Movie Monday

Vampire Suck

Date of Viewing: Saturday, February 19, 2011

Method of Viewing:  Netflix DVD

Rating: 0 out of 5 Stars

A-Listers:  None

Attention All:  Please, please, please...do Not watch this movie.  Listen to your gut.  The title is right....it sucks!  I wanted to laugh.  I was waiting for it to be funny.  But it just wasn't.  The one and only part that I did give a little chuckle to was when "Charlie Swan" was sparing/fighting with "Billy Black".  It was funny because "Billy" kicked "Charlie" in the face.  Ummm...hello...he's in a wheelchair because he's PARALYZED!  And laughing at a guy in a wheelchair getting beat up is kind of mean.

From the time it began until the time that it ended, I kept thinking "I'd rather be watching the originals."

The only actors that I recognized were Ken Jeone ("Aro").  He was the guy who delivered Katherine Heigel's baby in "Knocked Up".  The other guy was Diedrich Bader ("Charlie").  You know who he is but just don't know his name.  He was on "The Drew Carey Show", "Miss Congeniality: Armed and Fabulous" and "Beverly Hillbillies: The Movie".  

Is that sad or what?  The guy that plays "Bella's" father was a hillbilly.  Actually, that sums it up.  It really was quite sad.

My Parents

My parents live Up North.  I don't get to see them as much as I'd like.  And I guess I really haven't gone Up North since Thanksgiving.  I work every other weekend and sometimes I pick up an extra shift on the weekend that I'm off, or I've got other plans already made.

Sometimes they come down to the cities.  It's usually when they have a dentist appointment or in the case of this past weekend, they were taking a class on how to use their new digital camera at National Camera Exchange.  My dad finally braking down and buying a digital camera is amazing.  I think my mom still has the camera and flash bulbs that were used in the 80's.  I remember playing with it when I was little.

When they come down, they stay at my place.  They've made a nice little home in my basement.  The silly thing about them is that sometimes they stay for less than 24 hours.  Take this weekend for example.  They arrived on Friday at 5:30 pm.  We ate supper together, then dad took a nap on the couch while my sister and I chatted with mom at the kitchen table.  ( That's my favorite part....just talking at the table with mom. )

Later on I made brownies while we watched 20/ 20.  ( That again is a memory I'll always cherish.  When I was little and we would travel Up North to my grandparents.  We'd walk in late Friday night and Grandma would be asleep in her chair snoring with her teeth falling out of her mouth and Grandpa would be snacking on Fisher's Salted Peanuts while watching Barbara Walter and Hugh Downs on 20/ 20. )

We all went to bed and that was the last I saw of them.  I got up super early on Saturday to go to work and they were still sleeping.  They went to their camera class and then headed home.  They were here for 14 hours.  The funny thing is that they wanted to get home before the snow came. 

I watched the news last night and WCCO said that snow was supposed to start overnight and by Sunday night we'd have over a foot.  But as I write this, I can still see grass!  Well, they beat it alright.

That's my parents and I love them.  They are the only set I have.  And they know that my motel is always open.

What To Do With A Red Pepper?

Last week red, yellow and orange peppers were on sale at Cub, so I bought 1 red pepper thinking that I would make a homemade pizza.  But I didn't get any other ingredients.

I've been looking at that lonely red pepper all week and I had no idea what to do with it.  One guy that I work with at the Y eats red peppers as if they were apples.  Gross.  Then I remembered that a girl at the office had made Chicken Cacciatore a couple of weeks ago and had brought in leftovers for her lunch.  It smelled up the office...Yum! 

So I am going to be adventurous and make it tonight.  I just hope it turns out because I won't be following a recipe.  Not following a recipe goes against my nature. 

To Be Continued.....

Movie Monday

I have decided that I am going to try some theme topics.  Some of you have done this in the past and I think I'm going to give it a try.  Sometimes I have nothing to report on my monotonous single girl life, so I'm hoping this will be fun.

As most of you know, I am a movie buff.  I am a subscriber to Netflix, a DVD renter from the public library system ( Ramsey County is far superior to Anoka County as far as DVD selections go), and have the luxury of getting Comcast On Demand.  So my first movie that I'd like to briefly review is:

Knight And Day

Date of Viewing:  Saturday, February 12, 2011

Method of Viewing:  Netflix DVD

Rating:  4 out of 5 Stars

A-Listers:  Cameron Diaz, Tom Cruise

I would consider this to be a chick flick.  Gals will love it because on the surface it looks like a love story and guys will love it because there are guns and fighting.  At times I felt like I was watching the latest installment of Mission: Impossible.  However, I'm easily entertained so watching a cute, little spy movie was very thrilling.

Oral Cancer...Yikes!

This morning I attended an annual dental seminar that's offered through my employer.  Most of the topics go over my head but today there was one topic that caught my attention...Oral Cancer.  Not too much in the mouth gets me queezy but I think I have finally found my stomach threshold.  I saw oral carcinoma pictures that were disturbing and so advanced that it was hard to believe that people would have let them get so big and think that it was okay; that it was normal.

I know the majority of my readers are friends but in the off chance I can touch someone who crosses this post even by accident,  please listen to what I say as I want to share my limited dental knowledge.  Your dentist or hygienist should be doing a head and neck exam as part of an oral cancer screening every time you go in for your cleanings.  They should be checking your lips, cheeks, tongue, pharynx, and thyroid glands. 

Catching oral cancer in its earlier stages have a 80+ % survival rate.  If a sore is ignored or not caught earlier enough,  survival rates decrease severely to 30+%.  Even with surgery to remove the carcinoma, patients rarely have a 5 year survival rate!

You might be thinking...I don't smoke or chew tobacco so I don't have to worry about oral cancer.  Well, you're mistaken.  They can be caused by "chemicals, viruses, irradiation, excessive alcohol intake, hormones, diet and physical irritants" (like dentures or mouth-guards). {Nelson, L. Hhodus, DMD;  Compendiumlive.com; Oct '09-Vol 30, No. 8}

So I urge anyone who notices an abnormality above/below/on the side of their tongue, on your cheeks or lips, please seek attention from a dentist.  Your life depends on it.

Fishnets and Flannel

Last summer at the State Fair I entered my name into a drawing to win MN RollerGirls tickets.  I had forgotten all about it and a month ago I received a phone call that I had won tickets.  So I took along one of the girls that I had entered with me to the bout tonight.

I know little about roller derby and the little I do know is only from watching "Whip It!".  Going in with no expectations, I was a little disappointed with the first bout.  Slow-pace...amateurs...butts were kicked.  Then the second half came and it was AWESOME!  It was the MN RollerGirls All-Stars vs. some team from Tulsa.  We rocked.  It was fast....action-packed...professional....AND butts were kicked! 

If anyone is in need of an idea for a date or a night out with some friends, this is something that everyone needs to see.

A funny story...as Nicole and I were leaving the Roy Wilkins Auditorium, we made our way into the Xcel Energy lobby.  We couldn't help but notice all the people....all the differences in peoples attire.   Xcel happened to be having a Wildest Rodeo In Town event featuring Jared Niemann.  Picture this if you will....RollerGirl fans dressed in fishnets, spandex, punk shoes and purple hair.  Walking in the skyway along with cowboys dressed in skinny jeans, cowboy boots and hats and flannel.  We couldn't stop laughing....Fishnets and Flannel!