I love a good book, even more than I love a good movie. There's just something about the time you invest in a book. And when it turns out to be great, it's so much more satisfying. It's as if you had a part in creating it, rather than just sitting your butt down in front of a screen for a couple of hours and watching what someone else made. Not that there's anything wrong with that ...
I've read some really good books lately, the most recent being "The Innocent Man," by John Grisham. Now, I know what you're thinking: "Great? Grisham?" Well, I happen to like Grisham's books anyway, but all you high-brow literati take note: This particular book is not a novel, but a non-fiction account of a man who spent 17 years in bars -- many of them on Death Row -- for a murder he didn't commit. Oh, all you cynics out there, hush. They eventually got the right guy, so pfft.
Anyway, I'm all booked out. I can't think of anything that's out right now that I haven't read or want to read, so I'm looking for ideas. I came upon this Web site, Goodreads, that lets friends share their thoughts on their favorite (and not so favorite) books. You rate a book from one to five stars; you also have the option of writing a review if you want. It's a pretty neat site. If you check it out and you like it, let me know and I'll add you to my friends list so we can share thoughts on the books we're reading. Up next on my list is "The Time Traveler's Wife." I hadn't heard of it until I went on the site, but it looks really interesting and it's gotten generally good reviews.
So if you're into books, take a gander at Goodreads. And if you want to connect with me on the site, let me know. I'm always on the lookout for my new favorite book. Though, I have to say, "Wicked" is going to be pretty tough to beat...
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Okey dokey, here are the pictures from my trip. I tried to explain as much as I could in the captions.
London pics
Hope you enjoy!
London pics
Hope you enjoy!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
I'm back from London! I had a great time and saw lots and lots of the things you go to London to see -- Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, etc. I'll post the pics in a few days, but first let me tell you about my little adventure getting there and back.
So a couple of days before my trip, my back started to hurt. I have sciatica, but as long as I stretch regularly, I can usually keep the pain at bay. Even then, it's painful but not unbearable. Usually.
I don't know if it was the stress of flying or what, but I was in full-on pain. By the day of the flight, I could barely even walk. When I went to put my sneakers on to go to the airport, I couldn't even lift my leg enough to put my sneaker on. I felt awful. If it was going to be like this in London, what was the point of even going? I had a little breakdown, I must admit. The timing just seemed to work against me. But after a little self-pity and crying jag, I decided to go on the trip, leg be damned. Oh, and I also took lots and lots of pain pills.
Thank goodness we decided to get premium seats on the way there. The premium area was almost empty, and Neets and I were able to get our own rows. The seats were really comfortable and they reclined enough that I was able to lay back and let the pills kick in. I slept the entire flight there. Man, if you can do that, it's awesome. You literally close your eyes and wake up in another country. If only all trips could be like that.
Anyway, when we landed in London, my leg was starting to feel a little better. I continued to take the pills the entire time there, just to keep it under control, but thankfully, after that little burp of a start, I was able to walk around London and enjoy the sites. And are there sites to see! We stayed in the Trafalgar Square area, and so we walked around there and checked out the stores. We also visited Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, Oxford, Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, Harrod's, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Green Park, Hyde Park, St. James Park and the Princess Diana Memorial. Phew! I'm tired just listing all those things; imagine visiting all of those places ... in four days!
But that wasn't as exhausting as the trip back. First, we had to wait at the airport for an extra four hours because our flight was delayed. That's four hours we could have instead spent in London, but hey, what can you do? But then there was the woman sitting next to me who apparently had tuberculosis or some other awful disease. She coughed and coughed and coughed without ever once covering her mouth. Gross. And her daughter, who was sitting next to her, was also sick and apparently also didn't know she should cover her mouth. She also didn't seem to notice that it would be kinda rude to put her bare feet across her mother's lap and have them be right next to me. And then, I had to take the vegetarian meal, which was disgusting, because the chicken meal had mushrooms in it. Why do the British love their mushrooms so? It's such a hit-or-miss food, why do they put it in everything? There are plenty of people who don't each mushrooms. I can't be the only one, right?
But that, my friends, was not even the worst of it. Having the flight land at midnight instead of 8 p.m. was sucky, as was tuberculosis lady and gross food. But the absolute worst was getting detained by Homeland Security for over an hour because there's someone with the same name as you with an arrest warrant out for them. That, my dear, sweet friends, really sucks. Because once you're in the detention room, you can't use your cell phone, you can't communicate with the people who are there to pick you up, you can't pick up your luggage -- you pretty much can't do anything until you're told you're clear. And that can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. In fact, they can hold you for up to 24 hours if they need/want to. It's great being an American citizen, what will all the rights and freedoms we have, eh?
But let's not focus on the negative. The vacation itself was great. I saw so much beautiful architecture and learned so much about the country's history. And two big thumbs up to Neets, a fantastic tour guide! She'd been there several times before and knew what we should see and what we could skip, and how to get around to all the places. Thanks, Neets!
So a couple of days before my trip, my back started to hurt. I have sciatica, but as long as I stretch regularly, I can usually keep the pain at bay. Even then, it's painful but not unbearable. Usually.
I don't know if it was the stress of flying or what, but I was in full-on pain. By the day of the flight, I could barely even walk. When I went to put my sneakers on to go to the airport, I couldn't even lift my leg enough to put my sneaker on. I felt awful. If it was going to be like this in London, what was the point of even going? I had a little breakdown, I must admit. The timing just seemed to work against me. But after a little self-pity and crying jag, I decided to go on the trip, leg be damned. Oh, and I also took lots and lots of pain pills.
Thank goodness we decided to get premium seats on the way there. The premium area was almost empty, and Neets and I were able to get our own rows. The seats were really comfortable and they reclined enough that I was able to lay back and let the pills kick in. I slept the entire flight there. Man, if you can do that, it's awesome. You literally close your eyes and wake up in another country. If only all trips could be like that.
Anyway, when we landed in London, my leg was starting to feel a little better. I continued to take the pills the entire time there, just to keep it under control, but thankfully, after that little burp of a start, I was able to walk around London and enjoy the sites. And are there sites to see! We stayed in the Trafalgar Square area, and so we walked around there and checked out the stores. We also visited Windsor Castle, Stonehenge, Oxford, Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, Harrod's, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Green Park, Hyde Park, St. James Park and the Princess Diana Memorial. Phew! I'm tired just listing all those things; imagine visiting all of those places ... in four days!
But that wasn't as exhausting as the trip back. First, we had to wait at the airport for an extra four hours because our flight was delayed. That's four hours we could have instead spent in London, but hey, what can you do? But then there was the woman sitting next to me who apparently had tuberculosis or some other awful disease. She coughed and coughed and coughed without ever once covering her mouth. Gross. And her daughter, who was sitting next to her, was also sick and apparently also didn't know she should cover her mouth. She also didn't seem to notice that it would be kinda rude to put her bare feet across her mother's lap and have them be right next to me. And then, I had to take the vegetarian meal, which was disgusting, because the chicken meal had mushrooms in it. Why do the British love their mushrooms so? It's such a hit-or-miss food, why do they put it in everything? There are plenty of people who don't each mushrooms. I can't be the only one, right?
But that, my friends, was not even the worst of it. Having the flight land at midnight instead of 8 p.m. was sucky, as was tuberculosis lady and gross food. But the absolute worst was getting detained by Homeland Security for over an hour because there's someone with the same name as you with an arrest warrant out for them. That, my dear, sweet friends, really sucks. Because once you're in the detention room, you can't use your cell phone, you can't communicate with the people who are there to pick you up, you can't pick up your luggage -- you pretty much can't do anything until you're told you're clear. And that can take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours. In fact, they can hold you for up to 24 hours if they need/want to. It's great being an American citizen, what will all the rights and freedoms we have, eh?
But let's not focus on the negative. The vacation itself was great. I saw so much beautiful architecture and learned so much about the country's history. And two big thumbs up to Neets, a fantastic tour guide! She'd been there several times before and knew what we should see and what we could skip, and how to get around to all the places. Thanks, Neets!
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Before I head off to London, let me leave you with a very special episode of Maria Diarrhea's Moviewatch:
"War": Stars Jet Li and Jason Statham (hot, hot, hot!). About the plot: Um, the movie has Jason Statham in it? That's about all I remember. I'm certain the people watching this movie -- and by people, I mean me -- don't really care about plot with a flick like this. Something about honoring somebody and killing someone else. Whatev. It's got Jason Statham.
"Gone Baby Gone": This was Ben Affleck's directorial debut, and it's excellent. It's about two Boston detectives who investigate a little girl's kidnapping, but that's just the general plot. The genius is in the dialogue and acting. Hello, Ed Harris! Long time no see. Morgan Freeman, although he doesn't have a lot of screen time, is also very good and definitely leaves an impression. He's so darn cool! I also love Titus Welliver, though I found his character's handlebar mustache distracting. And Amy Ryan, who plays the kidnapped girl's mom, was completely deserving of the Oscar nomination she got for this role. Really, there's nothing bad I can say about this movie. It's a definite yes.
"Good Luck Chuck": Don't judge me, but I loved this movie. There were several laugh-out-loud scenes, and although I'm not a huge Dane Cook fan, I enjoyed him in this movie. It's not a "go rent this now" movie, but if it happens to come on HBO or something, go ahead and watch it. It's entertaining.
"Mystic River": I thought this would be totally boring, given Clint Eastwood directed it (and Clint does love his looong movies), but I'm glad to say I was wrong. It was completely riveting, and Sean Penn and Tim Robbins give amazing performances. Now this is one that, if you haven't seen yet, you should run out and rent.
Well, that's it for this edition of Maria Diarrhea's Moviewatch. Wish me fun in London!
"War": Stars Jet Li and Jason Statham (hot, hot, hot!). About the plot: Um, the movie has Jason Statham in it? That's about all I remember. I'm certain the people watching this movie -- and by people, I mean me -- don't really care about plot with a flick like this. Something about honoring somebody and killing someone else. Whatev. It's got Jason Statham.
"Gone Baby Gone": This was Ben Affleck's directorial debut, and it's excellent. It's about two Boston detectives who investigate a little girl's kidnapping, but that's just the general plot. The genius is in the dialogue and acting. Hello, Ed Harris! Long time no see. Morgan Freeman, although he doesn't have a lot of screen time, is also very good and definitely leaves an impression. He's so darn cool! I also love Titus Welliver, though I found his character's handlebar mustache distracting. And Amy Ryan, who plays the kidnapped girl's mom, was completely deserving of the Oscar nomination she got for this role. Really, there's nothing bad I can say about this movie. It's a definite yes.
"Good Luck Chuck": Don't judge me, but I loved this movie. There were several laugh-out-loud scenes, and although I'm not a huge Dane Cook fan, I enjoyed him in this movie. It's not a "go rent this now" movie, but if it happens to come on HBO or something, go ahead and watch it. It's entertaining.
"Mystic River": I thought this would be totally boring, given Clint Eastwood directed it (and Clint does love his looong movies), but I'm glad to say I was wrong. It was completely riveting, and Sean Penn and Tim Robbins give amazing performances. Now this is one that, if you haven't seen yet, you should run out and rent.
Well, that's it for this edition of Maria Diarrhea's Moviewatch. Wish me fun in London!
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Only five more days to London! This is going to be the slowest five days of my life.
So here's the hotel we're staying at:
Doesn't it just look lovely?
It's located right by Trafalgar Square and Picadilly Circus, and not too far from Westminster Abbey. Now, I'm not actually sure what those things are, but I've watched enough movies that take place in London to know they're important landmarks. I just hope I don't fall into the River Thames -- because you just know that's something that would happen to me. Hey, but maybe some hot London dude that just happens to be walking by will jump in and save me. Hm, I'm starting to see some possibilities.
Um, back to reality...
We're also doing a day trip to Stonehenge:
I think I'm most excited about that part of the trip. Normally, I'd be most excited about the food, but this is England, so that's not really a priority. I mean, how many fish and chips can one girl eat?
So here's the hotel we're staying at:
Doesn't it just look lovely?
It's located right by Trafalgar Square and Picadilly Circus, and not too far from Westminster Abbey. Now, I'm not actually sure what those things are, but I've watched enough movies that take place in London to know they're important landmarks. I just hope I don't fall into the River Thames -- because you just know that's something that would happen to me. Hey, but maybe some hot London dude that just happens to be walking by will jump in and save me. Hm, I'm starting to see some possibilities.
Um, back to reality...
We're also doing a day trip to Stonehenge:
I think I'm most excited about that part of the trip. Normally, I'd be most excited about the food, but this is England, so that's not really a priority. I mean, how many fish and chips can one girl eat?
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