It's My Birthday!

On my birthday, we went to Little Rey for brunch.

I got pancakes and tacos. No regrets.

Then, we went to the movies and watched Taylor Swift.

We watched the OSU game at the alumni party at Hudson Grille.

Oppenheimer

We finally went to see Oppenheimer. We waited for Connor to get back from Japan so that we could all see it together, and we waited for the chance to see it in 70mm.

I would recommend seeing in on the big screen. The movie is full of stunning visuals, and I don't think it would be as impactful on a small screen at home.

We went to the movies, again

There are so many good movies coming out this summer!

Lex and I went to see the Barbie movie.

I laughed so hard. It was such a funny movie.

But it was also a lovely social commentary about the empowerment of women and the need for women to support one another.  It was about the value of community, and treating others with kindness, and following your dreams.

Lex said that he was glad all the feminism stuff wasn't too serious and angry.

He said it seemed like everyone really had a lot of fun making this movie.

He gave it an 8 out of 10.

I agree. I think it's a solid 8, and maybe a 9.

We went to the movies

We went to the movies last night to see Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning (Part 1) and it was a fantastic film. Even better, we saw it in 4DX.

It was the first movie we have ever seen in 4DX, and let me tell you, it's quite the experience. Mission Impossible makes for a great 4DX movie.

(I can't wait for the new Haunted Mansion Movie.)

The seats move and there are special effects in the theater around you, including fog, strobe lighting, smells, wind, and rain. The car chases and fight scenes are particularly enjoyable. I did get punched in the back a few times during the fight scenes. It's like massage chair technology that has been corrupted for evil. And you have to hang on to your cell phone and popcorn. Really. Our movie watching experience was a lot like an amusement park ride.

I'm really looking forward to seeing Barbie and Oppenheimer when they come out next weekend!

Spring Break 2023

At Connor's request, I agreed to take him and four of his friends to Seaside, Florida for a week of Spring Break. He said everyone was going to be there, and he wasn't wrong.

The weather was perfect all week long. It rained when we drove down, and it rained when we drove back home, but in between, it was sunny and hot.

Seaside, Florida is the perfect little town.

It was the filming location for The Truman Show.

The Latest Greatest Movie List

What movies have I seen recently?

(And by recently, I mean since the Christmas movie-watching season ended.)

A list, in no particular order:

Amsterdam

See How They Run

The Menu 

M3GAN (Kevin and I went to the movies!)

Parasite (again, so Connor could see it)

The French Dispatch

All of these movies were excellent and fantastic and I highly recommend them all, each and every one.

As far as TV shows go, I have been watching the Vampire Diaries again. 

I started with Season 1, Episode 1, and I'm currently on Season 5, Episode 4.

I've also been watching Too Hot to Handle Season 4 with Connor.

What I have been watching lately

The best things I have seen lately include two fantastic movies, and two prequel series.

They, are, in no particular order:

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Everything Everywhere All at Once

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

Game of Thrones: House of the Dragon

More Muppets

My mom gave me some more Muppet Lego mini figures when I was visiting!

Look!

It's Gonzo, Janice and Miss Piggy!

I brought them home and added them to the gang:

Now I have 7 of the 12 Muppet mini figures available.

Just 5 more to find.

Surprise!

I flew down to Florida this weekend in order to attend my brother's birthday party.

He is 40!

Selfie with my dad.

The party was a surprise, and everyone was able to keep the secret!

He didn't know until he walked into the party!

Everyone loves parties, am I right?

That's a lot of sushi! Wow!

Happy Birthday to You!

I bought him a Grumpy Bear and a jar of pickled beats.

It's a joke we have had since we were kids. 

It came from the Care Bears Adventures in Wonderland movie.

Happy Birthday, Chris!

The Last Two Books I Read

 I recently finished two books. One was fantastic! One was meh.

After watching the fantastic Enola Holmes movie starring Millie Bobbie Brown, I decided to read the book that the movie was based on. After all, the books are usually better than the movie. Richer. Fuller. 

The book got off to a good start. I liked the opening sentence.

But then, it was missing several plot lines from the movie. 

The problems faced by the characters seemed trivial and were resolved with little effort and hardly any explanation.

The movie was way better.

This doesn't often happen, but in this case, I do recommend the Enola Holmes movie, but I do not recommend the source material. I'm not even going to bother reading the next novel. I'll just wait for the movie sequel. The screenwriters are taking a lot of liberties with the books, and they are doing them better.

* * *

The next book I read is brand new. I ordered a copy from the library before the library even had it available on the shelves.

But, eventually, it arrived, and it was so fantastic!

Solid quotes to begin the book.

I adore this first line.

The book was written so that the story was told by both Miri and Leah with alternating chapters.

I also really like the first line of Leah's first chapter.

The book was really great. Leah goes on a deep sea expedition, and something unexpected happens. She is gone for much longer than she was supposed to be, and Miri is waiting for her at home, with little to no information being provided by the research outfit sponsoring Leah's dive. 

Once Leah does come back home, she isn't quite the same.

The book ends exactly how I expected it to. It ended exactly the way it should have. It even warned me that it was going to do that.

I loved it!

I do recommend that you read Our Wives Under the Sea.

It's gorgeous.