I Expected That

Alright, that time of week again. Time to come clean about my weigh in. It wasn't pretty but honestly, I expected much worse. So here it is.

Weight: 258.8 lbs
Change: 1.7 lb gain
Pounds to Goal: 8.8
BMI: 40.62

This week I've done absolutely nothing. I haven't counted calories or exercised at all. I didn't even mow the lawn this week. I kept telling myself that it was just too hot to exercise. And I glued myself to the computer and tv to keep a constant eye on the Waldo Canyon Fire so I considered myself too busy to count calories. They felt like legitimate reasons not to exercise and count at the time, but looking back, they were just excuses. I was justifying my laziness.

I was doing some reading about Smoke Jumpers and Hot Shot crews and happened to find their fitness requirements. They have to be able to hike three miles while carrying a 45 pound pack in under 45 minutes. And when they're not out, actively fighting fires, they have to train for up to two hours a day. As if that wasn't enough to make me feel really shitty about my laziness, I saw a thing on the news that some of the crews fighting the Waldo Canyon Fire were sleeping on the pavement in the subdivisions they were fighting to save. Instead of wasting time leaving the area, showering, changing clothes, eating a decent meal and sleeping on a cot, they stayed right there and slept on the pavement.

The helped put things in perspective for me. I realized that I just need to suck it up and do it. I need to quit making excuses and allowing myself to take the easy route. If I have to start getting up at six in the morning to be able to exercise before it gets ridiculously hot, then I'm just going to have to do it. Losing weight isn't going to be easy. It's going to test me mentally and physically. But compared to what these men and women go through, weight loss is ridiculously easy. And if they can do what they do every day, then I can do this. No excuses any more.

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Mrs. Kennedy and Me

I read Mrs. Kennedy and Me: An Intimate Memoir by Clint Hill with Lisa McCubbin about a week ago. The book itself was absolutely fascinating. Even though  President Kennedy was assassinated nearly 20 years before I was born, I grew up hearing about the Kennedys all the time because my mom is a huge Jackie fan. Plus, who isn't familliar with the controvesy of the assassination? I don't remember learning anything about Kennedy in school except that he was assassinated. I've learned more about his life prior to the presidency and what happened during his presidency from the History Channel than I ever did in school. Anyways, it was interesting to read an inside perspective on President and Mrs. Kennedy.

So the book is told from Hill's perspective. He became Mrs. Kennedy's Secret Service agent right after the election in 1960 and was her agent until about a year after the President was assassinated. He talks about meeting her and how he didn't want to be her agent in the beginning. It was practically a demotion because he had been one of President Eisenhower's agents. But he ended up respecting and admiring Mrs. Kennedy and they got along really well. It's interesting to read about the foreign trips, the trips to Palm Beach, New York and Hyannis Port. He talks about the birth and death of Patrick

And yes, he does talk about the assassination. In detail. He discusses the decision for Mrs. Kennedy to accompany the President to Texas and the events preceding Dallas. The motorcade through Dallas and how the President didn't like having the Secret Service agents riding on the limosine so they were riding on the running board of the follow-up car. He covers everything. The shots, running towards the limo. He also details what happened at the hospital and on Air Force One, all the way through the funeral. He tells what happens truthfully, without a lot of commentary about his theories so he doesn't play with the conspiracy theories. You can read his account of events and draw your own conclusions about what happened. I liked that the reader is allowed that freedom of interpretation.

So when I picked up the book, I was expecting a sterile, boring account of life in theWhite House. But it wasn't. It's easy to forget that Secret Service agents are people, that they have thoughts and feelings. They actually interact with the people their protecting. Clint Hill got along well with President and Mrs. Kennedy. He lit her cigarettes, shopped for her, gave them cash for the offering plate at church. I really enjoyed reading about the fifty-mile hike. Kennedy had made a bet with Prince Radziwell and a friend that they couldn't complete a fifty-mile hike. Mrs. Kennedy asked Clint to go along with them just to make sure they were alright (so he says, I think the Kennedys were testing him). After completing the hike, the President presented Clint with a construction paper medallion that he'd made. It's funny as hell and humanizes both the agent and the President.

The only complaint about the book that I have is you can tell when it's Clint Hill's voice and when it's Lisa McCubbins's voice. He describes things matter-of-factly. There aren't pretty, frilly descriptions when the book is in Clint's voice. But when it's her voice, descriptions do get frilly and feminine. I also got the feeling that she was trying to edit it to give the impression that Clint was in love with Mrs. Kennedy. When the book's in his voice, you realize that he admired and cared for her a lot, but I never got the feeling that he was in love with her. Lisa McCubbin's job was to help him tell his story in a clear, cohesive way, not put her style stamp on it but there were several times that I felt she had done some editing of what he'd said, making the voice hers rather than his. It was irritating.

Otherwise, amazing book. Totally recommend it to anyone who's interested in Mrs. Kennedy, President Kennedy or the assassination.

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Gaslight

Watched the movie Gaslight starring Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer and Joseph Cotton a little while ago. Here's another movie that I'm torn about. The movie starts out with the murder of a famous and wealthy opera singer. Her niece, Paula (Ingrid Bergman), inherits everything and then promptly leaves the country to study with a vocal coach in Italy. Then the movie switches to a few years later, Paula hasn't been back to her aunt's home and is about to get married and quit studying with the vocal coach. Her new husband, Gregory, insists they live in the aunt's home. After seeing her aunt's belongings, Paula breaks down. So Gregory has everything of the aunt's banished to the attic and the attic boarded up. But then things get weird. Paula starts hearing noises, losing things and forgetting things, leading her to believe that she's beginning to go crazy.

So I was really expecting to love this movie. But I didn't. And the blame solidly falls on the shoulders of Ingrid Bergman. I don't like her. A few weeks ago, I watched Indiscreet with her in it. And I didn't like her in that one. My mom said it was just because her name's not Hepburn or Day, but now that I've watched this one, I can tell you that's not true. I just don't like Ingrid Bergman. She spent half of Gaslight looking like a man in drag. And I know that technically that's not her fault, it's the fault of the wardrobe person. But her mannerisms don't help. She's a clompy walker throughout the movie, like she's uncomfortable walking in the long skirts. She doesn't move gracefully in the film, even while sitting, and it only made her more unfeminine in the gorgeous fashions of the Victorian era.

And when you compare her acting the that of the people around her, it was subpar. Charles Boyer as the husband is believably creepy. From the very beginning, I just knew there was something wrong with the guy. I also really liked Joseph Cotten as well. He played the Brian Cameron, the Scotland Yard Inspector that reopens the investigation into the aunt's murder. He essentially stalks the niece during the movie but you can tell that he's the good guy. This character has to walk a very fine line. He was a huge fan of the aunt's and is so curious about the case. He knows that in order to get answers he has to figure out what's going on with the niece and husband. So he pretty much stalks them. But in a situation and setting where he could have easily gone from being the good guy to being a bad guy trying to be a good guy, there's just no question in the movie ever that he's going to be the hero of the story. And Angela Lansbury was in the movie, it was her first movie role in fact. She's really good. I'm not sure that I've seen her in anything (other than her voice in Beauty and the Beast) but she's really good. I think I might seek out some other movies with her in them. She plays the maid who has "ideas above her station" as the constable tells Brian. You could mute the scenes that she's in and still be able to tell exactly what's going on by her facial expressions and body language. But Ingrid Bergman was stiff through the movie. I didn't feel all that sympathetic towards her. She doesn't play crazy very well, and it felt like through the movie she was fighting to cover her accent and do a poor job of it. Her Swedish accent came and went. She should have just gone with it and not tried to fight it. The vanishing accent took away from her character for me.

By the time I got to the finale of the movie, I was ready for her to really shine. But it ended up being Meh. The story was suspenseful and engaging. And the director used the staging to really set the mood. The lighting's absolutely perfect. And the way that he used the fog was just amazing. It totally immerses you in the environment that these characters are in. I wanted to be sympathetic and feel something for Paula, and in the finale she really has a chance to just pull everything together and shake things up. But it didn't feel real to me. I never connected with her and Ingrid Bergman didn't play crazy in the final scene well at all. It was a horrible let down. Everyone else pulled off their character excellently. Ingrid Bergman ruined it. Gotta check out the earlier version of Gaslight; it's changed some from this version and has different actors. After I watch it I'll let you know how the two compare.

Talk at you later.

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Hi

I had planned to write a movie review for tonight and post it. But I just can't bring myself to do it. I just heard that a place very near and dear to my heart, the Flying W Ranch, has been burned to the ground. More than 32,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, and there are homes on fire right now. So again I beg you to keep our community in your thoughts and prayers. Send us rainy thoughts.

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Waldo Canyon Fire

Courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net



Today's post will be somewhat of a Public Service Announcement. About fires. Specifically wildfires. If you follow me on Twitter, you've seen my pleas for my followers to keep the people and animals affected by the Waldo Canyon Fire in their thoughts and prayers. Since Saturday this wildfire had been threatening several communities to the west of Colorado Springs, including some neighborhoods on the western edge of the Springs. This fire could spread into two of our important landmarks: the Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak.

Every wildfire bothers me, but this fire is breaking my heart. Colorado Springs is my home. There's no place in the world as beautiful in my opinion. And to think that a human is the cause of this... I just can't fathom starting a fire that would destroy so much. The official stance is that they're investigating the source of the fire and they don't know. But since there were no reported lightening strikes on Saturday, that leads me (and several others) to cry foul-play. Someone started this fire. Whether on accident or on purpose is unknown. But I know in my gut that someone had a hand in this.

So I'm begging all of you to please do everything that you can to not start a wildfire. When the Forest Service says that the fire danger is high, do not start campfires or use firepits. When using a firepit or campfire, do not ever leave it unattended and make sure the fire is out completely before leaving the area. Do not throw lit cigarettes on the ground or out a car window. Even in your own home and yard be vigilent when using candles, incense, fireplaces, barbecues, fire pits, or tiki torches. And I know they're fun to light and watch, but please do not use fireworks. Not only are they dangerous to your person but you never know when something is going to spark a fire. I don't care where you're at and how wet you think the ground and foliage are, do not use fireworks.

Please consider how your actions will impact the lives of the people around you. More than 3000 acres have been burned by the Waldo Canyon fire so far and over 2000 people have been displaced. Our whole community is suffering because so many of our major tourist attractions are closed until this wildfire is put out. When will that be? We don't know. The fire is only 5% contained while I write this and it's taken two days to get to that point. One experienced firefighter guessed on tv that this fire would keep at it until we get rain. And there's none in the seven day forecast. So I'll ask again to please keep our community in your thoughts and prayers, especially the crews that are fighting the fire.

Guest Post: The Tarot by Tracy

During the A to Z Challenge, Tracy from Pull Up A Toadstool and I found each other. The title of her blog alone just sucked me in but it's quickly become one of my favorite reads. Every week she posts a tarot reading and while I love looking at the beautiful artwork on the pictures of the cards, I never really understood what Tarot was. So after reading this post I decided to ask her to write a guest post explaining tarot. I'm very happy to present you with the following post by the wonderful Tracy. Don't forget to swing by her blog to tell her you read it.

The Tarot
by Tracy Moore

While there is a lot of information out there about the history of the cards, this article isn't about that. It is simply my opinion and my experience with the Tarot. First I would like to deal with where the information in a Tarot reading comes from. It is a combination of Universal intelligence/energy, paired with our own intuition. For some of you that might sound a little vague, so I'll try to explain. It is my belief that there is a universal energy to which all things are connected, everything from trees to rocks to animals to people. I do not see it as a thing or a person, but as collective consciousness and knowledge which is available to tap into. To try to pin down exactly what this means is murky water. For thousands of years humans have been trying to put a label or face on it, and it has caused so much turbulence in our world. Maybe someday we will fully know all the details, but until then I choose to simply accept it as something which just is.

Do I believe in deities? Yes, but I do not believe that the information in a reading comes from a deity. Do I believe that we can see into the past and future with the Tarot? Technically yes, because the information does spring from collective consciousness along with our own intuition (which is basically us tapping into the collective consciousness). Do I believe that we can speak to the dead with the Tarot? No. I do believe that we can ask a question about a deceased loved one, but not actually talk to them. It isn't like a Ouija board.

For divination, the images and the meanings behind them are a way to look into the issues in our lives. The cards can help us to see how things from our past may be affecting our present and even have ramifications into our future. Then we can take those issues and work on them to bring our lives into a more harmonious balance. It's important to remember that we always have choice and free will. A Tarot reading should never be presented as an absolute. The reading is a heads up into what is around the corner, and allows us to prepare for it and decide how we wish to proceed. It isn't telling us how things have to be. Here is an example:

Let's say that your reading indicates that you will have angry words with someone which may result in the end of the relationship. Does that mean that it HAS to happen? No, it does not. It means that the situation will present itself, but here is where your ability to choose comes in. Do you engage in an argument or find another way to deal with the situation? Is this relationship a healthy one which you should be holding onto in the first place?

Spiritual exploration is another aspect of Tarot which ties back to the same concept of Universal energy. When we examine the cards, we have an opportunity to see areas in which we need to do some work in order to grow as spiritual beings. We can look at problematic themes as ways in which we need to change our thinking or reactions. Time for another example:

You've been feeling as though everything in your life is going wrong; emotionally, physically, financially, and you want to know if it will improve. The reading indicates a lot of turmoil. Do you to take this to mean that you are just doomed to misery or do you look for a way to change things? Look at what energy you are projecting out into the universe and why. Look at the type of people you are surrounding yourself with. A lack of anything often starts with a lack of genuine love and respect for ourselves, which leads to projection of negative energy. This must be taken care of before we can expect to see changes. It is true that we attract what we project, and this too is a choice. No one said it would be easy.

Okay, now that I've explained how I think that the Tarot works, I would like to walk you through how I do a reading. For at least a few moments, I still myself and internally ask that the cards show me what needs to be known. Then, I shuffle the cards with a question or purpose in mind and keep shuffling until I feel a tingle in my fingers. After I have selected the cards I look at the images on them and see what pops to mind or if I get a feeling about it. Then, I look at the standardized meaning for the card and combine it all into a complete picture for the issue at hand.

Tarot is an individual thing in many ways, and a person needs to spend time finding out which way works best for them. Some people shuffle a certain number of times. Others spread the cards out in front of them, move them around, and push them into a pile. There are as many ways to do this as there are people.

My biggest piece of advice to anyone on the receiving end of a reading is that if the person doing the reading for you tries to make it seem as though you have no choice in the matter, run the other way. Also, if the person tells you that there is something that they can do to ensure that things are going to be okay for you (for a fee, of course), run the other way. With all things spiritual, it should be about enlightenment and growth. Not fear or control.



　
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A Better Week Than Last

Good morning everyone! So this week's weigh in is a little bit odd. Instead of doing it this morning first thing after waking up, which is my normal routine. I decided last night to weigh myself before dinner. It was so hot yesterday that we decided we didn't want to cook so we ordered pizza and soda. Since both those items skew my weigh ins, I figured it would be best to weigh before I had them. So I did. I've heard that when you change the time you weigh, it changes your weight so decide for yourself whether this weigh in is legit or not. I'll wait to judge till I see next week's. So here you go...

Weight: 257.1 lbs
Change: 4.4 lb loss
Pounds to Goal: 7.1
BMI: 40.35

This week was better but nowhere near perfect. I had four days of being under on my calories, two days of going over, and my yard work day which I didn't count. I think I was somewhere around breaking even that day though. I allowed myself to eat what I wanted, when I wanted. At the end of the day, I ate less than I had the week before on yard work day so no matter where it fell on the calorie scale, it was a success. I'm going to stick to not counting on yard work days.

The exercise department was not so great. With the exception of yard work day and the day I allowed myself as a wallow day, there was no day that I got in all the exercise I had planned. Three of the days, the heat bothered me so bad that I had to cut my exercise short, one day I felt nauseous so I cut it short and then yesterday I didn't even try at all because I woke up with a horrible pain in my back that made it hard to move around.

And in NSV news, the shorts I made just a few weeks ago already have to be taken in in the waist. I knew when I made them that I would have to take them in relatively soon. I didn't make the elastic really tight, it held the shorts in place but if I lost any inches, I'd be having to pull the pants up. Well, apparently I have lost some inches because yesterday I had to keep pulling the shorts back up every few steps. I wasn't planning on taking them in till August so this is an unexpected and very pleasant surprise. I won't measure myself till I hit my goal so it'll be interesting to see what I've lost by then.

That's it for now! Talk at you later.

 

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The USOC Vs. The Ravelympics

I have to rant. I'll give you the back-story then bullet-point my thoughts.

Back-story: The United States Olympic Committee sent Ravelry (an online community for knitters, crocheters and other yarn-crafters) a cease and desist letter stating that their Ravelympics is a trademark violation. In the letter, they say that the Ravelympics and their events "denigrate the true nature of the Olympic Games" and it's "disrespectful to our country’s finest athletes." After catching a bunch of flak for that, the USOC issued their first apology. The last sentence is "To show our support of the Ravelry community, we would welcome any handmade items that you would like to create to travel with, and motivate, our team at the 2012 Games." And that doesn't sit well with members of the yarn-crafting community either. Yarn-crafters can't do the Ravelympics but they can send free stuff to the USOC. Then the USOC issued a second apology in which they state "we sincerely regret the use of insensitive terms in relation to the actions of a group that was clearly not intending to denigrate or disrespect the Olympic Movement."

So now... here's my thoughts.

• I get that it's a copyright violation/trademark infringement and that they have the legal right to ask Ravelry to stop. But the language goes beyond legalese and into bullying. You can read the whole letter here after registering. Or try googling it. I'm sure that someone has c&p'ed it.
• So it's totally cool for the world-famous Olympian Michael Phelps to smoke a bong. Also cool for Olympian Amanda Beard to discuss using cocaine, ecstasy and acid. That's not disrespectful of the other athletes and does not denigrate the nature of the Olympics at all, but for people to handcraft items in participation of a challenge that promotes friendship and healthy rivalry is denigrating? EVERYTHING that is written about an Olympic athlete reflects on the Olympics more than the Ravelympics do. What's the first thing that pops into your head when you hear the name Michael Phelps? Olympics. And when was the last time you read or heard anything about Amanda Beard, Shawn Johnson, Shaun White, Bruce Jenner, Florence Griffith-Joyner that it was NOT mentioned that they were an Olympian or Olympic athlete? The USOC needs to clean their own house before they clean someone else's. Trust me, Keeping Up With The Kardashians does more to denigrate and disrespect the Olympics and athletes than any sweater a yarn-crafter could make.
• Since the USOC apparently owns the word Olympic and all its variations, am I in violation of trademark since I've used them in this post? When is it okay to use them and when is it not? Does the dictionary publisher have to pay to put the word in the dictionary? What about the camera brand Olympus? Are they in violation? What about when swimming pools when they're described as being Olympic-sized?
• And the USOC owns the images associated with the Olympics. So the rings. But is that all rings or just rings in the interlocking 3 & 2 formation? There's a Christmas carol that has a lyric about five rings. They're golden but five Olympic rings, five golden rings. Totally confusable. And is it just the ring itself or does that extend to the word? So it is no longer engagement rings or earrings, it needs to be engagement finger adornments and ear decorations. Well shit, that just extends to all sorts of horrible problems. What is "Ring Around the Rosie" going to become? And you'll have to say that someone has circular shapes around their eyes. Do bells ring anymore? I really hope we get a lawsuit-free and C&D letter-free adjustment period to make these changes. This is going to be really hard to remember.
• What about the American flag? The Olympians enter the opening ceremony behind it. The spectator waves it. It gets raised if an American wins a metal. So it's linked to the Olympics. Do we need to have another flag for the rest of the year and an non-Olympic years? Same goes for the national anthem.
• The USOC notes that the Ravelympics coincide with Olympic years. So does Leap Day. Just something to think about.
• And you can't use the words Olympic (and variations) or rings. But you can TOTALLY buy the products the USOC and it's sponsors sell. Oh. And send them your handcrafts. They can call you disrespectful and denigrating but they want the stuff you made! For free.
• And last but not least, am I the only person who finds the second apology just as as insulting as the C&D letter and first apology? When I say "My dog didn't intend to shit in your yard," what do you think of right after that? "But she did." Read this sentence again: "we sincerely regret the use of insensitive terms in relation to the actions of a group that was clearly not intending to denigrate or disrespect the Olympic Movement." I hear a silent "but they did" at the end. I can't be the only person who feels that way. You can read the full text of both apologies here.

With just a about a month to go before the 2012 Olympics, the USOC should be worrying about the security of the athletes, whether athletes are doping or not, and enticing the average American to not only watch the Olympics but to buy the products of the sponsors as well. The Olympic Games are about clean competition, striving to perfect oneself, healthy rivalry and creating international friendships. The USOC needs to focus on that, not the sweater I'm making.

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The Wedding Dress

Watched the movie The Wedding Dress over the weekend. I waited to write about it because I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I still don't really. Here's the Netflix summary:

A beautiful wedding dress moves throughout the six degrees of separation when it ends up in the hands of six different brides-to-be and changes each of the women's lives forever in ways they could never have expected. Tyne Daly and Neil Patrick Harris star in this made-for-television romantic drama that follows the gown, beginning with its tragic beginnings in the hands of a prospective bride who awaits her fiancé's return during World War II.

I liked the idea of the story: that one dress touches the lives of several different women. But the way they told the story was confusing. There was one couple who seems to just be there to keep the story moving. But the man of the couple was an idiot and not of the endearing sort. He kept screwing things up, the reason why the dress floated around between so many women. But it felt like what it was. Just a plot device to keep the story progressing. All the issues I had with the movie could have been fixed if they'd removed the idiot. If each mistake he had made had been done by a different person, it wouldn't have felt contrived. The mistakes were believable enough on their own: a stolen car, swapped dresses at a dry cleaner, and swapped mailing labels. But when one person did them all, it just got ridiculous in an otherwise good movie.

Gave the movie three stars on Netflix. Would have given it four if the idiot hadn't been in it. Anyways, that's it for now. Talk at you later.

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I'm Not Inclined To Resign To Maturity

I was going to post yesterday and put up some photos that have been hanging around on my camera's sd card. But it took me longer to go through them, upload the good ones and resize them for the blog than I had thought it would. So I didn't get them done in time to post yesterday. So, you get a two-for-one post today.

First, we'll talk about the weight loss. Over the last couple weeks, I've gained back to 261.5 pounds. I'm not happy with it at all. But I also know that those are the results that I was asking for by not eating properly and not exercising. Usually, this would be about the time I would just give up. Say screw it and go on a binge. But I'm not ready to give up this time and call it a failure. I really do think the plan that I have will work with some minor tweaking. I just have to do it. So new week. We'll see what happens. I'm not going to try doing the pm yoga for a while. I haven't done it once in the time that I've had the yoga dvd so... I need to concentrate on the more important aspects first. The cardio, strength training and walking Noel. I also am going to give up trying to count calories on days that I do yard work. I try really hard to stay within my calories but then I'm absolutely ravenous and go off the deep end later in the evening and binge way more calories than I would have if I'd just eaten what I had wanted in the first place. Those are the only changes I'm making right now. Hopefully I get good results at the end of the week.

So now onto the photos!

8/11/12 I'm messing with my photos and galleries again so I broke it. No pictures. Sorry.
I took some photos of the horny toad that's living in our backyard. We've had at least one every year since we moved into this house. I think we might have two this year. The guy I took photos of the other day is smaller than the one that I saw hanging out a couple weeks ago. I don't know what their lifespan is. So I'm not sure if we have the same guy every year or a different one. But they're cool to have around. Some of the pictures are blurry because I had to turn my flash off. It was scaring him.
And I took GNephew to fly his kite and got a couple cute pictures of him doing it.

And I also took pictures of my garden a few weeks ago.
And then the hail went and killed all my flowers except for these. One little dianthus flower and two unopened irises. Don't know why Mother Nature was being a bitch and killed my prettiness.
Alright, that's it for now. I have more photos on the card to go through so I'll post those in a few days. Will talk at you tomorrow.

P.S. If you can tell me what TV show theme song the post title is from, you're my new bestie :D

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Random Harvest

Before I get to the main portion of this post, I have to get mushy on you for a moment. I need to say thank you to you, the reader. When I created my blog, I didn't really expect anyone to read or care about what I wrote. It was meant to just be an outlet, I was going to write whatever was on my mind and if someone found it, great. It's never been about the number of visitors that see it or the number of comments I get or selling advertising to make money. But in the almost six months since I started this blog I've built a steady, little readership. As of this moment I have 39 followers on the Google Friend Connect. And I get about 10-20 hits a day on my blog. I get comments on more posts than I don't. I never realized how much it would mean to me to have people who regularly read what I write. I'd blog if you weren't here, but I'm very glad that you are.

Alright... onto business!

So last night I watched a movie called Random Harvest. Netflix suggested it and after reading the little summary, I decided to put it in my queue. Here's the description (which has a spoiler) from Netflix:

Wounded World War I soldier Charles (Ronald Colman) has no memory of his past, and when he meets Paula (Greer Garson), he's certain she's the one for him. They marry, but Charles is hit by a car, regains his memory of his life before Paula, and loses all memory of Paula. He returns to his wealthy relatives, and a desperate Paula takes a job as his secretary to be near him in this tragic romantic drama.

As interesting as the summary sounds, the movie is soooooo much better. This is the first time I've seen Ronald Colman or Greer Garson and I have to say that they were both so excellent. They always have just the right amount of whatever emotion they're playing at that moment. You can see that his lost years are gnawing away at Charles' mind even though his life is going fantastically. And the hope that Paula holds onto that he'll somehow remember her is just absolutely heart-breaking. Every character and scene in this movie has a purpose. There's no extra fluff at all. Even a character as obnoxious as Kitty (Charles' step-niece/fiance, ick) has a purpose that helps drive the movie towards the conclusion. Even though the movie has lots of sad moments throughout and it's described as a tragedy, this isn't a devastating tear-jerker. The overall tone of the story is hopeful and sweet. You really cheer for these people to figure it out and get back together. You have to watch this movie if you're into classics or romance.

That's it for now. Talk at you more tomorrow.

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Back!

Hi everybody! I'm sorry that I've been MIA over the last week and a half or so. I didn't plan on being away from the blog that long. It just happened.

Early in the week, I was busy sewing like a fiend. My youngest niece, SNiece, had asked me to make her more dresses like I had a couple years ago. And come on, who can possibly say no when a child so sweetly asks you to make them something? I actually couldn't find smocked fabric that was long enough for her to wear as dresses, so I made her some cute tops and some capri pants. Twice the work. Plus, I made the pants from jersey and Berni (my sewing machine) decided she didn't want to sew jersey. So we fought a lot over the couple days I was making the stuff for SNiece.

Then after I finished that, I got on a major roll with the dehoarding. Anyone who's been around for a while knows that I was rapidly on my way towards being eligible for that tv show Hoarders. I've made a lot of progress over the last week. Anyone who says that hoarding isn't a sickness is full of shit. It is. The hardest part so far of the dehoarding has been my craft supplies. The rational part of my brain would look at some of the crap I had, tiny 1 or 2 inch scraps of fabric or pieces of yarn less than 6 inches long, and would immediately wonder what the hell I was thinking saving it. But the rest of my brain would scream about how much I needed that tiny scrap and that I could totally use it. It's been a challenge and at times I've felt like I was ripping my arm off to toss things in the trash but I've done it.

But the dehoarding has given me plenty of thinking time. I thought about what I was doing on the blog, weight loss, writing, music. Pretty much everything. So if you've actually been on the blog over the last week, you may have noticed that I did some changing. I changed the background to a nice, summery feeling image. I know I had said I wasn't going to change from the flowers, but I did. I also did some rearranging of the gadgets on the sidebar and I made a few pages. There's one for weight loss, the A to Z Challenge, links and a contact page for those who don't want to leave a comment or tweet me. I also redid my About Me page.

Alright, I'll cut it off there so that this post doesn't get ridiculously long. I'll talk at you some more tomorrow.

Talk to me. Leave a comment, Tweet Me, or use my e-mail form.

I know I've been kinda neglecting the blog. Gimme a couple days, then I'll explain why. Stick with me.

Shrinking Saturday

Alright, time to check in on weight loss. Trust me, the results and the effort don't match.

Weight: 258.4
Change: -3.1
Pounds to Goal: 8.4
BMI: 40.55

I'll have to go back and check on my wii fit, but I'm pretty sure it's been about a year since I weighed less than 260 pounds so I'm absolutely ecstatic about it. And now for the explanation as to why the results and the effort don't match...

AM Yoga: 1/7

Cardio: 1/3

Strength: 0/3

Walk Noel: 0/7

PM Yoga: 0/7

And then there's the eating. I was over on calories one day and didn't even bother tracking the other six.

So. There you have it. The effort did not justify the results. Yes I did about 2 and a half hours of yard work Tuesday and burned over 1000 calories that day. But I also was a bottomless pit that day and just would not stop eating. The rest of the week? It was all laziness that I didn't exercise and track my calories.

But this is a new week. I got a couple kicks of motivation. First, I made some shorts (I'll blog more about that on Oh Frog It) and I had to make a size 22 misses. Yeah. Not happy about that. I'm really frustrated with this whole Misses versus Women's sizes thing. Sometimes I wear an 18, sometimes I wear a 20 and sometimes it's a 22. It's a bunch of crap. Standard sizes would be awesome. Anyways, that's a rant for a whole different day. The other kick of motivation was this weight loss. Losing weight breeds the desire to lose more weight. It really does. It feels good to be in the 250's again. Now if I could just get a handle on this laziness thing... I'd be all set.