There is definitely something to be said for looking younger than one actually is...
...but not when it's because one has pimples.
Pimples are for teens, not those flirting with thirty. I heard somewhere that it can be a positive sign: the skin has not yet dried out and become prone to lines and wrinkles. Or something. It was probably just conjecture designed to make blemished twenty- and thirtysomethings not feel so bad about their complexions.
Whatever the case, I have been fighting a losing battle with the pores in my face the last few months. My forehead is like an oil refinery right now, and I have (for the umpteenth time now) a miniature volcano preparing to erupt on my left cheek. This doesn't happen in the cooler months and it didn't happen "up north." But it sure is coming back at me now.
Thanks so much, humid Florida summer!
I wonder if my stepson left behind any cleansing pads I can pilfer...*goes to check*...
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
He is such a sweetie!
My husband called from work a little while ago. He managed to get one of our older vehicles running after it had been down for several months, and he took it out today for the first time since. He told me that it was still running fine (fingers crossed). Then he apologized and explained that he had been hoping to get me a surprise, but it didn't quite work out as he'd hoped.
Now, I'm not sure why he's even thinking of such things, since money is tight and he already bought all kinds of goodies for my birthday and graduation. But all the same, it turns out that he went to a dealership to see if he could trade in the newly repaired vehicle for a new HHR, which I have really been wanting for a long time. And, surprisingly enough, both vehicles qualified for the trade (Cash for Clunkers).
The only thing hitch was that the trade-in vehicle had to have been insured and on the road for a year, minimum. We've only had insurance on it for a few weeks since it was down for so long. That nixed the trade in.
...Which I knew right away was for the best. The last thing we need right now is a new vehicle that we have to make payments on. Been there, done that, and it only added to our financial stress and worry. Very sweet idea, but this time, I'm glad that the technicalities spared us the temptation.
I assured him that, once I'm employed in a secure position, we'll revisit the possibility. Cash for Clunkers might not be around then, but after doing the math, I doubt it'll make that much difference--especially if we trade in for a pre-owned. Something to look forward to at least.
He is such a sweetheart for thinking of me like this. I am very lucky.
Now, I'm not sure why he's even thinking of such things, since money is tight and he already bought all kinds of goodies for my birthday and graduation. But all the same, it turns out that he went to a dealership to see if he could trade in the newly repaired vehicle for a new HHR, which I have really been wanting for a long time. And, surprisingly enough, both vehicles qualified for the trade (Cash for Clunkers).
The only thing hitch was that the trade-in vehicle had to have been insured and on the road for a year, minimum. We've only had insurance on it for a few weeks since it was down for so long. That nixed the trade in.
...Which I knew right away was for the best. The last thing we need right now is a new vehicle that we have to make payments on. Been there, done that, and it only added to our financial stress and worry. Very sweet idea, but this time, I'm glad that the technicalities spared us the temptation.
I assured him that, once I'm employed in a secure position, we'll revisit the possibility. Cash for Clunkers might not be around then, but after doing the math, I doubt it'll make that much difference--especially if we trade in for a pre-owned. Something to look forward to at least.
He is such a sweetheart for thinking of me like this. I am very lucky.
Monday, August 3, 2009
Trying to learn about Australia
I'm slowly compiling a list of all the subjects and questions that I will need to research for my new novel. Some of the material is a bit obscure, and the challenge will be finding websites, books, and people that may be able to give me the info I need or point me in the right direction.
I'm not even sure where to start.
I tried Googling "Australia forum" and the only results that looked semi-relevant were Yahoo groups (which I don't like because I much prefer message boards to mailing lists) and amazon.com forums (which tend not to have a very community feel to them).
I then tried "Australia abroad forum," only because I used to belong to a forum called Irish Abroad (or something like that) and it was a friendly place with helpful and knowledgeable members. As I should have predicted, the results had mostly to do with people moving to or from Australia. The most promising looking forum required me to join before I could view the site, and intuition told me that most of my questions would be off topic and/or too obscure.
No better luck with "Australia culture forum," "Australia history forum," or "Australia literature forum" (since I am a writer looking for info on Australia).
I've tossed around the idea of trying to befriend Australians that I find on unrelated message boards and contacting them, but I don't want to seem presumptuous and impolite by hitting people up for info just because they come from a particular region of the world.
I can imagine someone contacting me out of the blue, like "Hey! You're American!! Can you tell me anything about [random or overly broad historical question]?" And although it wouldn't bother me, I would most likely not know the answer and would have to politely point them back toward Google.
Which, I suppose, is where I'm going to have to start over from as well.
It's going to be A LOT of research. I'm totally up for it, but it won't be easy.
NOTE: if you somehow happen across this blog and know a thing or two about Australian history, please feel free to comment and get in touch. :)
I'm not even sure where to start.
I tried Googling "Australia forum" and the only results that looked semi-relevant were Yahoo groups (which I don't like because I much prefer message boards to mailing lists) and amazon.com forums (which tend not to have a very community feel to them).
I then tried "Australia abroad forum," only because I used to belong to a forum called Irish Abroad (or something like that) and it was a friendly place with helpful and knowledgeable members. As I should have predicted, the results had mostly to do with people moving to or from Australia. The most promising looking forum required me to join before I could view the site, and intuition told me that most of my questions would be off topic and/or too obscure.
No better luck with "Australia culture forum," "Australia history forum," or "Australia literature forum" (since I am a writer looking for info on Australia).
I've tossed around the idea of trying to befriend Australians that I find on unrelated message boards and contacting them, but I don't want to seem presumptuous and impolite by hitting people up for info just because they come from a particular region of the world.
I can imagine someone contacting me out of the blue, like "Hey! You're American!! Can you tell me anything about [random or overly broad historical question]?" And although it wouldn't bother me, I would most likely not know the answer and would have to politely point them back toward Google.
Which, I suppose, is where I'm going to have to start over from as well.
It's going to be A LOT of research. I'm totally up for it, but it won't be easy.
NOTE: if you somehow happen across this blog and know a thing or two about Australian history, please feel free to comment and get in touch. :)
H2O (and the absence thereof)
Have you ever heard of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs?
It's been a while since I formally studied psychology, but it basically goes like this: there is a pyramid, and our most basic and urgent personal needs go near the top. Among those topmost needs are things like food and shelter. I imagine that water would be pretty high up there as well, since humans need it to live.
Now, I realize that "water" does not specify "running water." But it is nice to have, especially now when that particular technology has been around for over a century and is now a necessity rather than a luxury. When I need water, it's nice when it flows out of a tap instead of me having to scoop it out of the mosquito-infested puddles in the yard and then boil it until it's usable.
So you can probably imagine how I feel when the pump decides to quit right when one of us needs to use it. Because, you know, not having running water brings the modern and the primitive together in the most ridiculous and frustrating way.
It's not like an iPod not working.
It's not like the washing machine not working.
It's not like the air conditioning not working...or the refrigerator...or even the electricity.
It's water.
Basic, necessary water.
All of our modern amenities and luxuries work great. But until we get the pump working, all we have to drink or bathe in is one gallon jug full of old tap water.
Bit of a gap in the old Hierarchy there.
It's been a while since I formally studied psychology, but it basically goes like this: there is a pyramid, and our most basic and urgent personal needs go near the top. Among those topmost needs are things like food and shelter. I imagine that water would be pretty high up there as well, since humans need it to live.
Now, I realize that "water" does not specify "running water." But it is nice to have, especially now when that particular technology has been around for over a century and is now a necessity rather than a luxury. When I need water, it's nice when it flows out of a tap instead of me having to scoop it out of the mosquito-infested puddles in the yard and then boil it until it's usable.
So you can probably imagine how I feel when the pump decides to quit right when one of us needs to use it. Because, you know, not having running water brings the modern and the primitive together in the most ridiculous and frustrating way.
It's not like an iPod not working.
It's not like the washing machine not working.
It's not like the air conditioning not working...or the refrigerator...or even the electricity.
It's water.
Basic, necessary water.
All of our modern amenities and luxuries work great. But until we get the pump working, all we have to drink or bathe in is one gallon jug full of old tap water.
Bit of a gap in the old Hierarchy there.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
"Passengers"
Also a surprisingly good movie.
I had never watched any of Anne Hathaway's work and I must say, all of the attention and praise thrown her way is completely justified. She manages to be Hollywood-beautiful and charismatic and yet very natural and likable at the same time.
My husband said that she (or at least her character in Passengers) reminded him of me. That's quite a compliment, even if that couldn't be further from how I see myself. There was even a line in the movie--from the male love interest to Anne--about having beauty and other positive qualities that one does not recognize in oneself.
Why aren't we able to see ourselves as others see us? I always wondered what it might be like to slip into J's eyes and mind and to experience myself completely from his perspective. Would it be a revelation? Would all of these qualities he says I possess at last become visible to me?
But back to Passengers...
The movie played out as a thriller with a (somewhat predictable, but still well executed) twist at the end. It portrayed the afterlife in a hopeful and uplifting way without being too easy or sentimental.
I wouldn't mind an afterlife like this. I just hope there is an afterlife, period. And if there is, I hope that it provides us with choices, closure, and the opportunity for growth.
I had never watched any of Anne Hathaway's work and I must say, all of the attention and praise thrown her way is completely justified. She manages to be Hollywood-beautiful and charismatic and yet very natural and likable at the same time.
My husband said that she (or at least her character in Passengers) reminded him of me. That's quite a compliment, even if that couldn't be further from how I see myself. There was even a line in the movie--from the male love interest to Anne--about having beauty and other positive qualities that one does not recognize in oneself.
Why aren't we able to see ourselves as others see us? I always wondered what it might be like to slip into J's eyes and mind and to experience myself completely from his perspective. Would it be a revelation? Would all of these qualities he says I possess at last become visible to me?
But back to Passengers...
The movie played out as a thriller with a (somewhat predictable, but still well executed) twist at the end. It portrayed the afterlife in a hopeful and uplifting way without being too easy or sentimental.
I wouldn't mind an afterlife like this. I just hope there is an afterlife, period. And if there is, I hope that it provides us with choices, closure, and the opportunity for growth.
Friday, July 31, 2009
I am probably a sick individual
...because I loved this movie.
If you click the link and you don't immediately think "eeew...WTF?", then you deserve a lot of credit. Most people would probably be put off by the sight of a flabby middle aged man sans shirt even before they recognized the name Aleister Crowley, and on both counts they would probably wonder what on earth could be the appeal.
It's definitely not for everybody. I read a lot of terrible reviews, mostly from people who were totally unprepared for the subject matter or who watched the movie just because the guy from Iron Maiden wrote the screenplay and were disappointed. But I also read some reviews that I must agree with--that yes, it's a mess, but an entertaining and very worthwhile mess. And I'd rather watch that than some overhyped "important" movie that won countless festival awards and still manages to be duller than a blank screen.
One reassurance to the prudish, and a warning to those hoping for tons of perversion and gore, is that the movie turns out to be far more mild than one might expect. To be honest, I've seen more disturbing acts of violence in mainstream thrillers and more nudity and graphic sex in highbrow Masterpiece Theatre types of films. "Crowley" was actually rather tame. Which is kind of a letdown for a movie about someone who reveled in shocking people.
But all criticism aside, I still found myself thinking about how much I enjoyed the movie long after I watched it, and that's a rarity even with quality films. Simon Callow is simply brilliant. I'm not sure who else could have played the role with such relish (or who else would have the nerve). The rest of the cast could just stand there and stare at the floor, and the movie would still be enjoyable thanks to Callow. If you don't recognize the name, he was also in "Shakespeare in Love." Speaking of popular highbrow movies that are more risque than this one.
For anyone who's interested, "Crowley" (aka "Chemical Wedding") is on Netflix Instant View, at least for the time being. Give it a try.
If you click the link and you don't immediately think "eeew...WTF?", then you deserve a lot of credit. Most people would probably be put off by the sight of a flabby middle aged man sans shirt even before they recognized the name Aleister Crowley, and on both counts they would probably wonder what on earth could be the appeal.
It's definitely not for everybody. I read a lot of terrible reviews, mostly from people who were totally unprepared for the subject matter or who watched the movie just because the guy from Iron Maiden wrote the screenplay and were disappointed. But I also read some reviews that I must agree with--that yes, it's a mess, but an entertaining and very worthwhile mess. And I'd rather watch that than some overhyped "important" movie that won countless festival awards and still manages to be duller than a blank screen.
One reassurance to the prudish, and a warning to those hoping for tons of perversion and gore, is that the movie turns out to be far more mild than one might expect. To be honest, I've seen more disturbing acts of violence in mainstream thrillers and more nudity and graphic sex in highbrow Masterpiece Theatre types of films. "Crowley" was actually rather tame. Which is kind of a letdown for a movie about someone who reveled in shocking people.
But all criticism aside, I still found myself thinking about how much I enjoyed the movie long after I watched it, and that's a rarity even with quality films. Simon Callow is simply brilliant. I'm not sure who else could have played the role with such relish (or who else would have the nerve). The rest of the cast could just stand there and stare at the floor, and the movie would still be enjoyable thanks to Callow. If you don't recognize the name, he was also in "Shakespeare in Love." Speaking of popular highbrow movies that are more risque than this one.
For anyone who's interested, "Crowley" (aka "Chemical Wedding") is on Netflix Instant View, at least for the time being. Give it a try.
And lead me not into temptation...
This blog.
Just what I DON'T need to be looking at right now. Even if all these clothes and shoes are bargains. My money needs to go to more important things right now.
But check out the purple shoes with the black ribbons in the July 31st entry...
...holy shit!!!!!
Those are the stuff of serious fantasy.
*hits the "x" button quickly before getting self into trouble*
Just what I DON'T need to be looking at right now. Even if all these clothes and shoes are bargains. My money needs to go to more important things right now.
But check out the purple shoes with the black ribbons in the July 31st entry...
...holy shit!!!!!
Those are the stuff of serious fantasy.
*hits the "x" button quickly before getting self into trouble*
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