! 

Real Life Mean Girls

When did it become acceptable to be a mean girl (or mean guy)?  I want to live my life thinking that society as a whole is basically good.  While I know there are some bullies out there and even some down-right evil people, it comforts me to know these are a tiny minority.  Lately though, I feel like I am surrounded by hate and intolerance everywhere I turn.

The most obvious version of this is the aftermath of the election.  Although I have been vocal about the need to go vote, I have tried to stay mostly quiet on my actual choices in the election because I think it is a personal decision that needs to be based on your own values and priorities.  When it comes to my family and friends, I know people who voted for Hillary, Trump, and Johnson.  Because I only voted for one person, this means I disagreed with a portion of my personal social network.  In the past few days, I have watched my Facebook page explode into a frenzy of hatred for those who voted opposite each other.  Most of the hatred on my wall is coming from those who voted with Hillary (I assume because it was the losing side).  Instead of taking a step back to figure out why so many people chose Trump, it has become a shouting match that everyone who voted for him is racist, homephobic, xenophobic, sexist, (insert whatever insult you feel appropriate here) prick.  Based on those I personally know who voted for him, I would not call a single one of them any of these things.  They do not like his “locker room” talk, and they do not agree with blanket statements like “all Muslims should be banned from the U.S.”.  Instead they were thinking in terms of future policy that might be enacted.  They want to repeal Obamacare, or at the very least not expand it.  They want to inforce current immigration laws.  They do not want greater gun control.  They want increased action against terrorist threats.  They want tax reform with lower rates and simplification for everyone.  People need to start recognizing there is a difference of opinion in regulation that has nothing to do with the cultural labels people are throwing around.  Stop the personal attacks, start the conversations about what happened.  (Mike Rowe has a pretty good response mentioned in this article here http://tribunist.com/news/mike-rowe-finally-weighs-in-on-trumps-victory-hillarys-supporters-wont-like-this/?utm_source=LRD).

My overall point of just how mean people have become does not begin and end with this election cycle.  When I originally started thinking about this idea for a blog, I was thinking about comment sections on the internet.  Whether we are talking about online news networks, professional bloggers, or amateur Youtube content creators, their comment sections are all full of mean people.  There is this inability for people to behave in a civilized manner online.  I have stopped reading the comment sections of articles because it tends to devolve into name-calling rants that offer no alternative information to actually consider.  People have no concept of the ideas to agree to disagree or to disagree and educate.  The point is to persuade people, not make them so defensive they will not listen to anyone else.  What really bothers me though is the content on the bottom of Youtube bloggers’ pages.  Whether these people are professional who have built up a following of millions or a teenager who has less than 100, they have the right to put their opinions out there about whatever it is they want to discuss without being attacked by people who disagree.  Often I see these mean things explained away with a flippant “but I am just trying to offer constructive criticism”.  There is a big difference between giving an alternative point of view, offering constructive criticism, and being mean.  It is all about presentation.  Even if you want to criticize, it needs to be done in a manner that respects that other person’s right to have their own opinion.

Here is a little lesson I have put together on how to disagree with someone and still be respectful.  These are all based on things I have seen on beauty Youtube channels, although none is a specific word for word portrayal of any particular comment.

Example 1:

Respectful Disagreement:  I do not think the white highlighter suits your skin tone.  The gold one is prettier on you.

Being Mean:  That white highlighter is so ugly on you.  You are such an ugly bitch.  Why would anyone watch you.

Example 2:

Constructive Criticism:  I think it would be helpful if you did some full length shots when you show us the clothes you bought in the haul.

Being Mean:  You need to do full length shots on your haul items.  God how did you ever become a Youtube star.  You're a f*cking retard.

Example 3:

Polite Request:  Can you do more drugstore makeup tutorials please?

Being Mean:  You never use drug store makeup anymore.  You're a materialistic whore.  You should go slit your wrists right now.

In conclusion, please be nice.  I am not saying that you should never disagree with someone online.  If you want to comment though, keep the tone respectful and include something that furthers the discussion.  Remember that everyone has their own story that colors their worldview, and just because they ended up in a different place than you does not mean they automatically are a bad person.  If you simply cannot be nice, then just do not say anything and look for news/entertainment somewhere else.  The web is full of content, surely you can find something that better suits your tastes.

See you next week!

Wintergreen Resort Trip

My husband and I never really took a vacation together this year.  We did a few nights with my family after Baby T was born, and we will be going to stay with family again over Thanksgiving.  I also took some small trips on my own to see various family and friends.  I never took an actual full blown non-family oriented vacation though, with or without him.  When a couple of friends booked a stay at the Wintergreen Resort and invited us to come along, it seemed like a great weekend getaway at a fairly reasonable price.  We signed right up.  Our plan going into the weekend was to spend part of the weekend with our friends and part of it on our own.  I think we ended up with a good balance of activities and down time as well as socialization with friends and time on our own.

Wintergreen Resort is an absolutely beautiful mountain resort that I would definitely recommend.  All of the staff was very friendly and helpful everywhere we went.  Our room was basic, but clean and well maintained.  The rest of the resort was also clean, maintained, and welcoming.  We were there off-season, after the golf course had closed and before the skiers arrived.  Because of that, some of the shops, restaurants, and amenities were closed or open shorter hours.  Still, there was the availability of a few restaurants, shops, tennis, the aquatics center, the discovery center, a spa, and the beautiful mountainside including overlooks, waterfalls, and trails galore.  I cannot really comment on much outside of the food and the nature, because we never visited many of the different offerings.  I do hope to go back in the future, spend a few more days than we did this trip, and really try to get the most out of the resort.

Some Quick Restaurant Reviews:

-  The Edge:  This is a casual restaurant on the resort that is open late every day of the week that we ate at twice.  I had an Italian panini one night and the chicken tender basket the second night.  Both meals were simple, but delicious.

-  The Copper Mine Bistro:  Another casual resort restaurant, where we ate Sunday breakfast.  There was a good sized buffet with hot and cold options.  I ate way too much because I could not decide between all the yummy dishes.   I wish we could have tried this restaurant for dinner because it has a tapas menu, but alas its hours did not mesh with our schedule this time around.

-  The Market at Wintergreen:  This is a combination gas station, corner grocery store, and deli.  You can order pizza or deli sandwiches along with buying some prepared foods, snacks, and beverages.  I had a Cliffhanger sandwich that I spread over two meals because it was so big.  It was deliciously made with high quality Boar’s Head roast beef, sharp cheddar, crisp apple slices, and horseradish sauce.

-  Blue Mountain Brewery:  This is a local brewery where we ate lunch on Saturday.  I do not drink beer, so I cannot comment on their alcoholic offerings, but I did enjoy a pizza starring bratwurst, apple, & onion that was quite tasty.  This place was really nice, but it was incredibly crowded and parking was rather difficult.

-  Blue Toad Cidery:  This is another local brewery.  It was not nearly as crowded and had a nice subdued atmosphere to just relax and enjoy.  The bar staff was very friendly, giving us recommendations and information on other local places to visit.  Unfortunately I did not much care for their ciders.  I tried a sampler of eight or nine and only really liked two (Irish and Pineapple).  On a positive note, I absolutely loved the Irish cider.  Now I want to explore the world of Irish ciders and taste what else is out there.

Saturday morning, my husband and I went hiking.  It was the best hike I have taken yet.  We bought the hiking guide available from the resort, which allowed us to find a moderately difficult trail that was relatively close to our building, The Laurel Ridge Loop.  We did have some trouble finding and staying on the path, but that just made the trip more exciting.  Our guide vaguely indicated the trailhead was near the parking lots, but it took us a good fifteen minutes searching to find the actual sign near the road below the lots.  Once we were on the path, we followed the yellow blazes down a fairly steep and rocky hill.  At the bottom of the hill we came to a plank across the stream, so we crossed knowing from the map that we should be intersecting a stream on our route.  On the other side of the stream, we ran across several downed trees that blocked the trail in front of us.  We picked our way through slowly, lost site of the remnants of the trail, and had some difficulty finding the next trail sign that our map indicated should have only been a short distance from the stream.  Luckily, I spotted something that looked to be a man-made bench in the distance.  Upon reaching it, we discovered the trail sign along with a sign indicating that the path we just came down was closed.  Apparently, we should not have crossed the stream where we did, but instead should have followed it a ways before coming to a second plank further down where the trail was cleared of debris.  Now back on the trail, we climbed a small hill and crossed a road.  On the far side of the road, we faced a very steep climb up a rocky mountainside.  It was a strenuous climb over boulders big and small.  We were so focused on climbing that we eventually forgot to track the yellow blazes and ended up in some random driveway.  We chose to not go back down to find the end of the trail, but instead just followed the road back to our building.  This hike was exhausting, but it was so much fun to do the more challenging terrain.

As we head into winter, I doubt we will do much hiking.  I am not comfortable with driving in winter conditions to where the trails are, especially into the higher elevations where roads become difficult more quickly.  I also do not feel I am up to handling colder climates and more obscure paths.  I will stick to urban hiking around the neighborhood as the weather allows.  In the meantime, I think the winter is a good time to start planning how to increase my hiking activity for next year.  I want to research some new options, including maybe a few more weekend getaways.  I also want to look into some wilderness survival training, so I can become better equipped to take on more challenging trips.

Trip Spending Total:  A lot – Resort studio room $163.58/night (fall special for pay 2 nights, get 1 free), trail guide $3.00, plus all the various meals and snacks

See you next week!

Here are some pictures from the hike.

  

  

  

  

  

  

Disappointed in Myself – Front Room November 2016

This month’s front room update is a complete bust.  I did not even bother to take pictures on Tuesday because there really was not any point.  There has been absolutely no change from what the room looked like in October’s update.  I did not do any cleaning.  I did not unpack anything onto the shelves.  The desk that was ordered has not arrived yet.  The electric work has not been completed.  I did not even do any more planning or shopping during the month.  I am hoping next month I will be able to give a real update.  At the very least, I should have the desk delivered by then.  However, I think it is safe to say that I will not have a completed the front room by the end of the year.

I am so disappointed with myself.  When I embarked on the project, I figured a whole year would definitely be enough time to redecorate one room.  People flip houses in a month, so I could surely unpack boxes, paint, and order furniture to complete one room in a year.  Plus, I thought the blog would hold me accountable because I would want to show progress with each one that I posted.  Even though the process has dragged throughout the year, I kept hope that I would become excited and motivated enough to push through to completion.  Now that I only have two months left, I have to admit that it is not going to happen.  I have no one to blame but myself.  I can use excuses such as work, studying, trips away, things taking longer than I thought, husband creating complications, etc., but the real reason is I am lazy and unmotivated.  I fritter away my time reading, watching Youtube videos, shopping online, being overwhelmed by life.  What time I do not waste, I end up using on the most pressing current chores like dishes, laundry, and paying bills.  I keep having moments of calm where I promise myself I am going to get my life on track to accomplish my goals, but those self-promises are broken as soon as I enter the chaotic noise that is my life.

My plan as of now is to complete the office side of the room during November.  I will get my husband to finish the outlets and light switches.  I will clean the floor.  I will get a desk delivered.  I will put together my two chairs.  I will unpack boxes and arrange the stuff as desired amongst my new desk, shelves, and file.  Maybe I will even get some lighting and hang some things on the wall.  Hopefully, I stick to the plan this time.  I want so much for next month’s blog to be more interesting.  I do not want to keep disappointing myself or my readers.

See you next week!