Quick Hits – January 2017

I actually have my blog written on time this week!

I will be continuing my monthly entertainment reviews this year, although I will be making a slight adjustment.  Last year, I tried to keep a very rigid structure of two TV shows, two movies, and two books reviewed each month.  This often was not possible because I did not always have the right combination to meet the two, two, and two format.  I also often ran out of time or just was not passionate enough about my consumption choices to write six reviews.  I am striking the structured review format this year.  Instead, I hope to write three or four reviews each month but no pressure to fit any set pattern of entertainment options.  This month only has three reviews (it is quarter close as you are all well aware now), but there are quite a few extra items in the overflow.  All the extra is partly due to the extra time between December’s blog and this one (I did December’s early remember), and partly due to a rush of easily watched things this past week when my brain has not been capable of accomplishing anything else.

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

Book:  Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (2016)

This was an unexpected surprise for me.  I received this book in a Muse Monthly box several months ago.  I have heard fantastic things about the book all year, seeing it pop up on numerous recommendation lists.  The description of it just never really appealed to me.  Since I own it now, and the whole point of the Muse Monthly box is to expand my horizons, I decided to give it a try.  It started a bit slowly for me.  I had a hard time seeing the point to all these little snippets of story.  Then, somewhere in the middle (around Kojo) it finally clicked just how amazing this book truly was.  From that point forward, I could not put it down.  The book starts with Effia and Esi, half-sisters who never met, living in the 1770s.  One is married to a white colonist who settled in Ghana to run a slave trading business.  The other is captured and sold into slavery in the Americas.  From there, we travel through their descents to the modern day Marjorie and Marcus.  Each chapter is dedicated to one character, traveling down seven generations.  Such a short amount of time only allows us to briefly meet and know each character.  There is enough to get a feel of the times and a glimpse of their family relationships.  Taken individually, the chapters seem too short to be worth much.  Strung together, it weaves an amazing overview of how the world changed in Africa and in America.  The characters are individuals, some likable, some not, but all are driven by world forces beyond their control.  It is hard to see at each glimpse in time, but it is unmistakable over the whole.  Yaa Gyasi is an incredible writer, but an even more amazing storyteller.

Movie:  Star Trek Beyond (2016)

I went into this movie with a bit of hesitation because it seemed to garner a lot mixed, leaning toward bad reviews.  I rather enjoyed it though, same as I have enjoyed the other two.  I am not even close to a Trekkie, with no familiarity with the original series at all, and little memory of the later franchises for which I have seen some episodes (The Next Generation and to a lesser extent Deep Space Nine).  Maybe not having prior attachment to the franchise canon makes these movies easier to enjoy, because I find them engaging, fun, comic-book-style films.  It is a mix of witty banter, fun stories, great characters (I love the addition of Jaylah in this one), quick action scenes, special effects, and good guy saves the day endings.  I laughed and enjoyed myself greatly.  It is not the best film I have ever seen as it has a few flaws.  For example, the beginning was a bit slow to get to the actual film plot.  Once the film gets past the ship’s breakdown though, it speeds up and becomes a lot more engaging.  Now I want to go back and watch all three films in order.

TV Series:  Enlightened:  Season 1 (2011)

I cannot decide if I like this series.  The shows main character, Amy, spends time at a retreat after a mental breakdown on the job.  She returns to her life, feeling whole and awakened.  However, she finds it difficult to reintegrate into her life while maintaining the calm she found at the treatment facility.  This show is extremely well-executed.   The casting is good.  The episodes are tightly written and interesting.  The premise of the show is fantastic and very honest.  It brings to light two very important truths:  one is how blind we sometimes are about how we come across to others, and the other is how difficult it is to make changes in oneself when none of the background is changing with us (same family, same friends, same environment).  The problem I am having with the series though is how unlikable the characters are.  While I think they are well-drawn, I find it hard to feel compassion or sympathy for any of them, especially Amy.  The only character I like is Tyler, the nerdy new friend Amy makes at work.  There is a season 2, and I will probably end up watching it, so maybe I do like it.  If you like cerebral shows, you might like this one too, but it definitely will not be for everyone.

Overflow:

Movie:  The Holiday (2016) – Yes, it is still a favorite holiday film.

Book:  The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi (2016) – Yes

Book:  Circling the Sun by Paula McLain (2015) – Yes

Book:  Salem Falls by Jodi Piccoult (2001) – Yes

TV Special:  Jen Kirkman:  Just Keep Livin’ (2017) – Yes

TV Special:  Gabriel Iglesias:  I’m Sorry for What I Said When I Was Hungry (2016) – Yes

Movie:  Step Up (2006) – Yes for the dancing and Channing Tatum.  The story does not feel quite as fun as it did when it first came out.

See you next week! 

Thank You Cards, Obsolete?

One of the things on my To Do List this weekend is to finally write the last few Thank You Cards for Christmas.  It is always hard for me to get them done in a timely manner.  Right after Christmas there is usually a flurry of other things to do during the end of December, and January is quarter close at work which fills my every waking moment.  While each Thank You Card takes very little effort to write, it still can be hard to find the time and motivation to do them.  I make myself do it every year though, because it seems like the right thing to do.  However, it seems to be a dying tradition, because very few other people seem to write Thank You Cards anymore.  Have they become obsolete in today’s culture?

I write Thank You Cards for just about every gift and extra nice gesture that I receive.  I write one for every birthday gift I receive.  I write one for every Christmas present I receive.  I wrote one for every gift I received at my wedding shower and my wedding.  I wrote one to everyone who interviewed me during my last job search.  I wrote one to the cousins who let us stay at their house for a week when we went to Seattle in 2015.  I make my stepson write one to each person in my family who gave him gifts (if he was my kid I would make him do his dad’s side of the family too, but it somehow seems wrong to force it on him when his dad seems to care less).  I only make two exceptions to the Thank You Card rule.  I do not write Thank You Cards for small token gifts that were themselves a thank you from another person.  I also do not write them for gifts received from my husband and stepson as it seems overkill to hand them a written note in the living room.

While I do still often receive verbal thanks from people, I do not receive very many Thank You Cards.  I sometimes receive them for wedding and baby gifts.  I almost never receive a written note for any Christmas or birthday gift I give to anyone.  The sole exception to this is my Grandma who faithfully writes a lovely note every Christmas.  I did not see many Thank You Letters sent from the people I interviewed for the open position at work a few months ago, and I know the practice is still stressed at colleges and in career advice materials.  I do not even remember the last time I received one for a random gift or act of kindness that I provided.

I know that doing nice things and giving people gifts is not done in order to receive a Thank You Card, but it really does make an impression on me when I get one afterward.  I feel appreciated, and it makes me want to do more things for the person who sent it.  I tend to save them in my scrapbooks because I love receiving them so much.  I know we are all busy, but it only takes ten minutes to put together a few sentences acknowledging the gift/kindness and expressing gratitude for it.  I really think this is important, and so I will continue to write them.

What do you think?  Are Thank You Cards still an important tradition?  Do you write them?  Why or why not?

See you next week!

Around Town: Top Three Casual Eateries: Centreville, VA

I am considering starting a feature on my blog called Around Town, where I review establishments or events around the area in which I live.  It will not be a regular scheduled feature, but just something that I will do on a sporadic basis.  Let me know what you think about it.

For the first Around Town, I wanted to discuss some of my favorite eateries in Centreville, Virginia.  These are top three places that my husband and I like to visit for dinner.  We are rather lazy and casual when it comes to evening meals, so we almost never go out to eat.  As such, all three are restaurants where we can easily order it to bring home.

Ciro’s NY Pizza (http://cirosnypizza.homestead.com/)

My husband and I love our pizza.  We use three delivery chains quite frequently:  Papa John’s, Domino’s, and Paisano’s.  When we want to treat ourselves though, we get Ciro’s.  They do not deliver so you have to call in your order and pick it up, but it is worth the inconvenience.  Ciro’s makes New York style pizza.  It is cheesy and greasy, and some of the best pizza I have ever eaten.  We also frequently get the fried calamari which has big pieces that are not overwhelmed by the batter used.  They get a bonus point from me because their ordering system is so simple.  When you call in, they give you a number which you give to the cashier when you pick it up.  The pizza place itself is conveniently located in a shopping center off Route 29.  Parking is plentiful and easy to navigate.  Ciro’s does also cater to the dine-in crowd with a large dining area and pizza sold by the slice at the counter.

Kabob Express (https://www.yelp.com/biz/kabob-express-centreville)

After pizza, this little Afghan restaurant is our favorite place for take-out.  Kabob Express serves a variety of Mediterranean style food, including gyros, shawarma, kabobs, and falafel.  The quality of the food is great, very flavorful.  It is a little pricey, but the portion sizes more than make up for that.  My husband and I routinely order one gyro sandwich and one order of fries to split, and I still cannot eat my entire half.  While I expect to get great quality food for the Afghan items, less expected is that they seriously have the best fries I have ever tasted in my life.  This place is conveniently located in the same shopping center mentioned above for Ciro’s.  They do have a small seating area, but we have never dined at the restaurant. 

Foster’s Grille (http://www.fostersgrille.com/)

Foster’s Grille is a small regional chain that caters to the burgers and beer crowd.  Unlike the other two places, we do occasionally eat at the restaurant instead of taking it home.  I love the atmosphere of the place.  It is quiet, low-key, never empty but rarely too crowded, and not too noisy.  It is more of a bar than restaurant, but it still manages to be family friendly.  It has a relatively slim menu:  burgers, hot dogs, and cheese steaks, wings, fries, onion rings, shakes.  They use an easy order process, where each customer fills out an order pad and hands it to the cashier.  The food is wonderful, greasy bar food.  I am not much of a beer drinker, but my husband seems happy with the rotating selection they have.  We frequent the Westfield’s location which is located right off the Westfield's exit on Route 28.  There is plenty of parking in the area, although limited spaces right in front of the restaurant itself.

What are your favorite casual restaurants in the Centreville, VA area?  Any recommendations for places I should try?

See you next week!

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How Far Have I Come? – Front Room January 2017

It has been one year since I started my Front Room Project.  Sadly I failed to complete this project by the end of the year as I initially planned.  I really did not even come close to completing it.  On a positive note, I have made significant progress.  I feel optimistic that I can and will complete this soon.  Even though I intend to keep working on the room, I will no longer be writing monthly updates on it.  Instead, I will do periodic blogs when I feel I have something significant to share.  For this final feature, I am giving a brief update on my December activities and sharing the comparison pictures with last month (December 1, 2016 on the left, January 2, 2017 on the right).  At the bottom, I provide an overview of the whole year, including progress made and future plans for each section, along with the pictures from the start compared to the current ones (January 1, 2016 on the left, January 2, 2017 on the right).

I had high hopes of completing the office area by year-end, but this did not happen.  I have however made more progress on that section of the room.  Most notably, I have unpacked several boxes into/onto the furniture.  On the bookshelves, there are a couple levels that are nicely arranged with books.  The rest of the shelves are still a haphazard mess of stuff as I try to sort through things to figure out what stays and just how it should all be arranged.  I have been going through all my paperwork files, purging old documents, and arranging the rest in the lateral file.  This is taking me a long time because I decided to thoroughly review everything so I could trash things that I no longer need.  I have moved my work space from the blue desk over to the new one.  I went on a shopping trip to The Container Store where I purchased a couple of nice stacking units that I plan to keep assorted supplies (craft supplies, kitty supplies, gift wrap supplies, etc.).  I also bought a bunch of dividers, trays, and random tools to organize my office supplies.  My husband finally finished replacing the last few outlets and light switches.  He also anchored my whiteboard to the wall in the open area of my desk.  Finally, I did clean another section of the floor.

From here, my next steps are to continue to work on the office side of the room.  I still have more sorting and unpacking to do.  The shelves need to be organized.  The black file boxes need to be emptied into the lateral file.  I am missing office supplies, so somewhere I still have more boxes to unpack.  I need to remove the pile of accumulated junk in front of the shelves, mostly Christmas gifts that need to be put away.  I need to finish cleaning the floor of all the paint spills.  I want to buy a floor lamp, a desk lamp, and some additional bookends.  I want to hang my diplomas and awards on the wall above the lateral file.  It does not seem like much when written out, but I know it will still take me time to complete it all.

  

  

  

  

Since this is the one year anniversary of The Front Room Project, I wanted to include some reviews of each section over the entire year.  Each section below has the picture from the beginning of the project and the one from this week.  I also included an update on where I stand in the project, including current future plans.

  

This is the area that came closest to being completed over the past year.  All those boxes are gone, leaving just one unpacked box of games and a random assortment of Christmas presents.  I have painted the walls a nice light blue that really brightens up the space.  The furniture has all been replaced with a line from West Elm called Modular Industrial that I liked because of the lighter unfinished look to the wood.  I wanted the room to feel a bit beachy when it is done without actually being too overtly themed.  I think the walls and the furniture I picked fit this desire.  I did change the furniture configurations a bit from what I had originally planned.  The desk is bigger than I thought I wanted.  The writing desk I planned to buy was not available when I went to order furniture, so I ended up getting the tall desk instead.  Now that I have it, I actually am glad to have the extra storage and space.  The taller desk though meant it had to go against the wall instead of in the middle of the room.  Since starting the room, we moved my very old desk (the one I used as a child) into the front room space from the basement.  I actually kind of like it in here, so I am thinking of keeping it, putting it in the middle of the floor, and using it as a craft space.  The non-desk wall is consistent with the original plan of some shelving and some filing cabinets.  I almost done with this area, and I am satisfied with the current result.

  

Although I have not even started to redesign this area, it still shows remarkable improvement due to the sheer amount of stuff I have removed.  I went through all of the random boxes and assorted junk that was scattered all over this side of the room.  Some of it was put away in other areas of the house, some of it was thrown away, some of it was donated, and a small portion remains here for future unpacking into this room.  There is a little bit of accumulated junk here, mostly from my husband’s last car cleanout, a purge of my stepson’s toy collection, and all the boxes arriving for Christmas.  Once I turn my attention to this side of the room, I will obviously deal with the last remaining items that should not be in here.  From an upgrade standpoint, we have only painted the walls and replaced all of the electrical outlets and switches.  After I am done with the office side, I will turn my attention to this area.  I have given a lot of thought to the area since I started, and I do have some ideas now about what I want in it.  I envision at least one more of the skinny bookshelves which will be used to display pictures, collectibles, and other pretty things.  I will have some big seating options, perhaps a chaise lounge chair and a loveseat, from the Bliss Collection from West Elm.  Then, I want an assortment of oversized throw pillows, beanbag chairs, and/or poofs strewn across the floor for extra seating and relaxing.  I probably will need a little table or two, but no real thoughts on exactly what type of pieces or where they might go.  Finally, I hope to get pictures and artwork hung on the wall.  I want it to be beautiful but relaxing.

  

There is not a lot of difference to see between these two pictures, but the assortment of stuff has actually changed.  I did pull everything out of the closet to sort through it.  The outerwear, gardening tools, and sports equipment went back into the closet.  Everything else was either relocated to an appropriate place or thrown away.  I do need to get some more appropriate storage solutions for the different tools and equipment, but there is not a lot of work to do on the closet.  It is basically being used as intended right now; it just needs spruced up a bit.

  

There also is not a big change in the stairs area.  The assortment of coats and bags hanging on the rails changes every month, but it never disappears.  I did remove the shop vacuum and box to the basement.  In the three foot area to the left of the stairs, I intend to put an entry storage rack with some shelving for shoes and hooks for coats.  This should hopefully move the stuff off of the railings permanently.  I have perused my options for coat racks, but no final decisions have been made.

I think this completes my 2016 Front Room Project series.  As stated in the beginning, this will no longer be a monthly feature.  Instead I will post periodic updates as I actually accomplish things worth sharing.  The next one will likely be a look at the completed office area, although I am unsure of timing at this point.

See you next week!