January 2007 Archive

January 31, 2007
V is for victory!

Anyway, we got the car. We went and test drove a Nissan Altima last night, and Kev was thoroughly unimpressed. The steering wheel was practically between his knees and wouldn't come up any higher. The car pulled to the right, and when Kev pointed that out to the sales manager, his response was, "Yes, that's probably the treads or the alignment." Well f-ing DUH! Of course it's one of those two. How about you fix the damn car before you put it on the lot!

So after that disappointment, I decided to call the salesman I haggled with the previous day before we even pulled out of this car lot. I decided to give in just $100. If they would meet me at $7600, I'd do it. Why? Because it is UNGODLY cold out. Car shopping is annoying enough, much less in 19 degree weather in the dark when it's been snowing off and on. Had it been warmer weather, I'd have held firm and kept looking. But Kev's total aversion to weather below 50 degrees doesn't make this task easy in a mid-January cold snap. lol And besides, the car was really nice. We both liked it, and my mechanic gave it the okay. And it had four new tires, which is nice.

When we got there, the salesman told me I drive a hard bargain and asked if I'd be interested in a job in sales. lol I told him I liked buying cars not selling them. And then the funniest thing happened. Before we signed the paper work, the front passenger-side window motor died. THANK GOD! I had to get my front window motor replaced on my Corolla last year, and it cost me over $400. THANK GOD it died before we had ownership. So they're fixing that for free. Woohoo! Saturday, I'm dropping it off at my mechanic to have the Camry's 100k miles tune up, which will be like $500. Yar.

In other news, the anti-inflammatory I started yesterday for my ribs actually seems to be working. They put me on Voltaren this time, and it seems to reduce the inflammation and cut the pain. The only draw back is the WICKED dizziness it causes. I have about 2.5 hours of room-spinning hell after I take it. I was laying in bed last night, feeling like I was in a tea cup at a carnival. But I can live with that if it works. And that might subside after I've been on it a while. We'll see. I have to have a bone scan Friday, which I am utterly unthrilled about. But I guess it will clear up that nothing serious is wrong.
posted by Karabou at 9:36 PM EST
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January 30, 2007
9 Names
1. YOUR REAL NAME:
Kara

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (first 3 letters of real name plus izzle.)
Karizzle

3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (fav color and fav animal)
Blue Cat

4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, and current street
Lynn Montgomery

5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name, last 3 letters of mom's maiden name)
Hamkaahn (mmm ham)

6. YOUR SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink).
Black Russian

7. YOUR IRAQI NAME: (2nd letter of your first name, 3rd letter of your last name, any letter of your middle name, 2nd letter of your moms maiden name, 3rd letter of you dads middle name, 1st letter of a siblings first name, last letter of your moms middle name.
Amnaeke

8. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (dad's middle name)
Emerson

9. YOUR GOTH NAME: (black, and the name of one your pets)
Black Zen
posted by Karabou at 5:31 PM EST
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January 29, 2007
I karate chopped their pants RIGHT OFF!
I took the day off work today to take a car to my mechanic that we were considering buying. He checked it out and told me it was good, but he told me to low ball them on the price and then pick a number that I absolutely won't go over when negotiating up.

Then I went back to dealership and karate chopped their pants off. They didn't know what to think of me, not just because I was aggressive and stood firm at "my number" but because I knew exactly what I was arguing and had facts to back me up. I went in prepared with my arguments for the number I wanted.

Did I get the car? Not yet. And I'm fine with that. When you shop for a car, you have to be willing to walk away and not care if you got it or not. It's the only way you'll get what you want. I did get them down to $7700 from $8990. But my number is $7500 (including tax), and I'm not budging. If they want to sell me that car, they'll sell it at $7500. And if they don't, /shrug.

My mechanic told me to check out some Nissan Altimas. They're the same quality but about $2k cheaper than Hondas and Toyotas. So I'm going to check some out this week and see if they're even something Kev would want.

Yesterday gave me the confidence boost I needed. I knew I could do this. And yesterday proved I could do it not just well but f-ing fantastic. /flex

And if anyone needs a Carfax report in the next 30 days, let me know. I've got unlimited reports.
posted by Karabou at 11:15 PM EST
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January 28, 2007
Life's small victories
It's creeping up on a year. Today was the first time since dad was killed that I was able to grocery shop. I don't mean walk in with 5 things on a list and walk out. I was able to walk down aisles and think, "Oh, I think we need that." I was able to remember everything Kev had listed on the reminder board. This is the first time I have been able to do either of those. And I know most of you are sitting there thinking I'm nuts, but this is really a small victory for me.

It's a huge leap back into this elusive "normalcy." I think I hit rock bottom beginning at Thanksgiving, and it finally subsided going into January. I didn't want to talk to anyone. I didn't want to go out. I didn't want to do anything. I didn't care that I was in constant pain from my ribs. I didn't care about the holidays. I didn't do anything special. Nothing mattered. I drifted away from my family, my friends, pretty much everyone but Kev. And the only reason I didn't drift away from him is because he's stuck living with me (and he's a saint).

I can think of dad now and not feel pissed, or devastated, or lost. Those feelings are still abound, but they're not with me every day now. I can think of dad and just think, "I miss him." I still cry. I still hurt. But I'm tired of suffering. You can hurt without suffering. Now I can think of the good things about him. The things I miss and not the things that made me angry. I loved him. He was my dad. And I'll never have another one. I never knew it was possible to miss someone so much.

I seriously just woke up one Saturday and realized the worst had passed. I felt hopeful, and even a little happy, for the first time in months. I've had the desire to clean the apartment, pay more attention to my appearance...the little details. For the first time, I can look to the future and actually feel something positive. I'm finally coming out the other end of the tunnel. Finally.

I'm considering getting a tattoo on the one year anniversary. It will be a day of a different kind of pain. A day of tribute. Of memory. Of love.
posted by Karabou at 8:09 PM EST
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January 24, 2007
What Child of Dune Are You?

When things aren't so romantic...
Stilgar: How shall you be known?
Paul: What is the name of that moon?
Stilgar: Shitfucker
Paul: Then I shall be known as Paul Shitfucker Atreides.

posted by Karabou at 6:04 PM EST
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January 23, 2007
Drama-rama
I swear on all that is holy that I heard on the radio this morning there was potential for 8-9 inches of snow. It was WTUE at 7:30am, and I sat bolt-upright in bed and growled "WHAT?!" And then I couldn't find anything that substantiated it. So I'm apparently losing my mind.

And last night, I had a dream about Jill Welbaum (old high school friend). I gave her this super-hot-pink lipstick and nail polish, and she had this mile-high hairdo. I can't remember anything else about the dream other than we were both going to this crazy drag queen's wedding, and he was dressed hideously. (I think this part spawns from me chasing a tranny down the highway yesterday to see what her boyfriend looked like. lol) Oh, and I remember Jill and I were walking somewhere, and it suddenly turns from dark city streets to farm houses. And we come across a dog made of leaves and dirt, but it was terrifying and has jagged sharp fangs. It starts chasing us, and I'm flinging water at it out of my water bottle. We escape it, and then we come across a pig made of puzzle pieces and barbwire, and it has red glowing eyes. It starts chasing us, and I'm throwing water at it again. But a farmer saves us by calling it in to the barn, and he asks, "What the hell are you two doing out here?"

posted by Karabou at 7:36 PM EST
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January 22, 2007
Hole in one!
The cats are getting skittish around me. It won't be long before they start running as soon as they see the nose-drop bottle, and they'll be firmly lodged under the bed where I can't get them. This morning, I did the nose drops and then tried to feed them their pills crushed up in food (which has worked perfectly the last two days). Sunny came out to eat, but Zen would NOT leave the bed. If I moved near him, he started towards the side of the bed to slither under it. I put his bowl on the floor. He head-weaved at it for a while because he REALLY wanted that food, but I apparently traumatized him with the nose drops so badly a few minutes prior that NOTHING was going to make him believe I wasn't really trying to do anything other than feed him.

So Kev said he'd take care of it later this morning since he's home sick. Damn cats. I really hope the crushed up pill in the food continues to work. While my mom may have mastered giving a cat a pill, I sure as hell never did.

And since Kev was sick yesterday and there was 4 inches of snow on the ground, we couldn't go look at cars. The whole point is to see what they look like and test drive them, and that wasn't really possible. So, it'll have to wait until later this week when he's both not sick and the roads aren't complete crap. For starters, he wants to go check out cars sometime this week to get an idea of what they even look like. He hasn't bought a car since 1991, so he's got some catching up to do.

posted by Karabou at 10:31 PM EST
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January 21, 2007
Yoinks!
Ended up taking the cats to the vet Saturday morning. Sunny had another sneezing fit last Thursday night that woke me up at 5:30am (grrrr). They both have a sinus infection, so it's pills and nose drops 2x a day for the next 2 weeks. Then, we're supposed to take them back to the vet and have them re-tested. Today already cost $250. If they're fine in two weeks, we're not going back.

And Kev's mom called today and decided that, rather than buy a new van for $20,000, they'd help us buy a decent used car. Works out fine for us and them. So, now begins the hellish task of car shopping. And my neighbor told me Friday that he's on vacation the last week of this month. So I'll have no transportation unless Kev goes into work an hour early every day, and we share the car. But, I refused to be rushed into buying a car, so we'll make the best of the situation until we can figure it out. :)

posted by Karabou at 10:14 PM EST
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January 17, 2007
mmmm...ribs
I finally went back to the doctor today about my ribs. She was apalled that I waited 3 months to come back, but when you're told you're likely to get multiple shots in your rib cage, you really want to try everything else first...
But I finally succumbed and made the appt. She could barely touch my one rib, though it's stayed in place for about 2 months. The back rib still pops in and out randomly, but it doesn't bother me much.

Here's the game plan. I got a shot in my butt cheek of cortisone today, a type that will work anywhere in the body but takes 2-3 days to take effect. If I'm not significantly better in 2-3 weeks, I have to see a pain specialist who will inject the cortisone directly into my ribs. (OMG is that going to hurt.) My doctor said she doesn't do that because "there are these things called lungs inside the ribs, and deflating one of those is really, really bad." Her sarcastic humor cracks me up. And if I end up doing that, she's going to order a bone scan.

Yes, the test I quit seeing my last doctor over. But at least this time, I feel like we tried damn near everything possible before resorting to it. She was highly concerned that barely putting pressure on my one rib made me hover about 3 feet off the exam table. Christ it hurt. But, it's time to get this figured out. Nine months of this crap is enough.

Oh god does my butt cheek hurt. heh
posted by Karabou at 11:04 PM EST
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January 16, 2007
Children of Men
Spoilers...
Just got home from dinner and a movie with the husband. We decided to use our Longhorn gift certificate tonight and check out Children of Men. I've wanted to see it since I saw the trailer months ago. It was not disappointing. I figured I'd throw up a blog update while I load Burning Crusades on my PC and download the patches.

I can't say the plot was original in any way. It's subject matter that's been done by countless sci-fi authors. But the way it was executed was phenomenal.
It's the first movie in the past 5 years that Kevin didn't have a single complaint about. That in and of itself is a feat. Not that that's bad and not that I don't do the same. There were things I liked about Lady in the Water, but M. Night making himself the hero pissed me off. The same with Kevin Smith being the savior in all his movies. Barf. We can dislike aspects of the movie but still enjoy it as a whole. But this movie is the first one in a long time that Kev and I both completely, utterly enjoyed.

The way it escalated, you kept saying to yourself, "Okay, it CAN'T get any more intense. There's just no way." And then it would. And the scene where everyone just stops dead when they see the baby, and the war basically grinds to a halt in an instant was crazy. And how it immediately resumes makes you want to just duck under your seat. I really liked the overt eastern religious tones of the movie. I thought the season one ender of Dr. Who was AMAZINGLY spiritual, very Hindu...and I loved it even more for that.

And Clive Owen dying at the end was actually very fitting. What did he have left to live for? Nothing. He was the sacrifice for the first birth. It made sense.

Go see it.
posted by Karabou at 10:16 PM EST
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January 15, 2007
Yar.
I watched History of Violence tonight. It was okay, kind of boring for what I'd heard about it. I'm not a huge Viggo fan, either. But damn the sex was HOT in that movie. rowr.

And after that, I watched Miami Vice. I'd heard a lot of good things (surprisingly), but I found it kind of boring. Michael Mann certainly knows how to pull off a gun fight, but the rest of the story wasn't terribly appealing.

I know Colin Farrell is that obligatory hot guy women are supposed to swoon over, but he just doesn't do it for me. He seems like such a moody puss, and that "crazy eye" thing he does bugs the crap out of me. Did I mention his eyebrows are terrifying, his hair was outright gross in the movie, and his mustache just pissed me off. I just don't like the guy. He can be a decent actor, but this just wasn't the right vehicle for him in my opinion. I'm probably jaded by his being a total man-whore in real life. That really just puts me off. I'd rather live in blissful ignorance.
And now, off to bed.
posted by Karabou at 10:51 PM EST
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January 14, 2007
Oobaday
Yesterday was the first "good" day I've had in probably 2 months. I haven't wanted to do anything, talk to anybody, or leave the house, really. I woke up at 8am and decided I was going to do 30 mins at the gym, get my oil changed, and race home to meet Amy and Amanda for lunch. All went well, except that the stupidly girly place we went to have lunch decided to go out of business last week. But we went to the other stupidly, girly place we sometimes lunch at and still had a nice time.

I can't say I'm surprised the place closed--saddened but not surprised. It was a niche place in a tiny, crappy town with nothing to offer. When I first started going there with my m-i-l, it was usually doing brisk business. But the last 5 or so times I went there, it was pretty dead. They seemed to stop carrying the good desserts they usually offered, and they weren't serving any of their regular seasonal fare. I suppose they couldn't restock if they didn't have the money.

I think I'm going to break down and get the cortisone shots in my ribs. I'm tired of it. The Zyflamend I've been taking helps, but it's definitely not a permanent solution. As soon as I don't take it, the pain and inflammation is back just as bad as before. I think 9 months of pain and incapacitation is enough. Working out made my ribs really hurt last night, and it made my heart freak out since I haven't been able to do anything for a good 2 months. If I can't go to the gym right after work, I just won't go. I know myself. So until we're back to tow vehicles, I'm probably just going to keep expanding. Guess now is as good a time as any to get those shots. /blah

Feeling good yesterday allowed me to get some things done around the apartment. I actually had the drive and interest to clean off the coffee table and end table. I got some bills paid, and watched a few movies yesterday, P&P 2005 version (and I'll probably watch it every time it's on HBO over the next two months), Nanny McPhee (actually a tolerable kids movie), and I popped in Bridget Jones while I cleaned and the guys played Gangs of Mega-City One in our postage stamp kitchen.

I had a great day until I tried to go to sleep and then promptly had a panic attack--the kind that sent me to the ER this summer. Thankfully, those are the kind that my magic Niravem pills work on, so once I took one and read for a while, I finally fell asleep sans sleeping pill. Ambien just makes me so brain dead. I'm grateful I have them and they work, but they still make me feel foggy and unable to concentrate. I'm going to try to struggle through without taking anything tonight, since I'm leaving work at 3pm tomorrow anyway for a dentist appointment.

Maybe someday they'll come up for a cure for it. Honestly, I would undergo brain surgery if there was a permanent fix. In a heart beat.
posted by Karabou at 10:18 PM EST
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January 10, 2007
Last night's dreams...
I'm getting on an exit ramp as I head into what looks like a city the size of Los Angeles. I take my usual exit, but then I notice there are no guardrails. If I go off the edge, I go into the ocean, and it's like 100 feet up in the air. So I'm freaked out about that, and then I realize that there are two lanes of traffic, and they're both coming right at me. Somehow, my exit ramp has changed directions, and no one posted a sign. So I'm swerving to miss traffic. I think about trying to turn around, but traffic is far too heavy, and I'm afraid I might go off the edge.

While swerving, I graze an old pick up truck. He turns around, and I follow him into this suburban neighborhood. We pull over, and he's this kind of typical-midwestern-dirty-redneck. I tell him not to worry, I've got insurance. But I'm fretting about how I'm going to get citation for this, for the first time ever. He says he's going to call the cops and to just wait around.

Then I'm in the house we were in front of, and I hear police on a bullhorn saying my first name and to come out. And I think, "Wow, that was TOTALLY unnecessary. Like I'm holed up in here. I'm in my pajamas." So I come out of the house, and the dirty redneck has turned into my coworker, and she's wearing an Orange County sheriff's uniform. I think, "Nice. Yeah, put on your old training uniform and suck up so they'll be pissed at me." She's being very indifferent, and I come out around the corner of the house, and the police all have their guns drawn. I throw my hands in the air and tell them I don't even have a gun and that this is ridiculous. Then one of them shoots, but he's shooting past me, I realize.

Then they all relax and put their guns down. I turn around, and he's shot some homeless guy that was apparently a huge threat behind me. I turn back around, and then shots come from where the homeless guy is, and it looks like they hit this kid in the back of the head. But the kid is just standing their crying to his mom that he has blood on him, and no one can find a wound. Then, a gas-powered machine gun manned by the police across the street opens fire. I hit the ground and turn around to watch the homeless guy (who was still standing) get shot like 500 times. People crossing the street are getting shot. The cops that had been approaching the homeless guy were getting shot. Everyone was getting shot. I'm laying on the ground praying NOT to get shot.

And then I woke up. After about 20 minutes of fretful tossing, I went back to sleep:
I can't remember how this one began, but the first thing I can remember is that I'm in Church, and it's Ash Wednesday. I'm sitting with some guy I supposedly know, and I fall asleep on his shoulder because the mass is so boring. Then we have to stand up as part of the Catholaerobics, and it wakes me up. We stand, and then he turns into my cousin Ryan in a beige polyester suit, and he's brushing his shoulders like a snob. We go through the line to get our ashes, but instead of getting them smeared like a thumbprint on our foreheads, the priest smears them all over our chins and on the ends of our noses. And everyone is walking around like that, and they're all acting like that's the norm.

Then later I'm at home. And this same guy I'm supposed to know is there, and he's playing WoW on the computer next to me. Then I'm looking at our guild page, and this same guy I know is pictured there, and it's supposed to be Val, and he's with Drakk and Charq (guild members). But Val's hair is platinum blond and kind of skeezy, and he's got these pointy scars going across his face and really black, squinty eyes. He's kind of evil looking.

And then my alarm went off.
posted by Karabou at 8:30 PM EST

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January 9, 2007
P&P with the BBC Finale
Mmmm...it was good.

But honestly, I think I like the condensed Keira Knightly version was just as well, despite not starring Sir Firthikins. While not a handsome man, Matthew Macfadyen displayed an excellent mixture of intensity and apprehension. But Firth's longing looks and googly expressions softened the character considerably. The 10-second scene where he's watching Lizzie play the piano should have won him a BAFTA.

And Knightly displayed far more emotion than Jennifer Ehle did in the mini. I rather liked Lizzie a bit fiery and sharp-tongued as opposed to Ehle's pursed lips and poutiness.

And the lake scene...very disappointing. Not shirtless at all. /pout But Firth scores points for his dapper attire. God I love those coats.

Anyway, I love them both as very different but extremely enjoyable films. I'll probably pick up the 2005 version soon. I highly recommend it.

Also, if you like P&P, you should definitely watch The Buccaneers, Sense & Sensibility, and Much Ado About Nothing.

Can you believe there are entire websites dedicated to the comparison of the Firth Darcy and the Macfadyen Darcy?
posted by Karabou at 10:01 PM EST
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January 8, 2007
P&P with the BBC
Almost the last of my post-Xmas orders hath arrived.
DVDs
Pride & Prejudice special edition (The Firth-itized one)
Life Aquatic
House of Flying Daggers
Muppet XMas Carol
Much Ado About Nothing
Kung Fu Hustle

CDs
Billy Idol
Billy Idol - Rebel Yell
Cyndi Lauper - True Colors
and now I'm just waiting on Cyndi Lauper - She's So Unusual
That and a pair of jeans mom ordered for me. I should have those sometime this week.
So I watched the first half of the BBC's Pride and Prejudice tonight. I had no idea it was 5 hours long, which in my book is a bonus. I'm loving it.

But what's funny is that I still really love the new version, despite it starring Keira Knightley and her dreadful, dreadful teeth. What's funny is that I actually think she was good in it...better even than the slightly wooden chick in the BBC one. By some stroke of god, Keira actually has more personality and portrayed the role of Lizzie far better. I have no idea how that happened. I highly recommend watching the new one if you're a fan of the old one. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

I totally would have watched the remaining 2.5 hours tonight but damn Kevin for needing sleep. *grumble* Anyway, I'll finish it tomorrow night. I still haven't seen that supposed scene from Bridget Jones where she talks about Firth diving into a lake shirtless. When the hell does that happen? I want to be ready to pause it...

I await this scene in giddy firther...I mean, fervor
posted by Karabou at 11:31 PM EST
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January 4, 2007
Aaaand...here's my super villain...

posted by Karabou at 9:24 PM EST
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January 3, 2007
Sweet Nerd Scale
Ever wonder about the scale comparison of a Babylon 5 Earth Alliance Hyperion Class against the mothership from V?
Now, you know.
posted by Karabou at 9:05 PM EST
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January 2, 2007
Hulk Smash

posted by Karabou at 5:32 PM EST
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January 1, 2007
New, New-ish, New-ed.
We decided to keep it low key for NYE this year. Just a couple of friends came over, we ate the NYE lasagna, cheesedip, and various other appetizers while we watched The Producers. Kev took me to it for my birthday a couple of years ago, but it was still thoroughly funny. I want the original version, though.

After that, we watched MTV's NYE thing and watched a bunch of gangsta rap and emo bands caterwaul in Times Square. I guess I'm just not much of a party person because doing the Times Square thing on NYE is just not something that sounds very fun. Let's stand around all day, be unable to use a bathroom, and freeze our tits off! Woooo! Sorry, I'd rather be in a bar or even at home.

On another note, catching up with Sara and Jaci Saturday night was awesome. We definitely have to do it again.
posted by Karabou at 4:54 PM EST
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December 29, 2006
Movie Madness
I met and exceeded my goal for movies today, and I still got some housecleaning done, and I made dinner! You should know by now that I'm prone to spoilers.
The Devil Wears Prada
The main character just seemed like such a naive dumbass. I mean, what college graduate doesn't know that you should know at least the basics of the company you're applying to? She was far too wholesome and goody goody. I hate when movies resort to extremes to try to force a point. And she gave that up? Dumbass! Watch-able but not that enjoyable.
Proposition
Meh. It was okay. There really wasn't much of a plot. Damn Australian movies. After watching The Constant Gardener last week, it was weird seeing Danny Huston in such a different role. Very skinny Guy Pierce. No ending either. /shrug
V for Vendetta
Admittedly, I've not yet read Alan Moore's graphic novel. I decided to watch the movie before I read it because I'll likely have less objection to something I know little about it. I might even enjoy it. Anyway, even having not read it, I felt like there was no where near enough violence in the movie for such a character in such a setting. And I find it strange that the main character, whom you never really see, was so oddly seductive. But like I've said before, everyone's hotter covered in someone else's blood.
Little Miss Sunshine
F---ing brilliant. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The casting was fantastic, and Steve Carell was exceptionally funny. Although, he could probably read a phone book, and I would laugh till I passed out. I <3 him. People who put their 3 year olds in beauty pageants should be shot. Kev kept saying that they look like those super-deformed Bratz dolls. lol Sad part is, he's right. But I guessed the big finale within the first few minutes of the movie. It was hilarious.
Pride and Prejudice (2005)
What kind of terrible female friends do I have that none of you ever made me watch this movie!!! And to think, there's a version out there with Colin Firth in it. You bitches! I loved this movie. *sob* Now I need to track down the 1995 Firth-y version and watch it again. While a great love story, I always feel saddened watching period pieces knowing that women were traded off by their parents like cattle. No one displays that quite as clearly as Jane Austen.
posted by Karabou at 11:25 PM EST
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