Look - we actually saw a movie in theater!

Earlier in the summer, while the weather was still unseasonably pleasant, we went down to Silverwood Lake State Park again, to go boating. We met up with a friend down there, and actually had a really pleasant afternoon, until the weather started turning. Once the wind picks up that strongly, being on the water is no place for someone who prefers staying warm. So, we had to find something else to fill our afternoon. Quite aghast that we hadn't seen anything recently in theaters (well, since last summer, I think), our friend talked us into seeing something in Town on our way back to post. In our defense, the closest real theater is in Town, almost an hour and a half away, and the little 2-screen theater on post only shows second run movies. If there's nothing good at the post theater, we just wait and depend on our Netflix instead. Driving a round trip that's longer than an actual movie time doesn't always seem worth it :\

Anyhoo, while in Town, we did indeed stop at the theater there and catch a show. We decided on Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.

The story follows Larry (Ben Stiller), the former night watchman but now successful but unhappy entrepreneur, as he travels to DC from NYC to rescue the museum displays headed for storage there. As everyone remotely impacted by marketing knows, these displays come alive at sundown every night, and are taking with them the magic that will wake up the entire Smithsonian complex of museums. Meanwhile, to make matters worse, one of the awakened characters at the Smithsonian (Hank Azaria) is an ancient Egyptian bent on world domination.

A warning for those reading: The Smithsonian holds a special place in my heart, of all the many many many museums I've visited. With grandparents living just outside DC and being of a family of the bookish type (read: dorks! but we admit it!) we made the trip into DC to the Mall just about every time we visited the grandparents. My sister and I could pretty much recite the Metro Red Line heading in from Bethesda to downtown where we'd get off. So keep in mind that this movie focuses on a place I love. Anyways...

For Hollywood sequels, it's the usual more-but-less philosophy. More explosions, more of the same jokes, less of a movie. (National Treasure 2, anyone? The 3 Star Wars prequels? Still make me cry...) But, as I haven't seen the first Night at the Museum, and quite frankly love the Smithsonian with all my heart, I was prepared for a mindless bit of fun, not expecting too much. Which is mostly what I got. It was better than I expected though, with several laugh-out-loud moments. It is still a Hollywood sequel, so they aren't going to break the formula this time around, but I wasn't expecting it to be groundbreaking. And it's a kid's movie, after all, so not much in the way of plot or making-you-think moments, but plenty of fun to be had.

The acting was good. Hank Azaria is hysterical as always. That lisp just kills me! Apparently it's a nod to Boris Karloff in the original The Mummy, whose undead king also had a British accent with a lisp. Azaria is just so good at these part, too, that the funny voice is just icing on the cake. He also voices two other characters - Honest Abe (from the Lincoln Memorial) and The Thinker (who's really more of a dumb jock when awake). Seriously, if you have a talented voice actor in the cast, make use of him! Amy Adams was fine as Amelia Earhart, but the character was a little over the top at times and could border on the irritating. Ben Stiller is not my favorite comedian, but he plays the straight guy here very well. Owen Wilson and Steve Coogan return from the first film, as the model cowboy and tiny Roman soldier, and have some great (albeit underused) chemistry. Definitely could have had more scenes with those two in them. A favorite scene was the minis charging into battle 300-style, but being so tiny, they are just stabbing toes.

Honestly, one of the best things I liked about the movie was all the shots of DC and the Mall and the Smithsonian museums. There's lots of fun exhibits coming to life, many of which I remember from spending COUNTLESS hours in the Smithsonian every year. Granted, all the exhibits aren't from the Smithsonian (the Degas ballerina is in the Tate Modern in London - I know, I've sketched it there!) but they made for some fun jokes around the edges of the action. Like the bartender from Nighthawks breaking a bottle to use as a weapon during a fight scene! It made for some very busy scenes, those I-don't-know-where-to-look shots, but it didn't bother me like it did in Star Wars 3 (those were busy scenes, but no inside jokes or anything in the background, just business to show off the CGI capabilities). And I LOVED the Roman soldier riding in on the squirrel. Unless you've lived in the VA/MD area, you just don't know how tough those grey squirrels are! We used to laugh about that at W&M - the college just had permission from the squirrels to exist there, that it was really the squirrels who ran the place!

Overall: 5 of 5. Predictable but lots of fun. Gave me the feeling that a lot of jokes came from the original, so makes me want to see the first. Good mindless bit of fluff, and better than a lot of other things that came out this summer! Also, very good for the homesick! :)

T is for...

Tractor!

Back in September, when we were visiting all the family in VA, I became an official member of Zach's family. Doesn't matter that I have been married to the guy for a year and a half or so. I had not yet learned to drive the family tractor(s).

For a bit of background, my in-laws live on a farm, and I mean farm in the hundreds-of-acres sense. The family has several tractors (I think Phil counted 12, including the ones awaiting repairs). Big John Deere people :) EVERYone coming into the family learns to drive the tractors, and I had not yet had the chance. Both my sister-in-law (Zach's brother's wife) and my other sister-in-law's boyfriend (Zach's sister's boyfriend) had learned, college friends visiting the farm had learned, ex-girlfriends of both brothers had learned. Yet, since Zach had not lived at the farm much while we were dating, I had not yet had the opportunity to give it a try myself. Something was missing.

So, the weather being gorgeous and all, we trucked down to the barn and, suitably accompanied by the folks, the dogs and the cameras, I got to try. I ended up driving 4 tractors that morning. They started me on one of older ones (1951) and then we went through some newer models, ending with one they were calling the Cadillac of tractors - radio, AC, power steering - all the good stuff. Even my inexperienced self appreciated the difference in them :)

While I was giving all this a try, I also drove the Dixie Chopper that morning. The Dixie Chopper, for those with yards not small enough to have ever needed one, is a lawn mower with about a 60 inch cutting radius. My mother-in-law's very favorite piece of yard equipment. Very sensitive controls, and can turn in place once you get the hang of it. I wasn't very good, and felt like I was driving a bumper car, because I kept jerking myself around :) One of those machines that gets better with practice, I'm told.

So, yes, as of September 4, I am officially part of the family :)

And the knitting ADD strikes again!

Hello, my name is Lara and I'm a cast-on-aholic.

Two projects started this week. Very different, but both begun this week.

First up: The Shaken Not Stirred scarf from The Knitter's Brewery.

Or, as I'm calling it, the Purple-tini! (Though the name of the yarn I chose is actually Plum Wine). This one is actually a knit-along, but due to Life rearing it's ugly head, I did not begin the project on September 1, as the KAL says. Instead, it began on September 25. So, it is highly unlikely that the project will be completed by October 16 for the prize drawing. I don't mind. It's still an adorable scarf, perfect for Girls' Night Out sorts of events (assuming I ever live in a climate where I need to wear scarves again!). There are few patterns that end up as impulse buys for me. This was one. :)

I've got the border done already. 5 Little olives! It's all the cute details that made it so irresistible! Again, though, the unimpressive-ness of unblocked lace :\ Still, trust me! - that border is 5 little olives!

I like the yarn, and adore the colors (I stared at her color choices for a LONG while when deciding!) The only downside I've found is that it does tend to split a little. Nothing obnoxiously so, just a small price to pay.

Oh - one of the other cute accents to this pattern - the scarf pin she has in the picture is a fancy swizzle stick! Hehe!

Next up: Banana yarn!

Going to be a wrap sort of thing. Just a basic diagonal lace pattern, nothing special. The yarn itself is special though! Banana fiber! Talk about random! It's interesting to knit with. Some sections are twisted very very tightly, so that you almost have to unwind a little to keep it from twisting on itself. And then other sections are looser and fuzzy. The yarn's texture and sheen it what really makes it though. It's like the recycled sari silk yarns - neither are smooth yarns designed for fancy stitch patterns. Just need a basic stitch pattern, cast on and go! The yarn does all the talking for you ;)

Since I'm winging the banana wrap, I'll write up the pattern eventually :) Promise!

S is for...

Shedding!

As you might have gathered from reading, I have two furry pets (as opposed to un-furry ones like lizards or fish or something). Also, I live in the desert. These two factors combine to equal LOTS of pet hair all over the house.

Joey (the fuzz-butt above) is a mini Rex rabbit, meaning his coat is very thick and plushy and velvety. This also means when he molts, it's ALL OVER! Not as bad as long-haired breeds, I'm sure, but it's still SO MUCH HAIR! When we moved out here last spring, he'd already had a spring molt in SC, but arriving in the desert sent him into a second one. It's just too hot! And this year there was a second molt in August, right before we went back home to visit. Don't know why, just he was suddenly just SHEDDING!!! This picture was taken right after we got back from VA. I was playing with him and the new camera and caught this picture showing the after-effects of a molt.

And then there's Scruffy, a regular ol' short hair, but he's got the thickest coat I've ever seen on cat! You can brush and brush at him, and it just doesn't make any difference! And the poor guy has a sensitive stomach, so hairballs get him upset. He'll put up with the brushing for a little, but then wants to get down, so we have to pet him as much as we can to get all that loose hair out. Occasionally he'll even get a bath to wash out all the loose hair trapped in his coat. He puts up with it surprisingly well! All that, and we still have coats of gray fur covering the couch and anything dark he chooses to make a resting spot.

Poor little guys. Furry pets just aren't meant for the desert!

It's October again!

Thankfully our family has not been touched much by this particular disease, but I've had friends' families affected by it. So, check yourself, check a loved one!

For Breast Cancer Awareness, this celebrity endorsement caught me by surprise :)

Remember get yourself checked! Help save the Tatas!

I love my friends!

I found a lovely surprise on my desk this morning when I arrived. A friend from another department had dropped by a little gift for me, knowing that the past few weeks have been rough, to say the least (see yesterday's post!).

Yay! Friendly surprises are the best :)

R is for...

Running! And Race! And Rock & Roll!

All sorts of R's this time of year! The race pictures are all taken from this year's R&R Va Beach 1/2 Marathon. I ran that back over Labor Day weekend when we were home visiting VA. (Lovely week, that - feels like ages ago now!) That race was part of why we chose that week to go home. I'd run it twice before moving out here, and it's always fun to go back and run a race close to home. It wasn't my greatest time, but it was consistent with the rest of the year. No, seriously - my 3 1/2 marathon times this year from Jan, Mar, and Sept have been within seconds of each other! I am nothing if not consistent! So, not bad considering how crazy the summer is at my job, how miserable the weather in the desert is to run in, and how rarely I run in the summer as a result of those two factors ;)

I always laugh at my race pictures. The one above and the one right below are from about mile 11-12-ish. The Boardwalk is along the very final stretch of the race, and, obviously I'm running on it! Yet, my smile's still big and they aren't bad pictures at all! My very best running pictures were like that - about mile 11 at the R&R a few years ago. Dunno - apparently mile 11 is a good point in the run for me, my photogenic peak of the race :) The race this year... well, honestly I think it helped that the photos were taken after we turned onto the Boardwalk. Couldn't see the finish line, but could see and smell and feel the ocean again. Hadn't seen the Atlantic for nearly 2 years at that point, and hadn't seen any big water since May, running in San Diego. Well, we went to a lake in June, but it's not quite the same, is it?

And, being a VB race, Mom and her running buddy were there too. And lo and behold: Mom crossed the finish line and got a picture with her head up!! Not that surprising that she finished - the amazing thing is that after all the races she's done, she's always looking down at her feet or her watch in her pictures at the finish line :) But look - you see her face! Way to go Mom! :)

And for complete silliness, all 3 of us realizes that neither our house nor Ms D's had Epsom salts, for that post-race soak. So, on our way back home, complete with medals and race numbers still, we stopped at the grocery store to restock :)

And another reason that R is for Running, is that Zach and I found the running club on post this week! There are several people I know in the club, and several right about my pace, and several training for races I'm doing or ones at about the same time as mine. Wonderful news! I need that friendly "where were you for the long run yesterday?" prodding sometimes. So, it also works out that it coincides wonderfully right now as I'm belatedly posting my letters. :)

Maybe with some training buddies, I'll be consistent enough in my training to bring my 1/2 Marathon time down. My next goal is to be under 2:15, but I'd really love to be under 2:00. Here's hoping I can stick with it!